Differences in Phenotypes, Treatments, and Outcomes of ANCA-associated Vasculitis across Europe, Japan, and the United States in 2020.

Objectives: To clarify the differences in clinical phenotypes, therapeutic patterns, and outcomes of patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) across geographic regions using a multinational cohort.

Methods: Data were collected from patients with newly diagnosed or relapsing GPA or MPA in Europe, Japan, and the United States (US) from January to July 2020. The composite outcome of kidney failure and/or death within 52 weeks after treatment was evaluated, and the hazard ratios across the regions were estimated using the Cox proportional hazard model.

Association between maternal anemia during pregnancy and risk of eczema in early childhood: A cohort study in Japan.

Background: There is limited evidence on the association between maternal anemia during pregnancy and the risk of childhood allergic disorders, with regards to atopic eczema. The current pre-birth cohort study aimed to examine the association between maternal anemia during pregnancy and the risk of atopic eczema in Japanese 2-year-olds.

Methods: The study included 1354 Japanese mother-child pairs.

TAK-994 Mechanistic Investigation into Drug-Induced Liver Injury.

The frequency of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in clinical trials remains a challenge for drug developers despite advances in human hepatotoxicity models and improvements in reducing liver-related attrition in preclinical species. TAK-994, an oral orexin receptor 2 agonist, was withdrawn from phase II clinical trials due to the appearance of severe DILI. Here, we investigate the likely mechanism of TAK-994 DILI in hepatic cell culture systems examined cytotoxicity, mitochondrial toxicity, impact on drug transporter proteins, and covalent binding.

Outcomes Following Close Collaboration With Parents Intervention in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Family-centered care (FCC) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is critical for parental involvement and infant well-being, yet few studies have evaluated the impact of FCC interventions on practice or examined how implementation fidelity may affect these outcomes.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between the Close Collaboration With Parents intervention and FCC practices and how implementation fidelity may modify these outcomes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This nonrandomized clinical trial had a before-and-after design.

Regional Trends and Spatial Gradients of Total Column Methane over India, China, and USA─Implications for Emissions from Coal Mining and Oil/Gas Exploitation.

Observation-based verification of regional/national methane (CH) emission trends is crucial for transparent monitoring and mitigation strategy planning. Although surface observations track the global and sub-hemispheric emission trends well, their sparse spatial coverage limits our ability to assess regional trends. Dense satellite observations complement surface observations, offering a valuable means to validate emission trends, especially in regions where emissions changes are substantial but debated.

Comparison of Patient Comfort and Acceleration Exposure During Lifting and Loading Operations Using Manual and Powered Stretchers.

Objectives: To compare the effects of powered and manual stretchers on participants' perceived comfort and measured acceleration during lifting and loading operations.

Methods: This non-randomized, laboratory-based crossover study involved forty-one participants (thirty-one firefighters and ten third-year paramedic students) who served as simulated patients experiencing lifting, lowering, loading, and unloading maneuvers using manual and powered stretchers. Four stretcher types were evaluated: one powered stretcher (Power-PRO™ XT) and three manual stretchers (Matsunaga GT, Exchange 4070, Scad Mate), with each group using the manual stretcher they routinely operated.

IgA vasculitis with nephritis accompanied by pulmonary tuberculosis: a case report.

A 69-year-old Japanese man developed abdominal pain, purpura, proteinuria, and hematuria while receiving treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. A skin biopsy revealed IgA-positive leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and a renal biopsy showed IgA-positive mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with crescent formation. Based on these findings, we diagnosed IgA vasculitis with nephritis (IgAVN) and initiated treatment.

Automated quantification of anterior chamber cells using swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To validate automated counts of presumed anterior chamber (AC) cells in eyes with histories of uveitis involving the anterior segment using swept-source (SS) anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) against manual counts and compare automated counts against Standardized Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) criteria.

Methods: Eyes were imaged with the ANTERION SS AS-OCT device (Heidelberg Engineering). A fully automated custom algorithm quantified the number of hyper-reflective foci (HRF) in line-scan images.

Effects of oral intake, symptom severity, and sex difference on cancer patient prognosis.

Purpose: For cancer patients, prognostication by physicians constitutes a fundamental basis of decision-making to manage the cancer journey, especially with advanced stages of cancer. Various tools such as the palliative prognostic index (PPI) have been established to estimate patient survival. Such reliable and widely applied tools unfortunately provide unexpected results of prognosis predictions in some cases.

Age-stratified anatomical differences of orbital floor and medial orbital wall blowout fractures.

Purpose: To define the anatomical variance between orbital floor and medial orbital wall blowout fractures, and its change with age.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study analyzing data from 557 patients with isolated blowout fractures of the orbital floor or medial orbital wall. Axial and quasi-sagittal CT images were analyzed to compare radiologic data on orbital wall morphology between fracture site groups and among age groups.

Benefit of minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation on minimally invasive aortic valve replacement through right lateral mini-thoracotomy using femoral cannulation: a propensity matched analysis.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation on blood transfusion and asymptomatic brain injury in comparison to conventional extracorporeal circulation, in the context of minimally invasive aortic valve replacement through right lateral mini-thoracotomy surgery.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. Patients who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement through right lateral mini-thoracotomy surgery were divided into two groups: the minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation group and the conventional extracorporeal circulation group.

Animal and vegetal materials of mouse oocytes segregate at first zygotic cleavage: a simple mechanism that makes the 2-cell blastomeres differ reciprocally from the start.

Recent advances in embryology have shown that the sister blastomeres of 2-cell mouse and human embryos differ reciprocally in potency. An open question is whether the blastomeres became different as opposed to originating as different. Here we wanted to test two conflicting models: one proposing that each blastomere contains both animal and vegetal materials in balanced proportions because the plane of first cleavage runs close to the animal-vegetal axis of the fertilized oocyte; and the other model proposing that each blastomere contains variable proportions of animal and vegetal materials because the plane of the first cleavage can vary depending on the topology of fertilization.

Basic properties of solidified organic liquids at a cryogenic temperature for electron microscopic visualization and sample preparation of dispersion systems.

It is challenging to image structures in liquids for electron microscopy (EM); thus, low-temperature imaging has been developed, initially for aqueous systems. Organic liquids (OLs) are widely used as dispersants, although their cryogenic EM (cryo-EM) imaging is less common than that of aqueous systems. This is because the basic properties (e.

Reduction of ischemic time using the pull-through technique for scapular free flap.

Purpose: Current scapular free flap (SFF) harvest in mandibular reconstruction often requires repositioning, hindering simultaneous harvest and resection and potentially increasing ischemic time. This study evaluated the efficacy of the pull-through technique (PTT) for SFF harvest, aiming to reduce ischemic time during mandibular segmental resection.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 24 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction using SFF at two maxillofacial surgery departments between January 2015 and May 2022.

Development and validation of nomograms and integrated software incorporating preoperative C-reactive protein level for prognostic prediction of nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma: Results from the International Marker Consortium for Renal Cancer (INMARC) Registry.

Purpose: Preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) is a valuable prognostic biomarker in nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nmccRCC). Incorporation of CRP into prognostic models may improve the prediction of oncologic outcomes. Herein, we aimed to develop and validate prognostic nomograms and an integrated software incorporating preoperative CRP level in nmccRCC.

Observation of morphological changes in silicon-based negative-electrode active materials during charging/discharging using operando scanning electron microscopy.

The direct observation of the morphological changes in silicon-based negative electrode (Si-based negative electrode) materials during battery charging and discharging is useful for handling such materials and in electrode plate design. We developed an operando scanning electron microscopy (operando SEM) technique to quantitatively evaluate the expansion and contraction of Si-based negative electrode materials. A small all-solid-state lithium-ion battery was charged and discharged, and the expansion/contraction of particles while harnessing capacity was observed using SEM.

Omics-based Identification of the Broader Effects of 2-hydroxyisoflavanone Synthase Gene Editing on a Gene Regulatory Network Beyond Isoflavonoid Loss in Soybean Hairy Roots.

Soybean (Glycine max) is a leguminous crop cultivated worldwide that accumulates high levels of isoflavones. Although previous research has often focused on increasing the soybean isoflavone content because of the estrogen-like activity of dietary soy in humans, the rapidly increasing demand for soybean as a plant-based meat substitute has raised concerns about excessive isoflavone intake. Therefore, the production of isoflavone-free soybean has been anticipated.

Doubly Linked Azulene Dimer: A Novel Non-benzenoid Isomer of Perylene.

We report herein the synthesis of an unprecedented isomer of perylene, dicyclohepta[cd,fg]-as-indacene bearing two phenyl groups (1-Ph) by the nickel-mediated intramolecular homocoupling of a 4,4'-biazulene derivative (2). The X-ray crystallographic analysis and theoretical calculations revealed that 1-Ph adopts a unique helically twisted geometry although the local aromaticity of azulene moieties was preserved. The double covalent linkage of the two azulene skeletons imparts significant orbital interaction, which affords near-infrared (NIR) absorption (up to 1720 nm) and remarkable redox behaviors despite its closed-shell electronic structure.

Biomarkers.

Background: Reactive astrogliosis refers to functional and morphological changes in astrocytes that occur with neuronal damage in numerous neurological conditions. PET tracers targeting monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) are used to visualize reactive astrogliosis in the living brain. [F]SMBT-1, a MAO-B selective PET tracer, was developed by modifying the chemical structure of [F]THK5351.