Plasma membrane-coated nanoparticles and membrane vesicles to orchestrate multimodal antitumor immunity.

Background: A number of immunotherapeutic approaches have been developed and are entering the clinic. Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are one of these modalities and induce robust efficacy by endogenous T cells in several hematological malignancies. However, most of the treated patients experience only a temporary benefit.

Dapagliflozin increased pancreatic beta cell proliferation and insulinogenic index in mice fed a high-fat and high-sodium chloride diet.

People in Eastern Asia, including Japan, traditionally consume higher amounts of sodium chloride than in the United States and Western Europe, and it is common knowledge that impaired insulin secretion-rather than insulin resistance-is highly prevalent in Asian people who have diabetes mellitus. We previously reported that mice fed a high-fat and high-sodium chloride (HFHS) diet had a relatively lower degree of obesity than mice fed a high-fat diet, but had a comparatively impaired insulin secretion. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been shown to dampen down the sympathetic nervous system, which reportedly is activated by a high-sodium chloride diet.

Multicenter randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of the effect of prolonged noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation on posture or gait in vestibulopathy.

Objective: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial aimed to evaluate whether prolonged noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation improves body balance in patients with vestibulopathy.

Materials And Methods: This trial was registered in the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center Clinical Trials Information registry (jRCT1080224083). Subjects were 20- to 85-year-old patients who had been unsteady for more than one year and whose symptoms had persisted despite more than six months of rehabilitation.

Eosinophil is a predictor of severe immune-related adverse events induced by ipilimumab plus nivolumab therapy in patients with renal cell carcinoma: a retrospective multicenter cohort study.

Introduction: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors are difficult to predict and can lead to severe events. Although it is important to develop strategies for the early detection of severe irAEs, there is a lack of evidence on irAEs associated with ipilimumab plus nivolumab therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between eosinophil and severe irAEs in patients receiving ipilimumab plus nivolumab therapy for RCC.

Adenosine deficiency facilitates CA1 synaptic hyperexcitability in the presymptomatic phase of a knockin mouse model of Alzheimer disease.

The disease's trajectory of Alzheimer disease (AD) is associated with and negatively correlated to hippocampal hyperexcitability. Here, we show that during the asymptomatic stage in a knockin (KI) mouse model of Alzheimer disease (APP; APPKI), hippocampal hyperactivity occurs at the synaptic compartment, propagates to the soma, and is manifesting at low frequencies of stimulation. We show that this aberrant excitability is associated with a deficient adenosine tone, an inhibitory neuromodulator, driven by reduced levels of CD39/73 enzymes, responsible for the extracellular ATP-to-adenosine conversion.

Robot-Assisted CT-guided Biopsy with an Artificial Intelligence-Based Needle-Path Generator: An Experimental Evaluation Using a Phantom Model.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of a robotic system with artificial intelligence-based lesion detection and path planning for CT-guided biopsy, compared to the conventional freehand technique.

Materials And Methods: Eight nodules within an abdominal phantom, incorporating the simulated vertebrae and ribs, were designated as targets. A robotic system was used for lesion detection, trajectory generation, and needle-holder positioning.

Characteristics and treatment patterns in patients with multiple myeloma in Japan: A retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Approval of proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), such as daratumumab, has reshaped treatment patterns in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in Japan. This retrospective study evaluated patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and trends in MM patients using Medical Data Vision, the largest electronic health records database in Japan with anonymous inpatient and outpatient health information.

Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years, with ≥2 records of an MM diagnostic and disease code and ≥1 record of MM treatment between 01 April 2008 and 30 June 2023 were included.

Receptor discordance after nipple-sparing mastectomy.

Background: Recent studies have shown that receptor status of breast cancer change between primary tumor and recurrence, which may influence treatment strategy and prognosis, but there are few reports on receptor discordance between primary tumors and local recurrence (LR) after nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM).

Patients And Methods: We collected 74 patients who had LR after NSM for newly diagnosed stages 0 to 3 breast cancer between 2008 and 2016 at 14 institutions. We classified into 4 subtypes based on hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

Clinical and genetic spectrum of patients with IRF2BPL syndrome.

Interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein-like (IRF2BPL) is a single-exon gene that is ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, including the brain. IRF2BPL encodes a transcription factor with two zinc-finger domains that potentially downregulate WNT signaling in the nervous system. Pathogenic IRF2BPL variants have been reported to cause developmental delay, seizures, myoclonus epilepsies, autistic spectrum disorder, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Significance of birth in the maintenance of quiescent neural stem cells.

Birth is one of the most important life events for animals. However, its significance in the developmental process is not fully understood. Here, we found that birth-induced alteration of glutamine metabolism in radial glia (RG), the embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs), is required for the acquisition of quiescence and long-term maintenance of postnatal NSCs.

A refined method for high-purity isolation of uterine glandular epithelial cells in mouse.

The uterine endometrium consists of luminal epithelium, glandular epithelium, and stromal cells, with uterine glands playing a pivotal role in pregnancy success among mammals. Uterine glands secrete essential factors that regulate embryo development and implantation; however, their cellular biology remains poorly understood. This study presents a refined method for isolating three distinct endometrial cell types with high purity, with a specific emphasis on glandular epithelial cells.

High spatial resolution gene expression profiling and characterization of neuroblasts migrating in the peri-injured cortex using photo-isolation chemistry.

In the ventricular-subventricular-zone (V-SVZ) of the postnatal mammalian brain, immature neurons (neuroblasts) are generated from neural stem cells throughout their lifetime. These V-SVZ-derived neuroblasts normally migrate to the olfactory bulb through the rostral migratory stream, differentiate into interneurons, and are integrated into the preexisting olfactory circuit. When the brain is injured, some neuroblasts initiate migration toward the lesion and attempt to repair the damaged neuronal circuitry, but their low regeneration efficiency prevents functional recovery.

A Case of Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome With Glaucoma Successfully Treated by Trabeculotomy Using the Kahook Dual Blade.

This case study details a 41-year-old male patient with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome (FSS) who presented with ocular hypertension. The intraocular pressure (IOP) in his right eye progressively increased over time, leading to visual field loss, culminating in a diagnosis of juvenile-onset open-angle glaucoma (JOAG). Despite conventional medical therapies, adequate IOP control was not achieved, necessitating his referral to Nagoya City University Hospital.

Exocyst complex component 1 (Exoc1) loss in dormant oocyte disrupts c-KIT and growth differentiation factor (GDF9) subcellular localization and causes female infertility in mice.

A limited number of female germ cells support reproduction in many mammals. The follicle, composed of oocytes and supporting granulosa cells, forms the basis of oogenesis. Crosstalk between oocytes and granulosa cells is essential for the formation, dormancy, re-awakening, and maturation of oocytes.

Vesicoureteral reflux of a solitary kidney treated with endoscopic injection therapy comprising tandem injections administered with the assistance of a ureteral guidewire in a young girl.

We present the case of a 12-year-old girl with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) of a solitary kidney treated using a modified hydrodistention implantation technique. A needle was set parallel to the ureteral guidewire inserted through the ureteral orifice before performing injections to correct VUR. Multi-site tandem injections were administered along the wire, which confirmed the direction and length of the ureteral tunnel.

A case of recurrent mass complicated with mitral annular calcification in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Unlabelled: Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a chronic degenerative process involving the fibrous support structure of the mitral valve. The prevalence of this condition significantly increases with age, and is higher in patients with cardiovascular risk factors or end-stage renal disease. However, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may develop atherosclerosis and MAC at a relatively young age.

A single-arm, phase II study of sotorasib plus carboplatin/pemetrexed in advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer patients with KRAS G12C mutation (WJOG14821L, SCARLET).

Background: The efficacy and safety of sotorasib plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy in KRAS G12C-mutated non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (non-Sq NSCLC) were previously reported with limited follow-up period.

Method: SCARLET was a single-arm phase II study of chemotherapy-naïve patients with KRAS G12C-mutated non-Sq NSCLC. Participants received sotorasib 960 mg daily plus four cycles of carboplatin (area under the curve, 5)/pemetrexed 500 mg/m, followed by sotorasib/pemetrexed until disease progression.

Imaging-based method to quantify left ventricular diastolic pressures.

Aim: To establish an imaging-based method to quantify left ventricular (LV) diastolic pressures.

Methods/results: In 115 patients suspected of coronary artery disease, LV pressure was measured by micromanometers and images by echocardiography. LV filling pressure was measured as LV pre-atrial contraction pressure (pre-A PLV).

Maternal circadian rhythms during pregnancy dictate metabolic plasticity in offspring.

Tissue-level oscillation is achieved by tissue-intrinsic clocks along with network-dependent signals originating from distal organs and organismal behavior. Yet, it remains unexplored whether maternal circadian rhythms during pregnancy influence fetal rhythms and impact long-term susceptibility to dietary challenges in offspring. Here, we demonstrate that circadian disruption during pregnancy decreased placental and neonatal weight yet retained transcriptional and structural maturation.

Deterioration of preexisting myoclonus following nifedipine use in parkinsonian syndrome: A case report.

L-type calcium channel antagonists are uncommon causes of myoclonus, and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we report a case of parkinsonian syndrome with deterioration of preexisting myoclonus after nifedipine use. A 96-year-old woman was administered a single dose of sustained-release nifedipine for chest pain.

Exploring experimental models of prostate cancer in chemoprevention: Oxidative stress as a key pathway to translational research.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men globally. Its growth is driven by oxidative stress associated with inflammation, aging, and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle. These factors contribute to multiple stages of PCa progression, including progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Energy loss and adults with congenital heart disease: a novel marker of cardiac workload beyond right ventricular size.

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction after biventricular repair is critical in most adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). Conventional 2D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement is considered as a 'gold standard' for RV evaluation; however, addition information on ACHD after biventricular repair is sometimes required. The reasons why adjunctive information is required is as follows: (I) to evaluate the severity of cardiac burden in symptomatic patients with normal RV size and ejection fraction (EF), (II) to determine the optimal timing of invasive treatments in asymptomatic ones, and (III) to detect proactively a potential cardiac burden leading to ventricular deterioration, from a fluid dynamics perspective.

Three-Dimensional Gait Analysis of School-Age Children With Angelman Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.

Gait disturbance is a common motor symptom in Angelman syndrome (AS), but its characteristics have been poorly studied quantitatively. This study aimed to analyze gait characteristics in school-age children with AS using three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA). Patients with clinically and genetically confirmed AS and healthy children aged 6-15 years were included.

Evaluation of rewarding effects of nitazene analogs: results from conditioned place preference tests and in vivo microdialysis experiments in mice.

In illicit drug markets, the most recently expanding new synthetic opioid subclass is benzimidazoles, also known as nitazenes, which were originally developed as analgesics in the 1950s. The emergence of this classical, potent drug family has attracted extensive research interest in the field of forensic toxicology; however, information on their psychological and physical dependence is very limited. Herein, we evaluated the rewarding effects of four nitazene analogs using a battery of in vivo experiments, with a positive control drug (isotonitazene).

Knockdown of decorin in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells suppresses proteoglycan layer formation and establishes a pro-inflammatory environment on titanium oxide surfaces.

Osseointegration is essential for successful implant treatment. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we focused on decorin (DCN), which was hypothesized to be present in the proteoglycan (PG) layer at the interface between bone and the titanium oxide (TiOx) surface.