Aoki

Introduction: Fusion of the fragment crystallizable (Fc) to protein therapeutics is commonly used to extend the circulation time by enhancing neonatal Fc-receptor (FcRn)-mediated endosomal recycling and slowing renal clearance. This study applied kinetic modeling to gain insights into the cellular processing contributing to the observed pharmacokinetic (PK) differences between the novel recombinant ADAMTS13 fragment (MDTCS) and its Fc-fusion protein (MDTCS-Fc). Methods: For MDTCS and MDTCS-Fc, their plasma PK profiles were obtained at two dose levels following intravenous administration of the respective proteins to mice...

We have previously performed a hierarchical in silico screening of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis shikimic acid kinase [1]. Specifically, 11 compounds were screened from a library of 154,118 compounds provided by ChemBridge [2] using UCSF DOCK [3] and the GOLD [4] program in the first and second steps, respectively. Molecular dynamic simulations were further performed on compound 2 (2-[(5Z)-5-(1-benzyl-5bromo-2-oxoindol-3-(5Z)-5-(1-benzyl-5-bromo-2-oxoindol-3-(5Z)-4-oxo-2 ylidene)-4oxo-2-sulfanylidene-1,3-thiazolidin-3-yl] acetic acid), which showed antimicrobial efficacy...

BACKGROUND: Postoperative temperature dysregulation affects the length of hospital stay and prognosis. This study evaluated the factors that influence the occurrence of fever in patients after aortic valve replacement surgery. METHODS: Eighty-seven consecutive patients who underwent aortic valve replacement surgery were included. Patients' age, sex and body mass index; presence of diabetes mellitus; operation time; blood loss; blood transfusion volume; preoperative and postoperative laboratory findings; presence or absence of oral function management; and fever >38°C were retrospectively analysed through univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses...

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for healthcare students to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams. This study aimed to identify the effect of IPE programmes in nursing care and oral healthcare on dental and nursing students' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. METHODS: The study included 101 third-year dental and 98 fourth-year nursing students. The participants were divided into mixed-professional groups of four (2 dental and 2 nursing students)...

OBJECTIVES: Although risk factors for unsuccessful Maze procedure have been demonstrated, an appropriate patient selection is still controversial. In our institute, Maze procedure is indicated for those whom normal sinus rhythm (NSR) was reestablished by intraoperative direct cardioversion (DC) after ventricular unloading by total cardiopulmonary bypass. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of our indication criteria for Maze procedure in patients with mitral valve disease...

INTRODUCTION: Catheter ablation of ectopy originating from the vicinity of the His bundle can be challenging. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report a case of a 33-year-old man with narrow QRS ectopy with preferential conduction from a para-Hisian origin to the proximal left fascicles, which was successfully eliminated by radiofrequency ablation in the right coronary cusp, guided by ultrahigh-resolution mapping of the His bundle, bundle branch, and fascicular electrograms...

For adult anuran amphibians, the kidney and urinary bladder play important osmoregulatory roles through water reabsorption. In the present study, we have examined ontogenetic expression of aquaporins, i.e., AQP2, AQPamU (AQP6ub, AQPa2U), and AQP3, in these organs using the Japanese tree frog, Dryophytes japonicus . Immunohistochemistry using the metamorphosing larvae at stages 40-43 localized AQP2 protein to the collecting ducts in the dorsal zone of the mesonephric kidney. At prometamorphic stages 40 and 41, labelling of AQP2 protein was observed in the apical/ subapical regions of the collecting duct cells...

UNLABELLED: Streptococcus pyogenes causes a variety of human infections, and hospital outbreaks with this pathogen have also been reported. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics of an outbreak of S. pyogenes involving 15 patients and four healthcare workers (HCWs), as well as the molecular characteristics of the causative isolates. The course and response to the outbreak were reviewed, and information on the characteristics of the patients was extracted retrospectively from the medical records...

This study aimed to evaluate the bonding performance of self-adhesive flowable resin composites (SARs) to bovine teeth. Three SARs, one experimental, and two commercially available products, were used. The study parameters were shear bond strength (SBS), microleakage, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation of bonding interfaces. The SBS of the materials was 14.1-15.1 MPa to enamel, 22.2-23.2 MPa to etched enamel, and 7.4-10.7 MPa to dentin. Specimens with pre-etching showed lower microleakage scores than those without pre-etching...

BACKGROUND: Although several recent meta-analyses have investigated the clinical influence of the addition of lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) on oncologic outcomes in patients with mid-low rectal cancer (RC) undergoing mesorectal excision (ME), most studies included in such meta-analyses were retrospectively designed. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the clinical influence of prophylactic LLND on oncologic outcomes in patients with mid-low RC undergoing ME. METHODS: A comprehensive electronic search of the literature up to July 2022 was performed to identify studies that compared oncologic outcomes between patients with mid-low RC undergoing ME who underwent LLND and patients with mid-low RC undergoing ME who did not undergo LLND...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The cAMP-PKA signaling pathway plays a crucial role in sensing and responding to nutrient availability in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. This pathway monitors external glucose levels to control cell growth and sexual differentiation. However, the temporal dynamics of the cAMP-PKA pathway in response to external stimuli remains unclear mainly due to the lack of tools to quantitatively visualize the activity of the pathway. Here, we report the development of the kinase translocation reporter (KTR)-based biosensor spPKA-KTR1...

Although increased aerobic glycolysis is common in various cancers, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells can survive a state of glycolysis suppression. We aimed to identify potential therapeutic targets in glycolysis-suppressed PDAC cells. By screening anticancer metabolic compounds, we identified SP-2509, an inhibitor of lysine-specific histone demethylase 1A (LSD1), which dramatically decreased the growth of PDAC PANC-1 cells and showed an anti-tumoral effect in tumor-bearing mice. The growth of glycolysis-suppressed PANC-1 cells was also inhibited by another LSD1 inhibitor, OG-L002...

AIM: This study aimed to assess the association between gasping and survival among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients requiring extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, observational study was conducted between 2019 and 2021. We categorized adult patients requiring ECPR into those with or without gasping prior to hospital arrival. The primary outcome was the 30-day survival. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses fitted with generalized estimating equations and subgroup analyses based on the initial rhythm and age...

Moyamoya disease (MMD) causes cerebral arterial stenosis and hemodynamic disturbance, the latter of which may disrupt glymphatic system activity, the waste clearance system. We evaluated 46 adult patients with MMD and 33 age- and sex-matched controls using diffusivity along the perivascular space (ALPS) measured with diffusion tensor imaging (ALPS index), which may partly reflect glymphatic system activity, and multishell diffusion MRI to generate freewater maps. Twenty-three patients were also evaluated via 15 O-gas positron emission tomography (PET), and all patients underwent cognitive tests...

Noonan syndrome (NS) is caused by pathogenic variants in genes encoding components of the RAS/MAPK pathway and presents with a number of symptoms, including characteristic facial features, congenital heart diseases, and short stature. Advances in genetic analyses have contributed to the identification of pathogenic genes in NS as well as genotype-phenotype relationships; however, updated evidence for the detection rate of pathogenic genes with the inclusion of newly identified genes is lacking in Japan. Accordingly, we examined the genetic background of 116 individuals clinically diagnosed with NS and the frequency of short stature...

We demonstrate high-output-power and high-efficiency operation of 1.3-µm-wavelength InP-based photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs). By introducing a metal reflector and adjusting the phase of the reflected light via optimization of the thickness of the p-InP cladding layer, we successfully achieve an output power of approximately 400 mW with the slope efficiency of 0.4 W/A and the wall-plug efficiency of 20% under CW conditions. In addition, this PCSEL exhibits a narrow circular beam with a divergence angle below 1...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to estimate the number of patients in Japan who had visited an ophthalmologist for macular dystrophy of various types, including Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD), Stargardt disease, occult macular dystrophy (OMD), cone (-rod) dystrophy, X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS), and central areolar choroid dystrophy (CACD). STUDY DESIGN: Nationwide epidemiologic survey METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to 965 major facilities, including all the university hospitals in Japan...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to show the results of radical radiation therapy (RT) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for vulvar cancer (VC) based on data from a Japanese nationwide survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected data from 108 institutions on cases of VC diagnosed between January 2001 and December 2010. Patients with histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma with curative intent were selected, and 172 patients with VC were included in this study...