Q241R mutation of Braf causes neurological abnormalities in a mouse model of cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome, independent of developmental malformations.

Constitutively active mutants of BRAF cause cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome, characterized by growth and developmental defects, cardiac malformations, facial features, cutaneous manifestations, and mental retardation. An animal model of human CFC syndrome, the systemic BrafQ241R/+ mutant mouse, has been reported to exhibit multiple CFC syndrome-like phenotypes. In this study, we analyzed the effects of Braf mutations on neural function, separately from their effects on developmental processes.

A Case of Primary Lung Adenocarcinoma With Recurrent Brain Metastasis due to Transformation to Small Cell Carcinoma During Adjuvant Atezolizumab Therapy.

Histologic transformation from non-small cell to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a resistance mechanism to immune checkpoint inhibitors. We report herein a case of lung adenocarcinoma who developed liver and brain metastases during adjuvant atezolizumab therapy. The patient underwent a craniotomy to resect a brain metastasis, which was pathologically diagnosed as SCLC.

Rare Case of Fusobacterium necrophorum Bacteremia and Pleural Empyema Originating from a Burn Ulcer in a 16-Year-Old Female Patient.

BACKGROUND Most Fusobacterium necrophorum infections originate in the head and neck region. Infections originating from sites other than the head and neck are rare but are more common in older than in younger adults and have a higher mortality rate than that of infections originating from the head and neck region. CASE REPORT We present the case of a previously healthy 16-year-old female patient who developed bacteremia and pleural effusions with a burn ulcer on the lower leg but had no abnormality in the head and neck region.

[Allergy and immunotoxicology in preventive and clinical medicine from theory to practice: Environmental factors in Bronchial Asthma].

Background: According to the gene-environment interactions (GEi) concept, the mechanism of health impairment can be explained by genetic factors, environmental factors, or their interaction. Physical and mental health effects resulting from environmental exposure may be classified either as toxicity, immune response, and allergic reaction. Moreover, despite the already established therapeutic approaches to bronchial asthma and decreasing mortality due to bronchial asthma, patients with difficult and severe asthma are increasing in number.

Lamin A and Emerin Protein Expression Remains Consistently Low and Nuclear Size is Unchanged in Normal Endometrium, Precancerous Lesions, and Endometrioid Carcinoma.

Nuclear laminar or inner nuclear membrane proteins, including lamin A, B1, and B2 and emerin, are involved in maintaining nuclear morphology. However, their expression patterns vary among tumors and remain incompletely understood. Endometrioid carcinoma (EC) exhibits mild nuclear atypia, although the underlying reasons have not been thoroughly explored.

Soy protein β-conglycinin ameliorates pressure overload-induced heart failure by increasing short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing gut microbiota and intestinal SCFAs.

Background And Aims: Soybeans and their ingredients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on cardiovascular diseases. β-Conglycinin (β-CG), a major constituent of soy proteins, is protective against obesity, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, but its effects on heart failure remain to be elucidated. We tested the effects of β-CG on left ventricular (LV) remodeling in pressure overload-induced heart failure.

Sacubitril/valsartan improves diastolic left ventricular stiffness with increased titin phosphorylation via cGMP-PKG activation in diabetic mice.

Titin, a giant sarcomeric protein, regulates diastolic left ventricular (LV) passive stiffness as a molecular spring and could be a therapeutic target for diastolic dysfunction. Sacubitril/valsartan (Sac/Val), an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, has been shown to benefit patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The effect of Sac/Val is thought to be due to the enhancement of the cGMP/PKG pathway via natriuretic peptide.

Subjective Difficulty with Higher-Level Functional Capacity in Community-Dwelling Older People withMild Cognitive Impairment.

Background And Purpose: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a predictor of future age-related dementia.　We herein investigated associations of MCI with higher-level functional capacities, as well as with subjective difficulty regarding these functions, in community-dwelling older people, to identify a simple method for early MCI detection.

Method: We administered a test battery to 118 community-dwelling older people living in an urban area.

Grading of Balance Function in Subacute Stroke Patients by Using the Berg Balance Scale Together with Latent Rank Theory.

Objectives: The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is a core measure of balance function in patients with stroke. Latent rank theory (LRT) is a statistical method that enables the degree of functional impairment to be ranked from the sub-items of a rating scale; each rank can then be characterized. Identification of the characteristics of balance function by rank would be beneficial for interventions to improve balance function in patients with stroke.

Analysis of fall risk factors and environmental hazards for older adults in Japan: assessing fall situations and locations.

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine falls among older adults in Japanese households and determine the risk associated with each fall location. [Participants and Methods] This study included 99 participants (249 fall events) who received daycare rehabilitation at a nursing care facility. Data on fall circumstances were collected from the medical records and accident reports.

Influence of caregiver understanding of their capability to perform activities of daily living, disease comprehension, and attitudes on occupational low back pain: a cross-sectional study.

[Purpose] The aim in this study was to evaluate the impact of caregiver understanding of their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), movement abilities, diseases, and attitudes on the prevalence of occupational low back pain. [Participants and Methods] A cross-sectional survey was conducted of caregivers of older adults living in residential care facilities. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 71 were valid.

Estimation of minimal clinically important difference for 6-minute walking distance in patients with acute stroke using anchor-based methods and credibility instruments.

Background And Purpose: Stroke impairs a patient's ability to walk. In patients with acute stroke, a 6-min walking distance (6MWD) is recommended to assess walking function. Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is used to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation; however, the MCID for 6MWD has not been adequately validated.

Impact of Possible Sarcopenia and Nutritional Status on Postoperative Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Score in Geriatric Women With Distal Radius Fracture.

Purpose: Distal radius fracture (DRF), sarcopenia, and malnutrition have been reported to be interrelated. However, there are few reports on the effects of sarcopenia and malnutrition on DRF patients' postoperative outcomes. This study examined the healthy-side grip strength and preoperative blood tests to determine the presence of possible sarcopenia (PS) and malnutrition in geriatric women with DRF and their impact on postoperative functional outcomes.

Trypanosoma cruzi assembles host cytoplasmic processing bodies to evade the innate immune response.

Processing bodies (P-bodies, PBs) are cytoplasmic foci formed by condensation of translationally inactivated messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs). Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) promotes PB accumulation in host cells, suggesting their involvement in host mRNA metabolism during parasite infection.

Exogenous polyserine fibrils change membrane properties of phosphatidylcholine-liposome and red blood cells.

The causative genes for neurodegenerative polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases produce homopolymeric polyglutamine (polyQ), polyserine (polyS), polyalanine (polyA), polycysteine (polyC), and polyleucine (polyL) sequences by repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation. The cytotoxicity of the intracellular polyQ and RAN products has been extensively investigated. However, little is known about the toxicity of the extracellular polyQ and RAN products on the membranes of viable cells.

Continuous specimen cooling during slicing and thickness measurement contributes to improved accuracy in image analysis of pathologic specimens.

Unlabelled: We measured section thickness (ST) after slicing using a film thickness meter and investigated the relationship between ST and the percent area of positive staining using computer-assisted image analysis.

Methods: Sections were prepared from a paraffin-only block and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks containing fish sausage and human liver specimens. The ST was compared between the sections prepared with cooling using an ice pack (IP) or a continuous cooling device (CCD) paired with a sliding microtome set at an ST of 4 µm.

Escalation on Kihon Checklist Scores Preceding the Certification of Long-Term Care Need in the Older Population in Japan. A 9-Year Retrospective Study.

Objectives: The Kihon Checklist (KCL) is valuable for predicting long-term care (LTC) certification. However, the precise association between KCL scores and the temporal dynamics of LTC need certification remains unclear. This study clarified the characteristic trajectory of KCL scores in individuals certified for LTC need.

Habituation of Brain Activity with Repetition in Color and Picture-Word Stroop Tests.

As a widely used mental task for functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the original color-word Stroop task has the advantage of being difficult to habituate, but also the disadvantage of being difficult to understand, especially for children. While the introduction of derived Stroop tasks offers highly promising countermeasures, changes in brain activity during these tests have not been well tested. We investigated the degree of habituation between the original and a derived Stroop task by measuring brain activity to obtain a better fNIRS task design.

FL118 Is a Potent Therapeutic Agent against Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Resistant to BCR-ABL Inhibitors through Targeting RNA Helicase DDX5.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is induced by the expression of the fused tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL, which is caused by a chromosomal translocation. BCR-ABL inhibitors have been used to treat CML; however, the acquisition of resistance by CML cells during treatment is a serious issue. We herein demonstrated that BCR-ABL induced the expression of the RNA helicase DDX5 in K562 cells derived from CML patients in a manner that was dependent on its kinase activity, which resulted in cell proliferation and survival.

A case of autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis during the course of treatment of rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia associated with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis.

Background: Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP) is a diffuse lung disease that causes abnormal accumulation of lipoproteins in the alveoli; however, its pathogenesis remains unclear. Recently, APAP cases have been reported during the course of dermatomyositis. The combination of these two diseases may be coincidental; however, it may have been overlooked because differentiating APAP from a flare-up of interstitial pneumonia associated with dermatomyositis is challenging.

Glasgow prognostic score and body mass index predict short-term discontinuation of the antifibrotic agents pirfenidone and nintedanib.

Background: The antifibrotic agents pirfenidone and nintedanib have been shown to be effective in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, discontinuation of antifibrotic drugs is a major clinical concern because of the lack of alternative treatment options. Therefore, we identified factors that may be useful for predicting the termination of antifibrotic agents.