Association between left ventricular reverse remodelling and the B-type natriuretic peptide-cGMP cascade after anterior acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The role of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is not well understood despite its significance as a second messenger of natriuretic peptides (NPs) in cardiovascular disease. We investigated the association between the NP-cGMP cascade and left ventricular reverse remodelling (LVRR) in anterior AMI.

Methods: 67 patients with their first anterior AMI (median age, 64 years; male, 76%) underwent prospective evaluation of plasma concentrations of the molecular forms of A-type and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cGMP from immediately after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) to 10 months post-AMI.

The Efficacy of FOLFIRI Plus Ramucirumab in Recurrent Colorectal Cancer Refractory to Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Oxaliplatin/Fluoropyrimidine-Including Biomarker Analyses.

Background: FOLFIRI (5-FU + leucovorin + irinotecan) plus ramucirumab is one of the standards in second-line metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients progressing after treatment with oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine with bevacizumab, but there is no evidence on its efficacy without prior bevacizumab. Moreover, VEGF-D has not been confirmed as a predictive biomarker for ramucirumab's efficacy, either.

Methods: The RAINCLOUD study was a multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial conducted in Japan.

Seizures Following Carotid Endarterectomy: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of 69,479 Patients and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Perioperative Care.

Seizures are a rare but potentially serious complication following carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Understanding their prevalence and associated factors is crucial for optimizing perioperative care and improving patient outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of seizures following CEA and explore clinical and procedural factors contributing to their occurrence.

Phase 1/2 trial of brogidirsen: Dual-targeting antisense oligonucleotides for exon 44 skipping in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscle disorder caused by mutations in the DMD gene, leading to dystrophin deficiency. Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-mediated exon skipping offers potential by partially restoring dystrophin, though current therapies remain mutation specific with limited efficacy. To overcome those limitations, we developed brogidirsen, a dual-targeting ASO composed of two directly connected 12-mer sequences targeting exon 44 using phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers.

Structural insight into sodium ion pathway in the bacterial flagellar stator from marine .

Many bacteria swim in liquid or swarm on surface using the flagellum rotated by a motor driven by specific ion flow. The motor consists of the rotor and stator, and the stator converts the energy of ion flow to mechanical rotation. However, the ion pathway and the mechanism of stator rotation coupled with specific ion flow are still obscure.

Significance of Pulmonary Artery Dilatation in Lung Cancer Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Who Underwent Pulmonary Resection.

Background: The significance of pulmonary artery (PA) diameter in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who undergo pulmonary resection has not been elucidated.

Methods: Data of 357 patients with NSCLC and COPD who underwent pulmonary resection were retrospectively reviewed. The main PA diameter, determined by preoperative computed tomography, relative to the body surface area (PBR), was used as an index of PA dilatation, and patients were divided into 2 groups using median values.

Predictive models of in-hospital deterioration of Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention shock stage in patients with acute myocardial infarction initially presenting with stable hemodynamic condition.

Background: The Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention (SCAI) has defined 5 stages of cardiogenic shock (CS). In patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who initially present in stable hemodynamic condition (SCAI CS stage: A or B), CS stages could deteriorate despite therapeutic management. However, deterioration of SCAI CS stages after AMI remains to be fully characterized.

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.

Mesoscale heterogeneity is a critical determinant for spiral pattern formation in developing social amoeba.

Heterogeneity is a critical determinant for multicellular pattern formation. Although the importance of microscale and macroscale heterogeneity at the single-cell and whole-system levels, respectively, has been well accepted, the presence and functions of mesoscale heterogeneity, such as cell clusters with distinct properties, have been poorly recognized. We investigated the biological importance of mesoscale heterogeneity in signal-relaying abilities (excitability) in the self-organization of spiral waves of intercellular communications by studying the self-organized pattern formation in a population of Dictyostelium discoideum cells, a classical signal-relaying system model.

Population pharmacokinetics of blonanserin in Japanese adolescent and adult patients with schizophrenia.

The second-generation antipsychotic blonanserin is a highly selective, full antagonist of dopamine D and D and serotonin 5-HT receptors. It is currently prescribed for patients with schizophrenia in Japan. We aimed to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of oral blonanserin, including data from 12 to 77 years old patients, to assess the covariates that influence blonanserin pharmacokinetics and evaluate appropriate dosage regimens in adolescents versus adults.

Does using multiple strategies enhance preschoolers' persistence in a challenging task?

Persistence, characterized by continued efforts in the face of difficulties, is crucial for children's success. Many researchers have aimed to identify the factors that improve persistence. Previous research has found that children who use more strategies to solve a challenging task tend to exhibit greater persistence, suggesting that providing instructions for multiple strategies may enhance their persistence.

Reduction of ischemic time using the pull-through technique for scapular free flap.

Purpose: Current scapular free flap (SFF) harvest in mandibular reconstruction often requires repositioning, hindering simultaneous harvest and resection and potentially increasing ischemic time. This study evaluated the efficacy of the pull-through technique (PTT) for SFF harvest, aiming to reduce ischemic time during mandibular segmental resection.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 24 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction using SFF at two maxillofacial surgery departments between January 2015 and May 2022.

Enhanced Production of Rebaudioside D and Rebaudioside M through V155T Substitution in the Glycosyltransferase UGT91D2 from .

Steviol glycosides (SGs) are noncaloric natural sweeteners found in the leaves of stevia (). These diterpene glycosides are biosynthesized by attaching varying numbers of monosaccharides, primarily glucose, to steviol aglycone. Rebaudioside (Reb) D and Reb M are highly glucosylated SGs that are valued for their superior sweetness and organoleptic properties, yet they are present in limited quantities in stevia leaves.

New Surgical Approach and Rehabilitation After Cemented Total Ankle Arthroplasty.

Background: According to the conventional postoperative procedure after total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) for end-stage osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), mobilization and weight-bearing are currently started after completion of wound healing. Recently, an early rehabilitation program after cemented TAA with a modified anterolateral approach has been attempted because this approach could provide stable wound healing. To investigate the possibility of expediting rehabilitation, this study evaluated the feasibility, safety, and universality of an early rehabilitation program after cemented TAA using a modified anterolateral approach, even when a surgeon was completely changed.

Stereoselective Preparation and Pd-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-coupling of Alkenyl Sulfoximine.

Although numerous transition-metal catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkenyl electrophiles with a sulfur(VI) leaving group, mainly alkenyl sulfones, have been developed, most rely heavily on highly nucleophilic Grignard reagents, and the use of organoboron reagents remains challenging. We report herein facile preparation and the following Pd-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of alkenyl sulfoximine, a monoaza analog of sulfone. The condensation of alkyl sulfoximine with aldehydes, developed in this study, makes alkenyl sulfoximines more readily available.

Swimming Into Future Breakthroughs From Kyoto, Japan: Report of the 18th International Zebrafish Conference (IZFC2024).

The 18th International Zebrafish Conference (IZFC2024) took place from August 17 to 21, 2024, at Miyako Messe in Kyoto, Japan. This conference attracted 641 researchers from around the world along with 83 virtual participants, making it the largest gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic. The event featured two keynote lectures, three award lectures, 36 plenary talks, 90 oral presentations, and 374 poster presentations.

Comparison of active learning algorithms in classifying head computed tomography reports using bidirectional encoder representations from transformers.

Purpose: Systems equipped with natural language (NLP) processing can reduce missed radiological findings by physicians, but the annotation costs are burden in the development. This study aimed to compare the effects of active learning (AL) algorithms in NLP for estimating the significance of head computed tomography (CT) reports using bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT).

Methods: A total of 3728 head CT reports annotated with five categories of importance were used and UTH-BERT was adopted as the pre-trained BERT model.

Association Between Antibiotic Exposure During Pregnancy and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS) are a common mental health condition among women after delivery. Although various causative factors have been reported, PDS remains a challenging condition to predict and prevent. The disruption of the gut microbiota due to antibiotic exposure has been reported to affect psychiatric conditions.

Atmospheric Pressure Mass Spectrometry Imaging Using Electrospray-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization with Gas Transportation through a Heated Tube and Minimal Sample Preparation.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a valuable tool that enables label-free analysis and the ability to measure multiple molecules. The atmospheric pressure MS imaging (MSI) method usually requires tedious sample preparation. A simple ionization method with minimal sample preparation is needed for high-throughput analysis.

Reliability and validity of four cognitive interpretation bias measures in the context of social anxiety.

People with social anxiety disorder tend to interpret ambiguous social information in a negative rather than positive manner. Such interpretation biases may cause and maintain anxiety symptoms. However, there is considerable variability in the observed effects across studies, with some not finding a relationship between interpretation biases and social anxiety.

Progress of extracorporeal centrifugal pumps for mechanical circulatory supports.

This review traces the evolution of centrifugal blood pumps in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) systems. Initially met with concerns over blood damage and thrombus formation, centrifugal pumps have become crucial components in ventricular assist devices (VADs) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to their simplified drive mechanisms and adaptability. This paper outlines three generations of centrifugal pump development: first-generation pumps with sealing components, second-generation pumps utilizing pivot bearings, and third-generation pumps employing contactless bearings.

Patient-Reported Improvements in Patients with PNH Treated with Iptacopan from Two Phase 3 Studies.

Iptacopan, a first-in-class, oral, selective complement factor B inhibitor, demonstrated efficacy and safety as monotherapy in C5 inhibitor (C5i)-experienced (APPLY-PNH [NCT04558918]) and C5i-naive (APPOINT-PNH [NCT04820530]) patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). In APPLY-PNH and APPOINT-PNH, changes in fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL; EORTC QLQ-C30) from baseline to Day 168 were evaluated. The proportion of patients achieving meaningful within-patient change (MWPC) on the FACIT-Fatigue and 4 EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales (physical functioning, role functioning, fatigue, dyspnea) was evaluated using anchor-based thresholds.

Intestinal Foxl1+ cell-derived CXCL12 maintains epithelial homeostasis by modulating cellular metabolism.

Several mesenchymal cell populations are known to regulate intestinal stem cell (ISC) self-renewal and differentiation. However, the influences of signaling mediators derived from mesenchymal cells other than ISC niche factors on epithelial homeostasis remain poorly understood. Here, we show that host and microbial metabolites, such as taurine and GABA, act on PDGFRαhigh Foxl1high sub-epithelial mesenchymal cells to regulate their transcription.