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Background: Kidney and life outcomes remain unsatisfactory in patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). Appropriate treatment intensity must be provided to the appropriate patients. To identify severe cases early, we investigated the factors related to kidney and life outcomes. Methods: We included patients diagnosed with MPA based on myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) positivity and kidney histopathology results after kidney biopsies between January 1, 2021, and May 11, 2023, at 10 affiliated centers, including our hospital. Death, maintenance dialysis, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 15 after 6 months of treatment were defined as poor prognosis groups, and factors associated with these conditions were investigated. Results: We included 84 (36 men and 48 women) patients in this study. Median age was 73.8 (interquartile range: 71–81) years. After 6 months of treatment, the proportion of patients in the poor prognosis group was 16.7 %, with a mortality of 7.1 % and a poor kidney prognosis rate of 9.5 %. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that eGFR at 2 weeks had a comparable prognostic performance equal as eGFR at 4 weeks (area under the curve: 0.875 and 0.896, respectively). After adjustment by various factors, eGFR at 2 weeks was related with prognosis significantly (p = 0.031). Conclusion: Kidney function 2 weeks after the start of treatment for MPA can predict prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC), a novel drug used for treating hyperkalaemia, is effective in reducing serum potassium levels. The effects of potassium adsorbents on the mortality and hyperkalaemia-associated hospitalisation rates remain unclear. We aimed to examine how mortality and hyperkalaemia-associated hospitalisation rates vary with usage of various potassium adsorbents. Methods This retrospective study used patients' data between April 2008 and August 2021 obtained from a large-scale Japanese medical claims database. Consecutive patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) prescribed potassium adsorbents were enrolled and divided into three groups according to the adsorbent type [SZC, calcium polystyrene sulfonate (CPS), and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS)] and were observed for 1 year. The primary outcome was a composite of mortality and hyperkalaemia-associated hospitalisation. Results In total, 234, 54 183, and 18 692 patients were prescribed SZC, CPS, and SPS, respectively. The SZC group showed a higher event-free survival rate than the other two groups. The hazard ratio for the primary outcome in the CPS and SPS groups was similar in the analyses of the subgroups of patients who did not receive renal replacement therapy and those who received haemodialysis. The SZC group had a higher renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) continuation rate compared to CPS and SPS groups, the difference being especially significant for SPS. Conclusions This real-world study demonstrated the therapeutic effect of SZC in reducing mortality and hyperkalaemia-associated hospitalisations. The high RAASi continuation rate in the SZC group might be a contributing factor for improvement of the primary outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Simple plasma exchange (PE) with fresh‐frozen plasma replacement allows antibody removal for ABO‐incompatible living donor kidney transplantation, but is associated with a high incidence of allergic reactions. We developed, implemented, and evaluated a protocol for safe preoperative PE. Methods: The protocol comprised pretreatment (125 mg methylprednisolone infusion, 400 mg acetaminophen and 30 mg diphenhydramine orally) with a replacement fluid rate < 20 mL/min. Allergic reaction incidence was investigated in controls who underwent ABO‐incompatible living donor kidney transplantation between 2016 and March 2020 (group C) and patients who underwent the protocol and procedure between April 2020 and February 2023 (group N). Results: Ten (group C) and 19 (group N) patients performed 11 and 30 sessions of PE, respectively. Allergic reactions occurred in 81.8% and 36.7% (p = 0.014), respectively, with an odds ratio of the protocol was 0.056 (95% CI 0.0059–0.5380, P = 0.013). Conclusion: Our protocol resulted in a significantly lower incidence of allergic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have a poorer prognosis than those without PAD. PAD complications worsen the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially those on maintenance dialysis. Although low‐density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL‐A) is expected to be effective in treating severe PAD, there are no large‐scale reports on the prognosis of patients undergoing LDL‐A. Methods: We obtained a clinical database from April 2008 to August 2021 and selected 924 238 patients with CKD. We selected patients with disease codes of lower limb arteriosclerosis obliterans, arteriosclerosis obliterans, and critical limb ischemia or foot ulcer. Patients who were prescribed antithrombotic medications were included. Patients who used steroids were excluded. Among these patients, those undergoing blood purification considered LDL‐A were selected, and their current status was investigated. Results: We included 147 patients (113 males and 34 females). The mean patient age was 70 ± 10 years. Diabetes mellitus was present in 86%, ischemic heart disease in 34%, and stroke in 48%. Maintenance dialysis patients accounted for 86% of the patients. Statins were administered to 40% of the patients, and bypass surgery was performed in 2.7%. The median observation period was 812 days, and the mortality rate was 41%. Conclusion: LDL‐A was performed in a small population of patients with CKD with the most severe form of PAD. The prognosis for these patients is extremely poor. Therefore, strategies to improve prognosis are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: B‐cell lymphoma/leukemia 11B (BCL11B) is a subunit of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes and functions in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis upon DNA replication stress and damages via transcription. Many malignancies were reported to exhibit changes in BCL11B gene expression; however, no study has focused on the relationship between BCL11B and hepatocellular carcinoma, which potentially exhibits DNA replication stress and damages upon its oncogenesis. Thus, in this study, we examined the molecular characterization of BCL11B expression in hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods and Results: The cumulative progression‐free survival and overall survival were significantly longer in the clinical cases of BCL11B‐negative hepatocellular carcinoma than BCL11B‐positve cases. Microarray and real‐time PCR analyses in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines indicated a correlation between BCL11B and GATA6, a gene reported to be correlated with oncogenic activities and resistance to anthracycline, which is often used for hepatocellular carcinoma chemotherapy. Consequently, BCL11B‐overexpressing cell lines exhibited resistance to anthracycline in cell growth assays and the resistance has been evidenced by the increased expression of BCL‐xL in cell lines. The results were supported by the analyses of human HCC samples showing the correlation between BCL11B and GATA6 expressions. Discussions and Conclusion: Our results indicated that overexpression of BCL11B amplifies GATA6 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo that leads to anti‐apoptotic signal activation, and induces resistance to chemotherapy, which influenced the postoperative prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isotopic production cross sections for the reactions of 136Xe induced by proton, deuteron and carbon at 168 MeV/u were obtained by using the inverse kinematics technique at RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. The target dependence of the cross sections was investigated systematically. It was found that for the light-mass products, the cross sections on carbon are larger than those on deuteron and proton. The measured cross sections on proton were compared with the previous data at higher reaction energies to study the energy dependence. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical calculations including both the intranuclear cascade and evaporation processes using PHITS and with the EPAX and SPACS empirical parameterizations.

Photosynaptic transistor is considered to be a potential candidate for breaking the von Neumann bottleneck in photo‐communication field. Herein, a series of donor−acceptor type and crosslinked core−shell nanoparticles are designed and applied in phototransistors as a charge‐trapping electret. The outer shell is composed of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA); while the inner core comprises donors of thiophene and bithiophene (2T) and acceptors of benzothiazole (BT), naphthalenediimide (NDI), and hexafluorobenzene‐naphthalenediimide (FB‐NDI). It is found that the core−shell and donor−acceptor design play an important role in the charge trapping, photoresponse, and the corresponding device performance. Accordingly, the phototransistor comprising the crosslinked core−shell nanoparticles with a donor of 2T and an acceptor of BT (PV2T‐BT) produced the highest memory ratio of 105 over 104 s at a high operating voltage of −40 V. Meanwhile, the same device presented the highest paired‐pulse facilitation ratio of 168% at a medium operating voltage of −1 V, and an ultra‐low energy consumption of 0.0324 fJ at a low operating voltage of −1 µV. The findings in this study provide a new perspective on material design for phototransistor devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigated whether self-knowledge has a function to reduce conflict by biasing one of two choices during occupational choice (e.g., Which occupation do you think you could do better?-dancer or chemist). In the three experiments, event-related brain potentials were recorded. Experiment 1 revealed that the amplitude of the conflict-related negativity (CRN) reflects strength of conflict during occupational choice. Results of Experiment 2 demonstrated that the CRN amplitude during occupational choice was smaller when self-knowledge was activated than when other-knowledge was activated. Experiment 3 showed that the CRN amplitude during occupational choice was decreased more when self-knowledge that biases one choice of occupation was activated than when self-knowledge that does not bias was activated. These results suggest that self-knowledge reduces conflict by biasing one of multiple choices in situations where two or more possible correct answers can be given.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) causes pneumothorax or mediastinal emphysema in approximately 1% of patients. According to the British Thoracic Society guidelines, the next treatment option for patients with persistent pneumothorax despite chest drainage is pleurodesis or surgery. In fact, there are reports of autologous blood pleurodesis or surgery for the treatment of pneumothorax caused by COVID‐19. However, elderly patients or patients in poor general condition may not be able to tolerate surgical invasion. In this report, we present two patients who did not respond to chest drainage or pleurodesis and who were not suitable for surgery because of their poor general condition. These patients were successfully treated with an endobronchial Watanabe spigot and N‐butyl‐2‐cyanoacrylate. This method may be an option for the treatment of refractory pneumothorax in COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL‐A) has been used for nephrotic syndrome (NS) caused by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in Japan. Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN) can also cause treatment‐resistant NS. Therefore, we investigated the effect of LDL‐A during initial induction for it. This retrospective, observational, and single‐center study enrolled consecutive iMN patients who received steroids from March 2000 to May 2015. We compared data between 11 patients treated with LDL‐A (LDL‐A group) and 27 patients without (non‐LDL‐A group) at baseline and 4 and 8 weeks later. Reduction rate of proteinuria and increase rate of serum albumin in LDL‐A group were significantly higher than the other after 4 weeks (P = 0.036 and 0.030) and 8 weeks (P = 0.030 and <0.001), respectively. There was no adverse event caused by LDL‐A and immunosuppressant dose was not significantly different. In conclusion, LDL‐A may be an effective choice for initial induction of nephrotic iMN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: We developed a remote administration method of Mesenchymal Stem Cells with therapeutic characteristic that used collagen gel as a scaffold. Stem cell therapy is an emerging treatment modality for various diseases. Because mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known to accumulate at the site of damage, their possible clinical application has been investigated. MSCs are usually administered using intravenous injection, but this route carries a risk of pulmonary embolism. In contrast, topical injection of MSCs reportedly has an inferior therapeutic effect. We developed a remote administration method that uses collagen gel as a scaffold and investigated the effect of this scaffold on the retention of stemness, homing ability, and therapeutic effect using a mouse tooth extraction model. After verifying the retention of stemness of MSCs isolated from the bone marrow of donor mice in the scaffold, we administered MSCs subcutaneously into the back of the recipient mice with scaffold and observed the accumulation and the acceleration of healing of the extraction socket of the maxillary first molar. The MSCs cultured with scaffold retained stemness, the MSCs injected into back skin with scaffold successfully accumulated around the extraction socket, and socket healing was significantly enhanced. In conclusion, administration of MSCs with collagen scaffold at a remote site enhanced the lesion healing without the drawbacks of currently used administration methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expression of insulin and its receptor (IR) in rodent taste cells has been proposed, but exactly which types of taste cells express IR and the function of insulin signaling in taste organ have yet to be determined. In this study, we analyzed expression of IR mRNA and protein in mouse taste bud cells in vivo and explored its function ex vivo in organoids, using RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative PCR. In mouse taste tissue, IR was expressed broadly in taste buds, including in type II and III taste cells. With using 3-D taste bud organoids, we found insulin in the culture medium significantly decreased the number of taste cell and mRNA expression levels of many taste cell genes, including nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-2 (NTPDase2), Tas1R3 (T1R3), gustducin, carbonic anhydrase 4 (CA4), glucose transporter-8 (GLUT8), and sodium-glucose cotransporter-1 (SGLT1) in a concentration-dependent manner. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, diminished insulin's effects and increase taste cell generation. Altogether, circulating insulin might be an important regulator of taste cell growth and/or proliferation via activation of the mTOR pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential energy functions (PEFs) in the form of the sixth-order polynomial concerned with intramolecular motions of (H2O)n (n=2–5) were constructed by the scaled hypersphere search (SHS) based polynomial fitting (SHS-PF) method, in which the numbers of ab initio calculations can be considerably reduced via the selection of sampling directions by the SHS method. Concerning fundamental frequencies of the dimer cluster, the root mean square error from gas-phase experiments was only 10 cm-1. For the trimer, tetramer, and pentamer, computed anharmonic frequencies reproduced available gas-phase experimental frequencies of HOH bending, donor-OH stretching, and free-OH stretching excellently with errors of approximately 10–20cm-1 on average. It follows that the SHS-PF method is promising for highly accurate anharmonic vibrational analyses of intramolecular modes of H-bond clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fitting method of the sixth-order potential energy function is proposed, where ab initio potential energy data for the fitting are sampled in directions containing maximal anharmonic downward distortions detected by the scaled hypersphere search (SHS) method. This technique has been applied to H2O, HCHO, HCOOH, C2H4, CH3OH, CH3CHO, CH3NH2, B2H6, (H2O)2, and (H2O)3, where, without using the symmetry, 176, 904, 1432, 2992, 2520, 2760, 3608, 6232, 768, and 1456 times single-point energy calculations, respectively, were required for obtaining anharmonic terms. Experimental IR peak positions of not only fundamentals but also overtones and combinations in the excitation energy range of 1000–4000 cm-1 could be reproduced very accurately by the post-vibrational self-consistent field theory employing potential functions obtained by the present SHS based polynomial fitting method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]