A comparative study of mini-monovision, crossed mini-monovision, and emmetropia with enhanced monofocal intraocular lenses.

We compared the visual performance and subjective outcomes of mini-monovision, crossed mini-monovision, and bilateral emmetropia using enhanced monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). This retrospective study involved 200 eyes of 100 patients who underwent surgery for bilateral age-related cataract using an enhanced monofocal IOL (TECNIS Eyhance). The dominant eye was identified before surgery.

A novel UBA1 gene mutation in a patient with infantile respiratory distress syndrome.

UBA1 is an E1 ubiquitin-activating enzyme that initiates the ubiquitylation of target proteins and is thus a key component of the ubiquitin signaling pathway. Three disorders are associated with pathogenic variants of the UBA1 gene: vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic (VEXAS) syndrome, lung cancer in never smokers (LCINS), and X-linked spinal muscular atrophy (XL-SMA, SMAX2). We here report a case of infantile respiratory distress syndrome followed by continuing neuromuscular symptoms.

Dynamin-Related Protein 1 Orchestrates Inflammatory Responses in Periodontal Macrophages via Interaction With Hexokinase 1.

Aim: To explore the potential roles of mitochondrial dysfunction in the initiation of inflammation in periodontal macrophages and to determine the mechanism underlying the involvement of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) in macrophage inflammatory responses through its interaction with hexokinase 1 (HK1).

Materials And Methods: Gingival tissues were collected from patients diagnosed with periodontitis or from healthy volunteers. Drp1 tetramer formation and phosphorylation were analysed using western blot.

Current Progress and Future Directions in Non-Alzheimer's Disease Tau PET Tracers.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-AD tauopathies are dominant public health issues driven by several factors, especially in the aging population. The discovery of first-generation radiotracers, including [F]FDDNP, [C]PBB3, [F]flortaucipir, and the [F]THK series, for the in vivo detection of tauopathies has marked a significant breakthrough in the fields of neuroscience and radiopharmaceuticals, creating a robust new category of labeled compounds: tau positron emission tomography (PET) tracers. Subsequently, other tau PET tracers with improved binding properties have been developed using various chemical scaffolds to target the three-repeat/four-repeat (3R/4R) tau folds in AD.

Single-Molecule Oxidoreductase Activity Analysis for Activity-Based Diagnosis Based on Proteoform Alterations.

We developed a single-molecule enzyme activity assay platform for NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases, leveraging a new NAD(P)H-responsive fluorogenic probe optimized for microdevice-based fluorometric detection. This platform enabled the detection of enzyme activities in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), including lactate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and hexokinases. We demonstrate its potential for activity-based diagnosis by detecting altered populations of enzyme activity species in blood and CSF from liver damage in brain tumor patients.

Patient-centred care and quality of life and hope among Japanese patients receiving home medical care: a multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Patient-reported outcomes reflecting quality of life (QOL) and hope are essential targets for in-home medical care. This study examined the association between the quality of patient-centred care and both QOL and hope.

Design: Multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Novel and potent MICA/B antibody is therapeutically effective in mutant lung cancer models.

Background: Concurrent (STK11, KL) mutant non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) do not respond well to current immune checkpoint blockade therapies, however targeting major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A or B (MICA/B), could pose an alternative therapeutic strategy through activation of natural killer (NK) cells.

Methods: Expression of NK cell activating ligands in NSCLC cell line and patient data were analyzed. Cell surface expression of MICA/B in NSCLC cell lines was determined through flow cytometry while ligand shedding in both patient blood and cell lines was determined through ELISA.

Construction of the Gene Tagging and Knock Out (GTKO) System for Reliable Genetic Analysis of Nuclear Genes in Cyanidioschyzon merolae.

The unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae is a eukaryotic photosynthetic model organism used for basic and applied cell biology studies. Its nuclear genome can be modified by homologous recombination with exogenously introduced DNA. The comparison of mutants with isogenic strains is critical for reliable genetic analyses; however, this has been impossible thus far.

Efficacy of eribulin monotherapy for bone marrow carcinomatosis of breast cancer in a patient with Werner syndrome.

Various complications and potential risks of serious adverse events lessens the intensity of chemotherapy in patients with Werner syndrome. Bone marrow carcinomatosis of breast cancer was developed in a patient with Werner syndrome. Eribulin proved well tolerated and effective in improving severe thrombocytopenia, leading to platelet transfusion-free status.

Androgens induce renal synthesis of urinary lipocalin-family protein, a potential inter-sexual transmitter in viviparous rockfish.

In viviparous black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii), the kidney of reproductive-phase males actively produces lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase homolog (LPGDSh) protein, which is presumably involved in intersexual communication when emitted in the urine. The present study was undertaken to discover whether androgens and their nuclear receptors (Ars) are engaged in regulation of renal LPGDSh protein synthesis in black rockfish. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, in conjunction with immunohistochemistry and highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, revealed that intra-abdominal administration of a synthetic androgen, 17α-methyltestosterone (MT), to juvenile black rockfish induced their renal expression of LPGDSh transcript and protein.

Positive association of large alcohol intake per occasion with vision-threatening severe diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema in Japanese men with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Differing from the overall consumption of alcohol, whether consuming large quantities of alcohol per drinking occasion is associated with higher risk of developing severe diabetic retinopathy remains unknown.

Methods: We examined whether the quantity per drinking occasion (QPO), including a large QPO, and the combinations of the frequency of alcohol consumption (FAC) and QPO were associated with higher risk of developing severe diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema (DME) using adjusted Cox models. Severe diabetic retinopathy or DME was designated as a vision-threatening treatment-required diabetic eye disease (TRDED).

Proton Beam Therapy for Pancreatic Tumors: A Consensus Statement from the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group Gastrointestinal Subcommittee.

Objectives: Radiotherapy manages pancreatic cancer in various settings; however, the proximity of gastrointestinal (GI) luminal organs-at-risk (OAR) poses challenges to conventional radiotherapy. Proton beam therapy (PBT) may reduce toxicities compared to photon therapy. This consensus statement summarizes PBT's safe and optimal delivery for pancreatic tumors.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing on treatment strategies and prognosis of patients with lower respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Controversy exists regarding the benefits of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). We assessed the impact of mNGS on the treatment and prognosis of LRTI patients through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL databases up to February 19, 2024.

Impact of coronary artery tortuosity on outcomes following stenting with newer-generation drug-eluting stents. An analysis of the randomized BIOFLOW trials.

Introduction And Objectives: Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in vessels with moderate-to-severe tortuosity are at higher risk of adverse outcomes, but data are scarce in the era of newer-generation stents. We compared outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention in vessels with moderate-to-severe tortuosity using a bioresorbable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (BP-SES) vs a durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent.

Methods: A total of 2350 patients from the BIOFLOW II, IV, and V randomized trials were stratified into 2 groups based on target-vessel tortuosity: none-to-mild and moderate-to-severe.

Lecanemab-Associated Amyloid-β Protofibril in Cerebrospinal Fluid Correlates with Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective: The Clarity AD phase III trial showed that lecanemab reduced amyloid markers in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) and resulted in less decline on measures of cognition and function than placebo. Herein, we aimed to characterize amyloid-β (Aβ) protofibril (PF) captured by lecanemab in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from living participants with different stages in AD, which enable an enhanced understanding of the dynamic changes of lecanemab-associated Aβ-PF (Lec-PF) in vivo.

Methods: We newly developed a unique and highly sensitive immunoassay method using lecanemab that selectively captures Lec-PF.

Historical Overview of Tsutsugamushi Disease in Japan before World War II.

Tsutsugamushi disease is a febrile mite-borne disease caused by . Before 1945, this disease had been prevalent in Niigata, Akita, and Yamagata prefectures for centuries, occurring in areas along major rivers in these prefectures every summer about a month after floods. The patients affected were farmers, possibly new settlers on reclaimed lands, who contracted the disease following bites of tiny red bugs.

Core Outcome Set development for LEPtospirosis trials (COS-LEP): a study protocol to develop a core outcome set for the evaluation of clinical therapeutic interventions for human leptospirosis.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial infection occurring worldwide. It is of particular public health concern due to its global distribution, epidemic potential and high mortality without appropriate treatment. The method for the management of leptospirosis, particularly in severe disease, is clouded by methodological inconsistency and a lack of standardized outcome measures.

A Japanese man with community-onset carbapenem-resistant Stutzerimonas nitrititolerans bacteremia and a sacral pressure ulcer: a case report.

Background: Stutzerimonas is a recently proposed genus comprising strains formerly classified as Pseudomonas stutzeri. The genus includes at least 16 identified species. Stutzerimonas nitrititolerans, previously known as Pseudomonas nitrititolerans, was initially isolated from a bioreactor.

Enhancing Meat Analog Texture Using Wet-Spun Fibroin Protein Fibers: A Novel Approach to Mimic Whole-Muscle Meat.

The increasing demand for protein-rich, plant-based foods has driven the development of meat analogs that closely mimic the texture and mouthfeel of animal meat. While plant-based fibrils and electrospun silk fibroin fibers have been explored for texture enhancement and scaffolding in both meat analogs and cell-based meats, the use of wet-spun fibroin protein fibers as a food ingredient remains underexplored. This study investigates the potential of wet-spun recombinant fibroin fibers to enhance the textural properties of meat analogs.

Access Program for Unapproved and Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatric BRAF V600E-Mutated Brain Tumors in Japan.

Programs allowing access to investigational drugs and off-label drug use for serious diseases have often been applied to pediatric cancers. A clinical study conducted under the Japanese "Patient-Proposed Healthcare Services" evaluated the efficacy and safety of dabrafenib plus trametinib in children with BRAF V600 mutant glioma (jRCTs071210071). This study successfully provided unapproved and off-label medications to four enrolled patients, two with low-grade glioma and two with high-grade glioma (median age: 10.

Application of model-informed drug development (MIDD) for dose selection in regulatory submissions for drug approval in Japan.

Model-informed drug development (MIDD) is an approach to improve the efficiency of drug development. To promote awareness and application of MIDD in Japan, the Data Science Expert Committee of the Drug Evaluation Committee in the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association established a task force, which surveyed MIDD applications for approved products in Japan. This study aimed to reveal the trends and challenges in the use of MIDD by analyzing the survey results.

Artificial intelligence-enhanced navigation for nerve recognition and surgical education in laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Background: Devices that help educate young doctors and enable safe, minimally invasive surgery are needed. Eureka is a surgical artificial intelligence (AI) system that can intraoperatively highlight loose connective tissues (LCTs) in the dissected layers and nerves in the surgical field displayed on a monitor. In this study, we examined whether AI navigation (AIN) with Eureka can assist trainees in recognizing nerves during colorectal surgery.

Cryptoic acids A and B, benzene-containing polyketides, and cyclocryptamide, a modified diketopiperazine, from an actinomycete of the genus Cryptosporangium.

Two new benzene-containing polyketides, cryptoic acids A (1) and B (2), along with a new acylated diketopiperazine designated cyclocryptamide (3), were isolated from the culture extract of Cryptosporangium sp. YDKA-T02. The absolute configuration of amino acid components in 3 was determined by Marfey's method.