Clinical and biochemical factors associated with amygdalar metabolic activity.

We investigated clinical factors and biochemical markers associated with amygdalar metabolic activity evaluated by [F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in 346 subjects without a history of malignant neoplasms. Univariate regression analysis revealed significant relationships between amygdalar metabolic activity and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin, coronary artery disease (CAD) history, aspirin use, oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) use, and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). In multiple stepwise regression analysis, FPG and CAD history were independently associated with amygdalar metabolic activity.

SMTP-44D alleviates diabetic retinopathy by suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress in in vivo and in vitro models.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults, and inflammation and oxidative stress contribute to DR development. However, no effective treatments are currently approved for DR. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of SMTP-44D-a Stachybotrys microspora-derived compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties-on DR in in vivo and in vitro models.

Outcome of basal cell carcinoma excision with 2 mm surgical margin in Japanese patients: A retrospective study of one-step surgery.

Background: Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin malignancy. The standard treatment is surgical excision with predetermined margins. Some argue that the currently recommended surgical margins are excessive, and it is questionable whether such wide surgical margins should be applied to all lesions.

Impact of the relationship between renal pedicles and tumors on surgical outcomes for non-high-risk abdominal neuroblastoma.

Purpose: To assess the impact of the relationship between renal pedicles and tumors on surgical outcomes in patients with non-high-risk abdominal neuroblastoma.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed cases of neuroblastoma without metastasis treated at our hospital between March 2002 and December 2023. Cases in which surgical resection was performed were divided into three groups according to imaging findings at the time of diagnosis and before surgery: Group E (tumor encasing renal pedicles), Group C (tumor in contact with renal pedicles), and Group S (tumor separated from renal pedicles).

Impact of Oxidative Stress on Sperm Quality in Oligozoospermia and Normozoospermia Males Without Obvious Causes of Infertility.

: Male factors contribute to approximately 50% of infertile couples. However, obvious causes remain unknown in many cases. This observational study aimed to investigate the associations of clinical and lifestyle parameters with sperm parameters.

[A Case of Necrosis of the Gastric Remnant Following Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy].

An 80-year-old man underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy, D2 lymphadenectomy, and Billroth Ⅰ reconstruction for gastric cancer. The short gastric artery and vein were completely preserved. The patient developed a fever on the second postoperative day, and a blood test on the third day showed high inflammation findings, and contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed decreased gastric wall blood flow of the anal side of the remnant stomach.

Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Inhibits AGE-Induced NADPH Oxidase-Derived Oxidative Stress Generation and Foam Cell Formation in Macrophages Partly via AMPK Activation.

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) of the incretin group has been shown to exert pleiotropic actions. There is growing evidence that advanced glycation end products (AGEs), senescent macromolecules formed at an accelerated rate under chronic hyperglycemic conditions, play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in diabetes. However, whether and how GIP could inhibit the AGE-induced foam cell formation of macrophages, an initial step of atherosclerosis remains to be elucidated.

Small Vessel Disease Burden Predicts Incident Dementia and Poor Functional Outcome in Independent Outpatients.

Background: Total small vessel disease (SVD) score is used to measure the burden of SVD.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the predictive value of total SVD score for incident dementia and functional outcomes in independent outpatients with vascular risk factors.

Methods: We derived data from a Japanese cohort in which patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive examinations.

Seasonal variation of vessel pits in sapwood: microscopical analyses of the morphology and chemical components of pit membrane encrustations in Fraxinus mandschurica.

Background And Aims: Pit pairs and their filter-like partition, i.e. pit membranes, play important roles as water pathways, barriers and regulators in the water-conducting system of angiosperms.

Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity is Associated with Incident Dementia in Patients with Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease.

Aims: Increased arterial stiffness is associated with the severity of cerebral small-vessel disease (SVD) and may predict incident dementia. This study investigated the predictive value of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) for dementia and cognitive decline.

Methods: Data were obtained from a Japanese cohort of 478 patients who underwent ba-PWV measurement.

Auditory brainstem response to paired clicks as a candidate marker of cochlear synaptopathy in humans.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether auditory brainstem response (ABR) using a paired-click stimulation paradigm could serve as a tool for detecting cochlear synaptopathy (CS).

Methods: The ABRs to single-clicks and paired-clicks with various inter-click intervals (ICIs) and scores for word intelligibility in degraded listening conditions were obtained from 57 adults with normal hearing. The wave I peak amplitude and root mean square values for the post-wave I response within a range delayed from the wave I peak (referred to as the RMS) were calculated for the single- and second-click responses.

DNA Aptamer Raised against Advanced Glycation End Products Improves Sperm Concentration, Motility, and Viability by Suppressing Receptors for Advanced Glycation End Product-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in the Testes of Diabetic Mice.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for male infertility, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are pathogenic molecules for diabetic vascular complications. Here, we investigated the effects of the DNA aptamer raised against AGEs (AGE-Apt) on testicular and sperm abnormalities in a T2DM mouse model.

Exploration of the shared pathways and common biomarker in adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma and type 2 diabetes using integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Craniopharyngiomas are rare tumors of the central nervous system that typically present with symptoms such as headache and visual impairment, and those reflecting endocrine abnormalities, which seriously affect the quality of life of patients. Patients with craniopharyngiomas are at higher cardiometabolic risk, defined as conditions favoring the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the underlying common pathogenic mechanisms of craniopharyngiomas and type 2 diabetes are not clear.

A Clinical Case of Probable Sitosterolemia.

Sitosterolemia is a rare genetic lipid disorder characterized by elevated plant sterols in the serum. A 24-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital due to a high serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level of 332 mg/dL. At first, she was suspected to suffer from familial hypercholesterolemia, and thus received lipid-lowering agents.

Subcutaneous Infusion of DNA-Aptamer Raised against Advanced Glycation End Products Prevents Loss of Skeletal Muscle Mass and Strength in Accelerated-Aging Mice.

We have developed DNA aptamers that can inhibit the toxic effects of advanced glycation end products (AGE-Apts). We herein evaluated the effects of AGE-Apts on muscle mass and strength in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. Eight-month-old male SAMP8 mice received subcutaneous infusion of control DNA aptamers (CTR-Apts) or AGE-Apts.

Comparison of Effects of Injectable Semaglutide and Dulaglutide on Oxidative Stress and Glucose Variability in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Preliminary Study.

Introduction: Recent trials have shown that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists considerably reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Oxidative stress, a surrogate marker of cardiovascular risk, is associated with glucose variability. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have compared the effects of injectable semaglutide and dulaglutide therapies on oxidative stress and glucose variability assessed via continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Performance Characteristics of a New-Generation Digital Bismuth Germanium Oxide PET/CT System, Omni Legend 32, According to NEMA NU 2-2018 Standards.

The Omni Legend 32 PET/CT system features silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based detectors with bismuth germanium oxide crystals and a 32-cm axial field of view (FOV). The present study aimed to determine the performance characteristics of the Omni Legend 32 PET/CT system according to National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2018 standards. The PET component of this system comprises 22 detector modules; each module contains 24 detector blocks with 72 bismuth germanium oxide crystals with a volume of 4.

Noninvasive graft monitoring using donor-derived cell-free DNA in Japanese liver transplantation.

Aim: To evaluate the use of donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) in diagnosing graft injuries in Japanese liver transplantation (LTx), including family-related living donors.

Methods: A total of 321 samples from 10 newly operated LTx recipients were collected to monitor the early dynamics of dd-cfDNA levels after LTx. Fifty-five samples from 55 recipients were collected during protocol biopsies (PB), whereas 36 samples from 27 recipients were collected during event biopsies, consisting of 11 biopsy-proven acute rejection (AR), 20 acute dysfunctions without rejection (ADWR), and 5 chronic rejections.

Formation of xylem tissues and secondary cell walls is diminished by severe and consecutive insect defoliation.

Premise: Insect defoliation of trees causes unusual changes to wood anatomy and slows radial growth that decreases tree value; however, the characteristics of these anatomical changes in hardwoods remain unclear. The aim of this study was to characterize the anatomy and histochemistry of the wood in trunks of Betula maximowicziana trees after severe insect defoliation.

Methods: Secondary xylem tissues were sampled from trunks that had been defoliated by Caligula japonica at Naie and Furano in central Hokkaido during 2006-2012, then cross-dated and examined microscopically and stained histochemically to characterize anatomical and chemical changes in the cells.

Prospective randomized comparative study of the effect of pemafibrate add-on or double statin dose on small dense low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia on statin therapy.

Aims/introduction: Small dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) is a more potent atherogenic lipoprotein than LDL. As sdLDL-cholesterol (C) levels are determined by triglyceride and LDL-C levels, pemafibrate and statins can reduce sdLDL-C levels. However, it remains unclear whether adding pemafibrate or increasing statin doses would more effectively reduce sdLDL-C levels in patients receiving statin therapy.