Maladaptive role of peridroplet mitochondria during lipophagy disruption in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells exhibit high metabolic flexibility, enabling survival under glucose limitation by using alternative fuels such as fatty acids. Lipophagy, a selective form of autophagy targeting lipid droplets (LDs), supports mitochondrial respiration during such nutrient stress. Our previous study demonstrated that the LSD1 inhibitor SP-2509 disrupts lipophagy independently of LSD1 inhibition, leading to LD accumulation and ATP depletion in glycolysis-suppressed PDAC cells.

Effect of warm water soaking for raw rough rice on in vitro starch digestibility of cooked rice.

Background: The present study investigated the influence of mild heat treatment on harvested raw rough rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Toyomeki) by warm water soaking at 65 °C with respect to the physicochemical properties and starch digestibility of cooked rice.

Epidemiology and risk factors of hallux valgus in Japanese population: HAPPI study.

Introduction: Hallux valgus (HV) is a common foot deformity characterized by lateral deviation of the great toe. Despite known associations with gender, age, and footwear, the prevalence of HV and its associated risk factors in Japan remain unclear. We conducted the first-ever prospective population-based cohort study (HAPPI study) in Japan to elucidate the prevalence of HV and identify its associated risk factors.

Frequency of laughter and depression onset among older adults: A 6-year longitudinal study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study.

Background: Laughter has been associated with mental and physical health benefits, but longitudinal evidence on whether laughter in daily life protects against depression remain limited. This study aimed to examine whether the frequency of laughter in daily life is associated with the risk of depression onset among older adults.

Methods: We analyzed data from 32,666 adults aged ≥65 years participating in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a three-wave cohort conducted over six-years.

Combination chemotherapy for older patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer: a prospective observational study using propensity-score matched analysis (JON2104-B).

Background: Systemic chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus S-1 (GEM + S-1), GEM + CDDP plus S-1 (GEM + CDDP + S-1), or gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GEM + CDDP) is standard treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer (aBTC). We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination chemotherapy in older patients with aBTC.

Methods: This multicenter prospective observational study (JON2104-B, UMIN000045156) included patients aged ≥ 70 years with aBTC.

Points-Based Health Incentive Program and Subsequent Health and Well-Being in Japan: An Outcome-Wide Approach.

Background: Evidence remains inadequate regarding the benefits of incentive programs promoting healthy activities, particularly among older adults. This longitudinal study examined the associations of participation in the points-based health incentive program with an array of subsequent health and well-being outcomes, including ones the program did not explicitly incentivize, among older adults in Japan.

Participants And Setting: We used three-wave data (2020, 2021, and 2022) from Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (n = 2504), a cohort study of functionally independent individuals aged ≥ 65 years.

Unraveling the regulative development and molecular mechanisms of identical sea urchin twins.

Since Hans Driesch's pioneering work in 1891, it has been known that animal embryos can develop into complete individuals even when divided. However, the developmental processes and molecular mechanisms enabling this self-organization remain poorly understood. In this study, we revisit Driesch's experiments by examining the development of isolated 2-cell stage blastomeres in the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus.

Anti-human TLR7 antibody for therapeutic intervention in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is an endosomal sensor that responds to both pathogen-derived and self-derived single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). Responses of TLR7 to self-derived ssRNA have been implicated in the development of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). TLR7 antagonists and inhibitory anti-TLR7 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can protect lupus-prone NZBWF1 mice from lethal nephritis.

Colonization history of snow algae on Hawai'i Island.

Red-pigmented snow algae are cold-adapted (including cryophilic) photosynthetic microbes commonly found in polar and alpine snowpacks worldwide, but their dispersal across isolated cryospheres remains poorly understood. We report the occurrence of snow algae on Maunakea, Hawai'i, the most isolated cryosphere in the world, during an unusually prolonged summer snow retention event in 2023 associated with La Niña conditions. Red-pigmented algal cells were observed in snow samples collected during this event.

Efficacy and Safety of Voretigene Neparvovec in -Retinopathy: Results of a Phase III Trial in Japan.

Purpose: We report the efficacy and safety of voretigene neparvovec (VN) as an adeno-associated viral vector-based gene therapy for Japanese patients with inherited retinal dystrophy caused by biallelic pathogenic variants (-retinopathy).

Design: Open-label, single arm, phase III clinical trial.

Participants: Four subjects were recruited based on the following criteria: (1) a clinical and molecular genetic diagnosis of -retinopathy; (2) age ≥4 years; (3) a best-corrected VA (BCVA) worse than 20/60 or a visual field (VF) <20° by a III4e isopter or equivalent; and (4) sufficient viable retinal cells by OCT or ophthalmoscopy.

Cideb knockdown in mice increases mitochondrial fat oxidation and reverses hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance by the plasma membrane sn-1,2-DAGs-PKCε-insulin receptor kinase pathway.

Aims/hypothesis: CIDEB (cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector B) deficiency is associated with a reduced incidence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in humans; however, the underlying mechanism responsible for this protective effect remains unclear.

Methods: C57BL/6J male mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to recapitulate key aspects of MASLD and hepatic insulin resistance. Cideb knockdown (KD) was achieved using a 2'-O-methoxyethyl (MOE) antisense oligonucleotide (ASO).

Rapid and long-lasting antidepressant-like effects of the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide receptor antagonist PA-915 in chronic stress mouse models.

Stress-related disorders, such as depression and anxiety, have been one of the most important medical issues. Accumulating evidence suggests that the activation of the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide and its receptor PAC1 are involved in the stress axis and the development of stress-related disorders. We recently developed PA-915, a small-molecule, non-peptide, high-affinity PAC1 antagonist, and demonstrated that it significantly suppresses anxiety-like behavior in acute stress-induced mice.

Development of a Clinical Clerkship Mentor Using Generative AI and Evaluation of Its Effectiveness in a Medical Student Trial Compared to Student Mentors: 2-Part Comparative Study.

Background: At the beginning of their clinical clerkships (CCs), medical students face multiple challenges related to acquiring clinical and communication skills, building professional relationships, and managing psychological stress. While mentoring and structured feedback are known to provide critical support, existing systems may not offer sufficient and timely guidance owing to the faculty's limited availability. Generative artificial intelligence, particularly large language models, offers new opportunities to support medical education by providing context-sensitive responses.

Nationwide questionnaire survey on diagnostic errors in pediatric outpatient acute care.

Background: Diagnostic errors are harmful and occur at unacceptably high rates. However, data regarding diagnostic errors in pediatric populations, particularly in acute outpatient care settings, remain insufficient. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of diagnostic errors, contributing factors, common symptoms, initial diagnoses, and final diagnoses in pediatric outpatient acute care in Japan and clarify the challenges that should be prioritized for preventing such errors.

Emergence of Robust 1D Atomic and Electronic Textures in Mn Ultrathin Films via Antiferromagnet-Ferromagnet Interfaces.

1D electronic structures on 2D crystalline surfaces are crucial for investigating low-dimensional quantum phenomena and enabling the development of dimensionally engineered nanodevices. However, the inherent periodic symmetry of 2D atomic lattices generally leads to delocalized electronic band extending across the surface, making the creation of periodic 1D electronic states a significant challenge. Here, robust 1D electronic ordering is demonstrated in ultrathin Mn films grown on an atomically flat, non-reconstructed body-centered cubic Fe substrate.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With a Positive Finding for the Coronary Spasm Provocation Test at Low Acetylcholine Doses.

Objective The intracoronary acetylcholine (ACh) provocation test is an invasive standard for diagnosing coronary spastic angina (CSA)/vasospastic angina. Although the guidelines recommend incremental doses of ACh, the clinical relevance of the significant response to lower ACh doses is unclear. Methods From April 2012 to June 2024, 636 patients with no significant epicardial coronary disease undergoing intracoronary ACh provocation testing for the diagnosis of CSA were included.

Fatal Trichosporon asahii Fungemia Following Polymicrobial Bacteremia in a Non-neutropenic Elderly Patient: A Case Report.

species are known to cause disseminated infections in immunocompromised hosts, typically in patients with hematological malignancies undergoing chemotherapy and those with a history of antifungal use. This case report described a non-neutropenic 85-year-old male patient with fungemia following polymicrobial bacteremia. He presented with fever and disturbed consciousness and was admitted for sepsis (day 1).

Patient background and laboratory variables associated with the efficacy of nivolumab after chemoradiotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is refractory to multidisciplinary treatment. Immunotherapy targeting programmed cell death protein 1 has shown promise in recent years; however, predicting its therapeutic efficacy remains difficult. The present study aimed to identify the factors associated with treatment response in patients receiving nivolumab after radical chemoradiotherapy for ESCC and to predict treatment efficacy based on these factors.

A deep learning-clinical nomogram hybrid for predicting sentinel lymph node metastasis in melanoma.

Background: Melanoma is a life-threatening skin malignancy, with sentinel lymph node metastasis (SLNM) serving as a critical prognostic factor. While machine and deep learning models using histopathology have focused on melanoma diagnosis, limited efforts have aimed to predict SLNM.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop a collaborative machine and deep learning model that integrates histopathological patches and clinical data to predict SLNM in patients with invasive melanoma, thereby aiding decision-making regarding sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Establishment of National Diagnostic Reference Levels 2025 for nuclear medicine in Japan.

Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are practical benchmarks for optimizing patient radiation exposure in medical imaging. In Japan, national DRLs, including those for nuclear medicine together and other radiological procedures, were first established in 2015 and revised in 2020. In this study, we revised the DRL values of nuclear medicine for the establishment of DRLs2025, based on data collected from institutions nationwide throughout Japan.

Effect of Preoperative Nutritional Status on Postoperative Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Spinal Tumors: Japan Association of Spine Surgeons with Ambition Multicenter Study.

Study Design: A multicenter prospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of preoperative nutritional status, assessed using the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), on clinical outcomes, including survival prognosis, postoperative complications, hospitalization duration, and functional prognosis, in patients with metastatic spinal tumors undergoing surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Malnutrition is common in patients with cancer and is associated with poor clinical outcomes.

Lasting impact of undergraduate operating room shadowing on novice nurses: a ChatGPT-supported qualitative study.

Background: Operating room (OR) shadowing allows nursing students to observe high-stakes teamwork and clinical decision-making. However, the emotional and professional impact of such experiences on novice nurses remains underexplored.

Methods: This qualitative study explored how a single episode of OR shadowing during undergraduate clinical training influenced novice nurses' emotional responses and professional development.