Urinary titin reflects the severity of walking ability, muscle strength, and muscle and cardiac damage in patients with Becker muscular dystrophy.

Background: Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is a dystrophinopathy caused by a pathological variant of the DMD gene. Urinary titin, a degradation product of the giant protein titin present in muscle sarcomeres, has been used as a biomarker to reflect muscle degradation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a more severe dystrophinopathy. However, the clinical significance of urinary titin levels in BMD remains unclear.

Daytime napping and depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder: A cross-sectional analysis of the APPLE cohort.

Background: The relationship between daytime napping and depression remains debatable. Thus, we investigated whether daytime napping is associated with depressive symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we enrolled 204 outpatients with bipolar disorder who were participants in the Association between Pathology of Bipolar Disorder and Light Exposure in Daily Life (APPLE) cohort study.

Impacts of adverse childhood experiences on individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) compared with typically developing (TD) individuals, which predisposes them to an elevated risk of mental health issues. This review elucidates the profound impact of ACEs on individuals with ASD by synthesizing findings from a plethora of epidemiologic and biological studies, encompassing genetics, epigenetics, and neuroimaging. Despite the limited number of studies explicitly focusing on this intersection, the extant literature consistently demonstrates that ASD individuals are disproportionately affected by ACEs, leading to significant deterioration in mental health and brain function.

Alterations in inhibitory neuron subtype-selective transcripts in the prefrontal cortex: comparisons across schizophrenia and mood disorders.

Background: In schizophrenia (SZ), impairments in cognitive functions, such as working memory, have been associated with alterations in certain types of inhibitory neurons that utilize the neurotransmitter -aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). For example, GABA neurons that express parvalbumin (PV) or somatostatin (SST) have more prominent gene expression alterations than those that express vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). In bipolar disorder (BD) and major depression (MD), which exhibit similar, but less severe, cognitive impairments than SZ, alterations of transcript levels in GABA neurons have also been reported.

Protective effects of 10 °C preservation on donor lungs with lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury.

Objectives: Hypothermic lung preservation at 10 °C has been recently shown to enhance quality of healthy donor lungs during ischemia. This study aims to show generalizability of the 10 °C lung preservation using an endotoxin-induced lung injury with specific focus on the benefits of post-transplant lung function and mitochondrial preservation.

Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (3 mg/kg) was injected intratracheally in rats to induce lung injury.

Impact of sex, age at onset, and anti-cN1A antibodies on sporadic inclusion body myositis.

Background: Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is a progressive myopathy occurring in patients over 45 years of age, with heterogeneous and variable clinical features. This study aimed to determine the influence of autoantibodies, gender, and age of onset on the clinical features of IBM.

Methods: Medical records and muscle histology findings of 570 participants with suspected IBM were reviewed.

Associations between readmission and patient-reported measures in acute psychiatric inpatients: a multicenter prospective longitudinal study.

Purpose: This study examined whether patient-reported measures (PRMs) addressing quality of life, personal agency, functional impairment, and treatment satisfaction at hospital discharge were associated with future readmission during a 12-month follow-up period. The study also examined whether readmission influenced changes in the same measures.

Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted at 21 psychiatric hospitals in Japan.

Adverse childhood experiences exacerbate peripheral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in adults.

Aim: Adverse childhood experiences are potentially traumatic events with long-lasting effects on the health and well-being of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is important to clarify which types of long-lasting autism-related symptoms are influenced by childhood experiences to design future intervention studies. However, few studies have examined the association between childhood experiences and autistic symptoms in large samples of adults with ASD and individuals with typical development (TD).

Preliminary observations on the associations between sensory processing abnormalities and event-related potentials in adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Aim: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is thought to involve a variety of neurophysiological characteristics. Event-related potentials (ERPs) reflect cognitive functions in the brain's cognitive processing. In this study, we investigated differences in P300 and N100 of ERPs between ASD and typically developing groups and focused on the relationship between the components of ERPs and measures of autistic traits and sensory processing characteristics.

[Dermatomyositis].

Dermatomyositis (DM) is distinguished from other idiopathic inflammatory myopathies by the characteristic skin rashes, muscle pathology, and muscle symptoms. Five myositis-specific autoantibodies have been identified in DM, and the correlation between each antibody and the clinical picture is clear. Pathological analysis has also identified DM as a type I interferonopathy of the skeletal muscle.

Association of perioperative oral swallowing function with post-esophagectomy outcomes and nutritional statuses in patients with esophageal cancer.

Dysphagia after esophagectomy is a serious complication; however, no method has been established to accurately assess swallowing function. We evaluated the association of swallowing function tests with patients' post-esophagectomy complications and nutritional statuses. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 95 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy between 2016 and 2021.

Medulla and cervical cord contrast-induced encephalopathy detected by neuromonitoring during coil embolization of posterior circulation aneurysms.

Understanding the risks of contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE), a serious complication of contrast agents, is crucial in endovascular treatment. We present the case of a 73-year-old woman who developed CIE in the medulla and cervical cord during coil embolization for unruptured left basilar-superior cerebellar artery and basilar artery tip aneurysms. The CIE was identified via neuromonitoring.

Effectiveness of allergen immunotherapy with house dust mite extract for pediatric bronchial asthma.

We compared the effectiveness of rush subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) using standardized house dust mite (HDM) extract for pediatric bronchial asthma (BA). We followed the pediatric BA treatment score during 3 years of treatment. We assessed the median time to no longer requiring long-term control pharmacotherapy (LTCP) for BA (LTCP-free).

Numerous multinucleated giant cells in cutaneous epithelioid angiosarcoma and pulmonary metastasis: A unique observation with potential diagnostic pitfalls.

The histopathologic diagnosis of poorly differentiated cutaneous angiosarcoma can be challenging. We report a case of cutaneous epithelioid angiosarcoma with numerous multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) developing pulmonary metastasis. A 79-year-old man presented with a red-purple plaque on the scalp.

Effectiveness of continuous allergenic food intake for acute food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome.

Continuous intake of allergenic food is a safe and efficient treatment strategy for patients with a prolonged course of acute food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome. The initial dose, dose escalation rate, and starting age for continuous allergenic food intake need further clarification.