Disruption of Iqsec1 in mice leads to embryonic lethality with reduced large apical vacuoles in the visceral endoderm.

Iqsec1 (IQ motif and Sec7 domain-containing protein 1), also known as BRAG2 (Brefeldin A-resistant Arf-GEF 2), is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that regulates membrane trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, and signal transduction by activating class II and III ADP-ribosylation factors. To investigate the physiological role of Iqsec1 at the whole animal level, we generated Iqsec1-deficient mice using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Nearly all Iqsec1 mice (99%) exhibited embryonic lethality with severe growth retardation.

Device-related adverse events and flow capacity of percutaneous ventricular assist devices.

Aims: Complication management is crucial in patients receiving mechanical circulatory devices. However, there are limited data on the association between the risks of complications and device type in patients with percutaneous ventricular assist devices (PVAD).

Methods And Results: The Japanese registry for PVAD (J-PVAD) is a nationwide ongoing registry that enrols consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock treated with PVAD.

The impact of core curriculum revisions on Japanese medical schools: Navigating curriculum evolution.

Purpose: This study examines the impact of the 2010 and 2016 Model Core Curriculum (MCC) revisions on medical education across all 82 medical schools in Japan.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2021, focusing on the response to the MCC revisions, curriculum changes, and factors influencing these changes. The survey included questions on approaches to implementing the MCC revisions, timing of curriculum updates, factors triggering these revisions, changes in student performance and career paths, and the introduction of new subjects.

Prognostic Value of Sarcopenia Definitions and Outcomes Consortium Criteria in Older Patients with Heart Failure.

Objectives: The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia in 2019 (AWGS 2019) emphasized muscle mass measurements. In contrast, the Sarcopenia Definitions and Outcomes Consortium (SDOC) prioritizes functional strength and mobility. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the prognostic utility of the SDOC and AWGS 2019 criteria for all-cause mortality in older patients with heart failure.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Driven Frailty Prediction Using Electronic Health Records in Hospitalized Patients With Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: This study aimed to create a deep learning model for predicting phenotypic physical frailty from electronic medical record information in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Methods And Results: This single-center retrospective study enrolled patients who could be assessed for physical frailty according to cardiovascular health study criteria (25.5% [691/2,705] of the patients were frail).

Associations between community social capital and posttraumatic growth among older survivors 11 years after a natural disaster.

We prospectively examined whether community-level social capital plays a significant role in developing Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) among older survivors of the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The baseline survey was conducted 7 months before the disaster among residents of a city located 80km west of the earthquake epicenter. The survey inquired about participants' health status and social capital (informal socializing and social participation, and social cohesion).

Contextual memory bias in emotional events: Neurobiological correlates and depression risk.

Background: Contextual memory loss of emotional events plays a critical role in depression psychopathology. Individuals with depression, clinical or subclinical, exhibit enhanced and impaired memory for emotionally negative stimuli and context in an event, respectively. This suggests that contextual encoding may fail because of attentional interference caused by concurrent negative stimuli, possibly leading to contextual memory loss as a depression risk.

Efficacy and safety of carmustine wafers, followed by radiation, temozolomide, and bevacizumab therapy, for newly diagnosed glioblastoma with maximal resection.

Background: To improve the outcome in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients with maximal resection, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of implantation of carmustine wafers (CWs), radiation concomitant with temozolomide and bevacizumab, and maintenance chemotherapy with six cycles of temozolomide and bevacizumab.

Method: This prospective phase II study enrolled glioblastoma patients considered candidates for complete resection (> 90%) of a contrast-enhanced lesion. The CWs were intraoperatively implanted into the resection cavity after achieving maximal resection.

Resilience Factors Affecting Long-Term Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in the Aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Among Older Adults.

Objectives: We examined long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms among older adults following exposure to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We further characterized the pre- and post-disaster social relationship factors that predicted membership in each trajectory group.

Methods: Data from 4 time points (including pre-disaster data) were used to analyze the depression trajectories of 2,033 survivors through a group-based trajectory model.

Pleural recurrence 21 years after complete resection of thymic mucoepidermoid carcinoma: a case report.

Background: Thymic mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MECs) are extremely rare malignant neoplasms. We describe a rare case of a MEC with a high histological grade in a patient who survived for more than 20 years after the initial surgery, focusing on the clinical course and recurrence pattern.

Case Presentation: A woman underwent surgical resection of a high-grade thymic MEC at another hospital 21 years ago.

A novel chemokine binding protein 1-like gene is vital for the blood pool development and engorgement of the hard tick Haemaphysalis longicornis.

Tick saliva modulates host responses during a blood feeding process. We identified a novel chemokine binding protein 1-like (HLCBP1-like) gene from the salivary glands of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis. The HLCBP1-like protein, lacking a well-defined conserved domain, showed structural similarity to evasin, a chemokine binding protein from the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

Occipital Lobectomy Utilizing Parieto-Occipital Fissure: Two-Dimensional Operative Video.

Occipital lobectomy is a widely accepted procedure for treatment of occipital gliomas and occipital lobe epilepsy, but its technical nuances are not well discussed. Anatomically, the occipital lobe, also known as the cuneus or visual area, is an isolated region in terms of vascular supply. The terminal branches of posterior cerebral arteries, including parieto-occipital and calcarine arteries, are the major vessels supplying this region.

The association between benzodiazepine prescriptions and the risk of laxative use in schizophrenia treatment.

Aim: Constipation is one of the most common adverse effects in schizophrenia treatment, and it can sometimes cause severe gastrointestinal disease. However, the results of association studies between constipation and psychotropic medications in patients with schizophrenia are inconsistent. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of psychotropic and laxative prescriptions at discharge in patients with schizophrenia to clarify the association between psychotropics and constipation.

S-1/irinotecan/oxaliplatin chemotherapy achieved a pathological complete remission in advanced pancreatic carcinoma.

Chemotherapy has been developed for many years for malignancies, including advanced pancreatic cancer, downsizing the primary site, thereby enabling complete cure with the combination of conversion surgery. Pathological complete remission from operation samples was usually identified as a promising indication for a good prognosis for many carcinomas. Several case reports consisting of pathological complete remission after chemotherapy application have been reported but no case of pathological complete remission that resulted from successful extensive resection by surgery after S-1, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (SIROX) chemotherapy.

Impact of Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System-certified surgeons as operators in laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery in Japan: A propensity score-matched analysis (subanalysis of the EnSSURE study).

Background: In Japan, the Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System (ESSQS) is used to evaluate surgical skills essential for laparoscopic surgery, but whether surgeons with this certification as operators improve the short-term outcomes and prognosis after rectal cancer surgery is unclear. This cohort study was designed to compare the short-term and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for advanced rectal cancer performed by an ESSQS-certified surgeon versus a surgeon without ESSQS certification.

Methods: The outcomes of cStage II and III rectal cancer surgery cases performed at 56 Japanese hospitals between 2014 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed.

Rivaroxaban as a Protector of Oxidative Stress-Induced Vascular Endothelial Glycocalyx Damage via the IQGAP1/PAR1-2/PI3K/Akt Pathway.

Introduction: The vascular endothelial glycocalyx, crucial for blood vessel integrity and homeostasis, is vulnerable to oxidative stress, leading to endothelial dysfunction, which strongly correlates with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigates the protective effects of rivaroxaban, a factor X inhibitor, on the glycocalyx under oxidative stress condition.

Methods: We examined the impact of rivaroxaban on human umbilical vein endothelial cells exposed to acute and chronic H2O2-induced oxidative stress.