Conservation Analysis and Colorimetric Characterization of Betalain Extracts from the Peel of Red Beetroot, Golden Beetroot, and Prickly Pear Applied to Cottage Cheese.

The maintenance of betalains and the color of extracts from the peel of red beetroot (RBAC), golden beetroot (YBAC), and purple prickly pear (PBAC) were evaluated, describing the capacity of their use as natural pigments and in the formulation of attractive and functional foods. Betalain extracts were prepared as juices from frozen and dehydrated peel, adding organic acids and concentrating for water reduction. Extracts were evaluated and applied on cottage cheese, measuring the capacity of betalains retention and pigmentation, during 10 days of storage of closed and opened products.

Exacerbation of diabetes due to F. Nucleatum LPS-induced SGLT2 overexpression in the renal proximal tubular epithelial cells.

Background: Diabetes treatments by the control of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) is commonly conducted while there are still uncertainties about the mechanisms for the SGLT2 overexpression in kidneys with diabetes. Previously, we have reported that glomeruli and proximal tubules with diabetic nephropathy express toll-like receptor TLR2/4, and that the TLR ligand lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of periodontal pathogens have caused nephropathy in diabetic model mice. Recently, many researchers suggested that the periodontal pathogenic bacteria Fusobacterium (F.

Phylogenetic analysis and molecular structure of NS1 proteins of porcine parvovirus 5 isolates from Mexico.

Porcine parvovirus 5 (PPV5) is an unclassified member of the family Parvoviridae with no reported pathogenicity, although it is associated with multisystemic, reproductive, and respiratory diseases. Its open reading frame 1 (ORF1) encodes non-structural protein 1 (NS1), which is predicted to have helicase activity that is essential for viral replication. This protein contains a C-motif with an invariant asparagine residue that forms the core of the enzyme's active site, in conjunction with the Walker A and B motifs.

Wear Resistance of Light-Cure Resin Luting Cements for Ceramic Veneers.

The purpose of this study was to compare the wear resistance of light-cure resin luting cements for veneers with that of other luting materials investigated in earlier studies. An Alabama wear-testing machine was used to measure the wear resistance of four recent light-cure resin luting cements for veneers (G-Cem Veneer; Panavia V5 LC; RelyX Veneer Cement; and Vario-link Esthetic LC). The volume loss ranged from 0.

Raman signatures of type A and B influenza viruses: molecular origin of the "" inactivation mechanism mediated by micrometric silicon nitride powder.

A multiomic study of the structural characteristics of type A and B influenza viruses by means of highly spectrally resolved Raman spectroscopy is presented. Three virus strains, A H1N1, A H3N2, and B98, were selected because of their known structural variety and because they have co-circulated with variable relative prevalence within the human population since the re-emergence of the H1N1 subtype in 1977. Raman signatures of protein side chains tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine revealed unequivocal and consistent differences for pH characteristics at the virion surface, while different conformations of two C-S bond configurations in and methionine rotamers provided distinct low-wavenumber fingerprints for different virus lineages/subtypes.

A case of Staphylococcus saprophyticus bacteremia caused by obstructive pyelonephritis.

Herein, we present the case of a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with left calculous pyelonephritis. Gram-positive cocci in clusters were isolated from two sets of her blood culture. These cocci were later identified as Staphylococcus saprophyticus.

Identification of factors related to functional prognoses in craniopharyngiomas.

Purpose: Craniopharyngiomas are histologically benign tumors, but their proximity to vital neurovascular structures can significantly deteriorate functional prognoses and severely restrict patients' social interaction and activity. We retrospectively identified risk factors related to the functional prognoses in patients with craniopharyngioma treated at our center.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 40 patients who underwent surgery for craniopharyngioma and follow-up at our institution between 2003 and 2022.

Singleton term pregnancies resulting from frozen-thawed embryo transfer in hormone replacement cycles increase the risk of aberrant placentation, including velamentous umbilical cord insertion.

Purpose: The number of frozen-thawed embryo transfers (FETs) has recently increased, and FET must be completed in the ovulatory (NC-FET) or programmed hormone replacement cycle (HRC-FET). However, the relationship between FET and abnormal placentation is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether the two distinct endometrial preparation protocols affect the incidence of several pathologic conditions caused by abnormal placentation, such as placenta with velamentous umbilical cord insertion (VCI), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), and placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

Plasma S100A8/A9 level predicts response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Blood-based predictive markers for the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have not yet been established. We investigated the association of the plasma level of S100A8/A9 with the efficacy of immunotherapy. We evaluated patients with unresectable stage III/IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with ICIs at Okayama University Hospital.

Cesarean delivery on child health and development in Japanese nationwide birth cohort.

The long-term effects of cesarean delivery (CD) on child health and development remain controversial. This study aimed to investigate these effects using an outcome-wide approach in a Japanese context, where perinatal mortality rates are among the world's lowest. We analyzed data from 2,114 children in a nationwide Japanese birth cohort, linking the 21st Century Longitudinal Survey of Newborns with the Perinatal Research Network database.

Comparative analysis of axial length measurement method for eyes with submacular hemorrhage.

Purpose: To identify a method for comparing preoperative axial length (AL) measurements with postoperative AL in submacular hemorrhage (SMH).

Study Design: Retrospective.

Methods: This study included 30 patients who underwent vitrectomy for SMH (January 2016-January 2023) with preoperative and postoperative AL data.

Hounsfield unit values are a better predictor than DXA T-score for adjacent vertebral fracture following balloon kyphoplasty.

Background: Hounsfield unit values (HU) are known to correlate with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and they are gaining attention as a new method for assessing Bone mineral density (BMD) that is not affected by the limitations of DXA, such as degeneration, scoliosis, and vascular calcification. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of HU and DXA T-scores in predicting adjacent vertebral fractures (AVF) following balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) using the same computed tomography and DXA at one institution.

Methods: The study included 84 cases (20 males, 64 females, mean age 79.

A single-arm, phase II study of sotorasib plus carboplatin/pemetrexed in advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer patients with KRAS G12C mutation (WJOG14821L, SCARLET).

Background: The efficacy and safety of sotorasib plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy in KRAS G12C-mutated non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (non-Sq NSCLC) were previously reported with limited follow-up period.

Method: SCARLET was a single-arm phase II study of chemotherapy-naïve patients with KRAS G12C-mutated non-Sq NSCLC. Participants received sotorasib 960 mg daily plus four cycles of carboplatin (area under the curve, 5)/pemetrexed 500 mg/m, followed by sotorasib/pemetrexed until disease progression.

Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses reveal uncharted microbial constituents responsible for polyhydroxybutyrate biodegradation in coastal waters.

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) has attracted attention as a representative polymer for biodegradable plastics produced by microorganisms. Since information regarding the fate of PHB released into the environment is limited, it is necessary to identify them based on metagenomic information. We estimated the PHB biodegradability in coastal water samples collected from 15 near shore sites around Japan using oxygen consumption as an indicator in laboratory-scale incubation experiments and conducted 16S rRNA gene-based microbial community profiling.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on utilization of mental health services among children and adolescents using an interrupted time series analysis.

This study aimed to examine the impact of both the initial state of emergency (SOE) imposed from April to May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 outbreak itself on the utilization of mental health services among children and adolescents in Japan during the recent pandemic. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis of the number of mental health visits and average incurred medical expenses, stratified by sex and age group, using monthly medical claims data on 3,029,048 patients for the period from January 2016 to December 2020. It was demonstrated that the SOE resulted in a reduced number of visits for mental health services.

Maternal smoking during infancy increases the risk of allergic diseases in children: a nationwide longitudinal survey in Japan.

Background: The incidence of allergic diseases has been increasing in Japan. In particular, a serious decline in the age of onset of allergic rhinitis has been observed. Passive smoking from parental smoking has a significant impact on children's health; however, it is difficult to restrict smoking in the home.

Clinical outcomes and treatment patterns of maintenance avelumab in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a multicenter collaborative study.

Background: The JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial demonstrated improved overall survival (OS) with maintenance avelumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma UC (la/mUC) who achieved disease control following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (1 L-PBC). However, real-world data on eligibility, utilization, and outcomes of maintenance avelumab therapy remain limited.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with la/mUC who received 1 L-PBC.

Role of sex hormones in the reactivation of Toxocara canis larvae in pregnant bitches.

Based on an exhaustive review, a theory was proposed with an immunoendocrine perspective on the reactivation of dormant Toxocara canis larvae in pregnant bitches and their transmission to fetuses through the placenta, or milk and colostrum to puppies. A historical review was carried out on the reactivation of dormant larvae of T. canis in pregnant bitches which suggested that larval reactivation of T.

Echo intensity of the superficial part of the medial infrapatellar fat pad and medial meniscal extrusion are associated with knee symptoms in community-dwelling older adults.

Purpose: Knee pain is a characteristic symptom of early-stage knee osteoarthritis. Recently, the association between knee symptoms and infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) degeneration has garnered attention. This study aimed to clarify the association between ultrasound-derived size and echo intensity (EI) in the IFP and knee symptoms.

sp. nov., a crude oil aggregation-forming anaerobic bacterium isolated from marine sediment.

A crude oil aggregation-forming, strictly anaerobic, Gram-stain-positive, spore-forming, rod-shaped, motile and mesophilic bacterium, named strain SH18-2, was isolated from marine sediment near Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. The temperature, salinity and pH ranges of this strain for the growth were 15-40 °C (optimum 35 °C), 0.5-6.

Differentially Expressed Nedd4-binding Protein Ndfip1 Protects Neurons Against Methamphetamine-induced Neurotoxicity.

To identify factors involved in methamphetamine (METH) neurotoxicity, we comprehensively searched for genes which were differentially expressed in mouse striatum after METH administration using differential display (DD) reverse transcription-PCR method and sequent single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis, and found two DD cDNA fragments later identified as mRNA of Nedd4 (neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated 4) WW domain-binding protein 5 (N4WBP5), later named Nedd4 family-interacting protein 1 (Ndfip1). It is an adaptor protein for the binding between Nedd4 of ubiquitin ligase (E3) and target substrate protein for ubiquitination. Northern blot analysis confirmed drastic increases in Ndfip1 mRNA in the striatum after METH injections, and in situ hybridization histochemistry showed that the mRNA expression was increased in the hippocampus and cerebellum at 2 h-2 days, in the cerebral cortex and striatum at 18 h-2 days after single METH administration.

Therapeutic effects of intracerebral transplantation of human modified bone marrow-derived stromal cells (SB623) with voluntary and forced exercise in a rat model of ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke results in significant long-term disability and mortality worldwide. Although existing therapies, such as recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and mechanical thrombectomy, have shown promise, their application is limited by stringent conditions. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation, especially using SB623 cells (modified human bone marrow-derived MSCs), has emerged as a promising alternative, promoting neurogenesis and recovery.

Treatment strategy for intermediate-risk papillary thyroid cancer: Focus on postoperative hypothyroidism following lobectomy.

Objective: An optimal surgical approach for intermediate-risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has not yet been established. The surgical procedure should be determined based on treatment outcomes and postoperative complications. This study aimed to evaluate appropriate surgical strategies for patients with intermediate-risk PTC by comparing treatment outcomes and postoperative complications following total thyroidectomy and lobectomy.

CD63 as a potential biomarker for patients with ovarian cancer.

Introduction: Exosomes play an important role in regulating physiological processes and mediating the systemic dissemination of various types of cancer. We investigated the association of exosomal tetraspanins CD9, CD63, and CD81 in patients with ovarian cancer (OC).

Material And Methods: We measured the plasma tetraspanins CD9, CD63, and CD81 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 91 patients who underwent treatment for OC between April 2018 and March 2024.