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Purpose: To examine daytime voiding patterns in patients with nocturnal polyuria (NP) and identify a novel predictive indicator based on voiding frequency ratios., Methods: A retrospective analysis of 875 patients with nocturia from 17 Japanese institutions (January 2018-December 2022) was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups based on the nocturnal polyuria index (NPi) > 33% (NP) or ≤ 33% (non-NP). Daytime and nighttime voiding frequencies and volumes were collected from bladder diaries. The correlation between the NPi and voiding parameters was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive ability of the nighttime-to-24-h voiding frequency ratio for NP., Results: Patients with NP urinated significantly less frequently and produced more urine during the day than those without NP (p < 0.001). The ratio of nocturnal to 24-h voiding frequency showed a significant positive correlation with NPi (r = 0.38, p < 0.001) and was the strongest predictor of NP. ROC curve analysis showed that this ratio could predict NP, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.79. A cutoff value of 0.23 yielded 75% sensitivity and 68% specificity for predicting NP., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that patients with NP exhibit significantly reduced daytime voiding frequency and urine volume compared with those without NP. The nighttime-to-24-h voiding is useful for roughly predicting NP at the time of the initial consultation and has the potential to become more practical and accurate with further accumulation of data and research., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

We aimed to clarify the long-term safety and efficacy of rituximab (RTX) as a remission induction therapy following severe relapse in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). We retrospectively collected the data of patients with severely relapsed AAV from a Japanese multicentre cohort. The primary exposure was RTX use; the primary outcome was complete remission (CR) proportions at week 24. Baseline characteristics were compared between the RTX and non-RTX groups. We performed multivariate logistic regression analysis and one-to-one propensity score matching analysis as a sensitivity analysis. Totally, 100 patients were enrolled: 52 in the RTX group and 48 in the non-RTX group. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups, except for age, AAV subtype and ANCA serotype. The median age was 71 vs. 75 years, and the PR3-ANCA positivity rate was 44.2% vs. 18.8% in the RTX and non-RTX groups, respectively. No significant difference was observed in CR proportions at week 24 between the two groups (79.2% vs. 68.1%, p = 0.321), with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-3.51). At week 48, CR proportions were significantly higher in the RTX group (91.7% vs. 64.9%, p = 0.005), with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.95 (95% CI 0.97-9.91). Serious infection rates were lower in the RTX group than in the non-RTX group, with no statistically significant difference. RTX was not superior to conventional immunosuppressive therapies at week 24 but showed significantly favourable results at week 48 for severely relapsed AAV., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The household sector is a major driver of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, most existing studies have only estimated households' carbon footprint from their expenditures. Households' daily activity time, a scarce resource that limits and determines their consumption behavior, has rarely been integrated into the estimation. Incorporating the daily time-use patterns should thus provide a more practical perspective for mitigation policies aiming at promoting sustainable household lifestyles. In this study, by linking household time-use data and expenditure data of Japan, the carbon footprint and the GHG intensity of time of 85 daily household activities constituting the 24 hours in a day are estimated. Compared to the maximal 20-activity disaggregation in existing studies, our detailed 85-category disaggregation of daily time enables unprecedented details on the discrepancies between the carbon footprint from daily activities, many of which have previous been treated as one activity. Results indicate significant carbon mitigation potential in activities with a high GHG intensity of time, such as cooking, bathing, and mobility-related and activities. Average daily GHG emissions were also found to be higher on weekends as time-use patterns shift from paid work to free-time activities, highlighting the need for mitigation strategies on a weekly scale., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

We built a heating furnace using stainless-steel instead of aluminum in gas chromatography combined with an oxidation/reduction system; it increased the oxidation temperature to 650°C. At 600°C, it completely oxidized five organochlorine compounds. This system was applied to a standard solution of 23 volatile organic compounds. The analytical results of 20 hydrocarbon and organochlorine compounds showed good agreement with the expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of the reference values. Three organobromine compounds obtained values higher than the reference; this was investigated further.

Intracranial bruits (ICB) are faint, high-pitched, and mostly heard on the orbit in the systolic phase of the cardiovascular cycle. This report discusses a case of Listeria monocytogenes meningitis in a 17-month-old male patient in whom ICB were auscultated. ICB is thought to be caused by compression of blood vessels due to increased intracranial pressure and may serve as an additional sign supporting the diagnosis of meningitis. The present report contains video data on the ICB.

The electrochemical signal from ferrocene on a DNA probe was successfully modulated in a homogeneous solution by the template-directed formation and dissociation of an inclusion complex with β-cyclodextrin on another probe. The electrochemical response was amplified by combining with a DNA circuit, in which the target DNA served as a catalyst. This system did not require any modification of a complementary DNA with the ferrocene-modified probe on the electrode surface to separate the bound/free probe for the detection of 200 nM target DNA.

Ferrocene (Fc) and β-cyclodextrin (βCyD) were modified at each end of stem-loop structured DNA as an electrochemical signal generator and its quencher, respectively, to give an electrochemical molecular beacon (eMB). A relatively high efficiency of signal quenching was achieved by an inclusion complex (βCyD ⊃ Fc) formation that was induced on the stem structure of the closed form (= stem-loop structure) of eMB. With the addition of target DNA, the structure of eMB opened to form a linear duplex, where the Fc dissociated from the βCyD to restore its intrinsic electrochemical signal. The signal contrast of the electric current for this off/on-type sensor was high, ca. 95. This technique did not require any modification of the electrode surface, and it realized the detection of the target nucleic acids in a homogeneous solution with a high sensitivity using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with electrochemical detector.

Xylitol separation from a polyol mixture of the byproducts from bioethanol production processes was performed by liquid chromatography using short columns packed with lanthanide ion-loaded ion-exchange resins. Xylitol was successfully separated with sufficiently high resolution using adsorbents with medium rare-earth metal ions, such as Nd 3+ and Sm 3+ . The adsorbents' specific nature is explained by the so-called "gadolinium break," which is known as a discontinuous behavior of thermodynamic parameters in complexation of the lanthanide series. From the observed behavior, the optimum lanthanide ions could be chosen to prepare appropriate adsorbents for ligand-exchange chromatography of given polyol mixtures.

A fluorescent dye-labeled DNA probe was adsorbed and quenched on the monolayer of RuO 2 nanosheets. Significant fluorescent recovery was observed upon the addition of complementary DNA due to desorption of the probe from the surface of the RuO 2 nanosheet through duplex formation. The efficiency of fluorescence recovery was higher than that for graphene oxide, which was known as a quencher-free platform for the detection of nucleic acids in a homogeneous solution.

Objectives: The present study was conducted to identify metabolites using a metabolomics approach and investigate the relationship between these metabolites and urgency as a major symptom of overactive bladder (OAB)., Patients and Methods: In 47 male participants without any apparent neurological disease, OAB was defined as an urgency score on the International Prostate Symptom Score of 2 and higher (OAB group, n = 26), while patients with a score of 1 or 0 were placed in a control group (n = 21). A comprehensive study on plasma metabolites was conducted, and metabolites were compared between the OAB and control groups., Results: Age was significantly higher in the OAB group, while prostate volume did not differ between the groups. A 24-h bladder diary revealed that nocturnal urine volume, 24-h micturition frequency, nocturnal micturition frequency, and the nocturnal index were significantly higher in the OAB group, whereas maximum voided volume was significantly lower in this group. The metabolomics analysis identified 79 metabolites from the plasma of participants. The multivariate analysis showed that increases in the fatty acids (22:1), erucic acid and palmitoleic acid, and a decrease in cholic acid correlated with incidence of male OAB. A decrease in acylcarnitine (18:2)-3 and an increase in cis-11-eicosenoic acid also appeared to be associated with OAB in males., Conclusions: OAB in males may occur through the abnormal metabolism of fatty acids and bile acids. Further studies on these pathways will contribute to the detection of new biomarkers and development of potential targets for novel treatments.

Perillaldehyde (PRL) is one of the essential oil components derived from perilla plants (Perilla frutescens Britton) and is a characteristic compound of the traditional medicine "perilla herb ()" listed in the The Japanese Pharmacopoeia, 17th edition (JP17). HPLC using an analytical standard of PRL has been used to quantitatively determine the PRL content in perilla herb. However, PRL reagents have been reported to decompose easily. In this study, we utilized an alternative quantitative method using on a single reference with relative molar sensitivity (RMS) based on the results of experiments performed in two laboratories. It was possible to calculate the exact RMS using an offline combination of 1 H-quantitative NMR spectroscopy ( 1 H-qNMR) and an HPLC/photodiode array (PDA) detector (or an HPLC/variable-wavelength detector [VWD]). Using the RMS of PRL to the single-reference compound diphenyl sulfone (DFS), which is an inexpensive and stable compound, the PRL content in the perilla herb could be determined using HPLC/PDA or HPLC/VWD without the need for the analytical standard of PRL. There was no significant difference between the PRL contents of perilla herb determined using the method employing the single-reference DFS with RMS and using the JP17 assay, the calibration curve of which was generated using the analytical standard of PRL with adjusted purity measured by 1 H-qNMR. These results demonstrate that our proposed method using a single reference with RMS is suitable for quantitative assays of perilla herb and can be an alternative method for the current assay method defined in the JP17.

To prepare metrologically traceable amino acid mixed standard solutions, it is necessary to determine the stability of each amino acid present in the mixed solutions. In the present study, we prepared amino acid mixed solutions using certified reference standards of 17 proteinogenic amino acids, and examined the stability of each of these amino acids in 0.1 N HCl. We found that the concentration of glutamic acid decreased significantly during storage. LC/MS analysis indicated that the instability of glutamic acid was due to the partial degradation of glutamic acid to pyroglutamic acid in 0.1 N HCl. Using accelerated degradation tests, we investigated several solvent compositions to improve the stability of glutamic acid in amino acid mixed solution, and determined that the change of the pH by diluting the mixed solution improved the stability of glutamic acid.

Background: Previous clinical studies have shown that the circulating level of endostatin is related to kidney injury. We hypothesized that the impact of HbA1c, fasting, and postprandial plasma glucose on urinary albumin excretion would be related to the serum endostatin level., Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based population study of 1057 Japanese residents was conducted. Of these subjects, 162 with a fasting plasma glucose value between 5.5 and 6.9 mmol/L and an HbA1c level of <6.5 % received an oral glucose tolerance test, had serum endostatin measured, and had the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) calculated., Results: In multivariate analysis, 2-h postprandial plasma glucose (β = 0.26, P < 0.01) was significantly associated with log-transformed UACR, independently of fasting plasma glucose (β = 0.14, P = 0.28) and HbA1c (β = -0.08, P = 0.57). When divided by the median value of endostatin (82.2 ng/mL), 2-h postprandial plasma glucose (β = 0.38, P = 0.01) remained significantly associated with the log-transformed UACR of the participants below the median, while the fasting plasma glucose (β = 0.34, P = 0.046) was independently associated with the log-transformed UACR of participants above the median., Conclusion: Postprandial plasma glucose was independently associated with the urinary albumin excretion of the residents with prediabetes. Moreover, this relationship was limited to residents with a serum endostatin level below the median.

Surveillance of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes is important for the successful implementation of vaccination strategies to prevent the spread of invasive pneumococcal diseases. The standard method of serotyping of pneumococcal isolates is the phenotypic Neufeld test, which is cost- and labor-intensive. Recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been implemented as a rapid, simple and inexpensive method for identifying species. We evaluated the performance of MALDI-TOF MS for serotyping ten major serotypes of S. pneumoniae in Japan (serotypes 3, 6B, 15A, 15C, 19A, 19 F, 23A, 24 F, 35B and 38) using the Biotyper and ClinProTools. After optimizing the settings, we validated their serotyping performance for serotypes 3, 15A and 19A using a separate set of isolates that were not used in the creation of the classification algorithms. A total of 574 isolates of S. pneumoniae collected from Japanese nationwide surveillance studies were included. Of these, 407 isolates belonged to the ten major serotypes. Biotyper and ClinProTools correctly identified 77.9 % and 84.0 %, respectively, of the ten major serotype isolates. The validation analysis included a total of 113 isolates of the serotypes 3, 15A and 19A isolates. Biotyper and ClinProTools correctly identified 85.0 % and 69.9 % of the validation cohort isolates, respectively. MALDI-TOF MS has the potential to discriminate the ten major S. pneumoniae serotypes prevalent in Japan.

The prognostic value of renal biopsy in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis is widely recognized; however, there is no consensus regarding its pathological classification. Berden et al. proposed a new classification of glomerulonephritis in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) categorized into focal, crescentic, mixed, and sclerotic classes and showed its prognostic value in 100 international multicenter cohorts for 1- and 5-year renal outcomes. In order to evaluate whether this new classification has predictive value and reproducibility in Japanese AAV cases, 87 cohorts with only microscopic polyangiitis in 3 limited centers in Japan were analyzed. In addition, those from Japan, Europe (Berden's cohorts) and China were compared in a recent report.

Ectopic endometrial tissue induces various reactions in surrounding tissues, such as the surface of the ovary and peritoneal cavity, leading to endometriosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression profile of extracellular matrix (ECM) and adhesion molecules in the early steps of development of experimental mouse endometriosis, specifically in peritoneum adjacent to endometrium transplants attached via autotransplantation. The endometriosis model was induced by autotransplantation of endometrium to peritoneal tissue. Peritoneal tissues adjacent to the transplant were obtained at 1, 4, and 7 days posttransplantation. The results showed that messenger RNA expression levels of most of the integrins, collagens, and other ECM reached a peak at 7 days posttransplantation. Uniquely, Lamc2 was significantly increased to its maximum level within 24 hours posttransplantation and may be strongly associated with initiation of the development of endometriosis. These data will be helpful in further investigations of the treatment of endometriosis.

The decreased ratio of serum pepsinogen (PG) I and II has good correlation with the presence of atrophic gastritis. A total of 1,540 residents aged 30-89 years were enrolled into this study to investigate which serum PG level of residents with Helicobacter pylori infection would represent an adjunct to the diagnosis and progression of atrophic gastritis. All participants received esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Serum antibody to H. pylori (anti-H. pylori) was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serological atrophic gastritis was defined as serum PG I isozyme level ≤70 ng/ml and a PG I/II ratio of ≤3.0. Of the 1,540 participants, 923 (59.9%) were positive for anti-H. pylori. Serological atrophic gastritis was found significantly more often in anti-H. pylori-positive participants (40.8%) than in anti-H. pylori-negative participants (7.9%) (p ≤ 0.0001). The endoscopic findings of anti-H. pylori-positive participants with serological atrophic gastritis were significantly more frequent by 4.06 times for atrophic gastritis (p ≤ 0.0001) than anti-H. pylori-negative participants without serological atrophic gastritis. Eight anti-H. pylori-positive participants were diagnosed with gastric cancer, but no cancer was found in anti-H. pylori-negative participants without serological atrophic gastritis. Serum PG testing is clinically useful for the prediction of gastric lesions in H. pylori-infected persons.

The two DNA conjugates (split probes) carrying a metal chelator form an integrated luminous lanthanide (Ln(3+): Tb(3+) or Eu(3+)) complex on the complementary template DNA (target). The luminous property of this Ln(3+) complex has been used for DNA assay. The intensity of the luminescence was affected by the local structural disruption caused by one-base mispairing around the complex. Among the mispairings systematically introduced around the Ln(3+) center, vicinal mispairings to the center decreased the emission intensity more. This would be a novel nucleobase-discriminating principle, in which the split probes bind the target tightly, yet still retain sequence selectivity., (2011 © The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry)

The techniques of chemical ligation have attracted great attention as an alternative to enzymatic joining of DNA ends. Here we introduce the photoligation of anthracene-modified ODN conjugates through anthracene cyclodimer formation. The effect of the positions and the kinds of single base mismatch on the template was evaluated using eight templates with one-base displacements. We found out that the yield of the ligation was affected by mispairing in a position-dependent manner. Such results would be attributed to the disruption of the local structure at the ligation site.

Much effort has focused on methods for detecting various genetic differences in individuals, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNP can be characterized as a substitution, insertion, or deletion at a single base position on a DNA strand. There is expected to be on average one SNP for every 1000 bases of the human genome, and some variations located in genes are suspected to alter both the protein structure and the expression level. Therefore, highly sensitive techniques with a simple procedure would be desirable for a high-throughput screening of millions of SNPs widely dispersed throughout the human genome. In this short review, we consider recently reported unique techniques for genotyping in a homogeneous solution, and organize them in terms of the chemical and physical processes accelerated on DNA.

A 28-year-old Japanese woman developed fever, leg edema, purpura, and abdominal pain during the puerperal period, showing nephrotic syndrome with microscopic hematuria. At first she was thought to have Henoch-Shönlein purpura nephritis and was given steroids at another hospital. Because anasarca and massive urinary protein excretion developed, she was referred to our hospital. Renal biopsy specimens showed endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis with massive IgA and C3d deposition along the capillary loops and in the mesangium. A bacteriological study detected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in cultures of vaginal secretions, urine, stool, and pharyngeal mucus samples. Based on the diagnosis of MRSA nephritis, anti-MRSA therapy with antibiotics was started, and MRSA became negative for each culture, and urinary protein decreased. Two months after the first renal biopsy, a second renal biopsy was performed, which revealed feeble endocapillary proliferation with mild IgA and C3d deposition in the mesangium. This case showed that the delivery procedure can cause MRSA nephritis after MRSA infection, and that steroid therapy should be avoided in the early phase of this type of nephritis.

Some histological analyses of the ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) have been reported, but no ultrastructural studies of the ligamentum flavum (LF) in patients with OPLL have been published to date. To understand the pathology of the ossification of the spinal ligament, we examined, by electron microscopy, ultrastructural changes in the LF in cases of OPLL and made a comparison with the LF in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Subjects were three men and two women with cervical OPLL who underwent longitudinal spinous process-splitting laminoplasty. During surgery, a small piece of the LF was collected from C2-C3 to C7-T1 and was then analyzed by light and electron microscopy. We observed atrophic elastic bundles with a two-layer structure and disarrangement, a partially torn area, the disappearance of microfibrils, and an enlarged interstitium with an irregular alignment of collagen fibrils. We observed some properties of a cell preceding its death: the initial phase may be the disappearance of the plasma-membrane, followed by the scattering of many organellae around its degenerated nucleus. Finally, many extracellular plasma membrane-invested particles that resemble matrix vesicles remain there without phagocytosis. These results suggest that ultrastructural abnormalities exist in the spinal ligament in cases of ossification of the spinal ligament.

Study Objectives: To investigate the pathophysiology of human endometriosis, we examined by morphological and molecular biological methods., Methods: Samples of ovarian endometriosis and normal ovarian tissues were obtained laparoscopically after informed consent. A morphological study by toluidine blue staining, immunohistochemistry of c-kit and electron microscopy demonstrated the localization of mast cells in the stromal lesions of endometriosis. Oligonucleotide microarrays were used for gene expression analysis., Results: Infiltration of numerous mast cells and development of fibrosis was observed throughout the stromal lesions. Gene expression analysis by oligonucleotide microarrays indicated inflammatory immunoreactions in the lesions. Expressions of the FCER1G and PGDS, which are considered to be mast cell-specific genes, were upregulated in the ovarian endometriotic lesions as compared to the normal ovarian tissues. Furthermore, expressions of genes associated with immunological inflammation, such as IL-8, GRO1, GRO2, CXCR4, MCP1, and those related to tissue remodeling (MMP, COL4A2, and COL5A2) were also higher in endometriotic lesions than in the normal ovarian tissue., Conclusions: Thus it is likely that mast cells and their related inflammatory immunoreactions via chemokines play important roles in producing fibrosis and adhesions in endometriotic lesions.

Thirty four microsatellite markers for Cryptomeria japonica D. Don were developed by searching three types of library: a database of C. japonica cDNA sequences, a standard non-enriched genomic DNA library and a microsatellite-enriched library using magnetic particles. The enrichment of microsatellite sequences using magnetic particles is very efficient compared to the other two methods both in terms of the numbers of markers generated, and in the polymorphism they detect. The microsatellites developed from the genomic DNA library generally have longer repeat sequences and are more polymorphic than those from cDNA. All the developed microsatellite markers in this study showed polymorphism among 28 plus trees selected from locations scattered throughout Japan. The mean number of alleles per locus (MNA) detected in the 28 plus trees ranged from 2 to 21 with an average of 7.5. The Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) ranged from 0.160 to 0.936 with an average of 0.666. Co-dominant segregation of alleles in a three-generation pedigree of C. japonica was demonstrated at 34 microsatellite loci, and the segregation was not distorted from Mendelian expectation for all loci. In 12 out of 34 loci, a null allele was detected. Key relationships between polymorphic parameters, such as MNA and PIC, and the characteristics of microsatellite sequences, such as the longest repeat number, total repeat number and total number of nucleotides, were investigated using rank correlation coefficients, Kendall's tau. A positive correlation was found between repeat lengths and polymorphisms. The markers provide sufficient resolution for investigating gene flow within forests and seed orchards, and for genome mapping.

Conflicting results have been obtained in previous studies concerning the adaptation of intestinal blush border membrane enzymes to starvation. This study was designed to clarity the changes in these enzymes under starvation conditions, using a molecular biological approach. Sprague-Dawley rats were starved or given total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for 5 days. Rats allowed free access to food were used as controls. Changes in the activity and expression of jejunal brush border membrane enzymes were compared between three groups. In the starved group, aminopeptidase N and dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity was significantly elevated to 177% and 166%, respectively, of control values. In contrast, sucrase and maltase activity was significantly decreased. The activity of these peptidases also tended to be increased at the renal brush border membrane. Up-regulation of peptidase activity was not evident in the TPN group. Western and Northern blot analysis revealed that the changes in aminopeptidase N activity were attributable to increases in the protein and mRNA level. The activity and expression of brush border membrane peptidases in rat jejunum is up-regulated during starvation, and these changes are considered to be an effect of whole-body malnourishment, rather than an absence of luminal nutrition.

Inverse calculations were examined that sought the origin of a cardiac ectopic excitation sequence. Cardiac anatomy and its geometric relationships to sites on the body surface were adapted from human cross-sectional images to form a two-dimensional model, which included ventricular muscle and a primitive conduction system. The surrounding volume conductor was modelled in a simplified way as unbounded, homogeneous and isotropic. In a series of tests, one ectopic origin was designated the 'true' origin. The ECG for this true origin was compared to ECGs for 197 ectopic 'trial' origins, and differences between the wave forms for true versus trial origins were determined. Core issues were the magnitudes of changes in ECG wave forms as a function of the site of origin, whether these changes were sufficient to imply uniqueness, and what spatial resolution might be expected, in the presence of realistic noise levels. For a noise level of 10 microV RMS, the origin of excitation was localised to a single region of the muscle using one wave form from the body surface, with a resolution of 10 mm. The resolution was not improved significantly with a second electrode on the body surface, but was substantially improved with an endocardial electrode.