Predictors of rituximab efficacy in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease: machine-learning analysis of the DESIRES trial.

Objectives: Rituximab is emerging as a promising therapeutic option for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). However, little is known about factors that predict the efficacy of rituximab in SSc-ILD.

Methods: A post-hoc analysis was performed on prospective data from 48 patients with SSc-ILD in the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled DESIRES trial.

Extracellular Mitochondria Exacerbate Retinal Pigment Epithelium Degeneration in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Advances in fundus imaging are revealing disruptions in the neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy (DR). In the era of anti-VEGF treatment, a thorough characterization of neurodegeneration is imperative until DR patients are sufficiently cured. Here we demonstrate that extracellular mitochondria exacerbate retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration and inflammation in DR.

The employee's perception of psychological safety: construct dimensions, scale development and validation.

Although organisations can effectively resist risks and enhance organisational performance by creating a Perception of Psychological Safety (PPS) climate, there is a lack of PPS scales developed under a multidimensional integrated interaction perspective. Based on a review of relevant theories, this paper clearly defines the concept of PPS and proposes a three-dimensional model of PPS, including organisational- level PPS, team- level PPS, and dyadic- level PPS. In this paper, we develop and validate a scale for measuring PPS in the workplace using 12 startups in a relatively economically developed region in the southeastern coastal region of China as the empirical target.

Three-dimensional digital anatomical measurements of pterygoid plates and posterior maxillary region.

Background: The posterior maxilla and skull base is a region with a complex anatomy. Accurate resection of the pterygoid plate is critical during a maxillectomy procedure. However, there is a paucity of functional and anatomical studies on the pterygoid plate and skull base.

Biomechanical stability of magnesium plate and screw fixation systems in LeFort I osteotomy: a three-dimensional finite element analysis.

Background: Titanium (Ti-6Al-4 V) is used for fixation in LeFort I osteotomy, a procedure for treating midface deformities. This study assessed the biomechanical stabilities of two Mg alloys (WE43 and ZK60) as biodegradable alternatives and compared them against Ti using finite element analyses. The LeFort I osteotomy procedure was simulated, and various plate and screw configurations were tested.

Intranasal Immunization with Nasal Immuno-Inducible Sequence-Fused Antigens Elicits Antigen-Specific Antibody Production.

Intranasal immunization is one of the most effective methods for eliciting lung mucosal immunity. Multiple intranasal immunization with bacterial polypeptide, termed as a modified PnxIIIA (MP3) protein, is known to elicit production of a specific antibody in mice. In this study, a nasal immuno-inducible sequence (NAIS) was designed to remove the antigenicity of the MP3 protein that can induce mucosal immunity by intranasal immunization, and was examined to induce antigen-specific antibodies against the fused bacterial thioredoxin (Trx) as a model antigen.

Clinical impact of cancer cachexia on the outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer with PD-L1 tumor proportion scores of ≥50% receiving pembrolizumab monotherapy versus immune checkpoint inhibitor with chemotherapy.

This retrospective, multicenter cohort study aimed to determine whether cancer cachexia serves as a biomarker for determining the most effective treatment for patients having non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with high programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) alone or combined with chemotherapy (ICI/chemotherapy). We included 411 patients with advanced NSCLC with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score of ≥50%. The patients were treated with pembrolizumab monotherapy or ICI/chemotherapy.

Metal-Bridging Cyclic Bilatriene Analogue Affords Stable π-Radicaloid Dyes with Near-Infrared II Absorption.

Stable neutral metal radicaloid complexes have been synthesized from a modified tetrapyrrolic pigment, bilatriene, with iridium(I) and rhodium(I) cyclooctadiene (COD) synthons. The bilatriene skeleton contains α-linked conjugated pyrrole units, whereas an N-confused analogue used in this work possesses β-linked pyrrole moieties at the terminal, demonstrating a unique metal binding capability. Unprecedentedly, the metal-COD cations are accommodated at the outer nitrogen sites, which induced the formation of open-shell metal-radicaloid species.

Delphinidin induces a fast-to-slow muscle fiber type shift through the AMPK signaling pathway in C2C12 myotubes.

Delphinidin, a plant anthocyanidin, suppresses disuse muscle atrophy in mice. However, its effect on muscle fiber type shift is unclear. To examine whether delphinidin affects skeletal muscle fiber type, differentiated C2C12 cells were treated with delphinidin.

Timing of Intracordal Trafermin Injection in Patients With Vocal Fold Paralysis: Recommendations for a New Treatment Time Course.

Objective: To identify factors correlated with the effect of intracordal trafermin injection.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Herein, 177 patients who received an intracordal trafermin injection at the Tokyo Voice Center for vocal fold paralysis were included.

A stearate-rich diet and oleate restriction directly inhibit tumor growth via the unfolded protein response.

Fatty acids are known to have significant effects on the properties of cancer cells. Therefore, these compounds have been incorporated into therapeutic strategies. However, few studies have examined the effects of individual fatty acids and their interactions in depth.

SERS-Based Aptamer Sensing Strategy for Diabetes Biomarker Detection.

Accurate detection of glucose and insulin is crucial for early diagnosis, classification, and timely prevention of diabetes. In this study, we present a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) aptasensor for glucose and insulin detection. The SERS aptasensor is composed of gold bipyramidal nanoparticles (Au BPs), SH-aptamer-methylene blue (MB), and thiolated polyethylene glycol (SH-PEG).

Comprehensive analysis of orofacial motor skills in children with obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: The neuromuscular activity has a critical role in the permeability of the upper airways.

Objective: The present study aimed to conduct a detailed and comparative investigation of the orofacial musculature and motor skills of children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Materials And Methods: Children aged 7 to 12 years with OSA (OSA group, n = 12) and without OSA (Control group, n = 12) were compared.

Synthesis and Properties of 5,15-Dioxaporphyrin Bearing Various meso-Aryl Substituents.

Herein, a scope of meso-substituents for the synthesis of 5,15-dioxaporphyrins (DOPs), a novel antiaromatic porphyrinoid, was investigated. DOPs with various types of aryl substituents were synthesized by nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of nickel bis(α,α'-dibromodipyrrin) complexes bearing corresponding meso-aryl substituents and subsequent intramolecular annulation reaction of β-hydroxy-substituted intermediates. Using a copper dipyrrin complex instead of nickel complexes, a copper complex of DOP was synthesized for the first time.

Vicious cycle of vitamin B insufficiency and heart failure in cardiology outpatients.

Heart failure is a major manifestation of vitamin B deficiency; beriberi. We have previously reported that even vitamin B insufficiency, milder than deficiency, is a risk for heart failure in the institutionalized elderly. Then in this cross-sectional study, sixty-eight cardiology outpatients were evaluated for their whole blood vitamin B and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations, a sensitive marker of heart failure, as well as their dietary intake.

Stepwise cardiovascular risk stratification in patients with type 2 diabetes based on coronary CT assessment.

Background: We aimed to examine the stepwise risk stratification for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with DM and suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).

Method: 1187 patients with suspected CAD enrolled in a prospective cohort study were examined. The patients were evaluated step-by-step with coronary artery calcification (CAC), coronary artery stenosis (CAS), and FFR analysis.

Contemporary Use of β-Blockers in Heart Failure Patients With and Without Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Database Analysis.

Evidence of the effectiveness of β-blockers in heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) in a contemporary cohort is controversial. This study investigated the association between the use of β-blockers and prognosis in hospitalized HF patients with and without AF in Japan. Patients hospitalized with the first episode of acute HF were identified from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan between April 2014 and March 2021.

Description of sp. nov., an anaerobic bacterium isolated from pig faeces.

A short-rod-shaped, obligate anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium isolated from the faeces of a pig was designated as the strain YH-ols2223. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the isolate was most closely related to KCTC 25755 with 97.7% similarity.

deficiency in male mice led to abnormal sperm morphology and reduced sperm motility.

Infertility affects over 15% of the global population, and genetic mutations are a substantial cause of infertility. Recent studies have focused on the subcortical maternal complex and its role in early embryonic development. TLE6, a core protein in the subcortical maternal complex, is crucial for female fertility; however, its role in male germ cells remains poorly understood.