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.

Blackcurrant anthocyanins improve visual contrast resolution for optokinetic responses in aging mice.

Visual motion perception declines during natural aging in most animals including humans. Edible berries of blackcurrant (BC) and its extracted anthocyanins (BCAs) have beneficial effects on human eyes. However, the effect of BCAs on the perception of moving objects and other dynamic visual patterns remains unknown.

Long-term results of the metaphyseal-loading anterolaterally flared anatomic femoral stem for total hip arthroplasty.

Background: Patients with secondary hip osteoarthritis due to developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) often have abnormal femoral morphology, making stem design critical for long-term outcomes. The FMS-anatomic stem previously demonstrated favourable mid-term results. Its successor, the Anatomic Fit stem, was developed with a reduced hydroxyapatite-coated area to enhance proximal load transfer and a narrower lateral flare to facilitate insertion.

Cooling-induced brushite crystallization in urine as a predictive risk marker for calcium kidney stone recurrence.

Kidney stones have a high recurrence rate-10% within 5 years and 50% within 10. Crystalluria reflects the urinary physicochemical environment and may serve as a recurrence marker, but key crystals like brushite are rarely detected under ambient conditions. This study aimed to identify novel recurrence markers by inducing crystallization through urine cooling and analyzing crystal composition.

Assessing the need for multimodal care in anorexia and cachexia patients with advanced cancer referred to palliative care: a secondary analysis of a multicenter survey in Japan.

Purpose: There are no methods for assessing the need for multimodal care in cancer cachexia. We examined nine components in evaluating needs among advanced cancer patients.

Methods: This was a self-administered survey.

Impact of baseline PINP on the BMD increase with romosozumab, teriparatide, and denosumab in treatment-naïve primary osteoporosis: A retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of baseline total N-terminal propeptide of procollagen (PINP) levels on increases in bone mineral density (BMD) after treatment with romosozumab (ROMO), teriparatide (TPTD), and denosumab (DMAb) in patients with treatment naïve primary osteoporosis.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included 462 treatment-naïve patients (88.7 % female; mean age, 75.

Pre-event psychiatric states predict trajectories of event-related distress in Japan.

Background: Recent time-dependent analyses of stress-related disorders have identified heterogeneity of trajectories and their modifying factors. While psychiatric patients are vulnerable to stress events, it is unclear how psychiatric conditions in the general population modulate subsequent event-related distress trajectories.

Methods: Using a longitudinal online survey from before the COVID-19 pandemic to post-pandemic follow-ups (n = 3815 Japanese adults) and a latent growth mixture model, we identified four trajectories of pandemic-related stress symptoms: resilient, chronic, mild chronic, and early response.

FMR1 mutant marmosets show fragile X syndrome phenotypes.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the foremost monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, caused by FMR1 gene silencing. Here, we report that common marmosets carrying FMR1 mutation, a non-human primate model for FXS, share common features in behavioral and molecular phenotypes with patients with FXS. Founder mutants with markedly reduced fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein expression display hyperactivity, spontaneous seizures, and transcriptome changes in synapse-related genes that overlap with those reported in patients with FXS.

Fast and efficient room-temperature phosphorescence from metal-free organic molecular liquids.

Liquid is the most flexible state of condensed matter and shows promise as a functional soft material. However, these same characteristics make it challenging to achieve efficient room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) from metal-free organic molecular liquids. Herein, we report efficient RTP from liquefied thienyl diketones bearing one or two dimethyloctylsilyl (DMOS) substituents.

Association between Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitor Use and Prognosis in Underweight Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure.

Background & Aims: It remains unclear whether sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are effective for patients with underweight. This study aimed to elucidate the association between SGLT2 inhibitors use and prognosis in underweight patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and HF.

Methods: This study was a post-hoc analysis of data from the Japanese Registry of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure, a prospective, multicenter, observational, nationwide registry.

Impact of COVID-19 on the awareness and interest in infectious disease specialization among Japanese medical students.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the critical deficiency of infectious disease (ID) specialists, a subspecialty that remains underrepresented among Japanese medical students.

Methods: This nationwide cross-sectional survey was administered between April and August 2024 via an online questionnaire distributed to medical students throughout Japan. The survey assessed awareness of and interest in ID specialization, categorizing students by academic year: lower (first- and second-year students), middle (third- and fourth-year students), and upper grades (fifth- and sixth-year students).

Optically induced spin Hall current in monolayer Janus NbSSe: a first-principles study.

Monolayer Janus transition-metal dichalcogenides possess Ising- and Rashba-type spin-orbit-couplings (SOC), leading to intriguing spin splitting effects at K and K', and around Γ points across the wide energy range. Using first-principles calculations, we unveil these SOC characteristics in metallic Janus NbSSe and demonstrate its potential for optically controlled spin current generation. On the basis of the symmetry of the system, we show that different linear polarized light can selectively drive spin currents of distinct spin components.

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Knockouts of the ALG3 and GNTI in N. benthamiana and Their Application to Pharmaceutical Production.

N-Glycosylation critically influences the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic properties of biopharmaceuticals. Plant expression platforms offer multiple advantages for the production of N-glycosylated proteins, but their use is impeded by the presence of plant-specific N-glycan epitopes, which raise concerns of possible immunogenicity to humans. In this study, N-glycoengineered Nicotiana benthamiana plants that produce more homogeneous N-glycans without plant-specific epitopes were generated using multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

Association of short-chain fatty acid-producing gut microbiota and dietary habits with maternal depression in a subclinical population.

The prevalence of postpartum mental illness is steadily increasing, a tendency that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies show that maternal depression is no longer confined to the perinatal period, and this necessitates long-term assessment and support for maternal mental health. It is critical to identify the factors that are related to depression among mothers, and this requires the development of integrated mental and physical health care encompassing both psychological aspects and intestinal microbiota, physical conditions, and dietary habits.

[New treatment strategies for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: drug selection in the era of novel complement inhibitors].

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare clonal disorder characterized by complement-mediated hemolysis, thrombosis, and bone marrow failure. Eculizumab (Ecu), a C5 inhibitor, blocks intravascular hemolysis (IVH) and improves prognosis. Ravulizumab and crovalimab have longer half-lives, and reduce treatment burden.

Biomarker-related phospho-tau217 appears in synapses around Aβ plaques prior to tau tangle in cerebral cortex of preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Phospho-tau protein p-tau181 is a cerebrospinal fluid biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD), while p-tau217 is the most sensitive plasma biomarker for cerebral amyloid β (Aβ) load prior to tau pathology in preclinical AD. Diagnostic and prognostic use of these p-tau biomarkers requires neuropathological interpretation. Here, we analyzed the cellular localization of biomarker p-tau species in postmortem human brains harboring different extents of Aβ plaque and tau pathology.

Item selection for the development and validation of a revised classification criteria for adult and juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: MyoROC project.

Objective: A revision of the 2017 EULAR-ACR myositis classification criteria, namely EULAR-ACR funded Myositis Revision of Classification (MyoROC) project, is currently underway involving a large international group of experts. In the first phase of this project, we identified additional items to be tested in the criteria.

Methods: We distributed an electronic survey to International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies (IMACS) members to identify new items.

Observation of the crossover from quantum fluxoid to half-quantum fluxoid in a chiral superconducting device.

Topological superconductors are one of the intriguing material groups from the viewpoint of not only condensed matter physics but also industrial applications such as quantum computers based on Majorana fermion. For real applications, developments of thin-film topological superconductors are highly desirable. Bi/Ni bilayer is a possible candidate for thin-film chiral superconductors where the time-reversal symmetry is broken.

Fatty acid 2-hydroxylase facilitates rotavirus uncoating and endosomal escape.

Despite the clinical significance of many nonenveloped viruses, the molecular mechanisms of their internalization and membrane penetration are not well understood. Rotaviruses (RVs) are nonenveloped double-stranded RNA viruses and the leading cause of severe dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children. We identified fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (encoded by ) in the fatty acid 2-hydroxylation pathway as a proviral gene that supports RV infection.

Microbial Intervention in the Soaking Step during Tempeh Preparation to Modulate B Vitamin Contents: A Metabolomics Approach.

B vitamins are integral in maintaining human health. Owing to its high B vitamin contents, tempeh serves as an excellent plant-based option to achieve an adequate intake of these nutrients through diet. In order to investigate the metabolomic profile of tempeh and modulate the contents of vitamins B and B in it, we employed microbial interventions using two species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and various inoculum sizes in the soaking step during tempeh production.

Modeling-Making-Modulating High-Entropy Alloy with Activated Water-Dissociation Centers for Superior Electrocatalysis.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have recently emerged as promising electrocatalysts for complex reactions owing to their tunable electronic structures and diverse, unique binding sites. However, their vast compositional space, in terms of both elemental variety and atomic ratios, presents a major challenge to the rational design of high-performance catalysts, as experimental efforts are often hindered by ambiguous element selection and inefficient trial-and-error methods. In this work, a bottom-up research strategy using machine learning-assisted first-principles calculations was applied to accelerate the design of quinary HEAs toward efficient multielectron transfer reactions.

Metabolite and Sensory Profiling of Microwave-Assisted and Ultrasonic-Assisted Alkalized Cocoa Powders.

Microwave (MA)- and ultrasonic-assisted (UA) alkalization were applied to cocoa powders for 5, 10, and 15 min to investigate their effects on metabolite composition, sensory profile, and consumer liking. Widely targeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed alkalization altered metabolite profiles: Natural cocoa powders contained more amino acids, sugars, and flavonoids, while alkalized samples had elevated organic acids. Compared to conventionally alkalized (CA) samples, only UA15 showed a significant increase in 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid.

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.

Career advancement and fertility intention among working women in Japan: a cross-sectional survey study.

Background: The global decline in birth rates highlights the need to understand fertility intention among working women of childbearing age. However, only few studies have examined the balance between career and childbearing in Japan, which has a rapidly aging society. This study aimed to explore factors influencing fertility intention by evaluating health status, healthcare access, career advancements, working conditions, and workplace dynamics among Japanese working women.

Developing a risk score for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) ≥ 100 pg/ml levels: the suita study.

Background: Increased plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) serve as a biomarker for heart failure (HF). This study aimed to develop a risk score to predict elevated BNP levels using traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

Methods And Results: We analyzed data from 2809 Japanese individuals aged ≥ 40 years from the Suita Study, a population-based prospective cohort.