Safety and efficacy of nipocalimab in adults with generalised myasthenia gravis (Vivacity-MG3): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Given burdensome side-effects and long latency for efficacy with conventional agents, there is a continued need for generalised myasthenia gravis treatments that are safe and provide consistently sustained, long-term disease control. Nipocalimab, a neonatal Fc receptor blocker, was associated with dose-dependent reductions in total IgG and anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies and clinically meaningful improvements in the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) scale in patients with generalised myasthenia gravis in a phase 2 study. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of nipocalimab in a phase 3 study.

Clinical value of preoperative circulating tumor DNA before surgery in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: A precise preoperative tumor monitoring method that reflects tumor burden during neoadjuvant treatment is required to guide individualized perioperative treatment strategies for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study examined the clinical significance of preoperative circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the plasma of patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by esophagectomy.

Materials And Methods: Plasma samples were collected longitudinally for ctDNA analysis as well as genomic DNA from primary lesions from patients with histologically confirmed ESCC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by subtotal esophagectomy.

Real-time prediction of heparin concentration in blood extracorporeal circulation by relaxation time distribution (RTD).

Heparin concentration c in a blood extracorporeal circulation has been real-timely predicted based on the relaxation strength Δε at relaxation frequency f extracted by relaxation time distribution (RTD). The simulated extracorporeal circulation was conducted to optimize the number of Δε for the prediction of c using the porcine whole blood (WB) and low-leukocyte and -platelet blood (LLPB) under the condition of the gradual increment of c from 0 to 8 U/mL with constant flow rate and blood temperature. The experimental results show that among the three relaxation strengths Δε, Δε and Δε (in ascending order of frequency), Δε at f = 5.

Exploring the therapeutic potential of Abelmoschi Corolla in psoriasis: Mechanisms of action and inflammatory pathway disruption.

Background: Psoriasis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin condition for which existing treatments often fall short of fully addressing patient needs. Abelmoschi Corolla (AC), a traditional Chinese medicine, and its ethanol extract, huangkui capsule, are well established for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases. The therapeutic mechanisms of AC include anti-inflammatory effects and immune modulation, which align with psoriasis treatment strategies.

Carbon intensity indicator (CII) compliance: Applications of ship speed optimization on each level using measurement data.

Ship speed optimization is a primary and direct method for controlling carbon emissions. This study uses simulations based on shipboard measurements from a 28,000 DWT bulk carrier collected between 2015 and 2016. Model predictive control (MPC) with nonlinear receding horizon optimization is employed to optimize the original voyage speeds while ensuring trajectory tracking.

Carcinosarcoma of the fallopian tube: A rare case with rapid metastases and port-site metastasis.

Introduction And Importance: Fallopian tube cancer, particularly the carcinosarcoma subtype, is a rare malignancy posing diagnostic challenges.

Case Presentation: Our patient was an 83-year-old, nulligravida woman, presented to our outpatient clinic with one month of pelvic pain. On examination, a pelvic mass was detected.

Infected pseudoaneurysm caused by suture-mediated vascular closure after ablation of atrial fibrillation: A case report.

Introduction: Suture-mediated vascular closure devices have been widely used in catheter ablation, with 0.14-0.3 % incidence of pseudoaneurysm complications.

Extracellular calreticulin regulates fibrogenic and immunogenic properties of hepatic stellate cells.

Liver fibrosis is a persistent damage repair response triggered by various etiological factors, resulting in an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Activated hepatic stellate cells (HpSCs) are the primary source of ECM proteins. Therefore, specifically targeting HpSCs has become a crucial approach for treating liver fibrosis.

Short-term effects of meteorological factors on the incidence of mumps: A nationwide time-series analysis in Japan.

Objectives: Mumps (infectious parotitis) is an acute respiratory illness caused by the mumps virus in humans. While numerous studies have explored the impact of climate variability on mumps incidence in specific cities or regions, few have analyzed nationwide associations across multiple locations. This study aims to systematically assess the short-term effects of meteorological factors on mumps incidence across Japan over a 15-year period.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae drives macrophage lipid uptake via GlpD-mediated oxidation, facilitating foam cell formation.

Cardiovascular diseases, primarily caused by atherosclerosis, are a major public health concern worldwide. Atherosclerosis is characterized by chronic inflammation and lipid accumulation in the arterial wall, leading to plaque formation. In this process, macrophages play a crucial role by ingesting lipids and transforming into foam cells, which contribute to plaque instability and cardiovascular events.

[F]BCPP-EF positron emission tomography of rat ovaries for evaluation of mitochondrial function.

Background: The ovary is an important female organ not only for pregnancy but also for the regulation of life activities via hormone release. Ovarian function is measured by blood hormone levels, but the hormone level reflects only the ovarian reserve and no other essential ovarian functions, such as nurturing and expelling follicles. Ovarian fibrosis is related to essential ovarian function; however, the existing methods for evaluating fibrosis are invasive.

Projecting future snow changes at kilometer scale for adaptation using machine learning and a CMIP6 multi-model ensemble.

Assessing future snow cover changes is challenging because the high spatial resolution required is typically unavailable from climate models. This study, therefore, proposes an alternative approach to estimating snow changes by developing a super-spatial-resolution downscaling model of snow depth (SD) for Japan using a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based method, and by downscaling an ensemble of models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) dataset. After assessing the coherence of the observed reference SD dataset with independent observations, we leveraged it to train the CNN downscaling model; following its evaluation, we applied the trained model to CMIP6 climate simulations.

Adsorption structures and bonding states of cesium and barium adsorbed on various sites of vermiculite.

The adsorption reaction on clay minerals is crucial for understanding the environmental behavior of various cations, including cesium (Cs). However, its details remain unclear because of multiple adsorption sites of the clay minerals, a significant difference between concentrations in the atomic-scale experiments and the actual environment, and difficulties of evaluating bonding states of the adsorbed cations. It is expected that systematic experiments at the atomic-scale with a wide concentration range and application of density functional theory (DFT) calculations overcome the problems and bring crucial insights to link laboratory experiment results with environmental sample analysis.

A preliminary study of microwave ablation (MWA) for Bethesda IV follicular neoplasms (≤3 cm).

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of patients with Bethesda IV follicular neoplasms (FNs) (≤3 cm).

Methods: In the retrospective study, patients who underwent MWA for Bethesda IV follicular neoplasms (≤3 cm) were included. Technical success, volume reduction, disease progression, and adverse event (AE) rates were analyzed postablation.

Efficacy and safety of first-line targeted synthetic DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic kidney disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (tsDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 216 patients with RA prescribed their first tsDMARDs at two hospitals between 2013 and 2022. Dose reduction and contraindication guidelines for tsDMARDs according to kidney function were followed.

Neck vessels geometry and diameter change in patients with acute type A aortic dissection.

Objective: Branched prostheses are used to treat aortic arch with dissection. However, changes in the neck vessel geometry and diameter after dissection are not well known. We aimed to evaluate neck vessels geometry and changes in diameter with dissection.

Genomic highlights of the phylogenetically unique halophilic purple nonsulfur bacterium, Rhodothalassium salexigens.

Rhodothalassium (Rts.) salexigens is a halophilic purple nonsulfur bacterium and the sole species in the genus Rhodothalassium, which is itself the sole genus in the family Rhodothalassiaceae and sole family in the order Rhodothalassiales (class Alphaproteobacteria). The genome of this phylogenetically unique phototroph comprises 3.

Ability of dynamic chest radiography to identify left ventricular systolic dysfunction in heart failure.

Dynamic chest radiography (DCR) can estimate haemodynamic parameters in heart failure (HF). However, no studies have evaluated its ability to determine cardiac systolic function in HF. This experimental study investigates the correlation between left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) and DCR image parameters in HF.

Intracellular dark endothelial spots detected using specular microscopy are associated with graft failure after Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty.

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between intracellular dark endothelial spots (IDESs) detected by specular microscopy and the incidence of graft failure after Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK).

Methods: We reviewed 100 consecutive DMEK patients performed by a single surgeon at two centres between January 2015 and July 2022. Central corneal thickness was evaluated using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (SS-1000; Tomey, Aichi, Japan), and endothelial cell density was measured using specular microscopy.

Spatio-temporal segregation between sensory relay and swallowing pre-motor population activities by optical imaging in the rat nucleus of the solitary tract.

The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) contains neurons that relay sensory swallowing commands information from the oropharyngeal cavity and swallowing premotor neurons of the dorsal swallowing group (DSG). However, the spatio-temporal dynamics of the interplay between the sensory relay and the DSG is not well understood. Here, we employed fluorescence imaging after microinjection of the calcium indicator into the NTS in an arterially perfused brainstem preparation of rat (n = 8) to investigate neuronal population activity in the NTS in response to superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) stimulation.

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Isolinearol Using Low-Valence Titanium and Evaluation of Its Inhibitory Activity against Mussel Byssal Thread Formation.

The asymmetric total synthesis of isolinearol, a -dolastane-type diterpenoid that inhibits byssal thread formation by mussels, has been achieved. In the synthesis, the key features include an intramolecular reductive nucleophilic addition using a low-valence titanium species and the direct installation of a ketone side chain. We evaluated their biological activities using the synthetic samples and found the novel inhibitory molecules with a simplified structure exhibit high inhibitory activities against byssus formation and low toxicities.

Atomically Dispersed Co-P Moieties via Direct Thermal Exfoliation for Alkaline Hydrogen Electrosynthesis.

The development of highly active and stable cathodes in alkaline solutions is crucial for promoting the commercialization of anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers, yet it remains a significant challenge. Herein, we synthesized atomically dispersed CoP moieties (CoP-SSC) immobilized on ultrathin carbon nanosheets via a phosphidation exfoliation strategy at medium temperature. The thermodynamic formation process of the Co-P moieties was elucidated using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and theoretical calculations.