α-Cyclodextrin supplementation improves endurance exercise performance and reduces post-exercise fatigue in human males: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study.

α-Cyclodextrin (αCD), a cyclic hexasaccharide composed of six glucose units, is not digested in the small intestine but is completely fermented by gut microbes. Recently, we have reported that αCD supplementation for nonathlete men improved their 10 km biking times. However, the beneficial effects of αCD on exercise are not yet fully understood.

Real-world antithrombotic strategies in patients with atrial fibrillation and recently developed acute coronary syndrome.

Background: The antithrombotic strategy for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and coronary artery disease following percutaneous coronary intervention is shifting towards less intensive. Nevertheless, for patients with AF and acute coronary syndrome (ACS), an optimal antithrombotic strategy is yet to be established.

Methods And Results: We conducted a multi-center cohort study involving 146 Japanese centers that had prospectively registered 460 patients with AF and ACS followed for 2 years.

Annual report on National Clinical Database 2021 for gastroenterological surgery in Japan.

Aim: The Japanese National Clinical Database, which covers more than 95% of the surgeries performed in Japan, is the largest nationwide database. This is the 2021 annual report of the Gastroenterological Section of the National Clinical Database, which aims to present the short-term outcomes of cases registered in 2021 and discuss significant changes and insights into gastroenterological surgeries observed over the decade.

Methods: We reviewed the data of patients registered in the National Clinical Database between 2012 and 2021.

Research team diversity impacts scientific output in allergy and immunology programs.

Background: This study examined the relationship between the disciplinary diversity of research teams and research output (RO) in allergy and immunology programs funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, Medical Research Council (MRC) in the United Kingdom, and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Methods: Using a dataset containing 1243, 3645, and 1468 articles funded by the NIH, MRC, and JSPS, respectively, we analyzed the correlation between disciplinary diversity and RO in allergy and immunology programs that received grants from 2017 to 2021. Diversity was measured using All Science Journal Classification codes counts, Shannon-Wiener index, and newly developed Omnidisciplinary index (o-index).

Availability of, Barriers to Performing, and Educational Practices of Interventional Procedures for Refractory Pain in Cancer Patients: A Nationwide Survey of Designated Cancer Hospitals in Japan.

Background: Because of the limitations of pharmacological therapy, nonpharmacological therapies including intervention procedures are also important for quality of cancer pain management.

Objective: To clarify the availability of, number performed, barriers to performing, and educational practices of four interventional procedures (celiac plexus neurolysis/splanchnic nerve neurolysis, phenol saddle block, epidural analgesia, and intrathecal analgesia) in designated cancer hospitals.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Recent advances in biomarkers for senescence: Bridging basic research to clinic.

In this review, we review the current status of biomarkers for aging and possible perspectives on anti-aging or rejuvenation from the standpoint of biomarkers. Aging is observed in all cells and organs, and we focused on research into senescence in the skin, musculoskeletal system, immune system, and cardiovascular system. Commonly used biomarkers include SA-βgal, cell-cycle markers, senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and DNA-damage-related markers.

Population Using Tobacco for Pain Relief: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.

Background: There is a complex relationship between tobacco use and pain. Nicotine provides temporary pain relief but increases the risk of chronic pain. This study aimed to investigate use of tobacco for pain relief and its association with demographic and medical characteristics in Japan.

ATG9A facilitates the closure of mammalian autophagosomes.

Canonical autophagy captures within specialized double-membrane organelles, termed autophagosomes, an array of cytoplasmic components destined for lysosomal degradation. An autophagosome is completed when the growing phagophore undergoes ESCRT-dependent membrane closure, a prerequisite for its subsequent fusion with endolysosomal organelles and degradation of the sequestered cargo. ATG9A, a key integral membrane protein of the autophagy pathway, is best known for its role in the formation and expansion of phagophores.

A Phase II, Open Label, Single-Arm Study on the Efficacy of Cabozantinib in Patients With Advanced/Metastatic Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Harboring MET Exon 14 Alterations who Developed Acquired Resistance to Tepotinib or Capmatinib (CAPTURE Trial).

Background: MET gene exon 14 skipping was identified as a potential driver mutation that occurs in approximately 3%-4% of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), typically in the absence of other driver mutations. Capmatinib and tepotinib were the first MET- tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MET-TKIs) approved by the FDA and PMDA, specifically for patients with metastatic NSCLC. Several studies have reported acquired resistance after MET-TKI treatment for MET mutation-positive NSCLC.

Adverse reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in people with allergies in Japan.

mRNA vaccines emerged as a new therapeutic modality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals with allergies often experience anxiety about potential adverse reactions to these vaccines. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between adverse reactions and various allergies, asthma, or atopic disorders.

Immaturity of gut functions and induction of tolerance during early infancy.

Tolerance to foreign molecules is primarily induced through three pathways: anergy, active suppression, and clonal deletion. The immaturity of gut functions, including digestion and barrier protection against foreign molecules during early infancy, is closely linked to the induction of tolerance. A significant number of undigested peptides can pass through leaky gut walls during this period, making it an opportune time to introduce active suppression and clonal deletion in the intestine.

Characterization of breast cancer tumors in older patients who show de novo resistance to endocrine therapy.

The standard treatment for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in good general condition is curative surgery followed by endocrine therapy. However, for older patients, endocrine therapy alone is sometimes chosen instead of curative surgery due to health conditions or personal preference, though this is not yet a standard approach. It is crucial to develop elderly-specific treatment strategies, potentially establishing endocrine therapy alone as a standard option.

NS1 binding protein regulates stress granule dynamics and clearance by inhibiting p62 ubiquitination.

The NS1 binding protein, known for interacting with the influenza A virus protein, is involved in RNA processing, cancer, and nerve cell growth regulation. However, its role in stress response independent of viral infections remains unclear. This study investigates NS1 binding protein's function in regulating stress granules during oxidative stress through interactions with GABARAP subfamily proteins.

Prognostic role of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis: insights from ILLUMINATE-CS.

Aims: The prognostic role of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) as a biomarker in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) has yet to be fully determined, especially when compared with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP).

Methods And Results: In this post-hoc analysis of the ILLUMINATE-CS (ILLUstration of the Management and prognosIs of JapaNese pATiEnts with Cardiac Sarcoidosis), which is a multicentre retrospective observational study, we analysed 103 patients (62.2 ± 10.

Health Utility of Pain Response Versus Nonresponse to Palliative Radiation Therapy for Symptomatic Bone Metastases: Analyses Based on Real-World Data from 26 Centers.

Utility values of responders and nonresponders are essential inputs in cost-effectiveness studies of radiation therapy for painful bone metastases but, to our knowledge, they have not been reported separately. We sought to determine the utility values of responders and nonresponders using data from a prospective observational study on bone metastases. The original prospective observational study was conducted at 26 centers in Japan.

Targeting senescent cells for the treatment of age-associated diseases.

Cellular senescence, which entails cellular dysfunction and inflammatory factor release-the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-is a key contributor to multiple disorders, diseases, and the geriatric syndromes. Targeting senescent cells using senolytics has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for these conditions. Among senolytics, the combination of dasatinib and quercetin (D + Q) was the earliest and one of the most successful so far.

The role of sonic hedgehog signaling in the oropharyngeal epithelium during jaw development.

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is expressed in the oropharyngeal epithelium, including the frontonasal ectodermal zone (FEZ), which is defined as the boundary between Shh and Fgf8 expression domains in the frontonasal epithelium. To investigate the role of SHH signaling from the oropharyngeal epithelium, we generated mice in which Shh expression is specifically deleted in the oropharyngeal epithelium (Isl1-Cre; Shh). In the mutant mouse, Shh expression was excised in the oropharyngeal epithelium as well as FEZ and ventral forebrain, consistent with the expression pattern of Isl1.

Cost-effectiveness of ferric citrate hydrate in patients with iron deficiency anemia.

We investigated the cost-effectiveness of treating iron deficiency anemia (IDA) with ferric citrate hydrate (FC) in Japan. We employed four treatment strategies: switching from sodium ferrous citrate (SF) to FC at (1) 500 mg (approximately 120 mg of iron) per day or (2) 1000 mg (approximately 240 mg of iron) per day in patients with SF-induced nausea/vomiting, or starting treatment with FC at (3) 500 mg/day or (4) 1000 mg/day. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of these strategies compared with SF 100 mg (100 mg of iron) per day.