Periannular extension of infective endocarditis with atrioventricular block successfully treated with antibiotic therapy after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a case report.

Background: Although transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is performed for very elderly patients in whom surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) poses unacceptably high operative risk, some of these patients are ultimately forced to undergo open surgery when TAVI is complicated by infective endocarditis (IE). To our knowledge, there have been no reports of cases with periannular extension of IE and atrioventricular block successfully treated by antibiotics without valve replacement.

Case Summary: An 80-year-old Japanese man who had undergone TAVI developed IE with loss of consciousness on Day 39 after the procedure.

Implications of the Gut Microbiome in Alzheimer's Disease: A Narrative Review.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, with its prevalence doubling approximately every decade. It is a significant contributor to disability-adjusted life-years in individuals aged 50 and older, impacting a substantial portion of this population globally. The pathophysiology of AD is primarily explained by two hypotheses: the amyloid cascade hypothesis and the tau hypothesis.

Treatment with TNFα and lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR) antibody in the presence of HDAC inhibitors promotes apoptosis in human salivary duct adenocarcinoma.

Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR), a lipid metabolism-related factor localized in tricellular tight junctions (tTJs), plays an important role in maintaining the epithelial homeostasis. LSR is highly expressed in well-differentiated cancers, and its expression decreases during malignancy. The LSR antibody inhibits cell growth and promotes apoptosis in some cancers.

The genomic landscape of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in Japan.

Comprehensive studies of the genetic profiles of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in Japanese patients have been lacking, although an understanding of these profiles is crucial for improving treatment outcomes. Since 2019, comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) has been covered by Japan's health insurance, and the resulting data have been compiled into a comprehensive database by the country's Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (C-CAT). In this retrospective study, we used CGP data from the C-CAT database to analyze genomic characteristics of cSCC in Japanese patients.

Clinical practice guidelines for management of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Japan 2024. Part 1: sepsis.

The Japanese Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (JSTH) published the first-ever disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) guidelines in 2009. Fifteen years later, the JSTH developed new guidelines covering DIC associated with various underlying conditions. These guidelines were developed in accordance with the GRADE system to determine the strength of the recommendations and certainty of the evidence.

Interventions to enhance the core competencies of clinical nursing preceptors: A systematic review.

Unlabelled: Aim This systematic review aimed to identify intervention studies on core competencies of clinical nursing preceptors, evaluate their quality using quantitative indicators, and summarize the effectiveness of the intervention programs and limitations of included studies.

Design: This review was reported in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 checklist.

Data Sources: Between May 1, 2024 and May 30, 2024, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE and ProQuest (Health & Medical Collection) to get relevant literature published between January 2010 and May 2024.

Clinical practice guidelines for management of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Japan 2024. Part 2: hematologic malignancy.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) associated with hematologic malignancies, particularly acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), is characterized by marked fibrinolytic activation, which leads to severe bleeding complications. Therefore, appropriate diagnosis and management of DIC are crucial for preventing bleeding-related mortality. However, to date, no clinical guidelines have specifically addressed hematologic malignancy-associated DIC.

LncRNA NR_045147 modulates osteogenic differentiation and migration in PDLSCs via ITGB3BP degradation and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Periodontitis is an inflammation of the alveolar bone and soft tissue surrounding the teeth. Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been implicated in periodontal regeneration, the mechanisms by which they promote osteogenesis remain unclear. We examined whether epigenetic modifications mediated by the long-noncoding RNA (lncRNA) NR_045147, which plays a crucial role in cancer, influence the osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs).

Mediators of Filgotinib Treatment Effects in Ulcerative Colitis: Exploring Circulating Biomarkers in the Phase 2b/3 SELECTION Study.

Background: We utilized patient samples from the large, phase 2b/3 SELECTION trial to identify circulating biomarkers of ulcerative colitis (UC) and potential early mediators of filgotinib treatment effects.

Methods: Samples were collected at baseline and during the induction phase of the SELECTION trial. Evaluated biomarkers comprised serum and stool proteins (measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), whole-blood cell counts, and whole-blood RNA-seq-derived gene-expression factors identified via exploratory factor analysis.

Short-Term and Intermediate Efficacy of Tacrolimus for Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis in Japan.

Background and aim Tacrolimus (tac) is used for induction therapy in refractory and severe ulcerative colitis (UC) cases. The aim of this study was to identify the factors contributing to the induction of remission and to assess the endoscopic or histologic improvement rates following induction of remission by tac. Methods This study examined data from 67 UC patients treated with tac for induction of remission out of 515 patients attending Dokkyo Medical University Hospital.

Pleiotrophin Prevents HO-Induced Senescence of Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

Background: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are widely used in research on dental tissue regeneration and systemic disease treatment. However, the oxidative microenvironment often causes cellular senescence, leading to decreased function. Our previous study demonstrated that pleiotrophin (PTN), a secreted extracellular matrix-associated protein, could rescue the proliferative capacity and osteogenic differentiation of replicative senescent DPSCs.

Effect of increased fear of falling on falls in patients undergoing HD: A narrative review.

Increased fear of falling (FOF) increases the risk of falling and is an important issue for living an independent life.　Patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) frequently fall, and this may be attributed to increased FOF due to common fall risk factors as well as severe chronic kidney disease and HD-related factors.　The purpose of this narrative review was to summarize the current knowledge on the mechanisms of increased FOF leading to falls in patients undergoing HD.

[Endoscopy for the diagnosis of mast cell leukemia with refractory diarrhea: a case report].

Already a rare presentation in patients with systemic mastocytosis (SM), chronic diarrhea is even rarer in those with mast cell leukemia (MCL), a subtype of SM. We present a case to illustrate the utility of lower gastrointestinal endoscopy with histological examination in the diagnosis of MCL in a patient with chronic diarrhea. A woman in her 70s presented with persistent diarrhea.

Usefulness and Safety of Hybrid Uterine Septal Dissection.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the safety and utility of hybrid uterine septal resection.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort trial included 16 patients who underwent hybrid uterine septal resection at Hyogo Medical University Hospital between January 2017 and September 2021. Hysteroscopic uterine septum resection was performed in 16 patients, whereas 5 patients with vaginal septal complications underwent an additional vaginal septectomy under supervision by thin laparoscopy and fluoroscopy.

Changes in the pharmacokinetics of lurasidone in a pregnant woman with schizophrenia.

Background: The population of pregnant women with schizophrenia is increasing. Managing schizophrenia during pregnancy poses unique challenges due to the potential effects of second-generation antipsychotics on maternal mental health and fetal development and changes in drug pharmacokinetics. Evidence on how physiological changes during pregnancy affect the levels of second-generation antipsychotics, particularly lurasidone, is limited.

Purinergic signaling by TCRαβ double-negative T regulatory cells ameliorates liver ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) is an important cause of liver injury following liver transplantation and major resections, and neutrophils are the key effector cells in HIRI. Double-negative T regulatory cells (DNT) are increasingly recognized as having critical regulatory functions in the immune system. Whether DNT expresses distinct immunoregulatory mechanisms to modulate neutrophils, as in HIRI, remains largely unknown.

Visual and olfactory signals of conspecifics induce emotional contagion in mice.

Emotional contagion occurs in many animals, including rodents. To determine the social signals of emotional state-matching between individuals in mice, we conducted an empirical laboratory experiment using visual, olfactory and auditory stimuli. The Japanese wild-derived mouse strain MSM/Ms (MSM) was tested as observers, since our initial experiments indicated that MSM mice showed higher sensitivity to others' pain compared with the laboratory strain C57BL/6J (B6).

Identification and phenotypic characterization of neoantigen-specific cytotoxic CD4+ T cells in endometrial cancer.

Tumor-reactive CD4+ T cells often accumulate in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in human cancer, but their functions and roles in antitumor responses remain elusive. Here, we investigated the immunopeptidome of HLA class II-positive (HLA-II+) endometrial cancer with an inflamed TME using a proteogenomic approach. We identified HLA-II neoantigens, one of which induced polyclonal CD4+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) responses.

Drug-induced megacolon in schizophrenia: a pharmacovigilance study of antipsychotic medications from the Japanese Adverse Drug Event database: a disproportionality analysis.

Background: Megacolon, characterized by colon dilation due to a nerve plexus disorder, can be fatal if untreated. Antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia have anticholinergic effects that may cause chronic constipation and impaired gastrointestinal motility, potentially leading to megacolon. However, the megacolon risk associated with each antipsychotic drug has not been thoroughly evaluated.

Bone marrow stromal cells protect myeloma cells from ferroptosis through GPX4 deSUMOylation.

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are vital for preventing chemotherapy induced apoptosis of multiple myeloma (MM), but roles and machinery in other forms of cell death have not been well elucidated. Here, using an in vitro BMSC-MM interacting model, we observed BMSCs protected MM cells from labile iron pool (LIP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) triggered ferroptosis by elevating glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Mechanistically, direct interaction with BMSCs upregulated the expression of SUMO-specific protease 3 (SENP3) in MM cells through CD40/CD40L signaling pathway, and SENP3 de-conjugated SUMO2 at lysine 75 residue to stabilize GPX4 protein, thereby consuming ROS to obviate ferroptosis in MM cells from the Vk∗MYC mouse model, as well as in CD138B220 cells separated from the Cd40l;Prx1 mice (CD40-CKO) and Sumo2 knock out (SUMO2-KO) mice.