Demographic Differences and Associations Between Body Image and Quality of Life Among Japanese Adolescents with Congenital Physical Disabilities.

This study aimed to examine the levels, demographic differences, and associations between body image (BI) and quality of life (QOL) among Japanese adolescents with congenital physical disabilities. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 107 Japanese adolescents with congenital physical disabilities, which included demographic variables, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, and the Japanese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version. Data were analyzed using Cronbach's α coefficient, descriptive statistics, -tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Recycling of Uridylated mRNAs in Starfish Embryos.

In eukaryotes, mRNAs with long poly(A) tails are translationally active, but deadenylation and uridylation of these tails generally cause mRNA degradation. However, the fate of uridylated mRNAs that are not degraded quickly remains obscure. Here, using tail-seq and microinjection of the 3' region of mRNA, we report that some mRNAs in starfish are re-polyadenylated to be translationally active after deadenylation and uridylation.

An Assessment of the Diversity and Seasonal Dynamics of Small- and Medium-Sized Mammals in Pittachhara Forest, Bangladesh, Using a Camera Trap Survey.

The Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHTs) in Bangladesh have a rich biodiversity, hosting a wide range of wild mammal species, underscoring the importance of systematic monitoring focused on conservation efforts. This study aims to assess the diversity and abundance of small- and medium-sized wild mammal species in Pittachhara Forest in the CHTs. A comprehensive wildlife monitoring survey was conducted in this forest using strategically placed camera traps to identify the wild species diversity, and we evaluated the activity patterns and seasonal variations for the period of February 2023 to August 2024.

Comprehensive determination of elements ranging from uranium to americium by hybrid measurement of fluorescent and spontaneously emitted characteristic X-rays.

Natural uranium isotopes have extremely long half-lives; therefore, analytical methods based on the number of atoms, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, are suitable for uranium detection. However, XRF measurements cannot be used to detect the major isotopes of americium when present in amounts barely detectable using radiation measurements, owing to their relatively short half-lives. Because of α-decay-induced internal conversion, where orbital electrons are emitted instead of γ-rays, these nuclides emit characteristic X-rays.

A noninvasive urinary microRNA-based assay for the detection of pancreatic cancer from early to late stages: a case control study.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is highly aggressive and has a low survival rate primarily due to late-stage diagnosis and the lack of effective early detection methods. We introduce here a novel, noninvasive urinary extracellular vesicle miRNA-based assay for the detection of pancreatic cancer from early to late stages.

Methods: From September 2019 to July 2023, Urine samples were collected from patients with pancreatic cancer (n = 153) from five distinct sites (Hokuto Hospital, Kawasaki Medical School Hospital, National Cancer Center Hospital, Kagoshima University Hospital, and Kumagaya General Hospital) and non-cancer participants (n = 309) from two separate sites (Hokuto Hospital and Omiya City Clinic).

Physiological effects of combined breathing and physical training in middle-aged and older adults.

[Purpose] The safety and physiological effects of combined training with breathing resistance and sustained physical exertion in middle-aged and older adults remain unclear. This pilot study investigated the safety and physiological benefits of this training method in older adults. [Participants and Methods] Participants aged 55-75 without respiratory, circulatory, or metabolic diseases were randomly divided into two groups: a combined breathing and physical training group and a control group.

Importance of EQA/PT for the detection of genetic variants in comprehensive cancer genome testing.

Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) is increasingly used as a clinical laboratory test and being applied to cancer treatment; however, standardization and external quality assessments (EQA) have not been fully developed. This study performed cost-effective EQA and proficiency tests (PT) for CGP testing among multiple institutions those belong to the EQA working group of Japan Association for Clinical Laboratory Science (JACLS). This study revealed that preanalytical processes, such as derived nucleic acids (NA) extraction from formalin fixed paraffine embedded (FFPE) samples, are critical.

Research team diversity impacts scientific output in allergy and immunology programs.

Background: This study examined the relationship between the disciplinary diversity of research teams and research output (RO) in allergy and immunology programs funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, Medical Research Council (MRC) in the United Kingdom, and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Methods: Using a dataset containing 1243, 3645, and 1468 articles funded by the NIH, MRC, and JSPS, respectively, we analyzed the correlation between disciplinary diversity and RO in allergy and immunology programs that received grants from 2017 to 2021. Diversity was measured using All Science Journal Classification codes counts, Shannon-Wiener index, and newly developed Omnidisciplinary index (o-index).

H and B Blood Antigens Are Essential for In Vitro Replication of GII.2 Human Norovirus.

Background: Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a major cause of enteric infectious gastroenteritis and is classified into several genotypes based on its capsid protein amino acid sequence and nucleotide sequence of the polymerase gene. Among these, GII.4 is the major genotype worldwide.

In Vivo Stability Improvement of Astatobenzene Derivatives by Introducing Neighboring Substituents.

At is a promising radiohalogen for targeted α therapy. However, some astatinated compounds undergo deastatination in vivo, leading to unintended astatine accumulation in nontarget tissues. Recently, a group reported that the in vivo stability of an astato group on an alkyl group could be improved by placing specific substituents around the astato group.

Ferguson Plot Analysis of Chaperone ClpB from Moderate Halophile.

The Ferguson plot is a simple method for determining the molecular weight of native proteins and their complexes. In this study, we tested the validity of the Ferguson plot based on agarose native gel electrophoresis using multimeric chaperone protein, ClpB, derived from a moderate halophile that forms a native hexamer. The Ferguson plot showed a single band with a molecular weight of 1,500 kDa, approximately twice the size of the native hexamer.

Short-term Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Bilateral Risk-Reducing Mastectomy for Patients at a High Risk for Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background: Bilateral risk-reducing mastectomies (RRMs) have been proven to decrease the risk of breast cancer in patients at high risk owing to family history or having pathogenic genetic mutations. However, few resources with consolidated data have detailed the patient experience following surgery. This systematic review features patient-reported outcomes for patients with no breast cancer history in the year after their bilateral RRM.

Genetic landscape in undiagnosed patients with syndromic hearing loss revealed by whole exome sequencing and phenotype similarity search.

There are hundreds of rare syndromic diseases involving hearing loss, many of which are not targeted for clinical genetic testing. We systematically explored the genetic causes of undiagnosed syndromic hearing loss using a combination of whole exome sequencing (WES) and a phenotype similarity search system called PubCaseFinder. Fifty-five families with syndromic hearing loss of unknown cause were analyzed using WES after prescreening of several deafness genes depending on patient clinical features.

Combined molecular subclass and immune phenotype correlate to atezolizumab plus radiation therapy response in invasive bladder cancer: BPT-ART Phase II study.

Purpose: Bladder preservation therapy in combination with atezolizumab and radiation therapy (BPT-ART) trial, which was a multicenter, open-label, single-arm phase II study, showed a promisingly high interim clinical complete response (cCR) rate of 84.4% (38/45). In the present study, we aimed to identify potential tissue biomarkers for achieving cCR via BPT-ART.

Successful granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor inhalation therapy for recurrent autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis after lung transplantation: A case report.

Sargramostim, a recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) inhalation therapy, was recently approved for pharmaceutical use in Japan and shows promise as a treatment for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP). For APAP patients with severe respiratory failure due to advanced lung fibrosis, lung transplantation is also a treatment option; however, APAP may recur after the procedure. Here, we report a case of successful sargramostim inhalation therapy for post-transplant APAP relapse in a patient who underwent living lung transplantation owing to severe fibrosis.

Development of the membrane ceiling method for in vitro spermatogenesis.

Spermatogenesis is one of the most complex processes of cell differentiation and its failure is a major cause of male infertility. Therefore, a proper model that recapitulates spermatogenesis in vitro has been long sought out for basic and clinical research. Testis organ culture using the gas-liquid interphase method has been shown to support spermatogenesis in mice and rats.

Spatiotemporal patterns in active four-state Potts models.

Many types of spatiotemporal patterns have been observed under nonequilibrium conditions. Cycling through four or more states can provide specific dynamics, such as the spatial coexistence of multiple phases. However, transient dynamics have only been studied by previous theoretical models, since absorbing transition into a uniform phase covered by a single state occurs in the long-time limit.

Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Positive Advanced Gastric or Esophagogastric Adenocarcinoma: Reflecting on the Past to Gain a New Insights.

Purpose Of Review: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a critical target in advanced gastric cancer (AGC). This review highlights the current treatment landscape, lessons learned from past clinical trials, and prospects for future treatment strategies for HER2-positive AGC.

Recent Findings: Trastuzumab had been the standard treatment for HER2-positive AGC for a decade, and subsequently, trastuzumab deruxtecan, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), emerged with an impressive response.

Blood DNA virome associates with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19.

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

Effects of intra-tumoral cellular heterogeneity of oxygen partial pressure on biological effectiveness of hydrogen-, helium-, carbon-, oxygen-, and neon-ion beams.

The tumor microenvironment characterized by heterogeneously organized vasculatures causes intra-tumoral heterogeneity of oxygen partial pressurepat the cellular level, which cannot be measured by current imaging techniques. The intra-tumoral cellularpheterogeneity may lead to a reduction of therapeutic effects of radiation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the heterogeneity on biological effectiveness of H-, He-, C-, O-, and Ne-ion beams for different oxygenation levels, prescribed dose levels, and cell types.

Inter- and Intrasublattice Spin Mixing Conductance of the Antiferromagnetic Spin Pumping Effect in α-Fe_{2}O_{3}/Pt.

The spin pumping effect in antiferromagnets, which ultimately converts THz waves into a spin current, is the key physical mechanism leading to an essential function which harnesses the THz technology and spintronics. Here, we report thorough experimental investigations of the spin current induced by the antiferromagnetic spin pumping effect in epitaxial α-Fe_{2}O_{3} thin films having two distinct dynamic modes and unambiguously show that both the inter- and intrasublattice spin mixing conductance are equally substantial. Our experimental insight is an important advance for understanding the physics of transduction between the spin current and the staggered magnetization dynamics at THz frequency.

Development of a new tool to simultaneously measure soil-gas permeability and CO concentration as important parameters for geogenic radon potential assessment.

This study assessed the geogenic radon potential using PECAME, an innovative tool designed to simultaneously measure soil-gas permeability and CO concentration - two key parameters for understanding radon transport in soil. Comparative field studies using the RADON-JOK device in various geological settings in Japan and Poland demonstrate the effectiveness of PECAME. These studies reveal a strong correlation between PECAME and RADON-JOK, with an R value of 0.