The benefit of stool mycobacterial examination to diagnose pulmonary tuberculosis for adult and elderly patients.

Background: In patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis, who have difficulty in expectorating sputum, alternative specimens by invasive procedures, gastric aspirate or sputum suction, are not always available in the feeble elderly. Several studies report the benefit of stool test for pediatric or HIV infected patients, but few in adult patients.

Objective: To evaluate the benefit of stool examination as non-invasive alternative test to detect (MTB) infection.

[Emergent Endovascular Treatment of Spontaneous Rupture of the Thoracic Aorta].

Spontaneous rupture of the thoracic aorta is a rare disease with a poor prognosis without obvious trauma, aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection. We report 2 cases of successful endovascular aortic repair for spontaneous rupture of the thoracic aorta. Case 1:A 79-year-old man was referred to our hospital complaining of general fatigue.

Mechanically Reinforced Gelatin Hydrogels by Introducing Slidable Supramolecular Cross-Linkers.

Tough mechanical properties are generally required for tissue substitutes used in regeneration of damaged tissue, as these substitutes must be able to withstand the external physical force caused by stretching. Gelatin, a biopolymer derived from collagen, is a biocompatible and cell adhesive material, and is thus widely utilized as a component of biomaterials. However, the application of gelatin hydrogels as a tissue substitute is limited owing to their insufficient mechanical properties.

MSU Crystals induce sterile IL-1β secretion via P2X7 receptor activation and HMGB1 release.

Backgroud: The mechanism by which monosodium urate (MSU) crystals induce inflammation is not completely understood. Few studies have shown that MSU is capable of stimulating the release of IL-1β in the absence of LPS treatment. The purinergic P2X7 receptor is involved in the release of IL-1β in inflammatory settings caused by crystals, as is the case in silicosis.

Aldosterone Reduction Rate After Saline Infusion Test May Be a Novel Prediction in Patients With Primary Aldosteronism.

Objective: Accurate assessment and localization of aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) are essential for the treatment of primary aldosteronism (PA). Although adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is the standard method of reference for subtype diagnosis in PA, controversy exists concerning the criteria for its interpretation. This study aims to determine better indicators that can reliably predict subtypes of PA.

Multiparametric assessment of the impact of opsin expression and anesthesia on striatal cholinergic neurons and auditory brainstem activity.

Recent developments in genetic engineering have established murine models that permit the selective control of cholinergic neurons via optical stimulation. Despite copious benefits granted by these experimental advances, the sensory physiognomy of these organisms has remained poorly understood. Therefore, the present study evaluates sensory and neuronal response properties of animal models developed for the study of optically induced acetylcholine release regulation.

A Case of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis with Multiple Drug Resistance and High Expression of Efflux Transporters.

Context: Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Patients usually respond well to oral synthetic thyroxine (levothyroxine); however, for unknown reasons some individuals present with treatment-resistant Hashimoto thyroiditis. In cases of cancer and certain infectious diseases, the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters have been implicated in multidrug resistance, and we hypothesized and investigated a role of ABC transporters in drug-resistant Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Muraminomicins, novel ester derivatives: in vitro and in vivo antistaphylococcal activity.

Novel muraminomicin derivatives with antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were synthesized by esterification of the hydroxy group on the diazepanone ring of muraminomicin Z. Compound 1b (DS14450354) possessed a diheptoxybenzyl-β-Alanyl-β-Alanyl group and exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against MRSA comparable to those against methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA).

Lubiprostone Induces Claudin-1 and Protects Intestinal Barrier Function.

Introduction: Lubiprostone, a chloride channel activator, is said to reduce epithelial permeability. However, whether lubiprostone has a direct effect on the epithelial barrier function and how it modulates the intestinal barrier function remain unknown. Therefore, the effects of lubiprostone on intestinal barrier function were evaluated in vitro.

Polyelectrolyte Complexes between Polycarboxylates and BMP-2 for Enhancing Osteogenic Differentiation: Effect of Chemical Structure of Polycarboxylates.

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) has received considerable attention because of its osteoinductivity, but its use is limited owing to its instability and adverse effects. To reduce the dose of BMP-2, complexation with heparin is a promising approach, because heparin enhances the osteoinductivity of BMP-2. However, the clinical use of heparin is restricted because of its anticoagulant activity.

Vinculin is critical for the robustness of the epithelial cell sheet paracellular barrier for ions.

The paracellular barrier function of tight junctions (TJs) in epithelial cell sheets is robustly maintained against mechanical fluctuations, by molecular mechanisms that are poorly understood. Vinculin is an adaptor of a mechanosensory complex at the adherens junction. Here, we generated vinculin KO Eph4 epithelial cells and analyzed their confluent cell-sheet properties.

Theoretical elastic tensile behavior of muscle fiber bundles in traumatic loading events.

Background: The mechanical characterization of skeletal muscle under high-rate loading regimes is important for predicting traumatic injuries due to traffic accidents and contact sports. However, it is difficult to perform dynamic mechanical tests at rates relevant to such rapid loading events.

Methods: In the present study, a series of stress relaxation tests were conducted on rabbit hind-limb muscle fiber bundles using a custom tensile tester.

Emerging Nanoassembly of Polyrotaxanes Comprising Acetylated α-Cyclodextrins and High-Molecular-Weight Axle Polymer.

Acetylated α-cyclodextrin (α-CD)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based polyrotaxanes (Ac-PRXs) with varying degrees of acetylation (DA) and molecular weight of axle PEG were synthesized and their solubility in aqueous solutions was investigated. Ac-PRXs with low DA (less than 35%) were dissolved in aqueous solutions without considering the molecular weight of axle PEG, whereas Ac-PRXs with high DA (more than 40%) and low molecular weight of axle PEG (less than 35000) were precipitated into the solutions. Interestingly, Ac-PRXs with high DA and high molecular weight of axle PEG (100000) exhibited a colloidal dispersion in aqueous solutions.

Presacral malignant teratoid neoplasm in association with pathogenic DICER1 variation.

We report two malignant sacrococcygeal tumors in infants that were associated with pathogenic DICER1 variation. These tumors were composed of primitive neuroepithelium, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, and cartilage and initially diagnosed as immature teratomas. One child developed intracranial metastasis and died.

Follow-up Results of GT2 Patients After Sofosbuvir/Ribavirin Therapy: Careful Attention to Occurrence of HCC.

Background: We examined treatment the efficacy and data on long-term outcomes in real-world Japanese patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 treated with 12-week sofosbuvir/ribavirin combination therapy.

Patients And Methods: In a total of 86 patients who were treated with sofosbuvir/ribavirin, sustained virological response (SVR) rates and long-term-outcomes were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: The adherence to this combination therapy was 98.

Species identification, antifungal susceptibility, and clinical feature association of Aspergillus section Nigri isolates from the lower respiratory tract.

Species of Aspergillus section Nigri are generally identified by molecular genetics approaches, whereas in clinical practice, they are classified as A. niger by their morphological characteristics. This study aimed to investigate whether the species of Aspergillus section Nigri isolated from the respiratory tract vary depending on clinical diagnosis.

Pazopanib maintenance therapy after tandem high-dose chemotherapy for disseminated Ewing sarcoma.

The dismal prognosis of patients with disseminated Ewing sarcoma necessitates the development of novel treatment strategies. Pazopanib is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is active against advanced soft tissue sarcoma. However, the clinical activity and feasibility of pazopanib for treating Ewing sarcoma remain poorly understood.

Using ligands to control reactivity, size and phase in the colloidal synthesis of WSe nanocrystals.

Colloidal chemistry is leveraged for size- and phase-tuning of transition metal dichalcogenide nanomaterials. Specifically, nucleation and growth of colloidal WSe2 nanocrystals are controlled via mixtures of oleic acid (OA) and trioctylphosphine oxide. Increased OA yields slower nucleation, larger nanocrystals and a shift from the 2H to 1T' phase.

Enhanced autophagy induction via the mitochondrial delivery of methylated β-cyclodextrin-threaded polyrotaxanes using a MITO-Porter.

Failure of autophagy induction results in the accumulation of abnormal mitochondria to cause neurodegenerative diseases. Artificial autophagy activation via the mitochondrial delivery of polyrotaxane with autophagy induced activity is achieved using a MITO-Porter, a nanodevice for mitochondrial delivery. This strategy can be applied to innovative research and therapy.

Resection of Cerebellopontine Angle Meningioma via Retrosigmoid Approach Aiming for Hearing Improvement.

We present a 71-year-old female case of left cerebellopontine angle (CPA) meningioma who presented with progressive hearing loss. The tumor was 35 mm in maximum diameter, obviously compressed the brain stem and cerebellum, and also displaced cranial nerves 7th and 8th anteriorly ( Fig. 1 ).