Impact of Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System-certified surgeons as operators in laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery in Japan: A propensity score-matched analysis (subanalysis of the EnSSURE study).

Background: In Japan, the Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System (ESSQS) is used to evaluate surgical skills essential for laparoscopic surgery, but whether surgeons with this certification as operators improve the short-term outcomes and prognosis after rectal cancer surgery is unclear. This cohort study was designed to compare the short-term and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for advanced rectal cancer performed by an ESSQS-certified surgeon versus a surgeon without ESSQS certification.

Methods: The outcomes of cStage II and III rectal cancer surgery cases performed at 56 Japanese hospitals between 2014 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed.

Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Delirium-Like Behavior and Microglial Activation in Mice Correlate With Bispectral Electroencephalography.

Delirium is a multifactorial medical condition characterized by impairment across various mental functions and is one of the greatest risk factors for prolonged hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. Research focused on delirium has proven to be challenging due to a lack of objective measures for diagnosing patients, and few laboratory models have been validated. Our recent studies report the efficacy of bispectral electroencephalography (BSEEG) in diagnosing delirium in patients and predicting patient outcomes.

The Genome-wide DNA methylation changes in gastrointestinal surgery patients with and without postoperative delirium: Evidence of immune process in its pathophysiology.

Aim: The pathophysiological mechanisms of postoperative delirium (POD) are still unclear, and there is no reliable biomarker to distinguish between those with and without POD. Our aim was to discover DNAm markers associated with POD in blood collected from patients before and after gastrointestinal surgery.

Method: We collected blood samples from 16 patients including 7 POD patients at three timepoints; before surgery (pre), the first and third postoperative days (day1 and day3).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder after traumatic injury to the right frontal and left temporal lobes: A case report.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder affecting many behaviors in daily life. Hyperactivity of the fronto-striato-thalamic circuit via the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is assumed to play a major role in the pathophysiology of OCD; however, its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Several reports have described the development of OCD after traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, the pathogenesis of post-TBI OCD remains unknown.

The Bispectral Electroencephalography Method Quantifies Postoperative Delirium-Like States in Young and Aged Male Mice After Head-Mount Implantation Surgery.

Delirium, a syndrome characterized by an acute change in attention, awareness, and cognition, is commonly observed in older adults, although there are few quantitative monitoring methods in the clinical setting. We developed a bispectral electroencephalography (BSEEG) method capable of detecting delirium and can quantify the severity of delirium using a novel algorithm. Preclinical application of this novel BSEEG method can capture a delirium-like state in mice following lipopolysaccharide administration.

Idiopathic basal ganglia calcification presenting with obsessive-compulsive symptoms: A case report.

Background: Idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (IBGC), also known as Farh's disease, is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by calcification of the basal ganglia and other brain regions. This disease usually occurs in middle-aged patients and presents with various neurological and psychiatric symptoms. The exact prevalence is unknown; however, population genomic data analysis suggests a prevalence of at least 4.

Utilizing plasma-generated NO gas from atmospheric air as a novel gaseous nitrogen source for plants.

Fixing atmospheric nitrogen for use as fertilizer is a crucial process in promoting plant growth and enhancing crop yields in agricultural production. Currently, the chemical production of nitrogen fertilizer from atmospheric N relies on the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. Therefore, developing a low-cost and easily applicable method for fixing nitrogen from the air would provide a beneficial alternative.

Correlation of telomere length in brain tissue with peripheral tissues in living human subjects.

Telomeres are important to chromosomal stability, and changes in their length correlate with disease, potentially relevant to brain disorders. Assessing telomere length in human brain is invasive, but whether peripheral tissue telomere length correlates with that in brain is not known. Saliva, buccal, blood, and brain samples were collected at time points before, during, and after subjects undergoing neurosurgery ( = 35) for intractable epilepsy.

A Prospective Randomized Study of the Herbal Medicine Yokukansan for Preventing Delirium After Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery.

Background: Yokukansan, the Chinese Herbal Medicine, may be effective for treating postoperative delirium. However, there is no sufficient evidence supporting this notion. This study aimed to investigate whether yokukansan was effective for preventing delirium after gastrointestinal cancer surgery by the prospective randomized study.

Potassium transporter KUP9 participates in K distribution in roots and leaves under low K stress.

Potassium (K) is a major essential element in plant cells, and KUP/HAK/KT-type K transporters participate in the absorption of K into roots and in the long-distance transport to above-ground parts. In Arabidopsis thaliana, KUP9 is involved in the transport of K and Cs in roots. In this study, we investigated KUP9 function in relation to the K status of the plant.

The HKT1 Na transporter protects plant fertility by decreasing Na content in stamen filaments.

Salinity stress can greatly reduce seed production because plants are especially sensitive to salt during their reproductive stage. Here, we show that the sodium ion transporter AtHKT1;1 is specifically expressed around the phloem and xylem of the stamen in to prevent a marked decrease in seed production caused by salt stress. The stamens of AtHKT1;1 mutant under salt stress overaccumulate Na, limiting their elongation and resulting in male sterility.

Less demand on stem cell marker-positive cancer cells may characterize metastasis of colon cancer.

Background: CD44 and CD133 are stem cell markers in colorectal cancer (CRC). CD44 has distinctive isoforms with different oncological properties like total CD44 (CD44T) and variant CD44 (CD44V). Clinical significance of such markers remains elusive.

Bispectral EEG (BSEEG) Algorithm Captures High Mortality Risk Among 1,077 Patients: Its Relationship to Delirium Motor Subtype.

Objective: Delirium is dangerous and a predictor of poor patient outcomes. We have previously reported the utility of the bispectral EEG (BSEEG) with a novel algorithm for the detection of delirium and prediction of patient outcomes including mortality. The present study employed a normalized BSEEG (nBSEEG) score to integrate the previous cohorts to combine their data to investigate the prediction of patient outcomes.

Anti-inflammatory medication use associated with reduced delirium risk and all-cause mortality: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between history of anti-inflammatory medication use and delirium risk, as well as long-term mortality.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, subjects recruited between January 2016 and March 2020 were analyzed. Information about anti-inflammatory medication use history including aspirin, NSAIDs, glucosamine, and other anti-inflammatory drugs, was collected.

Comparative efficacy and safety of suvorexant and lemborexant for insomnia treatment.

Aim: Although suvorexant and lemborexant, which have orexin receptor antagonist activity, are used as sleep medications in Japan, no report has directly compared their efficacy and safety. This study compared the efficacy and safety of the drugs.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who presented to the Outpatient Department of Psychiatry at Tottori University Hospital between December 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021.

Metformin use history and genome-wide DNA methylation profile: potential molecular mechanism for aging and longevity.

Background: Metformin, a commonly prescribed anti-diabetic medication, has repeatedly been shown to hinder aging in pre-clinical models and to be associated with lower mortality for humans. It is, however, not well understood how metformin can potentially prolong lifespan from a biological standpoint. We hypothesized that metformin's potential mechanism of action for longevity is through its epigenetic modifications.

Adequate diagnosis of the cause of Parkinsonism and treatment in an elderly patient with schizophrenia: A case report.

Background: Parkinsonism is frequently observed in patients with schizophrenia, and most patients are diagnosed with drug-induced parkinsonism. However, comorbidity with idiopathic Parkinson's disease or Parkinson-plus syndrome is also possible. The pathophysiology and treatment for each of these are entirely different, thus an appropriate diagnosis is required.

Short-term outcomes of robot-assisted versus conventional laparoscopic surgery for mid and low rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a propensity score-matched analysis.

The benefits of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) for rectal cancer remain controversial. Only a few studies have evaluated the safety and feasibility of RALS following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). This study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes of RALS versus conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) after NCRT for rectal cancer.