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Ovarian cancer (OvCa) is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies, and most patients are diagnosed at advanced stage with peritoneal dissemination. Although age at diagnosis is considered an independent prognostic factor, its impact on peritoneal recurrence after combined cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy is not clear. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of aging on peritoneal recurrence from stealth dissemination and gain insight of the pathophysiology of OvCa in elderly patients. A total of 243 patients with pT2b-pT3 epithelial ovarian who achieved complete surgery, no-residual tumor at first surgery, were selected to be analyzed the risk of peritoneal seeding and recurrence. We found that age over 65 years was independently associated with an increased risk of peritoneum-specific (PS) recurrence (. Furthermore, pT3 stages and positive ascites cytology also worsen the PS-relapse-free survival. Collectively, our findings suggest that age, especially over 65 years, predicts reduced peritoneum-specific tumor recurrence in patients with advanced ovarian cancer after complete cytoreduction surgery, particularly those with pT3 tumors and positive ascites cytology., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Sapovirus (SaV) infection is increasing worldwide. Herein, we provided evidence of a significant increase in SaV infection in Japan during 2010-2022, primarily due to the considerable (p = 0.0003) rise of the GI.1 genotype. Furthermore, we found that all major and minor SaV outbreaks in Japan, including the largest SaV outbreak in 2021-2022, were caused by the GI.1 genotype. Therefore, to get insight into the underlying molecular mechanism behind this rising trend of the SaV GI.1 type, we selected 15 SaV GI.1 outbreak strains for complete genome analysis through next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetically, our strains remained clustered in different branches in lineages I and II among the GI.1 genotype. We showed all amino acid (aa) substitutions in different open reading frames (ORFs) in these strains. Importantly, we have demonstrated that the strains involved in the largest SaV outbreak in Japan in 2021-2022 belonged to lineage II and possessed the third ORF. We have identified some unique aa mutations in these major outbreak strains in the NS1 and NS6-NS7 regions that are thought to be associated with viral pathogenicity, cell tropism, and epidemiological competence. Thus, in addition to enriching the database of SaV's complete sequences, this study provides insights into its important mutations., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

We report a case in which excessive negative pressure may have been applied to the proximal side hole of a drainage cannula during venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO), resulting in abnormal stenosis of the drainage cannula. V-V ECMO was introduced in a 71-year-old male patient who was transferred from another hospital for severe respiratory failure associated with varicella pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Drainage was performed using a PCKC-V™ 24Fr (MERA, Japan) cannula via the right femoral vein with the tip of the cannula near the level of the diaphragm under fluoroscopy. Reinfusion was performed via the right internal jugular vein. Due to poor systemic oxygenation, the drainage cannula was withdrawn caudally and refixed to reduce the effect of recirculation. Two days later, drainage pressure dropped rapidly, and frequent ECMO flow interruption occurred due to poor drainage. An abdominal X-ray revealed abnormal stenosis of the proximal side hole site of the drainage cannula. We diagnosed that the drainage cannula was damaged, and it was replaced with another, namely a Medtronic Bio-Medicus™ 25 Fr (GETINGE, Sweden) cannula. However, the removed drainage cannula was not damaged, suggesting that the cannula was temporarily stenosed by momentary excessive negative pressure. In a multi-stage drainage cannula, the main drainage site is the proximal side hole, with little negative pressure applied at the apical foramen in a mock experimental ex vivo drainage test in a water tank. Hence, improvement of a multi-stage drainage cannula is recommended, such as adequate reinforcement of the side hole site with a wire., (© 2023. The Japanese Society for Artificial Organs.)

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is often diagnosed in advanced stage with peritoneal dissemination. Recent studies indicate that aberrant accumulation of collagen fibers in tumor stroma has a variety of effects on tumor progression. We refer to remodeled fibrous stroma with altered expression of collagen molecules, increased stiffness, and highly oriented collagen fibers as tumor-associated fibrosis (TAF). TAF contributes to EOC cell invasion and metastasis in the intraperitoneal cavity. However, an understanding of molecular events involved is only just beginning to emerge. Further development in this field will lead to new strategies to treat EOC. In this review, we focus on the recent findings on how the TAF contributes to EOC malignancy. Furthermore, we will review the recent initiatives and future therapeutic strategies for targeting TAF in EOC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The FilmArray® Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel is a modern, sensitive, and comprehensive stool testing technique for identifying common gastrointestinal pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Its increasing demand is due to ease of operation and automation. Pathogens, particularly viruses, undergo constant genetic evolution. For instance, human astrovirus (HAstV), which causes gastroenteritis in children, the elderly, and immune-compromised individuals, can be identified by the GI Panel. HAstV has evolved into several clades, including the classic (HAstV1-8), novel Melbourne (MLB1-3), and Virginia (VA1-5) clades. This study investigated whether the GI Panel accurately detects all HAstV clades. A total of 12 stool and three sewage water (SW) samples were selected post-confirmation of distinct HAstV strains using conventional RT-PCR and sequence-based genotyping for reassessment by the GI Panel. The GI Panel accurately detected the classic HAstV in stool and SW samples. However, our results confirm the GI Panel's inability to detect the novel MLB (MLB1-3) and VA (VA2) clades in fecal samples, raising the possibility of false-negative results in HAstV testing. Although the GI Panel is useful for identifying a variety of gastrointestinal pathogens in stool and SW samples in a single test, our findings highlight the need to exercise caution when interpreting HAstV results from the GI Panel., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are crucial for ending the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, the cumulative effect of booster shots of mRNA vaccines on adverse events is not sufficiently characterized., Methods: A survey-based study on vaccine adverse events was conducted in a Japanese medical institute after the third dose of Pfizer BNT162b2. Adverse events were grouped using network analysis, and a heteroscedastic probit model was built to analyse adverse events., Results: There were two main clusters of adverse events, systemic and local injection site-associated events. Subject background and the experience of previous vaccine-related adverse events were variably associated with the occurrence and intensity of adverse events following the third dose. Among adverse events, only lymphadenopathy increased prominently following the third dose, while the largest increase in other systemic adverse events occurred generally following the second dose., Conclusions: The effect of repeated booster vaccines on the frequency and intensity of adverse events differs depending on the kind of adverse event., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

To search for low-energy resonant structures in isospin T=3/2 three-body systems, we have performed the experiments ^{3}H(t,^{3}He)3n and ^{3}He(^{3}He,t)3p at intermediate energies. For the 3n experiment, we have newly developed a thick Ti-^{3}H target that has the largest tritium thickness among targets of this type ever made. The 3n experiment for the first time covered the momentum-transfer region as low as 15  MeV/c, which provides ideal conditions for producing fragile systems. However, in the excitation-energy spectra we obtained, we did not observe any distinct peak structures. This is in sharp contrast to tetraneutron spectra. The distributions of the 3n and 3p spectra are found to be similar, except for the displacement in energy due to Coulomb repulsion. Comparisons with theoretical calculations suggest that three-body correlations exist in the 3n and 3p systems, although not enough to produce a resonant peak.

Introduction: Cancer tissue absorbs 3-8 times more glucose than normal tissue. Therefore, we developed a gadobutrol-glucose solution for 7.0T magnetic resonance imaging to visualize whole cancerous regions at high contrast., Methods: The contrast medium consists of gadobutrol and glucose solutions, and these solutions are mixed before the vein infusion. We used readily available solutions, and the concentrations of the gadobutrol and glucose solutions were 60% and 5.0%, respectively. To visualize the cancerous region, we used two rabbits with VX7 thigh cancer. First, vein injection was carried out using a gadobutrol-saline solution containing 0.3 ml gadobutrol, and T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) was performed. Twenty-four hours after the first experiment, we performed T1WI of the VX7-cancer region using 50.3 mL gadobutrol-glucose solution including 0.3 ml gadobutrol., Results: Compared with T1WI using the gadobutrol-saline solution, the signal intensity of the cancerous region substantially increased using the gadobutrol-glucose solution., Conclusion: We confirmed significant signal-intensity increases in the whole VX7-cancer region of a rabbit thigh utilizing vein infusion of gadobutrol-glucose solution since the gadobutrol molecules were absorbed throughout the cancerous region along with glucose molecules., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Medical Physics.)

Twelve years after the first edition of The Guideline for Gynecological Practice, which was jointly edited by The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and The Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the 5th Revised Edition was published in 2023. The 2023 Guidelines includes 5 additional clinical questions (CQs), which brings the total to 103 CQ (12 on infectious disease, 30 on oncology and benign tumors, 29 on endocrinology and infertility and 32 on healthcare for women). Currently, a consensus has been reached on the Guidelines, and therefore, the objective of this report is to present the general policies regarding diagnostic and treatment methods used in standard gynecological outpatient care that are considered appropriate. At the end of each answer, the corresponding Recommendation Level (A, B, C) is indicated., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Introduction: Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with complicated urinary tract infections were analyzed using the national surveillance data, comprising 793 bacterial strains from eight clinically relevant species., Materials and Methods: Data were collected for the fourth national surveillance project from July 2020 to December 2021 by the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Disease, and the Japanese Society of Clinical Microbiology. Surveillance was supervised with the cooperation of 43 medical institutions throughout Japan., Results: Fluoroquinolone required a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2-64 mg/L to inhibit the 330 tested Escherichia coli strains. The proportion of levofloxacin-resistant E. coli strains increased from 28.6% in 2008 to 29.6% in 2011, 38.5% in 2015, and 44.5% in 2021. The proportion of levofloxacin-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa also increased from previous survey results, showing a continuing downward trend. Conversely, the proportion of levofloxacin-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecalis decreased relative to previous reports. Neither multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa nor carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae were detected. For methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the proportion of vancomycin-susceptible strains (MIC of 2 μg/mL) decreased from 14.7% to 7.7%., Discussion: Bacterial strains that produced extended-spectrum β-lactamase included E. coli (82/330 strains, 24.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (11/68 strains, 16.2%), and Proteus mirabilis (4/26 strains, 15.4%). As compared to previous surveillance reports, these strains showed an increase in proportion over the years., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Satoshi Takahashi received speaker honoraria from Fujirebio Inc. and research funding from Shino-Test Corporation, Roche Diagnostic K. K., Fujirebio Inc., and Abbott Japan Co., Ltd. Koichiro Wada received speaker honoraria from Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., and MSD K.K. Shingo Yamamoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. and scholarship donations from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd. and research funding from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Tetsuya Matsumoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Pfizer Japan Inc., and Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and research funding from Kewpie Corporation., Biofermin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Kazumasa Matsumoto received research funding from Sysmex Corporation. Tohru Nakagawa received speaker honoraria from Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca K.K., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., (Copyright © 2024 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCg), the major catechin responsible for the health-enhancing and disease-preventive effects of green tea, is susceptible to auto-oxidation at physiological pH levels. However, whether the oxidized EGCg resulting from its oral consumption possesses any bioactive functions remains unclear. This study presents a differential analysis of intact and oxidized EGCg regarding their interactions with phosphatidylcholine liposomes, serving as a simple biomembrane model. In the presence of ascorbic acid, pre-oxidized EGCg induced liposomal aggregation in a dose-dependent manner, whereas intact EGCg did not. Toxicity evaluation using calcein-loaded liposomes revealed that liposomal aggregation is associated with minimal membrane damage. Through fractionation of the oxidized EGCg sample, the fraction containing theasinensins showed high liposomal aggregation activity. Overall, these results suggest that oxidatively condensed EGCg dimers may stimulate various cells by altering the plasma membrane in a manner different from that of EGCg monomers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this work, the structure of Zn acetate has been determined by a combination of X-ray absorption fine structure and Raman spectroscopy. We have analyzed the local atomic environment and the main vibrational bands of the acetate and Zn acetate at different pH. The results suggest that Zn acetate complex acquires a bidentate structure that modifies its first coordination shell. Meanwhile, the coordination shell of the hydrated Zn cation is formed by 6 hydroxides at a mean distance of 2.06 Å, the coordination shell of the Zn cation in the complex is formed by 2 hydroxides and 2 oxygens from the carboxyl group of the acetate, at a mean Zn-O distance of 1.96 Å. The structure of the Zn acetate complex is compared to those of Zn malonate and Zn citrate, none of which present a reduction in the coordination shell neither a shrinkage of the Zn-O shell distance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This was the first longitudinal study to analyze dental clinic wastewater to estimate asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection trends in children. We monitored wastewater over a 14-month period, spanning three major COVID-19 waves driven by the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. Each Saturday, wastewater was sampled at the Pediatric Dental Clinic of the only dental hospital in Japan's Saitama Prefecture. The relationship between the weekly number of cases in Saitama Prefecture among residents aged < 10 years (exposure) and wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection (outcome) was examined. The number of cases was significantly associated with wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity (risk ratio, 5.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.72-16.67; Fisher's exact test, p = 0.0005). A sample from Week 8 of 2022 harbored the Omicron variant. Compared to sporadic individual testing, this approach allows continuous population-level surveillance, which is less affected by healthcare seeking and test availability. Since wastewater from pediatric dental clinics originates from the oral cavities of asymptomatic children, such testing can provide important information regarding asymptomatic COVID-19 in children, complementing clinical pediatric data., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Although sleep is tightly regulated by multiple neuronal circuits in the brain, nonneuronal cells such as glial cells have been increasingly recognized as crucial sleep regulators. Recent studies have shown that microglia may act to maintain wakefulness. Here, we investigated the possible involvement of microglia in the regulation of sleep quantity and quality under baseline and stress conditions through electroencephalography (EEG)/electromyography (EMG) recordings, and by employing pharmacological methods to eliminate microglial cells in the adult mouse brain. We found that severe microglial depletion induced by the colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) antagonist PLX5622 (PLX) reversibly decreased the total wake time and the wake episode duration and increased the EEG slow-wave power during wakefulness under baseline conditions. To examine the role of microglia in sleep/wake regulation under mental stress, we used the acute social defeat stress (ASDS) paradigm, an ethological model for psychosocial stress. Sleep analysis under ASDS revealed that microglial depletion exacerbated the stress-induced decrease in the total wake time and increase in anxiety-like behaviors in the open field test. These results demonstrate that microglia actively modulate sleep quantity and architecture under both baseline and stress conditions. Our findings suggest that microglia may potentially provide resilience against acute psychosocial stress by regulating restorative sleep., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Circadian rhythms are indispensable intrinsic programs that regulate the daily rhythmicity of physiological processes, such as feeding and sleep. The cricket has been employed as a model organism for understanding the neural mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms in insects. However, previous studies measuring rhythm-controlled behaviours only analysed locomotive activity using seesaw-type and infrared sensor-based actometers. Meanwhile, advances in deep learning techniques have made it possible to analyse animal behaviour and posture using software that is devoid of human bias and does not require physical tagging of individual animals. Here, we present a system that can simultaneously quantify multiple behaviours in individual crickets - such as locomotor activity, feeding, and sleep-like states - in the long-term, using DeepLabCut, a supervised machine learning-based software for body keypoints labelling. Our system successfully labelled the six body parts of a single cricket with a high level of confidence and produced reliable data showing the diurnal rhythms of multiple behaviours. Our system also enabled the estimation of sleep-like states by focusing on posture, instead of immobility time, which is a conventional parameter. We anticipate that this system will provide an opportunity for simultaneous and automatic prediction of cricket behaviour and posture, facilitating the study of circadian rhythms., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2024. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Human adenovirus (HAdV) is one of the causative viruses of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children worldwide. Species F is known to be enteric adenovirus (genotypes 40 and 41) detected in stool samples. In Japan, we conducted an epidemiological study and molecular characterization of HAdV before and after the COVID-19 pandemic from 2017 to 2023. Among 821 patients, HAdV was detected in 118 AGE cases (14.4%). During a period of 6 years, the HAdV detection rates for each year were relatively low at 3.7% and 0%, in 2017-2018, and 2020-2021, respectively. However, the detection rate increased to remarkably high rates, ranging from 13.3% to 27.3% in the other 4-year periods. Of these HAdV-positive strains, 83.1% were F41 genotypes and 16.9% were other genotypes (A31, B3, C1, C2/C6, and C5). Phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the full-length hexon gene demonstrated that HAdV-F41 strains were comprised of three clades, and each clade was distributed across the study period from 2017 to 2023. Analysis of deduced amino acid sequences of the hexon gene of the representative HAdV-F41 strains from each clade revealed numerous amino acid substitutions across hypervariable regions (HVRs) from HVR-1 to HVR-7, two insertions in HVR-1 and HVR-7, and two deletions in HVR-1 and HVR-2 of the hexon gene compared to those of the prototype strain, particularly, those of clade 3 HAdV-F41 strains. The findings suggested that the HAdV-F41 of each clade was stable, conserved, and co-circulated for over two decades in Japan., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Acute gastroenteritis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide. Among these, rotavirus, norovirus, and adenovirus have been reported as the primary viral pathogens associated with the disease. Rapid diagnosis of viral pathogens is crucial when diarrhea outbreaks occur to ensure the timely administration of appropriate treatment and control measures., Methods: We evaluated three immunochromatographic test kits designed for the detection of norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus in 71 stool specimens collected from children with diarrhea who visited clinics in Japan. The first kit is a triplex immunochromatographic test kit designed for simultaneous detections of norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus on a single strip (this kit was referred to as IC-A). The other two immunochromatographic test kits are a dual detection kit for rotavirus and adenovirus, and a single detection kit for norovirus (IC-B). The RT-PCR/PCR was used as the gold standard method., Results: The results revealed that both IC-A and IC-B kits exhibited the same level of sensitivity of detection for rotavirus (72.7%) and adenovirus (22.7%), although the detection rate was lower than that of the RT-PCR/PCR method. However, there was a slight difference in the sensitivity of detection for norovirus between IC-A and IC-B, at 86.7% and 93.3%, respectively. The sensitivity of detection for adenovirus of both kits was relatively lower than those of RT-PCR method. This could be due to low viral load of adenovirus in clinical specimens below the detection limit of IC-A and IC-B kits. However, both immunochromatographic test kits (IC-A and IC-B) exhibited 100% specificity for norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus., Conclusions: The triplex immunochromatographic test kit (IC-A) designed for simultaneous detection of norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus has been proved to be more practical and convenient than the use of single or dual detection kits with more or less the same sensitivity and specificity of detections., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The author have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Norovirus (NoV) genogroup II, polymerase type P31, capsid genotype 4, Sydney&#95;2012 variant (GII.P31/GII.4&#95;Sydney&#95;2012) has been circulating at high levels for over a decade, raising the question of whether this strain is undergoing molecular alterations without demonstrating a substantial phylogenetic difference. Here, we applied next-generation sequencing to learn more about the genetic diversity of 14 GII.P31/GII.4&#95;Sydney&#95;2012 strains that caused epidemics in a specific region of Japan, with 12 from Kyoto and 2 from Shizuoka, between 2012 and 2022, with an emphasis on amino acid (aa) differences in all three ORFs. We found numerous notable aa alterations in antigenic locations in the capsid region (ORF2) as well as in other ORFs. In all three ORFs, earlier strains (2013-2016) remained phylogenetically distinct from later strains (2019-2022). This research is expected to shed light on the evolutionary properties of dominating GII.P31/GII.4&#95;Sydney&#95;2012 strains, which could provide useful information for viral diarrhea prevention and treatment.

Background: Organ-preserving surgery has recently gained increasing attention. However, performing the surgery for duplicated gastric and distal pancreatic tumors is difficult because of procedural complexity and concerns of remnant gastric necrosis. We present the first case of simultaneous robotic distal gastrectomy plus spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy in a patient with overlapping gastric cancer and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm., Case Presentation: A 78-year-old man was diagnosed with gastric cancer in the middle stomach and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreatic body. Radical cure surgery was performed using the da Vinci Xi robotic system. Conventional distal gastrectomy was initially completed using near-infrared ray guidance when transecting the stomach. After dividing the pancreas, the parenchyma of the distal pancreas was detached from the splenic artery and vein; multiple branches from these splenic vessels were dissected. Indocyanine green imaging confirmed sufficient blood flow in the splenic vessels and perfusion of the remnant stomach. Ultimately, gastrointestinal reconstruction was performed, and the postoperative course was uneventful., Conclusions: The robotic distal gastrectomy plus spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy procedure was safely performed. Compared to the total gastrectomy plus distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy procedure, this technique may improve the quality of dietary life, reduce weight loss, and prevent complications associated with splenectomy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-α2 in 10 patients: IFN-α2 only in three, IFN-α2 plus IFN-ω in five, and IFN-α2, IFN-ω plus IFN-β in two; IFN-ω only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-α2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-ω in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-α2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-ω only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-ω and/or IFN-α2., (© 2024 Bastard et al.)

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the safety and short-term outcomes of robotic-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair for inguinal hernia in 12 pioneering hospitals in Japan., Methods: Clinical data of patients who underwent robotic-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair between September 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021 were collected. Primary outcome measures were intra-operative adverse events and post-operative complications, whereas secondary outcomes were surgical outcomes, including chronic pain, recurrence, and learning curve., Results: In total, 307 patients were included. One case of inferior epigastric arterial injury was reported; no cases of bowel or bladder injury were reported. Thirty-five seromas were observed, including four (1.3%) cases that required aspiration. The median operative time of a unilateral case was 108 minutes (interquartile range: 89.8-125.5), and post-operative pain was rated 1 (interquartile range: 0-2) on the numerical rating scale. In complicated cases, such as recurrent inguinal hernias and robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy-associated hernias, dissection and suture were safely achieved, and no complications were observed, except for non-symptomatic seroma. All patients underwent robotic procedures, and there was no chronic post-operative inguinal pain, although one case of hernia recurrence was reported. Regarding the learning curve, plateau performance was achieved after 7-10 cases in terms of operative time (P < .001)., Conclusion: Robotic-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair can be safely introduced in Japan. Regardless of the involvement of many surgeons, the mastery of robotic techniques was achieved relatively quickly. The advantage of robotic technology such as wristed instruments may expand the application of minimally invasive hernia repair for complicated cases., (© 2023 Asia Endosurgery Task Force and Japan Society of Endoscopic Surgery and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Purpose: Inborn errors of the IL-17A/F-responsive pathway lead to chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) as a predominant clinical phenotype, without other significant clinical manifestations apart from mucocutaneous staphylococcal diseases. Among inborn errors affecting IL-17-dependent immunity, autosomal recessive (AR) IL-17RC deficiency is a rare disease with only three kindreds described to date. The lack of an in vitro functional evaluation system of IL17RC variants renders its diagnosis difficult. We sought to characterize a 7-year-old Japanese girl with CMC carrying a novel homozygous duplication variant of IL17RC and establish a simple in vitro system to evaluate the impact of this variant., Methods: Flow cytometry, qPCR, RNA-sequencing, and immunoblotting were conducted, and an IL17RC-knockout cell line was established for functional evaluation., Results: The patient presented with oral and mucocutaneous candidiasis without staphylococcal diseases since the age of 3 months. Genetic analysis showed that the novel duplication variant (Chr3: 9,971,476-9,971,606 dup (+131bp)) involving exon 13 of IL17RC results in a premature stop codon (p.D457Afs*16 or p.D457Afs*17). Our functional evaluation system revealed this duplication to be loss-of-function and enabled discrimination between loss-of-function and neutral IL17RC variants. The lack of response to IL-17A by the patient's SV40-immortalized fibroblasts was restored by introducing WT-IL17RC, suggesting that the genotype identified is responsible for her clinical phenotype., Conclusions: The clinical and cellular phenotype of the current case of AR IL-17RC deficiency supports a previous report on this rare disorder. Our newly established evaluation system will be useful for the diagnosis of AR IL-17RC deficiency, providing accurate validation of unknown IL17RC variants., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Growing evidence shed light on the importance of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) during the pandemic, when the patients rarely visited the clinics despite the fact that the infections were still prevalent in the community as before. The abundance of infections in the community poses a constant threat of the emergence of new epidemic strains. Herein, we investigated enteric viruses in raw sewage water (SW) from Japan's Tohoku region and compared them to those from the Kansai region to better understand the circulating strains and their distribution across communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Raw SW was collected between 2019 and 2022, concentrated by polyethylene-glycol-precipitation method, and investigated for major AGE viruses by RT-PCR. Sequence-based analyses were used to assess genotypes and evolutionary relationships. The most commonly detected enteric virus was rotavirus A (RVA) at 63.8%, followed by astrovirus (AstV) at 61.1%, norovirus (NoV) GII and adenovirus (AdV) at 33.3%, sapovirus (SV) at 25.0%, enterovirus (EV) at 19.4%, and NoV GI at 13.9%. The highest prevalence (46.0%) was found in the spring. Importantly, enteric viruses did not decline during the pandemic. Rather, several strains like NoV GII.2, DS-1-like human G3 (equine) RVA, MLB1 AstV, and different F41 HAdV emerged throughout the pandemic and spread widely over the Tohoku and Kansai regions. Tohoku's detection rate remained lower than that of the Kansai area (36 vs 58%). This study provides evidence for the emergence and spread of enteric viruses during the pandemic., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Flow diverters (FDs) are utilized for a wide range of aneurysms, but show safety issues such as adverse interactions with static magnetic fields (displacement force and torque) and radiofrequency-induced heating during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The present study aimed to assess these adverse interactions in a 7-tesla (7T) static magnetic field and radiofrequency-induced heating during a 7T MRI for two types of FD. Displacement force and magnetically induced torque were assessed using the deflection angle method and low friction surface method, respectively. To assess heating, each FD was set in a phantom filled with gelled-saline mixed with polyacrylic acid and underwent a 7T MRI using a three-dimensional fast spin echo method. Displacement force and magnetically induced torque in the 7T static magnetic field were undetectable, and radiofrequency-induced heating during 7T MRI remained ≤ 0.6 °C for both types of FD, suggesting that magnetic field interactions and heating on FDs during a 7T MRI are acceptable from a safety perspective., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

After rotavirus was discovered in 1973, it became the leading pathogen in causing acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. In this study, we performed whole genome sequencing and genomic characterization of a DS-1-like G2P[4] group A rotavirus in feces of a Japanese child with acute gastroenteritis who was fully Rotarix® vaccinated. The genomic investigation determined a genomic constellation G2-P[4]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2 of this rotavirus strain. Its antigenic epitopes of the VP7 and VP4 proteins had significant mismatches compared with the vaccine strains. Our study is the latest attempt to investigate the evolution of the VP7 and VP4 genes of emerging G2P[4] rotavirus in Japan., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Language can have a powerful effect on how people experience events. Here, we examine how the languages people speak guide attention and influence what they remember from a visual scene. When hearing a word, listeners activate other similar-sounding words before settling on the correct target. We tested whether this linguistic coactivation during a visual search task changes memory for objects. Bilinguals and monolinguals remembered English competitor words that overlapped phonologically with a spoken English target better than control objects without name overlap. High Spanish proficiency also enhanced memory for Spanish competitors that overlapped across languages. We conclude that linguistic diversity partly accounts for differences in higher cognitive functions such as memory, with multilinguals providing a fertile ground for studying the interaction between language and cognition.

Noroviruses (NoVs) are a global concern, causing widespread outbreaks and sporadic acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases across all age groups. Recent research has shed light on the emergence of novel recombinant strains of NoV in various countries. To delve deeper into this phenomenon, we extensively analyzed 1,175 stool samples collected from Japanese infants and children with AGE from six different prefectures in Japan over three years, from July 2018 to June 2021. Our investigation aimed to determine the prevalence and genetic characteristics of NoV associated with sporadic AGE while exploring the possibility of detecting NoV recombination events. Among the analyzed samples, we identified 355 cases positive for NoV, 11 cases attributed to GI genotypes, and 344 associated with GII genotypes. Notably, we discovered four distinct GI genotypes (GI.2, GI.3, GI.4, and GI.6) and seven diverse GII genotypes (GII.2, GII.3, GII.4, GII.6, GII.7, GII.14, and GII.17). The predominant genotypes were GII.4 (56.4%; 194 out of 344), followed by GII.2 and GII.3. Through dual genotyping based on sequencing of the ORF1/ORF2 junction region, we identified a total of 14 different RdRp/capsid genotypes. Of particular interest were the prevalent recombinant genotypes GII.4[P31] and GII.2[P16]. Notably, our study revealed a decrease in the number of children infected with NoV during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings underscore the importance of continuous NoV surveillance efforts., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

To improve the cytocompatibility of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) cement and its ability for reparative dentin formation, the effect of adding choline dihydrogen phosphate (CDHP), which is reported to be biocompatible, to MTA cement was investigated. The L929 cell proliferation showed that the addition of CDHP improved cell viability. The addition of CDHP shortened the setting time of MTA cement, with a significant decrease in consistency above 0.4 g/mL. Diametral tensile strength of the set cement was improved by the addition of 0.4 g/mL CDHP. Solubility was judged to be within the range of clinical application. The spontaneous precipitation of low crystalline hydroxyapatite was examined by immersing the set cement in phosphate buffer saline, and it was found that the ability of the cement with 0.4 g/mL of CDHP was significantly improved compared with that of the cement without CDHP.

An increasing trend of sapovirus (SaV) infections in Japanese children during 2009-2019, particularly after the introduction of the voluntary rotavirus (RV)-vaccination program has been observed. Herein, we investigated the epidemiological situation of SaV infections from 2019 to 2022 when people adopted a precautionary lifestyle due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and RV vaccines had been implemented as routine vaccines. Stool samples were collected from children who attended outpatient clinics with acute gastroenteritis and analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to determine viral etiology. Among 961 stool samples, 80 (8.3%) were positive for SaV: 2019-2020 (6.5%), 2020-2021 (0%), and 2021-2022 (12.8%). The trend of SaV infection in Japanese children yet remained upward with statistical significance (p = 0.000). The major genotype was GI.1 (75%) which caused a large outbreak in Kyoto between December 2021 and February 2022. Phylogenetic, gene sequence and deduced amino acid sequence analyses suggested that these GI.1 strains detected in the outbreak and other places during 2021-2022 or 2019-2020 remained genetically identical and widely spread. This study reveals that SaV infection is increasing among Japanese children which is a grave concern and demands immediate attention to be paid before SaV attains a serious public health problem., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Human astrovirus (HAstV) infection is one of the leading causes of acute gastroenteritis in young children. The present study reports the outbreak of HAstV in children with acute gastroenteritis in Kyoto, Japan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021., Methods: A total of 61 stool samples were collected from children with acute gastroenteritis who visited a pediatric outpatient clinic in Maizuru city, Kyoto, Japan from July to October, 2021. HAstV was screened by RT-PCR, and the genotypes were identified by nucleotide sequence analysis., Results: Of 61 cases of acute gastroenteritis, 20 were mono-infected with HAstV alone. In addition, mixed infection of HAstV and NoV, and HAstV and RVA were also detected in 15 and 1 cases, respectively. Of 36 HAstV strains detected in this outbreak, 29 and 7 were HAstV1 and MLB2 genotypes, respectively. All HAstV1 strains were closely related to the HAstV1 reported from Thailand and Japan in 2021 and all of them belonged to subgenotype HAstV1a. Among MLB2, they were most closely related to the MLB2 strains reported from China in 2016 and 2018., Conclusions: After the kindergartens and schools were re-opened at the middle of 2021 in Japan, an outbreak of HAstV was reported. Control measures against the COVID-19 pandemics might affect the spread of diarrheal virus infection. Here we report the outbreak of HAstV1 and MLB2 in Kyoto, Japan, during COVID-19 pandemic in 2021., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest This statement is to certify that all Authors have seen and approved the manuscript being submitted. We warrant that the article is the Authors' original work. We warrant that the article has not received prior publication and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. On behalf of all Co-Authors, the corresponding Author shall bear full responsibility for the submission. This research has not been submitted for publication nor has it been published in whole or in part elsewhere. We attest to the fact that all Authors listed on the title page have contributed significantly to the work, have read the manuscript, attest to the validity and legitimacy of the data and its interpretation, and agree to its submission to the Journal of Infection and Public Health. All authors agree that author list is correct in its content and order and that no modification to the author list can be made without the formal approval of the Editor-in-Chief, and all authors accept that the Editor-in-Chief's decisions over acceptance or rejection or in the event of any breach of the Principles of Ethical Publishing in the Journal of Infection and Public Health being discovered of retraction are final., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), of which there are several variants. The three major variants (Alpha, Delta, and Omicron) carry the N501Y, L452R, and Q493R/Q498R mutations, respectively, in the S gene. Control of COVID-19 requires rapid and reliable detection of not only SARS-CoV-2 but also its variants. We previously developed a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay combined with a bioluminescent assay in real time (RT-LAMP-BART) to detect the L452R mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. In this study, we established LAMP primers and peptide nucleic acid probes to detect N501Y and Q493R/Q498R. The LAMP primer sets and PNA probes were designed for the N501Y and Q493R/Q498R mutations on the S gene of SARS-CoV-2. The specificities of RT-LAMP-BART assays were evaluated using five viral and four bacterial reference strains. The sensitivities of RT-LAMP-BART assays were evaluated using synthetic RNAs that included the target sequences, together with RNA-spiked clinical nasopharyngeal and salivary specimens. The results were compared with those of conventional real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods. The method correctly identified N501Y and Q493R/Q498R. Within 30 min, the RT-LAMP-BART assays detected up to 100-200 copies of the target genes; conventional real-time RT-PCR required 130 min and detected up to 500-3000 copies. Surprisingly, the real-time RT-PCR for N501Y did not detect the BA.1 and BA.2 variants (Omicron) that exhibited the N501Y mutation. The novel RT-LAMP-BART assay is highly specific and more sensitive than conventional real-time RT-PCR. The new assay is simple, inexpensive, and rapid; thus, it can be useful in efforts to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

The microscopic structures of two amorphous molecular solids with extremely nonlinear optical properties have been studied. They consist of organotetrel chalcogenide clusters with the chemical formula [(RSn) 4 S 6 ]. The basic molecular building blocks are adamantane-like {Sn 4 S 6 } cores with organic ligands R attached to the Sn atoms. While the material equipped with R=naphthyl generates frequency doubling upon irradiation with a simple infrared laser diode, the material decorated with R=phenyl responds by emitting brilliant white light. The structural differences were investigated using x-ray scattering and extended x-ray absorption fine structure combined with molecular Reverse Monte Carlo. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning precession electron diffraction were used to examine structural differences from mesoscopic down to microscopic scales. Characteristic differences were found on all scales. While close core-to-core distances between {Sn 4 S 6 } cluster cores and molecular distortions are found in the white light emitting material, undistorted molecules and significantly larger core distances characterize the material showing frequency doubling. Here however, results of scanning precession electron diffraction reveal the formation of nanocrystalline structures in the amorphous matrix, which we identify as cause for the suppression of white light emission., (© 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

Human astroviruses (HAstVs) are important causative pathogens of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children worldwide. MLB and VA HAstVs, which are genetically distinct from the previously known classic HAstVs, have been detected since 2008. To investigate the role of HAstVs in AGE, we conducted molecular detection and characterization of HAstVs circulating in children with AGE in Japan from 2014 to 2021. Out of 2,841 stool samples, HAstVs were detected in 130 (4.6%). MLB1 was the predominant genotype detected (45.4%), followed by HAstV1 (39.2%), MLB2 (7.4%), VA2 (3.1%), HAstV3 (2.3%), HAstV4, HAstV5, and MLB3 (0.8% each). The results demonstrated that HAstV infection in pediatric patients in Japan was dominated by the two major genotypes MLB1 and HAstV1, with a small proportion of other genotypes. The overall infection rates of MLB and VA HAstVs were higher than those of classic HAstVs. The HAstV1 strains detected in this study belonged solely to lineage 1a. The rare MLB3 genotype was detected for the first time in Japan. All three HAstV3 strains belonged to lineage 3c based on the ORF2 nucleotide sequence and were shown to be recombinant strains. IMPORTANCE HAstVs are one of the pathogens of viral AGE and are considered the third most common viral agents of AGE after rotavirus and norovirus. HAstVs are also suspected to be the causative agents of encephalitis or meningitis in immunocompromised patients and elderly persons. However, little is known about the epidemiology of HAstVs in Japan, especially that of MLBs and VA HAstVs. This study demonstrated epidemiological features and molecular characterization of human astroviruses encompassing a 7-year study period in Japan. This study highlights the genetic diversity of HAstV circulating in pediatric patients with acute AGE in Japan., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

We present an ab initio calculation to understand electronic structures and optical properties of a tungsten carbide WC being a major component of a TiCN-based cermet. The TiCN-based cermet is widely used as a cutting tool, and is discarded as usual after use. On the other hand, cermet itself is also a famous ingredient of a solar absorption film. We found that the WC has a fairly low-energy plasma excitation [Formula: see text] 0.6 eV (2 [Formula: see text]m) and therefore can be a good constituent of a solar selective absorber. The evaluated figure of merit for photothermal conversion is prominently high compared to those of the other materials included in the TiCN-based cermet. The imaginary part of the dielectric function is considerably small around the zero point of the real part of the dielectric function, corresponding to the plasma excitation energy. Therefore, a clear plasma edge appeared, ensuring the high performance of the WC as the solar absorber. This is a fascinating aspect, because the wasted TiCN-based cermet cutting tool can be recycled as the solar absorption film after proper treatments and modifications., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The increased incidence of obesity in the global population has increased the risk of several chronic inflammation-related diseases, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The progression from NASH to HCC involves a virus-independent liver carcinogenic mechanism; however, we currently lack effective treatment and prevention strategies. Several reports have suggested that fecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are strongly associated with NASH-HCC; therefore, we explored the biomarkers involved in its pathogenesis and progression. Fecal samples collected from control and NASH-HCC model STAM mice were subjected to headspace autosampler gas chromatography-electron ionization-mass spectrometry. Non-target profiling analysis identified diacetyl (2,3-butandione) as a fecal VOC that characterizes STAM mice. Although fecal diacetyl levels were correlated with the HCC in STAM mice, diacetyl is known as a cytotoxic/tissue-damaging compound rather than genotoxic or mutagenic; therefore, we examined the effect of bioactivity associated with NASH progression. We observed that diacetyl induced several pro-inflammatory molecules, including tumor necrosis factor-α, cyclooxygenase-2, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and transforming growth factor-β, in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 and Kupffer KPU5 cells. Additionally, we observed that diacetyl induced α-smooth muscle actin, one of the hallmarks of fibrosis, in an ex vivo cultured hepatic section, but not in in vitro hepatic stellate TWNT-1 cells. These results suggest that diacetyl would be a potential biomarker of fecal VOC in STAM mice, and its ability to trigger the macrophage-derived inflammation and fibrosis may partly contribute to NASH-HCC carcinogenesis., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Viruses remain the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) worldwide. Recently, we reported the abundance of AGE viruses in raw sewage water (SW) during the COVID-19 pandemic, when viral AGE patients decreased dramatically in clinics. Since clinical samples were not reflecting the actual state, it remained important to determine the circulating strains in the SW for preparedness against impending outbreaks. Raw SW was collected from a sewage treatment plant in Japan from August 2018 to March 2022, concentrated by polyethylene-glycol-precipitation method, and investigated for major gastroenteritis viruses by RT-PCR. Genotypes and evolutionary relationships were evaluated through sequence-based analyses. Major AGE viruses like rotavirus A (RVA), norovirus (NoV) GI and GII, and astrovirus (AstV) increased sharply (10-20%) in SW during the COVID-19 pandemic, though some AGE viruses like sapovirus (SV), adenovirus (AdV), and enterovirus (EV) decreased slightly (3-10%). The prevalence remained top in the winter. Importantly, several strains, including G1 and G3 of RVA, GI.1 and GII.2 of NoV, GI.1 of SV, MLB1 of AstV, and F41 of AdV, either emerged or increased amid the pandemic, suggesting that the normal phenomenon of genotype changing remained active over this time. This study crucially presents the molecular characteristics of circulating AGE viruses, explaining the importance of SW investigation during the pandemic when a clinical investigation may not produce the complete scenario., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Patients rely on knowing potential risks before accepting medical treatments, but risk perception can be distorted by cognitive biases and irrelevant information. We examined the interactive effects of subjective processes, objective knowledge, and demographic characteristics on how individuals estimate risks when provided with relevant and irrelevant probabilistic information. Participants read medical scenarios describing potential adverse effects associated with declining and accepting preventative treatment, as well as the objective likelihood of experiencing adverse effects associated with one of these two courses of action. We found that the perceived negativity of outcomes influenced perceptions of risk regardless of whether relevant probabilities were available and that the use of affect heuristics to estimate risk increased with age. Introducing objective estimates ameliorated age-related increases in affective distortions. Sensitivity to relevant probabilities increased with greater perceived outcome severity and was greater for men than for women. We conclude that relevant objective information may reduce the propensity to conflate outcome severity with likelihood and that medical judgments of risk vary depending on exposure to relevant and irrelevant probabilities. Implications for how medical professionals should communicate risk information to patients are considered., (© 2022. The Psychonomic Society, Inc.)

Many different enteric viruses can cause acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. While a single virus can indeed cause disease, multiple-virus infections are commonly reported. However, data regarding a comparison between single- and multiple-virus infections upon clinical manifestations of acute gastroenteritis are relatively limited. In this study, a total of 2383 fecal specimens were collected from children with acute gastroenteritis during June 2014-July 2017 in a pediatric clinic in Japan and tested for 11 viruses by multiplex RT-PCR. At least 1 virus was found in 1706 (71.6%) specimens and norovirus GII was the most frequent agent, followed by rotavirus A and other viruses. Multiple-virus infections were identified in 565 cases (33.1%). While major clinical symptoms were found to be significantly different in some single- vs. multiple-virus infections, the disease severity was statistically non-significant. Our study highlights the burden of multiple-virus infections for acute gastroenteritis and the clinical features of patients with multiple-virus infections.