High Blood Glucose After Starch Loading in Young Women With Small Increase in Salivary Amylase: Another Crucial Role of Postprandial Salivary Amylase.

Background: Salivary α-amylase plays a crucial role in the glucose metabolism. However, postprandial salivary α-amylase activity (SAA) and its relationship with blood glucose (BG) are poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated SAA and BG after starch loading in healthy young women.

Stimuli-responsive self-regulating assembly of chiral colloids for robust size and shape control.

Most synthetic self-assemblies grow indefinitely into size-unlimited structures, whereas some biological self-assemblies autonomously regulate their size and shape. One mechanism of such self-regulation arises from the chirality of building blocks, inducing their mutual twisting that is incompatible with their long-range ordered packing and thus halts the assembly's growth at a certain stage. This self-regulation occurs robustly in thermodynamic equilibrium rather than kinetic trapping, and therefore is attractive yet elusive.

Light up heart-type fatty acid binding protein (FABP3) with a novel fluorine-18 labelled selective FABP3 ligand.

Background: Heart-type fatty acid binding proteins (FABP3) constitute a family of lipid chaperone proteins. They are found in the cytosol and enhance cellular fatty acid solubilisation, transport, and metabolism. FABP3 is highly expressed in the myocardium and is released from myocytes during myocardial damage.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: A study on safety and efficacy in ocular inflammation.

Purpose: This study explores the application of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (adMSCs) as a therapy for ocular inflammatory diseases utilizing a chronic GVHD model.

Methods: Human adMSCs were administered via subconjunctival injection into mice with chronic ocular GVHD. Clinical scores and changes in T cell populations were analyzed.

Integration of biogas and liquid recirculation enhance methane production in high-solid anaerobic digestion of pig manure and rice husks.

High-solid anaerobic digestion (HSAD) is a promising technology for treating livestock manure and agricultural waste; however, the wide application has been limited due to homogenization problems. This study established a novel HSAD system by integrating liquid and biogas recirculation (R), aiming to enhance the biogas conversion efficiency of high-solid substrates at low costs. Results showed that the highest methane yield was 357 mL/gVS in the novel HSAD system (R), 30.

Factors of individual differences between the speeds of the hand and ball during baseball pitching: Assessment of middle finger function based on the hierarchical linear model.

This study aimed to reveal individual differences between the speeds of the hand and ball and clarify the factors affecting those differences. Motion data from 20 highly skilled baseball pitchers, captured using a 16-camera motion analysis system with a sampling frequency of 1,000 hz, were used for correlation and hierarchical linear model analyses. For the hierarchical linear models, the speed of the metacarpophalangeal joint was the independent variable in the 1 level.

Integrin β2 regulates titanium particle‑induced inflammation in macrophages: aseptic loosening model.

Aseptic loosening is a major complication of joint replacement surgery, characterized by periprosthetic osteolysis and chronic inflammation at the bone‑implant interface. Cells release chemokines, cytokines and other pro‑inflammatory substances that perpetuate inflammation reactions, while other particle‑stimulated macrophages promote osteoclastic bone resorption and impair bone formation. The present study investigated integrin and inflammatory cytokine expression patterns in RAW 264.

Joint kinetic demand for performance in high jump.

High jump is a power-demanding motor task. Jumpers extend the take-off leg joints with maximum effort, but kinetic requirements (i.e.

Data-driven optimization of the design of ionic liquids as interfacial cell culture fluids.

As an alternative to conventional plastic dishes, the interface between water-immiscible hydrophobic fluids, such as perfluorocarbons and silicones, permits cell adhesion and growth. Thus, it is expected to replace the petroleum-derived products in a sustainable society. However, most hydrophobic fluids are cytotoxic, which limits the range of mechanical and chemical cues exposed to the cells.

geessbin: an R package for analyzing small-sample binary data using modified generalized estimating equations with bias-adjusted covariance estimators.

Background: The generalized estimating equation (GEE) method is widely used for analyzing longitudinal and clustered data. Although the GEE estimate for regression coefficients and sandwich covariance estimate are consistent regardless of the choice of covariance structure, they are generally biased for small sample sizes. Various researchers have proposed modified GEE methods and covariance estimators to handle small-sample bias.

Immune-related and Common Adverse Events With Programmed Cell Death 1/Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 inhibitors combined with other Anticancer Therapy for Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Aims: The combination of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors and anticancer therapies has been in the spotlight in recent years. However, the risks associated with these combination therapies are not fully elucidated. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relative risk of organ-specific immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and common adverse events (AEs) in patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor-based combination therapies compared to those treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor monotherapy for solid tumors.

Adjuvant Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma: An Updated Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Network Meta-analysis.

Context: Adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have recently emerged as guideline-recommended treatments of high-risk muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC). However, there is limited evidence regarding the optimal candidates and the differential efficacy of adjuvant ICI regimens.

Objective: To synthesize and compare the efficacy and safety of adjuvant ICIs for high-risk MIUC using updated data from phase III randomized controlled trials.

Assessing the Fiscal Burden of Overweight and Obesity in Japan through Application of a Public Economic Framework.

Obesity continues to represent a significant public health concern, with a broad impact from both a health and economic perspective. This analysis assesses the fiscal consequences of overweight and obesity (OAO) in Japan by capturing obesity-attributable lost tax revenue and increased government transfers using a government perspective. The fiscal burden of OAO was estimated using an age-specific prevalence model, which tracked the Japanese population across different body mass index (BMI) categories.

Optimizing CAR-T treatment: A TEVOLVE guide to raw and starting material selection.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell products, classified as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), have shown promising outcomes in cancer immunotherapy. The quality of raw and starting materials used in manufacturing is critical to ensure the efficacy and safety of CAR-T cell products and depends primarily on the selection of the right materials and the right suppliers. It is essential to consider a long-term strategy when selecting raw and starting materials to prevent delays in the supply of innovative, high-quality, and safe therapies to patients.

Speckle tracking echocardiography for evaluation of myocardial functions before and after mitral valvuloplasty in dogs.

Background: Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common acquired heart disease in dogs. Mitral valvuloplasty (MVP) addresses regurgitation, but the pre- and postoperative changes in myocardial function remain uncertain.

Objectives: This study evaluated myocardial motion before and after MVP using two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE).

A cyclic peptide toolkit reveals mechanistic principles of peptidylarginine deiminase IV regulation.

Peptidylarginine deiminase IV (PADI4, PAD4) deregulation promotes the development of autoimmunity, cancer, atherosclerosis and age-related tissue fibrosis. PADI4 additionally mediates immune responses and cellular reprogramming, although the full extent of its physiological roles is unexplored. Despite detailed molecular knowledge of PADI4 activation in vitro, we lack understanding of its regulation within cells, largely due to a lack of appropriate systems and tools.

Identification of plasmids from thermophilic Streptomyces strains and development of a gene cloning system for thermophilic Streptomyces species.

Unlabelled: To develop a host-vector system for use in thermophilic Streptomyces, multi-copy plasmids were screened for thermophilic Streptomyces species using data from public bioresource centers (JCM and NBRC). Of 27 thermophilic Streptomyces strains, 3 harbored plasmids. One plasmid (pSTVU1), derived from S.