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Abstract The effects of meteorological conditions on IOP using a large-scale health examination cohort were investigated. There were a total of 811,854 measurements from 126,630 eyes of 63,839 subjects in 9 years from a health checkup cohort followed up annually for age, sex, body height, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and IOP. The effects of these variables and the meteorological data of daily average temperature (TP), daily average local atmospheric pressure (AP), daily average volumetric humidity (VH), and daily amount of rainfall (RF) on the day of IOP measurement on IOP were investigated. Several variables were significantly associated with IOP, including sex, age, body height, BMI, SBP, DBP, average TP, average AP, average VH, RF, white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, guanosine triphosphate, calcium, and HbA1c. This study indicated a correlation between meteorological factors and IOP. Higher AP and RF were associated with elevated IOP, whereas higher TP and VH were associated with decreased IOP.

Abstract Vaccine-induced T cells and neutralizing antibodies are essential for protection against SARS-CoV-2. Previously, we demonstrated that an antigen delivery system, pullulan nanogel (PNG), delivers vaccine antigen to lymph node medullary macrophages and thereby enhances the induction of specific CD8+ T cells. In this study, we revealed that medullary macrophage-selective delivery by PNG depends on its binding to a C-type lectin SIGN-R1. In a K18-hACE2 mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccination with a PNG-encapsulated receptor-binding domain of spike protein decreased the viral load and prolonged the survival in the CD8+ T cell- and B cell-dependent manners. T cell receptor repertoire analysis revealed that although the vaccine induced T cells at various frequencies, low-frequency specific T cells mainly promoted virus clearance. Thus, the induction of specific CD8+ T cells that respond quickly to viral infection, even at low frequencies, is important for vaccine efficacy and can be achieved by SIGN-R1+ medullary macrophage-targeted antigen delivery.

Abstract In this study, the concept of rheo-optics was applied to explore the flow birefringence induced by the stress components along the camera’s optical axis since it is often overlooked in the traditional theories of photoelastic flow measurement. A novel aspect of this research is that it involved conducting polarization measurements on simple shear flows, specifically from a perspective in which a shear-velocity gradient exists along the camera’s optical axis. A parallel-plate-type rheometer and a polarization camera are employed for these systematic measurements. The experimental findings for dilute aqueous cellulose nanocrystal suspensions demonstrate that the flow birefringence can be expressed as a power law based on the power of the second invariant of the deformation-rate tensor. This suggests that flow birefringence can be universally characterized by the coordinate-independent invariants and a pre-factor determined by the direction of polarization measurement. By adjusting the nonlinear term in the stress-optic law, its applicability could be expanded to include three-dimensional fluid stress fields in which the stress is distributed along the camera’s optical axis.

Abstract Background This study aimed to clarify serum salicylic acid (SA) levels in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) after the administration of moderate-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and their relationship with the therapeutic effect. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 142 children with KD. We measured serum SA trough levels during the acute and recovery periods and determined their relationship with clinical and laboratory parameters. Results The median age of patients was 2.4 years. Thirty-one patients had incomplete KD, 29 were intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) non-responders, and one patient had coronary artery lesions. The median ASA dose was 49.7 mg/kg/day. The median serum SA level was 22 µg/mL in the acute period and 15 µg/mL in the recovery period, with 45 (33%) in the acute period and 60 (44%) in the recovery period below the limit of measurement (

Abstract Background The combination of laparoscopic and endoscopic approaches to neoplasia with a non-exposure technique (CLEAN-NET) is a laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery (LECS). It combines laparoscopic gastric resection and endoscopic techniques for local resection of gastric tumors, such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), with minimal surgical margins. A conventional CLEAN-NET surgical procedure is complex, requiring careful techniques to preserve the cardia, particularly in case of nearby lesions. We describe the case of a patient who underwent a modified CLEAN-NET approach with a semi-circular seromuscular layer incision surrounding the base of the tumor, different from a circular shape seromuscular layer in the conventional CLEAN-NET: around the tumor to preserve mucosal continuity, which acts as a barrier to avoid intraoperative tumor dissemination. Case presentation A 43-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of a gastric submucosal tumor near the cardia, detected on medical examination. The patient was diagnosed with gastric GIST based on the results of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. Modified CLEAN-NET was performed with a semicircular incision of the seromuscular layer on the opposite side of the cardia, making the surgical procedure simple and minimizing partial resection of the gastric wall, including the tumor, while preserving the cardia. The operative time was 147 min, preoperative blood loss volume was 3 mL, and postoperative hospital stay was 9 days. The resected specimen revealed a minimal resection of the gastric wall, including the tumor. The cardia and gastric nerves were preserved, and the postoperative food intake was good. Conclusions The modified CLEAN-NET with semicircular seromuscular layer dissection is a simple and reliable surgical procedure for GIST near the cardia.

To date, robotic surgery has gained much popularity, impacting deeply on surgical fields such as genitourinary system branches, general surgery, and cardiac surgery. We aim to outline the landscape of robotic surgery, focusing on design improvements, which have improved both the technical skills of surgeons and the outcomes of minimally invasive technique for patients. A thorough narrative literature review was conducted on PubMed/MEDLINE, employing keywords such as “robotic surgical system”, “robotic surgical device”, and “robotics AND urology”. Furthermore, the reference lists of the retrieved articles were scrutinized. The analysis focused on urological surgical systems from the 2000s to the present day. Beginning with the daVinci® Era in the 2000s, new robotic competitors, including Senhance®, Revo-I®, Versius®, Avatera®, Hi-notori®, and HugoTM RAS, have entered the medical market. While daVinci® has maintained a high competitiveness, even more new platforms are now emerging in the medical market with new intriguing features. The growing competition, driven by unique features and novel designs in emerging robotic technologies, has the potential to improve application fields, enhance diffusion, and ameliorate the cost effectiveness of procedures. Since the impact of these new surgical technologies on different specialties and healthcare systems remains unclear, more experience and research are required to define their evolving role.

Abstract Background Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most common fatal immune-related adverse events (irAEs). ILD development adversely affects the continuation of anticancer drug therapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy and prognosis. There are no established useful clinical indicators for the early detection of ILD. Furthermore, the factors that lead the attending physician to suspect ICI-induced ILD (ICI-ILD) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the ICI-ILD detection based on subjective symptoms and their relationship with disease severity in patients receiving anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody. Methods This was a retrospective observational study. We enrolled the patients who received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody at Kyoto University Hospital between September 2014 and April 2021. Patients who developed ICI-ILD were stratified into two distinct groups based on factors that triggered the suspicion of ILD development. The “Subjective symptoms” group was defined as patients in whom ILD was detected based on subjective symptoms. Conversely, the “Routine examinations” group was defined as patients in whom ILD was suspected based on scheduled routine examinations. The severity of ILD in each group was assessed and its association with changes in the respiratory symptoms was examined. Results Of 926 patients who received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody, 51 patients (5.5%) developed ICI-ILD. The incidence of ICI-ILD in patients with lung cancer was significantly higher than that in patients with other cancers (P

Abstract Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2Z is caused by MORC2 mutations and presents with axonal neuropathy. MORC2 mutations can also manifest as developmental delay, impaired growth, dysmorphic facies, and axonal neuropathy (DIGFAN). We report a patient exhibiting an intermediate phenotype between these diseases associated with a novel MORC2 variant. A literature review revealed that the genotype‒phenotype correlation in MORC2-related disorders is complex and that the same mutation can cause a variety of phenotypes.

ABSTRACTFruits from five wild edible berries that grow in the eastern region of Shizuoka (Japan) were collected, and their antioxidant activities were evaluated using the ORAC, DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays to obtain basic scientific knowledge of these species. Among the Shizuoka wild berries tested, Rubus microphyllus L. fil. exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, which is equivalent to that of commercial raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.). Furthermore, anthocyanins from these wild berries were analyzed using quantitative 1H NMR spectroscopy. Cyanidin-3-glucoside and pelargonidin-3-glucoside were detected in Shizuoka wild berries, with the latter identified as the characteristic anthocyanin. The present study revealed that Shizuoka wild berries are rich in natural antioxidants and pigments and are therefore potentially beneficial for reducing the risks of associated with lifestyle-related diseases in consumers.

ABSTRACTBackground This study aimed to evaluate VE of primary, first, and second booster ancestral-strain monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccination against symptomatic infections and severe diseases in Japan.Methods We conducted a test-negative case-control study. We included medically attended episodes and hospitalizations involving individuals aged [Formula: see text]16 with signs and symptoms from July to November 2022, when Omicron BA.5 was dominant nationwide. To evaluate VE, we calculated adjusted ORs of vaccination among test-positive versus test-negative individuals using a mixed-effects logistic regression.Results For VE against symptomatic infections among individuals aged 16 to 59, VE of primary vaccination at > 180 days was 26.1% (95% CI: 10.6–38.8%); VE of the first booster was 58.5% (48.4–66.7%) at [Formula: see text]90 days, decreasing to 41.1% (29.5–50.8%) at 91 to 180 days. For individuals aged [Formula: see text]60, VE of the first booster was 42.8% (1.7–66.7%) at [Formula: see text]90 days, dropping to 15.4% (−25.9–43.2%) at 91 to 180 days, and then increasing to 44.0% (16.4–62.5%) after the second booster. For VE against severe diseases, VE of the first and second booster was 77.3% (61.2–86.7%) at [Formula: see text]90 days and 55.9% (23.4–74.6%) afterward.Conclusion mRNA booster vaccination provided moderate protection against symptomatic infections and high-level protection against severe diseases during the BA.5 epidemic in Japan.