Evaluation of optimal timing and therapeutic efficacy of radium-223 therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a multicenter collaborative study.

Background: Despite its demonstrated efficacy in prolonging overall survival (OS) and delaying skeletal-related events in the ALSYMPCA trial, the optimal timing of radium-223 initiation remains unclear. This study investigated factors influencing radium-223 treatment outcomes, including completion rates and survival.

Methods: This retrospective, multi-institutional study included 164 patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who received radium-223 therapy.

Clinical outcomes and treatment patterns of maintenance avelumab in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a multicenter collaborative study.

Background: The JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial demonstrated improved overall survival (OS) with maintenance avelumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma UC (la/mUC) who achieved disease control following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (1 L-PBC). However, real-world data on eligibility, utilization, and outcomes of maintenance avelumab therapy remain limited.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with la/mUC who received 1 L-PBC.

Chronological trend of social contact patterns in Japan after the emergence of COVID-19.

Background: The social contact data for Japan as of 2022 showed a substantially decreased number of contacts compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is unclear whether social contact continues to be depressed following the end of countermeasures against the pandemic. There is also scarce evidence regarding the influence of influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) on social contacts in Japan.

Exposure to mouse dams to bonito broth during gestation or lactation reduces fat intake in offspring.

Overconsumption of fat contributes to obesity and low adherence to dietary therapy in patients with obesity. The frequency of consuming soup dishes containing "dashi" (Japanese broth), a characteristic element of the Japanese diet, is negatively associated with obesity indicators. The use of dashi is considered one of the reasons why the low-fat Japanese diet is popular; however, whether and how dashi controls the selection and intake of fat is unknown.

Predicting pathological upstaging after radical nephroureterectomy in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma: results from a multicenter cohort study.

Background: Despite the availability of advanced imaging technologies, it remains difficult to achieve sufficient staging accuracy to ensure a tailored treatment strategy for patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). The aim of the study was to identify preoperative risk factors for tumor upstaging in patients with UTUC initially staged as clinical T2 or lower and to analyze these factors separately for renal pelvic cancer and ureteral cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study included data from patients with UTUC who underwent nephroureterectomy.

Exploration and development of molecule-based printed electronics materials: an integrated approach using experimental, computational, and data sciences.

The challenge in developing molecule-based electronic materials lies in the uncontrollable or unpredictable nature of their crystal structures, which are crucial for determining both electrical properties and thin-film formability. This review summarizes the findings of a research project focused on the systematic development of crystalline organic semiconductors (OSCs) and organic ferroelectrics by integrating experimental, computational, and data sciences. The key outcomes are as follows: 1) Data Science: We developed a method to identify promising materials from crystal structure databases, leading to the discovery of unique molecule-based ferroelectrics.

Trends in antimicrobial consumption: long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a global decrease in antimicrobial consumption (AMC) in 2020. However, the persistence of this downwards trend is not known at a global level. This study examined the global and longer-term trends in AMC after the emergence of COVID-19.

Image-based Re-evaluation of the JCOG0911 Study Focusing on Tumor Volume and Survival, Disease Progression Diagnosis, and Radiomic Prognostication for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma.

Purpose: To re-evaluate images recovered from JCOG0911, a randomized phase 2 trial for newly diagnosed glioblastoma (nGBM) conducted by the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) Brain Tumor Study Group.

Methods: The correlation between tumor volumes and survival was evaluated, followed by progression-free survival (PFS) analysis by independent central review based on Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria using MRI recovered from 118 nGBM patients enrolled in the JCOG0911 trial. A radiomic analysis was also performed to identify radiomic features predictive of nGBM prognosis.

Origin of the intermolecular forces that produce donor-acceptor stacks in π-conjugated charge-transfer complexes.

The attraction between π-conjugated planar electron donor and acceptor molecules that form many stable charge-transfer (CT) complexes has been explained by quantum chemical CT interactions, although the fundamental origin remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate the mechanism of CT complex formation by potential energy map analysis for TTF-CA and BTBT-TCNQ, using energy decomposition of intermolecular interaction by symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) combined with coupled cluster calculation. We find that the source of attraction between donor and acceptor molecules is ascribed primarily to the dispersion force and also to the electrostatic force.

Effect of studying abroad on catch-up vaccination in young adults: A study using the Japan Pretravel Consultation Registry.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of studying abroad on catch-up vaccination coverage for measles, rubella, mumps, varicella, and tetanus during the pretravel consultation among young adult travelers.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the Japan Pretravel Consultation Registry (J-PRECOR) on individuals aged 18-21 years with childhood vaccination records. Propensity score weighting was used to estimate the average treatment effect on the proportion of participants receiving catch-up vaccination.

Optimizing prostate cancer detection in transition zone: an analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient values in prostate magnetic resonance imaging evaluation with Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) assessment.

Background: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is increasingly used for the early detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). However, the achievement of accurate detection rates, particularly for transition zone (TZ) lesions, remains challenging. We investigated the relationship between apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) 3-5 lesions and csPCa within the TZ.

Optimal timing for initiating androgen receptor signaling inhibitor therapy in patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a multicenter collaborative study.

Objective: We determined the optimal timing for initiating androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI) therapy in patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) and assessed its impact on oncological outcomes.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 145 nmCRPC patients who received enzalutamide, apalutamide or darolutamide at the Jikei University Hospital or its affiliated institutions between May 2014 and November 2022. Patients were stratified based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time (PSADT) at CRPC diagnosis and PSA levels at ARSI initiation.

A partially fluorinated polymer network enhances the Li-ion transference number of sulfolane-based highly concentrated electrolytes.

Gelation of sulfolane-based highly concentrated electrolytes using a partially fluorinated polymer enhances the Li-ion transference number of the electrolytes because acidic protons surrounded by fluorine atoms in the polymer network trap anions, and the high Li transference number is effective in suppressing the concentration polarization in Li batteries.

"Apathetic look" is a valuable indicator of intraoperative supplementary motor area syndrome during awake craniotomy.

Resection of a glioma from the dorsomedial frontal lobe, including the supplementary motor area (SMA), can result in postoperative SMA syndrome. SMA syndrome may occur during awake craniotomies. However, it is often difficult to intraoperatively distinguish between motor dysfunction due to pyramidal tract damage from that due to SMA syndrome.

Crosstalk between bone metastatic cancer cells and sensory nerves in bone metastatic progression.

Although the role of peripheral nerves in cancer progression has been appreciated, little is known regarding cancer/sensory nerve crosstalk and its contribution to bone metastasis and associated pain. In this study, we revealed that the cancer/sensory nerve crosstalk plays a crucial role in bone metastatic progression. We found that (i) periosteal sensory nerves expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are enriched in mice with bone metastasis; (ii) cancer patients with bone metastasis have elevated CGRP serum levels; (iii) bone metastatic patient tumor samples express elevated calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR, a CGRP receptor component); (iv) higher CRLR levels in cancer patients are negatively correlated with recurrence-free survival; (v) CGRP induces cancer cell proliferation through the CRLR/p38/HSP27 pathway; and (vi) blocking sensory neuron-derived CGRP reduces cancer cell proliferation in vitro and bone metastatic progression in vivo.

Stability of -alkanes and -perfluoroalkanes against horizontal displacement on a graphite surface.

The stability of adsorbed molecules on surfaces is fundamental and important for various applications, such as coating, lubrication, friction, and self-assembled structure formation. In this study, we investigated the structures and interaction energies () of propane, -pentane, -heptane, perfluoropropane, -perfluoropentane, and -perfluoroheptane adsorbed on the surface of CH (a model surface of graphite). The changes in (Δ = - (0)) associated with the horizontal displacement from the stable position were calculated using dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT; B3LYP-D3), where (0) is the at the stable position.

Real-world evidence of triplet therapy efficacy in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer: a Japanese multicenter study.

Background: Two randomized trials demonstrated that the survival benefits afforded by triplet therapy were greater than those of doublet therapy, thus changing the treatment paradigm for metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). This is the first study to assess the real-world use, performance, and safety of triplet therapy in Japanese patients.

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study included 45 consecutive mCSPC patients who received triplet therapy composed of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), docetaxel, and darolutamide between January 2023 and June 2024.