Assessment of oral methotrexate intolerance in Japanese adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the gastrointestinal side (GI) effects of oral methotrexate (MTX) in Japanese adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, 112 Japanese adult patients (over 18 years old) with RA were examined by Methotrexate Intolerance and Severity assessment in Adults (MISA) questionnaire.

Results: Forty-five (40.

A preliminary study on the development of care staff's Final-Stage Decision-Making Support Scale for older adults with dementia.

Aim: This preliminary study aimed to develop a care staff Final Life-Stage Decision-Making Support Scale (FS-DM) for older adults with dementia (OwDs) in geriatric facilities.

Methods: The FS-DM items were developed from focus group interviews with care staff and reviewed through discussions with several experts in dementia care. A questionnaire survey was conducted among care staff in geriatric facilities from February to March 2021.

MARC-3, a membrane-associated ubiquitin ligase, is required for fast polyspermy block in Caenorhabditis elegans.

In many sexually reproducing organisms, oocytes are fundamentally fertilized with one sperm. In Caenorhabditis elegans, chitin layer formation after fertilization by the EGG complex is one of the mechanisms of polyspermy block, but other mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that MARC-3, a membrane-associated RING-CH-type ubiquitin ligase that localizes to the plasma membrane and cortical puncta in oocytes, is involved in fast polyspermy block.

Short-term serial circulating tumor DNA assessment predicts therapeutic efficacy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: We investigated the potential clinical utility of short-term serial KRAS-mutated circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) assessment for predicting therapeutic response in patients undergoing first-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods: We collected 144 blood samples from 18 patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer that were undergoing initial first-line chemotherapy of gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GEM plus nab-PTX). Analysis of KRAS-mutated ctDNA was quantified by digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) as mutant allele frequency (MAF).

Feasibility of discontinuing immunosuppression in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Background: Despite adverse events associated with the long-term use of immunosuppressants, their long-term discontinuation remains challenging in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Relapse and resumption of immunosuppressants after discontinuation and associated risk factors were analyzed.

Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included children with frequently relapsing/steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (FRNS/SDNS) or steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) who initiated immunosuppressant treatment between 2010 and 2020.

Parental stress and food allergy phenotypes in young children: A National Birth Cohort (JECS).

Background: Food allergy children and their families tend to have emotional distress and anxiety. There have been few reports of differences in parenting stress and a child's food allergy phenotypes.

Methods: We examined the associations between food allergy phenotypes in children and parenting stress assessed by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) from a national birth cohort (Japan Environment and Children's Study).

Association between the time of initial relapse and subsequent relapses in patients with childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Background: Nephrotic syndrome relapse within 6 months is a known risk factor for steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome/frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (SDNS/FRNS), but the risk of early development of SDNS/FRNS and initiation of immunosuppression therapy remains unknown.

Methods: Patients with childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who had the first relapse within 6 months were enrolled. We analyzed the relationship between the time of the first relapse or the time of initial remission and incidence of SDNS/FRNS or initiation of immunosuppression therapy.

The phosphorylated pathway of serine biosynthesis affects sperm, embryo, and sporophyte development, and metabolism in Marchantia polymorpha.

Serine metabolism is involved in various biological processes. Here we investigate primary functions of the phosphorylated pathway of serine biosynthesis in a non-vascular plant Marchantia polymorpha by analyzing knockout mutants of MpPGDH encoding 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase in this pathway. Growth phenotypes indicate that serine from the phosphorylated pathway in the dark is crucial for thallus growth.

Characterization of Isolated from Sows Presenting Purulent Vulvar Discharge.

Purulent vulvar discharge is a clinical sign of genitourinary tract infections, which are a significant concern in swine facilities, leading to sow culling and mortality. is one of the main agents involved in these diseases. This study aimed to characterize the virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiles as well as the phylotype of strains isolated from sows with purulent vulvar discharge.

Sialidase NEU3 Contributes to the Invasiveness of Bladder Cancer.

Bladder cancer is the 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. The current standard treatment for advanced bladder cancer is neoadjuvant cisplatin (NAC)-based chemotherapy followed by cystectomy. However, the response rate to chemotherapy is only 50%, owing to cisplatin resistance, and there is a need for novel therapies.

Assessing the Link between Nurses' Proficiency and Situational Awareness in Neonatal Care Practice Using an Eye Tracker: An Observational Study Using a Simulator.

Nurses are expected to depend on a wide variety of visually available pieces of patient information to understand situations. Thus, we assumed a relationship between nurses' skills and their gaze trajectories. An observational study using a simulator was conducted to analyze gaze during neonatal care practice using eye tracking.

Higher Cholesterol Absorption Marker at Baseline Predicts Fewer Cardiovascular Events in Elderly Patients Receiving Hypercholesterolemia Treatment: The KEEP Study.

Background: Higher cholesterol absorption has been reported to be related to a higher incidence of cardiovascular events (CVEs). The KEEP (Kyushu Elderly Ezetimibe Phytosterol) study, a substudy of the EWTOPIA 75 (Ezetimibe Lipid-Lowering Trial on Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in 75 or Older) study, investigated the relationships of cholesterol absorption and synthesis markers with CVEs in older old individuals with hypercholesterolemia, particularly in relation to ezetimibe treatment.

Methods And Results: Eligible patients were those aged ≥75 years who had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥140 mg/dL, no history of coronary artery disease, and no recent use of lipid-lowering drugs.

Significance of the clock gene period in photoperiodism in larval development and production of diapause eggs in the silkworm Bombyx mori.

Many insects living in seasonal environments sense seasonal changes from photoperiod and appropriately regulate their development and physiological activities. Genetic researches have indicated the importance of a circadian clock system in photoperiodic time-measurement for photoperiodic regulations. However, most previous studies have focused on the effects on a single photoperiodic phenotype, without elucidating whether the circadian clock is involved in the core photoperiodic mechanism or only in the production of one target phenotype, such as diapause.

Hounsfield Unit Values as an Adjunct Diagnostic Tool: Investigating Its Relationship with Bone Mineral Density and Vertebral Bone Quality in Lumbar Degenerative Disease Patients.

Objective: With an increasing prevalence of osteoporosis due to demographic shifts, accurate diagnostic methods are vital, particularly before spinal surgeries. This research investigated the correlation between bone mineral density T-scores of the lumbar spine and femoral neck, Hounsfield Unit (HU) values from computed tomography (CT), and vertebral bone quality (VBQ) scores from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in patients with lumbar degenerative disease.

Methods: We analyzed data from 100 patients with lumbar degenerative disease who underwent CT, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and MRI between 2019 and 2023.

A Case of Endovascular Aortic Repair for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with a Saccular Aneurysm in the Severely Angulated Proximal Landing Zone.

We report a case of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for the abdominal aortic aneurysm complicated by a saccular aneurysm due to a penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer in the severely angulated proximal landing zone. To secure the zone, coil embolization of the saccular aneurysm was performed before stent grafting to treat the abdominal aortic aneurysm. To precisely follow the severely angled proximal neck, we used the Excluder stent-graft system inserted by the body floss technique method instead of the stiff wire method to avoid accordion folding the proximal landing zone.

Fat Accumulation and Elevated Free Fatty Acid Are Associated With Age-Related Glucose Intolerance: Bunkyo Health Study.

Context: Older adults have a high prevalence of new-onset diabetes, often attributed to age-related decreases in insulin sensitivity and secretion. It remains unclear whether both insulin sensitivity and secretion continue to deteriorate after age 65.

Objective: To investigate the effects of aging on glucose metabolism after age 65 and to identify its determinants.

Universal Platform of Point-Gap Topological Phases from Topological Materials.

Whereas point-gap topological phases are responsible for exceptional phenomena intrinsic to non-Hermitian systems, their realization in quantum materials is still elusive. Here, we propose a simple and universal platform of point-gap topological phases constructed from Hermitian topological insulators and superconductors. We show that (d-1)-dimensional point-gap topological phases are realized by making a boundary in d-dimensional topological insulators and superconductors dissipative.

Modified Commando procedure using a double valve composite through an aorto-annulo-septotomy.

Double valve replacement of aortic and mitral valves with intervalvular fibrous body reconstruction (Commando procedure) is a challenging operation. Particularly in redo surgery for prosthetic valve endocarditis, special techniques are needed for approaching and reconstructing the valve complex. We performed a modified Commando procedure using a double valve composite through an aorto-annulo-septotomy.

Potential role of Fbxo22 in resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer with invasive lobular carcinoma.

Background: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is distinct from invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in terms of their hormonal microenvironments that may require different therapeutic strategies. We previously reported that selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) function requires F-box protein 22 (Fbxo22). Here, we investigated the role of Fbxo22 as a potential biomarker contributing to the resistance to endocrine therapy in ILC.