The Importance of Lung Innate Immunity During Health and Disease.

The lung is a vital organ for the body as the main source of oxygen input. Importantly, it is also an internal organ that has direct contact with the outside world. Innate immunity is a vital protective system in various organs, whereas, in the case of the lung, it helps maintain a healthy, functioning cellular and molecular environment and prevents any overt damage caused by pathogens or other inflammatory processes.

Impact of dysregulated microbiota-derived C18 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites on arthritis severity in mice with collagen-induced arthritis.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate microbiome and microbiota-derived C18 dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and to investigate their differences that correlate with arthritis severity in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice.

Methods: On day 84 after induction, during the chronic phase of arthritis, cecal samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing, and plasma and cecal digesta were evaluated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Differences in microbial composition between 10 control (Ctrl) and 29 CIA mice or between the mild and severe subgroups based on arthritis scores were identified.

Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cell Transplantation Promotes Bone Healing via Gap Junction-Mediated Cell-Cell Interaction.

Aims: Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) are a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells that have been widely used in experimental therapies for patients with various diseases, including fractures.Activation of angiogenesis is believed to be one of the major modes of action of BM-MNCs; however, the essential mechanism by which BM-MNCs activate angiogenesis remains elusive. This study aimed to demonstrate that BM-MNCs promote bone healing by enhancing angiogenesis through direct cell-to-cell interactions via gap junctions, in addition to a previously reported method.

Identification of glycogen synthase kinase 3alpha/beta as a host factor required for hepatitis B virus transcription using high-throughput screening.

Background Aims: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) leads to severe liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Identification of host factors that regulate HBV replication can provide new therapeutic targets. The discovery of sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) as an HBV entry receptor has enabled the establishment of hepatic cell lines for analyzing HBV infection and propagation.

Possible mechanisms of spermatogenic dysfunction induced by viral infections: Insights from COVID-19.

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic nears resolution in 2024, the mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections induce spermatogenic dysfunction remain poorly understood. This review examines the mechanisms by which viral infections, particularly COVID-19, disrupt spermatogenesis and highlights the implications for male reproductive health. While reports suggest that spermatogenic dysfunction caused by COVID-19 is mild and transient, these findings may have broader applications in understanding and treating spermatogenic dysfunction caused by future viral infections.

Survival Outcomes Associated With Radiological Progressive Disease Subtypes in Patients With Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab-Treated HCC.

Background And Aim: To assess the relationship between survival outcomes and subtypes of radiological progressive disease (PD) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with atezolizumab and bevacizumab (Atezo/Bev).

Methods: A total of 462 patients with Atezo/Bev-treated HCC diagnosed with radiological PD during follow-up were enrolled. PD was classified into three categories: progression or emergence of intrahepatic lesions (PD-IH), macroscopic vascular invasion (PD-MVI), and extrahepatic spread lesions (PD-EHS).

Insights into balloon pulmonary angioplasty and the WHO functional class of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients: findings from the CTEPH AC registry.

Advances in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) treatment have improved prognosis, shifting focus towards symptom management. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the World Health Organization functional class (WHO-FC) in CTEPH patients. The CTEPH AC registry is a prospective, multicenter database from 35 Japanese institutions, analyzing data from August 2018 to July 2023.

Superovulation treatment of immature female rabbits increases the number of ovulated oocytes that can in vitro develop into blastocytes.

To clarify the efficiency of superovulation in immature female rabbits, immature female rabbits were superovulated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin, and the number of recovered oocytes, their maturity, and their ability to develop into blastocysts under in vitro fertilization and culture were examined in this study. More than 80 oocytes were recovered from 12-14-week-old immature female rabbits. In particular, an average of more than 100 oocytes were recovered from 13-week-old immature female rabbits.

Clinical characteristics affecting weight loss in an East Asian population receiving semaglutide: A STEP 6 subgroup analysis.

Objective: To explore the effects of semaglutide versus placebo on body weight (BW) by subgroups of baseline characteristics.

Methods: In STEP 6, Japanese and Korean adults with overweight or obesity were randomized to subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg, semaglutide 1.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-related diabetes mellitus associated with high signal intensity in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas at an early clinical stage.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment but can give rise to immune-related adverse events such as ICI-related diabetes mellitus (DM).

Case Presentation: We herein present the case of a 59-year-old Japanese man with malignant melanoma who developed ICI-related DM after 18 months of nivolumab treatment. He experienced marked hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis without a personal or family history of diabetes.

Utility of dual-chamber Electrogram-based pace mapping in a teenager with a focal atrial tachycardia, low inducibility, and indeterminate earliest excitation site.

A 17-year-old patient presented with frequent palpitations, where the tachycardia was not sustained and could not be induced, making it impossible to pinpoint the earliest activation site using the activation map. However, by utilizing a dual-chamber electrogram-based pace mapping technique, we successfully identified the origin and achieved effective treatment.

Imaging characteristics of hypervascular focal nodular hyperplasia-like lesions in patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease.

Background: Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH)-like lesions are hyperplastic formations in patients with micronodular cirrhosis and a history of alcohol abuse. Although pathologically similar to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions, they are benign. As such, it is important to develop methods to distinguish between FNH-like lesions and HCC.

Impact of Fc-gamma receptor IIIA polymorphism on late-onset neutropenia and clinical outcomes in kidney transplant recipients following rituximab induction therapy.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between the Fc-gamma receptor IIIA (FCGR3A) 158 polymorphism and clinical outcomes in kidney transplantation (KTx) patients. Specifically, we focused on late-onset neutropenia (LON) in ABO-incompatible (ABOi) or HLA-incompatible (HLAi) KTx recipients who underwent rituximab (RTx) desensitization therapy.

Methods: FCGR3A 158F/V polymorphisms were identified in 85 ABOi or HLAi KTx recipients who underwent RTx desensitization at our institution between April 2008 and October 2021.

Corticosteroid therapy and long-term outcomes in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between corticosteroid therapy and long-term outcomes in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis, stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at diagnosis.

Methods And Results: This study conducted a analysis of the ILLUstration of the Management and prognosIs of JapaNese PATiEnts with Cardiac Sarcoidosis, a retrospective multicentre registry. Cardiac sarcoidosis was diagnosed based on the 2016 Japanese Circulation Society and 2014 Heart Rhythm Society criteria.

Characteristics of upper lumbar spondylolysis in children.

Background: Pediatric lumbar spondylolysis (LS) is common in junior and senior high school athletes. Lower LS (L4-L5 level) is more common in children, and upper LS (L1-L3 level) is relatively rare; therefore, the pathogenesis of upper LS remains unclear.

Purpose: To elucidate the mechanisms of upper LS by identifying and comparing characteristics between upper and lower LS cases.

Proline enhances the hepatic induction of lipogenic gene expression in male hepatic fasn reporter mice.

Hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is increased by both carbohydrate intake and protein consumption. In hepatic fat synthesis, a key role is played by the induction of the hepatic expression of lipogenic genes, including Fasn, Scd1, and Srebf1. Regarding carbohydrate intake, increased blood glucose and insulin levels promote the expression of hepatic lipogenic genes.

Radiological Assessment and Therapeutic Evaluation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Differentiation and Treatment Response with Japanese Guidelines.

The liver is supplied by a dual blood flow system consisting of the portal vein and hepatic artery. Imaging techniques for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been developed along with blood flow imaging, which visualizes the amount of arterial and portal blood flow. The diagnosis of HCC differentiation is important for early-stage liver cancer screening and determination of treatment strategies.

Efficacy and safety of indocyanine green-fluorescence imaging guided liver resection: a single-arm prospective cohort study.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of indocyanine green (ICG)-fluorescence imaging for the identification of hepatic boundaries during liver resection and its advantages in surgical outcomes over conventional methods.

Methods: This prospective, exploratory, single-arm clinical trial included 47 patients with liver tumors who underwent liver resection using ICG-fluorescence imaging (ICG-LR) between 2019 and 2020. The primary outcome measure was the successful identification of hepatic boundaries during liver resection, from the perspective of both the hepatic surface and intrahepatic boundary, using ICG-fluorescence imaging.

Quadrant, necrosis, and infection criteria for the risk stratification of walled-off necrosis: external validation using multi-institutional data.

Background And Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided peripancreatic fluid drainage (EUS-PFD) with on-demand endoscopic necrosectomy, increasingly utilized to manage walled-off necrosis (WON), is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. This multicenter study aimed to externally validate recently developed quadrant (an abdominal quadrant distribution), necrosis, and infection (QNI) criteria for risk stratification in this setting.

Methods: Of 423 patients with pancreatic fluid collections treated in a large multi-institutional cohort between 2010 and 2020, 212 with available preprocedural computed tomography images were included.