Localization and Spread of Challenging Conduction Gaps of Pulmonary Veins for Atrial Fibrillation Cryoablation.

Background: Cryoballoon ablation has been widely performed in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). In some challenging pulmonary veins (PVs), the procedure requires additional touch-up applications against the residual conduction gaps. It implies that there could exist difficult sites to cover with standard cryoballoon applications (CBAs), resulting in resistant conduction gaps (RCGs).

Investigating the effects of home-based rehabilitation after intensive inpatient rehabilitation on motor function, activities of daily living, and caregiver burden.

Background: Home-based rehabilitation involves professional rehabilitation care and guidance offered by physical, occupational, and speech therapists to patients in their homes to help them recuperate in a familiar living environment. The effects on the patient's motor function and activities of daily living (ADLs), and caregiver burden for community-dwelling patients are well-documented; however, little is known about the immediate benefits in patients discharged from the hospital. Therefore, we examined the effects of continuous home-based rehabilitation immediately after discharge to patients who received intensive rehabilitation during hospitalization.

Characterization of a Cancer-Induced Bone Pain Model for Use as a Model of Cancer Cachexia.

Cancer cachexia is a debilitating syndrome characterized by progressive weight loss, muscle wasting, and systemic inflammation. Despite the prevalence and severe consequences of cancer cachexia, effective treatments for this syndrome remain elusive. Therefore, there is a greater need for well-characterized animal models to identify novel therapeutic targets.

Ecological features of upriver migration in Kitakami River chum salmon and their connection to aerobic thermal performance.

The physiological performance of ectotherms is influenced by temperature, raising concerns about the impact of global warming on ectotherms. Understanding the relationship between ecologically relevant temperatures and the physiological performance of ectotherms provides a basis for assessing their resilience to changing environments. Absolute aerobic scope (AAS) is a functional metric of the thermal performance of aquatic ectotherms.

Pinhole Descending Aortic Rupture with Systemic Sclerosis and Dermatomyositis: A Case Report.

Thoracic descending aortic perforation with overlap syndrome (systemic sclerosis and dermatomyositis) is a rare, unreported vascular pathology. We describe the case of a 75-year-old woman who presented with chest tightness, back pain, and dyspnea. Computed tomography revealed a pinhole rupture in the descending aorta.

Dilatory responsiveness of the internal carotid artery to shear stimulus is constant under different levels of transient hypercapnia.

Peripheral endothelial function, which accounts for the variability in shear stimulus, can be assessed using shear-mediated dilation normalized to the increased shear stimulus. Similarly, shear-mediated dilation of the internal carotid artery (ICA), an index of cerebrovascular endothelial function, should be normalized to increased shear stimulus. However, this approach has not yet been validated.

Administration of a Selective Antagonist for Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Receptor in the Hippocampus Causes Anxiolytic Effects in the Male Rat.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) affects rodents' stress-related behaviors, such as anxiety-like behavior or fear conditioning. However, previous studies have investigated the effect of intracerebroventricular, but not hippocampal, injection of this PAC1R-selective antagonist (PACAP-6-38) on anxiety-like behavior. However, it has been reported that administration of PACAP-6-38 to the dorsal hippocampus reduces the fear response in a fear conditioning test.

[Evaluation of Quick Chaser CD GDH/TOX, a Rapid Diagnostic Kit for Simultaneous Detection of Antigen and Toxin A/B, in Fecal Specimens].

For infections, highly sensitive rapid diagnostic test kits are necessary for prompt diagnose and infection control. In this study, we evaluated "Quick Chaser CD GDH/TOX" (evaluation kit), a rapid diagnostic kit for , using 65 clinical stool specimens, comparing with GE test immunochromato-CD GDH/TOX "Nissui" (GE test) and TECHLAB QUIK CHEK COMPLETE (QUIK CHEK). The results of the evaluation kit showed a high concordance rate; 100% the positive concordance rate (31/31) and 97.

New era of plasma dentistry.

Plasma, which was coined by Irving Langmuir in 1928, is the fourth physical state after the solid/liquid/gas phases. Low-temperature plasma (LTP) is a contradictory condition that involves high energy with free radicals at near-body temperatures and was developed through engineering in the 1990's. Research on LTP in engineering and medical fields has rapidly developed since the 2000's.

Longitudinal changes following the introduction of socially assistive robots in nursing homes: a qualitative study with ICF framework and causal loop diagramming.

Background: Socially assistive robots introduced in nursing care settings have multidimensional psychological impacts on care recipients and caregivers. This study aims to explore the longitudinal changes induced by socially assistive robots, focusing on a chain of human behaviors.

Methods: In this qualitative study, nine participants from two nursing homes who had experience in manipulating socially assistive robots were interviewed in a semi-structured focus group using a topic guide to explore the changes in care recipients and caregivers.

Radiation Segmentectomy and Modified Radiation Lobectomy for Unresectable Early-Stage Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

Purpose: To validate the safety and efficacy of radiation segmentectomy (RS) and modified radiation lobectomy (mRL) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) and to evaluate long-term outcomes in patients with unresectable, early-stage iCCA.

Materials And Methods: A single-institution, retrospective study of patients with unresectable, solitary iCCA without extrahepatic disease or vascular involvement (stage I) treated with RS and mRL was performed. Fifteen patients met inclusion criteria (median age 65.

Revamping Pace Distribution: A Case Study on Elevating the Men's 400 m Track and Field Japanese National Record After 32 Years.

Chiba, Y, Sato, K, Yoshimoto, T, Ohnuma, H, Yamanaka, R, Takahashi, K, Kobayashi, K, Matsubayashi, T, and Takai, Y. Revamping pace distribution: A case study on elevating the men's 400 m track and field Japanese national record after 32 years. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-Many studies have investigated the 400-m sprint, and the optimal pacing strategy is subject to debate.

Dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion MRI helps in differentiating double-expressor from non-double-expressor subtypes in primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Purpose: In the 2016 WHO Classification of Lymphoid Tissue Neoplasms, co-expression of MYC and BCL2 is newly designated as double expressor lymphoma. Patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma with double expressor (DE-PCNSL) have been reported to have a higher risk of recurrence and a worse prognosis than those with PCNSL without double expressor (non-DE-PCNSL). The aim of this study was to determine whether DE-PCNSL has characteristic clinical and MR imaging features compared to non-DE-PCNSL.

Successful endovascular therapy with "Direct tip injection in occlusive lesions (DIOL)" fashion for persistent sciatic artery aneurysmal occlusion: A case report.

Unlabelled: Persistent sciatic artery (PSA) is a rare congenital anomaly that may involve aneurysmal formations. During endovascular treatment for PSA aneurysm (PSAA) occlusion, guidewire crossing can be challenging due to complex anatomy. We report successful endovascular intervention for PSAA occlusion using the "direct tip injection in occlusive lesions (DIOL)" fashion, in which hydraulic pressure with contrast facilitates guidewire crossing by visualizing the vessel course and expanding the microchannel and vessel lumen.

Long-term outcomes of S-1 and oxaliplatin neoadjuvant chemotherapy with total mesorectal excision and lateral lymph node dissection for rectal cancer.

Purpose: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for rectal cancer is limited by its harmful side effects and its insufficient benefit on lateral lymph node metastases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of S-1 and oxaliplatin with total mesorectal excision (TME) and lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) without radiation for rectal cancer.

Methods: The inclusion criteria were patients with stage II or III rectal cancer located within 10 cm from the anal verge.

Factors and their age differences associated with low back pain among Japanese workers: a cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to examine the factors and their age differences associated with low back pain (LBP), including lifestyle and psychosocial factors, among Japanese workers at a large company. The study population consisted of 25,610 workers (mean ± SD age, 44.7 ± 9.

Photothermal therapeutic effect by gold nanostars/extracellular vesicles nanocomplex on melanoma cells.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a method for treating cancer using the heat generated by light irradiation, often in combination with light-absorbing materials. Efficient PTT requires a drug delivery system to deliver light-absorbing materials to cancerous tissues. Gold nanostars (GNSs) enable efficient PTT through absorbing long-wavelength light.

Electrochemically Controlled Deposition of Low-Crystalline Covalent Organic Frameworks on Nanocarbon Electrode Toward Metal-Free Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalyst.

Morphology-controlled synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offers significant potential for electrochemical applications. However, controlling the deposition of nanometer-scale COFs on carbon supports remains challenging due to the need for a slow COF generation rate and the dispersion of carbon supports in liquid-phase synthesis. In this study, nanometer-scale COF/carbon composites are fabricated using electrochemically generated acid (EGA) to assist in the formation of imine-type COFs, which are then deposited onto pre-cast nanocarbon supports on an electrode.

Immune complexome analysis reveals an autoimmune signature predictive of COVID-19 severity.

Background: The factors contributing to the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain unclear. Although the presence of immune complexes (ICs), formed between antibodies and their antigens, has been linked to COVID-19 severity, their role requires further investigation, and the antigens within these ICs are yet to be characterized.

Method: Here, a C1q enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay and immune complexome analysis were used to determine IC concentrations and characterize IC antigens, respectively, in the sera of 64 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, enrolled at seven participating centers in 2020.

Closed-Loop Automated Control System of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Left Ventricular Assist Device Support in Cardiogenic Shock.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) benefits patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) but can increase left ventricular afterload and exacerbate pulmonary edema. Adding a percutaneous left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to VA-ECMO can optimize the hemodynamics. Because managing VA-ECMO and LVAD simultaneously is complex and labor-intensive, we developed a closed-loop automated control system for VA-ECMO and LVAD.

Electrophilic aromatic substitution using fluorinated isoxazolines at the C5 position C-F bond cleavage.

Electrophilic aromatic substitution at the C5 position of isoxazolines and construction of a new quaternary carbon center were achieved in this paper. This is the first report of carbon-carbon (C-C) bond formation onto isoxazoline without compromising the ring structure. Various aromatics including heteroaromatics gave the desired products in good yields, especially aromatics bearing electron-donating groups.

Prospective Study on Splinting for First Carpometacarpal Joint: A Comparison of Conventional and Three-Dimensional Printed Splint.

: Patient compliance is a major concern of hand orthosis in first carpometacarpal osteoarthritis. To address this issue, we established a method for creating a custom-made three-dimensional printed splint based on computed tomography. This prospective study evaluates the usefulness of the three-dimensional printed splint compared with the conventional splint.

Absolute quantification of eight human milk oligosaccharides in breast milk to evaluate their concentration profiles and associations with infants' neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have been positively associated with child neurodevelopment in some cohort studies. However, there is a lack of consistency in the association between HMOs and benefits to infants' brains. Moreover, the quantification methods for HMOs have not yet been standardized.