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HIV-associated lipodystrophy has been reported in people taking anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Lipodystrophy can cause cardiovascular diseases, affecting the quality of life of HIV-infected individuals. In this study, we propose a pharmacological lipid index to estimate the risk of hyperlipidemia caused by anti-retroviral drugs. Lipid droplets were stained in cells treated with anti-retroviral drugs and cyclosporin A. Signal intensities of lipid droplets were plotted against the drug concentrations to obtain an isodose of 10 μM of cyclosporin A, which we call the Pharmacological Lipid Index (PLI). The PLI was then normalized by EC 50 . PLI/EC 50 values were low in early proteinase inhibitors and the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, d4T, indicating high risk of hyperlipidemia, which is consistent with previous findings of hyperlipidemia. In contrast, there are few reports of hyperlipidemia for drugs with high PLI/EC 50 scores. Data suggests that PLI/EC 50 is a useful index for estimating the risk of hyperlipidemia., 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 Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether a novel, easy loop-forming guidewire could reduce post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP) in patients undergoing endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage tube placement for serial pancreatic juice aspiration cytologic examination (SPACE)., Methods: We evaluated patients with suspected pancreatic cancer who underwent SPACE at our institution between January 2015 and April 2023 retrospectively. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the type of guidewire used, namely, easy loop-forming and control groups. Propensity score matching was used to compare the incidence of PEP between the groups., Results: We included 101 patients, with 51 and 50 in the easy loop-forming and control groups, respectively. After propensity score matching, 29 pairs of patients were selected from each group. Intraductal ultrasonography of the pancreas was performed more frequently in the easy loop-forming group than in the control group (27.6% vs 0%; P = 0.004); however, PEP incidence was significantly lower in the easy loop-forming group than in the control group (3.4% vs 27.6%; odds ratio, 0.097; 95% confidence interval, 0.002-0.82; P = 0.025)., Conclusions: The use of the novel easy loop-forming guidewire decreased PEP occurrence in patients who underwent endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage tube placement for SPACE., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

We present the case of a 72-year-old woman with elevated hepatobiliary enzymes and a small mass in the distal bile duct near the papilla. Fluoroscopy-guided forceps biopsy initially yielded insufficient tissue. After endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation with sphincterotomy, a stone retrieval balloon was used to expose the tumor to the duodenum. Biopsy under direct visualization using standard forceps revealed adenocarcinoma. The technique may be useful for the biopsy of lesions located in the terminal segment of the distal bile duct., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Mandai et al.)

Toxic organisms can become food that potentially harms consumers. When these organisms become invasive species, the harm often turns to a serious threat that disrupts native ecosystems. On the other hand, there are consumers that can exploit toxic organisms for food and sequester intact toxins from them for the consumers' own chemical defense. Therefore, it can be expected that toxic invasive prey can become a toxin source for native consumers. Here, we focused on the relationship between toads, which are one of the major toxic invasive organisms and possess bufadienolides (BDs), and Rhabdophis snakes, which sequester BDs from toads. On Sado Island, Japan, R. tigrinus is native, but no toads had inhabited this island until Bufo japonicus formosus was introduced as a domestic invasive species in 1963 and 1964. At present, invasive toads are distributed only in the southwestern part of the island. We collected a total of 25 and 24 R. tigrinus from areas allopatric and sympatric with toads, respectively. Then, we investigated the possession of BDs and the BD profile of these snakes. We found that only R. tigrinus sympatric with toads possessed BDs, whereas all snakes allopatric with toads lacked BDs. Based on the characteristics of the BD profile, the toxin source was identified as B. j. formosus. Our findings show that a new case of impact caused by toxic invasive species, i.e., "toxin supply to native consumers from invasive prey", could occur., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

X-ray diffraction of silicon irradiated with tightly focused femtosecond x-ray pulses (photon energy, 11.5 keV; pulse duration, 6 fs) was measured at various x-ray intensities up to 4.6×10^{19}  W/cm^{2}. The measurement reveals that the diffraction intensity is highly suppressed when the x-ray intensity reaches of the order of 10^{19}  W/cm^{2}. With a dedicated simulation, we confirm that the observed reduction of the diffraction intensity can be attributed to the femtosecond change in individual atomic scattering factors due to the ultrafast creation of highly ionized atoms through photoionization, Auger decay, and subsequent collisional ionization. We anticipate that this ultrafast reduction of atomic scattering factor will be a basis for new x-ray nonlinear techniques, such as pulse shortening and contrast variation x-ray scattering.

We demonstrate a propagation-based phase-contrast imaging method for full-field X-ray microscopy based on advanced Kirkpatrick-Baez (AKB) mirrors to achieve high-contrast observations of weak phase objects and correct field curvature aberrations. Through a demonstration performed at SPring-8, the phase contrast of weak phase objects such as polystyrene spheres and chemically fixed cells was successfully observed with high sensitivity (∼0.03 rad). Furthermore, the field of view of the AKB mirrors was expanded to the full area of the obtained images (25 × 30 µm) by correcting the field curvature aberration using reconstructed complex wavefields.

Background: Techniques and devices for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided hepaticoenterostomy (EUS-HES) procedures, including EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) and EUS-guided hepaticojejunostomy (EUS-HJS), have been developed; however, the optimal timing to begin oral intake after EUS-HES remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of early oral intake after EUS-HES., Methods: We retrospectively investigated patients who underwent EUS-HES (EUS-HGS or EUS-HJS) between March 2015 and March 2022. Patients who had no problems with the results of blood tests and computed tomography examinations on the morning of day 1 after EUS-HES were classified as either the early intake group (started oral intake on day 1 after EUS-HES) or the late intake group (started oral intake on day 2 or later after EUS-HES). Patients' characteristics, procedure characteristics, and early postprocedural adverse events (within 14 days after the procedure) were compared between groups., Results: Fifty patients were enrolled in this study. Forty-three patients had no problems with the results of examinations performed on the morning of day 1 after EUS-HES. Twenty-one patients comprised the early intake group and 22 comprised the late intake group. Adverse events that developed within 14 days after EUS-HES were not significantly different between groups (early 4.7% vs. late 9.0%; odds ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.0080-10.49; P = 1.00)., Conclusions: Starting oral intake on day 1 after EUS-HES did not increase postprocedural adverse events compared with starting oral intake on day 2 or later after EUS-HES., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The snake Rhabdophis tigrinus sequesters cardiotonic steroids, bufadienolides (BDs), from ingested toads and stores them in the nuchal glands as defensive toxins. It has previously been shown that there are individual differences in the total quantity of BDs stored in the nuchal glands of adult R. tigrinus and that BD quantities and profiles of R. tigrinus exhibit geographic variation. However, no previous study has examined the total quantity of BDs as a percentage of body mass (relative BD quantity) and the concentration of BDs in the nuchal gland fluid (BD gland concentration). In addition, intrinsic factors that are associated with relative BD quantity and BD concentration have not been examined within a single population. We collected 158 adult snakes from an area of central Japan from May to October and analyzed their BD quantities by UV analysis. We assessed individual differences in BD quantity, relative BD quantity and BD gland concentration. We found that 1) in approximately 60% of the 158 individuals, the BD gland concentration was greater than 50%; 2) body length and body condition are positively correlated with relative BD quantity and BD gland concentration; 3) even in a single population, individual differences of BD quantity are large, and are greater in females than in males; and 4) relative BD quantity and BD gland concentration of females during the gestation season are lower than those during the non-gestation season., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Metal homeostasis is tightly regulated in cells and organisms, and its disturbance is frequently observed in some diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic disorders. Previous studies suggest that zinc and iron are necessary for the normal functions of pancreatic β cells. However, the distribution of elements in normal conditions and the pathophysiological significance of dysregulated elements in the islet in diabetic conditions have remained unclear. In this study, to investigate the dynamics of elements in the pancreatic islets of a diabetic mouse model expressing human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP): hIAPP transgenic (hIAPP-Tg) mice, we performed imaging analysis of elements using synchrotron scanning X-ray fluorescence microscopy and quantitative analysis of elements using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We found that in the islets, zinc significantly decreased in the early stage of diabetes, while iron gradually decreased concurrently with the increase in blood glucose levels of hIAPP-Tg mice. Notably, when zinc and/or iron were decreased in the islets of hIAPP-Tg mice, dysregulation of glucose-stimulated mitochondrial respiration was observed. Our findings may contribute to clarifying the roles of zinc and iron in islet functions under pathophysiological diabetic conditions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Compounds with 3,4-fused tricyclic indole (FTI) frameworks are attractive scaffolds for drug discovery. We synthesized FTI-6D, a compound with this framework, which was cytotoxic in several human cancer cell lines. FTI-6D induced apoptosis via activation of the p53 downstream mitochondria-related apoptotic pathway, characterized by an increased ratio of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members to anti-apoptotic members. This change was followed by caspase-9 and caspase-3 cleavage and activation in two cancer cell lines, RKO and AGS. The anti-proliferating effect of FTI-6D was remarkably detected in eight cancer cells with wild-type TP53 (TP53_wt), including RKO and AGS, but not in seven cancer cells with mutated TP53 (TP53_mut). Additionally, p53 protein levels increased after FTI-6D treatment in TP53_wt cancer cells, and the cytotoxic effect of FTI-6D was decreased by TP53 knockdown. Accordingly, the expression of p53 downstream genes involved in apoptotic signaling pathways, such as BBC3 and TP53INP1, and those involved in cell growth inhibition, such as CDKN1A, was upregulated in TP53_wt cancer cells. These results suggest that the anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities of FTI-6D rely on p53 and the corresponding signaling processes. This study demonstrated that FTI-6D shows anti-cancer activity against TP53_wt cancer cells. FTI-6D may have potential as a prototype compound for a new drug to utilize a functional p53 pathway in TP53_wt cancer cells., 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 © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A field-curvature-corrected imaging optical system for x-ray microscopy using only grazing-incidence mirrors is proposed. It combines a Wolter type I (WO1) mirror pair, which forms a real image, with field curvature correction (FCC) optics-a convex hyperbolic mirror pair-that form a virtual image; compensation of the field curvatures realizes a wide field-of-view (FOV) and high magnification. Ray-tracing and wave-optics simulations verified the efficacy of the design, for which a FOV width was 111 µm-4.7 times larger than that for the uncorrected WO1 design. The addition of FCC optics also produced a 2.3-fold increase in magnification.

Conventional gallbladder re-intervention along the naso-gallbladder drainage tube may result in dislocation of the tube during scope insertion or failure of guidewire insertion into the gallbladder. Mandai et al report a simple method for transferring a transpapillary naso-gallbladder drainage tube to the mouth that facilitates reliable re-intervention for gallbladder lesions., (© 2022 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.)

Several Asian natricine snakes of the genus Rhabdophis feed on toads and sequester steroidal cardiac toxins known as bufadienolides (BDs) from them. A recent study revealed that species of the Rhabdophis nuchalis Group ingest lampyrine fireflies to sequester BDs. Although several species of fireflies are distributed in the habitat of the R. nuchalis Group, only lampyrine fireflies, which have BDs, are included in the diet of these snakes. Thus, we hypothesized that the R. nuchalis Group chemically distinguishes fireflies that have BDs from those that do not have BDs. We also predicted that the R. nuchalis Group detects BDs as the chemical cue of toxin source. To test these predictions, we conducted 3 behavioral experiments using Rhabdophis chiwen , which belongs to the R. nuchalis Group. In the first experiment, R. chiwen showed a moderate tongue flicking response to cinobufagin, a compound of BDs. On the other hand, the snake showed a higher response to the chemical stimuli of lampyrine fireflies (BD fireflies) than those of lucioline fireflies (non-BD fireflies). In the second experiment, in which we provided live BD and non-BD fireflies, the snake voluntarily consumed only the former. In the third, a Y-maze experiment, the snake tended to select the chemical trail of BD fireflies more frequently than that of non-BD fireflies. These results demonstrated that R. chiwen discriminates BD fireflies from non-BD fireflies, but the prediction that BDs are involved in this discrimination was not fully supported. To identify the proximate mechanisms of the recognition of novel toxic prey in the R. nuchalis Group, further investigation is necessary., (© The Author(s) (2021). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Editorial Office, Current Zoology.)

It is widely recognized that the toxicity of mercury (Hg) is attenuated by the simultaneous administration of selenium (Se) compounds in various organisms. In this study, we revealed the mechanisms underlying the antagonistic effect of sodium selenite (Na 2 SeO 3 ) on inorganic Hg (Hg 2+ ) toxicity in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Observations by transmission electron microscopy indicated that HgSe (tiemannite) granules of up to 100 nm in diameter were accumulated in lysosomal-like structures in the cells. The HgSe granules were composed of a number of HgSe nanoparticles, each measuring less than 10 nm in diameter. No accumulation of HgSe nanoparticles in lysosomes was observed in the cells exposed to chemically synthesized HgSe nanoparticles. This suggests that intracellular HgSe nanoparticles were biologically generated from Na 2 SeO 3 and Hg 2+ ions transported into the cells and were not derived from HgSe nanoparticles formed in the extracellular fluid. Approximately 85% of biogenic HgSe remained in the cells at 72 h post culturing, indicating that biogenic HgSe was hardly excreted from the cells. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of Hg 2+ was ameliorated by the simultaneous exposure to Na 2 SeO 3 even before the formation of insoluble HgSe nanoparticles. Our data confirmed for the first time that HepG2 cells can circumvent the toxicity of Hg 2+ through the direct interaction of Hg 2+ with a reduced form of Se (selenide) to form HgSe nanoparticles via a Hg-Se soluble complex in the cells. Biogenic HgSe nanoparticles are considered the ultimate metabolite in the Hg detoxification process.

A hybrid deformable x-ray mirror consisting of a mechanical bender and a bimorph deformable mirror has been developed to realize adaptive optical systems, such as zoom condenser optics, for synchrotron-radiation-based x-ray microscopy. In the developed system, both bending mechanisms comprehensively contribute to the formation of the target mirror shape and can narrow the role of piezoelectric actuators, thereby enabling a more stable operation. In this study, the behavior of the bimorph mirror under the clamped condition was investigated, and the sharing of the deformation amount for each bending mechanism was optimized to minimize the amplitude of the voltage distribution of the bimorph mirror.

The Japanese natricine snake Rhabdophis tigrinus sequesters cardiotonic steroids, bufadienolides (BDs), from ingested toads in the nuchal glands as defensive toxins. A previous study showed that R. tigrinus in captivity converts dietary BDs when it sequesters them. However, it is unknown whether the dietary BDs are actually converted and the modified products accumulated under natural conditions. It is also unknown to what extent the BD profile of ingested toads is reflected in that of the snake. We collected 123 snakes from throughout Japan, analyzed their BD profiles by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, and identified 15 BDs from R. tigrinus by nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. We also compared their BD profiles using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). HCA exhibited two main clusters associated with their collection locations: eastern and western regions of the Japanese main islands. These results, coupled with previous findings on the BDs of Japanese toads, suggest that 1) R. tigrinus converts toad-derived BDs into other compounds under natural conditions; 2) there are both universal and regionally-specific conversions of dietary BDs by R. tigrinus; and 3) geographic variation in toad BD profiles is partially reflected in the variation of snake BD profiles., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

X-ray scientists are continually striving to improve the quality of X-ray microscopy, due to the fact that the information obtained from X-ray microscopy of materials can be complementary to that obtained from optical and electron microscopes. In contrast to the ease with which one can deflect electron beams, the relative difficulty to deflect X-ray has constrained the development of scanning X-ray microscopes (SXMs) based on a scan of an X-ray small probe. This restriction has caused severe complications that hinder progress toward achieving ultimate resolution. Here, a simple and innovative method for constructing an SXM equipped with a nanoprobe scanner is proposed. The nanoprobe scanner combines X-ray prisms and advanced Kirkpatrick-Baez focusing mirrors. By rotating the prisms on the order of degrees, X-ray probe scanning with single-nanometre accuracy can be easily achieved. The validity of the concept was verified by acquiring an SXM image of a test pattern at a photon energy of 10 keV, where 50 nm line-and-space structures were resolved. This method is readily applicable to an SXM with a single-nanometre resolution and will assist effective utilization of increasing brightness of fourth-generation synchrotron radiation sources., (© Jumpei Yamada et al. 2021.)

The method for evaluating soybean ( Glycine max ) antixenosis against the common cutworm ( Spodoptera litura ) was developed based on a dual-choice assay aided by a statistical analysis model. This model was constructed from the results of a dual-choice assay in which Enrei, a soybean cultivar susceptible to S. litura , was used as both a standard and a test leaf disc for 2nd-5th instar larvae. The statistical criterion created by this model enabled the evaluation of the presence of antixenosis. This method was applied to four soybean varieties, including Tamahomare (susceptible), Himeshirazu (resistant), IAC100 (resistant), and Peking (unknown), as well as Enrei. Subsequently, the degrees of antixenosis were also compared by F -test, followed by maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). According to the results, the antixenosis of Tamahomare, Himeshirazu, and IAC100 was statistically reevaluated and Peking exhibited a novel antixenosis, which was stronger for 3rd-5th instar larvae than for 2nd instar., (© Pesticide Science Society of Japan 2021. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

We propose an extended X-ray adaptive zoom condenser that can form an intermediate virtual focus. The system comprises two deformable mirrors for focusing within a single dimension and can vary its numerical aperture (NA) without changing the positions of the light source, mirrors, or final focus. The desired system NA is achieved simply by controlling the mirror surfaces, which enables conversion between convex and concave forms, by varying the position of the intermediate virtual focus. A feasibility test at SPring-8 under a photon energy of 10 keV demonstrated that the beam size can be varied between 134 and 1010 nm.

Background and Aims: Endoscopists and endoscopic assistants are easily exposed to germs, including COVID-19, during aerosol-generating procedures such as gastrointestinal endoscopy. This retrospective study investigated the utility of a box-shaped shielding device for reducing the risk of COVID-19 droplet infection during endoscopic procedures., Methods: We created a cuboid box (500 × 650 × 450 mm) with four sides were covered with a transparent, vinyl-chloride sheet having two windows for endoscopic passage and assistance. The shielding box was then placed over a patient's head and shoulders and covered with another transparent vinyl sheet. We assessed its utility and safety using the medical data concerning the procedure time and vital signs and a questionnaire for the endoscopic staff and patients., Results: We performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography-related procedures using this device for two patients suspected of having COVID-19-associated pneumonia. Both patients were smoothly and successfully treated without any complications. No difficulties were noted with either endoscopic operation or in assisting the procedure, and the transparency was good enough to observe the patients' faces and movements., Conclusions: This box-shaped shielding device can be used to reduce the risk of COVID-19 droplet infection during endoscopic procedures in the clinical setting., Relevance for Patients: The COVID-19 outbreak has reminded healthcare personnel working in endoscopy units of the importance of infection prevention during endoscopy. The box-shaped shielding device can help endoscopic staff avoid hospital-setting COVID-19 infection., (Copyright: © Whioce Publishing Pte. Ltd.)

Toads of the genus Bufo synthesize and accumulate bufadienolides (BDs) in their parotoid glands. BDs are cardiotonic steroids that play an important role in defense against the toads' predators. Three bufonid taxa occur in mainland Japan, Bufo japonicus formosus, B. j. japonicus, and B. torrenticola. The chemical structures of BDs isolated from B. j. formosus were studied several decades ago, but there is no further information on the toxic components of Japanese toads and their metabolism. In this study, we analyzed BDs of toads from throughout Japan and compared the BD profiles by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). We observed BDs in three taxa of Japanese toads, and identified five of the most common BDs by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. Of the five BDs, only bufalin was detected in all individuals. HCA of individual BD profiles divided the three taxa into five primary clusters and several subclusters. This result indicates that BD profiles differ both among and within the taxa. The clustering pattern of BDs is generally concordant with a phylogenetic tree reconstructed from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of Japanese toads. Our results suggest that the BDs of Japanese toads have diversified not in response to specific selective pressures, but simply due to population structuring over evolutionary time.

This paper proposes and demonstrates a simple method using the intensity correlation of X-ray fluorescence to evaluate the focused beam size of an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL). This method was applied to the sub-micrometre focused XFEL beam at the SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free Electron Laser, and the beam size evaluated using the proposed method was consistent with that measured using the knife-edge scan method. The proposed method is readily applicable to extremely small X-ray spots and can be applied for the precise diagnostics of sub-10 nm focused X-ray beams which have recently emerged., (open access.)

Ultimate focusing of an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) enables the generation of ultrahigh-intensity X-ray pulses. Although sub-10 nm focusing has already been achieved using synchrotron light sources, the sub-10 nm focusing of XFEL beams remains difficult mainly because the insufficient stability of the light source hinders the evaluation of a focused beam profile. This problem is specifically disadvantageous for the Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) mirror focusing system, in which a slight misalignment of ∼300 nrad can degrade the focused beam. In this work, an X-ray nanobeam of a free-electron laser was generated using reflective KB focusing optics combined with speckle interferometry. The speckle profiles generated by 2 nm platinum particles were systematically investigated on a single-shot basis by changing the alignment of the multilayer KB mirror system installed at the SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free-Electron Laser, in combination with computer simulations. It was verified that the KB mirror alignments were optimized with the required accuracy, and a focused vertical beam of 5.8 nm (±1.2 nm) was achieved after optimization. The speckle interferometry reported in this study is expected to be an effective tool for optimizing the alignment of nano-focusing systems and for generating an unprecedented intensity of up to 10 22  W cm -2 using XFEL sources., (open access.)

Background and Aim: As the significance of the quantitative fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in patients who previously underwent a colonoscopy is unknown, this study aimed at investigating the association between fecal hemoglobin concentration and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC)., Methods and Results: We retrospectively analyzed FIT-positive patients who underwent a colonoscopy through our opportunistic annual screening program from April 2010 to March 2017 at the Kyoto Second Red Cross Hospital. We stratified them into no colonoscopy and past colonoscopy (>5 years or ≤5 years) groups based on whether they had a history of undergoing a colonoscopy and analyzed the correlation between fecal hemoglobin concentration and advanced neoplasia or invasive cancer detection in each group. We analyzed 1248 patients with positive FIT results. There were 748 (59.9%), 198 (15.9%), and 302 (24.2%) patients in the no colonoscopy, past colonoscopy (>5 years), and past colonoscopy (≤5 years) groups, respectively. In the no colonoscopy group, the advanced neoplasia detection rate significantly increased with the fecal hemoglobin concentration ( P  < 0.001). However, no significant trend was observed in the past colonoscopy (both >5 years and ≤5 years) group ( P = 0.982). No invasive cancer was detected in the past colonoscopy (≤5 years) group., Conclusion: The risk of CRC might be low even if fecal hemoglobin concentration was high, especially in those who underwent colonoscopy within 5 years., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. JGH Open: An open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology published by Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Unlike other snakes, most species of Rhabdophis possess glands in their dorsal skin, sometimes limited to the neck, known as nucho-dorsal and nuchal glands, respectively. Those glands contain powerful cardiotonic steroids known as bufadienolides, which can be deployed as a defense against predators. Bufadienolides otherwise occur only in toads (Bufonidae) and some fireflies (Lampyrinae), which are known or believed to synthesize the toxins. The ancestral diet of Rhabdophis consists of anuran amphibians, and we have shown previously that the bufadienolide toxins of frog-eating species are sequestered from toads consumed as prey. However, one derived clade, the Rhabdophis nuchalis Group, has shifted its primary diet from frogs to earthworms. Here we confirm that the worm-eating snakes possess bufadienolides in their nucho-dorsal glands, although the worms themselves lack such toxins. In addition, we show that the bufadienolides of R. nuchalis Group species are obtained primarily from fireflies. Although few snakes feed on insects, we document through feeding experiments, chemosensory preference tests, and gut contents that lampyrine firefly larvae are regularly consumed by these snakes. Furthermore, members of the R. nuchalis Group contain compounds that resemble the distinctive bufadienolides of fireflies, but not those of toads, in stereochemistry, glycosylation, acetylation, and molecular weight. Thus, the evolutionary shift in primary prey among members of the R. nuchalis Group has been accompanied by a dramatic shift in the source of the species' sequestered defensive toxins., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

In this study, the systematic errors of an X-ray single-grating interferometer based on the Talbot effect were investigated in detail. Non-negligible systematic errors induced by an X-ray camera were identified and a method to eliminate the systematic error was proposed. Systematic-error-free measurements of the wavefront error produced by multilayer focusing mirrors with large numerical apertures were demonstrated at the SPring-8 Angstrom Compact free electron LAser. Consequently, wavefront aberration obtained with two different cameras was found to be consistent with an accuracy better than λ/12.

The patient was a 48-year-old woman, admitted for pleural effusion detected on chest X-ray in July 2005. Computer tomography(CT)scan showed massive pericardial and pleural effusion. We performed pericardial drainage, and the cytological diagnosis of the pericardial effusion was class V. Because endoscopic examination revealed advanced gastric cancer, we diagnosed it as gastric cancer complicated with carcinomatous pericarditis. The serum tissue polypeptide antigen(TPA) level was markedly elevated. In August 2005, we started combination chemotherapy using oral S-1(100mg/body/day; day 1- 21)and intravenous CDDP(100mg/body/day; day 8)for 5 weeks. After 2 courses, TPA was reduced and pericardial effusion disappeared. However, after 3 courses, pericardial effusion recurred. We changed treatment to weekly docetaxel. After 2 courses, we changed it to paclitaxel/CDDP. However, TPA was increased and pleural effusion and dyspnea occurred. There- fore, we changed to a course of combination chemotherapy using oral S-1(100mg/body/day; day 1-14)and intravenous CPT-11(100mg/body/day; day 1 and 8)for 4 weeks from March 2006. After 10 courses, we were unable to control pleural effusion, and dyspnea recurred. She died in December 2006. Gastric cancer complicated with carcinomatous pericarditis has a poor prognosis, but systemic chemotherapy mainly with S-1 was effective.