Synthesis and Electrochemistry of Stacking Fault-Free β-NaMnO.

Understanding the solid-state chemistry of corrugated layered sodium manganese oxide (β-NaMnO) has been hindered by stacking faults (SFs), particularly in the presence of α-type planar domains among β-type corrugated MnO layers. Thus, their prospects as cathode materials for Na-ion batteries have never been assessed comprehensively. The partial substitution of Cu for the Mn in β-NaMnO yields SF-free β-phase, as confirmed via atomic scale scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Prediction of left ventricular reverse remodeling in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction using cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Background: With advances in the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), the prediction of left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) has become increasingly important. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a non-invasive test recommended for prognostic risk assessment in HFrEF; however, it is not known whether it predicts LVRR. We aimed to investigate whether the parameters obtained from CPET are useful in predicting LVRR in HFrEF.

Ester derivatives of Dictyostelium differentiation-inducing factors exhibit antibacterial activity, possibly via a prodrug-like function.

Objective: Dictyostelium differentiation-inducing factors 1 and 3 [DIF-1 (1) and DIF-3 (2), respectively], along with their derivatives, such as Ph-DIF-1 (3) and Bu-DIF-3 (4), demonstrate antibacterial activity in vitro against Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-sensitive Enterococcus faecalis (VSE), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium [VRE (VanA)]. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of DIF compounds against these Gram-positive bacteria.

Cachectic biomarkers as confounders behind the obesity paradox in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for heart failure (HF) development but is associated with a lower incidence of mortality in HF patients. This obesity paradox may be confounded by unrecognized comorbidities, including cachexia.

Methods: A retrospective assessment was conducted using data from a prospectively recruiting multicenter registry, which included consecutive acute heart failure patients.

Staged strategy of combined rotational atherectomy and intravascular lithotripsy for severely calcified lesions: an evaluation using multimodality intracoronary imaging-a case report.

Background: Severely calcified lesions are the most significant challenge for percutaneous coronary intervention, exhibiting poor clinical outcomes. Some severely calcified lesions remain untreatable with conventional balloons or even atherectomy devices. Intravascular lithotripsy is a new option for treating severe calcification.

Pathogen Profiles in Outpatients with Non-COVID-19 during the 7th Prevalent Period of COVID-19 in Gunma, Japan.

The identification of pathogens associated with respiratory symptoms other than the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be challenging. However, the diagnosis of pathogens is crucial for assessing the clinical outcome of patients. We comprehensively profiled pathogens causing non-COVID-19 respiratory symptoms during the 7th prevalent period in Gunma, Japan, using deep sequencing combined with a next-generation sequencer (NGS) and advanced bioinformatics technologies.

Differentiation-inducing Factor Derivatives Reduce the Glycosylation of PD-L1 in MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cells.

Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a metastatic and intractable cancer with limited treatment options. Refractory cancer cells often express the immune checkpoint molecules programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and PD-L2, which inhibit the anticancer effects of T cells. Differentiation-inducing factors, originally found in , and their derivatives possess strong antiproliferative activity, at least in part by reducing cyclin D1 expression in various cancer cells, but their effects on PD-L1/PD-L2 have not been examined.

Association of Potassium Level at Discharge with Long-Term Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure.

Dyskalemia (hypokalemia and hyperkalemia) is a common comorbidity of heart failure (HF). Although dyskalemia is associated with poor prognosis, different prognostic impacts of hypo- and hyperkalemia remain vastly unclear. This study investigated the association of dyskalemia with prognosis in HF patients, especially the mode of death and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Clinical impact of noncontrast percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Purpose: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is one of the common serious complications of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aimed to assess the significance of noncontrast strategy in the setting of ACS.

Methods: CI-AKI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine of ?0.

Fenestration Using a Novel Cutting Balloon for Acute Vessel Occlusion Secondary to Intramural Hematoma Following Stent Implantation.

Intramural hematoma after percutaneous coronary angioplasty is associated with adverse events and requires immediate bail out; however, the optimal treatment approach has not yet been established. Herein, we describe a case of coronary occlusion due to an intramural hematoma following stent implantation in the mid left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. Intravascular ultrasound revealed a massive intramural hematoma from the distal edge of the stent to the distal segment of the LAD, and the true lumen was completely compressed.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Diabetes in a Japanese Population: The DOSANCO Health Study.

Background: Both decreased insulin sensitivity and impaired insulin secretion are common in Asian populations with diabetes, in contrast to Western populations. There is limited evidence regarding the association between insulin response in diabetes in Asian populations and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) insufficiency.

Methods: The present cross-sectional study compared the prevalence of diabetes, defined as a fasting plasma glucose level ≥126 mg/dL and/or a HbA1c level ≥6.

Comparison of dimension reduction methods on fatty acids food source study.

Serum fatty acids (FAs) exist in the four lipid fractions of triglycerides (TGs), phospholipids (PLs), cholesteryl esters (CEs) and free fatty acids (FFAs). Total fatty acids (TFAs) indicate the sum of FAs in them. In this study, four statistical analysis methods, which are independent component analysis (ICA), factor analysis, common principal component analysis (CPCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), were conducted to uncover food sources of FAs among the four lipid fractions (CE, FFA, and TG + PL).

Impaired mental health status following intensive care unit admission in a patient with COVID-19.

Background: Severe respiratory failure patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) sometimes do not receive post-intensive care syndrome prevention bundles. No detailed report has been published on the practical observations of mental impairments in these patients.

Case Presentation: A 33-year-old man was admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Feasibility and safety of noncontrast percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with complicated acute coronary syndrome.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the feasibility and safety of noncontrast percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) occurs in 10-20% of ACS patients undergoing PCI, resulting in poor short- and long-term prognoses. Reducing the amount of contrast medium can prevent CI-AKI.

Clinical impact of visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio in patients with acute aortic dissection.

Background: Obesity has increased worldwide. Although the visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio (VS ratio) is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease, its clinical impact on the long-term prognosis of patients with acute aortic dissection (AAD) remains unclear.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 111 patients with AAD admitted to our hospital from 2013 to 2016.

Multivariate Analysis for Molecular Species of Cholesteryl Ester in the Human Serum.

Cholesteryl ester (CE) is an ester of cholesterol and fatty acid (FA). Plasma CE reflects complicated metabolisms of cholesterol, phospholipids, lipoproteins, and dietary FAs. An informatics approach could be useful for analysis of the CE species.

Application of Direct Sonoporation from a Defined Surface Area of the Peritoneum: Evaluation of Transfection Characteristics in Mice.

In the present study, we developed a sonoporation system, namely "direct sonoporation", for transfecting the peritoneum from a defined surface area to avoid systematic side effects. Here, the transfection characteristics are explained because there is less information about direct sonoporation. Naked pDNA and nanobubbles were administered to diffusion cell attached to the visceral and parietal peritoneum from the liver and peritoneal wall surface, respectively.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and poor sleep quality in a Japanese population: the DOSANCO Health Study.

Objective: The present cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and the presence of poor sleep quality in a community-based Japanese adult population.

Methods: Poor sleep quality, defined as poor subjective sleep quality and/or use of sleep medications, was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was compared among 512 Japanese participants aged 35-79 years, based on serum 25(OH)D levels, which were determined using tandem mass spectrometry.

Successful contemporary reverse controlled antegrade and retrograde subintimal tracking without contrast medium: a case report.

Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury is one of the common adverse events related to percutaneous coronary intervention and a predictor for worse outcome. In the setting of percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion, large amounts of contrast medium, more than 200-400 mL, are generally injected. A higher dose of contrast medium causes contrast-induced acute kidney injury more frequently.

Brain Microdialysis Study of Vancomycin in the Cerebrospinal Fluid After Intracerebroventricular Administration in Mice.

Vancomycin (VCM) is an important antibiotic for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. To treat bacterial meningitis caused by MRSA, it is necessary to deliver VCM into the meninges, but the rate of VCM translocation through the blood-brain barrier is poor. Additionally, high doses of intravascularly (i.

Synthetic Studies of Isoschizogamine: Alternative Preparation of the Key Intermediate.

An alternative synthetic route toward a key intermediate in the total synthesis of isoschizogamine is described. The Claisen-Johnson rearrangement stereoselectively constructed a quaternary carbon. Trifluoroperacetic acid mediated the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation to form a bicyclic lactone.

Determination of total, free and esterified short-chain fatty acid in human serum by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Background: Short-chain fatty acids are primarily absorbed through the portal vein during lipid digestion, which is utilized as the energy source, as well as prevent type 2 diabetes and some cancers. However, reports on the determination of these short-chain fatty acids in human serum are limited.

Methods: Blood samples from human subjects ( n = 547, male/female = 246/301, age 58.