Clinical significance of the increased expression of the WT1 gene in peripheral blood of patients with acquired aplastic anemia.

To determine the significance of increased (WT1) gene expression in the peripheral blood of patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AA), we analyzed serial changes in mRNA copy number (WT1cn) in 63 patients with AA as well as in five patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and seven patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). WT1cn was higher than the cut-off (≥50 copies/μg RNA) at the time of the first measurement in 41% of untreated (60-190 copies/μg RNA [median 130]) and 59% of treated (59-520 copies/μg RNA [median 150]) AA patients. Although WT1cns gradually increased in most AA patients during the 2-105 months follow-up period, they did not lead to clonal evolution except in three patients in whom the maximum change ratio of WT1cn (WT1cn-change max), defined as the ratio of WT1cn at the first examination to that of the maximum value, exceeded 20.

Effect of Communicative and Critical Health Literacy on Trust in Physicians Among Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): The TRUMP2-SLE Project.

Objective: Patients who trust their physicians have been shown to demonstrate good medication adherence, self-management, and favorable disease outcomes. This study examines how trust in physicians is affected by functional health literacy (HL) and by broader concepts of HL, including communicative HL and critical HL, among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Trust Measurement for Physicians and Patients with SLE (TRUMP2-SLE) study, an ongoing multicenter cohort study conducted at 5 academic centers.

Japanese multicenter prospective study investigating laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer with evaluation of CRM and TME quality (PRODUCT trial).

Aim: In Japan, we have not been able to validate the results of laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer using the universal index "circumferential resection margin (CRM)." Previously, we established a semi-opened circular specimen processing method and validated its feasibility. In the PRODUCT trial, we aimed to assess CRM in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic rectal resection.

Roles of Staphylococcus aureus and sensitization to staphylococcal enterotoxin in bronchiectasis.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an inducer of mucosal type 2 immune response. To test the hypothesis that airway colonization with S.

Effect of weekend hospitalization on the duration of fasting in patients with aspiration pneumonia.

Background: Decreased swallowing function is an important risk factor for the development of aspiration pneumonia. A previous study reported that a long duration of fasting decreased swallowing function and increased mortality. The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between weekend hospitalization and fasting duration in older patients with aspiration pneumonia.

Hematopoietic stem progenitor cells with malignancy-related gene mutations in patients with acquired aplastic anemia are characterized by the increased expression of CXCR4.

The phenotypic changes in hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs) with somatic mutations of malignancy-related genes in patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AA) are poorly understood. As our initial study showed increased CXCR4 expression on HLA allele-lacking (HLA[-]) HSPCs that solely support hematopoiesis in comparison to redundant HLA(+) HSPCs in AA patients, we screened the HSPCs of patients with various types of bone marrow (BM) failure to investigate their CXCR4 expression. In comparison to healthy individuals ( = 15, 12.

Impact of sustained viral response for hepatitis C virus on the outcomes of liver transplantation in hemophilic patients with human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus co-infection: A nationwide survey in Japan.

Aim: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection from blood products for hemophilia has been a social problem in Japan, and liver transplantation (LT) for these patients has been a challenging procedure. However, with the advent of the direct-acting antiviral agent for HCV and change in the policy for prioritization of deceased donor LT, the results of LT for patients co-infected with HCV/HIV may have improved.

Methods: This study was conducted to provide updated results of our nationwide survey of LT for patients co-infected with HCV/HIV, from January 1997 to December 2019.

Lewis glycosphingolipids as critical determinants of TRAIL sensitivity in cancer cells.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces cancer cell death and contributes to tumor rejection by cytotoxic lymphocytes in cancer immunosurveillance and immunotherapy. TRAIL and TRAIL receptor agonists have garnered wide popularity as promising agents for cancer therapy. We previously demonstrated that the loss of fucosylation in cancer cells impairs TRAIL sensitivity; however, the precise structures of the fucosylated glycans that regulate TRAIL sensitivity and their carrier molecules remain elusive.

Efficacy of gel immersion endoscopic ultrasonography for delineating the duodenal papilla and pancreatobiliary ducts: A retrospective study with video.

Objectives: Endoscopic ultrasonography is an important examination for periampullary diseases. The duodenum is filled with water to ensure a clear image and distend the duodenal wall without burying the papilla within duodenal folds; however, peristalsis frequently makes it difficult to maintain water within the duodenum. The gel immersion method (intestine is filled with viscosity gel) has recently been attracting attention.

ASURAT: functional annotation-driven unsupervised clustering of single-cell transcriptomes.

Motivation: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis reveals heterogeneity and dynamic cell transitions. However, conventional gene-based analyses require intensive manual curation to interpret biological implications of computational results. Hence, a theory for efficiently annotating individual cells remains warranted.

Genetic Architecture of Untargeted Lipidomics in Cardiometabolic-Disease Patients Combines Strong Polygenic Control and Pleiotropy.

Analysis of the genetic control of small metabolites provides powerful information on the regulation of the endpoints of genome expression. We carried out untargeted liquid chromatography−high-resolution mass spectrometry in 273 individuals characterized for pathophysiological elements of the cardiometabolic syndrome. We quantified 3013 serum lipidomic features, which we used in both genome-wide association studies (GWAS), using a panel of over 2.

ADAR1 downregulation by autophagy drives senescence independently of RNA editing by enhancing p16 levels.

Cellular senescence plays a causal role in ageing and, in mice, depletion of p16-expressing senescent cells delays ageing-associated disorders. Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) are RNA-editing enzymes that are also implicated as important regulators of human ageing, and ADAR inactivation causes age-associated pathologies such as neurodegeneration in model organisms. However, the role, if any, of ADARs in cellular senescence is unknown.

Modified side overlap esophagogastrostomy after laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy.

We report a new method of esophagogastrostomy after proximal gastrectomy, side overlap with fundoplication by Yamashita (SOFY) in 2017. Recently, even better treatment results can be obtained by modifying the SOFY method. We describe the technical details of the modified SOFY (mSOFY) after laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy.

Dyserythropoietic anaemia with an intronic splicing mutation in patients suspected to have Diamond-Blackfan anaemia.

Diamond-Blackfan anaemia (DBA) shares clinical features with two recently reported sporadic cases of dyserythropoietic anaemia with a cryptic splicing mutation (c.871-24 C>T). We hypothesized that some patients clinically diagnosed with DBA but whose causative genes were unknown may carry the intronic mutation.

Significance of maintenance therapy after HDT/ASCT in symptomatic multiple myeloma: A multicenter retrospective analysis in Kansai Myeloma Forum.

A total of 129 symptomatic patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who underwent high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) were analyzed. The 4-year overall survival (OS) of patients with maintenance ( = 82) was 80%, whereas that of patients without maintenance ( = 47) was 72% ( = 0.426).

Pancreatoduodenectomy with portal vein resection for pancreatic body cancer in a patient with situs inversus totalis.

Background: Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare congenital condition characterized by complete transposition (right-to-left reversal) of the thoracic and abdominal organs. The estimated prevalence of SIT is 1 per 8000-25,000 live births [1]. Surgery for abdominal diseases in patients with SIT is technically demanding because of anatomical variations [2-4]; the importance of preoperative radiological assessment has been reported [4].

Competencies for on-call physicians for home medical care: A qualitative study of home care providers' experiences in Japan's super-aged society.

Background: In Japan, many older people hope to receive end-of-life care at home. In such situations, team-based home medical care with the support of on-call physicians is needed. However, to date, necessary competencies for the on-call physicians have yet to be clarified.

Comparison of Echocardiographic Changes Between Surgery and Medication Treatment in Patients With Primary Aldosteronism.

Background Primary aldosteronism can cause cardiac dysfunction, including left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, and left atrial enlargement. A few studies have compared the cardioprotective effects between surgery and medication for primary aldosteronism, although most have not adjusted for baseline disease status. In this study, we investigated the difference in cardiovascular outcomes between surgery and medication treatment for primary aldosteronism after adjusting for baseline clinical characteristics, including aldosterone level and pretreatment echocardiographic information.

Prediction of Prehospital Change of the Cardiac Rhythm From Nonshockable to Shockable in Out-of-Hospital Patients With Cardiac Arrest: A Post Hoc Analysis of a Nationwide, Multicenter, Prospective Registry.

Background Predicting a spontaneous rhythm change from nonshockable to shockable before hospital arrival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest can help emergency medical services develop better strategies for prehospital treatment. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of spontaneous rhythm change before hospital arrival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and develop a predictive scoring system. Methods and Results We retrospectively reviewed data of eligible patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial nonshockable rhythm registered in a nationwide registry between June 2014 and December 2017.