Dataset augmentation with multiple contrasts images in super-resolution processing of T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance images.

This study investigated the effectiveness of augmenting datasets for super-resolution processing of brain Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) T1-weighted images (T1WIs) using deep learning. By incorporating images with different contrasts from the same subject, this study sought to improve network performance and assess its impact on image quality metrics, such as peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM). This retrospective study included 240 patients who underwent brain MRI.

Comparative efficacy of conservative, hyperbaric oxygen, and endovascular retinal surgery approaches in central retinal artery occlusion.

Purpose: To assess and compare the efficacy of three treatment modalities for central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO): conservative therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), and endovascular retinal surgery (ERS).

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of CRAO patients treated at the Toyama University Hospital. Their age range was 44-87 years; a balanced gender distribution was observed.

SAIL66, a next generation CLDN6-targeting T-cell engager, demonstrates potent antitumor efficacy through dual binding to CD3/CD137.

Background: Ovarian cancer remains a formidable challenge in oncology, necessitating innovative therapeutic approaches. Claudin-6 (CLDN6), a member of the tight junction molecule CLDN family, exhibits negligible expression in healthy tissues but displays aberrant upregulation in various malignancies, including ovarian cancer. Although several therapeutic modalities targeting CLDN6 are currently under investigation, there is still a need for more potent therapeutic options.

Optimizing the composition of (Ce,La)(Co,Fe)for permanent magnet applications using density functional theory.

In this work, we calculated physical quantities, including the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant () and magnetization (), for disordered (Ce,La)(Co,Fe)systems. Based on the results, we propose CeCoFeas the optimum composition for high-performance permanent magnets. The calculations employed the full-potential Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method, and dealt with the compositional disorder of the systems within the coherent potential approximation.

Label-free ghost cytometry for manufacturing of cell therapy products.

Automation and quality control (QC) are critical in manufacturing safe and effective cell and gene therapy products. However, current QC methods, reliant on molecular staining, pose difficulty in in-line testing and can increase manufacturing costs. Here we demonstrate the potential of using label-free ghost cytometry (LF-GC), a machine learning-driven, multidimensional, high-content, and high-throughput flow cytometry approach, in various stages of the cell therapy manufacturing processes.

Pituitary lymphoma appearing 9 years after pituitary adenoma resection.

Background: Pituitary lymphomas (PLs) are very rare, accounting for <0.1% of all intracranial tumors. Of which, PL that is associated with PL is even rarer.

Impact of shear stress on sacral pressure injury from table rotation during laparoscopic colorectal surgery performed in the lithotomy position.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of shear stress on surgery-related sacral pressure injury (PI) after laparoscopic colorectal surgery performed in the lithotomy position. We included 37 patients who underwent this procedure between November 2021 and October 2022. The primary outcome was average horizontal shear stress caused by the rotation of the operating table during the operation, and the secondary outcome was interface pressure over time.

Faster acquisition of magnetic resonance imaging sequences of the knee via deep learning reconstruction: a volunteer study.

Aim: To evaluate whether deep learning reconstruction (DLR) can accelerate the acquisition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences of the knee for clinical use.

Materials And Methods: Using a 1.5-T MRI scanner, sagittal fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging (fs-T2WI), coronal proton density-weighted imaging (PDWI), and coronal T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) were performed.

Fibroblast activation protein-targeted near-infrared photoimmunotherapy depletes immunosuppressive cancer-associated fibroblasts and remodels local tumor immunity.

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play a critical role in tumor immunosuppression. However, targeted depletion of CAFs is difficult due to their diverse cells of origin and the resulting lack of specific surface markers. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a novel cancer treatment that leads to rapid cell membrane damage.

Light-controllable cell-membrane disturbance for intracellular delivery.

Highly polar and charged molecules, such as oligonucleotides, face significant barriers in crossing the cell membrane to access the cytoplasm. To address this problem, we developed a light-triggered twistable tetraphenylethene (TPE) derivative, TPE-C-N, to facilitate the intracellular delivery of charged molecules through an endocytosis-independent pathway. The central double bond of TPE in TPE-C-N is planar in the ground state but becomes twisted in the excited state.

Discovery and SAR of JTE-151: A Novel RORγ Inhibitor for Clinical Development.

A number of RORγ inhibitors have been reported over the past decade. There were also several examples advancing to human clinical trials, however, none of them has reached the market yet, suggesting that there could be common obstacles for their future development. As was expected from the general homology of nuclear receptor ligands, insufficient selectivity as well as poor physicochemical properties were identified as potential risks for a RORγ program.

Statistical model of trajectories of reduced mobility in older people with locomotive disorders: a prospective cohort study with group-based trajectory model.

Background: Today we experience "Super-aged society", and a drastic increase in the number of older people needing assistance is an urgent matter for everyone from medical and socio-economical standpoints. Locomotive organ dysfunction due to musculoskeletal disorders is one of the main problems in these patients. Although the concepts of frailty and sarcopenia have been proposed for functional decline, pain remains the main and non-negligible complaint in these of such disorders.

Validation of a New Methodology to Create Oral Drugs beyond the Rule of 5 for Intracellular Tough Targets.

Establishing a technological platform for creating clinical compounds inhibiting intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs) can open the door to many valuable drugs. Although small molecules and antibodies are mainstream modalities, they are not suitable for a target protein that lacks a deep cavity for a small molecule to bind or a protein found in intracellular space out of an antibody's reach. One possible approach to access these targets is to utilize so-called middle-size cyclic peptides (defined here as those with a molecular weight of 1000-2000 g/mol).

Near-infrared spectroscopy of low-transmittance samples by a high-power time-stretch spectrometer using an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG).

Although time-stretch spectroscopy is an emerging ultrafast spectroscopic technique, the applications in industrial fields have been limited due to the low output power caused by undesirable nonlinear effects occurred in a long optical fiber used for pulse chirping. Here, we developed a high-power time-stretch near infrared (NIR) spectrometer utilizing arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs). The combination of AWGs and short optical fibers allowed large amounts of chromatic dispersion to be applied to broadband supercontinuum pulses without the power limitation imposed by employing the long optical fiber.

Subtyping of Group 3/4 medulloblastoma as a potential prognostic biomarker among patients treated with reduced dose of craniospinal irradiation: a Japanese Pediatric Molecular Neuro-Oncology Group study.

Background: One of the most significant challenges in patients with medulloblastoma is reducing the dose of craniospinal irradiation (CSI) to minimize neurological sequelae in survivors. Molecular characterization of patients receiving lower than standard dose of CSI therapy is important to facilitate further reduction of treatment burden.

Methods: We conducted DNA methylation analysis using an Illumina Methylation EPIC array to investigate molecular prognostic markers in 38 patients with medulloblastoma who were registered in the Japan Pediatric Molecular Neuro-Oncology Group and treated with reduced-dose CSI.

Identification and characterization of endo-α-, exo-α-, and exo-β-D-arabinofuranosidases degrading lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan of mycobacteria.

The cell walls of pathogenic and acidophilic bacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, contain lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan. These components are composed of D-arabinose, the enantiomer of the typical L-arabinose found in plants. The unique glycan structures of mycobacteria contribute to their ability to evade mammalian immune responses.

Sulfonium Salt Reagents for the Introduction of Deuterated Alkyl Groups in Drug Discovery.

The pharmacokinetics of pharmaceutical drugs can be improved by replacing C-H bonds with the more stable C-D bonds at the α-position to heteroatoms, which is a typical metabolic site for cytochrome P450 enzymes. However, the application of deuterated synthons is limited. Herein, we established a novel concept for preparing deuterated reagents for the successful synthesis of complex drug skeletons with deuterium atoms at the α-position to heteroatoms.

Keratinocyte-Specific SOX2 Overexpression Suppressed Pressure Ulcer Formation after Cutaneous Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Enhancement of Amphiregulin Production.

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a key player in the pathogeneses of pressure ulcer formation. Our previous work demonstrated that inducing the transcription factor SOX2 promotes cutaneous wound healing through EGFR signaling pathway enhancement. However, its protective effect on cutaneous I/R injury was not well-characterized.

Dynamic change and preventive role of stress response via Keap1-Nrf2 during renal crystal formation.

Oxidative stress is a major risk factor for calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis. Reports suggest that oxidative stress response is induced in animals and humans with kidney stones. Keap1, Nrf2, and HO-1 are known as oxidative stress mediators.

DNA Nanopore-Tethered Gold Needle Electrodes for Channel Current Recording.

Synthetic DNA nanopores are attracting attention as alternatives to conventional biological nanopores in nanopore sensors because of the high designability of their pore structures and functionability. However, the efficient insertion of DNA nanopores into a planar bilayer lipid membrane (pBLM) remains challenging. Although hydrophobic modifications such as the use of cholesterol are required to insert DNA nanopores into pBLMs, these modifications also induce negative effects, including the undesired aggregation of DNA structures.

Clinical Impact of Deep Learning Reconstruction in MRI.

Deep learning has been recognized as a paradigm-shifting tool in radiology. Deep learning reconstruction (DLR) has recently emerged as a technology used in the image reconstruction process of MRI, which is an essential procedure in generating MR images. Denoising, which is the first DLR application to be realized in commercial MRI scanners, improves signal-to-noise ratio.

Efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel monotherapy after immune checkpoint inhibitor administration for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A multicenter Phase 2 clinical trial.

Background: Whether immunotherapy improves the efficacy or worsens adverse events of subsequent chemotherapy remains unclear. We performed a Phase 2 study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) as a treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after treatment with programmed cell death 1 or programmed death ligand 1 [PD-(L)1] inhibitor failure.

Methods: Nab-paclitaxel (100 mg/m ) was administered on Days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle to patients with advanced NSCLC within 12 weeks after the failure of PD-(L)1 inhibitor treatment.