Effects of Human Adipose Tissue-Derived and Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Mouse Model.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be acquired from medical waste. MSCs are easily expanded and have multiple functions, including anti-inflammatory effects. We evaluated the effects of human adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) and umbilical cord tissue-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse model.

Mesenchymal stem cells cultured under hypoxic conditions had a greater therapeutic effect on mice with liver cirrhosis compared to those cultured under normal oxygen conditions.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be easily expanded. They can be acquired from medical waste such as adipose and umbilical cord tissues, are influenced by culturing conditions, and exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-fibrotic, and angiogenic effects. We analyzed the multi-directional effects of MSCs cultured under hypoxic conditions and their underlying mechanisms in the treatment of liver cirrhosis in a mouse model.

DNA photo-cross-linking using a pyranocarbazole-modified oligodeoxynucleotide with a d-threoninol linker.

An alternative photo-cross-linker having a d-threoninol skeleton instead of the 2'-deoxyribose backbone in 3-cyanovinylcarbazole (K) was investigated to improve the photoreactivity of photo-cross-linkers; the photo-cross-linking rate of 3-cyanovinylcarbazole with d-threoninol (D) was found to be greater than that of K. Therefore, in this study, a novel photo-cross-linker having pyranocarbazole (X) and d-threoninol instead of the 2'-deoxyribose backbone in X (D) was developed. The D in double-stranded DNA photo-cross-linked to a pyrimidine base at the -1 position of a complementary strand similar to X.

Predicting Ventral Striatal Activation During Reward Anticipation From Functional Connectivity at Rest.

Reward anticipation is essential for directing behavior toward positively valenced stimuli, creating motivational salience. Task-related activation of the ventral striatum (VS) has long been used as a target for understanding reward function. However, some subjects may not be able to perform the respective tasks because of their complexity or subjects' physical or mental disabilities.

The long noncoding RNA PTENP1 regulates human endometrial epithelial adhesive capacity in vitro: implications in infertility.

There is general consensus that the synchronous development of the embryo and endometrium is absolutely essential for successful implantation. Recent studies have strongly suggested that embryo-secreted factors are able to deliver into the endometrial cavity/endometrium and alter its protein profile in preparation for implantation. However, there is limited research focusing on long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) changes in the endometrium that brought about by the embryonic derived factors.

Change in body composition in patients with achalasia before and after peroral endoscopic myotomy.

Background And Aim: Patients with achalasia experience weight loss because of dysphagia caused by impaired relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. This study aimed to use dual bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to determine the change in bodyweight and body composition in patients with achalasia before and after peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM).

Methods: Patients with achalasia who underwent POEM from 2013 to 2018 (n = 72) were retrospectively analyzed for change in bodyweight before and after 3 months.

Diabetes impairs the angiogenic capacity of human adipose-derived stem cells by reducing the CD271 subpopulation in adipose tissue.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Therapeutic angiogenesis using adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) is attractive for CVD therapy. However, although it would be critical for ADSC application on CVD therapy, whether and how diabetes impairs human ADSC therapeutic potential is still uncertain.

Severity Indices for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Reflecting Glycemic Control or Insulin Resistance.

Objective We aimed to identify obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) severity indices reflecting the anthropometric and metabolic characteristics of patients with OSAS. Methods A total of 76 patients with OSAS underwent nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP). We also investigated the effects of nCPAP on OSAS-associated muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), risk for cardiovascular diseases, and insulin secretion and sensitivity.

Rare and Deleterious Mutations in ABCG5/ABCG8 Genes Contribute to Mimicking and Worsening of Familial Hypercholesterolemia Phenotype.

Background: A substantial proportion of patients clinically diagnosed as having familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) do not manifest causative mutation(s) in the FH genes such asLDLR,APOB, andPCSK9. We aimed to evaluate the effect of rare and deleterious mutation(s) inABCG5/ABCG8on hyper-low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia in individuals who meet the clinical criteria for FH.

Methods and results: We compared the LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) values among 487 subjects with FH; the subjects were grouped according to the presence of mutation(s) in FH andABCG5/ABCG8genes.

The First Report of Purulent Pericarditis Associated with Aortic Stent-graft Infection Caused by Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.

We herein report the first case of purulent pericarditis associated with aortic stent-graft infection in an 80-year-old Japanese man that was caused by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, which appropriate antibiotics failed to treat. The detailed clinical course and autopsy images revealed that purulent pericarditis associated with aortic stent-graft infection caused cardiac tamponade and eventually led to mortality. We therefore suggest that surgical procedures, including drainage, should be introduced for such cases.

Endometriosis Triggers Excessive Activation of Primordial Follicles via PI3K-PTEN-Akt-Foxo3 Pathway.

Context: The ovarian reserve is reduced in patients with endometriosis. We hypothesize that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) Akt-Forkhead box O (Foxo3) pathway is involved in reducing the ovarian reserve.

Objective: To elucidate the signaling mechanism by which endometriosis decreases ovarian reserve.

A case report of psychiatric symptoms following direct-acting antiviral and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C in a patient with innate anxiety.

Background: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) result in a highly sustained virological response rate and better patient tolerance. However, this therapeutic approach may, on rare occasions, give rise to psychiatric symptoms. We describe a case requiring discontinuation of DAA and ribavirin combination therapy due to psychiatric symptoms in a patient with congenital anxious personality traits.

Desmoid Tumor at the Site of Endometriosis Surgery, Coincident with the Use of Oral Contraceptives.

Desmoid tumors, which are often estrogen-dependent, frequently develop in surgical wounds. Here we report the case of 33-year-old woman with a 4-cm solid mass detected in her left adnexal area. She had previously undergone a laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis at age 29 years and had been using a combined oral contraceptive (COC) to prevent recurrence.

Rational arrangement of measuring shear wave speed in the liver.

Background: Shear wave speed has been widely applied to quantify a degree of liver fibrosis. However, there is no standardized procedure, which makes it difficult to utilize the speed universally.

Aim: To provide procedural standardization of shear wave speed measurement.

Clinical Impact of Carotid Plaque Score rather than Carotid Intima-Media Thickness on Recurrence of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Events.

Aim: Carotid plaque score (cPS) reflecting throughout the carotid artery plaque burden may be a better marker than carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is. We aimed to compare the prognostic utility of these measurements in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

Methods: We retrospectively examined 2,035 Japanese patients with ASCVD who underwent carotid ultrasonography between January 2008 and December 2015 at Kanazawa University Hospital.

Lipoprotein(a) as an Old and New Causal Risk Factor of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], discovered in 1963, has been associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) independent of other traditional risk factors, including LDL cholesterol. Lp(a) is an apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoprotein, which contains an LDL-like particle. Unlike LDL, which is a primary therapeutic target to decrease ASCVD, current guidelines recommend measuring Lp(a) for risk assessments because there is no clear evidence demonstrating the clinical benefit of decreasing Lp(a) using classical drugs such as niacin.

Considerations of elderly factors to manage the complication of liver cirrhosis in elderly patients.

The aging of the organ function causes sensitivity to the disease progression and need careful consideration for the medical treatment. With the increase of aging population, the opportunity to provide medical treatment for people in very old age is rapidly increasing therefore, the understanding of the various physiological changes of cellular function, size and function of organs are essential for the decision of therapeutic options. Among the various chronic conditions seen in elderly people, we have focused on liver cirrhosis, since despite specific therapeutic options for many of liver diseases including direct acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus, nucleoside analogs for hepatitis B, and corticosteroids for autoimmune hepatitis, there is currently no standard therapy to treat liver cirrhosis, which is the final stage of these liver diseases.

Contralateral ovarian endometrioma recurrence after unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

Background: The recurrence rate after unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO) for unilateral endometrioma has not been reported. We evaluated the rate of and risk factors for endometrioma recurrence after USO.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we enrolled 110 women (age, 35-45 years) who underwent laparoscopic USO (n = 50) or cystectomy (n = 60) for unilateral ovarian endometrioma from January 2010 through December 2012.

Usefulness of chemokine C-C receptor 7 /programmed cell death-1 follicular helper T cell subset frequencies in the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis.

Aim: A significant concern for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients is diagnostic specificity. Delayed treatment due to delayed diagnosis leads to poor survival. We recently reported that chemokine C-C receptor 7 (CCR7) /programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) follicular helper T (Tfh) cells could be involved in AIH pathogenesis.

EpCAM- and/or NCAM-Expressing Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Which Behavior of Hepatic Progenitor Cell Marker-Positive Cells Are Followed.

Hepatic progenitor cell (HPC) marker-positive hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) have recently been extensively analyzed, and their prognosis has been reported as poor compared to HPC marker-negative HCCs. However, previous studies have analyzed the existence of HPC marker-positive cancer cells only in primary lesions, as well as the recurrence rate and prognosis of such tumors. Here, we are the first to report the behavior of HPC marker-positive cancer cells during vascular invasion and metastasis of an HCC.

Harmonization of resting-state functional MRI data across multiple imaging sites via the separation of site differences into sampling bias and measurement bias.

When collecting large amounts of neuroimaging data associated with psychiatric disorders, images must be acquired from multiple sites because of the limited capacity of a single site. However, site differences represent a barrier when acquiring multisite neuroimaging data. We utilized a traveling-subject dataset in conjunction with a multisite, multidisorder dataset to demonstrate that site differences are composed of biological sampling bias and engineering measurement bias.

Quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment score as a possible predictor for in-hospital adverse events in infective endocarditis.

Aim: Infective endocarditis (IE) can be life-threatening because of various associated adverse events. The quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score is a straightforward useful method for predicting in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected infections. However, few data exist regarding the clinical impact of the qSOFA score on predicting adverse events in IE during hospitalization.