Initial calf circumference predicts poor disability outcomes in patients with stroke.

Background: Calf circumference (CC), which is easy to measure and noninvasive, may be a predictor of functional outcome in patients with acute stroke. However, the association between CC and long-term functional outcome is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether low CC is associated with functional outcome at 12 months post-stroke.

A reproducibility study on invasion in small pulmonary adenocarcinoma according to the WHO and a modified classification, supported by biomarkers.

Objectives: Evaluating invasion in non-mucinous adenocarcinoma (NMA) of the lung is crucial for accurate pT-staging. This study compares the World Health Organization (WHO) with a recently modified NMA classification.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted on small NMA pT1N0M0 cases with a 5-year follow-up.

Prediction of Aneurysm Sac Shrinkage After Endovascular Aortic Repair Using Machine Learning-Based Decision Tree Analysis.

Introduction: A simple risk stratification model to predict aneurysm sac shrinkagein patients undergoing endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) was developed using machine learning-based decision tree analysis.

Methods: One hundred nineteen patients with AAA who underwent elective EVAR at Tokyo Medical University Hospital between November 2013 and July 2019 were included in the study. Predictors of aneurysm sac shrinkage identified in univariable analysis (P < 0.

Influence of mesh selectivity on risk assessment of marine microplastics.

In this study, environmental microplastic samples (>30 μm) were collected from surface seawater and the water column, characterized, and used to assess ecological risks. The influence of mesh selectivity on ecological risks was also evaluated through subsampling. Results show that surface microplastic concentrations (>30 μm) range from 92 to 3306 pieces/m along Japan's southwest coast, with significant increases at Stas.

Pseudogap in electron-doped cuprates: Strong correlation leading to band splitting.

The pseudogap phenomena have been a long-standing mystery of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The pseudogap in the electron-doped cuprates has been attributed to band folding due to antiferromagnetic (AFM) long-range order or short-range correlation. We performed an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of the electron-doped cuprates PrLaCeCuO showing spin-glass, disordered AFM behaviors, and superconductivity at low temperatures and, by measurements with fine momentum cuts, found that the gap opens on the unfolded Fermi surface rather than the AFM Brillouin zone boundary.

Risk factors of short-term poor functional outcomes and long-term durability of ruptured large or giant intracranial aneurysms.

Objective: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. In particular, functional outcomes of SAH caused by large or giant (≥ 10 mm) ruptured intracranial aneurysms are worsened by high procedure-related complication rates. However, studies describing the risk factors for poor functional outcomes specific to ruptured large/giant aneurysms are sparse.

Predicting depressive symptoms and psychological distress by circulating inflammatory mediators: A 16-month prospective study in Japanese white-collar employees.

Objective: Although increasing evidence suggests that depression/distress involves inflammatory processes, its potential sex differences and the temporal directions for this association remain elusive.

Methods: We examined the temporal association between serum inflammatory mediators and depression/distress as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), in non-depressed working men and women (n = 61 and 43, respectively) by a 16-month prospective design.

Results: Fully-adjusted partial correlation analyses revealed that in men, a lower IFN-γ predicted subsequent increases in CES-D and K6 scores, while a higher TNF-α predicted increased K6 scores.

A national survey of career development according to gender and subspecialties among cardiologists in Japan.

Background: Training opportunities, work satisfaction, and the factors that influence them according to gender and subspecialties are understudied among Japanese cardiologists.

Methods: We investigated the career development of Japanese cardiologists with an e-mail questionnaire. Feelings of inequality in training opportunities, work dissatisfaction, and reasons were assessed by examining the cardiologists' gender and invasiveness of subspecialties.

Chromatin conformation, gene transcription, and nucleosome remodeling as an emergent system.

In single cells, variably sized nanoscale chromatin structures are observed, but it is unknown whether these form a cohesive framework that regulates RNA transcription. Here, we demonstrate that the human genome is an emergent, self-assembling, reinforcement learning system. Conformationally defined heterogeneous, nanoscopic packing domains form by the interplay of transcription, nucleosome remodeling, and loop extrusion.

Characterization of fungal carbonyl sulfide hydrolase belonging to clade D β-carbonic anhydrase.

Carbonyl sulfide hydrolase (COSase) is a unique enzyme that exhibits high activity towards carbonyl sulfide (COS) but low carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity, despite belonging to the CA family. COSase was initially identified in a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium and later discovered in the ascomycete Trichoderma harzianum strain THIF08. The COSase from T.

Fine-Tuning of the Sequential Self-Assembly of Entangled Polyhedra by Exploiting the Side-Chain Effect.

The control of the sequential self-assembly processes of highly entangled (AgL) (n=2,4,6,8) and AgL coordination polyhedra using side-chain effects was studied via the introduction of linear or branched side chains into the tripodal ligands. In addition to changes in the intermediate polyhedral species affording the multi- pathway process, disruption of the kinetic control of the sequential self-assembly was observed, thus demonstrating the utility of steric control for the construction of 3D-entangled molecular materials on the 5 nm scale with high molecular complexity.

Demographic Features, Diagnoses and Real-World Clinical Management of Uveitis in Japan.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate demographic features, diagnoses of uveitis (intraocular inflammation), and real-world clinical practice in the use of local and systemic therapies for patients with uveitis in Tokyo, Japan.

Methods: Clinical records of 1,174 consecutive new patients (480 males, 694 females) referred to the Kyorin Eye Center, Kyorin University Hospital between January 2011 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: Mean age at presentation was 52.

Familial Mediterranean fever with sigmoid colon stricture.

We describe a case of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) with sigmoid colon stricture. The patient, a woman in her 30 s, had a 12-year history of ileocolitis-type Crohn's disease. The colonoscope could not pass because of the sigmoid colon stricture, and the patient was referred to our hospital with complaints of abdominal pain and fever.

Barriers to and facilitators of point-of-care ultrasound utilization among physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses in Japan: a comparative study.

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a valuable skill for generalist physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and nurses; however, its utilization remains limited. This study was performed to investigate the current status, barriers, and facilitators of POCUS implementation among physicians, NPs, and nurses in family and hospital medicine in Japan and to identify differences in influencing factors between physicians and NPs/nurses.

Results: A web-based survey was distributed via the mailing lists of four major academic societies in general medicine in Japan-the Japanese Society of Hospital General Medicine, the Japan Primary Care Association, the Japanese Association for Home Care Medicine, and the Japan Society of Nurse Practitioner-from April to June 2024.

Clinical practice guidelines for management of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Japan 2024. Part 3: solid cancers and vascular abnormalities.

This study discusses disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) associated with solid cancers and various vascular abnormalities, both of which generally exhibit chronic DIC patterns. Solid cancers are among the most significant underlying diseases that induce DIC. However, the severity, bleeding tendency, and progression of DIC vary considerably depending on the type and stage of the cancer, making generalization difficult.

Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale for Children (IGDS-C).

Aim: The Internet Gaming Disorder Scale is a 9-item screening instrument developed based on the diagnostic criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the DSM-5. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale for children (IGDS-C) in Japanese clinical and nonclinical populations.

Methods: The study included clinical outpatients aged 9-29 with problematic game use and nonclinical adolescents aged 12-18 who played online games at least once a week.

Surface Circular Photogalvanic Effect in Tl-Pb Monolayer Alloys on Si(111) with Giant Rashba Splitting.

We have found that surface superstructures made of "monolayer alloys" of Tl and Pb on Si(111), having giant Rashba effect, produce nonreciprocal spin-polarized photocurrent via circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE) by obliquely shining circularly polarized near-infrared (IR) light. CPGE is here caused by the injection of in-plane spin into spin-split surface-state bands, which is observed only on Tl-Pb alloy layers but not on single-element Tl nor Pb layers. In the Tl-Pb monolayer alloys, despite their monatomic thickness, the magnitude of CPGE is comparable to or even larger than the cases of many other spin-split thin-film materials.

Selective adsorption of unmethylated DNA on ZnO nanowires for separation of methylated DNA.

DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic modification used as a biomarker for early cancer progression. However, existing methods for DNA methylation analysis are complex, time-consuming, and prone to DNA degradation. This work demonstrates selective capture of unmethylated DNAs using ZnO nanowires without chemical or biological modifications, thereby concentrating methylated DNA, particularly those with high methylation levels that can predict cancer risk.

The Hippo Signaling Pathway Manipulates Cellular Senescence.

The Hippo pathway, a kinase cascade, coordinates with many intracellular signals and mediates the regulation of the activities of various downstream transcription factors and their coactivators to maintain homeostasis. Therefore, the aberrant activation of the Hippo pathway and its associated molecules imposes significant stress on tissues and cells, leading to cancer, immune disorders, and a number of diseases. Cellular senescence, the mechanism by which cells counteract stress, prevents cells from unnecessary damage and leads to sustained cell cycle arrest.

Impact of Nurse Staffing Levels on Patient Fall Rates: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study in General Wards in Japan.

: Falls are common adverse events among hospitalized patients, affecting outcomes and placing a financial burden on patients and hospitals. This study investigated the relationship between nurse staffing/workload and patient falls during hospitalization. : The patients studied were hospitalized in the general wards (excluding pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology) of 11 National Hospital Organization institutions between April 2019 and March 2020.

Health Literacy and Internet Use Among Japanese Older Adults: A Gender-Stratified Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Moderating Effects of Neighborhood Relationships.

: Internet use positively impacts mental health in older adults, with health literacy (HL) playing a key role. While social networks may complement individual HL, the role of neighborhood relationships in this association, particularly by gender, remains unclear. This study examined how the association between HL and Internet use among older adults was modified by neighborhood relationships.

Factors Associated with Public Health Nurses' Anxiety About Accepting Evacuees During Nuclear Disasters: A Cross-Sectional Study in Oita Prefecture, Japan.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident underscored the critical role of public health nurses (PHNs) in managing evacuees during nuclear emergencies. Despite their importance, PHNs often lack sufficient knowledge and experience, which may make them anxious about this role. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with PHNs' anxiety about accepting evacuees and identify strategies to alleviate this anxiety.

Using One-Shot Prompting of Non-Fine-Tuned Commercial Artificial Intelligence to Assess Nutrients from Photographs of Japanese Meals.

Background: Diet interventions often have poor adherence due to burdensome food logging. Approaches using photographs assessed by artificial intelligence (AI) may make food logging easier, if they are adequately accurate.

Method: We used OpenAI's GPT-4o model with one-shot prompts and no fine-tuning to assess energy, fat, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and salt through photographs of 22 meals, comparing assessments to weighed food records for each meal and to assessments of dieticians.