Microbiological profiles and clinical outcomes of critically ill surgical patients with lower gastrointestinal perforation in Japan: a single-center retrospective observational study.

Background: Lower gastrointestinal perforation (LGP) is a surgical emergency disease that can result in secondary bacterial peritonitis. Microbiological studies on LGP are rare. The present study aimed to ascertain the microbiological profile of LGP in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at our institute after surgery.

Casein kinase 2 complex: a central regulator of multiple pathobiological signaling pathways in .

The casein kinase 2 (CK2) complex has garnered extensive attention over the past decades as a potential therapeutic target for diverse human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and obesity, due to its pivotal roles in eukaryotic growth, differentiation, and metabolic homeostasis. While CK2 is also considered a promising antifungal target, its role in fungal pathogens remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the functions and regulatory mechanisms of the CK2 complex in , a major cause of fungal meningitis.

Predictive performance of the sequential organ failure assessment score for in-hospital mortality in patients with end-stage kidney disease in intensive care units: A multicenter registry in Japan.

Introduction: There is limited evidence regarding whether the performance of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score differs between patients with and without end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods: We used a multicenter registry (Japanese Intensive care Patient Database) to enroll adult ICU patients between April 2018 and March 2021. We recalibrated the SOFA score using a logistic regression model and evaluated its predictive ability in both ESKD and non-ESKD groups.

Reliability of the respiratory rate and oxygenation index for successful high-flow nasal cannula support in coronavirus disease pneumonia: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy is an important non-invasive respiratory support in acute respiratory failure, including coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pneumonia. Although the respiratory rate and oxygenation (ROX) index is a simple and useful predictor for HFNC failure and mortality, there is limited evidence for its use in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. We aimed to evaluate the ROX index as a predictor for HFNC failure in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Electrochemical oxidation of 3-substituted indoles.

2-Oxindoles are an abundant heteroaromatic motif in natural products and pharmaceuticals. An appealing method for accessing 2-oxindoles is by oxidation of the corresponding indole, a transformation currently executed using stoichiometric quantities of unsafe chemical oxidants that can also form unwanted side-products. Herein, we report that 3-substituted indoles undergo a logistically straightforward, electrochemical oxidation to the corresponding 2-oxindole in the presence of potassium bromide (>20 examples), with only traces of the oxidative dimer detected.

Investigating local and global control mechanisms in bilingual grammatical processing.

Bilinguals employ both global and local control mechanisms to manage coactivated languages that compete for selection, yet little is known about how they operate on morphosyntactic information. The current study investigated bilingual language control mechanisms for a morphosyntactic production task. Across two experiments, 48 early Spanish-English bilinguals completed rapid instructed task learning paradigms with priming-in-item-recognition manipulations that investigated the extent to which parallel activation was observed across languages and across rules of the same type within a language.

Predictive factors and clinical impact of ICU-acquired weakness on functional disability in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19.

Background: Patients with critical COVID-19 often require invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), resulting in a higher incidence of ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) and functional decline.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the causes of ICU-AW and functional outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19 who required IMV.

Methods: This prospective, single-center, observational study included COVID-19 patients who required IMV for ≥48 h in the ICU between July 2020 and July 2021.

Post-traumatic giant thrombosis of inferior vena cava induced right-sided blunt traumatic diaphragmatic injury: a case report.

Background: Inferior vena cava thrombosis is a severe disease as it carries a higher risk of developing pulmonary embolism associated with a high mortality rate. The incidence of inferior vena cava thrombosis is extremely low and is commonly associated with outflow obstruction of the inferior vena cava. The frequency of traumatic diaphragmatic injuries is less than 1% of all traumatic injuries.

Time dependency and unique etiology of barotrauma in COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study with landmark analysis and pathological approach.

Background: Barotrauma frequently occurs in coronavirus disease 2019. Previous studies have reported barotrauma to be a mortality-risk factor; however, its time-dependent nature and pathophysiology are not elucidated. To investigate the time-dependent characteristics and the etiology of coronavirus disease 2019-related-barotrauma.

WWOX P47T partial loss-of-function mutation induces epilepsy, progressive neuroinflammation, and cerebellar degeneration in mice phenocopying human SCAR12.

WWOX gene loss-of-function (LoF) has been associated with neuropathologies resulting in developmental, epileptic, and ataxic phenotypes of varying severity based on the level of WWOX dysfunction. WWOX gene biallelic germline variant p.Pro47Thr (P47T) has been causally associated with a new form of autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia with epilepsy and intellectual disability (SCAR12, MIM:614322).

Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 caused by the Alpha variant compared with one by wild type in Kobe, Japan. A multi-center nested case-control study.

Objectives: The emergence of the Alpha variant of novel coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) is a concerning issue but their clinical implications have not been investigated fully.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study to compare severity and mortality caused by the Alpha variant (B.1.

Association between ICU admission during off-hours and in-hospital mortality: a multicenter registry in Japan.

Background: The effect of ICU admission time on patient outcomes has been shown to be controversial in several studies from a number of countries. The imbalance between ICU staffing and medical resources during off-hours possibly influences the outcome for critically ill or injured patients. Here, we aimed to evaluate the association between ICU admission during off-hours and in-hospital mortality in Japan.

Kctd7 deficiency induces myoclonic seizures associated with Purkinje cell death and microvascular defects.

Mutations in the potassium channel tetramerization domain-containing 7 (KCTD7) gene are associated with a severe neurodegenerative phenotype characterized by childhood onset of progressive and intractable myoclonic seizures accompanied by developmental regression. KCTD7-driven disease is part of a large family of progressive myoclonic epilepsy syndromes displaying a broad spectrum of clinical severity. Animal models of KCTD7-related disease are lacking, and little is known regarding how KCTD7 protein defects lead to epilepsy and cognitive dysfunction.

Patient-centered outcomes at hospital discharge in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients in Kobe, Japan: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

Background: Apart from saving the lives of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients on mechanical ventilation (MV), recovery from the sequelae of prolonged MV (PMV) is an emerging issue.c METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study among consecutive adult COVID-19 patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Kobe, Japan, between March 3, 2020, and January 31, 2021, and received invasive MV. Clinical outcomes included in-hospital mortality and recovery from COVID-19 in survivors regarding organ dysfunction, respiratory symptoms, and functional status at discharge.

Impact of serum lactate dehydrogenase on the short-term prognosis of COVID-19 with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and underlying cardiovascular comorbidities have poor prognoses. Our aim was to identify the impact of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which is associated with mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome, on the prognoses of patients with COVID-19 and underlying cardiovascular comorbidities.

Methods: Among 1518 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 enrolled in the CLAVIS-COVID (Clinical Outcomes of COVID-19 Infection in Hospitalized Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases and/or Risk Factors study), 515 patients with cardiovascular comorbidities were analyzed.

Prevention of Image Quality Degradation in Wider Field Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Images Via Image Averaging.

Purpose: To evaluate the mutual effect of widening the field of view and multiple en face image averaging on the quality of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images.

Methods: This prospective, observational, cross-sectional case series included 20 eyes of 20 healthy volunteers with no history of ocular or systemic disease. OCTA imaging of a 3 × 3-mm, 6 × 6-mm, and 12 × 12-mm area centered on the fovea was performed nine times using the PLEX Elite 9000.

Two Homologs of Human Lysine-Specific Demethylase Function in Epigenetic Regulation of Plant Defense Responses.

Epigenetic marks such as covalent histone modification and DNA methylation are crucial for mitotically and meiotically inherited cellular memory-based plant immunity. However, the roles of individual players in the epigenetic regulation of plant immunity are not fully understood. Here we reveal the functions of two homologs of human lysine-specific demethylase1-like1, LDL1 and LDL2, in the maintenance of methyl groups at lysine 4 of histone H3 and in plant immunity to infection.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Kobe, Japan: a single-center, retrospective, observational study.

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has placed a great burden on critical care services worldwide. Data regarding critically ill COVID-19 patients and their demand of critical care services outside of initial COVID-19 epicenters are lacking. This study described clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill COVID-19 patients and the capacity of a COVID-19-dedicated intensive care unit (ICU) in Kobe, Japan.

Rapid Response System for In-Hospital Large Vessel Occlusion: A Case-Control Study.

Objective: Acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) in hospitalized patients is relatively rare but important condition. However, unlike community-onset cases, there are only few time-saving protocols for in-hospital LVO. This study aimed to evaluate the time-saving effects of rapid response system (RRS) for the management of in-hospital LVO.

β spectrin-dependent and domain specific mechanisms for Na channel clustering.

Previously, we showed that a hierarchy of spectrin cytoskeletal proteins maintains nodal Na channels (Liu et al., 2020). Here, using mice lacking β1, β4, or β1/β4 spectrins, we show this hierarchy does not function at axon initial segments (AIS).

Longer term hemodialysis-dependent chronic renal failure increases the risk of post-cardiac surgery vasoplegic syndrome.

Purpose: We evaluated whether longer term hemodialysis (HD) is associated with a higher incidence of vasoplegic syndrome (VS) after cardiac surgery.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center cohort study included 562 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery in a tertiary hospital from January 2015 to December 2016. We assessed VS occurrence and its relationship with HD duration and other risk factors.

Proactive and Reactive Language Control in the Bilingual Brain.

The current experiment investigated bilingual language control within the dual mechanisms framework. In an fMRI investigation of morphosyntactic rule production, the presence or absence of target language cues was manipulated to investigate the neural mechanisms associated with proactive and reactive global language control mechanisms. Patterns of activation across nine regions of interest (ROIs) were investigated in seventeen early Spanish-English bilingual speakers.