Kinematic synergy of speed reduction during stair descent.

: This study aimed to quantify multi-segmental coordination using Uncontrolled Manifold (UCM) analysis to examine the effect of speed reduction on the control of stair descent. : Twenty healthy participants performed stair descent at a self-comfortable pace for normal speed conditions and at a slow speed set to a metronome rhythm of 60 beats/min. UCM analysis was separately conducted for the center of mass (COM) and swing foot, with anteroposterior and vertical movements designated as task variables, and segment angles defined as elemental variables.

The effect of using walking poles on the spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients who underwent surgery for hip fractures.

: This study aimed to investigate the differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients who underwent surgery for hip fractures when using walking poles and T-canes. : This cross-sectional study enrolled eight patients who underwent surgery for a unilateral hip fracture (mean age of 79.0 ± 7.

The efficacy and safety of Fluticasone Furoate/Umeclidinium/Vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) on cough symptoms in adult patients with asthma, A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study: Chronic Cough in Asthma (COCOA) study.

Persistent cough bothers many patients with asthma because it worsens their quality of life; therefore, it must be remedied immediately. The efficacy of triple therapy as a first-line treatment for cough remains unclear. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the triple therapy againts persistent cough, the clinical effect of regular treatment with fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) or placebo in adult patients with asthma was investigated.

High Dimensionless Figure of Merit and Efficiency Thermoelectrics for Operation below Sub-250 °C─Origin of Colossal Seebeck Coefficient with Phonon Assisting, Coexistence with Electrical Conductivity, and Device Application for Their Multilayered Structure.

Thermoelectric (TE) devices recycle high-temperature waste-heat efficiently, but waste-heat below sub-250 °C remains uncaptured. As promoting full autonomy for the Internet of Things (IoT), we present a TE generator using multilayered pseudo--type GaN/TiN/GaN and -type TiO/TiN/TiO TE one-leg devices, where heterozygous of outer/inner layers demonstrates the functions of a colossal Seebeck coefficient ( = +15,000 μV K) with phonon-assist hopping, controlling by the porosity for reducing thermal conductivity (κ), a high electric conductivity (σ) with reducing κ by outer layers, and σ- coexistence over singular curve by the asymmetric electrode configuration. is elucidated hopping among inner grains and the space charge (SC) grain boundary (GB) of 100 μm regions within Debye length.

Gadolinium-Enhanced 3-Dimensional MRI for Diagnosis and Surgical Planning of Posterior Epidural Migration of Lumbar Disc Fragment: A Case Report.

Case: A 34-year-old man presented at our hospital with knee collapse. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed posterior compression of the dural sac by a lumbar epidural lesion; however, a diagnosis could not be reached. Gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced 3-dimensional MRI (3D-MRI) clearly delineated the morphology, enabling us to make a preoperative diagnosis of posterior epidural migration of the lumbar disc fragment (PEMLDF).

Changeover method for biosafety cabinets using ozone gas.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a biosafety cabinet equipped with an ozone generator, particularly during the transition periods between the production of cell products. As living cell products cannot undergo sterilization, maintaining an aseptic manufacturing environment is paramount. Raw materials, often derived from human tissues, are frequently contaminated with various resident bacteria, necessitating environmental resets after each process.

GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp.

The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is an objective observation tool for measuring human facial behaviour. It avoids subjective attributions of meaning by objectively measuring independent movements linked to facial muscles, called Action Units (AUs). FACS has been adapted to 11 other taxa, including most apes, macaques and domestic animals, but not yet gorillas.

Gender Differences in Cardiovascular Events among Patients with Sleep Apnoea Syndrome: A Real-World Data Analysis of a Nationwide Epidemiological Dataset.

Aim: Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) is a common sleep disorder associated with heightened cardiovascular risks, yet sex-specific differences in these risks remain unclear.

Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study utilized the JMDC Claims Database, covering >5 million individuals in Japan. We analyzed data from 4,173,702 individuals (2,406,930 men, 1,766,772 women) after excluding those with central SAS, cardiovascular disease, and incomplete lifestyle questionnaire data.

Transthyretin variants impact blood-nerve barrier and neuroinflammation in amyloidotic neuropathy.

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding transthyretin (TTR). Despite amyloid deposition being pathognomonic for diagnosis, this pathology in nervous tissues cannot fully account for nerve degeneration, implying additional pathophysiology for neurodegeneration, which, however, has not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, neuroinflammation in ATTRv-PN was investigated by examining nerve morphometry, the blood-nerve barrier, and macrophage infiltration in the sural nerves of ATTRv-PN patients and the sciatic nerves of a complementary mouse system, i.

Association of methotrexate polyglutamates concentration with methotrexate efficacy and safety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with predefined dose: results from the MIRACLE trial.

Objectives: The usefulness of methotrexate-polyglutamates (MTX-PGs) concentration for management of rheumatoid arthritis has been debated. We aimed to clarify the association of MTX-PGs concentration with efficacy and safety in MTX-naïve patients initiating MTX in a prospective interventional clinical trial.

Methods: The MIRACLE trial enrolled 300 MTX-naïve patients.

Pollutant accumulation characteristics of substrates and mechanism of microbial action in different ecological ditches.

Ecological ditches serve as one of the important measures for the concentrated infiltration of stormwater in the construction process of sponge cities. Prolonged concentrated infiltration of stormwater can lead to the accumulation of pollutants and pollution risks in the substrate of ecological ditches. In this study, two different substrate ecological ditches were constructed, namely, a combined substrate ecological ditch with zeolite + ceramsite (EA), and a biological substrate ecological ditch (EB).

Histological differences among thrombi in thrombotic diseases.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to summarize the histological differences among thrombi in acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, venous thromboembolism, and amniotic fluid embolism, a newly identified thrombosis.

Recent Findings: Acute coronary thrombi have a small size, are enriched in platelets and fibrin, and show the presence of fibrin and von Willebrand factor, but not collagen, at plaque rupture sites. Symptomatic deep vein thrombi are large and exhibit various phases of time-dependent histological changes.

Quantum life science: biological nano quantum sensors, quantum technology-based hyperpolarized MRI/NMR, quantum biology, and quantum biotechnology.

The emerging field of quantum life science combines principles from quantum physics and biology to study fundamental life processes at the molecular level. Quantum mechanics, which describes the properties of small particles, can help explain how quantum phenomena such as tunnelling, superposition, and entanglement may play a role in biological systems. However, capturing these effects in living systems is a formidable challenge, as it involves dealing with dissipation and decoherence caused by the surrounding environment.

Net Benefit of Early Anticoagulation for Stroke With Atrial Fibrillation: Post Hoc Analysis of the ELAN Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The net clinical effect of early vs later direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) initiation after atrial fibrillation-associated ischemic stroke is unclear.

Objective: To investigate whether early DOAC treatment is associated with a net clinical benefit (NCB).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a post hoc analysis of the Early Versus Late Initiation of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Post-Ischaemic Stroke Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (ELAN) open-label randomized clinical trial conducted across 103 sites in 15 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia between November 6, 2017, and September 12, 2022, with a 90-day follow-up.

Preoperative Nutritional Status Influences Enteral Nutrition Weaning 6 Months Post-Surgery in Patients with Esophageal Cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify whether nutritional status at admission affects enteral nutrition weaning 6 months after surgery in patients with esophageal cancer.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 81 patients who underwent subtotal esophageal cancer resection between April 2014 and February 2016. The survey items were as follows: 1) sex, 2) age, 3) presence or absence of family members living together, 4) clinical stage, 5) surgical procedure, 6) reconstructed organs, 7) nutritional status at admission, 8) presence or absence of postoperative complications (anastomotic leakage, chylothorax, and recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis), and 9) presence or absence of treatment other than surgery (chemo- or radiotherapy).

A new diterpenoid, carneadiol, isolated from Nocardia carnea IFM 12324.

A new diterpenoid, carneadiol (1), with an unprecedented tricyclic carbon skeleton, was isolated from the culture extracts of Nocardia carnea IFM 12324. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated using spectral studies, including various NMR data. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined using X-ray crystallographic analysis with the crystalline sponge method.

Development of optical microneedle-lens array for photodynamic therapy.

Recently, photodynamic therapy (PDT) which involves a photosensitizer (PS), a special drug activated by light, and light irradiation has been widely used in treating various skin diseases such as port-wine stain as well as cancers such as melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. PDT comprises two general steps: the introduction of PS into the body or a specific spot to be treated, and the irradiation process using a light source with a specific wavelength to excite the PS. Although PDT is gaining great attention owing to its potential as a targeted approach in the treatment of skin cancers, several limitations still exist for practical use.

Neptunitalea lumnitzerae sp. nov. isolated from the phyllosphere of the mangrove Lumnitzera racemosa Willd.

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile, aerobic, light-yellow-pigmented bacterium, designated as strain Y10, was isolated from Lumnitzera racemosa leaf in Iriomote island mangrove forests in Japan. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate Y10 was affiliated with the family Flavobacteriaceae, and the sequence showed the highest sequence identity to that of Neptunitalea chrysea NBRC 110019 (97.2%) and others with below 96% sequence identity.

Highly specific amyloid and tau PET ligands for ATN classification in suspected Alzheimer's disease patients.

Objective: This study aims to accurately classify ATN profiles using highly specific amyloid and tau PET ligands and MRI in patients with cognitive impairment and suspected Alzheimer's disease (AD). It also aims to explore the relationship between quantified amyloid and tau deposition and cognitive function.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients (15 women and 12 men; age range: 64-81 years) were included in this study.

Psoas muscle gauge and adverse clinical outcomes in patients on hemodialysis.

Background: The relationship between the psoas muscle gauge (PMG), a combined sarcopenia indicator obtained from psoas muscle index (PMI) and psoas muscle density (PMD), and adverse clinical outcomes in patients on hemodialysis remains unclear. We examined whether psoas muscle gauge could predict all-cause mortality and new cardiovascular events more accurately than psoas muscle index in these patients.

Methods: We retrospectively included 217 hemodialysis patients who underwent abdominal computed tomography.

A rare, asymptomatic case of an extrahepatic portocaval shunt between the posterior aspect of the portal vein and the inferior vena cava.

Purpose: We present the case of a rare extrahepatic portocaval shunt that resulted in communication of the portal vein and the inferior vena cava (IVC) at the level between two right renal veins that was incidentally diagnosed with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in an asymptomatic patient.

Methods: A woman in her sixties with abdominal pain and diarrhea of unclear origin underwent exploratory abdominal CECT.

Results: The CECT incidentally revealed an extrahepatic portocaval shunt, whereby a vessel arising from the portal vein superior to the confluence of the superior mesenteric and splenic veins drained into the posterior aspect of the IVC between two right renal veins.

Long-term safety and efficacy of fostamatinib in Japanese patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia.

Fostamatinib had superior efficacy to a placebo and acceptable safety profiles for at least 1 year in a phase 3 study of Japanese patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia. Here, we report the 3-year safety and efficacy of fostamatinib in that study. Data from 33 patients who received at least one dose of fostamatinib were analyzed.

Morphological identification and phylogenetic analysis of Eimeria coypi and Eimeria fluviatilis (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) isolated from nutrias (Myocastor coypus [Rodentia]) in Japan.

The nutria (Myocastor coypus) is a semiaquatic rodent that originally inhabited South America. However, the animals have spread to different continents as alien species, and their numbers are quickly increasing, especially in North America, Europe, and Eastern Asia including Japan. Although nutrias have been suggested to serve as reservoirs for pathogens, including parasites, there have been few reports on this subject.