Hospital Variability in the Use of Vasoactive Agents in Patients Hospitalized for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure for Clinical Phenotypes.

Background: The absence of practice standards in vasoactive agent usage for acute decompensated heart failure has resulted in significant treatment variability across hospitals, potentially affecting patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess temporal trends and institutional differences in vasodilator and inotrope/vasopressor utilization among patients with acute decompensated heart failure, considering their clinical phenotypes.

Methods: Data were extracted from a government-funded multicenter registry covering the Tokyo metropolitan area, comprising consecutive patients hospitalized in intensive/cardiovascular care units with a primary diagnosis of acute decompensated heart failure between January 2013 and December 2021.

Ability of dynamic chest radiography to identify left ventricular systolic dysfunction in heart failure.

Dynamic chest radiography (DCR) can estimate haemodynamic parameters in heart failure (HF). However, no studies have evaluated its ability to determine cardiac systolic function in HF. This experimental study investigates the correlation between left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) and DCR image parameters in HF.

Imaging Findings, Complications, and Mimics after Common and Advanced Dental Procedures.

Various new dental treatment methods have been introduced in dental clinics, and many new materials have been used in recent years for dental treatments. Dentistry is divided into several specialties, each offering unique treatments, such as endodontics, implantology, oral surgery, and orthodontics. CT and MR images after dental treatment reveal a variety of hard- and soft-tissue changes and dental materials, which often cause image artifacts.

Robust circulating microRNA signature for the diagnosis and early detection of pancreatobiliary cancer.

Background: A new circulating biomarker superior to carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is needed for diagnosing pancreatobiliary cancer (PBca). The aim of this study was to identify serum microRNA (miRNA) signatures comprising reproducible and disease-related miRNAs.

Methods: This multicenter study involved patients with treatment-naïve PBca and healthy participants.

Efficacy and safety of avalglucosidase alfa in Japanese patients with late-onset and infantile-onset Pompe diseases: A case series from clinical trials.

Background: The efficacy and safety of avalglucosidase alfa for Pompe disease (PD) have been demonstrated in a global Phase 3 trial (COMET) in patients with late-onset PD (LOPD) and a global Phase 2 trial (Mini-COMET) in patients with infantile-onset PD (IOPD). This case series examines the individual results of three Japanese patients enrolled in these trials.

Methods: Case reports were assembled from data collected in the COMET and Mini-COMET trials.

Pharmacovigilance Pregnancy Data in a Population of Japanese Patients With Chronic Inflammatory Disease Exposed to Certolizumab Pegol.

Aim: Uncontrolled chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) before, during, and after pregnancy, as well as some CID medications, can increase the risk of impaired fertility in addition to adverse maternal/pregnancy outcomes in women of childbearing age. We report pregnancy outcomes from prospectively reported pregnancies in Japanese women treated with certolizumab pegol (CZP).

Methods: Data from July 2001 to November 2020 on CZP-exposed pregnancies from the CZP Pharmacovigilance safety database were reviewed.

-A152T mutation drives neuronal hyperactivity through Fyn-NMDAR signaling in human iPSC-Derived neurons: Insights into Alzheimer's pathogenesis.

Introduction: Tau protein plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in regulating neuronal excitability. Among tau-coding microtubule associated protein tau () gene mutations, the A152T mutation is reported to increase the risk of AD and neuronal excitability in mouse models.

Methods: To investigate the effects of gene expression and its mutations on neuronal activity in human neurons, we employed genome editing technology to introduce the A152T or P301S mutations into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Urolithin A Modulates PER2 Degradation via SIRT1 and Enhances the Amplitude of Circadian Clocks in Human Senescent Cells.

Background/objectives: Circadian clocks are endogenous systems that regulate numerous biological, physiological, and behavioral events in living organisms. Aging attenuates the precision and robustness of circadian clocks, leading to prolonged and dampened circadian gene oscillation rhythms and amplitudes. This study investigated the effects of food-derived polyphenols such as ellagic acid and its metabolites (urolithin A, B, and C) on the aging clock at the cellular level using senescent human fibroblast cells, TIG-3 cells.

Detection of Human GPCR Activity in Drosophila S2 Cells Using the Tango System.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential cell surface proteins involved in transducing extracellular signals into intracellular responses, regulating various physiological processes. This study validated the use of the Tango assay, a sensitive method for detecting GPCR activation, in Schneider 2 (S2) cells, focusing on the human Dopamine Receptor D4 (DRD4). Plasmids encoding the LexA-tagged human DRD4 receptor and a luciferase reporter were co-transfected into S2 cells and stimulated with dopamine.

Serial Changes in Cranial Asymmetry During Helmet Therapy for Deformational Plagiocephaly.

Background: To analyze the serial changes in cranial asymmetry (CA) during helmet therapy for deformational plagiocephaly (DP).

Methods: The subjects were 159 patients with DP who visited National Center for Child Health and Development between October 2011 and March 2014 and completed helmet therapy. The authors retrospectively collected information from medical records and analyzed the rate of improvement of deformation.

Management, biomarkers and prognosis in people developing endocrinopathies associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including endocrine irAEs, can occur in response to cancer immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Of the endocrine irAEs, pituitary and thyroid irAEs are most frequently observed, followed by primary adrenal insufficiency, type 1 diabetes mellitus and hypoparathyroidism. Notably, pituitary irAEs and type 1 diabetes mellitus can be lethal if overlooked, potentially leading to adrenal crisis and diabetic ketoacidosis, respectively.

MARCH8 Restricts RSV Replication by Promoting Cellular Apoptosis Through Ubiquitin-Mediated Proteolysis of Viral SH Protein.

Numerous host factors function as intrinsic antiviral effectors to attenuate viral replication. MARCH8 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that has been identified as a host restriction factor that inhibits the replication of various viruses. This study elucidated the mechanism by which MARCH8 restricts respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) replication through selective degradation of the viral small hydrophobic (SH) protein.

Sustained growth-promoting effects of vosoritide in children with achondroplasia from an ongoing phase 3 extension study.

Background: Vosoritide is a C-type natriuretic peptide analog that addresses an underlying pathway causing reduced bone growth in achondroplasia. Understanding the vosoritide treatment effect requires evaluation over an extended duration and comparison with outcomes in untreated children.

Methods: After completing ≥6 months of a baseline observational growth study and 52 weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study (ClinicalTrials.

Comparison of Plasma p-tau217 and [F]FDG-PET for Identifying Alzheimer Disease in People With Early-Onset or Atypical Dementia.

Background And Objectives: To compare the diagnostic performance of an immunoassay for plasma concentrations of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) 217 with visual assessments of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose [F]FDG-PET in individuals who meet appropriate use criteria for Alzheimer dementia (AD) biomarker assessments.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of individuals with early-onset (age <65 years at onset) and/or atypical dementia (features other than memory at onset), who were evaluated at a tertiary care memory clinic. All participants underwent measurements of CSF biomarkers (Aβ42, p-tau181, and total tau levels), as well as [F]FDG-PET scans, amyloid-PET scans, and plasma p-tau217 quantifications.

Modified Centralization Technique of Tibial Side Capsulodesis for Radial Tear of Incomplete Discoid Lateral Meniscus.

An incomplete discoid lateral meniscus is often associated with radial tears, which cause meniscal extrusion and result in poor healing outcomes. Centralization has recently been used as a surgical method to reduce extrusion. However, various repair techniques use single point of fixation sutures exclusively on the femoral side, potentially hindering healing.

Relationship Between Coronary Artery Calcium Score and Vulnerability of Culprit Plaque Assessed by OCT in Patients With Established Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is widely used for risk stratification. However, in patients with established coronary artery disease, its clinical implication and relationship with plaque vulnerability are unclear. We sought to correlate the CACS and plaque vulnerability assessed by optical coherence tomography.

Designing strong inducible synthetic promoters in yeasts.

Inducible promoters are essential for precise control of target gene expression in synthetic biological systems. However, engineering eukaryotic promoters is often more challenging than engineering prokaryotic promoters due to their greater mechanistic complexity. In this study, we describe a simple and reliable approach for constructing strongly inducible synthetic promoters with minimum leakiness in yeasts.

Course and treatment of severe osteoporosis complicated by calciphylaxis: a case report.

Calciphylaxis, also known as calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA), is a rare disorder with many unknown treatment and diagnostic aspects. It is characterized by calcification and thrombosis of small blood vessels. This disease leads to progressive skin calcification, necrotizing ulcers, and infections and is associated with a high mortality rate.

Evaluation of the digestion protocol of mouse neonatal epidermis for single-cell RNA sequencing.

The skin is primarily composed of keratinocytes and forms an effective barrier between the organism and external environment. Neonatal skin analysis is essential for understanding developmental processes and rare skin diseases. However, efficient single-cell dissociation methods for the neonatal mouse epidermis remain underexplored.

Diets and leisure activities are associated with curiosity.

Social connections are essential for human health. While curiosity and empathy are crucial psychological factors for a fulfilling life connected with others, it is unclear if acquired environmental factors influence them. In this cross-sectional observational study, 1,311 men and women aged 20-79 years living in Japan were observed to explore how lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, and leisure activities (such as exercise and hobbies) impact curiosity and empathy.