Complement classical and alternative pathway activation contributes to diabetic kidney disease progression: a glomerular proteomics on kidney biopsies.

Increasing evidence points toward an essential role for complement activation in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear, and the pathway predominantly contributing to complement activation in DKD is of particular interest. In this study, the glomerular proteome, especially the profiles of the complement proteins, was analyzed in kidney biopsies from 40 DKD patients and 10 normal controls using laser microdissection-assisted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LMD-LC-MS/MS).

Understanding the impact of spatial immunophenotypes on the survival of endometrial cancer patients through the ProMisE classification.

Objectives: We focused on how the immunophenotypes based on the distribution of CD8-positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) relate to the endometrial cancer (EC) molecular subtypes and patients' prognosis.

Patients And Methods: Two cohorts of EC patients (total n = 145) were analyzed and categorized using the Molecular Risk Classifier for Endometrial cancer (ProMisE): POLEmut (POLE mutation), MMRd (mismatch repair deficiency), NSMP (no specific molecular profile), and p53abn (p53 abnormality). CD8-positive TILs, within the central tumor and the invasive margin, were examined by using immunohistochemical staining and advanced image-analysis software.

Chemotherapeutic hormesis induced by the tumor microenvironment in refractory ovarian cancer.

Advanced ovarian cancer often presents with multiple lesions exhibiting varying responses to chemotherapy, highlighting the critical influence of the tumor microenvironment (TME). This study investigates the phenomenon of chemotherapeutic hormesis, wherein low doses of chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin (CDDP) and paclitaxel (PTX), paradoxically stimulate rather than inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Our findings indicate that NOS3 ovarian cancer cells, particularly drug-resistant variants, exhibit enhanced proliferation when exposed to low concentrations of these drugs.

Heterozygous mutation in BRCA2 induces accelerated age-dependent decline in sperm quality with male subfertility in rats.

Tumor suppressor BRCA2 executes homologous recombination to repair DNA double-strand breaks in collaboration with RAD51, involving exon 11 and 27. Exon 11 constitutes a region where pathogenic variants (PVs) accumulate, and mutations in this region are known to contribute to carcinogenesis. However, the impact of the heterozygous PVs of BRCA2 exon 11 on the life quality beyond cancer risk, including male fertility, remains unclear.

Predictive model using autism diagnostic observation schedule, second edition for differential diagnosis between schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Although schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are currently conceptualized as distinct disorders, the similarity in their symptoms often makes differential diagnosis difficult. This study aimed to identify similarities and differences in the symptoms of schizophrenia and ASD to establish a more useful and objective differential diagnostic method and to identify ASD traits in participants with schizophrenia.

Methods: A total of 40 participants with schizophrenia (13 females, mean age: 34 ± 11 years) and 50 participants with ASD (15 females, mean age: 34 ± 8 years) were evaluated using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) and other clinical measures.

Persistent body-weight change on achalasia and peroral endoscopic myotomy: a multicenter cohort study.

Background: The distribution of body weight in patients with achalasia and after peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has not been investigated. The role of body weight assessment after treatment remains unclear.

Methods: Using the multicenter achalasia cohort, the frequency of underweight (body mass index [BMI] < 18.

Associations of gut microbiota with disease development, disease activity, and therapeutic effects in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Altered gut microbiota is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but its association with disease development, disease activity, and post-intervention changes remains unclear. We compared new-onset SLE (NOSLE, n = 25), SLE in remission (RemSLE, n = 30), and healthy controls (HC, n = 30) cross-sectionally and conducted the first longitudinal analysis of NOSLE patients (n = 22) from pre-intervention to remission over 12 months. Significant β-diversity differences were observed in both NOSLE and RemSLE compared to HC, but not between NOSLE and RemSLE.

Analysis of oxytocin and oxytocin receptor expressions after hand therapy treatment in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy .

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the effect of hand therapy (HT) on oxytocin and oxytocin receptor expression in a chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) model mouse.

Methods: CIPN model mouse was induced by intraperitoneal injection of paclitaxel (PTX; 4 mg/kg) on days 0, 2, 4 and 6 of the study. HT was performed on the CIPN mice once daily for 14 consecutive days, starting on day 8 after the PTX injection.

Tooth loss-associated neuroplasticity of mastication-related motor cortical neurons.

Objectives: The cerebral cortex contains neurons that play a pivotal role in controlling rhythmic masticatory jaw movements. However, the population characteristics of individual cortical neuronal activity during mastication and the impact of tooth loss on these characteristics remain unclear. Thus, in this study, we aimed to determine the activity patterns of mastication-related motor cortical neurons elicited during mastication and examine the effects of tooth extraction on neuronal activity using two-photon Ca imaging in head-restrained awake mice.

Coccydynia Improved by Percutaneous Discectomy.

Usually, coccydynia cases are caused by herniated discs, with lower back pain and sciatica as initial symptoms. However, whether lumbar disc herniation causes coccydynia without back pain remains unclear. We report a case of lumbar disc herniation diagnosed as the underlying cause of coccydynia by discoblock.

Anesthesia management using remimazolam for coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement in a patient with severe cardiac dysfunction: A case report.

Remimazolam, a short-acting benzodiazepine approved for use in general anesthesia in Japan in 2020, has cardiovascular stability superior to conventional anesthetics. Anesthesia management using remimazolam of a patient with impaired cardiac function and several complications is reported. A man in his 50s with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease (G 5) on dialysis came to our hospital with a chief complaint of exertional dyspnea and chest tightness, and a close examination showed stenoses of three coronary arteries.

Structural MRI study of Pareidolia and Visual Hallucinations in Drug-Naïve Parkinson's disease.

Visual hallucinations (VH) and pareidolia, a type of minor hallucination, share common underlying mechanisms. However, the similarities and differences in their brain regions remain poorly understood in Parkinson's disease (PD). A total of 104 drug-naïve PD patients underwent structural MRI and were assessed for pareidolia using the Noise Pareidolia Test (NPT) were enrolled.

The relationship of nasal mucus properties and symptoms in allergic and acute non-allergic rhinitis.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) and acute non-allergic rhinosinusitis (ARS) often present with similar symptoms. While these are generally differentiated by history and occasionally by secretion cell counts, there are few data temporally comparing these conditions.

Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted to assess nasal mucus properties, nasal obstruction, nasal secretion cells, and health related QOL during the acute phase (Day 5) and during a later phase of illness (Day 14/28).

High levels of fibrotic tumor components are associated with recurrence and intratumoral immune status in advanced colorectal cancer patients.

The importance of collagen and elastin remains incompletely understood concerning tumor immunity in cancer tissues. This study explored the clinical significance of collagen and elastin deposition on tumor immunity in advanced colorectal cancer patients. The collagen and elastin contents were assessed simultaneously using elastic van Gieson (EVG) histochemical staining.

Immune Stress-induced Tumor Mutation Burden and Neoantigen Expression in 4T1 Mammary Cancer Cells: A Potential Mechanism for Long-term Survival in Patients Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Background/aim: The Kaplan-Meier curves for patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) display a small group of potentially-cured patients with long-term survival, creating a 'kangaroo-tail' shape of the survival curve. However, the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon and what occurs in patients whose cancer is resistant to ICIs remain unclear. The present study aimed to answer these questions.

Safety and feasibility of robot-assisted surgery for pediatric patients weighing ≤ 10 kg with congenital biliary dilatation.

The advantage of robot-assisted surgery (RAS) is its ability to perform fine surgical operations with higher-resolution images. RAS should be particularly beneficial for small children, but it requires a certain amount of working space. The da Vinci Surgical System instructions state that careful consideration of indications for robotic surgery in patients weighing ≤ 10 kg is required.

Evaluating optimal rehabilitation strategies in ICU: study protocol for a multicentre cohort study to assess Physical Activity dosing, Muscle mass, and physICal outcomeS (IPAMICS study).

Background: Many patients who get discharged from the intensive care unit experience physical dysfunction that persists even after discharge. Physical dysfunction is associated with skeletal muscle atrophy and accompanying intensive care unit-acquired weakness in the early stages of intensive care unit admission, and early diagnosis and prevention with early mobilization are crucial. However, the amount of physical activity required for early mobilization remains controversial in critically ill patients.

Severe Polymyalgia Rheumatica-Like Syndrome Induced by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have dramatically improved the prognosis of patients with cancers. However, ICIs can provoke systemic toxicities, which are known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)-like syndrome induced by ICI is one of the most common rheumatic irAEs.

Acetabular osteophyte formation in dysplastic hip osteoarthritis.

The growth of periacetabular osteophytes with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) remains unclear. This study aimed to perform a three-dimensional assessment of periacetabular osteophytes and the effects of superiorization (SP) and lateralization (LT) of the femoral head on osteophyte formation. Female (n = 105) with unilateral hip osteoarthritis due to DDH who underwent total hip arthroplasty between 2016 and 2022 were included.

Comparison of single- and multi-isocenter planning with Dynamic WaveArc for multiple brain metastases.

Dynamic WaveArc (DWA) is a technique used for continuous, non-coplanar volumetric-modulated arc therapy on the Vero4DRT platform. This study aimed to evaluate the application of single-isocenter DWA (SI-DWA) for treating multiple brain metastases by comparing dose distribution and irradiation time with multi-isocenter DWA (MI-DWA) through retrospective treatment planning. Treatment plans were developed for SI-DWA and MI-DWA in 14 cases with 3-5 brain metastases.

Variations in serum concentrations of sunitinib and its metabolites in patients receiving long-term sunitinib treatment.

Purpose: The blood concentrations of some tyrosine kinase inhibitors are known to decrease with long-term administration. We evaluated the variability in the serum concentrations of sunitinib and its metabolites in patients receiving long-term sunitinib treatment.

Methods: This study prospectively recruited patients who received sunitinib for metastatic renal cell carcinoma at the Showa University Hospital between March 2020 and January 2022.

Regression of bilateral persistent primitive ophthalmic artery: a case report.

Purpose: We report a case of regression of a 2-year-old girl with bilateral primitive ophthalmic arteries (POAs).

Case Report: The patient presented with a headache and had no visual impairment or visual field abnormalities. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed arteries originating bilaterally from the cavernous internal carotid artery segments, diagnosed as persistent POAs.

Position statement of the World Endoscopy Organization: Role of endoscopy in screening, diagnosis, and treatment of esophageal superficial squamous neoplasia.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a significant global health challenge, being the sixth leading cause of cancer mortality with pronounced geographic variability. The incidence rates range from 125 per 100,000 in northern China to 1-1.5 per 100,000 in the United States, driven by environmental and lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, dietary habits, and pollution.