Robot-assisted gait training for improved gait independence in individuals with acute hemiparetic stroke: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Background: Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) has proven effective in addressing gait disorders in patients with stroke. However, its efficacy in patients with acute stroke has not yet been demonstrated. This pilot study is designed to evaluate the following: (1) feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial on RAGT for enhancing gait postacute stroke and (2) to obtain preliminary estimates regarding the potential efficacy of RAGT for achieving gait independence during the acute phase.

Fiducial Marker Placement for Gated Radiotherapy Using Real-Time Tumor-Tracking in Pancreatic Cancer: A Comparative Analysis of Transarterial and Percutaneous Approaches.

Purpose: To assess and compare the feasibility and safety of transarterial and percutaneous fiducial marker placements for gated radiotherapy using real-time tumor-tracking (RTRT) in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 61 patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer who underwent transarterial (n = 34) or percutaneous (n = 27) fiducial marker placement between 2015 and 2023. Technical and clinical success, adverse events (AEs), procedure time, number of markers, tumor-to-marker distance, migration, per-marker availability for RTRT, and reasons for marker unavailability were assessed.

Long-Term Survival Obtained by Repeated Cytoreductive Surgery and S-1 Plus Cisplatin Chemotherapy at Each Instance of Disease Progression in a Patient With Metastatic Urachal Carcinoma: A Case Report.

Background: Urachal carcinoma (URC) is a rare tumor of the urinary bladder, of which the histology usually resembles that of colorectal adenocarcinoma. Achievement of cure in patients with metastatic URC is difficult, and the survival rate of these patients has remained unsatisfactory despite various efforts.

Case: A 74-year-old female patient presented to us complaining of gross hematuria.

Pembrolizumab for treatment-related neuroendocrine prostate carcinoma with a high tumor mutational burden: a case report.

Pembrolizumab has emerged as a significant therapeutic option for the treatment of solid tumors with a high tumor mutational burden (TMB-high). However, there have been no reports of its use in treatment-related neuroendocrine prostate carcinoma (t-NEPC) with TMB-high. We present the case of a 66-year-old man with metastatic prostate cancer (adenocarcinoma with a Gleason score of 4 + 5, initial prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level of 267 ng/mL, clinical stage T3bN0M1b) who was initially treated with doublet therapy, including apalutamide and leuprorelin, leading to a reduction in circulating levels of PSA < 0.

Corneal surface reconstruction for the chemical injured eye by transplanting autologous cultivated limbal epithelial sheet "Nepic".

Background: "Nepic" (Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd., Gamagori, Japan) is an autologous cultivated limbal epithelial sheet, approved in 2020 in Japan for the reconstruction of the corneal surface in cases of limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD).

Comparative evaluation of four reconstruction techniques for prostate T2-weighted MRI: Sensitivity encoding, compressed sensing, deep learning, and super-resolution.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the image quality and lesion conspicuity of prostate T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) using four reconstruction methods: conventional Sensitivity Encoding (SENSE), compressed sensing (CS), model-based deep learning reconstruction (DL), and deep learning super-resolution reconstruction (SR).

Methods: This retrospective study included 49 patients who underwent multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) or biparametric MRI (bpMRI) for suspected prostate cancer. Axial T2WI was acquired using two protocols: conventional SENSE and CS-based acquisition.

The Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio during Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab Therapy for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Predicts Long-Term Therapeutic Efficacy: A Multicenter Analysis.

Introduction: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (ATZ/BEV) is used for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC). However, there are few reports investigating the predictors of whether or not disease control can be achieved for long periods.

Methods: We enrolled 106 u-HCC patients who were treated with ATZ/BEV as the first-line systemic chemotherapy and were evaluated as nonprogressive disease (non-PD) in their initial assessments.

Impact of Sex Differences in Oligodendrocytes and Their Progenitor Cells on the Pathophysiology of Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

Neuropsychiatric disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and autism spectrum disorder exhibit significant sex differences in prevalence, progression, and response to treatment. Emerging evidence suggests that oligodendrocytes (OLs) and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) play pivotal roles in these pathologies via mechanisms involving neuroinflammation, energy metabolism, and hormonal modulation, resulting in distinct functional outcomes. Specifically, female OPCs display higher proliferative and migratory capacities, whereas male OPCs are more prone to differentiation and myelination, thus contributing to robust myelin integrity.

Number of Tumors Stratifies the Therapeutic Response to Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab Therapy in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage B Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Analysis.

Introduction: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (ATZ + BV) is used for the treatment of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC) patients. However, the efficacy of ATZ + BV in various BCLC stage B conditions, especially the up-to-seven criteria in/out, has not been fully investigated.

Methods: We enrolled 83 BCLC stage B u-HCC patients with Child-Pugh class A who were treated with ATZ + BV as the first-line systemic chemotherapy in the study.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at the start of the second course of durvalumab plus tremelimumab therapy predicts therapeutic efficacy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter analysis.

Background And Aims: Durvalumab plus tremelimumab (Dur/Tre) therapy is expected to have good therapeutic efficacy for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC). We previously reported that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) during atezolizumab plus bevacizumab therapy in u-HCC patients was a useful marker for predicting the therapeutic response. Therefore, we investigated whether the NLR during Dur/Tre therapy could predict treatment outcomes in patients with u-HCC.

Patient-specific vascular models for optimal catheter selection: Two aneurysm embolization cases.

Patient-specific vascular models enhance preoperative planning in interventional radiology, particularly in complex and anatomically challenging cases. This report presents two cases of complex aneurysm coil embolization in which three-dimensional, printed, patient-specific vascular hollow models were key to selecting optimal catheters, leading to successful interventions. Preoperative simulations with these models facilitated preselection of the optimal catheter, minimizing the need for intraoperative catheter exchange and reducing the time required for catheter engagement and placement.

The Effectiveness of Long-Term Continuation of Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab in Patients Receiving Systemic Chemotherapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: Changes in liver function in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC), following extended periods from the initiation of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev), have not been fully investigated.

Methods: Of 148 u-HCC patients treated with first-line Atez/Bev, the study enrolled 38 u-HCC patients treated with first-line Atez/Bev, whose treatment response was initially evaluated as non-progressive disease (non-PD) and later as PD on imaging, and who then received second-line systemic chemotherapy. We evaluated the relationship between the period from the initiation of first-line Atez/Bev to that of second-line systemic chemotherapy with liver function and prognosis.

Effects of robot-assisted gait training within 1 week after stroke onset on degree of gait independence in individuals with hemiparesis: a propensity score-matched analysis in a single-center cohort study.

Background: Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) is an effective method for treating gait disorders in individuals with stroke. However, no previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of RAGT in individuals with acute stroke. This study aimed to investigate the effects of RAGT initiation within 1 week after onset on degree of gait independence in individuals with hemiparetic stroke.

Effect of a Training System Utilizing 3-Dimensionally Printed Patient-Specific Vascular Models on Endovascular Catheterization Performance.

This study aimed to determine the effect of simulation training using a 3-dimensionally (3D) printed patient-specific vascular model on the advanced vascular catheterization skills of experienced interventional radiologists. Two specific anatomical types of 3D-printed patient-specific models from 2 patients with challenging celiac axis arterial anatomy were constructed. The Global Rating Scale of Endovascular Performance (GRS-EP) was used to evaluate vascular insertion skills.

Bone marrow niches orchestrate stem-cell hierarchy and immune tolerance.

Stem cells reside in specialized microenvironments, termed niches, at several different locations in tissues. The differential functions of heterogeneous stem cells and niches are important given the increasing clinical applications of stem-cell transplantation and immunotherapy. Whether hierarchical structures among stem cells at distinct niches exist and further control aspects of immune tolerance is unknown.

Improvement of Hypoalbuminemia and Hepatic Reserve after Stent Placement for Postsurgical Portal Vein Stenosis.

Purpose: To investigate the change in serum albumin (Alb) levels and hepatic reserve scores before and after portal vein stent placement (PVS) for postsurgical portal vein (PV) stenosis.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort of patients who underwent PVS after abdominal surgery between 2007 and 2021 was analyzed. Patients' age, sex, and PVS technical success (defined by PV patency at final portography) were evaluated.

Complex Multimorbidity and Trajectories of Functional Disabilities in the Last Three Years of Life: A Prospective Cohort Study of Older Adults in Japan.

We sought to understand the impact of multimorbidity (MM) on the trajectories of functional decline in the last three years of life among older people in Japan. We used nationwide longitudinal cohort data with 6-year follow-up and analyzed 3731 functionally independent residents aged 65 years and older. The primary outcome was the five trajectory groups of functional disability in the last three years of life, defined by group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM).

Immunochromatographic Lateral Flow Assays to Detect Filovirus Nucleoproteins.

The recent large outbreaks of Ebola virus disease in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have highlighted the need for rapid diagnostic tests to control this disease. In this chapter, the development of immunochromatographic lateral flow assays to detect filovirus nucleoproteins is described as an example of designing rapid diagnostic tests.

Loss of aquaporin-4 impairs cerebrospinal fluid solute clearance through cerebrospinal fluid drainage pathways.

The aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channel is essential in neurofluid dynamics. AQP4 loss impairs solute exchange between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF). However, whether AQP4 expression affects solute clearance from the CSF space to the extracranial space remains unclear.

Poor Tolerability of Lenvatinib in Elderly Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Disease Progression following First-Line Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab: A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: We investigated the effectiveness of lenvatinib (LEN) after disease progression following first-line treatment with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: One hundred and ten HCC patients treated with Atez/Bev as first-line systemic chemotherapy were enrolled and underwent dynamic computerized tomography/magnetic resonance imaging to determine the treatment response. We evaluated the treatment efficacy and prognosis after second-line LEN treatment, especially in elderly patients.

Neuromodulation with transcranial direct current stimulation contributes to motor function recovery via microglia in spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage or trauma to the spinal cord, which often results in loss of function, sensation, or mobility below the injury site. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and affordable brain stimulation technique used to modulate neuronal circuits, which changes the morphology and activity of microglia in the cerebral cortex. However, whether similar morphological changes can be observed in the spinal cord remains unclear.

Exploring interests: A pathway to ikigai and eudaimonic well-being among people with serious mental illness.

Objective: Ikigai is a Japanese concept of a life worth living and related to eudaimonic well-being. Supporting the pursuit of is of central importance to recovery-oriented psychiatric rehabilitation for people with serious mental illnesses (SMI). While research suggests that work, leisure, and social relationships are potential sources of , people with SMI have restricted access to these as they encounter systemic barriers to participating in such activities.

Comparisons of in-hospital fee and surgical outcomes between robot-assisted, laparoscopic, and open radical cystectomy: a Japanese nationwide study.

Objective: To evaluate in-hospital fees and surgical outcomes of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC), laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) and open radical cystectomy (ORC) using a Japanese nationwide database.

Methods: All data were obtained from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database between April 2020 and March 2022. Basic characteristics and perioperative indicators, including in-hospital fees, were compared among the RARC, LRC and ORC groups.

Imaging of O-labeled Water Using Fast T2 Mapping with T2-preparation: A Phantom Study.

O-labeled water is a T2-shortening contrast agent used in proton MRI and is a promising method for visualizing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics because it provides long-term tracking of water molecules. However, various external factors reduce the accuracy of O-concentration measurements using conventional signal-intensity-based methods. In addition, T2 mapping, which is expected to provide a stable assessment, is generally limited to temporal-spatial resolution.