Association Between Stress-Induced Weight Loss and Autophagy-Related Gene Expression in the Hippocampus and Midbrain of Depression Model Mice.

Aim: Recent studies have implicated autophagy in both weight regulation and depression. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress-induced weight loss and autophagy-related gene expression in a mouse model of depression.

Method: Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to a chronic immobilization stress (CIS) protocol for 14 days to induce depressive-like behavior.

Reduction of Chemoresistance by Claudin-14-Targeting Peptide in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells.

The expression of claudins (CLDNs), major components of tight junctions (TJs), is abnormal in various solid tumors. CLDN14 is highly expressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and confers chemoresistance. CLDN14 may become a novel therapeutic target for CRC, but CLDN14-targeting drugs have not been developed.

Telogen Effluvium Following the Treatment of Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Patient With Heavy Soft Drink Intake: A Case Report.

Telogen effluvium can be triggered by physical exhaustion, drug use, and emotional stress. However, in approximately 33% of cases, the triggers are unknown. Telogen effluvium can develop two to three months after exposure to triggers and improve three to six months after trigger removal.

A Novel Mutation of FOXC1 (P136L) in an Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome Patient With a Systematized Delusion of Jealousy: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: The main features of Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome (ARS) are ocular, auditory, neurological, and morphological brain abnormalities. Mutations in forkhead box protein C1 (FOXC1) are among the responsible genes causing ARS, but neuropsychiatric features have rarely been reported. The case of an ARS patient (a 77-year-old man) with delusions of jealousy and impairment of working memory, in addition to the main clinical features, glaucoma and leukoencephalopathy, is presented.

Behavioral and psychological symptoms and brain volumes in community-dwelling older persons from the Nakayama Study.

The frequency of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is high, and it is a challenge to elucidate its neural substrates underlying their development. In recent years, many findings have been reported on the relationship between BPSD and brain volume in dementia patients. However, the results are not fully conclusive.

Effect of standardized hypnotic bundles on insomnia during hospitalization and reducing fall rate: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

Aim: Although the use of benzodiazepine receptor agonists is a risk factor for falls and fractures, whether benzodiazepine-avoiding hypnotic bundles are beneficial in clinical settings remains unclear.

Methods: A new hospital-wide standardized hypnotic bundle for insomnia, with suvorexant as the first choice, was created for clinical purposes. This single-center retrospective cohort study involved a pre-post design and adult inpatients who had had falls.

Otitis Media with ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Following COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 caused a worldwide pandemic, and mRNA vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were developed to avoid SARS-CoV-2 infection. Short-term adverse events, such as fever, malaise, body aches, and headaches, develop within a few days following COVID-19 vaccination. Those adverse events are common and widely known as transient reactions.

Docosahexaenoic acid enhances the treatment efficacy for castration-resistant prostate cancer by inhibiting autophagy through Atg4B inhibition.

Autophagy induction in cancer is involved in cancer progression and the acquisition of resistance to anticancer agents. Therefore, autophagy is considered a potential therapeutic target in cancer therapy. In this study, we found that long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) have inhibitory effects on Atg4B, which is essential for autophagosome formation, through screening based on the pharmacophore of 21f, a recently developed Atg4B inhibitor.

Enhancement of chemoresistance by claudin-1-mediated formation of amino acid barriers in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.

Claudin-1 (CLDN1) is highly expressed in human lung adenocarcinoma-derived A549 cells and is involved in the augmentation of chemoresistance. However, the mechanism of chemoresistance is not fully understood. In the tumor microenvironment, cancer cells are exposed to stress conditions such as hypoxia and malnutrition.

Downregulation of chemoresistance by claudin-14 silencing in human colorectal cancer cells.

An exceptional expression of claudins (CLDNs), tight junction (TJ) proteins, is observed in various solid cancer tissues. However, the pathophysiological roles of CLDNs have not been clarified in detail. CLDN14 is highly expressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and cultured cancer epithelial cells.

Unraveling the Mechanisms Involved in the Beneficial Effects of Magnesium Treatment on Skin Wound Healing.

The skin wound healing process consists of hemostatic, inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phases, with a complex cellular response by multiple cell types in the epidermis, dermis, and immune system. Magnesium is a mineral essential for life, and although magnesium treatment promotes cutaneous wound healing, the molecular mechanism and timing of action of the healing process are unknown. This study, using human epidermal-derived HaCaT cells and human normal epidermal keratinocyte cells, was performed to investigate the mechanism involved in the effect of magnesium on wound healing.

Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and dementia in a community-dwelling Japanese older population (JPSC-AD).

In recent years, the association between neuroinflammatory markers and dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD), has attracted much attention. However, the evidence for the relationship between serum-hs-CRP and dementia including AD are inconsistent. Therefore, the relationships of serum high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) with dementia including AD and with regions of interest of brain MRI were investigated.

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis Following Covid-19 MRNA Vaccination.

Introduction: Large-scale clinical studies for COVID-19 vaccines have shown the infection-preventing effect and short-term adverse effects. Some rare illnesses such as eosinophilia can develop following COVID-19 vaccinations.

Case Description: We report a case of 65-year-old man with unexplained abdominal pain that developed 2 weeks after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

Functional AGXT2 SNP rs180749 variant and depressive symptoms: Baseline data from the Aidai Cohort Study in Japan.

No study has shown the relationship between alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and depressive symptoms. The present case-control study examined this relationship in Japanese adults. Cases and control participants were selected from those who participated in the baseline survey of the Aidai Cohort Study, which is an ongoing cohort study.

Acrolein suppresses anticancer drug-induced toxicity mediated by activating claudin-1 and Nrf2 axis in a spheroid model of human lung squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Tobacco smoke contains various carcinogenic ingredients such as nicotine, acrolein, and benzopyrene; however, their effects on cancer treatment are not fully understood. Claudin-1 (CLDN1), a component of tight junctions, is involved in the increased resistance to anticancer drugs. In this study, we found that acrolein increases the mRNA and protein levels of CLDN1 in RERF-LC-AI cells derived from human lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Inhibition of aldo-keto reductase 1C3 overcomes gemcitabine/cisplatin resistance in bladder cancer.

Systemic chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) has been used for the treatment of bladder cancer in which androgen receptor (AR) signaling is suggested to play a critical role. However, its efficacy is often limited, and the prognosis of patients who develop resistance is extremely poor. Aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3), which is responsible for the production of a potent androgen, 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), by the reduction of 5α-androstane-3α,17β-dione (5α-Adione), has been attracting attention as a therapeutic target for prostate cancer that shows androgen-dependent growth.

Activation of the TGF-β1/EMT signaling pathway by claudin-1 overexpression reduces doxorubicin sensitivity in small cell lung cancer SBC-3 cells.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), which accounts for about 15 % of all lung cancers, progresses more rapidly than other histologic types and is rarely detected at an operable early stage. Therefore, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or their combination are the primary treatments for this type of lung cancer. However, the tendency to acquire resistance to anticancer drugs is a severe problem.

Effects of gestational haloperidol exposure on mRNA expressions related to glutamate and GABA receptors in offspring.

Antipsychotic treatment is vital for patients with schizophrenia even in the perinatal period, but the impact at the molecular biological level on offspring is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of intraperitoneal haloperidol injection to pregnant mice on glutamate and GABA receptors in the brain of offspring mice. Eight-week-old pregnant mice were treated with either intraperitoneal haloperidol or normal saline injection, and their offspring were defined as F1 mice.

Increase in Paracellular Leakage of Amino Acids Mediated by Aging-Induced Reduction of Claudin-4 Expression.

Background: Claudins (CLDNs), major components of tight junctions, control paracellular permeabilities of mineral ions and wastes. The absorption of nutrients including glucose and amino acids (AAs) is regulated by intestinal epithelial cells. However, the role of CLDNs is not fully understood.

Late-Life High Blood Pressure and Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in the Putaminal Regions of Community-Dwelling Japanese Older Persons.

Background: Enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) of the brain may be involved in dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Hypertension has been reported to be a risk factor for dementia and CSVD, but the association between blood pressure (BP) and perivascular spaces is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the association between BP and EPVS volumes and to examine the interactions of relevant factors.

Analysis of factors related to cognitive impairment in a community-based, complete enumeration survey in Japan: the Nakayama study.

Background: The number of patients with cognitive disorders is rapidly increasing in the world, becoming not only a medical problem, but also a social problem. There have been many reports that various factors are associated with cognitive dysfunction, but the factors have not yet been fully identified. This was a community-based complete enumeration study which aimed to identify risk and protective factors for dementia.