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.

Adductome-based identification of lysine mono-methylation as a key post-translational protein modification in autoimmune diseases.

Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of proteins are efficient biological mechanisms for expanding the genetic code and for regulating cellular physiology. However, there have been no systematic approaches to profile all the PTMs critical for autoreactive neoantigen production or the etiology and pathology of autoimmune diseases. In the present study, to gain insight into protein PTMs associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we applied a mass spectrometry-based method for the comprehensive analysis of modified amino acids ("adductome").

Unveiling the biological methylation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and the formation of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole in a municipal wastewater treatment plant.

Odor problems in treated municipal wastewater are a concern, yet the sources and formation dynamics of these compounds within sewerage systems remain unclear. 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA) is a key odorant in the effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study investigates the formation of 2,4,6-TCA through the conversion of its precursor, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP).

Self-Regulating Hydrogel Actuators.

Self-regulating hydrogels represent the next generation in the development of soft materials with active, adaptive, autonomous, and intelligent behavior inspired by sophisticated biological systems. Nature provides exemplary demonstrations of such self-regulating behaviors, including muscle tissue's precise biochemical and mechanical feedback mechanisms, and coordinated cellular chemotaxis driven by dynamic biochemical signaling. Building upon these natural examples, self-regulating hydrogels are capable of spontaneously modulating their structural and functional states through integrated negative feedback loops.

Tactile force sensor based on a modified acoustic reflection principle for intraoperative tumor localization in minimally invasive surgery.

Purpose: Localization of abdominal tissue, such as tumors, in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is crucial but challenging due to the lack of tactile sensation. This study aims to develop a tactile force sensor that provides tactile sensation for surgeons, enabling accurate tumor localization while ensuring surgical safety.

Methods: This study proposes an acoustic reflection-based tactile force sensor, with preliminary theoretical analyses and fundamental experiments performed to assess its response to applied forces.

Visualizing Molecular-Scale 3D Distributions of Ionic Liquids in Electric Double-Layer Capacitor by 3D Scanning Force Microscopy with Variable Tip/Sample Bias Voltages.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of ionic liquid (IL) distribution in electric double-layer (EDL) devices has been actively explored to understand the origin of their excellent performance. However, this has been impeded by insufficient resolution or a poor understanding of the mechanisms of 3D IL imaging. Here, we overcome these difficulties using 3D scanning force microscopy (3D-SFM) with variable tip/sample bias voltages for visualizing 3D ,-diethyl--methyl--(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (DEME-TFSI) distributions on a Au electrode in EDL capacitors.

Chemical structures and molar masses of water-soluble TEMPO-oxidized products prepared from 20 % NaOH-treated cellulose.

TEMPO-catalyzed oxidation is a unique method for converting primary C6-hydroxymethyl groups in water-insoluble regenerated cellulose materials to sodium C6-carboxylate groups in water at room temperature to provide water-soluble polyglucuronates. In this study, 20 % NaOH-treated bacterial cellulose (BC), cotton lint (CL), and ramie cellulose (RC) were oxidized to prepare water-soluble polyglucuronates with high degrees of polymerization and high mass recovery ratios. Solid-state CP/MASS C NMR spectra of the water-soluble products indicated that they contained considerable amounts of C2/C3-ketone hydrate structures (50-60 % of glucuronosyl units).

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.

Plasma cfDNA analysis of alectinib resistance-related gene alterations in the J-ALEX study.

Background: Resistance to alectinib, the standard first-line therapy for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), remains a major clinical challenge. This study aimed to investigate resistance mechanisms using next-generation sequencing (NGS) of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA).

Materials And Methods: Plasma samples from 67 patients in the alectinib group of the J-ALEX study were collected at baseline, on day 57, and at treatment discontinuation.

Possible Direction of Drug Discovery Based on Single-Molecule Live Imaging.

In conventional drug discovery, particularly for small molecules, investigating a small compound that matches the structure of the target molecule and alters its activity has been a crucial process. On the other hand, artificially regulating the activity of a target molecule that is inherently present in cells or organisms and involved in a physiological function can cause various side effects. One possible approach to overcoming this side effect problem is to explore molecules that affect the behavior or motility of molecules related to diseases.

Leveraging port state measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens the sustainability of fisheries and communities dependent on them. The Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) is a key tool for combatting IUU fishing by foreign fleets, requiring standardized inspections, information sharing, and port denial. Using satellite data, we characterized how PSMA has affected high seas vessel behavior and identify opportunities to strengthen its impact.

How fake news can turn against its spreader.

When different information sources on a given topic are combined, they interact in a nontrivial manner for a rational receiver of these information sources. Suppose that there are two information sources, one is genuine and the other contains disinformation. It is shown that under the conditions that the signal-to-noise ratio of the genuine information source is sufficiently large, and that the noise terms in the two information sources are positively correlated, the effect of disinformation is reversed from its original intent.

Quantization induced memory-nonlinearity transfer: Implications of analog-to-digital conversion in reservoir computing.

The output-side behaviors of typical digital computing systems, such as simulated neural networks, are generally unaffected by the act of observation; however, this is not the case for the burgeoning field of physical reservoir computers (PRCs). Observer dynamics can limit or modify the natural state information of a PRC in many ways, and among the most common is the conversion from analog to digital data needed for calculations. Here, to aid in the development of novel PRCs, we investigate the effects of bounded, quantized observations on systems' natural computational abilities.

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.

Stochastic Interface Formation in Nanoscale Heterostructures Visualized by Atomic-Resolution Microscopy.

Well-defined heterostructures exhibit emergent properties distinct from their single-phase constituents, enabling advances across diverse technologies. Typically classified as self-assembly and epitaxy, heterointerface formation is generally assumed to proceed unidirectionally and irreversibly at bulk scales. Here we use in situ electron microscopy at 298 K to visualize the heterostructure formation from nanoscale mixtures of intrinsically immiscible salts at ambient conditions, NaCl and NaI.

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.

X-ray Crystallographic Visualization of a Nucleation and Anisotropic Growth in Thiolate-Protected Gold Clusters: Toward Targeted Synthesis of Gold Quantum Needles.

Understanding and controlling the nucleation and growth processes of gold clusters are crucial for advancing the nucleation theory and targeted cluster synthesis. While mass spectrometry has revealed the intermediate species formed during the growth process, the overall structural evolution remains unclear due to a lack of crystallographic information. In this study, we examined a new synthetic method for thiolate-protected gold clusters in their embryonic stage.

Carotenoids bind rhodopsins and act as photocycle-accelerating pigments in marine Bacteroidota.

Microbial rhodopsins are photoreceptor proteins widely distributed in marine microorganisms that harness light energy and support marine ecosystems. While retinal is typically the sole chromophore in microbial rhodopsins, some proteorhodopsins, which are proton-pumping rhodopsins abundant in the ocean, use carotenoid antennae to transfer light energy to retinal. However, the mechanism by which carotenoids enhance rhodopsin functions remains unclear.

Ecological Risk Assessment and Management of Forest Fires in Tamil Nadu, India: A MaxEnt Model-Based Approach for Strategic Resource Allocation and Fire Mitigation.

Forest fires are integral to forest ecosystems as they influence nutrient cycling, plant regeneration, tree density, and biodiversity. However, human-induced climate change and activities have made forest fires more frequent, more intense, and more widespread, exacerbating their ecological and socioeconomic impact. Forest fires shape Tamil Nadu's diverse forest ecosystems, yet rising anthropogenic pressure and a warmer, drier climate have increased both their frequency and severity.

Trends in the healthcare burden of hepatitis C after the introduction of direct-acting antivirals in Japan, 2013-2022: A national claims database study in Japan.

Objectives: To describe trends in the incidences of chronic hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and related healthcare burden after the introduction of interferon-free direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).

Methods: This repeated cross-sectional study (time trend analysis) examined chronic hepatitis C and related healthcare, including HCC, using national claims data covering >98% of healthcare services in Japan between fiscal years 2013 and 2022.

Results: During the study period, 357,877 patients were treated with DAAs.

Effect of social resources on readmission prevention and the influence of informal coercion in acute schizophrenia: a retrospective quasi-experimental cohort study.

Introduction: During hospitalization, social resources are introduced with or without informal coercion as means of supporting the life of people with acute schizophrenia in the community. However, neither the effect of social resources in general on preventing readmission nor that of informal coercion on clinical outcomes is known. We aimed to examine the overall effect of social resources on preventing the readmission of people with acute schizophrenia and the clinical impact of informal coercion.

Biosynthesis of the Thiofuranose Core in Albomycin Requires a Versatile Enzyme AbmG That Catalyzes Net Dehydration via Cryptic Phosphorylation.

Albomycins are unusual sulfur-containing nucleosides from the species of that exhibit potent antibiotic activities against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria including clinical pathogens. Previous studies demonstrated that the twitch radical SAM enzyme AbmM catalyzes an oxidative sulfur-for-oxygen swapping reaction converting CDP to a 4'-hydroxy-4'-thiocytidine 5'-diphosphate intermediate in the initial step of albomycin biosynthesis. However, the fate of this intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway has remained elusive.

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.

Systematic discovery and engineering of synthetic immune receptors in plants.

Plants deploy a diverse array of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which perceive microbe-associated molecular patterns to activate immune responses. Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase subgroup XII (LRR-RLK-XII) represents one of the largest PRR families owing to lineage-specific diversification. Through bioinformatics and synthetic biology approaches, we characterized LRR-RLK-XIIs from 285 plant species and identified a receptor, "SCORE," that perceives cold shock protein (CSP) peptides.

Rapid, low-temperature nanodiamond formation by electron-beam activation of adamantane C-H bonds.

Diamond and adamantane () share a -symmetric carbon skeleton, but converting to diamond has been challenging because it requires selective carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond cleavage and monomer assembly into a diamond lattice. Our approach differs from the conventional high-temperature, high-pressure diamond syntheses. We electron-irradiated submicrocrystals at 80 to 200 kilo-electron volts and 100 to 296 kelvin in vacuum for tens of seconds.