Usefulness of bronchial sputum aspirate specimens for the diagnosis of Non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease.

Background: The usefulness of bronchoscopy for the diagnosis of NTM pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has been reported. However, performing bronchoscopy for aspirated sputum and airway secretion specimens (sputum aspirate specimens) in the region extending from the trachea down to the orifice of each segmental bronchus has been poorly documented. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of sputum aspirate specimens collected from the central airway using bronchoscopy.

Vericiguat Use in Patients with Heart Failure in Real-World Settings during the First Year after the Drug Authorization in Japan.

Vericiguat was developed to treat patients with heart failure (HF). Currently, limited data are available to characterize vericiguat-treated patients in real-world clinical settings. This retrospective cohort study was done using a Japanese hospital administrative database to describe the use of vericiguat in patients with HF in real-world settings.

Initiation and continuation of pharmacological therapies in patients hospitalized for heart failure in Japan.

Currently, the utilization patterns of medications for heart failure (HF) after worsening HF events remain unelucidated in Japan. Here, we conducted a retrospective cohort study evaluating the changes in HF drug utilization patterns in 6 months before and after hospitalizations for HF. The adherence to newly initiated HF medications was evaluated based on the proportion of days covered (PDC) and persistence as continuous treatment episodes among new users.

Causative alleles for chondrodysplastic dwarfism, factor XI deficiency, and factor XIII deficiency in the Kumamoto sub-breed of Japanese Brown cattle.

Japanese Brown cattle are the second most popular Wagyu breed, and the Kumamoto sub-breed shows better daily gain and carcass weight. One of the breeding objectives for this sub-breed is to reduce genetic defects. Chondrodysplastic dwarfism and factor VIII deficiency have been identified as genetic diseases in the Kumamoto sub-breed.

Cell sorting in vitro and in vivo: How are cadherins involved?

Animal tissues are composed of heterogenous cells, and their sorting into different compartments of the tissue is a pivotal process for organogenesis. Cells accomplish sorting by themselves-it is well known that singly dispersed cells can self-organize into tissue-like structures in vitro. Cell sorting is regulated by both biochemical and physical mechanisms.

A case of Potter sequence with WT1 mutation.

Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) is the causative gene of Denys-Drash syndrome and Frasier syndrome, and in most cases, kidney failure develops after birth. We report an unusual case of Potter sequence due to fetal nephropathy and kidney failure with a WT1 mutation. The neonate was born at 37 weeks of gestation, and had no distinctive facial appearance or anomalies of the extremities.

CAMSAP2 organizes a γ-tubulin-independent microtubule nucleation centre through phase separation.

Microtubules are dynamic polymers consisting of αβ-tubulin heterodimers. The initial polymerization process, called microtubule nucleation, occurs spontaneously via αβ-tubulin. Since a large energy barrier prevents microtubule nucleation in cells, the γ-tubulin ring complex is recruited to the centrosome to overcome the nucleation barrier.

Home High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy in Children with Congenital Heart Disease.

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy has been applied in the perioperative respiratory care for children with congenital heart disease and respiratory problems. However, the information about the feasibility of home HFNC therapy remains lacking among them. We retrospectively reviewed 5 children with congenital heart disease and respiratory problems who underwent home HFNC therapy, and evaluated their feasibility and safety.

Cyst formation in proximal renal tubules caused by dysfunction of the microtubule minus-end regulator CAMSAP3.

Epithelial cells organize an ordered array of non-centrosomal microtubules, the minus ends of which are regulated by CAMSAP3. The role of these microtubules in epithelial functions, however, is poorly understood. Here, we show that the kidneys of mice in which Camsap3 is mutated develop cysts at the proximal convoluted tubules (PCTs).

Intercellular and intracellular cilia orientation is coordinated by CELSR1 and CAMSAP3 in oviduct multi-ciliated cells.

The molecular mechanisms by which cilia orientation is coordinated within and between multi-ciliated cells (MCCs) are not fully understood. In the mouse oviduct, MCCs exhibit a characteristic basal body (BB) orientation and microtubule gradient along the tissue axis. The intracellular polarities were moderately maintained in cells lacking CELSR1 (cadherin EGF LAG seven-pass G-type receptor 1), a planar cell polarity (PCP) factor involved in tissue polarity regulation, although the intercellular coordination of the polarities was disrupted.

CAMSAP3 is required for mTORC1-dependent ependymal cell growth and lateral ventricle shaping in mouse brains.

Microtubules (MTs) regulate numerous cellular processes, but their roles in brain morphogenesis are not well known. Here, we show that CAMSAP3, a non-centrosomal microtubule regulator, is important for shaping the lateral ventricles. In differentiating ependymal cells, CAMSAP3 became concentrated at the apical domains, serving to generate MT networks at these sites.

Adherens junction regulates cryptic lamellipodia formation for epithelial cell migration.

Collective migration of epithelial cells plays crucial roles in various biological processes such as cancer invasion. In migrating epithelial sheets, leader cells form lamellipodia to advance, and follower cells also form similar motile apparatus at cell-cell boundaries, which are called cryptic lamellipodia (c-lamellipodia). Using adenocarcinoma-derived epithelial cells, we investigated how c-lamellipodia form and found that they sporadically grew from around E-cadherin-based adherens junctions (AJs).

Guidelines and definitions for research on epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) encompasses dynamic changes in cellular organization from epithelial to mesenchymal phenotypes, which leads to functional changes in cell migration and invasion. EMT occurs in a diverse range of physiological and pathological conditions and is driven by a conserved set of inducing signals, transcriptional regulators and downstream effectors. With over 5,700 publications indexed by Web of Science in 2019 alone, research on EMT is expanding rapidly.

Clinical Risk Factors of Thromboembolic and Major Bleeding Events for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Treated with Rivaroxaban in Japan.

Background: It is important to understand the risk of thromboembolism and bleeding in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) receiving direct oral anticoagulants; however, data on risk factors in Japanese patients are limited.

Methods: XAPASS (Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety and Effectiveness Study in Japanese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective observational study examining the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban in Japanese real-world clinical practice. We investigated risk factors for stroke/noncentral nervous system systemic embolism (non-CNS SE)/myocardial infarction (MI) and major bleeding using 1-year follow-up data.

Real-World Outcomes of Rivaroxaban Treatment in Patients with Both Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation and a History of Ischemic Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack.

Introduction: Prior stroke is a risk factor for stroke and bleeding during anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Although rivaroxaban is widely prescribed to reduce their risk of stroke in patients with nonvalvular AF (NVAF), the real-world evidence on rivaroxaban treatment is limited. We aimed to examine the outcomes of rivaroxaban treatment in NVAF patients with prior ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) by using the data of the Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety and Effectiveness Study in Japanese -Patients with AF, a prospective, single-arm, observational study.

Real-world outcomes of rivaroxaban treatment in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and worsening renal function.

Background: Rivaroxaban is a direct oral anticoagulant administered to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). The Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety and Effectiveness Study in Japanese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (XAPASS) was a prospective, observational, post-marketing surveillance study that examined the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban in routine clinical practice. This sub-analysis of the XAPASS investigated the outcomes of patients with worsening renal function (WRF).

Real-world outcomes of the Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety & Effectiveness Study in Japanese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (XAPASS).

Background: Although the efficacy and safety of the factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) were shown in global and Japanese phase III clinical trials, safety and effectiveness data from unselected patients in everyday clinical practice are limited. The objective of the XAPASS (Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety & Effectiveness Study in Japanese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is to investigate the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban in Japanese real-world clinical practice.

Methods: The XAPASS is a prospective, single-arm, real-world observational study mandated by the Japanese authority as post-marketing surveillance.

Loss of CAMSAP3 promotes EMT via the modification of microtubule-Akt machinery.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays pivotal roles in a variety of biological processes, including cancer invasion. Although EMT involves alterations of cytoskeletal proteins such as microtubules, the role of microtubules in EMT is not fully understood. Microtubule dynamics are regulated by microtubule-binding proteins, and one such protein is CAMSAP3, which binds the minus-end of microtubules.

CAMSAP3 maintains neuronal polarity through regulation of microtubule stability.

The molecular mechanisms that guide each neuron to become polarized, forming a single axon and multiple dendrites, remain unknown. Here we show that CAMSAP3 (calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein 3), a protein that regulates the minus-end dynamics of microtubules, plays a key role in maintaining neuronal polarity. In mouse hippocampal neurons, CAMSAP3 was enriched in axons.

Design and baseline characteristics of the Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety & Effectiveness Study in Japanese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (XAPASS).

Background: The phase III Japanese Rivaroxaban Once-Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (J-ROCKET AF) showed that the rivaroxaban group had a lower event rate of intracranial bleeding than the warfarin group and that rivaroxaban was noninferior to warfarin for the principal safety outcome. However, safety and effectiveness data from unselected patients with AF in everyday clinical practice in Japan are lacking.

Methods: The Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety & Effectiveness Study in Japanese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (XAPASS) is a real-world, prospective, single-arm, observational study mandated by the Japanese authority as postmarketing surveillance.

Multiple functions of α-catenin beyond cell adhesion regulation.

α-Catenin is known to play a pivotal role in cell-cell adhesion as a cytoplasmic partner for the cadherin adhesion receptors that are essential for tissue organization. The action of cadherins to firmly connect cells together depends on α-catenin; without α-catenin, cells tend to disperse. Despite this established role of α-catenin in cell junction formation, evidence has accumulated that it also plays extra-junctional roles, regulating various cell behaviors such as cell motility and polarity.