Parental Issues and Support Needs in Selective Mutism in Japan: A Quantitative Content Analysis.

Background: Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which children struggle to speak in specific social situations, and parents often have trouble coping with their child's symptoms. We analyzed parents' issues and support needs regarding SM through their responses to two open-ended questions, examining how these needs varied with diagnosis and comorbid conditions.

Methods: Quantitative content analysis was conducted on responses obtained from 70 parents of children with SM (ages 29-63 years) recruited through SM information exchange group and social networking service.

An Optimal Transport Medium for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in the Direct Method of Rapid Microfluidic PCR System.

Background: Recently developed rapid real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) systems adopting microfluidic thermal cycling technology are ideal for point-of-care (POC) testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Because the RNA extraction step before real-time RT-PCR is rate-limiting, a direct RNA extraction method (direct method) that adopts chemical viral lysis and eliminates RNA purification steps is preferable for rapid real-time RT-PCR. In the direct method, selecting the transport medium is essential because it may be introduced into subsequent real-time RT-PCR steps, but might inhibit PCR.

Managing Dosage Adjustments in Pseudo-Hypocreatinemia: Insights from Vancomycin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in a Sarcopenic Patient.

Adjusting the dosage of renal excretory drugs according to the patient's renal function is essential. Vancomycin necessitates such adjustments due to its potential to cause nephrotoxicity when administered in excess. Creatinine-based equations for assessing the glomerular filtration rate, such as the Cockcroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equations, are often used for dosage adjustments.

Efficacy of Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy with TONS504 Using Blue Light Against .

Background: is an important causative agent of bacterial keratitis. This study investigates the antibacterial effect of photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) with the chlorin derivative TONS504 (TONS504-PACT) and a blue light-emitting diode (LED) on . It also explores the synergistic effects of combining TONS504-PACT with EDTA, and compares the antibacterial effects of TONS504-PACT using blue light with those of previously reported red light.

Analgesic effects of linalyl acetate via nociceptive TRPV1 inhibition in mice.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is primarily expressed in sensory neurons and functions as a nociceptive channel. TRPV1 is activated by capsaicin, acidic pH, and noxious heat. Compounds inhibiting TRPV1 have been explored to develop analgesic drugs.

Identification and functional analysis of sex-determining genes in the spongy moth, Lymantria dispar (lepidoptera: Erebidae).

The spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) employs a female heterogametic sex-determination system, where the female sex-determining factor (F factor) is located on the W chromosome, and the male sex-determining factor (M factor) is located on the Z chromosome. The sex-determining capabilities of the F factor and M factor vary among subspecies. Consequently, L.

Metal-free N, P-Codoped Carbon for Syngas Production with Tunable Composition via CO2 Electrolysis: Addressing the Competition Between CO2 Reduction and H2 Evolution.

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide into value-added fine chemicals is a promising technique to realize the carbon cycle. Recently, metal-free heteroatom doped carbons are proposed as promising cost-effective electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the lack of understanding of the active site prevents the realization of a high-performance electrocatalyst for the CO2RR.

Stress-experienced monocytes/macrophages lose anti-inflammatory function via β-adrenergic receptor in skin allergic inflammation.

Background: Psychological stress can exacerbate the development of allergies; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. IgE-mediated cutaneous allergic inflammation (IgE-CAI) is a basophil-dependent skin allergy with eosinophil infiltration at inflammatory sites. Its resolution involves anti-inflammatory programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2)-positive macrophages.

Urinary titin reflects the severity of walking ability, muscle strength, and muscle and cardiac damage in patients with Becker muscular dystrophy.

Background: Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is a dystrophinopathy caused by a pathological variant of the DMD gene. Urinary titin, a degradation product of the giant protein titin present in muscle sarcomeres, has been used as a biomarker to reflect muscle degradation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a more severe dystrophinopathy. However, the clinical significance of urinary titin levels in BMD remains unclear.

Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA)-Associated Fasciitis Mimicking Pseudogout in an Older Patient: A Diagnostic Challenge and Treatment Approach.

ANCA-associated fasciitis is a rare manifestation of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) that can mimic other conditions, such as pseudogout, especially in elderly patients. We present the case of a 93-year-old woman who initially developed polyarthralgia, muscle pain, and difficulty walking, symptoms suggestive of pseudogout. However, after further investigation, including elevated myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA levels and MRI findings, she was diagnosed with ANCA-associated fasciitis.

A mixed method approach for analyzing drivers of land use land cover change in the Northwestern Ethiopian highlands.

This study gives empirical evidence on the drivers of land use change by conducting a qualitative assessment and then using time series data to quantify the relationship between land use land cover change and factors that cause the change. Vector autoregressive models with exogenous variables were used to analyze the time series data. The findings revealed demographic and environmental factors were the primary causes of land use and land cover change.

Clinical characteristics and management of plexiform neurofibromas in children with neurofibromatosis 1: A Japanese nationwide survey.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics and management of plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) in Japanese children with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) in the beginning of a new era of treatment with mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor selumetinib.

Study Design: Primary and secondary surveys were conducted targeting 1612 departments of pediatrics and dermatology in hospitals with ≥300 beds and children's hospitals, which followed up pediatric patients with NF1-associated PN between April 1, 2022, and April 30, 2024, in Japan.

Results: The response rates in the primary and secondary surveys were 40.

A multisite observational real-world study on the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy for patients with treatment-resistant depression in Japan.

The objective of this study was to reveal the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for Japanese patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in clinical practice, based on real-world data from a nationwide multicenter observational study in Japan. Clinical data of patients with TRD treated with rTMS (NeuroStar TMS treatment system) under public insurance coverage were retrospectively collected from 21 institutes nationwide between June 2019 and December 2023. Depression severity was assessed by the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17).

Structural variation in the pangenome of wild and domesticated barley.

Pangenomes are collections of annotated genome sequences of multiple individuals of a species. The structural variants uncovered by these datasets are a major asset to genetic analysis in crop plants. Here we report a pangenome of barley comprising long-read sequence assemblies of 76 wild and domesticated genomes and short-read sequence data of 1,315 genotypes.

The impact of maternal prenatal psychological distress on the development of epilepsy in offspring: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

The relationship between maternal prenatal psychological distress and epilepsy development in offspring has not yet been clarified. Herein, we used a dataset obtained from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort study, to evaluate the association between six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores and epilepsy among 1-3 years old. The data of 97,484 children were retrospectively analyzed.

Japanese longitudinal biomarker study in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration: Clinical features of the first registered patients and short-term follow-up analysis.

Introduction: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) manifest with variable clinical features. We initiated a multicenter prospective registry study-the Japanese Longitudinal Biomarker Study in PSP and CBD-in November 2014 at 45 Japanese institutions to collect clinical information and biological samples to elucidate the natural courses and diagnostic biomarkers of PSP/CBD.

Methods: Initial symptoms, clinical features, and scores (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Rating Scale [PSPRS], Barthel Index, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Frontal Assessment Battery) of patients clinically diagnosed with PSP/corticobasal syndrome (CBS) at the first registration were analyzed.

Challenges Faced by Parents of Children With Selective Mutism in Accessing Medical Care Services.

Background Children with selective mutism (SM) typically exhibit SM symptoms in educational settings, which has led to extensive research on SM in such environments. However, SM symptoms also manifest in medical settings, where parents experience various challenges when seeking healthcare for their child with SM. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on the specific challenges parents face when seeking medical care for their child with SM.

Association Between Coagulation Fibrinolysis Markers and Severity in Patients with COVID-19.

Introduction: Thrombosis is a major complication of COVID-19. D-dimer (DD) is an important coagulation fibrinolysis marker in COVID-19 and has been extensively studied. However, very little is known about the role of other fibrinolysis markers, plasmin-plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC), and fibrin monomer complex (FMC) in COVID-19.

Efficacy and safety of estetrol (15 mg)/drospirenone (3 mg) combination in a cyclic regimen for the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea: a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the estetrol (E4) (15 mg)/drospirenone (DRSP) (3 mg) combination in a cyclic regimen in Japanese women with primary and secondary dysmenorrhea.

Design: A 16-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, followed by a 36-week, open-label, extension study.

Setting: Double-blined study.