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Chronic oxidative stress in long-distance runners adversely affects conditioning. It is important to objectively assess and monitor oxidative stress, but measuring oxidative stress can be invasive or require skill to measure. Therefore, this study aimed to verify whether skin autofluorescence (SAF), a non-invasive, rapid, and easily calculable metric for calculating advanced glycation end products (AGEs), is useful as an oxidative stress biomarker. The subjects were 50 young Japanese male long-distance runners (aged 20.2 ± 1.2 years); 35 average-sized male university students (aged 19.8 ± 1.1 years) served as controls. The interactions and relationships between SAF and plasma pentosidine and oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen metabolite-derived compounds [d-ROMs], biological antioxidant potential [BAP], and the BAP/d-ROMs ratio) in runners were examined, and SAF in the runners and controls was compared. The results suggest that plasma pentosidine in runners is associated with oxidative stress markers and that it can assess oxidative stress. However, as SAF was not associated with oxidative stress markers, it was not validated as one. In future, clarifying the factors affecting SAF may also clarify the relationship between SAF, plasma pentosidine, and oxidative stress markers.

MOTS-c is a mitochondrial microprotein that improves metabolism. Here, we demonstrate CK2 is a direct and functional target of MOTS-c. MOTS-c directly binds to CK2 and activates it in cell-free systems. MOTS-c administration to mice prevented skeletal muscle atrophy and enhanced muscle glucose uptake, which were blunted by suppressing CK2 activity. Interestingly, the effects of MOTS-c are tissue-specific. Systemically administered MOTS-c binds to CK2 in fat and muscle, yet stimulates CK2 activity in muscle while suppressing it in fat by differentially modifying CK2-interacting proteins. Notably, a naturally occurring MOTS-c variant, K14Q MOTS-c, has reduced binding to CK2 and does not activate it or elicit its effects. Male K14Q MOTS-c carriers exhibited a higher risk of sarcopenia and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in an age- and physical-activity-dependent manner, whereas females had an age-specific reduced risk of T2D. Altogether, these findings provide evidence that CK2 is required for MOTS-c effects.

Background: Although a partial or total cystectomy may be performed for colorectal cancer (CRC) with bladder invasion, the indications for either procedure have not been established. The present study reports the oncological and functional outcomes of CRC in patients who underwent combined resection of the bladder and CRC via either a partial or total cystectomy. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a single center. A total of 107 consecutive patients with CRC who underwent colorectal surgery combined with partial or total cystectomy between January 2005 and August 2022 were enrolled. The short- and long-term outcomes of the surgery, especially postoperative bladder function, were assessed. Results: Ninety patients underwent partial resection and 17 patients underwent total resection. Forty-two patients (46.7 %) in the partial cystectomy group and 16 (94.1 %) in the total cystectomy group had histologically confirmed CRC with bladder invasion. The urinary-specific morbidity rate was 18.9 % in the partial cystectomy group and 15.6 % patients in the same group required treatment for dysuria at postoperative month 3. Of the patients who underwent partial cystectomy, five (5.6 %) experienced recurrence stemming from a bladder remnant. The cumulative distant recurrence rates did not differ significantly between patients who underwent partial cystectomy and those who underwent total cystectomy (41.9 % and 57.4 %, respectively). Conclusion: Partial bladder resection contributes to the preservation of bladder function and yields oncologically acceptable outcomes.

Dancers vividly express joy, grief, and other emotions through their body movements, which reflect the deliberate expression of certain emotions and also the unintentional emotions. Research has shown that the speed of performers' movements varies according to the emotions deliberately expressed. However, no study has examined the non-deliberate emotions. Therefore, this study examined dancers' unintentionally exposed emotions through their movements. Seventeen semi-professional dancers performed a neutral choreography to three music types—joy-inducing music, sadness-inducing music, and a metronome—and their performances were compared. Changes in the dancers' body movements were measured using a motion-capture system. Results showed that body movements were generally faster and more dynamic with emotion-inducing music compared to the metronome. While the speed of pelvic movements was more when they danced to joy-inducing music, arm movement was more apparent for sadness-inducing music. These findings help understand the unintentional emotion-expression dynamics in dance.

Abstract CHAMP1 (chromosome alignment-maintaining phosphoprotein 1) plays a role in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination (HR). The CHAMP1 gene is one of the genes mutated in individuals with intellectual disability. The majority of the mutations are premature termination codon (PTC) mutations, while missense mutations have also been reported. How these mutations affect the functions of CHAMP1 has not been clarified yet. Here we investigated the effects of the CHAMP1 mutations on HR. In Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoblastoid cells and fibroblasts derived from individuals with CHAMP1 PTC mutations, truncated CHAMP1 proteins of the expected sizes were detected. When DSBs were induced in fibroblasts with PTC mutations, a defect in HR was detected. U2OS cells expressing the CHAMP1 mutants did not show an HR defect in the presence of endogenous wild-type (WT) CHAMP1, whereas they were unable to restore HR activity when CHAMP1 WT was depleted, suggesting that the PTC mutations are loss-of-function mutations. On the other hand, the CHAMP1 mutants with missense mutations restored HR activity when CHAMP1 WT was depleted. In DLD-1 cells, heterozygous depletion of CHAMP1 resulted in an HR defect, indicating haploinsufficiency. These results suggest that CHAMP1 PTC mutations cause an HR defect through a haploinsufficient mechanism, while CHAMP1 missense mutations do not affect the HR function of CHAMP1.

Due to increasing costs and shrinkage of Tehran housing, interior layout plays a more critical role. In addition to the main spaces, such as the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom, which are present and vital in each residential unit, we identified entrance, corridor, and balcony in our Tehran samples as secondary spaces. We aimed to investigate these spaces' role in Tehran's current housing; we analyzed their existence, size, and relationship with the unit's total area by considering the background and history of these spaces. Japan's experience in small housing convinced us to utilize under 100 m2 of Nagoya samples for comparison. Results revealed sufficient area for these three spaces in all Nagoya samples. In contrast, these spaces in a large percentage of Tehran samples did not exist or lacked efficiency contrary to related rules and regulations. There was a weak correlation between unit size and the lack of entrance and balcony, but corridor was usually removed in smaller units. We suggest separate entrance and corridor as essential spaces and not optional, regardless of unit size. Also, transparent, and visible balconies, especially in dense urban areas, are incompatible with the Iranian lifestyle and should be adjusted to cultural beliefs and norms.

Genetic alterations help predict the clinical behavior of diffuse gliomas, but some variability remains uncorrelated. Here, we demonstrate that haploinsufficient deletions of chromatin-bound tumor suppressor NFKB inhibitor alpha (NFKBIA) display distinct patterns of occurrence in relation to other genetic markers and are disproportionately present at recurrence. NFKBIA haploinsufficiency is associated with unfavorable patient outcomes, independent of genetic and clinicopathologic predictors. NFKBIA deletions reshape the DNA and histone methylome antipodal to the IDH mutation and induce a transcriptome landscape partly reminiscent of H3K27M mutant pediatric gliomas. In IDH mutant gliomas, NFKBIA deletions are common in tumors with a clinical course similar to that of IDH wild-type tumors. An externally validated nomogram model for estimating individual patient survival in IDH mutant gliomas confirms that NFKBIA deletions predict comparatively brief survival. Thus, NFKBIA haploinsufficiency aligns with distinct epigenome changes, portends a poor prognosis, and should be incorporated into models predicting the disease fate of diffuse gliomas.

For the first time, we have revealed the spatial structure of a detached plasma with electron–ion recombination (EIR) and molecular-activated recombination (MAR) in response to changes in ion temperature (Ti) and gas pressure. This was achieved using high-density sheet plasma generated by a linear divertor simulator (TPDsheet-ICR). The parallel-plate electrodes were positioned above and below the sheet plasma (∼1019 m−3). We varied the Ti from 3 to 7 eV using ion cyclotron resonance heating and investigated the parameters of the detached plasma near the target in the divergent field region. Plasma emission intensities at Balmer series (Hα and Hγ) and Fulcher band wavelengths (610 ± 10 nm) were measured with a high-speed camera equipped with an Arbaa prism. Additionally, a Langmuir probe measured the electron density and temperature of the plasma. Our results show that as the Ti increases, EIR generated near the plasma periphery disappears, while MAR gradually forms near the plasma center during the transition from detached to attached plasma. This transition occurs because the increase in Ti in the detached plasma transfers energy from ions to electrons, raising the high-energy component of the electrons, resulting in EIR disappearance and the onset of MAR.

Our body movements often reflect our inner states. Dance is one of the remarkable movements closely related to the emotional state. Previous studies suggest that the velocity of dance movements changes when dancers are instructed to express joyful or sad feelings through neutral gestures. However, whether a dancer’s emotions can emerge in dance movements remains unclear. We examined changes in dance movements when dancers’ emotions were naturally induced by music. In the experiment, semi-professional dancers were asked to perform the same choreography while listening to joyful or sad music or a metronome. The results revealed that joyful music increased the dancers’ heart rates, pelvic velocity, and range of motion compared to sad music and the metronome. This outcome suggests that naturally induced joyful emotions promote fast, bouncing dance movements. The dance performance could implicitly express the dancers’ inner states, which an audience might feel.

The temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) method captures assessors’ real-time sensory experiences during food tasting, while the temporal liking (TL) method evaluates dynamic changes in food preferences or perceived deliciousness. These sensory evaluation tools are essential for understanding consumer preferences but are also resource-intensive processes in the food development cycle. In this study, we used reservoir computing, a machine learning technique well-suited for time-series data, to predict temporal changes in liking based on the temporal evolution of dominant sensations. While previous studies developed reservoir models for specific food brands, achieving cross-brand prediction—predicting the temporal liking of one brand using a model trained on other brands—is a critical step toward replacing human assessors. We applied this approach to coffee products, predicting temporal liking for a given brand from its TDS data using a model trained on three other brands. The average prediction error across all brands was approximately 10% of the maximum instantaneous liking scores, and the mean correlation coefficients between the observed and predicted temporal scores ranged from 0.79 to 0.85 across the four brands, demonstrating the model’s potential for cross-brand prediction. This approach offers a promising technique for reducing the costs of sensory evaluation and enhancing product development in the food industry.