Phagocytic clearance of targeted cells with a synthetic ligand.

During the process of engulfment, phosphatidylserine is exposed on the surface of dead cells as an 'eat-me' signal and is recognized by Protein S (ProS), a secreted factor that also binds to the Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) on phagocytes. Despite its robust activity, this engulfment mechanism has not been exploited for therapeutic purposes. Here we develop a synthetic protein modality called Crunch (connector for removal of unwanted cell habitat) by modifying ProS, inspired by the high engulfment capability of the ProS-MerTK pathway.

Music Listening Habits and Auditory Functions in Medical College Students.

Introduction: Early detection of hearing impairment in young adults and raising social awareness of preventive measures are essential to mitigate the negative impact on individuals' quality of life and reduce the societal costs associated with hearing impairment. This study investigated the music listening habits of medical college students using audiological function tests to assess their impact on young adults' hearing functions.

Methods: We recruited 77 healthy volunteers who underwent a comprehensive assessment, including a questionnaire on music listening habits, pure-tone audiometry (PTA), tympanometry, extended high-frequency (EHF) audiometry, and loudness discomfort level (LDL) tests.

Relationship between Subjective Hearing Loss and Work-related and Somatic Issues in the Working-age Population: A Large-scale Internet-based Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Hearing loss is a major problem that negatively impacts human life worldwide. Although factors associated with hearing loss have been widely studied, the impact of hearing loss on social aspects such as work performance in the working-age population remains unclear. To investigate the social and somatic problems associated with hearing loss in working-age individuals, we analyzed data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), including a questionnaire concerning social aspects, mental health, physical health, and subjective hearing loss.

Comparison of tocilizumab and corticosteroid treatment with baricitinib and corticosteroid treatment in severely and critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: Several guidelines recommend that systemic therapies involving tocilizumab, baricitinib, and corticosteroids are crucial in treating severely and critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the efficacy of the tocilizumab and corticosteroid combination compared with the baricitinib and corticosteroid combination in severely and critically ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 remains unclear.

Methods: We analyzed severely and critically ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 aged ≥18 years between 1 January 2020 and 31 March 2023 using a Japanese inpatient database.

Feasibility and clinical outcomes of CT-guided percutaneous gastrostomy with non-guidewire device.

Background: A new type of percutaneous gastrostomy device, designed not to use any guidewires during the procedure, is now available. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and clinical outcomes of this device for computer tomography-guided percutaneous gastrostomy (CT-PG).

Methods: Retrospective, single-center study reviewed patients who underwent CT-PG with the non-guidewire gastrostomy device between September 2020 and August 2024.

Genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of , the predominant species of human pathogens within the complex.

Genomic characteristics and optimal treatment of remain largely unknown. We collected clinical information and performed whole-genome sequencing analysis of the causative strains of six cases of infection at a single hospital over a 9-year period. Additionally, whole-genome sequencing analysis was performed on 33 .

Lobectomy is the preferred choice rather than sublobar resection for centrally located clinical stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Tumour location can affect clinicians' decisions regarding the surgical procedure, especially when choosing between lobectomy and segmentectomy. The biological behaviour of clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may differ based on tumour location. We aimed to explore the biological behaviour of centrally located (CL) clinical stage I NSCLC and to identify which surgical procedure is more appropriate for such tumours.

The first case of bacteremia caused by Desulfovibrio legallii.

We report the first documented case of bacteremia caused by Desulfovibrio legallii. A 55-year-old man with multiple system atrophy was admitted to our hospital for rehabilitation. During hospitalization, he developed a fever and rigors.

Few-Shot Learning for Prostate Cancer Detection on MRI: Comparative Analysis with Radiologists' Performance.

Deep-learning models for prostate cancer detection typically require large datasets, limiting clinical applicability across institutions due to domain shift issues. This study aimed to develop a few-shot learning deep-learning model for prostate cancer detection on multiparametric MRI that requires minimal training data and to compare its diagnostic performance with experienced radiologists. In this retrospective study, we used 99 cases (80 positive, 19 negative) of biopsy-confirmed prostate cancer (2017-2022), with 20 cases for training, 5 for validation, and 74 for testing.

Segmental bronchial marking method using indocyanine green for safe thoracoscopic segmentectomy: a single-center early experience.

Background: Segmentectomy is an acceptable surgical procedure for the treatment of small-sized lung cancers or pulmonary metastases. Among the segmentectomies, performing complex segmentectomies is challenging because of the deep intraparenchymal localization of the hilar structures and the presence of anatomical variations. Particular attention should be paid to avoid intraoperative bronchial misidentification.

Aldehyde metabolism governs resilience of mucociliary clearance to air pollution exposure.

Air pollution is a serious environmental threat to public health; however, the molecular basis underlying its detrimental effects on respiratory fitness remains poorly understood. Here, we showed that exposure to particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.

Multiplex amplicon sequencing for the comprehensive genotyping of .

Unlabelled: Major genotyping methods used to characterize strains are based on various experimental approaches that need to be implemented in parallel for each strain. In this study, we developed a comprehensive workflow based on amplicon sequencing using next-generation sequencing. This workflow comprised PCR amplification with seven tubes, collection into single tubes, shotgun sequencing, assembly separating each target into individual contigs, and genotyping.

Comparison of the short-term outcomes and the incidence of post-thoracotomy pain syndrome between dual-portal and multi-portal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery.

Purpose: To compare the short-term outcomes and the incidence of post-thoracotomy pain syndrome following dual- versus multi-portal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a database of 287 patients from two institutions in Japan that perform dual- and multi-portal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery between September 2019 and August 2024. Patients underwent surgery for non-small cell lung cancer and were evaluated for short-term outcomes.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer: the current opinions and future perspectives of thoracic surgeons in Japan.

Objectives: Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS) is gaining global recognition as a minimally invasive approach. However, its current status and issues in Japan remain unclear. This study aimed to assess U-VATS adoption and barriers among Japanese thoracic surgeons through a nationwide survey.

Mechanical Multiplexer of Nuclear Spin States.

A spin 1/2 is the simplest system that has been believed to support a single two-level quantum system, represented by a single resonance. We experimentally demonstrate that a spin-1/2 nucleus of ^{19}F in C_{6}F_{6} exhibits an extra resonance corresponding to the emergence of the states, by mechanically rotating a sample and a coil in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. On the basis of the Floquet formalism, we identify the emergence of the extra two-level state due to the temporal periodicity generated by the mechanical rotation (mechanical spin multiplexing) and derive an operator algebra analogous to the planar rotor algebra in an effective description of the system.

Neoadjuvant Concurrent Chemo-Immuno-Radiation Therapy Followed by Surgery and Adjuvant Immunotherapy for Resectable Stage III N2 NSCLC: Primary Results From the SQUAT Trial (WJOG 12119L).

Introduction: Neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy is one of the standard treatment options for resectable stage II to III NSCLC. Nevertheless, this treatment yielded insufficient local control in the CheckMate 816 trial. We hypothesized that adding radiotherapy could improve local control, thereby improving survival outcomes.

Rapid and Conventional Freezing Conditions of Fish for the Prevention of Human Anisakiasis.

In recent years, rapid freezers have been used to freeze and preserve seafood, with advances in freezing technology. However, limited studies have examined the effect of rapid freezing on the viability of larvae in fish muscle. In this study, freezing experiments were conducted on larvae alone (bare group) and on larvae embedded in mackerel fish (embedded group) using an air-blast freezer (rapid freezing) as the most popular rapid-freezing method, passing through the zone of maximum ice crystal formation within 30 min, and a natural convection freezer (conventional freezing) set at -20 °C.

The effect of antibiotic prescription in non-critically ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A Japanese inpatient database study.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic. Bacterial coinfections with COVID-19 occur in 3.5% of COVID-19 cases, with a higher incidence in severe cases.

Association between the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Swallowing Function in Dysphagic Patients in Japan.

Objective: Dysphagia affects 2.3 %-16 % of the general population and increases with age. It can lead to malnutrition, weight loss, aspiration pneumonia, and emotional symptoms such as anxiety and depression.

Effect of population-based sodium reduction interventions on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

This systematic review and meta-analysis included cluster randomized controlled trials that compared population-based sodium reduction interventions with usual care for blood pressure (BP) management. We searched PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and IchuShi-Web and utilized a random-effects meta-analysis of the weighted mean difference (MD) in the comparison groups to collect data from the included trials. The primary outcome includes the pooled MD of office BP from baseline to each follow-up period.

The relationship between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 omicron variant epidemic and acute myocardial infarction: A self-controlled case series study.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to various complications, including cardiovascular events. Despite the widespread impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant in 2022, no studies have evaluated the relationship between the Omicron variant epidemic and acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: We utilized a Japanese claims database to identify patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022.

Time-course changes in videofluoroscopic findings during developmental and aging stages in mice.

Videofluoroscopic swallow study methodology in mice has recently been established; however, details of developmental and age-related changes remain unclear. This study aimed to reveal the changes in swallowing associated with the entire lifespan of mice using the videofluoroscopic swallow study methodology. We tested six age groups of male C57BL/6J mice (4, 8, 16, 54, 77, and 104 weeks old; n  = 5 for each group, respectively).

A mutation in Tmem135 causes progressive sensorineural hearing loss.

Transmembrane protein 135 (TMEM135) is a highly conserved 52 kDa protein with five predicted transmembrane domains that colocalizes with mitochondria and peroxisomes. Previous studies have shown that TMEM135 is involved in mitochondrial dynamics, thermogenesis, and lipid metabolism across multiple tissues and species; however, its role in the inner ear and auditory system remains unknown. We investigated the function of TMEM135 in hearing using wild-type (WT) and Tmem135 (FUN025) mutant mice on a CBA/CaJ background, a normal-hearing mouse strain.