Diversity, composition and potential roles of sedimentary microbial communities in different coastal substrates around subtropical Okinawa Island, Japan.

Background: Marine benthic prokaryotic communities play crucial roles in material recycling within coastal environments, including coral reefs. Coastal sedimentary microbiomes are particularly important as potential reservoirs of symbiotic, beneficial, and pathogenic bacteria in coral reef environments, and therefore presumably play a core role in local ecosystem functioning. However, there is a lack of studies comparing different environments with multiple sites on the island scale, particularly studies focusing on prokaryotic communities, as previous investigations have focused mainly on a single site or on specific environmental conditions.

Hallux valgus in preprofessional adolescent dancesport athletes: Prevalence and associated training factors.

Background: This study aimed to determine the risk factors of hallux valgus angle among preprofessional adolescent dancesport athletes.

Methods: A total of 275 athletes, (73 males and 202 females) aged between the ages of 11 and 18 years, participated in this study. A cross-sectional questionnaire was used to survey their demographic characteristics (sex and age), training information (starting age, weekly training time, and athletic career [number of years of training at this specific dancesport school]), and measured their height and weight.

Conserved cysteine residues in Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus ORF34 are necessary for viral production and viral pre-initiation complex formation.

Unlabelled: Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) ORF34 plays a significant role as a component of the viral pre-initiation complex (vPIC), which is indispensable for late gene expression across beta- and gammaherpesviruses. Although the key role of ORF34 within the vPIC and its function as a hub protein have been recognized, further clarification regarding its specific contribution to vPIC functionality and interactions with other components is required. This study employed a deep learning algorithm-assisted structural model of ORF34, revealing highly conserved amino acid residues across human beta- and gammaherpesviruses localized in structured domains.

Socket Array Irregularities and Wing Membrane Distortions at the Eyespot Foci of Butterfly Wings Suggest Mechanical Signals for Color Pattern Determination.

Eyespot foci on butterfly wings function as organizers of eyespot color patterns during development. Despite their importance, focal structures have not been examined in detail. Here, we microscopically examined scales, sockets, and the wing membrane in the butterfly eyespot foci of both expanded and unexpanded wings using the Blue Pansy butterfly .

Malnutrition suppresses improvements in depression symptoms in older adult patients with stroke undergoing convalescent rehabilitation.

Background & Aims: Depression symptoms are both prevalent and associated with poor prognosis in patients with convalescent stroke. Therefore, the improvement of depression symptoms is important for patients with convalescent stroke. This study aimed to examine whether malnutrition diagnosed using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and its components are associated with improvements in depression symptoms in patients with stroke undergoing rehabilitation.

An underwater imagery identification guide for shallow, mesophotic and deep-sea benthos in Maldives.

Background: During the 2022 Nekton Maldives Mission, we deployed a variety of platforms (snorkelling, remotely-operated vehicles and manned submersibles) to conduct video surveys of the biodiversity and composition of shallow (< 30 m), mesophotic (30-150 m) and deep-sea (> 150 m) benthos found in the Maldives' central and southern atolls. In total, ~ 80 hrs of stereo-video footage were collected during the benthic transect surveys, which were subsequently processed using annotation software in order to evaluate benthic biodiversity and community composition. Here, we present a photographic guide for the visual, identification of reef benthos encountered, including corals, sponges and other invertebrates that inhabit Maldives' nearshore habitats.

Transforming Echocardiography: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Diagnostic Accuracy and Accessibility.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown transformative potential in various medical fields, including diagnostic imaging. Recent advances in AI-driven technologies have opened new avenues for improving echocardiographic practices. AI algorithms enhance the image quality, automate measurements, and assist in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.

Practical approach to thrombocytopenia in patients with sepsis: a narrative review.

Thrombocytopenia frequently occurs in patients with sepsis. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) may be a possible cause of thrombocytopenia owing to its high prevalence and association with poor outcomes; however, it is important to keep the presence of other diseases in mind in sepsis practice. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), which is characterized by thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and complement-mediated HUS, is characterized by thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and organ damage.

Association of changes in brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity after transcatheter aortic valve replacement with mortality in Japanese patients with severe aortic stenosis: A single center, retrospective cohort study.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) offers a solution, especially for high-risk aortic stenosis (AS) patients. However, patient outcomes post-TAVR show variability, highlighting the need for reliable prognostic indicators. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a measure of arterial stiffness, may predict outcomes post-TAVR.

Relationship between quantitative physical activity and deterioration of locomotive function: a cross-sectional study using baseline data from a cohort.

Background: In aged society, health policies aimed at extending healthy life expectancy are critical. Maintaining physical activity is essential to prevent the deterioration of body functions. Therefore, it is important to understand the physical activity levels of the target age group and to know the content and intensity of the required physical activity quantitatively.

One-year choroidal thickness changes after photodynamic therapy for central serous chorioretinopathy evaluated by widefield optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To evaluate the changes in choroidal thickness 1 year after half-dose photodynamic therapy (PDT) for central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) using widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 21 patients with CSC who unilaterally underwent half-dose PDT and completed a 12-month follow-up. Choroidal thickness was evaluated before and after PDT within an 18-mm circular grid centered on the fovea subdivided into nine areas in the treated and untreated fellow eyes.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Case with a Novel NF1 Gene Mutation.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant multi-organ disease. The clinical manifestations include not only skin lesions and malignant tumors but also lung complications, including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, the association between gene mutations in NF1 and the occurrence of PAH has not yet been elucidated.

Lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio and score in patients with heart failure: Nutritional status, physical function, and prognosis.

Aims: In heart failure (HF), inflammation is linked to malnutrition and impaired physical function. In this study, we aimed to assess how novel nutritional-inflammatory markers and lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) and score (LCS) are associated with the nutritional status, physical function, and prognosis of patients with HF.

Methods And Results: This study was a secondary analysis of the FRAGILE-HF study, a prospective observational study conducted across 15 hospitals in Japan.

Optimizing mesenchymal stem cell extracellular vesicles for chronic wound healing: Bioengineering, standardization, and safety.

Chronic wounds represent a significant global burden, afflicting millions with debilitating complications. Despite standard care, impaired healing persists due to factors like persistent inflammation and impaired tissue regeneration. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer an innovative regenerative medicine approach, delivering stem cell-derived therapeutic cargo in engineered nanoscale delivery systems.

Effectiveness of digital health interventions for telemedicine/telehealth for managing blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials or observational studies that compare digital health interventions (DHIs) for telemedicine/telehealth versus usual care for managing blood pressure (BP) in adults. We searched PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, and IchuShi-Web, and used a random-effects meta-analysis of the weighted mean difference (MD) between the comparison groups to pool data from the included studies. The outcome included the pooled MD of office BP from baseline to each follow-up period.

Factors associated with an improvement in extracellular water-to-total body water ratio in older adults with hip fractures: A decision tree analysis.

Background & Aims: The extracellular water-to-total body water ratio (ECW/TBW) increases with age and after fractures. A high ECW/TBW may hinder improvements in physical function and skeletal muscle mass. However, the effects of ECW/TBW improvement have not been properly investigated.

Measurement of atmospheric amines and aminoamides by column adsorption/extraction and hydrophilic liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry.

Sampling and chromatography-mass spectrometry methods were investigated to measure atmospheric amines and aminoamides. Amines and their amide derivatives play significant roles in new particle formation (NPF) in the atmosphere, especially diamines and aminoamides have higher NPF potentials compared to monoamines. For amine sampling, silica gel tube collection and formic acid extraction gave good overall recoveries (>93 ± 8%) for mono-, di-, tri-, tetramines, and aminoamides.