In Vivo Tissue Temperature Characteristics of Contact Force Catheter With a Mesh-Shaped Irrigation Tip: A Porcine Study.

Background: Neither the actual in vivo tissue temperatures reached with a novel contact force sensing catheter with a mesh-shaped irrigation tip (TactiFlex SE, Abbott) nor the safety profile has been elucidated.

Methods: In a porcine model (n = 8), thermocouples were implanted epicardially in the superior vena cava, right pulmonary vein, and esophagus close to the inferior vena cava following a right thoracotomy. After chest closure, endocardial ablation was conducted near the thermocouples under fluoroscopic guidance.

Clinical Importance of Tissue Proximity Indication During Pulsed Field Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: Insights from Initial Experience.

Background: Pulsed field ablation (PFA) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) has been gaining worldwide acceptance due to its efficacy and safety. A variable loop circular catheter (VLCC, VARIPULSE, Biosense Webster, Inc.) for PFA, recently launched in Japan, includes a Tissue Proximity Indication (TPI) feature to monitor catheter-tissue contact via impedance.

Performance of a Two-Week Rehabilitation Improves Motor Function in Inpatients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Pre-Post Study.

: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is characterized by early postural instability and gait dysfunction, with frequent falls. Rehabilitation is an important therapeutic approach for motor dysfunction in patients with PSP. However, no conclusions have yet been drawn regarding the beneficial effects of rehabilitation in PSP, including the optimal duration of rehabilitation and differences in treatment effects among PSP subtypes.

Significance of birth in the maintenance of quiescent neural stem cells.

Birth is one of the most important life events for animals. However, its significance in the developmental process is not fully understood. Here, we found that birth-induced alteration of glutamine metabolism in radial glia (RG), the embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs), is required for the acquisition of quiescence and long-term maintenance of postnatal NSCs.

Workflow of the zero-fluoro pulsed field ablation.

Background: Zero-fluoroscopic pulsed field ablation (PFA) is the next step in advancing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: A workflow incorporating a variable-loop circular PFA catheter, intracardiac echocardiography (ICE), and a visualized sheath was applied to 15 paroxysmal AF patients.

Results: It consisted of three steps: (1) positioning a non-magnetic mapping catheter in the coronary sinus after creating a right atrial matrix, (2) transseptal puncture with the sheath advancement to the left atrium under ICE guidance, and (3) PFA confirming catheter-tissue contact with tissue proximity indication.

Correction: The temporal evolution of income polarization in Canada's largest CMAs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Effect of Shoulder Flexion Range of Motion and Trunk Muscle Activity on Lumbar Lordosis in the Streamlined Posture in Healthy Young Men.

Objective This study aimed to compare the lumbar spine, pelvic alignment, and trunk muscle activity in healthy participants with and without shoulder flexion restriction in a streamlined posture. Methods The lumbar lordosis angle, pelvic anteversion angle, and trunk muscle activity were measured in 31 young, healthy men in the resting standing position. The streamlined (SL) posture and correlation analysis were performed.

Quantification of Goldmann Visual Fields During Resolution of Traumatic Optic Neuropathy.

We describe the clinical findings in a Japanese patient with unilateral traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) who underwent steroid pulse therapy followed by optic canal decompression surgery. The optic nerve function was assessed longitudinally and quantitatively by Goldmann visual fields (GVFs). This was accomplished by measuring the area of each isopter and scotoma, and the findings were compared with the visual acuities recorded during the course of the resolution of the TON.

The Association of Walking Ability with Oral Function and Masticatory Behaviors in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Cross-Sectional Study.

: An association between oral function and physical fitness, including walking capacity, has been reported. However, the association between masticatory behaviors and walking ability-both of which represent patterns of movement in daily life-has not been clarified. This study aimed to investigate the association between masticatory behaviors, oral function, and walking capacity in older people.

New strategy for shortening the consolidation period in distraction lengthening of phalanges or metacarpal bone.

Distraction lengthening of digits enhances hand function in patients with congenital phalangeal defects or traumatic hand amputations. Although callotasis is a useful distraction lengthening method, it is challenging and often results in various complications and prolonged fixation. Based on our experiences, we attempted to develop innovations to reduce the fixation period.

Revisiting the early light-induced protein hypothesis in the sustained thermal dissipation mechanism in yew leaves.

Overwintering evergreen trees in boreal regions continuously convert absorbed light energy into heat through a process known as sustained thermal dissipation. To better understand this mechanism, this study examined the alterations in the photosynthetic apparatus and transcriptomes of yew (Taxus cuspidata) leaves throughout the year, comparing sun-exposed and shaded leaves. The Y(II) parameter, conventionally used to estimate the quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), indicated the occurrence of temperature-dependent thermal dissipation during winter.

Quadriceps Strength Loss Following Total Knee Arthroplasty as a Predictor of Three-Month Strength Recovery: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background and objectives Patients often experience significant quadriceps muscle weakness immediately after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), which can persist and lead to reduced physical function, increased risk of falls, and reduced patient satisfaction. Immediate postoperative quadriceps weakness is commonly caused by several factors, such as preoperative quadriceps weakness related to knee osteoarthritis (OA) and TKA-induced quadriceps weakness. Although many interventions have focused on addressing knee OA-related quadriceps weakness, there may be fewer studies specifically investigating TKA-induced quadriceps weakness.

TBK1 adaptor AZI2/NAP1 regulates NDP52-driven mitochondrial autophagy.

Damaged mitochondria are selectively eliminated in a process called mitophagy. PINK1 and Parkin amplify ubiquitin signals on damaged mitochondria, which are then recognized by autophagy adaptors to induce local autophagosome formation. NDP52 and OPTN, two essential mitophagy adaptors, facilitate de novo synthesis of pre-autophagosomal membranes near damaged mitochondria by linking ubiquitinated mitochondria and ATG8 family proteins and by recruiting core autophagy initiation components.

Ultra-processed foods cause weight gain and increased energy intake associated with reduced chewing frequency: A randomized, open-label, crossover study.

Aim: To elucidate the effects of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) on body weight and ad libitum energy intake compared with non-UPFs.

Materials And Methods: In this randomized, open-label crossover study conducted at the University of Tokyo Hospital, overweight/obese Japanese male participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to start the study with consumption of either UPFs or non-UPFs for 1 week, followed by a 2-week washout period, before crossing over to the alternate food diet for 1 week. Individuals with diabetes, hypertension or any other medical conditions who visited a hospital regularly were excluded.

Minimum and early high-energy sonication protocol of MR-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for low-skull density ratio patients with essential tremor and Parkinson's disease.

Objective: MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy is an incisionless neurosurgical treatment for patients with medically refractory essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease. A low skull density ratio (SDR) < 0.40 is a known risk factor for treatment failure.