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Women who carry the haemophilia gene have a genetic risk of having a son with haemophilia, as well as the risk of abnormal bleeding; thus, there is an increasing interest in ‘carriers’ as subjects that potentially require medical support. However, in Japan, only about half of individuals with a family history of haemophilia inform their daughters that they may be carriers.

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) often suffer from hepato-renal dysfunction. The associations between hepato-renal function changes and mortality remain unclear. Further, the effect of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on mortality and motor functions in patients with HF and hepato-renal dysfunction requires investigation., Methods: We reviewed 2522 patients with HF (63.2 % male; median age: 74 years). The association between changes in hepato-renal function assessed by the Model for End-stage Liver Disease eXcluding INR (MELD-XI) score and mortality was examined. The association of CR participation with mortality and physical functions was investigated in patients with HF with decreased, unchanged, and increased MELD-XI scores., Results: During the follow-up period, 519 (20.6 %) patients died. Worsened MELD-XI score was independently associated with all-cause death [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.099; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.061-1.138; p < 0.001]. CR participation was associated with low mortality, even in the increased MELD-XI score group (aHR: 0.498; 95 % CI: 0.333-0.745; p < 0.001). Trajectory of the MELD-XI score was not associated with physical function changes. There were no time by MELD-XI score interaction effects on handgrip strength (p = 0.084), leg strength (p = 0.082), walking speed (p = 0.583), and 6-min walking distance (p = 0.833) in patients participating in outpatient CR., Conclusions: Hepato-renal dysfunction predicts high mortality. CR participation may be helpful for a better prognosis of patients with HF and hepato-renal dysfunction., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The tongue has a wide variety of motor functions, which are driven by tongue muscle contractions and associated with movements of the hyoid bone (HB) connected to the tongue root. HB movement has been observed in many situations, including swallowing, breathing, and speech. However, the relationships between HB movement and tongue kinematic function have received little attention, and have not been considered in most previous biomechanical tongue modeling research, except studies of swallowing. The current study aimed to clarify the effects of HB movement on tongue kinematics during tongue forward protrusion, which is an essential tongue motor function associated with speech disorder. HB displacement during tongue forward protrusion was quantified using ultrasound imaging in four healthy controls. Furthermore, computational mechanical simulations of tongue forward protrusion were conducted with observed HB movements and active contraction of the genioglossus (GG) muscle, which is conventionally considered to be the driving muscle in tongue forward protrusion. Ultrasound imaging revealed anterosuperior HB displacement in tongue forward protrusion, with a similar magnitude in each direction (anterior: 6.3 ± 2.8 mm, superior: 5.8 ± 1.6 mm). Computational simulation demonstrated that the HB movement described above caused not only anterosuperior displacement, but also forward rotation of the tongue body, which was caused by kinematic constraints of GG. The resulting anterior displacement of the tongue tip was 1.5 times greater compared with that without HB movement. These findings indicate that the HB and associated tongue body movements play non-negligible roles in the tongue kinematics of forward protrusion., 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 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

We report the synthesis and characterization of tris(biphenyl-2,2'-diyl)metal complexes of trivalent group 9 elements ( 1 M , M = Co, Rh, Ir) and their nonplanarly π-extended analogs, tris(1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl)metal complexes ( 2 M , M = Rh, Ir). Single crystal X-ray crystallography reveals the distorted octahedral geometry with an approximate C 3 symmetry of trianionic complexes 1 M (M = Co, Rh, Ir) and 2 M (M = Rh, Ir), which are contacted by three Li + ions in the crystal. Complex 1 Ir exhibits yellow luminescence in THF with a photoluminescence quantum yield ( Φ PL ) of up to 0.73, along with a distinctive photophysical property, namely, a concentration dependence of the emission wavelength from 530 to 580 nm. This is a characteristic property of 1 Ir and has not been observed in its isoelectronic analog, tris(2-phenylpyridinato)iridium(III) (Ir(ppy) 3 ). The concentration-dependent optical properties originate from the dissociation equilibria of Li + ions from the anionic chromophore. Complex 2 Ir also exhibits luminescence at 715 nm in THF, with a notable bathochromic shift from 1 Ir through the π-extension. The findings offer insights into the photophysical properties of homoleptic organo-transition metal complexes, providing the foundation for the design of related transition metal complexes.

The copolymerization of two or more monomers produces polymeric materials with unique properties that cannot be achieved with homopolymers. However, precise control over the polymer sequence remains challenging because the sequence is determined by the inherent reactivity of comonomers. Therefore, only limited methods using modified monomers or supramolecular interactions are reported. In this study, the sequence control of acrylate-styrene copolymerization using multinuclear zinc complexes is reported. The copolymerization of the zinc acrylate complex with a polymeric sheet-like structure and styrene in benzene affords a copolymer with a higher content of acrylate triad than calculated for the statistical random model, whereas tetranuclear zinc acrylate (TZA) affords a copolymer with fewer adjacent acrylate sequences. The copolymer with a higher content of acrylate triad exhibits a lower glass transition temperature because of the higher mobility of the longer polystyrene segments. These results highlight the promise of multinuclear zinc acrylate complexes as monomers for sequence-controlled copolymerization., (© 2024 The Author(s). Macromolecular Rapid Communications published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

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Molecules that contain bonds whose length significantly deviates from the average are of interest in the context of understanding the nature and limits of the chemical bonds. However, it is difficult to disentangle the individual contributions of the multiple factors that give rise to such bond-length deviations as reports on such molecules remain scarce. In the present study, we have succeeded in synthesizing hexafluorodihalocubanes of the type C 8 F 6 X 2 ( 2 ) (X = Cl ( 2 Cl ), Br ( 2 Br ), I ( 2 I )), which represent a new series of molecules with unusual C(sp 3 )-halogen bonds. The C(sp 3 )-halogen bonds of 2 Cl , 2 Br , and 2 I , determined via single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, are approximately 0.07-0.09 Å shorter than typical C(sp 3 )-halogen bonds. In particular, the carbon-iodine bonds of 2 I are the shortest C(sp 3 )-I bonds reported to date. The solution-state structures and electronic states of the C(sp 3 )-halogen bonds in these hexafluorodihalocubanes were analyzed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, which revealed detailed information on the length of these C(sp 3 )-halogen bonds in solution and the solid state as well as on the electron-deficient nature of 2 . Detailed theoretical calculations and a comparison with halotrinitromethanes ( 1 ), which represent another series of molecules with shortened C(sp 3 )-halogen bonds, revealed that the factors responsible for the shortening of the C(sp 3 )-halogen bond vary among the different C(sp 3 )-halogen bonds, i.e., for C(sp 3 )-Cl and C(sp 3 )-Br, the s-character and hyperconjugation effects predominate, whereas for C(sp 3 )-I, the interatomic Coulombic interaction effect prevails.

Background: The Asian Working Group for Cachexia (AWGC) proposed a new definition of cachexia; however, its impact on cachexia prevalence and overlaps with other conditions, such as sarcopenia and malnutrition, are unclear. We investigated these aspects and the prognostic value of cachexia based on the AWGC on mortality in older patients with heart failure (HF)., Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of a prospective multicentre cohort, namely, the FRAGILE-HF cohort study. Older (≥ 65 years) patients who had been hospitalized due to decompensated HF were enrolled. We assessed the presence/absence of cachexia based on the AWGC and Evans' criteria. Sarcopenia and malnutrition based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2014 and the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria were also assessed to compare their prevalence and the overlaps between them. Patients were stratified in relation to the presence/absence of cachexia based on the AWGC criteria, and their mortality rates were compared., Results: Of the 861 enrolled patients (median [interquartile range] age, 80 years [73-85 years]; male, 58.9%), cachexia, as evaluated based on the AWGC and Evans' criteria, sarcopenia and malnutrition, was present in 74.1%, 36.2%, 20.6% and 55.2% of patients, respectively. AWGC-defined cachexia was most common in the four conditions. All-cause death events occurred in 153 (18.1%) patients in 2 years. AWGC-defined cachexia (adjusted hazard ratio [aHRs], 1.442; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.931-2.233; p = 0.101) was not associated with all-cause mortality in older patients with HF after adjusting for other HF prognosis factors, such as the B-type natriuretic peptide and the Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic risk score, whereas cachexia evaluated based on Evans's criteria (aHRs, 1.547; 95% CI, 1.118-2.141; p = 0.009), sarcopenia (aHRs, 1.737; 95% CI, 1.214-2.485; p = 0.003), and malnutrition (aHRs, 1.581; 95% CI, 1.094-2.284; p = 0.015) was associated with all-cause mortality., Conclusions: Three-quarters of older patients with HF had cachexia as evaluated by the AWGC criteria, and this was not associated with a worse prognosis. As the new AWGC cachexia criteria will result in a significantly larger proportion of patients being diagnosed with cachexia, the implementation of the criteria in clinical practice requires further consideration., Trial Registration: UMIN-CTR unique identifier: UMIN000023929., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Porphyrins have emerged as highly effective photosensitizers in the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT) because of their high singlet oxygen generation efficiency. However, most porphyrin derivatives do not have adequate water solubility and cell membrane permeability suitable for use in PDT. In addition, they frequently suffer from low durability under photoirradiation. Here, we propose rotaxane-type photosensitizers, in which a porphyrin axle is irreversibly encapsulated within cyclodextrins (CDs), to overcome the drawbacks of porphyrins for PDT. The rotaxane-type photosensitizers were synthesized in high yields by employing a cooperative capture strategy. The CD derivatives worked as a transparent shell to impart a porphyrin axle not only with water solubility but also with photostability. These rotaxanes showed higher cell membrane permeability and photoinduced cytotoxic abilities than talaporfin sodium, presently used as a clinical photosensitizer. The rotaxane-based photosensitizer could have potential for being ideal PDT drugs.

Long-chain polyamides (polyethyleneamides) were prepared from polyethylenes bearing in-chain carbonyl groups (polyethyleneketones) by the oxime formation and successive Beckmann rearrangement. (Diethylamino)sulfur trifluoride (DAST) was utilized as a promoter, which allowed mild conversion of the oxime group in spite of low solubility of the polymers. The polyethyleneamide exhibited different tensile property compared to a commercial HDPE., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Heteroatom-substituted ethylenes have long been studied owing to their potential application to electronic devices. In contrast to well-studied π-donor substituted ethylene, the π-acceptor substituted one has only been limitedly reported. While boron can be a candidate of π-acceptors, there has still been no example of fully conjugated tetraborylethylene (TBE). Herein, we synthesized the first fully conjugated TBE 2 by selenium-mediated C-C double bond formation from diborylcarbenoid 1, a synthetic equivalent of diborylcarbene (DBC). An intermediate of bis(diborylmethylene)-λ 4 -selane 3 Se , wherein two DBC fragments were bound to one selenium atom, was confirmed. TBE 2 has a longer C-C bond length of 1.368(2) Å than typical C-C double bonds (1.34 Å) owing to π-electron deficiency. By density functional theory calculations, the LUMO was found to be low-lying at -1.75 eV by the contribution of vacant p-orbitals on the boron atoms adjacent to the C-C double bond., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia. Although treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) exhibits wide-ranging neuropsychological deficits, factors defining cognitive prognosis in TRS are unclear. We aimed to clarify the association between cognitive dysfunction and factors, such as plasma concentrations of clozapine (CLZ), N-desmethylclozapine (NDMC), and homovanillic acid (HVA), due to differences in antipsychotic responses in patients with schizophrenia., Methods: This pilot cross-sectional study included 60 Japanese patients (35 with TRS and 25 with non-CLZ antipsychotic responders (AR)). Cognitive function was evaluated using the Brief Assessment of Cognition Short Form (BAC-SF). Plasma concentrations of HVA, CLZ, and NDMC were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography., Results: The cognitive performance of patients with AR was better than that of patients with TRS in all tasks. No significant cognitive differences were detected between the CLZ responders and non-responders. The severity of negative and extrapyramidal symptoms was found to be potentially negatively associated with BAC-SF composite and several subtest scores. In patients with TRS, chlorpromazine equivalents and the CLZ/NDMC ratio were identified as factors negatively associated with Digit Sequencing and the Symbol Coding subtest scores of the BAC-SF, respectively., Conclusions: Our study suggests that patients with TRS experience worse cognitive dysfunction than those with AR, and CLZ responsiveness in TRS may be not associated with cognitive dysfunction. Additionally, higher chlorpromazine equivalents and the CLZ/NDMC ratio may be associated with severity of cognitive dysfunction in patients with TRS. Further studies are required to clarify the relationship between treatment response and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Suzuki has received speaker's honoraria from Janssen, Otsuka, and Sumitomo. Dr. Horikoshi has received honoraria for lectures from Eisai, Janssen, Otsuka, Sumitomo, and Yoshitomi. Dr. Miura has received speaker's honoraria from Eisai, Janssen, Meiji Seika Pharma, MSD, Otsuka, Sumitomo, Takeda, Tanabe-Mitsubishi, and Viatris. Drs. Watanabe, Kanno-Nozaki, Ichinose, Hirata, Kobayashi, Takeuchi, Osonoe, and Hoshino declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Perme intensive care unit (ICU) mobility score is a comprehensive mobility assessment tool; however, its usefulness and validity for patients after cardiovascular surgery remain unclear. We investigated the association between the Perme Score and clinical outcomes after cardiovascular surgery. We retrospectively enrolled 249 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU after cardiac and/or major vascular surgery. The Perme Score contains categories on mental status, potential mobility barriers, muscle strength and mobility level and was assessed within 2 days after surgery. The outcomes of physical recovery were the number of days until 100-m ambulation achievement and 6-min walk distance (6MWD) at hospital discharge. The endpoint was a composite outcome of all-cause mortality and/or all-cause unplanned readmission. We analyzed the associations of the Perme Score with physical recovery and the incidence of clinical events. After adjusting for clinical confounding factors, a higher Perme Score was an independent factor of earlier achievement of 100-m ambulation (hazard ratio: 1.039, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.012-1.066) and higher 6MWD (β: 0.293, P = .001). During the median follow-up period of 1.1 years, we observed an incidence rate of 19.4/100 person-years. In the multivariate Poisson regression analysis, a higher Perme Score was significantly and independently associated with lower rates of all-cause death/readmission (incident rate ratio: 0.961, 95% CI: 0.930-0.992). The Perme Score within 2 days after cardiovascular surgery was associated with physical recovery during hospitalization and clinical events after discharge. Thus, it may be useful for predicting clinical outcomes., (© 2024. Springer Nature Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.)

A one-pot procedure with cobalt-mediated oxidation of 2,2'-dilithio-1,1'-binaphthyl by ferrocenium salts afforded the chiral cyclic hexamer of naphthylene, [6]cyclo-1,2-naphthylene (1). The molecular structure of 1 was determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography and NMR analyses, revealing its cyclic structure with an approximate D 3 symmetry. Compound 1 exhibits blue emission at 383 nm with high photoluminescence quantum yield of 97 %, which can be attributed to its rigid twelve-membered ring structure. Optical resolution of 1 by chiral HPLC allowed for the evaluation of its chiroptical properties. Each enantiomer exhibits circular dichroism with complex Cotton effects, which are grouped into three positive or three negative couplets. Circularly polarized luminescence is observed at 383 nm with an anisotropy factor |g lum | on the order of 10 -4 . The high photoluminescence quantum yield and the CPL properties of 1 indicate its potential application as a CPL emitter., (© 2024 The Author(s). Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The development of methods for the chemical recycling of polyurethanes is recognized as an urgent issue. Herein, we report the Ir-catalyzed hydrogenolysis of the urethane C-O bond to produce formamides and alcohols, where both formamides and ester and amide functionalities are tolerated. The chemoselectivity observed is counterintuitive to the generally accepted electrophilicity order of carbonyl compounds. Hydrogenolysis of urea and isocyanurate, potential byproducts in the polycondensation process of polyurethanes, is also achieved alongside the selective degradation of polyurethanes themselves, which affords diformamides and diols. The time-course of the hydrogenative polyurethane degradation reveals that the bond cleavage occurs not from the terminal, but from any part of the polymer chain. The present catalysis offers a novel method for the recycling of polyurethane-containing polymer waste.

Aims: SARC-F ≥ 4 points are used for detecting sarcopenia; however, finding a lower SARC-F cut-off value may lead to early detection of sarcopenia. We investigated the SARC-F score with the highest sensitivity and specificity values to identify sarcopenia in older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Motor performances were also examined for each SARC-F score., Methods and Results: This retrospective cross-sectional study examined the sensitivity and specificity of every 1-point increase in the SARC-F score to predict sarcopenia. Eligible participants included patients with CVD (≥65 years old) who were admitted for acute CVD treatment and participated in cardiac rehabilitation. Patients completed the SARC-F questionnaire and the sarcopenia assessment. Area under the curves (AUCs) were investigated for the ability to predict sarcopenia. Multivariable linear regression was used to compare the mean value of physical functions (e.g. walking speed, leg strength, and 6 min walking distance) of each SARC-F score. A total of 1066 participants (63.8% male; median age: 76 years) were included. Sarcopenia was present in 401 patients. A SARC-F cut-off ≥2 presented the optimal balance between sensitivity (68.3%) and specificity (55.6%) to detect sarcopenia (AUCs = 0.658; 95% confidence interval: 0.625-0.691). When the patients had low scores (1-3), every 1 point increase in the SARC-F score was associated with lower physical functions such as lower muscle strength and shorter walking distance (all P < 0.001)., Conclusion: A SARC-F cut-off ≥2 was optimal for screening sarcopenia, and even a low SARC-F score is useful in detecting sarcopenia and low physical function at an early stage in patients with CVD., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this article. Although M.Y. has no conflict of interest related to the conduct of this study, he holds company stock (<5% of the total) and receives a salary as one of the directors of an employer., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Rationale and Objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved lung cancer prognosis; however, ICI-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) is fatal and difficult to predict. Herein, we hypothesized that pre-existing lung inflammation on radiological imaging can be a potential risk factor for ILD onset. Therefore, we investigated the association between high uptake in noncancerous lung (NCL) on 18 F- FDG-PET/CT and ICI-ILD in lung cancer., Methods: Patients with primary lung cancer who underwent FDG-PET/CT within three months prior to ICI therapy were retrospectively included. Artificial intelligence was utilized for extracting the NCL regions (background lung) from the lung contralateral to the primary tumor. FDG uptake by the NCL was assessed via the SUVmax (NCL-SUVmax), SUVmean (NCL-SUVmean), and total glycolytic activity (NCL-TGA)defined as NCL-SUVmean×NCL volume [mL]. NCL-SUVmean and NCL-TGA were calculated using the following four SUV thresholds: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0., Results: Of the 165 patients, 28 (17.0%) developed ILD. Univariate analysis showed that high values of NCL-SUVmax, NCL-SUVmean 2.0 (SUV threshold=2.0), and NCL-TGA 1.0 (SUV threshold=1.0) were significantly associated with ILD onset (all p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, tumor FDG uptake, and pre-existing interstitial lung abnormalities revealed that a high NCL-TGA 1.0 (≥149.45) was independently associated with ILD onset (odds ratio, 6.588; p = 0.002). Two-year cumulative incidence of ILD was significantly higher in the high NCL-TGA 1.0 group than in the low group (58.4% vs. 14.4%; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: High uptake of NCL on FDG-PET/CT is correlated with ICI-ILD development, which could serve as a risk stratification tool before ICI therapy in primary lung cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dr. Satoshi Watanabe reports: grants from Boehringer Ingelheim and Nippon Kayaku; lecture fees and speakers bureaus from AstraZeneca, Lilly, Chugai Pharma, Bristol-Myers, Novartis Pharma, Ono Pharmaceutical, Daiichi Sankyo, Taiho Pharmaceutical, Nippon Kayaku, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Merck, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Celltrion, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Naohiro Yanagimura reports: lecture fees and speakers bureaus from MSD K.K and Honoraria, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Masashi Arita reports: lecture fees and speakers bureaus from Chugai Pharma, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Tomohiro Tanaka reports: lecture fees and speakers bureaus from Chugai and Takeda, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Koichiro Nozaki reports: lecture fees and speakers bureaus from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers, MSD, Taiho Pharmaceutical, Ono Pharmaceutical, and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Yu Saida reports: lecture fees and speakers bureaus from Chugai, Lilly, Astra Zeneca, and Ono, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Toshiaki Kikuchi reports: grants from Nobelpharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Taiho Pharmaceutical, KYORIN Pharmaceutical, Shionogi Pharma, Chugai Pharma, Asahi Kasei, Daiichi Sankyo, Nippon Kayaku and TEIJIN PHARMA; consulting fees from AN2 Therapeutics; lecture fees and speakers bureaus from Viatris, Astellas Pharma, Insmed, Boehringer Ingelheim, Terumo, Lilly, AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, KYORIN Pharmaceutical, Novartis Pharma, Merck, Bristol-Myers, NIPRO, Eisai, Ono Pharmaceutical, Chugai Pharma, GSK, Sumitomo Pharma, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, MSD, Sanofi, Shionogi Pharma, Meiji Seika Pharma and Taiho Pharmaceutical, all outside the submitted work. Dr. Hiroyuki Ishikawa reports: grants from Daiichi Sankyo, GE Healthcare Pharma, Guerbet, Nihon Medi-Physics, and PDRadiopharma; lecture fees from Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Canon, Chugai Pharma, Eisai, FUJIFILM Medical, GE Healthcare Pharma, and Nihon Medi-Physics, all outside the submitted work. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Polyolefins are recognized as fundamental plastic materials that are manufactured in the largest quantities among all synthetic polymers. The chemical inertness of the saturated hydrocarbon chains is crucial for storing and using polyolefin plastics, but poses significant environmental challenges related to plastic pollution. Here, we report a versatile approach to creating polyethylene materials with tunable degradability by incorporating in-chain mechanophores. Through palladium-catalyzed coordination/insertion copolymerization of ethylene with cyclobutene-fused comonomers, several cyclobutane-fused mechanophores were successfully incorporated with varied insertion ratios (0.35-26 mol %). The resulting polyethylene materials with in-chain mechanophores exhibit both high thermal stability and remarkable acid resistance. Upon mechanochemical activation by ultrasonication or ball-milling, degradable functional units (imide and ester groups) are introduced into the main polymer chain. The synergy of mechanochemical activation and acid hydrolysis facilitates the efficient degradation of high molecular weight polyethylene materials into telechelic oligomers.

Medium-ring cyclic compounds have characteristic distortions. For alicyclic enones, conjugated enones are known to be less stable than unconjugated enones. In this study, the relative stability of cycloalkenones with varied C-C double bond positions with C6-C12 rings was theoretically investigated to reveal that C8-C12 cycloalkenones prefer the unconjugated isomer. Furthermore, direct access to distal unsaturated cycloalkenones has been accomplished by transfer dehydrogenation of cycloalkanones catalyzed by iridium complexes.

Introduction: This case study aimed to demonstrate how cooking class activities held in collaboration with the Ajinomoto Foundation (TAF) and a consumer cooperative after the Great East Japan Earthquake contributed to the resilience of the affected community., Methods: With reference to the logic model, evaluation indicators for the case study were established. We focused on the Iwate Seikatsu Kyodo Kumiai (Iwate Co-op). We organized 120 continuation cases out of the eight-and-a-half-year activity records of the project owned by TAF (April 2012 to March 2020). The Iwate Co-op was one of the 120 continuing cases and had special features, including awareness that its members were responsible for the community., Results: The collaboration revealed three effects. First, owing to the encounter and collaboration with TAF, the cooking class was continuously conducted even after TAF withdrew from the disaster-affected areas. Second, the Iwate Co-op trained some of its members as food support staff to run the cooking class independently and was actively involved in obtaining the necessary budget for the operation, consequently leading to the independent activation of member activities. Third, they developed a cooking class project in inland areas other than disaster-stricken areas, assuming that they could incorporate the project into their existing activities, as food problems affected people beyond disaster victims., Conclusion: The collaborative food support project of the Iwate Co-op and TAF contributed to the resilience of the affected people and communities by strengthening bonds and solidarity among residents and organizations. The key to success was the fusion of a traditional sense of independence in the co-op with TAF's mission and technical know-how. The partnership between the Iwate Co-op and TAF allowed the former to aim toward developing food support activities in the affected areas, accelerating the resilience of the community in the Iwate Prefecture., Competing Interests: KKo was employed by Miyako Co-op, Iwate Co-op. KN and KF were employed by Kamaishi Co-op, Iwate Co-op. KKa was employed by Kesen Co-op, Iwate Co-op. HK and YN were employed by Organization/Management Headquarters, Iwate Co-op. MY was employed by The Ajinomoto Foundation. Co-author YK has received research funding from TAF. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ito, Konno, Nozaki, Fukushi, Kanno, Kawamura, Nakamura, Yamada, Kuroda, Kuchii, Kinoshita, Nabetani and Fukuda.)

Highly polished 3, 4, and 5 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia and CAD/CAM composite resin samples were prepared, and the influence of surface roughness (R a and S a , 21 areas/group), wettability (contact angle and surface energy, 3 samples/group), and surface chemical composition (2 samples/group) on single-strain bacterial adhesion models (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus gordonii, and Streptococcus mutans) were compared via fluorescent staining with graphical analysis (21 areas/group). Statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test followed by one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's test or the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn's test (α=0.05) and linear regression. For dental zirconia with the same surface roughness, the yttria content did not significantly influence the initial bacterial adhesion. However, higher bacterial adhesion was detected for the composite resin owing to its high C, O, and Si contents. There was no correlation between surface energy and bacterial adhesion for any bacterial strain (p<0.005).

Crystalline polyethylenes bearing carboxylic acid groups in the main chain were successfully degraded with a Ce catalyst and visible light. The reaction proceeds in a crystalline solid state without swelling in acetonitrile or water at a reaction temperature as low as 60 or 80 °C, employing dioxygen in air as the only stoichiometric reactant with nearly quantitative recovery of carbon atoms. Heterogeneous features of the reaction allowed us to reveal a dynamic morphological change of polymer crystals during the degradation.

Inflammasomes are sensors that detect cytosolic microbial molecules or cellular damage, and in response they initiate a form of lytic regulated cell death called pyroptosis. Inflammasomes signal via homotypic protein-protein interactions where CARD or PYD domains are crucial for recruiting downstream partners. Here, we screened these domains from NLR family proteins, and found that the PYD domain of NLRP6 and NLRP12 could activate caspase-1 to induce cleavage of IL-1β and GSDMD. Inflammasome reconstitution verified that full length NLRP6 and NLRP12 formed inflammasomes in vitro , and NLRP6 was more prone to auto-activation. NLRP6 was highly expressed in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC), but not in immune cells. Molecular phylogeny analysis found that NLRP12 was closely related to NLRP3, but the activation mechanisms are different. NLRP3 was highly expressed in monocytes and macrophages, and was modestly but appreciably expressed in neutrophils. In contrast, NLRP12 was specifically expressed in neutrophils and eosinophils, but was not detectable in macrophages. NLRP12 mutations cause a periodic fever syndrome called NLRP12 autoinflammatory disease. We found that several of these patient mutations caused spontaneous activation of caspase-1 in vitro , which likely causes their autoinflammatory disease. Different cell types have unique cellular physiology and structures which could be perturbed by a pathogen, necessitating expression of distinct inflammasome sensors to monitor for signs of infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wei, Billman, Nozaki, Goodridge and Miao.)

Background/purpose: Retainer debonding of resin-bonded fixed dental prostheses (RBFDPs) is one of the major reasons for their lower survival rates than fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) with full-coverage crowns. Recent advances in milling technology have enabled the fabrication of RBFDPs with complex retainers (D-shaped designs). This study aimed to assess the marginal fit and retention force of zirconia RBFDPs with inlay-, L-, and D-shaped designs to clarify their clinical applications., Materials and Methods: Three abutment teeth models without maxillary second premolars were created using inlay-, L-, and D-shaped retainer designs. The zirconia RBFDPs were designed and fabricated according to the manufacturer's instructions (n = 10). The marginal gap was measured using the silicone replica technique. Zirconia frameworks were bonded to the abutment teeth using resin cement. Tensile test was conducted after thermal cycling and dynamic loading tests. The loads during debonding or fracture were recorded. The failure pattern was analyzed by observing the fracture surface using a scanning electron microscope., Results: D-shaped RBFDPs showed a significantly larger marginal gap than inlay- and L-shaped RBFDPs ( P  < 0.05). However, the mean marginal values were clinically acceptable (<120 μm). The D-shaped model exhibited the highest tensile strength in the tensile tests. The inlay-shaped and most of the D-shaped RBFDPs experienced debonding with cohesive failure, whereas the L-shaped RBFDPs showed fractures near the connector., Conclusion: The D-shaped retainer design was superior to the inlay- and L-shaped designs with respect to the inhibition of retainer debonding. However, the marginal fitness needs to be improved., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (© 2024 Association for Dental Sciences of the Republic of China. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Diagnosing sarcopenia in heart failure (HF) patients is important, but how to assess skeletal muscle mass in HF patients with fluid retention is controversial. We aimed to examine the association between sarcopenia, defined by different skeletal muscle mass measurements, and clinical outcomes in older HF patients., Methods: We included 546 older HF patients (≥ 65 years) who were assessed for sarcopenia at discharge (median age 77 years, 309 males). Sarcopenia was diagnosed using grip strength, usual gait speed, and skeletal muscle mass according to international criteria. We used mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MAMC), calf circumference (CC), and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis to assess skeletal muscle mass and defined sarcopenia in each of these measurements. Prognostic outcomes were composite events (all-cause death and HF rehospitalization) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events (CVD death and CVD rehospitalization). Quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey physical functioning (SF-36PF) score., Results: The sarcopenia defined by MUAC [hazard ratio (HR): 2.50; 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI): 1.64-3.81; p < 0.001] or MAMC (HR: 1.98; 95 % CI: 1.35-2.92; p = 0.001) were associated with higher composite event rates than the non-sarcopenia. The sarcopenia defined by MUAC (HR: 1.88; 95 % CI: 1.25-2.83; p = 0.002) or MAMC (HR: 1.70; 95 % CI: 1.16-2.49; p = 0.007) were associated with higher CVD event rates than the non-sarcopenia. The sarcopenia defined by CC or SMI were not associated with prognoses. The sarcopenia defined by MUAC, MAMC, or CC were associated with low SF-36PF scores (all p < 0.05)., Conclusions: These results suggest that a diagnosis of sarcopenia based on MUAC or MAMC rather than CC or SMI reflects prognosis and QOL in older HF patients., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The reactivity of carbonyl functional groups largely depends on the substituents on the carbon atom. Reversal of the commonly accepted order of reactivity of different carbonyl compounds requires novel synthetic approaches. Achieving selective reduction will enable the transformation of carbon resources such as plastic waste, carbon dioxide and biomass into valuable chemicals. In this Review, we explore the reduction of less reactive carbonyl groups in the presence of those typically considered more reactive. We discuss reductions, including the controlled reduction of ureas, amides and esters to aldehydes, as well as chemoselective reductions of carbonyl groups, including the reduction of ureas over carbamates, amides and esters; the reduction of amides over esters, ketones and aldehydes; and the reduction of ketones over aldehydes., (© 2024. Springer Nature Limited.)

Both cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) cause skeletal muscle mass loss, thereby increasing the likelihood of a poor prognosis. We investigated the association between cancer history and physical function and their combined association with prognosis in patients with CVD. We retrospectively reviewed 3,796 patients with CVD (median age: 70 years; interquartile range [IQR]: 61-77 years) who had undergone physical function tests (gait speed and 6-minute walk distance [6MWD]) at discharge. We performed multiple linear regression analyses to assess potential associations between cancer history and physical function. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate prognostic associations in four groups of patients categorized by the absence or presence of cancer history and of high or low physical function. Multiple regression analyses showed that cancer history was significantly and independently associated with a lower gait speed and 6MWD performance. A total of 610 deaths occurred during the follow-up period (median: 3.1 years; IQR: 1.4-5.4 years). The coexistence of low physical function and cancer history in patients with CVD was associated with a significantly higher mortality risk, even after adjusting for covariates (cancer history/low gait speed, hazard ratio [HR]: 1.93, P < 0.001; and cancer history/low 6MWD, HR: 1.61, P = 0.002). Cancer history is associated with low physical function in patients with CVD, and the combination of both factors is associated with a poor prognosis., (© 2024. Springer Nature Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.)

We report a male patient with a ruptured persistent primitive trigeminal artery variant aneurysm that resulted in a fistula with the cavernous sinus. He presented with left conjunctival hyperemia and exophthalmos. Cerebral angiography revealed a left direct carotid-cavernous fistula; however, a balloon occlusion test determined that the source was actually a ruptured aneurysm located on the trunk of a persistent primitive trigeminal artery. Endovascular trapping of the persistent primitive trigeminal artery was performed, which resulted in fistula occlusion and symptom resolution., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Japan Neurosurgical Society.)

Zinc carboxylate complexes are widely utilized as artificial models of metalloenzymes and as secondary building units of PCPs/MOFs. However, the relationship between the structure of the monodentate carboxylato ligand and the molecular arrangement of multinuclear zinc carboxylate complexes is not fully understood because of the coordination flexibility of the Zn ion and carboxylato ligands. Herein, we report the structural analysis of a series of complexes derived from zinc (meth)acrylate which has a linear infinite chain structure. The molecular structure of μ 4 -oxido-bridged tetranuclear complexes [Zn 4 (μ 4 -O)(OCOR) 6 ] revealed a distorted Zn 4 O core. Crystallization of zinc acrylate under aqueous conditions afforded a μ 3 -hydroxido-containing pentanuclear complex [Zn 5 (μ 3 -OH) 2 (OCOR) 8 ] as the repeating unit of an infinite sheet-like structure in the solid state. It was also obtained by the hydrolysis of the μ 4 -oxido-bridged tetranuclear complex. In sharp contrast, the methacrylate analog retained the methacrylato ligands under aqueous crystallization conditions to form a macrocyclic dodecanuclear complex with methacrylato as the sole ligand., (© 2024 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)