Applicability of TB-LAMP test for diagnosis of pulmonary TB among HIV-positive individuals.

Background: The loop-mediated isothermal amplification for TB (TB-LAMP) assay is more cost-effective and accessible than the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the TB-LAMP assay in individuals with and without HIV infection.

Methods: Patients aged ≥15 years presenting with symptoms of TB were included in the study.

Association of In-Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation on Hospital-Associated Disability for Octogenarian Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction - An Insight From the JROAD-DPC Database.

Background: This study aimed to determine the status of in-hospital cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and hospital-associated disability (HAD) for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) aged >80 years.

Methods And Results: This study involved the Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases and the Diagnosis Procedure Combination databases, and included patients who were hospitalized with AMI from April 2014 to March 2021. Patients were categorized by the daily amount of CR: NA, not applicable; Low, 20-30 min; Moderate, 30-40 min; and High, >40 min.

Menstrual variations of sleep-wake rhythms in healthy women.

The ovarian steroid hormones, estrogen and progesterone, the levels of which fluctuate dynamically with the estrous cycle, alter circadian behavioral rhythms in mammals. However, it remains unclear whether the sleep-wake rhythm fluctuates with the menstrual cycle in humans. To ascertain the relationship between the menstrual cycle and sleep-wake rhythms, we evaluated the objective and long-term sleep-wake rhythms of ten healthy women using a recently developed wearable device.

Refractory and Relapsing Laryngeal Edema Possibly Associated With Chronic Tonsillitis and Mycoplasma Infection, Requiring Reintubation and Tracheostomy.

Relapsing epiglottitis has rarely been reported, and its etiology is not well established. A 44-year-old previously healthy Japanese man presented with a quickly progressing choking sensation. He had been experiencing refractory and relapsing laryngeal edema and probably acute epiglottitis (three episodes within 2 weeks), with rash and elevated pancreatic amylase.

Direct Evaluation of Salivary Antioxidant Properties in Patients with Down Syndrome for assessment to Periodontal Disease and Premature Aging.

To evaluate oxidative stress involved in Down syndrome periodontal disease and pathological premature aging, reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O) and hydroxyl radical (HO) in human saliva were measured using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The groups consisted of 20 subjects in the Down syndrome (DS) child (DC) group (mean age 11.3 ± 4.

Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture-recapture analysis.

Background: Accurate mortality estimates help quantify and memorialise the impact of war. We used multiple data sources to estimate deaths due to traumatic injury in the Gaza Strip between Oct 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

Methods: We used a three-list capture-recapture analysis using data from Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) hospital lists, an MoH online survey, and social media obituaries.

Effectiveness for remission maintenance rate and safety of different rituximab regimens for treating anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis in Japan: a J-CANVAS study.

Rituximab (RTX) has been reported to effectively maintain remission in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). In this multicenter study involving 57 patients who achieved remission after 24 weeks, we evaluated the effectiveness of RTX in maintaining remission in patients with AAV. Patients were divided into three groups based on RTX administration: continuous, induction phase-only, and maintenance phase-only groups.

Urolithin A Modulates PER2 Degradation via SIRT1 and Enhances the Amplitude of Circadian Clocks in Human Senescent Cells.

Background/objectives: Circadian clocks are endogenous systems that regulate numerous biological, physiological, and behavioral events in living organisms. Aging attenuates the precision and robustness of circadian clocks, leading to prolonged and dampened circadian gene oscillation rhythms and amplitudes. This study investigated the effects of food-derived polyphenols such as ellagic acid and its metabolites (urolithin A, B, and C) on the aging clock at the cellular level using senescent human fibroblast cells, TIG-3 cells.

Benefits of Liver Volume and Serum Zinc Level Assessment for the Screening of Covert Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients with Child-Pugh Class A Cirrhosis.

: Covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) is associated with decreased quality of life. Detection of Child-Pugh class A is necessary for its early diagnosis. This study aimed to establish a simple diagnostic method of CHE in patients with Child-Pugh class A.

Development of In-Labeled Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting SFTSV Structural Proteins for Molecular Imaging of SFTS Infectious Diseases by SPECT.

No effective vaccines or treatments are currently available for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a fatal tick-borne infectious disease caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). This study evaluated the potential of In-labeled anti-SFTSV antibodies targeting SFTSV structural proteins as single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging agents for the selective visualization of SFTSV-infected sites. This study used nuclear medicine imaging to elucidate the pathology of SFTS and assess its therapeutic efficacy.

Identification and functional analyses of drought stress resistance genes by transcriptomics of the Mongolian grassland plant Chloris virgata.

Background: Mongolian grasslands, including the Gobi Desert, have been exposed to drought conditions with few rains. In such harsh environments, plants with highly resistant abilities against drought stress survive over long periods. We hypothesized that these plants could harbor novel and valuable genes for enhancing drought stress resistance.

Living Donor Liver Transplantation Using Right Posterior Section Graft in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected Patient With Hemophilia: A Case Report.

Background: Liver transplantation is an important treatment option for liver cirrhosis in patients with HIV/HCV coinfection. In Japan, the limited number of deceased donors may force the selection of living donor liver transplantation. Appropriate graft selection is the key to success.

Spontaneous remission of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia followed by severe pulmonary nocardiosis in a patient with HIV infection: A case report.

We describe a rare case of spontaneous remission of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) in a 42-year-old patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, followed by severe pulmonary nocardiosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of spontaneous remission of PCP in a completely untreated patient with HIV infection. The patient, a bisexual Japanese man, presented with fever and anorexia and had a history of non-compliance with antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 13 years.

Cancer immunotherapy in progress-an overview of the past 130 years.

Since the first approval of an immune-checkpoint inhibitor, we have witnessed the clinical success of cancer immunotherapy. Adoptive T-cell therapy with chimeric antigen-receptor T (CAR-T) cells has shown remarkable efficacy in hematological malignancies. Concurrently with these successes, the cancer immunoediting concept that refined the cancer immunosurveillance concept underpinned the scientific mechanism and reason for past failures, as well as recent breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy.

Support Desired by Parents of Infants With Hearing Impairments Diagnosed Through Newborn Hearing Screening: A Questionnaire-Based Survey.

Objective We aimed to highlight problems faced by parents of infants diagnosed with hearing impairment upon newborn hearing screening (NHS) and to suggest how support might be improved. Methods We distributed a questionnaire to explore difficulties encountered by parents when seeking support, whether they were satisfied with the support, and their unmet needs. We enrolled 101 parents of infants with hearing impairments diagnosed upon NHS (hearing levels: 7.

Long-term impact of molecular epidemiology shifts of methicillin-resistant on severity and mortality of bloodstream infection.

A 2019 nationwide study in Japan revealed the predominant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) types in bloodstream infections (BSIs) to be sequence type (ST)8-carrying SCC type IV (ST8-MRSA-IV) and clonal complex 1-carrying SCC type IV (CC1-MRSA-IV). However, detailed patient characteristics and how these MRSA types evolve over time remain largely unknown. In this long-term single-center study, MRSA strains isolated from blood cultures at Nagasaki University Hospital from 2012 to 2019 were sequenced and analyzed.

Emotional analysis of operating room nurses in acute care hospitals in Japan: insights using ChatGPT.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the emotions of operating room nurses in Japan towards perioperative nursing using generative AI and human analysis, and to identify factors contributing to burnout and turnover.

Methods: A single-center cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2023 to February 2024, involving semi-structured interviews with 10 operating room nurses from a national hospital in Japan. Interview transcripts were analyzed using generative AI (ChatGPT-4o) and human researchers for thematic, emotional, and subjectivity analysis.

Efficacy of tranilast in preventing exacerbating cardiac function and death from heart failure in muscular dystrophy patients with advanced-stage heart failure: a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study.

Background: Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 2 (TRPV2) functions as a stretch-sensitive calcium channel, with overexpression in the sarcolemma of skeletal and cardiac myocytes leading to detrimental calcium influx and triggering muscle degeneration. In our previous pilot study, we showed that tranilast, a TRPV2 inhibitor, reduced brain natriuretic peptide levels in two patients with muscular dystrophy and advanced heart failure. Building on this, we performed a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study herein to evaluate the safety and efficacy of tranilast in the treatment of advanced heart failure in patients with muscular dystrophy.

Growth inhibition and toxicity assessments of cis-3,4-diaryl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactams in cultured human renal cancer cells and zebrafish embryos.

This study aimed to compare and evaluate the growth inhibition effects of eight previously synthesized compounds, cis-3,4-diaryl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactams (compounds 1-8), on two human renal carcinoma cell (RCC) lines: CRL-1932 (rapid growth) and HTB-44 (slow growth). MTT assays and flow cytometry were conducted, revealing that compounds 5 and 6 had the potential to induce cell death in the slow-growing RCC cells (HTB-44), while compound 8 demonstrated effectiveness in both RCC lines (HTB-44 and CRL-1932). Additionally, a non-transformed HEK293 cell line and a transgenic zebrafish with a green fluorescent kidney Tg(wt1b:egfp) were used to assess the toxicities of compounds 5, 6, and 8.

Evaluation of physical activity with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire among outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japan.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the amount of physical activity, including daily movement, and the factors related to the amount of physical activity undertaken by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at an outpatient clinic.

Patients And Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 111 patients, aged 20 years or older, with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who visited a diabetes outpatient clinic. The amount of physical activity was investigated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Version.

Risk Factors and Prognostic Effects of Aspergillosis as a Complication of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Objective: The global prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has been steadily increasing. A few small retrospective studies have reported a poor prognosis associated with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) as a complication of NTM-PD. Furthermore, the prognostic impact of CPA may have been inadequately assessed due to differences in background factors.

Poly(-lysine)--poly(ethylene glycol)--poly(-lysine) triblock copolymers for the preparation of flower micelles and their irreversible hydrogel formation.

Poly(-lysine)--poly(ethylene glycol)--poly(-lysine) (PLys--PEG--PLys) triblock copolymers formed polyion complex (PIC) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) or sodium poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS), leading to the formation of flower micelle-type nanoparticles (Nano or Nano) with tens of nanometers size in water at a polymer concentration of 10 mg/mL. The flower micelles exhibited irreversible temperature-driven sol-gel transitions at physiological ionic strength, even at low polymer concentrations such as 40 mg/mL, making them promising candidates for injectable hydrogel applications. Rheological studies showed that the chain length of PLys segments and the choice of polyanions significantly impacted irreversible hydrogel formation, with PSS being superior to PAAc for the formation.

Effectiveness of the educational training program for Japanese chief residents: A one-year pilot study.

Background: Multi-institutional faculty development programs for chief residents were lacking in Japan. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program for enhancing the knowledge and behaviors of chief residents at the national level.

Methods: Six participants completed self-assessment questionnaires at three points: before, immediately after, and 6 months post-program.