Impact of potentially inappropriate medications on emergency ambulance admissions in geriatric patients after discharge.

This study aimed to determine the risk of emergency admission by ambulance in patients taking potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). We included 273,932 patients aged over 75 years of age admitted between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, using the Japan Medical Data Center medical insurance database containing anonymized patient data. We excluded patients without a history of admission.

Decoding the Molecular Enigma Behind Asbestos and Fibrous Nanomaterial-induced carcinogenesis.

Objectives: Natural fibrous mineral, asbestos, has been useful in industry for many centuries. In the 1960's, epidemiology had recognized the association between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma and the IARC designated all kinds of asbestos as Group 1 in 1987. However, various scientific enigmas remained regarding the molecular mechanisms of asbestos-induced mesothelial carcinogenesis.

Dissecting Tumor Size Underestimation in Pancreatic Cancer: A Comparative Analysis of Preoperative Treatments.

Background: Tumor size (TS) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most important prognostic factors. However, discrepancies between TS on preoperative images (TSi) and pathological specimens (TSp) have been reported. This study aims to evaluate the factors associated with the differences between TSi and TSp.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on viral infectivity and the role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

Balance between Protective vs. Exacerbating Effects of ACEIs and ARBs in Omicron Variant Infections. The spike protein on the surface of the Omicron variant has a high affinity for ACE2, making it more prone to enter cells and induce ACE2 downregulation.

Preoperative low prealbumin independently predicts non-gastric cancer death after gastrectomy in elderly and young patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of preoperative prealbumin levels on long-term survival outcomes after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer (GC) dichotomized based on age.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for primary stage I-III GC between May 2006 and March 2017. Patients were allocated to groups based on age (≥ 70 or < 70 years) and subgroups based on prealbumin levels (high, ≥ 22 mg/dL; moderate, 15-22 mg/dL; or low, < 15 mg/dL), and multivariate Cox regression was used for survival analyses.

Exploring factors associated with Kidney Disease Quality of Life in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease: the Reach-J CKD cohort study.

Background: Although several studies have examined the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the factors associated with kidney-related symptoms have not been fully explored.

Methods: This nationwide multicenter cohort study enrolled 2248 patients. To identify the factors associated with each item or the three KDQOL domains, such as burden of kidney disease, symptoms/problems of kidney disease, and impact of kidney disease on daily life, multiple regression analysis was performed using baseline data.

Usefulness of Novel Image-Enhanced Endoscopy for Predicting Maintenance of Clinical Remission in Ulcerative Colitis.

Purpose: The performance of endoscopic evaluation of ulcerative colitis (UC) using conventional scoring, including Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) and ulcerative colitis endoscopic index of severity (UCEIS), is not satisfactory. Recently, the usefulness of novel image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) such as texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI) and red dichromatic imaging (RDI) has been reported in the endoscopic evaluation of UC. We evaluated the performance of IEEs in UC, particularly focusing on the correlation with MES and UCEIS, and prediction of relapse.

Rome Foundation Working Team Report on overlap in disorders of gut-brain interaction.

In patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), overlapping non-gastrointestinal conditions such as fibromyalgia, headaches, gynaecological and urological conditions, sleep disturbances and fatigue are common, as is overlap among DGBI in different regions of the gastrointestinal tract. These overlaps strongly influence patient management and outcome. Shared pathophysiology could explain this scenario, but details are not fully understood.

Comparison of MRI findings for predicting massive hemorrhage during cesarean section in patients with placental malposition: partial placental volume of lower uterine segment is an accurate and objective indicator.

Purpose: To comprehensively compare the diagnostic ability and inter-reader agreement of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for predicting massive hemorrhage after cesarean section in patients with placental malposition, aiming to identify the most reliable and objective indicators.

Methods: Totally, 148 consecutive patients with placental malposition underwent MRI and cesarean section at our hospital between January 2014 and July 2021. The patients were divided into massive and non-massive hemorrhage groups.

Time-dependent recovery of renal impairment in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Renal impairment is reported in 20%-50% of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and is known as a poor prognostic factor. Although several studies have demonstrated that treatment with novel antimyeloma agents improves renal impairment and myeloma itself, the time-dependent clinical course of recovery of renal function has not been extensively studied. We retrospectively collected the data of characteristics and outcomes in consecutive unselected patients diagnosed with and treated for symptomatic multiple myeloma between January 2015 and December 2022, and extracted and analyzed the cases with renal impairment.

HIFU induces reprogramming of the tumor immune microenvironment in a pancreatic cancer mouse model.

This study evaluates the effects of different high-intensity focused ultrasound irradiation (HIFU) methods on local tumor suppression and systemic antitumor effects, including the abscopal effect, in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer. To ascertain the efficacy of the treatment, pancreatic cancer cells were injected into the thighs of mice and HIFU was applied on one side using continuous waves or trigger pulse waves. Then, tumor volume, tissue changes, and immune marker levels were analyzed.

Impact of Weak Vibration Generated by a Refrigerator on Protein Aggregation.

Protein aggregates and particles in biopharmaceuticals can induce adverse immune responses in patients. Thus, suppression of the formation of protein aggregates and particles is important for the successful development of therapeutic proteins. Mechanical stresses, including agitation, are widely recognized as stress factors that generate protein aggregates and particles.

Institut Mutualiste Montsouris classification is associated with postoperative portal vein thrombosis in laparoscopic liver resection.

Background: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) is a surgical procedure with varying degrees of difficulty depending on tumor status and surgical technique. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between surgical difficulty levels and outcomes of LLR, particularly portal vein thrombosis (PVT).

Methods: We performed LLRs in 214 patients between January 2009 and December 2022.

Time in therapeutic range of tacrolimus in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients is associated with acute graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis.

Intra-patient variability in immunosuppressive blood drug concentrations is a potential biomarker in managing organ transplant patients. However, the association between the time in therapeutic range of tacrolimus blood concentrations and its efficacy in preventing graft-versus-host disease remains unknown. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between the time in therapeutic range of tacrolimus blood concentrations and its efficacy in acute graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Relationship between neutropenia caused by nanoliposomal irinotecan/fluorouracil/leucovorin and treatment outcomes in the NAPOLEON-2 study (NN-2301).

The relationship between nanoliposomal irinotecan/fluorouracil/leucovorin (NFF) treatment outcomes and neutropenia in patients with pancreatic cancer has not been thoroughly examined. Thus, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data from patients with pancreatic cancer who were treated with NFF to investigate this relationship. Neutropenia was assessed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events across three cutoffs: A (grade 0 versus grade 1-4), B (grades 0-1 versus 2-4), and C (grades 0-2 versus 3-4).

Effect of individual spinal muscle activities on upright posture using a human body finite element model.

The occurrence of diseases characterized by irregular spinal alignment, such as kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis, and dropped head syndrome (DHS) is increasing, particularly among older adults. DHS is characterized by an excessive forward tilt of the head and neck, causing the head to droop. Although it is believed that muscle activity plays a role in both the onset and treatment of DHS, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Unbiased picture of the ligand docking process for the hevein protein-oligosaccharide complex.

The ligand-docking behavior of hevein, the major latex protein from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae), has been investigated by the unguided molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. An oligosaccharide molecule, initially placed in an arbitrary position, was allowed to move around hevein for a prolonged simulation time, on the order of microseconds, with the expectation of spontaneous ligand docking of the oligosaccharide molecule to the binding site of hevein. In the binary solution system consisting of a hevein molecule and a chito-trisaccharide (GlcNAc) molecule, three out of the six separate simulation runs successfully reproduced the complex structure of the observed binding from.

Utility and clinical significance of endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition for diagnosing lymphadenopathies in biliary tract cancer.

Lymph node sampling with endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) may affect treatment options for biliary tract cancers. Our aim is to clarify its utility and clinical significance and the factors associated with FNA cytology positivity. Seventy-one consecutive patients with biliary tract cancer who underwent EUS-FNA to diagnose lymphadenopathies from April 2012 to July 2021 were enrolled retrospectively.

Determinants maintaining healthcare personnel's motivation during COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda.

Background: Maintaining the physical and psychological well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs) is crucial for health system resilience. In sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Uganda, HCWs faced significant challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, compounded by pre-existing resource constraints. This study investigated challenges faced by HCWs at a designated COVID-19 hospital ('the Hospital') and explored determinants of maintaining healthcare personnel's motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda.

A quantitative prediction method utilizing whole omics data for biosensing.

Omics data provide a plethora of quantifiable information that can potentially be used to identify biomarkers targeting the physiological processes and ecological phenomena of organisms. However, omics data have not been fully utilized because current prediction methods in biomarker construction are susceptible to data multidimensionality and noise. We developed OmicSense, a quantitative prediction method that uses a mixture of Gaussian distributions as the probability distribution, yielding the most likely objective variable predicted for each biomarker.

PCMMD: A Novel Dataset of Plasma Cells to Support the Diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a cytogenetically heterogeneous clonal plasma cell proliferative disease whose diagnosis is supported by analyses on histological slides of bone marrow aspirate. In summary, experts use a labor-intensive methodology to compute the ratio between plasma cells and non-plasma cells. Therefore, the key aspect of the methodology is identifying these cells, which relies on the experts' attention and experience.

Biosynthetic characterization of bacillibactin in thermophilic Bacillaceae and its potential for in vitro mutational synthesis.

Bacillibactin (BB) is a microbial siderophore produced by Bacillus species. BB is biosynthesized from 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHB), Gly, and L-Thr by nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) enzymes DhbE, DhbB, and DhbF. The biosynthetic gene cluster (dhb) is also conserved in some strains of thermophilic genera, Geobacillus, Anoxybacillus and Parageobacillus.

Varicella-zoster virus meningitis with hypoglycorrhachia, presenting with painless occipital herpes zoster mimicking atopic dermatitis.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a known cause of meningoencephalitis, typically in immunocompromised inpatients. We report a case of meningitis caused by VZV in an immunocompetent man in his 20s. Diagnosis was delayed due to the atypical presentation of painless occipital zoster mimicking atopic dermatitis, and the presence of hypoglycorrhachia in his cerebrospinal fluid.

Restoration of G to A mutated transcripts using the MS2-ADAR1 system.

Site-directed RNA editing (SDRE) holds significant promise for treating genetic disorders resulting from point mutations. Gene therapy, for common genetic illnesses is becoming more popular and, although viable treatments for genetic disorders are scarce, stop codon mutation-related conditions may benefit from gene editing. Effective SDRE generally depends on introducing many guideRNA molecules relative to the target gene; however, large ratios cannot be achieved in the context of gene therapy applications.