Publications by authors named "Yasuhara M"

The deep-time development of the Southern Ocean's deep-sea ecosystem remains poorly understood, despite being a key region in global ecological, climatological, and oceanographic systems, where deep water forms and biodiversity is unexpectedly high. Here, we present an ∼500,000-year fossil record of the deep-sea Southern Ocean ecosystem in the subantarctic zone. The results indicate that changes in surface productivity and the resulting food supply to the deep sea, driven by eolian dust input and iron fertilization, along with changes in bottom-water temperature influenced by deep-water circulation, have controlled the deep-sea ecosystem in the Southern Ocean on orbital (10-10 years) timescales following the Mid-Brunhes event (MBE), a major climatic transition ∼430,000 years ago.

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Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) readily deposit in sediments upon entering estuaries and adjacent seas. Time-series investigations are indispensable for the long-term monitoring of historical releases and identifying CPs of emerging concerns in the marine environment. In this study, short-, medium-, and long-chain CPs (SCCPs, MCCPs, and LCCPs) were investigated using time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry (ToF-HRMS) in sediment cores, dated between the 1920s and the 2010s sampled from Hong Kong waters and Lingdingyang of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China.

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Three years have passed since the Science Council of Japan issued its recommendations entitled "Profession and lifelong learning of pharmacists responsible for sustainable medical care." These recommendations include active involvement in community medicine, securing patient information necessary for pharmaceutical management, harmonizing undergraduate and post-graduate education, reform of the certification system for specialty-credentialed pharmacists, and development of the pharmacist resident system. This paper provides an overview of recent trends and future prospects for pharmacists and pharmacies in Japan.

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Article Synopsis
  • Targeted genome editing has progressed, but safety and ethical concerns limit its use, prompting research using genetically modified mice to explore its effectiveness in human applications.
  • A genetically humanized mouse model for phenylketonuria (PKU) was developed, replicating symptoms seen in human PKU patients, allowing for the testing of genome editing techniques on gametes.
  • The study demonstrated that genome editing could successfully correct the PKU mutation in these mice, highlighting potential for treating monogenic disorders, but issues related to the efficiency and accuracy of the editing tools remain.
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Skillful sequential action requires the delicate balance of sensorimotor control, encompassing both robustness and adaptability. However, it remains unknown whether both motor and neural responses triggered by sensory perturbation undergo plastic adaptation as a consequence of extensive sensorimotor experience. We assessed the effects of transiently delayed tone production on the subsequent motor actions and event-related potentials (ERPs) during piano performance by comparing pianists and non-musicians.

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The region with the highest marine biodiversity on our planet is known as the Coral Triangle or Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA). Its enormous biodiversity has long attracted the interest of biologists; however, the detailed evolutionary history of the IAA biodiversity hotspot remains poorly understood. Here we present a high-resolution reconstruction of the Cenozoic diversity history of the IAA by inferring speciation-extinction dynamics using a comprehensive fossil dataset.

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We report new data on non-indigenous invertebrates from the Mediterranean Sea (four ostracods and 20 molluscs), including five new records for the basin: the ostracods , aff. , cf. , cf.

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Most anthropogenic nitrogen (N) reaches coastal waters via rivers carrying increasing loads of sewage, fertilizer, and sediments. To understand anthropogenic N impacts, we need to understand historical N-dynamics before human influence. Stable isotope ratios of N preserved in carbonates are one way to create temporal N records.

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Interactions between the body and the environment are dynamically modulated by upcoming sensory information and motor execution. To adapt to this behavioral state-shift, brain activity must also be flexible and possess a large repertoire of brain networks so as to switch them flexibly. Recently, flexible internal brain communications, i.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ocean manipulation techniques, which aim to reduce the impacts of climate change, could disrupt and damage delicate deep-sea ecosystems.
  • These ecosystems are vital for biodiversity and play a key role in global carbon cycling, making their protection crucial.
  • The potential unintended consequences of such manipulation highlight the need for careful consideration and comprehensive research before implementation.
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Motivation: Historical changes in sea level caused shifting coastlines that affected the distribution and evolution of marine and terrestrial biota. At the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) 26 ka, sea levels were >130 m lower than at present, resulting in seaward-shifted coastlines and shallow shelf seas, with emerging land bridges leading to the isolation of marine biota and the connection of land-bridge islands to the continents. At the end of the last ice age, sea levels started to rise at unprecedented rates, leading to coastal retreat, drowning of land bridges and contraction of island areas.

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In order to provide sustainable medical care in a super-aging society, pharmacists are required to play a role in integrated community care systems in cooperation with multiple professionals, in addition to prescription-based dispensing. We propose the necessity of building an interprofessional information sharing system, lifelong training for pharmacists, and the establishment of a professional certification system.

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The biodiversity of marine and coastal habitats is experiencing unprecedented change. While there are well-known drivers of these changes, such as overexploitation, climate change and pollution, there are also relatively unknown emerging issues that are poorly understood or recognized that have potentially positive or negative impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems. In this inaugural Marine and Coastal Horizon Scan, we brought together 30 scientists, policymakers and practitioners with transdisciplinary expertise in marine and coastal systems to identify new issues that are likely to have a significant impact on the functioning and conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity over the next 5-10 years.

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This study aimed to evaluate stone retropulsion in various laser pulse modes in both Moses mode (MM) and virtual basket mode (VBM). Experiments were performed using a channel-shaped rubber rail and artificial stones. We compared short pulse mode and long pulse mode in both MM and VBM with the laser tip positioned so that it was touching and at 1 and 2 mm distances from the stone surface.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study tested the PARP inhibitor olaparib in kids (ages 3-18) with tough-to-treat solid tumors to check its safety and effectiveness, using a structured dose-escalation method.
  • - A total of 15 young patients received olaparib, which was well tolerated, and the suggested dose for further trials was established at 187.5 mg/m twice daily.
  • - Initial results showed some partial responses in tumors like Wilms and neuroblastoma, indicating promise for olaparib in treating pediatric cancers with DNA repair failures.
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Fossil records from tropical oceans predict biodiversity loss in a warmer world.

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Background: Surgical site infection is a major surgical complication and has been studied extensively. However, the efficacy of changing surgical instruments before wound closure remains unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of changing surgical instruments to prevent incisional surgical site infection during lower GI surgery.

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The deep sea comprises more than 90% of the ocean; therefore, understanding the controlling factors of biodiversity in the deep sea is of great importance for predicting future changes in the functioning of the ocean system. Consensus has recently been increasing on two plausible factors that have often been discussed as the drivers of deep-sea species richness in the contexts of the species-energy and physiological tolerance hypotheses: (i) seafloor particulate organic carbon (POC) derived from primary production in the euphotic zone and (ii) temperature. Nonetheless, factors that drive deep-sea biodiversity are still actively debated potentially owing to a mirage of correlations (sign and magnitude are generally time dependent), which are often found in nonlinear, complex ecological systems, making the characterization of causalities difficult.

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Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered promising biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment efficacy of diseases. However, usefulness of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for hereditary gastrointestinal diseases have not been confirmed yet. We explored circulating miRNAs specific for patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) as a representative hereditary gastrointestinal disease.

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Background: Lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LLND) combined with removal of the internal iliac vessels is a challenging surgical procedure in minimally invasive surgery. We herein report our dissection approach and short-term outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a study on rectal cancer patients who underwent laparoscopuic LLND combined with removal of the internal iliac vessels at our institution in March 2017-December 2019.

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Article Synopsis
  • CMMRD is a genetic condition caused by mutations in mismatch repair genes, leading to early-onset cancers in children, such as colorectal cancer and leukemia.
  • The case presented involves an 11-year-old girl who had symptoms including abdominal pain and bloody stools, resulting in the discovery of multiple colonic polyps and a tubular adenocarcinoma through colonoscopy.
  • Genetic analysis identified two variants in the MSH6 gene, including a new variation, and highlights the need for awareness of CMMRD symptoms, which may mimic those of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
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Purpose: The purpose of our study was to compare the safety and efficacy of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) using fludarabine (Flu)-based reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) with busulfan (BU) or melphalan (Mel) for primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed transplant outcome, including engraftment, chimerism, immune reconstitution, and complications in 15 patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and 27 patients with non-SCID PID. The patients underwent Flu-based RIC-HCT with BU (FluBU: 7 SCID, 16 non-SCID) or Mel (FluMel: 8 SCID, 11 non-SCID).

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