Outcome and management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who achieved a complete response to immunotherapy-based systemic therapy.

Background And Aims: The outcome of patients with HCC who achieved complete response (CR) to immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based systemic therapies is unclear.

Approach And Results: Retrospective study of patients with HCC who had CR according to modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (CR-mRECIST) to ICI-based systemic therapies from 28 centers in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Of 3933 patients with HCC treated with ICI-based noncurative systemic therapies, 174 (4.

Serum IgG4-negative and IgG4-positive type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis present with different clinicopathological features: An analysis of a nationwide survey in Japan.

Background/objective: Elevated serum IgG4 (sIgG4) is a useful diagnostic marker of type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). This study aimed to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of the type 1 AIP patients without elevated sIgG4 levels.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical data of patients registered in a nationwide epidemiological survey in Japan.

Chronic circadian misalignment is a risk factor for hair growth impairment.

To identify environmental factors that accelerate hair loss, we focused on modern artificial and aberrant light environments which cause circadian dysfunction. We examined the effect of aberrant light environments on hair growth by exposing mice to repetitive light-dark reversal at three-day intervals, inducing chronic circadian misalignment. Dorsal hair-sheared male mice showed impaired hair growth under this light condition.

Impact of Angiographically Detected Residual Trabeculation After Left Atrial Appendage Closure Using the WATCHMAN Device: Insight From the OCEAN-LAAC Registry.

Background: Research on the impact of angiographically detected residual trabeculation after left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is limited.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence, characteristics, and clinical implications of angiographically detected residual trabeculation after LAAC using the WATCHMAN device.

Methods: We analyzed 1350 consecutive patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing LAAC using the WATCHMAN device from the OCEAN-LAAC registry, which is a prospective ongoing, multicenter Japanese registry.

Octanoic Acid and Decanoic Acid Inhibit Tunicamycin-Induced ER Stress in Rat Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells.

ER stress is a crucial factor in the progression of vascular cell diseases. Notably, octanoic acid (OA; C8:0) and decanoic acid (DA; C10:0), prominent components of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), may provide potential health benefits. However, their effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remain unknown.

Comparative analysis of gut microbiota in hormone-sensitive and castration-resistant prostate cancer in Japanese men.

Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the development and progression of prostate cancer, with previous studies indicating that certain bacterial taxa are more abundant in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) compared to hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC). Notably, the composition of gut microbiota can vary significantly by geographic region, and Japanese individuals have a distinct microbial profile. However, research exploring these differences within Japanese populations remains limited.

TRPC6 is a mechanosensitive channel essential for ultrasound neuromodulation in the mammalian brain.

Ultrasound neuromodulation has become an innovative technology that enables noninvasive intervention in mammalian brain circuits with high spatiotemporal precision. Despite the expanding utility of ultrasound neuromodulation in the neuroscience research field and clinical applications, the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which ultrasound impacts neural activity in the brain are still largely unknown. Here, we report that transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6), a mechanosensitive nonselective cation channel, is essential for ultrasound neuromodulation of mammalian neurons in vitro and in vivo.

RELAY: Final Overall Survival for Erlotinib Plus Ramucirumab or Placebo in Untreated, EGFR-Mutated Metastatic NSCLC.

Introduction: RELAY, a global double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study (NCT02411448) found statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (primary end point) for ramucirumab (RAM) plus erlotinib (ERL) (RAM + ERL) in patients with untreated EGFR-mutated metastatic NSCLC (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46-0.

Impact of an mHealth App (Kencom) on Patients With Untreated Hypertension Initiating Antihypertensive Medications: Real-World Cohort Study.

Background: To prevent the further development of cardiovascular diseases, it is a growing global priority to detect untreated hypertension in patients and ensure adequate blood pressure control via drug therapy. However, few effective tools that facilitate the initiation of antihypertensive medications among such patients have been identified.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether a mobile health (mHealth) app facilitates the initiation of antihypertensive medications among patients with untreated hypertension.

The 13th World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology congress (WFNMB 2022): summarize the past half century and discuss the next half century of WFNMB.

The 13th World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology congress (WFNMB 2022) was held in Kyoto and Kanazawa, Japan in September 2022, approximately half a century after the first World Congress of Nuclear Medicine held in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan. In this paper, we describe the road to hosting another WFNMB congress in Japan, including the historic election for WFNMB 2022, the state of WFNMB 2022 in Kyoto, and the post-congress symposium in Kanazawa. This congress, themed "Summarize the past half century and discuss the next half century of WFNMB," was successful and strongly encouraged doctors and researchers to develop future research and clinical practice in nuclear medicine.

Association between the COVID-19 pandemic and short-term outcomes after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in facilities with and without board-certified esophageal surgeons: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment procedures. We speculated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, sufficient medical resources were maintained in board-certified hospitals, resulting in favorable short-term outcomes, whereas hospital functions in non-board-certified hospitals declined, leading to mortality increase. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on short-term outcomes after esophagectomy, based on the scale of the facilities.

Biosynthetic Incorporation of Non-native Aryl Acid Building Blocks into Peptide Products Using Engineered Adenylation Domains.

Nonribosomal peptides (NRPs), one of the most widespread secondary metabolites in nature, with therapeutically significant activities, are biosynthesized by modular nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). Aryl acids contribute to the structural diversity of NRPs as well as nonproteinogenic amino acids and keto acids. We previously confirmed that a single Asn-to-Gly substitution in the 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid-activating adenylation (A) domain EntE involved in enterobactin biosynthesis accepts monosubstituted benzoic acid derivatives with nitro, cyano, bromo, and iodo functionalities at the 2 or 3 positions.

Update on Prosthesis-Patient Mismatch Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Asian Patients.

Background: Prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is of greater concern in Asians, considering their relatively smaller annular sizes compared with Westerners. However, the prognostic significance of PPM in Asian populations has not been demonstrated.

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic value of PPM after TAVR in Asian patients.

Optimization of culture-preservation methods to maintain developmental competence in porcine MII oocytes post-IVM.

After in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes, those that matured to the metaphase II (MII) stage were selected for further culture over a period of 24-48 h. Subsequently, these oocytes were either parthenogenetically activated or used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to evaluate their in vitro developmental competence. Parthenogenetically activated MII oocytes developed to the blastocyst stage after 42 h of continuous culture, whereas SCNT oocytes reached the blastocyst stage within 30 h of culture.

[HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer in Japan: Flaws in alleged experimental evidence for molecular mimicry and animal models of HPV vaccine-induced "adverse reactions "].

In Japan, around 3,000 females have died of cervical cancer annually. Cervical cancer is caused by sexually transmitted infections of the human papillomavirus (HPV); it is preventable by vaccinations against oncogenic HPV types, such as types 16 and 18. In Japan, the proactive recommendations for HPV vaccinations were suspended in June 2013 due to public concerns about neuropsychological "diverse symptoms" following HPV vaccinations.

Therapeutic Effects of Rebamipide Nanocrystals as Carbopol Gel Formulation Containing Gum Arabic in a Hamster Model of Oral Mucositis.

Severe oral mucositis is a major cause of a low quality of life in patients; however, the therapeutic effect of traditional treatments is insufficient. Therefore, we designed a carbopol gel based on rebamipide nanocrystals (REB NCs) and gum arabic (GA-REB@NP), and investigated its efficacy in accelerating wound healing in a hamster model of oral mucositis. REB NCs were prepared by bead milling, and GA- REB@NP were prepared by incorporating REB NCs into a carbopol gel.