Treatment outcomes of primary salivary gland squamous cell carcinoma: A multi-institutional retrospective study in Japan.

Objective: Primary salivary gland squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is extremely rare, accounting for 0.3-10.4 % of all salivary gland malignancies.

Macrocytic anemia, kidney dysfunction, and mortality in general population: Japan specific health checkup study.

Anemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD), which worsen bidirectionally, are associated with mortality in older adults. This study aimed to examine the association between CKD and the type of anemia and its impact on mortality in the general population. Data from a nationwide database of 203,280 individuals who participated in the annual "Specific Health Check and Guidance in Japan" evaluation between 2008 and 2011 were used.

Diacylglycerol Kinase ζ Attenuates Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity Through p53 Degradation.

Background: Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity is still an important medical problem associated with a high mortality rate in cancer survivors. p53 plays a key role in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Diacylglycerol kinase ζ (Dgkζ), a 130-kDa enzyme abundant in cardiomyocytes, regulates the p53 protein expression level in neurons.

Extracellular fluid volume as a key indicator in home-care management of chronic heart failure: The role of nutritional and exercise therapy.

Extracellular fluid volume, rather than body weight, should guide chronic heart failure management in home-care patients. Enhancing muscle mass through pharmacotherapy, nutrition, and exercise is essential to prevent heart failure exacerbation.

Predictors of recurrence and survival after salivary gland cancer surgery: A multicenter, retrospective study in northern Japan.

Objectives: Salivary gland cancer is a rare disease composed of more than 20 histological types with different grades of malignancy. The aim of this multicenter, retrospective study was to identify the most important predictors affecting recurrence and survival after surgery.

Material And Methods: A total of 543 patients with salivary gland cancers that underwent curative surgery between 2012 and 2022 in 13 institutions in northern Japan were evaluated in this study.

A case of autoimmune factor XIII deficiency due to clearance-accelerating and inhibitory anti-FXIII autoantibodies.

A 63-year-old man, previously diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases, developed life-threatening bleeding after gastrectomy for stomach cancer. He survived due to treatment with factor XIII (FXIII) concentrates immediately after his FXIII antigen (Ag) level was reported to be < 5% of normal. Detailed examination by the Japanese Collaborative Research Group on autoimmune coagulation factor deficiencies revealed the presence of anti-FXIII-A and anti-FXIII-B subunit autoantibodies on immunoblot analyses, and thus autoimmune FXIII deficiency (AiF13D) was diagnosed based on the Japanese and international diagnostic criteria.

Right atrial strain measured by 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography is associated with poor cardiac outcomes in patients with heart failure.

Right heart failure (HF) is a poor prognostic factor in patients with HF. The right atrial (RA) function has attracted less attention than the right ventricular (RV) function. The association of RA reservoir strain evaluated by 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) with clinical outcomes in patients with HF remains unclear.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Aorto-Ostial Chronic Total Occlusion: Evaluating Lesion Complexity and Procedural Outcomes.

Background: PCI for aorto-ostial CTO remains challenging. The techniques for guidewire in aorto-ostial CTO may differ from those used in non-aorto-ostial CTOs, influenced by clinical and angiographic characteristics.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the technical aspects and outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with aorto-ostial chronic total occlusion (CTO).

Development of a Gait Analysis Application for Assessing Upper and Lower Limb Movements to Detect Pathological Gait.

Pathological gait in patients with Hakim's disease (HD, synonymous with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus; iNPH), Parkinson's disease (PD), and cervical myelopathy (CM) has been subjectively evaluated in this study. We quantified the characteristics of upper and lower limb movements in patients with pathological gait. We analyzed 1491 measurements of 1 m diameter circular walking from 122, 12, and 93 patients with HD, PD, and CM, respectively, and 200 healthy volunteers using the Three-Dimensional Pose Tracker for Gait Test.

Zonated Wnt/β-catenin signal-activated cardiomyocytes at the atrioventricular canal promote coronary vessel formation in zebrafish.

Cells functioning at a specific zone by clustering according to gene expression are recognized as zonated cells. Here, we demonstrate anatomical and functional zones in the zebrafish heart. The cardiomyocytes (CMs) at the atrioventricular canal between the atrium and ventricle could be grouped into three zones according to the localization of signal-activated CMs: Wnt/β-catenin signal, Bmp signal, and Tbx2b zones.

Heme deficiency in skeletal muscle exacerbates sarcopenia and impairs autophagy by reducing AMPK signaling.

Heme serves as a prosthetic group in hemoproteins, including subunits of the mammalian mitochondrial electron transfer chain. The first enzyme in vertebrate heme biosynthesis, 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase 1 (ALAS1), is ubiquitously expressed and essential for producing 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). We previously showed that Alas1 heterozygous mice at 20-35 weeks (aged-A1s) manifested impaired glucose metabolism, mitochondrial malformation in skeletal muscle, and reduced exercise tolerance, potentially linked to autophagy dysfunction.

Online gaming reduces psychological distress in a patient with schizophrenia: A case report.

Background: Schizophrenia often involves persecutory delusions, which cause psychological distress. Some patients use online gaming as a coping tool. However, excessive online gaming has raised concerns about internet gaming disorders (IGD), while any soothing effects of online gaming on psychological distress remain unclear.

Midnolin, a Genetic Risk Factor for Parkinson's Disease, Promotes Neurite Outgrowth Accompanied by Early Growth Response 1 Activation in PC12 Cells.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related progressive neurodegenerative disease. Previously, we identified midnolin () as a genetic risk factor for PD. Although copy number loss increases the risk of PD, the molecular function of MIDN remains unclear.

Health-related quality of life and caregiver burden of pediatric patients with inborn errors of metabolism in Japan using EQ-5D-Y, PedsQL, and J-ZBI.

Purpose: Inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) are known with poor long-term health concerns; however, the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the burden placed on families remain unclear. This study investigated the self- and proxy-reported HRQoL of pediatric patients with IEM with or without developmental disabilities and the burden placed on their caregivers.

Methods: Patients with IEM aged 8-15 years and their caregivers were asked to respond to the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), EuroQoL five-dimension questionnaire for younger populations (EQ-5D-Y), and Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (J-ZBI).

Melanocortin Receptor Agonist Bremelanotide Induces Cell Death and Growth Inhibition in Glioblastoma Cells Suppression of Survivin Expression.

Background/aim: Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain tumor and has a dismal prognosis; therefore, novel therapeutic approaches based on the mechanisms underlying its aggressive nature are urgently required. A growing body of evidence suggests that neurotransmitters play a key role in modulating the biology of glioblastoma; however, the role of melanocortins remains unclear.

Materials And Methods: The effects of bremelanotide, a melanocortin receptor agonist, alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, on survivin expression and cell viability were investigated in human glioblastoma cell lines.

Children and adolescents with severe motor and intellectual disabilities who underwent kidney transplantation.

Background: Kidney transplantation (KT) in children and adolescents with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) has been a topic of controversy. A multicenter study in Japan showed that KT was not contraindicated for children with multiple handicaps, but no consensus has been reached on KT for patients with SMID. This study aimed to determine whether KT is a viable treatment option for children and adolescents with SMID.

Usefulness of Inter-Hospital Heart Team Conference Based Collaborative Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

An inter-hospital heart team conference based collaborative follow-up (FU) may facilitate outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs, especially in hospitals without an outpatient CR center. Consecutive 145 patients with cardiovascular disease who received inpatient treatment at Yamagata University Hospital were divided into collaborative (n = 76) and same-hospital (n = 69) FU groups. In the collaborative FU group, patients received outpatient care at a university hospital and outpatient CR at different hospitals.