Both sides now: evolutionary traits of antigens and B cells in tolerance and activation.

B cells are the cornerstone of our body's defense system, producing precise antibodies and safeguarding immunological memory for future protection against pathogens. While we have a thorough understanding of how naïve B cells differentiate into plasma or memory B cells, the early B cell response to various antigens-whether self or foreign-remains a thrilling and evolving area of study. Advances in imaging have illuminated the molecular intricacies of B cell receptor (BCR) signaling, yet the dynamic nature of B cell activation continues to reveal new insights based on the nature of antigen exposure.

Nonrestorative Sleep and Type 2 Diabetes Incidence: The Aichi Workers' Cohort Study.

Background: The term "nonrestorative sleep (NRS)" refers to an unrefreshed feeling at wake-up and is a domain of poor sleep quality. Previous research has demonstrated that NRS is linked to a number of diseases and adverse health outcomes, but less is known regarding the link between NRS and diabetes, particularly in Japanese.

Methods: We studied 3,665 middle-aged male participants of the Aichi Workers' Cohort Study who were followed-up from 2002 through 2019.

Local-electrostatics-induced oxygen octahedral distortion in perovskite oxides and insight into the structure of Ruddlesden-Popper phases.

As the physical properties of ABX perovskite-based oxides strongly depend on the geometry of oxygen octahedra containing transition-metal cations, precise identification of the distortion, tilt, and rotation of the octahedra is an essential step toward understanding the structure-property correlation. Here we discover an important electrostatic origin responsible for remarkable Jahn-Teller-type tetragonal distortion of oxygen octahedra during atomic-level direct observation of two-dimensional [AX] interleaved shear faults in five different perovskite-type materials, SrTiO, BaCeO, LaCoO, LaNiO, and CsPbBr. When the [AX] sublayer has a net charge, for example [LaO] in LaCoO and LaNiO, substantial tetragonal elongation of oxygen octahedra at the fault plane is observed and this screens the strong repulsion between the consecutive [LaO] layers.

Atomic-scale unveiling of multiphase evolution during hydrated Zn-ion insertion in vanadium oxide.

An initial crystalline phase can transform into another phases as cations are electrochemically inserted into its lattice. Precise identification of phase evolution at an atomic level during transformation is thus the very first step to comprehensively understand the cation insertion behavior and subsequently achieve much higher storage capacity in rechargeable cells, although it is sometimes challenging. By intensively using atomic-column-resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize the simultaneous intercalation of both HO and Zn during discharge of Zn ions into a VO cathode with an aqueous electrolyte.

Validity of the Kihon Checklist for assessing frailty status.

Aim: The Kihon Checklist is extensively used in Japan to identify elderly persons who are at risk of requiring support/care. We aimed to determine whether or not the Kihon Checklist can estimate frailty status defined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria.

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the Kihon Checklist and activities of daily living based on self-records maintained with the assistance of nurses in a convenience sample of 164 elderly outpatients who lived without care or support.

[Palliative care in patients without cancer: Impact of the end-of-life care team].

Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illnesses by promoting the prevention and relief of suffering. Palliative care in Japan has been developed mainly for cancer patients. At the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, an end-of-life care team (EOLCT) has been developed to promote palliative care for patients without cancer.

[Usefulness of support from end-of-life care teams in difficult decision-making].

It is unclear how hospitals should support a patient's decision to return home to die. Thus, we retrospectively examined the usefulness of support from an End-Of-Life Care Team in such difficult decision making. The subjects included non-cancer patients and the elderly.

[Comprehensive geriatric assessment and cancer care-choice of treatment and in-home palliative care executed by using advance care planning].

Choice of treatment and in-home palliative care are important for the cancer care of the elderly. In recent years, comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), which has been developed as a multidimensional evaluation method for the elderly, has been attracting attention for cancer care as well. CGA can be a common language for the choice of treatment and in-home palliative care of elderly cancer patients.

[Medical care support intervention to the patient and family who has chosen a terminal care at home - an influence of satisfactory experience on the culture of terminal care].

The National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology in Japan implemented a home medical care support system for aged patients in April 2009. In this study, we report a case of terminal care system where a medical care intervention was carried out by a close coordination of visiting nurses and other staffs with a "at-home terminal care" brochure on hand, and we discussed how this system was brought forward satisfactory and how it affected this culture.

[Role of home medical care support system in aged cancer patients' symptom relief and regional alliances].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of home medical care support system to relieve the symptom and regional alliances for elderly cancer patients. We investigated clinical parameters to study the features of this system. The home medical care support system is designed for patients who are B75-year-old with decrease in activities of daily living and severe dementia.