Role of gut microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease pathogenesis.

The role of the gut microbiota, especially bacterial flora, in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is becoming clearer. Advances in gut microbiota analysis and the use of gnotobiotics models have underscored the importance of gut bacteria and their metabolites in the progression of IBD. Fecal microbiota transplantation has shown promise in clinical trials for ulcerative colitis started as Advanced Medical Care B in Japan, raising expectations for its outcomes.

Parents' Expectations of Parent Training programs for Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Japan.

Background: The efficacy of parent training for neurodevelopmental disorders has been demonstrated in numerous studies. This study conducted a needs assessment of Japanese parents regarding parent training for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Methods: Responses from 806 parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as those with suspected but undiagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders, who had not yet received parent training were analyzed.

An Optimal Transport Medium for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in the Direct Method of Rapid Microfluidic PCR System.

Background: Recently developed rapid real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) systems adopting microfluidic thermal cycling technology are ideal for point-of-care (POC) testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Because the RNA extraction step before real-time RT-PCR is rate-limiting, a direct RNA extraction method (direct method) that adopts chemical viral lysis and eliminates RNA purification steps is preferable for rapid real-time RT-PCR. In the direct method, selecting the transport medium is essential because it may be introduced into subsequent real-time RT-PCR steps, but might inhibit PCR.

Usefulness of arterial spin labeling MR angiography as preprocedural mapping for the intra-arterial chemotherapy in patients with maxillary sinus cancer: A case report.

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) (ASL-MRA) is a newly developed method that can visualize small arteries, particularly those running tortuously and inferiorly at slow flow rates. It provides excellent visualization of the external carotid artery system, with superior performance in visualizing the middle meningeal artery (MMA) compared to that of computed tomography angiography (CTA). Here, we report a case of maxillary sinus carcinoma in which ASL-MRA revealed an ipsilateral ophthalmic artery originating from the MMA that was not visualized on CTA.

Association Between Oral Hypofunction and Maximum Gait Speed in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Previous studies have reported an association between oral hypofunction and normal gait speed as a marker for physical function; however, the association between maximum gait speed as a more sensitive marker for physical function and poor oral function has not been investigated.

Objectives: To elucidate associations of oral hypofunction, comprising seven elements, with both normal and maximum gait speeds in an older population.

Methods: Participants were recruited in 2018 from a hospital-based health checkup in Kyoto Prefecture.

Pemafibrate for treating MASLD complicated by hypertriglyceridaemia: a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial study protocol.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, now known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is a phenotype of the metabolic syndrome in the liver and is clearly associated with metabolic abnormalities such as hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia. Although the prevalence of MASLD is increasing worldwide, there is currently no consensus on the efficacy and safety of the drugs used to treat MASLD/metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Pemafibrate, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha modulator, was designed to have higher peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alfa (PPARα) agonist activity and selectivity than existing PPARα agonists, and in development trials, without increasing creatinine levels, lipid parameters and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were significantly improved.

Early experience with daratumumab-containing regimens in patients with light-chain cardiac amyloidosis.

Background: Immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a lethal condition resulting from misfolded immunoglobulin ALs produced by clonal CD38-positive plasma cells. Treatment with daratumumab, an anti-human CD38 monoclonal antibody, led to higher frequencies of complete hematologic response and better clinical outcomes compared with conventional treatment. This study sought to evaluate the survival benefit of daratumumab-containing regimens in patients with AL cardiac amyloidosis.

Usefulness of participation of endoscopic surgical skill qualification system-qualified surgeons in laparoscopic high anterior resection.

Introduction: A technical qualification system was established by the Japanese Society of Endoscopic Surgery in 2004, and its effectiveness in low anterior resection (LAR) has been reported. We herein performed a subgroup analysis of the effectiveness of the participation of technically qualified surgeons in laparoscopy-assisted high anterior resection (HAR), a procedure used for the technical qualification of surgeons.

Methods: The EnSSURE study enrolled 3188 patients who underwent laparoscopic rectal resection for rectal cancer between January 2014 and December 2016 at 56 Japanese hospitals.

Vortioxetine as an alternative treatment for somatic symptom disorder: case report.

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is characterized by persistent physical symptoms that cause significant distress and functional impairment. Despite the widespread use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) in treating SSD, some patients experience insufficient response, necessitating alternative therapeutic approaches. We report two cases of SSD that demonstrated significant improvement with vortioxetine, a novel antidepressant with multimodal serotonergic receptor activity.

The impact of overseas assignments on metabolic factors: Panasonic cohort study 23.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of overseas assignments on the metabolic factors associated with lifestyle disease including body mass index, blood pressure, plasma glucose, lipid profiles, liver enzyme, and uric acid in Japanese individuals.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using annual health examination data from employees of the Panasonic Corporation in Japan. We evaluated the differences in the changes in metabolic factors associated with lifestyle disease during the observation periods between the overseas and non-overseas assignment groups.

JMJD4 promotes tumor progression via inhibition of the PDCD5-TP53 pathway.

Programmed cell death 5 (PDCD5) regulates cell death and suppresses tumor progression. Since the stability and nuclear translocation of PDCD5 are regulated by TP53-dependent cell death stimuli, knowledge of the regulatory mechanism of PDCD5 function is required to better understand the TP53-signaling pathway. We identified Jumonji domain-containing protein 4 (JMJD4) to be a PDCD5-interacting protein using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Hospitalized Patients, Treatments, and Quality of Care for Cardiovascular Diseases in Japan - Outline of the Nationwide JROAD Investigation.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have imposed a substantial burden on population health and society. In Japan, the National Plan for the Promotion of Measures Against Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Disease, grounded in national legislation, seeks to improve the quality of care and standardize treatment for cerebrovascular disease and CVD. The plan emphasizes the need to develop standardized systems for collecting and disseminating medical information, as well as promoting data-driven research.

Durlobactam to boost the clinical utility of standard of care β-lactams against lung disease.

β-Lactams present several desirable pharmacodynamic features leading to the rapid eradication of many bacterial pathogens. Imipenem (IPM) and cefoxitin (FOX) are injectable β-lactams recommended during the intensive treatment phase of pulmonary infections caused by (Mab). However, their potency against Mab is many-fold lower than against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens for which they were optimized, putting into question their clinical utility.

Sarcoid-like Reaction in a Patient With Colon Cancer: A Case Report and Mini-Review.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic and chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by the manifestation of epithelioid cell granulomas in various organs. Sarcoid-like reactions occur in patients who do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for sarcoidosis but present with similar clinical and histological features. An 80-year-old man presented to our hospital with several subcutaneous nodules on the extremities.

Rivaroxaban for 18 Months Versus 6 Months in Patients With Cancer and Acute Low-Risk Pulmonary Embolism: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial (ONCO PE Trial).

Background: The optimal duration of anticoagulation therapy for patients with cancer and acute low-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) is clinically relevant, but evidence is lacking. Prolonged anticoagulation therapy could have a potential benefit for prevention of thrombotic events; however, it could also increase the risk of bleeding.

Methods: In a multicenter, open-label, adjudicator-blinded, randomized clinical trial at 32 institutions in Japan, we randomly assigned patients with cancer and acute low-risk PE of the simplified version of the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index score of 1, in a 1:1 ratio, to receive either an 18-month or a 6-month rivaroxaban treatment.

Pyramidal cell types and 5-HT receptors are essential for psilocybin's lasting drug action.

Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic with therapeutic potential for treating mental illnesses. At the cellular level, psychedelics induce structural neural plasticity, exemplified by the drug-evoked growth and remodeling of dendritic spines in cortical pyramidal cells. A key question is how these cellular modifications map onto cell type-specific circuits to produce psychedelics' behavioral actions.

Occipital hypoperfusion and motor reserve in Parkinson's disease: an early-phase F-FP-CIT PET study.

Individual variability exists in parkinsonian motor symptoms despite a similar degree of nigrostriatal dopamine depletion in Parkinson's disease (PD), called motor reserve. We enrolled 397 patients newly diagnosed with PD who underwent dual-phase F-FP-CIT PET upon initial assessment. Individual motor reserve was estimated based on initial parkinsonian motor symptoms and striatal dopamine transporter availability using a residual model.

Urease-powered nanomotor containing STING agonist for bladder cancer immunotherapy.

Most non-muscle invasive bladder cancers have been treated by transurethral resection and following intravesical injection of immunotherapeutic agents. However, the delivery efficiency of therapeutic agents into bladder wall is low due to frequent urination, which leads to the failure of treatment with side effects. Here, we report a urease-powered nanomotor containing the agonist of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) for the efficient activation of immune cells in the bladder wall.