Impact of intra-abdominal absorbable sutures on surgical site infection in gastrointestinal and hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery: results of a multicenter, randomized, prospective, phase II clinical trial.

Background: The use of absorbable sutures in wound closure has been shown to reduce the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI); however, there is no evidence that the intra-abdominal use of absorbable rather than silk sutures reduces the incidence of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery. We report the findings of a phase II trial, designed to evaluate the impact of the intra-abdominal use of absorbable sutures on the incidence of SSI.

Methods: At 19 Japanese hospitals, 1147 patients undergoing elective gastrectomy, colorectal surgery, hepatectomy, or pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) were randomly assigned to absorbable or silk intra-abdominal suture groups.

The Current Status of Microvascular Decompression for the Treatment of Hemifacial Spasm in Japan: An Analysis of 2907 Patients Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination Database.

Microvascular decompression (MVD) is widely used as a safe and effective treatment for hemifacial spasm (HFS). However, the extent of application of this therapeutic method and its outcomes in Japan are currently unclear. To address these questions, we analyzed the utilization of MVD for the treatment of HFS during the 33- month period from July 2010 to March 2013.

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies TLL1 Variant Associated With Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

Background & Aims: There is still a risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development after eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with antiviral agents. We investigated genetic factors associated with the development of HCC in patients with a sustained virologic response (SVR) to treatment for chronic HCV infection.

Methods: We obtained genomic DNA from 457 patients in Japan with a SVR to interferon-based treatment for chronic HCV infection from 2007 through 2015.

Sex- and age-dependent gene expression in human liver: An implication for drug-metabolizing enzymes.

Sex and age differences in hepatic expression of drug-metabolizing enzyme genes could cause variations in drug metabolism, but has not been fully elucidated, especially in Asian population. In this study, the global expression of human hepatic genes was analyzed by microarrays in 40 Japanese subjects (27 males and 13 females). Thirty-five sex-biased genes were identified (P < 0.

Cementless calcar-replacement stem with integrated greater trochanter plate for unstable intertrochanteric fracture in very elderly patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical results of rigid fixation of the greater trochanter fragment through a consecutive hemiarthroplasty series using a cementless and modular calcar-replacement prosthesis with an integrated plate (MOD-Centaur stem) with 1-year follow-up in very elderly patients with unstable intertrochanteric fractures.

Methods: We assessed 44 consecutive very elderly patients (age >85 years; 2 men, 42 women; mean age at surgery: 89.6 years) with an unstable intertrochanteric fracture who underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty using the MOD-Centaur stem by the same surgeon.

Anomalous Separation of Small Y-Chromosomal DNA Fragments on Microchip Electrophoresis.

We investigated an anomalous DNA separation where two DNA fragments from the human Y-chromosome sY638 (64 bp) and sY592 (65 bp), with only one base pair difference, were separated. This result is abnormal since in a previous study, we found that 5 bp was the minimum difference between two DNA fragments that the microchip electrophoresis system can separate. The formation of a mini-loop in the structure of the DNA fragment of sY638 (64 bp) was strongly expected to be the reason.

A genome-wide association study identifies two novel susceptibility loci and trans population polygenicity associated with bipolar disorder.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified several susceptibility loci for bipolar disorder (BD) and shown that the genetic architecture of BD can be explained by polygenicity, with numerous variants contributing to BD. In the present GWAS (Phase I/II), which included 2964 BD and 61 887 control subjects from the Japanese population, we detected a novel susceptibility locus at 11q12.2 (rs28456, P=6.

Japanese clinical practice guidelines for congenital biliary dilatation.

Until now, there have been no practical clinical guidelines for congenital biliary dilatation (CBD). In this review article, the Japanese Study Group on Congenital Biliary Dilatation (JSCBD) propose to establish clinical practice guidelines for CBD. Because the evidence-based literature is relatively small, we decided to create guidelines based on the consensus of experts, using the medical literature for reference.

Increased incidence of post-term delivery and Cesarean section after frozen-thawed embryo transfer during a hormone replacement cycle.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients who conceive singletons after frozen embryo transfer (FET) during a hormone replacement cycle and their offspring.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients who conceived after FET, based on the Japanese-assisted reproductive technology registry for 2013. The perinatal outcomes in cases with live-born singletons achieved through natural ovulatory cycle FET (NC-FET) (n = 6287) or hormone replacement cycle FET (HRC-FET) (n = 10,235) were compared.

FcRγ-dependent immune activation initiates astrogliosis during the asymptomatic phase of Sandhoff disease model mice.

Sandhoff disease (SD) is caused by the loss of β-hexosaminidase (Hex) enzymatic activity in lysosomes resulting from Hexb mutations. In SD patients, the Hex substrate GM2 ganglioside accumulates abnormally in neuronal cells, resulting in neuronal loss, microglial activation, and astrogliosis. Hexb mice, which manifest a phenotype similar to SD, serve as animal models for examining the pathophysiology of SD.

Membrane translocation of t-SNARE protein syntaxin-4 abrogates ground-state pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are attractive tools for regenerative medicine therapies. However, aberrant cell populations that display flattened morphology and lose ground-state pluripotency often appear spontaneously, unless glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1/2) are inactivated. Here, we show that membrane translocation of the t-SNARE protein syntaxin-4 possibly is involved in this phenomenon.

Ameloblastin induces tumor suppressive phenotype and enhances chemosensitivity to doxorubicin via Src-Stat3 inactivation in osteosarcoma.

Ameloblastin (AMBN), the most abundant non-amelogenin enamel matrix protein, plays a role in ameloblast differentiation. Previously, we found that AMBN promoted osteogenic differentiation via the interaction between CD63 and integrin β1, leading to the inactivation of Src; however, how AMBN affects the malignant behavior of osteosarcoma is still unclear. Osteosarcoma affects the bone and is associated with poor prognosis because of the high rate of pulmonary metastases and drug resistance.

Can intraoperative kinematic analysis predict postoperative kinematics following total knee arthroplasty? A preliminary.

The preliminary study analyzed the relationship between intraoperative navigation-based kinematics and postoperative 2-dimensional/3-dimensional (2D/3D) image registration-based kinematics in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Six knees in 5 patients were analyzed. All TKA procedures were performed using an image-free knee navigation system.

Diffusion tensor imaging and tractography of the sciatic nerve: assessment of fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient values relative to the piriformis muscle, a preliminary study.

Objective: Piriformis muscle syndrome (PMS) is underdiagnosed. To evaluate the potential of diffusion tensor imaging and diffusion tensor tractography as innovative tools for the diagnosis of PMS by functional assessment of the sciatic nerve, the aims of this study are to assess the reproducibility and to evaluate the changes in the parameters at levels proximal and distal to the piriformis.

Materials And Methods: Fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the sciatic nerve at three levels were quantified twice each by two examiners using the fiber-tracking method.

Latent pH-responsive ratiometric fluorescent cluster based on self-assembled photoactivated SNARF derivatives.

We have developed a self-assembled fluorescent cluster comprising a seminaphthorhodafluor (SNARF) derivative protected by a photoremovable -nitrobenzyl group. Prior to UV irradiation, a colorless and nonfluorescent cluster was spontaneously assembled in aqueous solution. After UV irradiation, the self-assembled cluster remained intact and showed a large enhancement in pH-responsive fluorescence.

MYB transcription factor gene involved in sex determination in Asparagus officinalis.

Dioecy is a plant mating system in which individuals of a species are either male or female. Although many flowering plants evolved independently from hermaphroditism to dioecy, the molecular mechanism underlying this transition remains largely unknown. Sex determination in the dioecious plant Asparagus officinalis is controlled by X and Y chromosomes; the male and female karyotypes are XY and XX, respectively.

Degradation of bradykinin by a metalloendopeptidase from Streptococcus pyogenes.

Objectives: Streptococcus pyogenes secretes streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin B (SpeB), which cleaves kininogen to liberate bradykinin. In addition, this bacterium also has cell-associated bradykinin-degrading activity. Here, we characterized the bradykinin-degrading enzyme produced by S.

Functional 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene scaffold: Design of fluorescent probes for kinesin spindle protein (KSP).

1,3a,6a-Triazapentalene is a compact fluorescent chromophore. In this study, triazapentalene was used to modify a series of biphenyl-type inhibitors of kinesin spindle protein (KSP) to develop fluorescent probes for the intracellular visualization of this protein. Microscopic studies demonstrated that these novel triazapentalene-labeled compounds exhibited inhibitory activity towards KSP in cultured cells and provided important information concerning the intracellular distribution.

Propensity score-matched study of laparoscopic and open surgery for colorectal cancer in rural hospitals.

Background And Aim: Various randomized clinical studies have suggested that short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic surgery (LAP) for colorectal cancer are comparable with those of open surgery (OP). However, these studies were performed in high-volume hospitals. The aim of the present study was to compare the outcomes of LAP versus OP for colorectal cancer in rural hospitals.

Simultaneous small-angle neutron scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic measurements on cocrystals of syndiotactic polystyrene with polyethylene glycol dimethyl ethers.

Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) is a crystalline polymer which has a unique property; it is able to form cocrystals with a wide range of chemical compounds, in which the guest molecules are confined in the vacancies of the host sPS crystalline region. Recently, it has been found that even polyethylene glycol oligomers with a molecular weight of more than several hundreds can be introduced into the sPS crystalline region. It is quite important to know how such a long-chain molecule is stored in the host sPS lattice.

Modulation of cutaneous extracellular collagen contraction by phosphorylation status of p130Cas.

Skin can respond to various types of internal and/or external mechanostimuli, such as excessive tension caused by body growth or decompression due to weight loss, which significantly affect skin morphology. Mechanosensors, including p130Cas, are reported to play a role in deformation and subsequent recovery of various tissues including skeletal muscles and blood vessels. However, the role of mechanotransduction via p130Cas in the regulation of skin size remains unclear.