Long-range viscosity of the plasma membrane of a living cell measured by a shear-driven flow method.

The viscosity of the plasma membrane in living cells is a crucial biophysical parameter that regulates cellular functions. We categorize the plasma membrane viscosity into short-range and long-range viscosities based on the spatial scale of the cellular processes they influence. Short-range viscosity originates from the Brownian motion of membrane molecules, i.

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.

Comparison of clinical features between patients with bone and soft tissue angiosarcomas.

Background: Angiosarcoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy arising from vascular endothelial cells, with distinct subtypes originating in bone (AS-B) and soft tissue (AS-ST). While these subtypes share pathological similarities, differences in clinical outcomes remain unclear due to limited data. This study aimed to compare the clinical features, treatment strategies, and survival outcomes between AS-B and AS-ST using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

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.

Trends in Invasive Interventions and Risk Factors for Early Critical Events in Multiple System Atrophy.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive, adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder involving autonomic failure, cerebellar ataxia, and parkinsonism. Patients often require invasive interventions, such as gastrostomy or tracheostomy, and sudden death is common. This study aimed to elucidate patterns of invasive treatment and identify risk factors for tracheostomy or sudden death within 5 years of onset.

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.

The genomics of discrete polymorphisms maintained by disruptive selection.

Disruptive selection can lead to the evolution of discrete morphs. We show that particular genetic architectures, in terms of dominance, epistasis, and linkage, are likely to evolve to produce discrete morphs under disruptive selection. Recent genomic studies have revealed that causative mutations tend to cluster, sometimes as a result of chromosomal rearrangements, but we still know little about the molecular mechanisms of dominance and epistasis.

Relative Hypothermia and Gray Matter Atrophy in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Relative hypothermia is associated with tau accumulation. Furthermore, elucidating the association with changes in brain structure may be useful for the early detection and prevention of dementia. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between relative hypothermia and brain volume, especially gray matter and white matter, and to determine the cutoff point of relative hypothermia associated with brain structure.

Influence of Non-Index Pain Before Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases on Post-Treatment QOL: Analyses Based on a Prospective Observational Study of 26 Centers.

Purpose: Although pain response is assessed based on the intensity of index pain (pain from the tumor targeted for radiation therapy), few studies have explored non-index pain (pain from other sites not targeted for radiation therapy). We examined the impact of pre-treatment non-index pain on quality of life (QOL) after radiation therapy.

Methods And Materials: Of 232 patients enrolled in the original prospective observational study conducted at 26 centers, 223 were analyzed.

Risk Stratification Using DIPSS and Splenomegaly in Myelofibrosis Treated with Pre-Transplant JAK inhibitors.

The Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System for primary myelofibrosis (DIPSS) has been reported to predict transplant outcomes in myelofibrosis (MF) patients. Recently, the pre-transplant use of JAK inhibitors has become common in clinical practice, but it is unclear whether DIPSS is also useful for predicting transplant outcomes for these patients. In this study, we compared the prognostic impact of DIPSS between MF patients with and without pre-transplant Ruxolitinib therapy.

Intracellular Localization of the Bacterial Endosymbiont in the Ostracod .

Symbiosis is a key driver of evolution in life-history traits and reproductive strategies. Some symbiotic microorganisms manipulate host reproduction to enhance their own transmission, a phenomenon well studied in insects but less understood in crustaceans. Among these microorganisms, manipulates host reproductive systems, such as parthenogenesis, cytoplasmic incompatibility, and male killing in arthropods.

Copy Number Variation in the Amylase Gene () in the Brown Bear (), Based on Whole Genome Resequencing Data.

Copy number variation (CNV) in gene loci in animals can be driven by adaption to the environment. The relationship between CNV in genes for amylase (), which hydrolyzes starch, and dietary adaptation has been well studied. Copy number (CN) of is higher in human populations with high-starch diets, compared with those with low-starch diets.

Overlooked Parasite Diversity in Staurozoa: Two Species of Lepocreadiidae (Trematoda: Digenea) Parasitic in .

Three non-encysted digenean metacercariae were found parasitic in the mesoglea of two of 13 individuals of the staurozoan cnidarian Kishinouye, 1910 from Yoichi, Hokkaido, Japan. The metacercariae comprised two morphospecies (one oval, the other elongate), for which the gross morphology is described. Partial sequences of the 18S and 28S rRNA genes and the internal transcribed spacer 2 region were determined for both species, and a partial sequence of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene was determined for the oval species.

Onnamides and a Novel Analogue, Onnamide G, as Potent Leishmanicidal Agents.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease posing significant global health challenges. Given the limited effective treatment options and associated constraints, many patients are unable to complete therapy. In this study, we report the remarkable leishmanicidal activity of onnamides derived from the marine sponge Theonella sp.

Outcomes of FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel in patients with early recurrent pancreatic cancer after adjuvant S-1 treatment: A propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Oral fluoropyrimidine, S-1 is the standard adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resected pancreatic cancer (PC) in Japan. Patients experiencing early recurrence are typically treated with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP), which are commonly used in patients with advanced PC. However, no clinical studies have compared these regimens in this particular population.

Target volume delineation of the neck for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas.

The Chinese Society for Therapeutic Radiology Oncology, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology, the Head and Neck Cancer International Group, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, and the American Society for Radiation Oncology collaboratively developed evidence-based guidelines and a comprehensive contouring atlas for neck target volume delineation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. These guidelines address five key challenges in modern radiotherapy practice: margin design of clinical target volume; nodal target volume delineation after induction chemotherapy; delineation of equivocal nodes evident on imaging; low-risk clinical target volume delineation based on regional stepwise extension patterns; and modifications for anatomical boundaries of lymphatic areas. Developed through a rigorous systematic review and expert appraisal process by a panel of 50 international, multidisciplinary members from 17 countries and regions, these guidelines incorporate the latest advances in nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis and treatment.

Primary target volume delineation for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas.

The Chinese Society for Therapeutic Radiology Oncology, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology, Head and Neck Cancer International Group, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, and the American Society for Radiation Oncology jointly developed evidence-based guidelines and a contouring atlas for primary target volume delineation for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The guidelines systematically address three crucial challenges: margin design of clinical target volumes; target volume delineation after induction chemotherapy; and low-risk clinical target volume delineation based on local stepwise extension patterns. Based on a comprehensive systematic review and critical appraisal by an international multidisciplinary panel of 50 nasopharyngeal carcinoma specialists from 17 countries and regions, these guidelines are in keeping with advances in nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis and treatment, embodying contemporary treatment concepts, and elaborating on the differences in practice.

Diversity of Kryptoperidinium (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae): Morphological description and molecular phylogenetics of Kryptoperidinium secundum sp. nov.

Kryptoperidinium belongs to a group of dinophytes hosting a diatom as an endosymbiont and is currently considered to comprise a single, putatively bloom-forming and harmful species only. Molecular phylogenetics indicate the existence of a second distinct lineage and therefore species new to science, which we here formally describe as Kryptoperidinium secundum sp. nov.

A theoretical interpretation of diffusion weighted and intravoxel incoherent motion imaging for cerebrospinal fluid flow.

Purpose: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging are well-established approaches for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow in subarachnoid and perivascular spaces, and have recently been applied to study ventricular CSF flow. However, DWI does not directly measure flow velocity, and the physical implications of DWI measurements are unclear. This study aimed to provide a theoretical interpretation of the DWI and IVIM imaging of CSF flow velocity fields.

Extreme weather events and dengue in Southeast Asia: A regionally-representative analysis of 291 locations from 1998 to 2021.

Background: Climate change, leading to more frequent and intense extreme weather events (EWEs), could significantly impact dengue transmission. However, the associations between EWEs and dengue remains underexplored in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. We investigated the association between selected EWEs (i.

External validation of the revised lethal triad criteria for appropriate strategic decision making.

Background: The conventional lethal triad criteria for trauma are too specific for death and, thus, inappropriate as a standard for strategic decisions. Revised lethal triad criteria were previously proposed based on a multicenter study. Positive is defined as meeting one major criterion (fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product >90 μg/mL) or two minor criteria (base excess <-3 mEq/L or temperature <36°C).

Noise-induced transitions in random Pomeau-Manneville maps.

We introduce randomness to Pomeau-Manneville (PM) maps by incorporating dichotomous multiplicative noise that alternates between dynamics with an attracting and a repelling fixed point. We characterize the dynamical behavior by measuring the separation of two nearby orbits. Controlling the probability of selecting the repelling PM map, we find two noise-induced transitions.

Establishment of an antimetabolite-based transformation system for the wood-decaying basidiomycete .

The model wood-decaying basidiomycete has been extensively studied to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of wood decomposition. However, genetic studies have been limited by the lack of adequate genetic tools. Here, we established an antimetabolite-based transformation system, originally developed for ascomycetes, for use in .

Effect of health promotion interventions in supermarkets on dietary variety among Japanese older adults: a protocol for a cluster non-randomised parallel-group comparative trial.

Introduction: With an ageing population, prevention of frailty among older adults has become a critical public health issue. Dietary habits are one of the essential components in frailty prevention, which involves promoting changes in dietary behaviours, such as including dietary variety. However, community-level health promotion interventions face significant challenges, including limited spatial access to food, which is important as it is not easy to change the behaviour of older adults.