Search Results (12)

Background/Objectives: Extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (EPNEC) is a rare, heterogeneous malignancy with no standard second-line treatment after progression on first-line platinum-doublet chemotherapy. We compared the efficacy and safety of amrubicin (AMR) versus platinum-based doublet as second-line therapy for advanced EPNEC. Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included patients with advanced EPNEC treated at five Japanese institutions who received second-line AMR or a platinum-based doublet. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events were assessed. Results: Forty-four patients were enrolled (platinum-based doublet, n = 25; AMR, n = 19). Median OS was 6.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.9–9.0) and 6.8 months (95% CI, 2.7–13.2), and median PFS was 2.2 months (95% CI, 1.6–4.4) and 2.1 months (95% CI, 1.5–6.8), respectively. ORR and DCR were 20.0% and 32.0% in the platinum group and 5.3% and 26.3% in the AMR group, respectively. No significant differences were observed for OS, PFS, ORR, or DCR. Grade 3–4 hematologic toxicity was more frequent in the platinum group, whereas severe non-hematologic toxicity was rare in both groups. Conclusions: AMR therapy and platinum-based doublet therapy may exhibit comparable efficacy and acceptable safety profiles as second-line treatment options for advanced EPNEC. Full article

Beyond clinical areas, photon-counting detector (PCD) CT is innovatively applied to study paleontological specimens. This study presents a preliminary investigation into the application of PCD-CT for imaging large dinosaur fossils, comparing it with standard energy-integrating detector (EID) CT. The left dentary of Tyrannosaurus and the skull of Camarasaurus were imaged using PCD-CT in ultra-high-resolution mode and EID-CT. The PCD-CT and EID-CT image quality of the dinosaurs were visually assessed. Compared with EID-CT, PCD-CT yielded higher-resolution anatomical images free of image deterioration, achieving a better definition of the Tyrannosaurus mandibular canal and the three semicircular canals of Camarasaurus. PCD-CT clearly depicts the internal structure and morphology of large dinosaur fossils without damaging them and also provides spectral information, thus allowing researchers to gain insights into fossil mineral composition and the preservation state in the future. Full article

Background: Refractory ascites affects the prognosis and quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis. Peritoneovenous shunt (PVS) is a treatment procedure of palliative interventional radiology for refractory ascites. Although it is reportedly associated with serious complications (e.g., heart failure, thrombotic disease), the clinical course of PVS has not been thoroughly evaluated. Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between chronological course and complications after PVS for refractory ascites in liver cirrhosis patients. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of 14 patients with refractory ascites associated with decompensated cirrhosis who underwent PVS placement between June 2011 and June 2023. The clinical characteristics, changes in cardiothoracic ratio (CTR), and laboratory data (i.e., brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), D-dimer, platelet) were evaluated. Follow-up CT images in eight patients were also evaluated for ascites and complications. Results: No serious complication associated with the procedure occurred in any case. Transient increases in BNP and D-dimer levels, decreased platelet counts, and the worsening of CTR were observed in the 2 days after PVS; however, they were improved in 7 days in all cases except one. In the follow-up CT, the amount of ascites decreased in all patients, but one patient with a continuous increase in D-dimer 2 and 7 days after PVS had thrombotic disease (renal and splenic infarction). The mean PVS patency was 345.4 days, and the median survival after PVS placement was 474.4 days. Conclusions: PVS placement for refractory ascites is a technically feasible palliative therapy. The combined evaluation of chronological changes in BNP, D-dimer, platelet count and CTR, and follow-up CT images may be useful for the early prediction of the efficacy and complications of PVS. Full article

Blasting is routinely carried out in urban quarry sites. Residents or houses around quarry sites are affected by the ground vibrations induced by blasting. Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) is used as a metric to measure ground vibration intensity. Therefore, many prediction models of PPV using experimental methods, statistical methods, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have been proposed to mitigate this effect. However, prediction models using experimental and statistical methods have a tendency of poor prediction accuracy. In addition, while prediction models using ANNs can produce a highly accurate prediction results, a large amount of measured data is necessarily collected. In an urban quarry site where the number of blastings is limited, it is difficult to collect a lot of measured data. In this study, a new PPV prediction method using Weighted Non-negative Matrix Factorization (WNMF) is proposed. WNMF is a method that approximates a non-negative matrix (including missing data) to the product of two low-dimensional matrices and predicts the missing data. In addition, WNMF is one of the unsupervised learning methods, so it can predict PPV regardless of the amount of data. In this study, PPV was predicted using measured data from 100 sites at the Mikurahana quarry site in Japan. As a result, the proposed method showed higher accuracy when using measured data at 60 sites rather than 100 sites, and the root mean square error for PPV prediction decreased from 0.1759 (100 points) to 0.1378 (60 points). Full article

The effect of the presence of fluorous tags in bisoxazoline ligands on the stereoselectivity of the cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric Henry reaction was investigated. In contrast to the stereoselectivity obtained with conventional nonfluorous ligands, using bisoxazoline bidentate ligands featuring two fluorous tags in adjacent positions on the aromatic ring yielded a reversed stereoselectivity. The stereoselectivity also reversed when the fluorous tags were replaced with alkyl chains of equivalent length, albeit to a considerably lesser degree, highlighting the effect of the fluorous tags. Full article

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by the herniation of abdominal organs into the thorax, resulting in hypoplastic lungs and pulmonary hypertension. The impact of the first cry, a crucial event for lung transition during birth, on CDH patients remains unclear. This study investigated the impact of the first cry during birth on CDH patient survival, along with other prognosis factors. A multi-institutional retrospective study assessed CDH patient characteristics and survival rates by analyzing factors including the first cry, disease severity, birth weight, Apgar scores, oxygenation index (OI) and surgical closure. Among the CDH patients in the study, a positive first cry was linked to 100% survival, regardless of disease severity (p < 0.001). Notably, the presence of a positive first cry did not significantly affect survival rates in patients with worse prognostic factors, such as low birth weight (<2500 g), high CDH severity, low Apgar scores (1 min ≤ 4), high best OI within 24 h after birth (≥8), or those who underwent patch closure. Furthermore, no significant association was found between the first cry and the use of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In conclusion, this study suggests that the first cry may not have a negative impact on the prognosis of CDH patients and could potentially have a positive effect. Full article

The combined anteroposterior fusion with vertebral body replacement (VBR) using a wide footplate expandable cage with a minimally invasive lateral approach has been widely used for pseudoarthrosis after osteoporotic vertebral fractures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the radiological results of combined anteroposterior surgery using VBR and to recommend the optimal procedure. Thirty-eight elderly patients were included in this study. The mean preoperative local kyphosis angle was 29.3°, and the mean correction loss angle was 6.3°. Cage subsidence was observed in ten patients (26.3%), and UIV or LIV fracture in twelve patients (31.6%). Patients with cage subsidence were compared to those without cage subsidence to determine the causal factors. The mean number of fixed vertebrae was 5.4 vertebrae with cage subsidence and 7.4 vertebrae without cage subsidence. In addition, to precisely clarify the optimal number of fixed vertebrae, those patients with two above–two below fixation were compared to those with less than two above–two below fixation, which revealed that the correction loss angle was significantly less in two above–two below fixation (p = 0.016). Based on these results, we recommend at least two above–two below fixation with VBR to minimize the correction loss angle and prevent cage subsidence. Full article

This study aimed to clarify whether ossification predisposition influences clinical symptoms including pain, restriction of activities of daily living, and quality of life in patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). Cervical ossification predisposition potentially causes neurologic dysfunction, but the relationship between clinical symptoms and radiologic severity of OPLL has not yet been investigated. Data were prospectively collected from 16 institutions across Japan. We enrolled 239 patients with cervical OPLL. The primary outcomes were patient-reported outcomes, including visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores and other questionnaires. Whole-spine computed tomography images were obtained, and correlations were investigated between clinical symptoms and radiologic findings, including the distribution of OPLL, the sum of the levels where OPLL was present (OP-index), and the canal narrowing ratio (CNR) grade. The cervical OP-index was Grade 1 in 113 patients, Grade 2 in 90, and Grade 3 in 36. No significant correlations were found between radiologic outcomes and VAS pain scores. The cervical OP-index was associated with lower extremity function, social dysfunction, and locomotive function. The CNR grade was not correlated with clinical symptoms, but Grade 4 was associated with lower extremity dysfunction. Thickness and extension of ossified lesions may be associated with lower extremity dysfunction in cervical OPLL. Full article

Background: Interpretation of hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c) levels may be confounded by spurious results in anemic persons, but its degree is not well-established. Methods: We used an employer-based health insurance database, containing health checkup data and medical claims data; both were linked via a unique identifier of each beneficiary. This study included persons aged 18–75 years who participated in health checkups, with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of diabetes. The relationship between hemoglobin (Hb) and HbA_1c is shown in a spline curve using a machine learning technique accounting for patient factors and within-person correlations. Spline curves were also shown in several sub-populations. Results: Overall, a decreased Hb value was associated with a lower HbA_1c value, but the extent differed among populations. In the whole cohort of the type-2 diabetes group (55,420 persons), the curve was generally a plateau in the persons with a Hb value <120–130 g/L. Among the 18,478 persons with HbA_1c around 48 mmol/mol, we observed a liner trend. Among the current glucose-lowering medication users (6253 persons), we found a right upward curve. Conclusions: The relationship between Hb and HbA_1c may not be straightforward, varying among populations of different clinical interest. Our results indicate that a simple formulation between the Hb and HbA_1c values is unlikely. Full article

Background and objectives: The effects on anthropometry of several lipid-related foods for specified health uses (FOSHU) approved in Japan are not well known. We examined the effects of regular exercise and lipid-related FOSHU beverages on changes in body weight (BW) and waist circumference (WC) among factory and office workers. Materials and Methods: A total of 3002 subjects aged 20 years or older (2497 men and 505 women) received health check-ups in 2015 and 2016 and completed a lifestyle questionnaire. The association between regular exercise or lipid-related FOSHU beverage intake and changes in BW or WC were evaluated using trend test and linear regression analysis. Results: Regular exercise (≥1/week) was reported by 774 subjects (25.8%), and regular consumption of lipid-related FOSHU beverages (≥1/week) was reported by 1168 subjects (38.9%). The significant association between lipid-related FOSHU beverage intake and changes in BW was only observed among subjects with regular exercise (p for trend = 0.042). In the multivariable analysis, sex, older age, baseline weight, baseline body mass index (BMI), and regular exercise behavior were significantly associated with smaller changes in BW (p < 0.05). In WC, only the baseline values of WC and BMI were associated with one-year changes of WC. Conclusions: The combination of regular exercise and lipid-related FOSHU may be effective in maintaining BW. Full article

In the original manuscript, the word “fluorescein” was erroneously used indistinctly for “fluorescence” and “fluorescent”. Furthermore, “cyan fluorescent protein” was misspelled. These errors have been amended in an amended version of the manuscript, which is available from the Molecules website. The authors and publisher apologize for the inconvenience. [...] Full article

In situ hybridization (ISH) at the electron microscopic (EM) level is essential for elucidating the intracellular distribution and role of mRNA in protein synthesis. EM-ISH is considered to be an important tool for clarifying the intracellular localization of mRNA and the exact site of pituitary hormone synthesis on the rough endoplasmic reticulum. A combined ISH and immunohistochemistry (IHC) under EM (EM-ISH&IHC) approach has sufficient ultrastructural resolution, and provides two-dimensional images of the subcellular localization of pituitary hormone and its mRNA in a pituitary cell. The advantages of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, Qdots) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) enable us to obtain three-dimensional images of the subcellular localization of pituitary hormone and its mRNA. Both EM-ISH&IHC and ISH & IHC using Qdots and CLSM are useful for understanding the relationships between protein and mRNA simultaneously in two or three dimensions. CLSM observation of rab3B and SNARE proteins such as SNAP-25 and syntaxin has revealed that both rab3B and SNARE system proteins play important roles and work together as the exocytotic machinery in anterior pituitary cells. Another important issue is the intracellular transport and secretion of pituitary hormone. We have developed an experimental pituitary cell line, GH3 cell, which has growth hormone (GH) linked to enhanced yellow fluorescein protein (EYFP). This stable GH3 cell secretes GH linked to EYFP upon stimulation by Ca²⁺ influx or Ca²⁺ release from storage. This GH3 cell line is useful for the real-time visualization of the intracellular transport and secretion of GH. These three methods from conventional immunohistochemistry and fluorescein imaging allow us to consecutively visualize the process of transcription, translation, transport and secretion of anterior pituitary hormone. Full article