SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced immune thrombocytopenia in a patient with orthotopic heart transplantation: A case report and literature review.

Unlabelled: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune disorder characterized by low platelet counts with increased risk of bleeding. In particular, ITP induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been increasingly reported. Since immunosuppressive regimens in organ transplantation are often the primary cause of increased risk of infection, ITP following solid organ transplantation has occasionally been observed.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver metastasis from clitoral malignant melanoma: a case report.

Introduction: Malignant melanomas occur most commonly in the skin, mucous membranes, or choroid. Clitoral malignant melanomas are extremely rare. Stage IV malignant melanomas have a poor prognosis, and molecularly targeted agents or immune checkpoint inhibitors are recommended.

Cage-Shaped Borate Catalysts Bearing Precisely Controlled Lewis Acidity and Their Application in Glycosylations.

Cage-shaped borates, whose Lewis acidity can be precisely modulated by the structural attributes of the triphenolic ligands, were employed as catalysts for glycosylation. Each cage-shaped borate displayed distinctive reactivity; thus, screening of the borate catalysts enabled controllable activation of glycosyl fluorides under mild conditions. Practical glycosylation was achieved by fine-tuning the Lewis acidity tailored to the substrate reactivity, thereby providing a versatile method applicable to the synthesis of complex glycans.

Clinical validation of preoperative serum markers for liver fibrosis in living donor liver transplantation recipients.

Purpose: To validate the reliability of fibrosis markers as predictors of graft survival in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) recipients.

Methods: We reviewed data retrospectively, from 163 patients who underwent adult LDLT with preoperative measurements of type IV collagen (CIV), Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi), and hyaluronic acid (HA). Patients were divided into high and low groups for each biomarker, based on optimal cutoff values, and graft loss within 6 months was evaluated in each group.

[Performance of generative pre-trained transformer-4 on the certification test for mental health management: A factorial design].

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the performance of generative pre-trained transformer-4 (GPT-4) on the Certification Test for Mental Health Management and whether tuned prompts could improve its performance.

Methods: This study used a 3 × 2 factorial design to examine the performance according to test difficulty (courses) and prompt conditions. We prepared 200 multiple-choice questions (600 questions overall) for each course using the Certification Test for Mental Health Management (levels I-III) and essay questions from the level I test for the previous four examinations.

Novel protocol for prevention from hepatitis B reactivation following living-donor liver transplantation.

Aim: Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) after liver transplantation (LT) remains a problem; thus, development of more effective HBV reactivation prophylaxis is desirable. We evaluated the efficacy of a combination of a long-term nucleotide analog (NA), such as entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), and short-term hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in preventing HBV reactivation and compared it with conventional HBV prophylaxis.

Methods: Between February 1999 and August 2023, 135 patients underwent living-donor liver transplantation for liver cirrhosis or acute liver failure caused by HBV infection or received an LT from a hepatitis B core antibody-positive donor.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with Fontan-associated liver disease: a world-first case report.

Background: Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) encompasses hepatic complications following the Fontan procedure, ranging from fibrosis to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite advancements in surgical techniques and perioperative care, robot-assisted laparoscopic hepatectomy (RALH) for HCC in patients with FALD has not been previously reported owing to concerns about the Fontan circulation.

Case Presentation: We present the first case of RALH for recurrent HCC in a 45-year-old man after the Fontan procedure.

Outcome of hepatectomy after systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: a Japanese multicenter study.

Background And Purpose: In recent years, new systemic therapies have been developed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of patients with unresectable HCC treated with R0 hepatectomy after systemic therapy.

Methods: Data from 27 patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC after systemic therapy at six facilities were analyzed retrospectively.

The impact of perioperative synbiotics treatment in living-donor liver transplantation after induction of early enteral nutrition.

Purpose: Infectious complications, particularly post-transplant sepsis, have a critical impact on postoperative outcomes. This study examined the effects of perioperative synbiotic treatment on postoperative outcomes in patients receiving early enteral nutrition.

Methods: We reviewed 210 living-donor liver transplantation procedures and retrospectively analyzed the postoperative outcomes with and without perioperative synbiotic treatment (live lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, and oligosaccharides) 5 days before and after living-donor liver transplantation.

An n-type semiconducting diazaporphyrin-based hydrogen-bonded organic framework.

Significant effort has been devoted to the development of materials that combine high electrical conductivity and permanent porosity. This paper discloses a diazaporphyrin-based hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) with porosity and n-type semiconductivity. A 5,15-diazaporphyrin Ni(ii) complex with carboxyphenyl groups at the positions afforded a HOF due to hydrogen-bonding interactions between the carboxy groups and -nitrogen atoms.

Impacts of heteroatom substitution on the excited state dynamics of π-extended helicenes.

Benzo-annulated aza[9]helicene ([9]AH) and thia[9]helicene ([9]TH) were prepared as novel π-extended heterohelicenes. [9]TH showed a quite short fluorescence lifetime of ∼0.3 ns and intense phosphorescence at low temperature that were attributed to its larger spin-orbit coupling and faster intersystem crossing between pseudo-degenerate S and triplet states.

Ultrafine Spatial Modulation of Diazapyrene-Based Two-Dimensional Conjugated Covalent Organic Frameworks.

Tailormade bottom-up synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) from various functional building blocks offer not only tunable topology and pore size but also multidimensional properties. High crystallinity is one of the prerequisites for their structures and associated physicochemical properties. Among different π-conjugated motifs for constructing COFs, pyrene-based tetragonal structures are effective in achieving highly ordered and crystalline states.

Functional involvement of the sternohyoid muscle during breathing and swallowing in rats.

The sternohyoid muscle depresses the hyoid bone, but it is unclear whether the muscle contributes to respiratory and swallowing mechanisms. This study aimed to clarify whether the sternohyoid muscle participates in the respiration and swallowing reflex and how the activity is modulated in two conditions: with airway stenosis and with a fixed sternohyoid muscle length. Electromyographic activity in the sternohyoid, digastric, thyrohyoid, and diaphragm muscles was recorded in anesthetized rats.

Allosteric activation of the co-receptor BAK1 by the EFR receptor kinase initiates immune signaling.

Transmembrane signaling by plant receptor kinases (RKs) has long been thought to involve reciprocal trans-phosphorylation of their intracellular kinase domains. The fact that many of these are pseudokinase domains, however, suggests that additional mechanisms must govern RK signaling activation. Non-catalytic signaling mechanisms of protein kinase domains have been described in metazoans, but information is scarce for plants.

What is the crux of successful living-donor liver transplantation for recipients aged 70 and beyond?

Aim: There is limited evidence regarding the feasibility of living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for patients aged over 70. The aims of this study were to assess postoperative outcomes in elderly recipients and to ascertain the potential feasibility and acceptability of LDLT.

Methods: Data were collected from 762 recipients, including 26 in the elderly group (aged ≥70) and 736 in the younger group (aged <70), and reviewed even by propensity score matching (PSM).

π-Extended 9b-Boraphenalenes: Synthesis, Structure, and Physical Properties.

Boraphenalenes, compounds in which one carbon atom in the phenalenyl skeleton is replaced with a boron atom, have attracted attention for their solid-state and electronic structures; however, the construction of boraphenalene skeletons remains challenging because of the lack of suitable methods. Through this study, we showed that the tandem borylative cyclization of -symmetric dehydrobenzo[12]annulenes produces a new class of fully fused boron-atom-embedded polycyclic hydrocarbons possessing a 9b-boraphenalene skeleton. The obtained compounds exhibited high electron-accepting characteristics, and their two-step redox process was reversible in the reductive region, involving interconversion of 9b-boraphenalene between Hückel aromaticity and antiaromaticity.

Dual function of LapB (YciM) in regulating lipopolysaccharide synthesis.

Levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an essential glycolipid on the surface of most gram-negative bacteria, are tightly controlled-making LPS synthesis a promising target for developing new antibiotics. adaptor protein LapB (YciM) plays an important role in regulating LPS synthesis by promoting degradation of LpxC, a deacetylase that catalyzes the first committed step in LPS synthesis. Under conditions where LPS is abundant, LapB recruits LpxC to the AAA+ protease FtsH for degradation.

Is preoperative weight reduction of living-donor liver transplant recipients and donors harmful to postoperative outcomes?

Purpose: Although the incidence of recipients and donors with overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide, few reports have focused on outcomes of preoperative weight reduction (WR) in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Therefore, we examined the outcomes and the impact of WR on the postoperative course.

Methods: We analyzed 217 consecutive LDLT procedures performed from 2017 to 2022.

Validity and reliability of Japanese version of the MAPO index for assessing manual patient handling in nursing homes.

Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) among caregivers in Japanese nursing homes has long been considered an occupational health issue. This study aimed to verify the reliability and validity of our developed Japanese version of the Movement and Assistance for Hospitalized Patients (J-MAPO) index, a risk assessment tool for LBP, in nursing homes.

Methods: Two inspectors assessed 15 nursing homes using J-MAPO, and deduced 3 LBP risk levels as follows: low, moderate, and high risk.

Selective recognition between aromatics and aliphatics by cage-shaped borates supported by a machine learning approach.

Selective recognition between hydrocarbon moieties is a longstanding issue. Although we developed a π-pocket Lewis acid catalyst with high selectivity for aromatic aldehydes over aliphatic ones, a general strategy for catalyst design remains elusive. As an approach that transfers the molecular recognition based on multiple cooperative non-covalent interactions within the π-pocket to a rational catalyst design, herein, we demonstrate Lewis acid catalysts showing improved selectivity through the support of an ensemble algorithm with random forest, Ada Boost, and XG Boost as a machine learning (ML) approach.

Chewing Well Modulates Pharyngeal Bolus Transit During Swallowing in Healthy Participants.

Mastication is controlled by central pattern generator in the brainstem and can be modulated by volition. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chewing well on swallowing. Twenty-six healthy participants were instructed to eat 8, 12, and/or 16 g of steamed rice with barium sulphate under the following two conditions: chewing freely task (CF; chewing naturally in their usual manner) and chewing well task (CW; chewing the food with a request to "chew well").

Impact of electrical muscle stimulation on serum myostatin level and maintenance of skeletal muscle mass in patients undergoing living-donor liver transplantation: Single-center controlled trial.

Aim: Sarcopenia is reportedly associated with a poor prognosis in patients who undergo living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT), most of whom are not able to tolerate muscle strengthening exercise training. Myostatin is one of the myokines and a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. The clinical feasibility of an electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) system, which exercises muscle automatically by direct electrical stimulation, has been reported.

Surname order and revaccination intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teachers in Japanese schools employ alphabetical surname lists that call students sooner, with surnames appearing early on these lists. We conducted Internet surveys nearly every month from March 2020 to September 2022 with the same participants, wherein we asked participants where the alphabetical columns of their childhood and adult surnames were located. We aimed to identify how surname order is important for the formation of noncognitive skills.