Do confined field trials add value for the environment risk assessment of genetically modified Brassica napus L. in Japan?

The environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) crops in Japan requires collecting data from a comparative study of a GM and non-GM control in an in-country confined field trial (CFT). This in-country CFT requirement is used to address concerns that differences in the local environmental conditions may lead to differences in growth and/or risks of GM crops. However, this requirement for in-country CFT has recently been exempted for certain GM maize and GM cotton traits, and instead CFT data from other countries are used to inform the ERA of these GM events.

High Transferability of Neutralizing Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to Umbilical Cord Blood in Pregnant Women Vaccinated with BNT162b2 XBB.1.5: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to severe respiratory illness, rapid disease progression, and higher rates of intensive care unit admission in pregnant women. Infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery, cesarean section, fetal dysfunction, preeclampsia, and perinatal death. Vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from pregnant women to their fetuses has also been observed.

POST-COVID-19 INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS REMISSION.

People infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are at a higher risk of developing autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease. However, clinical studies have shown that, unlike bacterial infections, inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis is rarely triggered by viral infections. Generally, adult females have a higher incidence of rheumatoid arthritis compared to males (a female/male ratio of approximately 3:1).

Topic highlight on texture and color enhancement imaging in gastrointestinal diseases.

Olympus Corporation developed texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI) as a novel image-enhancing endoscopic technique. This topic highlights a series of hot-topic articles that investigated the efficacy of TXI for gastrointestinal disease identification in the clinical setting. A randomized controlled trial demonstrated improvements in the colorectal adenoma detection rate (ADR) and the mean number of adenomas per procedure (MAP) of TXI compared with those of white-light imaging (WLI) observation (58.

Preoperative Motor Function Associated with Short-Term Gain of Health-Related Quality of Life after Surgery for Lumbar Degenerative Disease: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Study in Japan.

This study aimed to estimate the relationship between preoperative motor function and short-term recovery of health-related quality of life after lumbar surgery in patients with lumbar degenerative disease. This prospective cohort study involved 50 patients with lumbar degenerative disease at a general hospital in Japan. The primary outcome was the achievement of minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for EuroQOL 5 dimensions (EQ-5D) at discharge.

Characteristic of Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma by Algorithm of Potential Biomarkers for Uterine Mesenchymal Tumor.

The benign tumor uterine leiomyoma (UL) develops from the smooth muscle tissue that constitutes the uterus, whereas malignant tumor uterine sarcoma develops from either the smooth muscle tissue or stroma and is different from UL and endometrial cancer. Uterine sarcoma is broadly classified into three types: uterine leiomyosarcoma, endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS), and carcinosarcoma. Although uterine leiomyosarcoma and ESS are both classified as uterine sarcoma, they significantly differ in terms of their sites of occurrence, symptoms, and treatment methods.

Clinical significance of the mutation in anastomotic recurrence of colorectal cancer.

The genetic risk factors for anastomotic recurrence (AR) after curative surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) are unclear. The present study is a single-center retrospective observational study that aimed to elucidate the association between the mutation and AR in CRC. The present study included 21 patients with AR and 67 patients with non-anastomotic local recurrence (NALR) following curative surgery for CRC between January 2005 and December 2019.

Piton: Investigating the Controllability of a Wearable Telexistence Robot.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted collaborative activities, travel, and physical contact, increasing the demand for real-time interactions with remote environments. However, the existing remote communication solutions provide limited interactions and do not convey a high sense of presence within a remote environment. Therefore, we propose a snake-shaped wearable telexistence robot, called Piton, that can be remotely used for a variety of collaborative applications.

Prediction model of Graves' disease in general clinical practice based on complete blood count and biochemistry profile.

Although untreated Graves' disease (GD) is associated with a higher risk of cardiac complications and mortality, there is no well-established way to predict the onset of thyrotoxicosis in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to identify important variables that will make it possible to predict GD and thyrotoxicosis (GD + painless thyroiditis (PT)) by using a machine-learning-based model based on complete blood count and standard biochemistry profile data. We identified 19,335 newly diagnosed GD patients, 3,267 PT patients, and 4,159 subjects without any thyroid disease.

Label-free skin penetration analysis using time-resolved, phase-modulated stimulated Raman scattering microscopy.

Skin penetration analysis of topically applied drugs or active compounds is essential in biomedical applications. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a promising label-free skin penetration analysis tool. However, conventional SRS microcopy suffers from limited signal contrast owing to strong background signals, which prevents its use in low-concentration drug imaging.

Ammonium removal and recovery from sewage water using column-system packed highly selective ammonium adsorbent.

One of the strategies to realize a nitrogen cycle society, we attempted to recover ammonium ions from industrial wastewater, especially sewage water with adsorbent materials. We have developed an adsorbent with high ammonium selectivity based on copper hexacyanoferrate and granulated it as pellets. Using a compact column system filled with this granule adsorbent, ammonium ions were recovered from sewage containing 1000-1500 mg-NH/L ammonium ions.

Reliability of Trapezius Muscle Hardness Measurement: A Comparison between Portable Muscle Hardness Meter and Ultrasound Strain Elastography.

Prolonged computer work and smartphone use can cause stiffness of the neck and shoulder muscles, including the trapezius muscle. Hence, muscle hardness quantification is clinically beneficial. The present study aimed to examine the reliability of trapezius muscle hardness measurement using a portable muscle hardness meter and ultrasound strain elastography.

Prevalence of Causing Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease of Shrimp in Shrimp, Molluscan Shellfish and Water Samples in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

A total of 481 samples, including 417 shrimp and molluscan shellfish samples from retail shops and farms and 64 water samples from shrimp and molluscan shellfish farms in the Mekong Delta located the southern part of Vietnam, were examined for the presence of () caused acute haepatopancreatic necrosic disease (AHPND) in shrimp. strains were isolated in two of 298 (0.7%) molluscan shellfish samples from retail shops, seven of 71 (9.

Validating the Paradigm That Biomechanical Forces Regulate Embryonic Cardiovascular Morphogenesis and Are Fundamental in the Etiology of Congenital Heart Disease.

The goal of this review is to provide a broad overview of the biomechanical maturation and regulation of vertebrate cardiovascular (CV) morphogenesis and the evidence for mechanistic relationships between function and form relevant to the origins of congenital heart disease (CHD). The embryonic heart has been investigated for over a century, initially focusing on the chick embryo due to the opportunity to isolate and investigate myocardial electromechanical maturation, the ability to directly instrument and measure normal cardiac function, intervene to alter ventricular loading conditions, and then investigate changes in functional and structural maturation to deduce mechanism. The paradigm of "Develop and validate quantitative techniques, describe normal, perturb the system, describe abnormal, then deduce mechanisms" was taught to many young investigators by Dr.

Roxb. and lutein ameliorate cataract in type 1 diabetic rats.

Roxb. is an annual aquatic grass of the citrus family. Although its hot water extract displays antioxidative activity , little is known about its biological effectiveness.

Collagen vitrigel promotes hepatocytic differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into functional hepatocyte-like cells.

Differentiation of stem cells to hepatocytes provides an unlimited supply of human hepatocytes and therefore has been vigorously studied. However, to date, the stem cell-derived hepatocytes were suggested to be of immature features. To obtain matured hepatocytes from stem cells, we tested the effect of culturing human-induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cell-derived endoderm cells on collagen vitrigel membrane and compared with our previous reported nanofiber matrix.

Post-Marketing Surveillance of Silodosin in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Poor Response to Existing Alpha-1 Blockers: The SPLASH Study.

Objectives: Our objective was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of silodosin in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who switched to silodosin from another α blocker because of inadequate response.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted at 715 medical facilities in Japan in patients with BPH who received an α blocker other than silodosin for at least 3 months but had experienced unsatisfactory treatment outcomes. Patients completed questionnaires, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QOL) score and Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) at baseline (time of switching) and after 3 months of treatment with silodosin.

Discovery of a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 analog with enhanced aggregation propensity.

In the course of our search for new GLP-1 analogs, we screened a number of [Ser]-GLP-1 analogs using the C-terminal helix 3 of the albumin binding domain 3 of protein G from bacterial Streptococcal G strain 148 (G148-ABD3) as appendage. Our efforts led to the discovery of [Ser]-GLP-1 (7-35)-GVKALIDEILAA-NH, peptide 6, as a long-acting GLP-1 analog with enhanced self-associated aggregation. Peptide 6 showed enhanced stability in rat and human plasma and an extended half-life of 5.

A competitive alphascreen assay for detection of hyaluronan.

A method for specific quantification of hyaluronan (HA) concentration using AlphaScreen® (Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay) technology is described. Two types of hydrogel-coated and chromophore-loaded latex nanobeads are employed. The proximity of the beads in solution is detected by excitation of the donor bead leading to the production of singlet oxygen, and chemiluminescence from the acceptor bead upon exposure to singlet oxygen.

MASTDISCS combi Carba plus, a simple method for discriminating carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, including OXA-48-type producers.

Accurate and rapid detection of carbapenemases and identification of their types in Enterobacteriaceae are both still major challenges for clinical laboratories in attempting to prevent the intrusion and transmission of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the MASTDISCS combi Carba plus disc system in identification of different carbapenemase types, including OXA-48-type carbapenemase, for which no specific enzyme inhibitors have so far been available. The simple disc system discriminates carbapenemases, including OXA-48-types exhibiting low carbapenem minimum inhibitory concentrations, by targeting Enterobacteriaceae isolates with a EUCAST meropenem screening cut-off of ≥0.

An insight into the thermodynamic characteristics of human thrombopoietin complexation with TN1 antibody.

Human thrombopoietin (hTPO) primarily stimulates megakaryocytopoiesis and platelet production and is neutralized by the mouse TN1 antibody. The thermodynamic characteristics of TN1 antibody-hTPO complexation were analyzed by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) using an antigen-binding fragment (Fab) derived from the TN1 antibody (TN1-Fab). To clarify the mechanism by which hTPO is recognized by TN1-Fab the conformation of free TN1-Fab was determined to a resolution of 2.

The first case of human protothecosis caused by Prototheca zopfii in Japan.

This report describes a fatal case Prototheca zopfii genotype 2 infection in an immunosuppressed patient. The patient was a 62-year-old housewife who presented general malaise in April 2011. Hairy cell leukemia was highly suspected.

Lipoblastomatosis appearing as an unusual symmetric upper lip deformity.

We report an unusual case of a bilateral, symmetric upper lip deformity. The submucosal tissue of the resected redundant portion of the lip was occupied by a mass that was diagnosed histopathologically as lipoblastomatosis. Differential diagnoses of lesions with symmetric upper lip deformity and current controversy regarding the surgical treatment are discussed here.