Glasgow prognostic score and body mass index predict short-term discontinuation of the antifibrotic agents pirfenidone and nintedanib.

Background: The antifibrotic agents pirfenidone and nintedanib have been shown to be effective in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, discontinuation of antifibrotic drugs is a major clinical concern because of the lack of alternative treatment options. Therefore, we identified factors that may be useful for predicting the termination of antifibrotic agents.

A multicentre, large-scale, observational study of tocilizumab in patients with giant cell arteritis in Japan.

Objectives: In clinical trials, tocilizumab (TCZ) is efficacious in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). This study evaluated the real-world tolerability and effectiveness of TCZ in Japanese patients with GCA.

Methods: In this multicentre, prospective, Phase 4, large-scale, observational study, patients with GCA (with no TCZ treatment 6 months before the study) were recruited from 71 centres across Japan.

L-2hydroxyglutaric acid rewires amino acid metabolism in colorectal cancer via the mTOR-ATF4 axis.

Oncometabolites, such as D/L-2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), have directly been implicated in carcinogenesis; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we showed that the levels of the L-enantiomer of 2HG (L2HG) were specifically increased in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and cell lines compared with the D-enantiomer of 2HG (D2HG). In addition, L2HG increased the expression of ATF4 and its target genes by activating the mTOR pathway, which subsequently provided amino acids and improved the survival of CRC cells under serum deprivation.

Comparative effects of ferric hydroxide and (semi) conductive iron oxides on the anaerobic digestion of oxytetracycline-contaminated dairy manure.

Additives, such as iron oxides, have been used in anaerobic digestion (AD) to promote direct interspecies electron transfer and to boost methane yield. However, the function of additives in the AD of antibiotic-contaminated organic wastes remained unclear. In this study, the effects of ferric hydroxide and (semi) conductive iron oxides, namely hematite and magnetite, on the AD of oxytetracycline (OTC)-contaminated dairy manure were investigated.

Complete mitochondrial genomes of three fairy shrimps from snowmelt pools in Japan.

Background: Fairy shrimps belong to order Anostraca, class Branchiopoda, subphylum Crustacea, and phylum Arthropoda. Three fairy shrimp species (Eubranchipus uchidai, E. asanumai, and E.

Binary Semantic Classification Using Cortical Activation with Pavlovian-Conditioned Vestibular Responses in Healthy and Locked-In Individuals.

To develop a more reliable brain-computer interface (BCI) for patients in the completely locked-in state (CLIS), here we propose a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm using galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS), which can induce a strong sensation of equilibrium distortion in individuals. We hypothesized that associating two different sensations caused by two-directional GVS with the thoughts of "yes" and "no" by individuals would enable us to emphasize the differences in brain activity associated with the thoughts of yes and no and hence help us better distinguish the two from electroencephalography (EEG). We tested this hypothesis with 11 healthy and 1 CLIS participant.

TGF-β-dependent reprogramming of amino acid metabolism induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in non-small cell lung cancers.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-a fundamental process in embryogenesis and wound healing-promotes tumor metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. While studies have identified signaling components and transcriptional factors responsible in the TGF-β-dependent EMT, whether and how intracellular metabolism is integrated with EMT remains to be fully elucidated. Here, we showed that TGF-β induces reprogramming of intracellular amino acid metabolism, which is necessary to promote EMT in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Identification and Characterization of Genes for the Allo A Lectins in Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus [Allomyrina dichotoma]).

The Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus [Allomyrina dichotoma]) produces the lectins allo A-I and allo A-II, which have strong N-acetyllactosamine (Galβ1-4GlcNAc)-binding activity. It has been suggested that the two lectins are formed from three subunits (α, β, and γ), with allo A-I comprising α and γ subunits and allo A-II comprising β and γ subunits. Here, we determined the cDNA sequences of these subunits using both conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-cloning-sequencing and transcriptome-sequencing analyses.

Interstitial lung disease with myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis in elderly patients.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis (AAV) occurs in elderly people, and patients with anti-myeloperoxidase autoantibodies (MPO-ANCA)-positive AAV are often complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD). This study aimed to evaluate the age-related clinical features of elderly patients with MPO-ANCA-positive AAV-ILD. This study retrospectively investigated 63 patients with MPO-ANCA-positive AAV-ILD, all of whom were 65 years or older at diagnosis.

Immune-related adverse events caused by treatment with pembrolizumab in a patient with lung cancer who infected influenza virus.

A 67-year-old man with stage IV B lung adenocarcinoma was treated with pembrolizumab. The patient was admitted to the hospital because of influenza on the day of the second cycle of pembrolizumab treatment. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and was treated with antiviral drugs and steroids.

Anaerobic co-digestion of dairy manure and Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) under thermophilic condition: Optimal ratio for biochemical methane production.

Anaerobic co-digestion of animal manure and lignocellulosic biomass is a potent approach for sustainable biomethane production. Co-digestion of dairy manure (DM) and Japanese knotweed (JK), which was collected from a riverbank, was investigated at five different DM-to-JK mixing ratios (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 60:40, and 0:100; wet weight basis) under thermophilic condition. The results showed that the methane yields obtain from the co-digestion of DM and JK were much higher than that obtained from JK alone (104 ml/gVS), which indicates the synergistic effect and the benefits of co-digesting JK with DM.

Nutrient Imbalance of the Host Plant for Larvae of the Pale Grass Blue Butterfly May Mediate the Field Effect of Low-Dose Radiation Exposure in Fukushima: Dose-Dependent Changes in the Sodium Content.

The pale grass blue butterfly is sensitive to low-dose radioactive pollution from the Fukushima nuclear accident in the field but is also highly tolerant to radioactive cesium (Cs) in an artificial diet in laboratory experiments. To resolve this field-laboratory paradox, we hypothesize that the butterfly shows vulnerability in the field through biochemical changes in the larval host plant, the creeping wood sorrel , in response to radiation stress. To test this field-effect hypothesis, we examined nutrient contents in the host plant leaves from Tohoku (mostly polluted areas including Fukushima), Niigata, and Kyushu, Japan.

Phenotypic Markers Reflecting the Status of Overstressed Tea Plants Subjected to Repeated Shade Cultivation.

Shade cultivation is a traditional Japanese tea cultivation method in which the shoot buds are shaded for several weeks. This technique is increasingly used for green tea production because it produces tea of high quality (as indicated by umami and nutritional content) and commands high prices. However, given that shaded tea plants are grown under low-light stress, concerns exist regarding damage to tea plants caused by repeated shade cultivation.

Kinetic study of oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline inhibition in the anaerobic digestion of dairy manure.

This study was aimed to investigate the mechanisms of oxytetracycline (OTC) and chlortetracycline (CTC) inhibition in anaerobic digestion (AD) using four kinetic models. The results showed that the inhibition rate of OTC was faster than CTC at OTC and CTC between 0.04 and 1.

Effect of solid-liquid separation on anaerobic digestion of dairy manure in semi-continuous stirred tank reactors: Process performance and digestate characteristics.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of solid-liquid separation on anaerobic digestion of dairy manure in semi-continuous stirred tank reactors. Reactors fed with liquid fraction of dairy manure (screened liquid manure) were kept in water baths at mesophilic (Run 1) and thermophilic (Run 3) temperatures, respectively, while reactors fed with water diluted manure and kept at mesophilic (Run 2) and thermophilic (Run 4) temperatures as control reactors. The performances of reactors were compared in terms of biogas and methane production, and digestate characteristics.

Potential of biogas production from manure of dairy cattle fed on natural soil supplement rich in iron under batch and semi-continuous anaerobic digestion.

This study provides a novel method for improving the anaerobic digestion (AD) of Holstein dairy manure (HDM) by the direct addition of Mineraso (MnS), a natural soil-derived supplement, to the feed of Holstein dairy cattle (HDC). MnS is chiefly composed of approximately 69.08% FeO and was supplemented at rates of 0 (F1), 25 (F2), and 50 (F3) g/head of HDC/d for two months.

Clinical features of dermatomyositis associated with anti-MDA5 antibodies by age.

Objectives: Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) autoantibody-positive and age at onset ≥60 years are poor prognosis factors in polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD) among Japanese patients. However, the influence of age on the clinical features of anti-MDA5 autoantibody-positive patients with DM remains unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively examined 40 patients with DM and anti-MDA5 autoantibodies according to age.

PIN FORMED 2 Modulates the Transport of Arsenite in .

Arsenic contamination is a major environmental issue, as it may lead to serious health hazard. The reduced trivalent form of inorganic arsenic, arsenite, is in general more toxic to plants compared with the fully oxidized pentavalent arsenate. The uptake of arsenite in plants has been shown to be mediated through a large subfamily of plant aquaglyceroporins, nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins (NIPs).

Versatile direct laser writing of non-photosensitive materials using multi-photon reduction-based assembly of nanoparticles.

Versatile direct laser writing (DLW), not limited by material photosensitivity, offers opportunities for fundamental and technological innovation for micro-/nanofabrication in integrated photonics, electronics and material science. Although DLW has high potential in micro-/nanodevice fabrication, material choice suffers an intrinsic limitation: DLW cannot be applied to non-photosensitive materials. We describe a newly discovered rapid-assembly phenomenon of fine particles based on femtosecond laser multi-photon-reduction in solution.