Prolonged high Myl9 levels are associated with the pathogenesis and respiratory symptom of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: A 6-month follow-up study.

Background: Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) occurs in some COVID-19 patients long after acute infection and significantly affects patients' health. However, the mechanism by which PACS develops is unknown. Myosin light chain 9 (Myl9), produced by activated platelets, plays a role in immune dysregulation and microthrombi formation during acute COVID-19.

Increasing robustness of assay for immnosuppressive effect of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells: The role of inflammatory cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Introduction: The Quality by Design (QbD) approach for developing cell therapy products using mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) is a promising method for designing manufacturing processes to improve the quality of MSC products. It is crucial to ensure the reproducibility and robustness of the test system for evaluating critical quality attributes (CQAs) in the QbD approach for manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. In this study, we explored the key factors involved in establishing a robust evaluation system for the immunosuppressive effect of MSCs, which can be an example of a CQA in developing and manufacturing therapeutic MSCs for treating graft-versus-host disease, , and we have identified method attributes to increase the robustness of a simple assay to assess the immunosuppressive effects of MSCs.

Pharmacokinetic and Exposure-Response Modeling Support Body Surface Area-Based Dosing of Farletuzumab Ecteribulin in Japanese Patients with Solid Tumors.

The first-in-human, Phase 1 Study 101 showed antitumor activity and a tolerable safety profile of farletuzumab ecteribulin in Japanese patients with platinum-resistant ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer. A pharmacometric assessment evaluated farletuzumab ecteribulin pharmacokinetics and exposure-response (E-R) relationships for efficacy and safety to support dose optimization. Patients received 0.

The structure and function of the ghrelin receptor coding for drug actions.

Drugs targeting the ghrelin receptor hold therapeutic potential in anorexia, obesity and diabetes. However, developing effective drugs is challenging. To tackle this common issue across a broad drug target, this study aims to understand how anamorelin, the only approved drug targeting the ghrelin receptor, operates compared to other synthetic drugs.

Clinical features and pathological findings by liver biopsy in patients with immune-related sclerosing cholangitis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Background: Immune-related sclerosing cholangitis (irSC) induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is relatively rare, and its clinical and pathological features are not well known.

Aims: We aimed to compare the clinical course and pathological findings of irSC with those of non-irSC liver injury.

Methods: Clinical data were retrospectively collected from 2416 patients with advanced malignancies treated with ICIs between September 2014 and October 2023.

Sex Differences in Sudden Cardiac Death During Long-Term Follow-up in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure - A Report From the CHART-2 Study.

Background: Although sudden cardiac death (SCD) generally occurs more frequently in men than in women, there are limited data on sex differences in SCD in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) across a range of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods And Results: We examined sex differences in SCD incidence, timing, and risk factors in 4,683 patients with chronic HF (3,186 men, 1,497 women) from a multicenter prospective observational cohort study (CHART-2). Over a median follow-up of 8.

Pharmacovigilance Pregnancy Data in a Population of Japanese Patients With Chronic Inflammatory Disease Exposed to Certolizumab Pegol.

Aim: Uncontrolled chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) before, during, and after pregnancy, as well as some CID medications, can increase the risk of impaired fertility in addition to adverse maternal/pregnancy outcomes in women of childbearing age. We report pregnancy outcomes from prospectively reported pregnancies in Japanese women treated with certolizumab pegol (CZP).

Methods: Data from July 2001 to November 2020 on CZP-exposed pregnancies from the CZP Pharmacovigilance safety database were reviewed.

Association Between Sodium- and Potassium-Related Urinary Markers and the Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The primary prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF), which increases mortality through complications including stroke and heart failure, is important. Excessive salt intake and low potassium intake are risk factors for cardiovascular disease; however, their association with AF remains inconclusive. This study investigated the association between sodium- and potassium-related urinary markers and AF prevalence.

Association between left ventricular reverse remodelling and the B-type natriuretic peptide-cGMP cascade after anterior acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The role of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is not well understood despite its significance as a second messenger of natriuretic peptides (NPs) in cardiovascular disease. We investigated the association between the NP-cGMP cascade and left ventricular reverse remodelling (LVRR) in anterior AMI.

Methods: 67 patients with their first anterior AMI (median age, 64 years; male, 76%) underwent prospective evaluation of plasma concentrations of the molecular forms of A-type and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cGMP from immediately after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) to 10 months post-AMI.

Quantitative Estimation of Effective Brønsted Acid Sites of Silica-Supported HSiWO Heteropoly Acid for Adsorption of Various Molecules.

The amount of incorporation of linear alcohols and ethers in HSiWO·6HO (HSiW·6HO, 50 wt %) supported on silica (SiO) was estimated by a conventional volumetric method and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and the state of involved molecules was elucidated. First, the attribution of the key IR band at 2200 cm, which was observed for the water of crystallization of HSiW·6HO, to HO species (protons) was verified by coincident observation of thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and IR spectroscopy during thermal treatment in addition to the isotope exchange with DO. The 2200 cm band was gradually decreased in intensity by increasing the amount of adsorption of pyridine and was totally consumed at saturation, while the volumetric method provided the accurate number of included pyridine molecules.

Geriatric nutritional risk index and newly developed scoring system as prognosis prediction for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with lenvatinib.

In the current era of immune therapy, lenvatinib (LEN) continues to be vital for treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) patients. This study investigates the importance of nutritional status in the prognosis of uHCC patients receiving LEN and evaluates a new prognostic scoring system that combines the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and systemic inflammatory response. From 2018 to 2022, 484 uHCC patients treated with LEN (384 males, median age 73).

Ten new resin glycosides, ipoalbins I-X, from Ipomoea alba seeds.

Ipomoea alba L. (Convolvulaceae) is an annual vine native to tropical America that is cultivated primarily for ornamental purposes. Its seeds are used in traditional medicine as a laxative, and young shoots are consumed as food.

Microbial transitions and degradation pathways driven by butyrate concentration in mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion under low hydrogen partial pressure.

Butyrate accumulation significantly affects the efficiency and stability of anaerobic digestion, while its specific impact on methane yield and butyrate degradation remains unclear. This study investigated how butyrate concentrations (2.0, 5.

Pre-pregnancy body mass index and lactational mastitis: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Purpose: The association between maternal physique and prevalence of lactational mastitis (LM) in a large study population has not been reported. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and LM prevalence.

Methods: We analyzed data collected from participants enrolled in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort study conducted between 2011 and 2014.

Final Report of Trends in Pregnancy and Birth Survey after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

This study aimed to assess long-term changes in pregnancy and birth outcomes after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture.　This is the final report on perinatal outcomes of the Prefectural Health Survey, which ended after a 10-year observation period.　Questionnaires based on a pregnancy and birth survey conducted by the Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey were sent to women who had received maternal and child health handbooks from municipal officers in Fukushima Prefecture.

Dominant effect of a single amino acid mutation in the motor domain of myosin VI on hearing in mice.

An unconventional myosin, myosin VI gene (MYO6), contributes to recessive and dominant hearing loss in humans and mice. The Kumamoto shaker/waltzer (ksv) mouse is a model of deafness resulting from a splice-site mutation in Myo6. While ksv/ksv homozygous mice are deaf due to cochlear hair cell stereocilia fusion at the neonatal stage, the hearing phenotypes of ksv/+ heterozygous mice have been less clear.

Identification of risk factors for gastrointestinal immune-related adverse events associated with immune check point inhibitors.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities are among the most common and potentially severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and data on risk factors remain limited. This study aimed to identify risk factors for GI-irAEs in patients treated with ICIs.

Research Design And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with any type of malignant tumor who received ICIs between January 2020 and January 2022.

The Novel HDAC Inhibitor OBP-801 Promotes MHC Class I Presentation Through LMP2 Upregulation, Enhancing the PD-1-Targeting Therapy in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been reported to exhibit immunomodulatory activities, including the upregulation of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC class I). Although the immunoproteasome plays a pivotal role in MHC class I antigen presentation, its effect on immunotherapy for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear.

Methods: This study assessed whether OBP-801, a novel HDAC inhibitor, affects the expression of immunoproteasome subunits and subsequently the MHC class-I-mediated anti-cancer immunity in ccRCC.

Impact of Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitors on Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension.

Patients with borderline pulmonary hypertension (PH) often experience shortness of breath or exacerbation of PH during exercise, known as exercise-induced PH. However, the pathogenesis of exercise-induced post-capillary PH (post-EIPH) and its treatment strategies remain unclear. Recent guidelines and consensus documents have highlighted the benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in heart failure and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Effect of Low-dose Administration of Carperitide for Acute Heart Failure: the LASCAR-AHF trial.

Background: The effects of low-dose carperitide on long-term clinical outcomes of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) have not yet been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low-dose intravenous carperitide on the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with AHF.

Methods: In this multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial, 247 patients with AHF received low-dose carperitide intravenously with standard treatment or a matching standard treatment for 72 h from November 2014 to March 2021 across nine sites in Japan.

Real-world experience of tixagevimab/cilgavimab prophylaxis in Japanese patients with immunodeficiency.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes severe illness and mortality in patients with immunodeficiency. Although vaccination has been recommended, the induction of protective antibodies by immunization, and thus the disease-preventive effect, has proven insufficient in immunodeficient patients, especially in those with predominantly antibody deficiency. A monoclonal antibody combination of tixagevimab and cilgavimab (TIX/CIL) was developed as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Are Amphibian Eggs a Precious Food Resource for (Amphibia: Urodela) in Spring?

Most true predators are generalists, and it is difficult to examine their actual diets in the wild. In many cases, the prey that experience a large impact are also not well known. Amphibians are generalist predators that prey mainly on insects, and amphibian species active beginning in spring are considered to prey on food resources other than insects in this season due to the low number of insects.