Association between complete blood cell count-derived inflammatory biomarkers and gallstones prevalence in American adults under 60 years of age.

Background: The trend of gallstones occurring in younger populations has become a noteworthy public health issue. This study aims to investigate the association between complete blood cell count (CBC)-derived inflammatory indicators and gallstones in adults under 60 years of age in the United States.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017 to 2020.

Inhibition of hippocampal interleukin-6 receptor-evoked signalling normalises long-term potentiation in dystrophin-deficient mice.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an X-linked neuromuscular disorder, characterised by progressive immobility, chronic inflammation and premature death, is caused by the loss of the mechano-transducing signalling molecule, dystrophin. In non-contracting cells, such as neurons, dystrophin is likely to have a functional role in synaptic plasticity, anchoring post-synaptic receptors. Dystrophin-expressing hippocampal neurons are key to cognitive functions such as emotions, learning and the consolidation of memories.

Understanding marital stability through work-family experiences in proximal and distal contexts: Comparing United States and Japan.

Objective: Guided by Gottman's framework of marital stability and the ecological theories, the present study aims to understand the relationships between work-family spillover and marital stability within two levels of context-the relational and social cultural contexts.

Background: The relational context of marriage is manifested by spousal relationships-spousal support and strain, which would moderate the relationship between work-family spillover and marital stability. Identified relationships also unfold within sociocultural contexts.

Investigation of the Feasibility and Safety of a Highly Intensive Penetration Technique for Recanalization in Severe Calcified Femoropopliteal Occlusive Lesions: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background And Aims: When dealing with severely calcified lesions in endovascular therapy (EVT) for lower extremity artery disease (LEAD), navigating through severely calcified chronic total occlusion (CTO) using hard-tip guidewires can be challenging. To address this issue, we employed a novel highly intensive penetration (HIP) technique. This technique involves modifying the tail of a 0.

Clinical outcomes and biomechanics in bicruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: To clarify the influence of biomechanics on post-operative clinical outcomes in bicruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty (BCR-TKA).

Methods: Severe medial osteoarthritis who underwent BCR-TKA were examined. Each patient was asked to perform a squat (weight-bearing [WB]) and active assisted knee flexion (non-WB [NWB]) under single fluoroscopy surveillance.

Anterior-Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area.

Objective: Waist circumference measurement is commonly used as a method for predicting the visceral fat area. However, waist circumference is difficult to measure, and there is a large margin of error between measurements. Visceral fat is adipose tissue that accumulates in the abdominal cavity, and when it accumulates in excess, abdominal computed tomography reveals a prominent protrusion of the anterior-posterior diameter of the abdomen in a coronal section at the umbilicus level.

Primordial black holes and their gravitational-wave signatures.

In the recent years, primordial black holes (PBHs) have emerged as one of the most interesting and hotly debated topics in cosmology. Among other possibilities, PBHs could explain both some of the signals from binary black hole mergers observed in gravitational-wave detectors and an important component of the dark matter in the Universe. Significant progress has been achieved both on the theory side and from the point of view of observations, including new models and more accurate calculations of PBH formation, evolution, clustering, merger rates, as well as new astrophysical and cosmological probes.

Hata-Yanagiya physical activity calculation system: a novel global positioning system-based method for accurate estimation of oxygen consumption during walking and running.

Introduction: Marathon running has become increasingly popular among amateur athletes, many of whom maintain speeds of 8-9 km/h. However, existing methods for estimating oxygen consumption (VO) during running and walking-such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) equations and commercial activity monitors-often lack accuracy and transparency. This study introduces the Hata-Yanagiya Physical Activity Calculation (HYPAC) system, a novel approach for estimating VO using Global Positioning System (GPS) and map data.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oral Health Perception, Hygiene Behaviors, and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Myanmar.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted various aspects of daily life, including oral health. However, limited research has explored the effects of the pandemic on oral health perceptions, hygiene behaviors, and their subsequent influence on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in underserved settings. This study aims to assess changes in oral health perceptions and behaviors during the pandemic and their impact on OHRQoL in Myanmar.

Safety and Efficacy of a 6-Month Placement of a Fully Covered Self-Expanding Metallic Stent for Refractory Benign Biliary Stricture: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Background And Aim: Managing benign biliary stricture endoscopically is complicated and challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a 6-month placement of a fully covered self-expanding metallic stent for refractory benign biliary stricture.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with refractory benign biliary stricture (13 with chronic pancreatitis and 9 without) were recruited from five higher tertiary care centers.

Optimizing oral 3-hydroxybutyrate dosage using pharmacokinetic model to improve cognitive function and mood in healthy subjects.

Introduction: The brain uses ketones, mainly 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB), as an alternative energy source. Therefore, oral intake of 3-HB may help maintain brain health. Previous studies indicated that achieving a maximum concentration (C) of 3-HB in plasma at 0.

Surgical management of endometrial cancer in patient with musculocontractural Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome harboring pathogenic variants in CHST14 (mcEDS-CHST14): A case report.

Introduction: Musculocontractural Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (mcEDS) is a rare autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder caused by systemic depletion of dermatan sulfate. Symptoms characteristic of mcEDS include multiple contractures, fragile skin with subcutaneous bleeding, and hypermobile joints, which suggest difficulty in perioperative management. However, safe surgical techniques and perioperative management of this disorder remain unknown because of its rarity.

Imputation for Lipidomics and Metabolomics (ImpLiMet): a web-based application for optimization and method selection for missing data imputation.

Motivation: Missing values are prevalent in high-throughput measurements due to various experimental or analytical reasons. Imputation, the process of replacing missing values in a dataset with estimated values, plays an important role in multivariate and machine learning analyses. The three missingness patterns, including missing completely at random, missing at random, and missing not at random, describe unique dependencies between the missing and observed data.

Predictors for recurrence of drug use among males on probation for methamphetamine use in Japan: a one-year follow-up study.

Background: Methamphetamine use is related to severe health, social, and criminal challenges. However, there is limited evidence regarding the factors associated with the recurrence of drug use among individuals who have used methamphetamine, particularly within populations involved in the criminal justice system. This study aimed to identify predictors of illicit drug use at a one-year follow-up among males in Japan who have used methamphetamine and are involved in the criminal justice system.

Differences in Ocular Biometry Between Short-Axial and Normal-Axial Eyes in the Elderly Japanese.

Purpose: Among patients with angle-closure glaucoma, it is common to have a short-axial eye, which also makes it difficult to select an appropriate intraocular lens. Previous studies have focused on the ocular biometry of the long-axial eye, whereas only a few reports have focused on the short-axial eye. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of the short-axial eye on ocular biometry among the elderly Japanese.

Orsay virus infection rate declines with age in .

The intracellular pathogen response is regulated by multiple genes in . How such responses change with age is largely unknown. Thus, we investigated potential age-dependent changes in the immune response to the -specific Orsay virus .

Canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells inhibit the growth of canine hematologic malignancy cell lines.

Introduction: Intestinal lymphoma may be latent in some dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have potential therapeutic applications for refractory chronic inflammatory enteropathy, but their impact on the development of potential intestinal lymphomas has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the effect of canine adipose-derived MSCs (cADSCs) on the growth of canine lymphoma cell lines to assess the safety of MSC-based therapy in terms of pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects.

Development of chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting cancer-expressing podocalyxin.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of CD19-positive B-cell malignancies. However, the field is rapidly evolving to target other antigens, such as podocalyxin (PODXL), a transmembrane protein implicated in tumor progression and poor prognosis in various cancers. This study explores the potential of PODXL-targeted CAR-T cells, utilizing a cancer-specific monoclonal antibody (CasMab) technique to enhance the specificity and safety of CAR-T cell therapy.

Cost-Effectiveness and Clinical Outcomes of Controlled Ovarian Stimulation With Follitropin Delta and Follitropin Alfa: A Retrospective Study.

Aim: This study compared the cost-effectiveness of two recombinant follicle-stimulating hormones (rFSH) formulations, Follitropin Delta and Follitropin Alfa, in controlled ovarian stimulation using cumulative live birth rates as an efficacy indicator.

Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted across five clinics in Japan from April 2022 to December 2023, involving 446 first assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles (200 with Follitropin Delta and 246 with Follitropin Alfa) were treated with rFSH monotherapy using either Follitropin Delta or Follitropin Alfa. We compared clinical outcomes such as cumulative pregnancy and live birth rates and analyzed cost-effectiveness using the cumulative live birth rates as the efficacy indicator and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).

Locked Lateral Patellar Dislocation Reduced by Arthroscopic Procedure: A Case Report.

Most cases of patellar dislocation can be reduced spontaneously or manually without sedation. To date, only one case of arthroscopic reduction for a lateral locked patellar dislocation has been reported, with a short follow-up period. Herein, we report the case of a 22-year-old man with a lateral locked patellar dislocation for whom we performed arthroscopic reduction and repair of the medial structure, which stabilized the patella medially.

Morbidity Risk of Infectious Gastroenteritis Attributable to Cold and Heat Temperatures: An Analysis of National Surveillance Data in Japan (2000-2019).

Introduction Climate change is a decisive factor affecting human health. While many epidemiological studies have investigated the acute impacts of ambient temperature on mortality and morbidity, the global burden of infectious gastroenteritis linked to temperature changes remains largely unexplored. Therefore, we aimed to examine the exposure-response associations between ambient temperature and infectious gastroenteritis incidence throughout Japan and quantify the temperature-related morbidity burden.

Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Among Healthcare and Non-healthcare Workers in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study Using a Web-Based Questionnaire.

Background Cardiopulmonary arrest is a leading cause of death and requires swift intervention for survival. Previous studies have highlighted the critical importance of initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation within a limited timeframe. Improving outcomes depends on widespread CPR training, accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and increased public awareness.

Empowering Communication in Medicine: A Workshop Approach to Improve Presentation Skills for Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialists.

Introduction Effective communication is crucial for healthcare professionals, impacting patient care and interdisciplinary collaboration. However, medical education often lacks structured training in communication and presentation techniques. Herein, we evaluate the efficacy of structured workshops aimed at enhancing presentation skills among ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors through training in visual material design and concise verbal communication, including elevator pitches.

Tachycardia-Induced Cardiomyopathy Following Prolonged Ritodrine Infusion During Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Preterm birth remains a leading cause of neurodevelopmental disability in offspring, prompting various preventive measures. However, controversies persist surrounding these approaches, particularly regarding beta-mimetic drugs. In Japan, it remains a concerning reality that ritodrine infusion continues to be used for long-term tocolysis in preterm labor, despite the warning issued by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Relationship Between Quadriceps Strength at 6 Months Postoperatively and Improvement in Patient-Reported Knee Function After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Background: Understanding the factors associated with poor recovery over time after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) helps clinicians identify patients who are at risk and targets for an intervention.

Purpose: To determine the factors associated with improvement in subjective knee function from 6 to 12 months after ACLR.

Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.