Clinical significance of cachexia index determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Cancer cachexia is a complex disorder characterized by skeletal muscle loss, which may influence the prognosis of patients with cancer. The cachexia index (CXI) is a new index for cachexia. The present study aimed to assess whether the CXI determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is valuable for predicting survival in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

An autopsy case of TFE3-rearranged PEComa-like neoplasm with systematic embolization involving the heart.

A rare autopsy case of malignant transcription factor E3 (TFE3)-rearranged perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa)-like neoplasm is presented. An 84-year-old woman manifested multiple cerebral infarctions and repetitive embolic events in the supra mesenchymal artery (SMA), and the presence of a mobile mass in the heart's left ventricle was also revealed. Tumoral lesions were also found in a pelvic space and a right pleural cavity, and a biopsy was performed from one of the disseminated tumor masses in the right pleura.

A Case of X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia and COVID-19 in a Japanese Infant.

An infant was diagnosed as having X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) at age 3 months and was receiving immunoglobulin replacement therapy. He developed SARS-CoV-2 infection at age 7 months and was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, remdesivir, and dexamethasone. His respiratory symptoms improved quickly, and the infection resolved.

Mechanism behind reduced resection ability of bent snares during cold snare polypectomy.

Accidental bending of the snare sheath occasionally occurs during cold snare polypectomy (CSP). We aimed to demonstrate whether snare bending reduces resection ability and, if it does, what causes this reduction. Using currently available CSP snares and prototype snares, we investigated changes in the resection ability of bent snares as well as the stiffness of their sheaths and wire spindles.

Infection pattern of male-killing viruses alters phenotypes in the tea tortrix moth Homona magnanima.

Male-killing is a microbe-induced reproductive manipulation in invertebrates whereby male hosts are eliminated during development. In the tea tortrix moth Homona magnanima, Osugoroshi viruses 1‒3 (OGVs), belonging to Partitiviridae induce male-killing. The infection patterns of OGVs are diverse; however, how the influence of these patterns of host phenotypes remains largely unknown.