Dietary RNA from Torula Yeast Prevents Capillary Regression in Atrophied Skeletal Muscle in Rats.

Chronic neuromuscular inactivity induces capillary regression within skeletal muscle. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential effects of dietary nucleic acids in counteracting the capillary reduction linked to chronic neuromuscular inactivity in the soleus muscle. The study utilized four distinct groups of female Wistar rats: a control group (CON), a hindlimb-unloading group (HU), an HU group supplemented with DNA (HU + DNA), and an HU group supplemented with RNA (HU + RNA).

Factors Associated With the Absence of Cervical Spine Instability in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A >10-Year Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

Objective: To identify factors associated with the absence of cervical spine instability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Cervical spine instability was defined as the presence of at least one of the following: atlantoaxial subluxation, vertical subluxation of the axis, or subaxial subluxation. In 2001-2002, 634 enrolled outpatients with "classical" or "definite" RA underwent a radiographic cervical spine checkup.

Effects of preoperative beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, arginine, and glutamine supplementation on cardiac surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

Background & Aims: In older patients undergoing cardiac surgery, physical function is a critical determinant of postoperative outcomes. Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation has been shown to promote muscle protein anabolism and inhibit catabolism, thereby preventing muscle weakness. However, its efficacy in older patients undergoing cardiac surgery remains unknown.

Metyrapone single administration, as a possible predictive tool of its dosage and timing in Cushing's syndrome.

Metyrapone is commonly used in the initial management of Cushing's syndrome to reduce hypercortisolemia, but its optimal dosage and timing can vary significantly between patients. Currently, there are limited guidelines on adjustment methods for its administration to individual needs. This study aimed to evaluate responsiveness of each patient to metyrapone and identify the patient characteristics associated with the indices of cortisol responsiveness following a low-dose metyrapone.

Serum amyloid P (PTX2) attenuates hepatic fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the activation of fibrocytes and HSCs.

Background: Liver fibrosis is caused by chronic toxic or cholestatic liver injury. Fibrosis results from the recruitment of myeloid cells into the injured liver, the release of inflammatory and fibrogenic cytokines, and the activation of myofibroblasts, which secrete extracellular matrix, mostly collagen type I. Hepatic myofibroblasts originate from liver-resident mesenchymal cells, including HSCs and bone marrow-derived CD45+ collagen type I+ expressing fibrocytes.

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.

Reduction of bleeding by cabozantinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by refractory recurrent epistaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding. Recent studies have reported the hemostatic effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors on HHT-related bleeding. A 67-year-old man with HHT underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for right renal cell carcinoma discovered during an investigation of anemia.

CCL2/CCR2/Erk Signal Induced through Cancer Cell-Macrophage Interaction Contributes to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression.

Tumor-infiltrating macrophages (Mϕs), known as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), play a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed that intratumoral CD68-positive Mϕs are associated with poor prognosis and clinicopathological factors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Subsequently, an indirect co-culture system involving HCC cells and peripheral blood-derived Mϕs was developed.

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.

Blood DNA virome associates with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19.

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

History and prospects of Nagashima-type palmoplantar keratosis, the most common palmoplantar keratoderma in east Asian populations.

Nagashima-type palmoplantar keratosis (NPPK) has been shown to represent a form of autosomal recessive palmoplantar keratosis due to biallelic pathological variants of SERPINB7, which encodes a serine protease inhibitor expressed in the epidermis. Approximately 10 years have elapsed since NPPK was demonstrated to be an independent genetic disease, and the most prevalent palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK) in East Asian countries due to a high prevalence of founder mutations in SERPINB7. Since then, it has become evident that biallelic pathological variants of SERPINA12, which encodes a serine protease inhibitor expressed in the epidermis, can also manifest symptoms analogous to those of NPPK.

Association between the prognosis and comorbidity of active cancer in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Prognosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has improved after the availability of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and approved drugs. However, the clinical effects of cancer, which is one of the associated medical conditions of CTEPH, remain unclear. We aimed to investigate prognosis in patients with CTEPH and comorbid cancer.

Prognostic factors in patients with bone metastasis of lung cancer after immune checkpoint inhibitors: A retrospective study.

Background: Accurate data on the prognosis of bone metastases are necessary for appropriate treatment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are widely used in the treatment of gene mutation-negative non-small cell lung cancer (GMN-NSCLC).

Aim: To investigate the prognostic factors in patients with bone metastases from GMN-NSCLC following ICI use.

Unilateral Bleomycin-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis Mouse Model With Both a Healthy and a Diseased Lung.

Background/aim: A standard mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis has been created by intratracheal or intraperitoneal administration of bleomycin. However, a difficulty presented by this traditional method is its high mortality rate of more than 50% after bleomycin administration. In this study, we aimed to establish a unilateral lung disease model and to assess its feasibility and usefulness.

Treatment Outcomes of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Durvalumab Plus Tremelimumab After Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background/aim: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (AteBev) is widely used as a first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, evidence regarding the optimal drug sequence following AteBev treatment is limited. This study aimed to compare the treatment outcomes between tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and durvalumab plus tremelimumab (DurTre) following AteBev treatment.

Zymosan-Treated SKG Mice: Assessing Effects of Systemic Inflammation on the Temporomandibular Joint.

Objectives: The effects of systemic inflammation on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are poorly understood. This study aimed to establish a mouse model to study the effects of systemic inflammation on the TMJ.

Materials And Methods: SKG mice, a BALB/c strain with spontaneous onset of rheumatoid arthritis-like symptoms due to a spontaneous point mutation (W163C) in the gene encoding the SH2 domain of ZAP-70, were treated with zymosan (β-1,3-glucan).

Phase 3 Study of Talazoparib Plus Enzalutamide Versus Placebo Plus Enzalutamide as First-Line Treatment in Patients With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: TALAPRO-2 Japanese Subgroup Analysis.

Background: In TALAPRO-2, the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor talazoparib plus the androgen receptor-signaling inhibitor enzalutamide improved radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) versus placebo plus enzalutamide (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.51-0.

Tooth loss-associated neuroplasticity of mastication-related motor cortical neurons.

Objectives: The cerebral cortex contains neurons that play a pivotal role in controlling rhythmic masticatory jaw movements. However, the population characteristics of individual cortical neuronal activity during mastication and the impact of tooth loss on these characteristics remain unclear. Thus, in this study, we aimed to determine the activity patterns of mastication-related motor cortical neurons elicited during mastication and examine the effects of tooth extraction on neuronal activity using two-photon Ca imaging in head-restrained awake mice.

Nanobubbles and Fibroblast Growth: An In Vitro Study on Cell Migration and Proliferation.

Nanobubbles are studied for their unique properties and possible applications in wound healing processes. This study investigates the effects of hydrogen (H₂), oxygen (O₂), and ozone (O₃) nanobubbles on fibroblast migration and proliferation using  scratch wound healing assays. Fibroblast cells were treated with Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) combined with nanobubble solutions, and cell density was measured at 24 and 48 hours.

Association Between Caregiver Burden and Treatment Adherence in Japanese Children With Allergic Rhinitis Receiving Sublingual Immunotherapy.

Background: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) leads to the long-term remission of allergic rhinitis and requires long-term daily adherence. There are limited studies on the treatment burden or satisfaction of SLIT among caregivers of children treated using SLIT. We aimed to evaluate the association between the treatment burden and satisfaction for pediatric allergic rhinitis caregivers and the clinical factors of their children's SLIT.

Development of respiratory motion-resolved hepatobiliary phase cine-magnetic resonance imaging for stereotactic body radiotherapy in liver tumor.

Cine-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to track respiratory-induced motion of the liver and tumor and assist in the accurate delineation of tumor volume. Recent developments in compressed sensitivity encoding (SENSE; CS) have accelerated temporal resolution while maintaining contrast resolution. This study aimed to develop and assess hepatobiliary phase (HBP) cine-MRI scans using CS.

Self-regulation of slow cortical potential and seizure suppression by scalp electroencephalography: Early prediction of therapeutic efficacy.

Objective: Seizure suppression using the neurofeedback (NFB) method by self-regulation of scalp-recorded slow cortical potential (SCP) is effective for patients with refractory focal epilepsy. However, the prolonged training period required prevents it from wider implementation as the standard treatment in clinical practice. Therefore, we examined whether it would be appropriate to shorten the training period, in spite of the small number of patients.

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.

Evolution of management strategies for unstable pelvic ring injuries over the past 40 years: a systematic review.

Background: Hemodynamically unstable pelvic ring fractures from high-energy trauma are critical injuries in trauma care, requiring urgent intervention and precise diagnostics. With ongoing advancements in trauma management, treatment strategies have evolved, with some techniques becoming obsolete as new ones emerge. This study aimed to evaluate changes and trends in treatment algorithms for these injuries over approximately 40 years.