Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on neural activity in the nucleus accumbens of male mice engaged in social behavior.

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a commonly abused recreational drug, induces prosocial effects such as increased sociability and empathy. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been suggested to play a crucial role in these MDMA-mediated prosocial effects. However, the relationship between social behavior and NAc neural activity, and the effects of MDMA on this relationship, remain unknown.

Synergistic anti-tumor effects of oncolytic virus and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 antibody combination therapy: For suppression of lymph node and distant metastasis in a murine melanoma model.

It is believed that oncolytic viruses (OVs) exert both direct anti-tumor effects by intratumoral injection as well as indirect anti-tumor effects by activating systemic immunity. In phase III clinical trials, OV and anti-programmed cell death-1 (aPD-1) antibody combination therapy showed no significant differences in overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with unresectable advanced melanoma. In the study, OVs can exert only indirect anti-tumor effects in non-injected, systemic lesions.

Anti-PD-1 Autoantibody Predicts Survival of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Atezolizumab/Bevacizumab.

Background And Aims: Methods for predicting therapeutic response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer therapy are in high demand. In patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), atezolizumab (anti-programmed cell death-ligand 1 [PD-L1]) and bevacizumab (anti-vascular endothelial growth factor) combination therapy (Atezo/Bev therapy) is a first-line treatment. However, no reliable biomarkers are currently available to predict its efficacy.

An improved temperature-sensitive shuttle vector system for scarless gene deletion in human-gut-associated species.

is a prevalent bacterial taxon in the human gut that comprises over 10 (sub)species. Previous studies suggest that these species use evolutionarily distinct strategies for symbiosis with their hosts. However, the underlying species-specific mechanisms remain unclear due to the lack of efficient gene knockout systems applicable across different species.

Association between Fat-Soluble Vitamin Metabolic Process and Glioma Progression.

Although multimodality therapy has recently advanced, patients with glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and deadly types of central nervous system cancer, have a very poor prognosis and rare long-term survival. Vitamins are essential organic nutrients that play a pivotal role in maintaining homeostasis, and various studies have demonstrated the implication of vitamins in the pathophysiology of gliomas. Herein, we aimed to investigate the association of the vitamin metabolic pathway and the corresponding candidate genes for the malignancy, aggressiveness, and poor prognosis of gliomas using The Cancer Genome Atlas database of patients with gliomas.

Exploring Determinants of Successful Weight Loss with the Use of a Smartphone Healthcare Application: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Dietary and physical activity interventions through smartphone healthcare applications (apps) have recently surged in popularity as effective methods for weight loss. However, the specific factors contributing to successful weight loss remain uncertain. We conducted an analysis of baseline characteristics and app usage frequencies over three months among 68 Japanese adults with overweight and obesity who were assigned to the intervention group in a previous randomized controlled trial.

Early failure is still a poor prognostic factor in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma in the era of CAR T-cell therapy.

Patients with refractory or relapsed (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) refractory to first-line chemotherapy or with early relapse have poor outcomes. While chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has impressive efficacy after two or more lines of chemotherapy, it's still uncertain if these outcomes remain consistent in the context of third-line CAR T-cell therapy. We conducted a retrospective study of 107 R/R LBCL patients.

Left atrial vortex flow and its relationship with left atrial functions in patients with congenital heart disease.

Background: Four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables blood flow visualization. The absence of left atrial vortex flow (LAVF) has been implicated in the development of thrombus formation and arrhythmias. However, the clinical relevance of this phenomenon in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) remains unclear.

Assimilation of arabinogalactan side chains with novel 3--β-L-arabinopyranosyl-α-L-arabinofuranosidase in .

Dietary plant fibers affect gut microbiota composition; however, the underlying microbial degradation pathways are not fully understood. We previously discovered 3--α-D-galactosyl-α-L-arabinofuranosidase (GAfase), a glycoside hydrolase family 39 enzyme involved in the assimilation of side chains of arabinogalactan protein (AGP), from subsp. () JCM7052.

The Efficacy of an mHealth App in Facilitating Weight Loss Among Japanese Fitness Center Members: Regression Analysis Study.

Background: Self-tracking smartphone apps have emerged as promising tools to encourage healthy behaviors. In this longitudinal study, we used gym use data from members of a major fitness club that operates gyms throughout Japan from January 2014 to December 2019.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the extent to which a health and fitness self-tracking mobile app introduced to gym members on January 1, 2018, contributed to their weight loss.

Partially involuting congenital hemangioma with pyogenic granuloma-induced rapid progression following incisional biopsy in infancy: A case report.

We present a case of partially involuting congenital hemangioma (PICH) that showed rapid growth with ulceration after incisional biopsy. PICH does not typically grow after birth. However, if growth occurs due to stimuli like biopsy, it is essential to consider the possibility of pyogenic granuloma complication.

Postoperative evaluation of left atrial stiffness in patients with congenital heart diseases.

Left atrial (LA) stiffness is one of the most important factors involved in LA remodeling. LA stiffness has rarely been studied postoperatively in patients with congenital heart diseases (CHDs). This study aimed to evaluate LA stiffness in CHD patients postoperatively.

Applications of electron microscopic observations to electrochemistry in liquid electrolytes for batteries.

Herein, we review notable points from observations of electrochemical reactions in a liquid electrolyte by liquid-phase electron microscopy. In situ microscopic observations of electrochemical reactions are urgently required, particularly to solve various battery issues. Battery performance is evaluated by various electrochemical measurements of bulk samples.

Targeted next-generation sequencing for detection of PIK3CA mutations in archival tissues from patients with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome in an Asian population : List the full names and institutional addresses for all authors.

Background: Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare slow-flow combined vascular malformation with limb hypertrophy. KTS is thought to lie on the PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum, but reports are limited. PIK3CA encodes p110α, a catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) that plays an essential role in the PI3K/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway.

Clinical outcomes in transplant-eligible patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after second-line salvage chemotherapy: A retrospective study.

Objective: The prognosis of patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is poor. Although patients who fail first-line salvage chemotherapy are candidates for second-line salvage chemotherapy, the optimal treatment strategy for these patients has not yet been established.

Methods: The present, single-center, retrospective study included transplant-eligible patients with R/R DLBCL who received second-line salvage chemotherapy with curative intent.

Hemoglobin-platelet index as a prognostic factor in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a heterogeneous group of aggressive lymphomas with a poor prognosis. The International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the Prognostic Index for PTCL-unspecified (PIT) is used to predict the prognosis of PTCL. The hemoglobin-platelet index (HPI), based on anemia and thrombocytopenia status, is associated with the prognosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

[Polatuzumab vedotin, bendamustine, and rituximab in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, including the outcome as a bridging treatment to CAR-T cell therapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant].

Pola-BR (polatuzumab vedotin, bendamustine, and rituximab) therapy received approval for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) in Japan in March 2021. There have been few reports on the efficacy and safety of Pola-BR therapy in Japanese clinical practice. A retrospective analysis was performed on twenty-nine patients with R/R DLBCL who received Pola-BR therapy at our institution (intent to cellular immunotherapy cohort: 20 patients, stand-alone treatment cohort: nine patients).

Liver Fibrosis Markers Represent Central Venous Pressure in Post-pubertal Patients With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background Central venous pressure (CVP) is one of the most important hemodynamic parameters in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). In adults, it is well-known that liver fibrosis markers reflect CVP, but this is not well-understood in children. We investigated the liver fibrosis markers in pediatric CHD patients and their ability to predict CVP.

Utility of the frailty score for predicting prognosis and individualizing treatment intensity in elderly patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

The optimal dose intensity of chemotherapy for elderly patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains controversial because of concerns about adverse events and comorbidities related to the patients' frailty. This single-center study retrospectively analyzed patients aged ≥ 70 years who were newly diagnosed with DLBCL and received chemotherapy between 2004 and 2022. Survival outcomes and treatment-related mortality (TRM) were stratified according to geriatric assessment variables, and the influence of chemotherapy dose intensity on outcomes was assessed using the frailty score with a Cox hazards model with restricted cubic spline (RCS) in patients aged 70-79 years.