Outcomes in stage IIA versus stage IIB/III in the PALLAS trial [ABCSG-42/AFT-05/PrE0109/BIG-14-13]).

Background: The PALLAS trial investigated the addition of palbociclib to standard adjuvant endocrine therapy to reduce breast cancer recurrence. This pre-specified analysis was conducted to determine whether adjuvant palbociclib benefited patients diagnosed with lower risk stage IIA disease compared to those with higher stage disease.

Methods: PALLAS was an international, multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III trial, representing a public-private partnership between Pfizer, the Austrian Breast Cancer Study Group, and the U.

WT1-mRNA dendritic cell vaccination of patients with glioblastoma multiforme, malignant pleural mesothelioma, metastatic breast cancer, and other solid tumors: type 1 T-lymphocyte responses are associated with clinical outcome.

Cell therapies, including tumor antigen-loaded dendritic cells used as therapeutic cancer vaccines, offer treatment options for patients with malignancies. We evaluated the feasibility, safety, immunogenicity, and clinical activity of adjuvant vaccination with Wilms' tumor protein (WT1) mRNA-electroporated autologous dendritic cells (WT1-mRNA/DC) in a single-arm phase I/II clinical study of patients with advanced solid tumors receiving standard therapy. Disease status and immune reactivity were evaluated after 8 weeks and 6 months.

Mesenchymal stromal cell exosomes for drug delivery of prostate cancer treatments: a review.

Interest in prostate cancer as a research topic has gradually increased. As a result, a series of innovative treatment strategies have emerged with an in-depth understanding of the disease. Owing to their unique biological characteristics, mesenchymal stromal cell exosomes (MSC-Exos) have garnered significant attention for their potential to deliver targeted drugs and enable precise prostate cancer treatment.

Rapid growth of a solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura after slow long-term progression: a case report.

Background: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) of the pleura are usually benign. We present a case of SFT of the pleura which grew rapidly after slow long-term progression.

Case Presentation: A 78-year-old man was referred to our hospital for left-sided back pain and shortness of breath.

Association of self-reported dental caries with sex, lifestyle, and problematic Internet use among elementary school children in Japan.

Background: Dental caries is the most prevalent disease in elementary schoolchildren in Japan. Problematic Internet use (PIU) has increased among children; however, its association with caries has rarely been studied. We aimed to explore (1) sex differences in dental caries and (2) the association of dental caries with lifestyle and PIU among elementary school children in Japan.

Socioeconomic Inequity in Access to Medical and Long-Term Care Among Older People.

Background: Ensuring equitable access to medical and long-term care (LTC) is critical to enable older people to maintain their health and well-being even after they undergo a decline in their intrinsic capacity.

Methods: We used data from five waves of the National Survey of the Japanese Elderly, conducted between 2002 and 2021, to assess gradients in access to medical care and LTC by income and education among Japanese individuals aged 60 years and above. Specifically, we assessed self-reported unmet needs for medical care and LTC, and public LTC use, and estimated the concentration indices (CI) to evaluate the degree of inequality and inequity.

Longitudinal changes in factors affecting postoperative patient satisfaction after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: an assessment using a patient-reported questionnaire.

Background: Long-term survival can be achieved in patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, maintenance of postoperative quality of life (QOL) and treatment satisfaction are important. Although longitudinal changes in disease-specific QOL are reported, there are few studies investigating which factors longitudinally affect treatment satisfaction in patients who undergo robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Sleep-driven prefrontal cortex coordinates temporal action and multimodal integration.

Cognitive processes such as action planning and decision-making require the integration of multiple sensory modalities in response to temporal cues, yet the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Sleep has a crucial role for memory consolidation and promoting cognitive flexibility. Our aim is to identify the role of sleep in integrating different modalities to enhance cognitive flexibility and temporal task execution while identifying the specific brain regions that mediate this process.

Wound irrigation and peritoneal lavage with antiseptic/antibiotic solution before wound closure during gastrointestinal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) can affect mortality, morbidity, and medical costs. Although it has recently been reported that washing with antiseptic/antibiotic solution can prevent SSI in clean surgery, the clinical impact in gastrointestinal surgery is still uncertain. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of antiseptic/antibiotic solution during wound irrigation or peritoneal lavage in gastroenterological surgery.

One-stage versus two-stage thoracoscopic surgery for synchronous bilateral pulmonary nodules: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the surgical efficacy of one-stage and two-stage video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules (BMPNs).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was made of 156 patients, 84 who underwent one-stage and 72 who underwent two-stage VATS for BMPNs at our department between January 2019 and December 2022. Perioperative and long-term outcomes were compared between the two groups using propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis.

Monocyte STAT1 phosphorylation and treatment response of JAK inhibitors in chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis.

Background: Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is a rare autoinflammatory disease of unknown cause, predominantly affecting teens and young adults. The early diagnosis and management are challenging due to the lack of reliable diagnostic markers and the occasional intractable cases despite conventional anti-inflammatory treatments. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have recently shown potential utility; however, reports on their use for pediatric patients with CNO remain limited, and no established biomarkers exist to monitor disease activity.

Relationship between insertions of the tibialis anterior and peroneus longus and first tarsometatarsal joint degeneration.

Background: The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationships of the tibialis anterior tendon (TAT) and peroneus longus tendon (PLT) with articular cartilage degeneration on the medial cuneiform and first metatarsal.

Methods: We examined 100 feet from 50 Japanese cadavers. The TAT was classified into 4 types based on attachment site area and number of fiber bundles: Type I, two fiber bundles with equal (within 20%) attachment site areas on the first metatarsal and medial cuneiform; Type II, with two fiber bundles and a larger (>20%) attachment site area on the medial cuneiform than on the first metatarsal; Type III, with two fiber bundles and a larger (>20%) attachment site area on the first metatarsal than on the medial cuneiform; and Type IV, with three fiber bundles.

Triglyceride glucose-waist circumference as a useful predictor for diabetes mellitus: a secondary retrospective analysis utilizing a Japanese cohort study.

Background And Objective: While the connection between the Triglyceride glucose-waist circumference (TyG-WC) index and the risk of diabetes remains understudied, this particular research delves into the potential predictive value of the TyG-WC index within a significant Japanese population.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study encompassed a comprehensive analysis of 15,413 Japanese adults, all of whom were diabetes-free at the outset of the study period from 2004 to 2015. Comprehensive medical records were obtained for all participants who underwent physical examinations.

Inhibition of BRD4 attenuated IFNγ-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer organoids.

Background: This study aimed to analyze the functional role of Brd4 in colorectal cancer (CRC) organoids. Brd4 was identified as a CRC-related gene by our previous Sleeping Beauty mutagenesis transposon screening in mice. Brd4 is a transcriptional regulator that recognizes acetylated histones and is known to be involved in inflammatory responses.

Intraocular inflammation after intravitreal injection of aflibercept 8 mg for treatment-refractory neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a case report.

Background: To report a case of intraocular inflammation (IOI) after intravitreal injection of aflibercept 8 mg for treatment-refractory neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Case Presentation: An 80-year-old man with diabetes mellitus had neovascular age-related macular degeneration refractory to treatment with aflibercept 2 mg. Despite ten injections of faricimab, the exudation remained, and we switched to brolucizumab, which resulted in a mild IOI.

Surgery lengthens survival for collecting duct carcinoma: analysis of hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

Background: To identify the prognosis of Japanese patients with collecting duct carcinoma (CDC).

Methods: We used a hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan to extract CDC cases that were diagnosed in 2013, histologically confirmed, and determined the first course of treatment. We further investigated treatment modalities and estimated overall survival (OS) by the Kaplan-Meier method.

Serial cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of high mobility group box 1 in bacterial meningitis: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Bacterial meningitis (BM) is a life-threatening central nervous system infection with potential for severe neurological sequelae. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is known as a late inflammatory mediator associated with lethal pathology. This study aims to investigate the serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of HMGB1 in children with BM and its relationship to neurological prognosis.

Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen-Substituted Graphdiyne on Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Glass Substrates Using a Cu Sandwich Technique.

Hydrogen-substituted graphdiyne (HsGDY) is a two-dimensional material with an sp-sp carbon skeleton featuring a band gap and a porous structure that enhances ion diffusion. In previous reports, HsGDY growth was limited to metal substrates such as Cu, which then required transfer. Here, we developed a sandwich method that allows HsGDY to be grown directly on the target substrate.

Suppressive effect of vitamin K (menatetrenone) against bone mineral density loss after radiotherapy in uterine cancer patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether vitamin K (menatetrenone) suppresses bone mineral density (BMD) loss in the irradiated region after radiotherapy (RT) in uterine cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: Our study included 34 patients who underwent whole pelvic irradiation for uterine cancer between 2001 and 2010. The patients were categorized in two groups: (1) Vitamin K (45 mg/day) administration group (group A) with 18 cases and (2) non-administered group (group B) with 16 cases.

Abdominal hemorrhage and vascular fragility associated with neurofibromatosis type 1.

We report a case of recurrent abdominal bleeding associated with vascular fragility in a 67-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed hemorrhagic ascites and a pseudoaneurysm of the sigmoid colon artery, which was suspected to be the source of bleeding. Emergency laparotomy confirmed extremely fragile vessels, requiring repeated surgeries for recurrent bleeding.

Usefulness of four-dimensional noise reduction filtering using a similarity algorithm in low-dose dynamic computed tomography for the evaluation of breast cancer: a preliminary study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of four-dimensional noise reduction filtering using a similarity algorithm (4D-SF) on the image quality and tumor visibility of low-dose dynamic computed tomography (CT) in evaluating breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-four patients with 38 lesions who underwent low-dose dynamic breast CT and were pathologically diagnosed with breast cancer were enrolled. Dynamic CT images were reconstructed using iterative reconstruction alone or in combination with 4D-SF.

Focusing surface phonon-polaritons for tunable thermal radiation.

We demonstrate unprecedented control and enhancement of thermal radiation using subwavelength conical membranes of silicon nitride. Based on fluctuational electrodynamics, we find that the focusing of surface phonon-polaritons along these membranes enhances their far-field thermal conductance by three orders of magnitude over the blackbody limit. Our calculations reveal a non-monotonic dependence of the thermal conductance on membrane geometry, with a characteristic radiation plateau emerging at small front widths due to competing effects of the polariton focusing and radiative area.

Successful use of avacopan in a case of ANCA-associated vasculitis with treatment-resistant medium-sized vessel involvement.

We report the case of a 75-year-old woman who presented with fever, right back pain, paresthesia in the right extremities, erythema, purpura, and nodules. She had previously initiated dialysis due to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and was transferred to our hospital. Imaging studies revealed multiple cerebral and splenic infarcts and hemorrhage encapsulating the right kidney, likely due to microaneurysms in multiple renal arteries.