Matrine promotes neural circuit remodeling to regulate motor function in a mouse model of chronic spinal cord injury.

In chronic phase of spinal cord injury, functional recovery is more untreatable compared with early intervention in acute phase of spinal cord injury. In the last decade, several combination therapies successfully improved motor dysfunction in chronic spinal cord injury. However, their effectiveness is not sufficient.

Pseudodrusen pattern and development of late age-related macular degeneration in the fellow eye of the unilateral case.

Purpose: To investigate whether the development of late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in fellow eyes with pseudodrusen is associated with the pseudodrusen pattern in patients with unilateral exudative AMD.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 73 patients with unilateral exudative AMD showing pseudodrusen in their fellow eyes.

Oral mucosa pressure caused by mandibular implant overdenture with different types of attachments.

Purpose: To determine the appropriate attachment and design of a denture base for mandibular implant overdenture (IOD), the oral mucosa pressure caused by mandibular implant overdentures was measured using edentulous jaw models with various attachments.

Methods: An experimental edentulous mandibular model with a 1.5-mm thick artificial oral mucosa was used.

Continuous Compressive Force Induces Differentiation of Osteoclasts with High Levels of Inorganic Dissolution.

BACKGROUND Osteoclast precursor cells are constitutively differentiated into mature osteoclasts on bone tissues. We previously reported that the continuous stimulation of RAW264.7 precursor cells with compressive force induces the formation of multinucleated giant cells via receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB (RANK)-RANK ligand (RANKL) signaling.

Pulmonary hypertension with a low cardiac index requires a higher PaO level to avoid tissue hypoxia.

Background And Objective: The optimal oxygen supplementation needed to avoid tissue hypoxia in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the arterial oxygen tension (PaO ) level needed to avoid tissue hypoxia which results in a poor prognosis in patients with PH.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed the data for 1571 right heart catheterizations in patients suspected of having PH between 1983 and 2017 at our institution.

Controlling the Hydration Structure with a Small Amount of Fluorine To Produce Blood Compatible Fluorinated Poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate).

Poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA) shows excellent blood compatibility because of the existence of intermediate water. Various modifications of PMEA by changing its main or side chain's chemical structure allowed tuning of the water content and the blood compatibility of numerous novel polymers. Here, we exploit a possibility of manipulating the surface hydration structure of PMEA by incorporation of small amounts of hydrophobic fluorine groups in MEA polymers using atom-transfer radical polymerization and the (macro) initiator concept.

Correction to: Future projection of cancer patients with cardiovascular disease in Japan by the year 2039: a pilot study.

n the original publication, in a title of Table 2.

Associations of airway tree to lung volume ratio on computed tomography with lung function and symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Decreased airway lumen size and increased lung volume are major structural changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, even though the outer wall of the airways is connected with lung parenchyma and the mechanical properties of the parenchyma affect the behaviour of the airways, little is known about the interactions between airway and lung sizes on lung function and symptoms. The present study examined these effects by establishing a novel computed tomography (CT) index, namely, airway volume percent (AWV%), which was defined as a percentage ratio of the airway tree to lung volume.

Involvement of pulmonary arteriopathy in the development and severity of reperfusion pulmonary edema after pulmonary endarterectomy.

Reperfusion pulmonary edema (RPE) is a common complication after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). However, the precise mechanisms underlying the development of RPE remain unclear. To evaluate the effects of pulmonary vasculopathy on RPE, the severity of the pulmonary arteriopathies and venopathies of lung tissues biopsied during PEA were pathologically quantified in 33 CTEPH patients.

Motor Improvement-Related Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Changes in Parkinson's Disease in Response to Antiparkinsonian Drugs.

Little is known about the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) change and clinical improvement in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) measurement of cerebral blood flow allows evaluation of temporal changes in brain function, and using SPECT, we aimed to identify motor improvement-related rCBF changes in response to the administration of antiparkinsonian drugs. Thirty PD patients (16 without dementia; 14 with dementia) were scanned with technetium-99m labeled ethyl cysteinate dimer SPECT and were rated with the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III, both before and after a single administration of antiparkinsonian drugs.

Future projection of cancer patients with cardiovascular disease in Japan by the year 2039: a pilot study.

Background: The number of cancer patients in Japan is estimated to rise to 3.5 million by 2025. The disease burden may be further complicated by comorbidities caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Early weaning increases anxiety via brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in the mouse prefrontal cortex.

Deprivation of maternal care during early development markedly affects emotional development, but the underlying neuromolecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In a mouse model of disrupted mother-infant relationship, early weaning causes long-term impacts on pups to exhibit increased corticosterone secretion, anxiety, and stress responses in their adulthood. Revealing the molecular mechanisms behind it would beneficial to ameliorating mental problems caused by abuse in childhood.

Effectiveness of pulmonary vasodilators on pulmonary hypertension associated with POEMS syndrome.

Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome is a rare plasma cell disease. Patients with POEMS syndrome are considered to be at a high risk of developing pulmonary hypertension (PH). We report a 51-year-old woman diagnosed with PH associated with POEMS syndrome.

Pulmonary Hypertension that Developed During Treatment for Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) and pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) are hypoxemic diseases caused by right-to-left shunting but are rarely concomitant with pulmonary hypertension (PH). A 66-year-old woman with chronic hepatitis C was scheduled to undergo liver transplantation. She was referred to our department for hypoxia and an abnormal shadow in the right lung found on a preoperative examination.

Noninvasive Imaging Biomarker Identifies Small Airway Damage in Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Evidence suggests damage to small airways is a key pathologic lesion in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Computed tomography densitometry has been demonstrated to identify emphysema, but no such studies have been performed linking an imaging metric to small airway abnormality. To correlate parametric response mapping (PRM) analysis to lung tissue measurements of patients with severe COPD treated by lung transplantation and control subjects.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and a concomitant psychiatric disorder.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) can cause right heart failure. A concomitant psychiatric disorder (PD) is thought to increase the risk of acute pulmonary thromboembolism; however, whether PDs are associated with deterioration in CTEPH pathophysiology is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the clinical characteristics and prognoses in patients with CTEPH and a co-existing PD.

Elevated levels of autoantibodies against EXD2 and PHAX in the sera of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

While circulating autoantibodies have been detected in patients with several cardiovascular diseases, such studies have not been performed for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Here we investigated the production of certain auto-antibodies in CTEPH patients. Initial screening was performed in 5 CTEPH patients and 5 healthy donors (HDs) using a ProtoArray Human Protein Microarray v5.

Feasibility and utility of a panel testing for 114 cancer-associated genes in a clinical setting: A hospital-based study.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of tumor tissue (ie, clinical sequencing) can guide clinical management by providing information about actionable gene aberrations that have diagnostic and therapeutic significance. Here, we undertook a hospital-based prospective study (TOP-GEAR project, 2nd stage) to investigate the feasibility and utility of NGS-based analysis of 114 cancer-associated genes (the NCC Oncopanel test). We examined 230 cases (comprising more than 30 tumor types) of advanced solid tumors, all of which were matched with nontumor samples.

Endothelial cells from pulmonary endarterectomy specimens possess a high angiogenic potential and express high levels of hepatocyte growth factor.

Background: Impaired angiogenesis is assumed to be an important factor in the development of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). However, the role of endothelial cells (ECs) in CTEPH remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the angiogenic potential of ECs from pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) specimens.

Pulmonary Hypertension Exacerbated by Nintedanib Administration for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

The patient was a 71-year-old man with severe idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and who demonstrated a slow deterioration of his respiratory condition. After nintedanib administration, his forced vital capacity and chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings were stable, but his dyspnea on exertion were worsened. He was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) by right heart catheterization (mean pulmonary arterial pressure: 30 mmHg).

Sugar Transporter Protein 1 (STP1) contributes to regulation of the genes involved in shoot branching via carbon partitioning in Arabidopsis.

We previously demonstrated that alterations in sugar partitioning affect the expression of genes involved in hormone biosynthesis and responses, including BRANCHED1 (BRC1), resulting in enhanced shoot branching in transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing cyanobacterial fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase-II in the cytosol (AcF). The exogenous treatment of wild-type Arabidopsis plants with sugars showed the same transcript characteristics, indicating that sugars act as a signal for branching. We also found that the reductions induced in BRC1 expression levels in wild-type plants by the sugar treatments were suppressed in the knockout mutant of sugar transporter 1 (stp1-1).

Use of vasodilators for the treatment of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease and pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis: A systematic review.

Background: There are several medications available to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): PAH-targeted drugs. However, in patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease and pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PVOD/PCH), rare diseases that cause pulmonary hypertension, the effectiveness and safety of vasodilators, including PAH-targeted drugs, are unclear.

Methods: We searched English-language publications listed in three electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, and the Japan Medical Abstracts Society).

Cytomegalovirus Pneumonia with Progressive Lung Volume Loss.

BACKGROUND Cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia is common in immunocompromised patients with hematological malignancies. Although the spectrum of illness caused by CMV is well-documented in immunocompromised patients, the clinical course and evolution of lung changes after initiation of antiviral therapy remain unclear. CASE REPORT We present the cases of 3 patients with leukemia who developed CMV pneumonia following cord blood transplantation and who presented with distinctive features on chest computed tomography (CT).