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Background: We investigated the impact of the lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) on esophageal cancer survival and recurrence after curative treatment. Patients and Methods: This study included 89 patients who underwent curative surgery followed by adjuvant treatment for esophageal cancer between 2008 and 2018. The risk factors for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were identified. Results: LCR of 12,177 was regarded to be the optimal critical point of classification considering the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates. The OS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were 33.2 and 29.9 in the LCR low group, respectively, and 74.0 and 60.9 in the LCR high group, which amounted to a statistically significant difference (P = 0.001). The RFS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were 25.3 and 21.7 in the LCR low group, respectively, and 52.1 and 47.4 in the LCR high group, which amounted to a statistically significant difference (P = 0.001). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that the LCR was a significant independent risk factor for both the OS and RFS. Conclusion: LCR was a risk factor for survival in patients who underwent curative treatment for esophageal cancer. It is necessary to develop the effective plan of the perioperative care and the surgical strategy according to the LCR. Keywords: C-reactive protein, esophageal cancer, lymphocyte, Author(s): Toru Aoyama (corresponding author) [1,2]; Shinnosuke Nagasawa [1]; Masato Nakazono [1]; Kenki Segami [1]; Hiroshi Tamagawa [1]; Ayako Tamagawa [1]; Kentaro Hara [1]; Takashi Oshima [1,2]; Norio Yukawa [1]; [...]

The natural course of epiretinal membrane foveoschisis was examined. Visual functions worsened, and the retinal traction force increased over time only in the foveoschisis enlargement group. Epiretinal membrane foveoschisis encompasses diverse pathophysiologies; therefore, monitoring the changes in visual functions and retinal morphology over time is recommended to determine surgical indications.

Statins are the cornerstone treatment for patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia but research suggests it could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in the general population. A low prevalence of type 2 diabetes was reported in some familial hypercholesterolaemia cohorts, raising the question of whether these patients are protected against type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a well known risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the associations of known key determinants of type 2 diabetes with its prevalence in people with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is an essential chromatin-binding protein whose mutations cause Rett syndrome (RTT), a severe neurological disorder that primarily affects young females. The canonical view of MeCP2 as a DNA methylation-dependent transcriptional repressor has proven insufficient to describe its dynamic interaction with chromatin and multifaceted roles in genome organization and gene expression. Here we used single-molecule correlative force and fluorescence microscopy to directly visualize the dynamics of wild-type and RTT-causing mutant MeCP2 on DNA. We discovered that MeCP2 exhibits distinct one-dimensional diffusion kinetics when bound to unmethylated versus CpG methylated DNA, enabling methylation-specific activities such as co-repressor recruitment. We further found that, on chromatinized DNA, MeCP2 preferentially localizes to nucleosomes and stabilizes them from mechanical perturbation. Our results reveal the multimodal behavior of MeCP2 on chromatin that underlies its DNA methylation- and nucleosome-dependent functions and provide a biophysical framework for dissecting the molecular pathology of RTT mutations.

Gold ultrathin nanorods (Au UNRs) are anisotropic nanostructures constructed by attaching gold nanoclusters in one dimension. Au UNRs exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) only in the longitudinal direction because their diameter is smaller than the Fermi wavelength of an electron (<2 nm). In this study, we found that the LSPR wavelength of oleylamine-stabilized Au UNRs is blue-shifted simply by mixing with Ag(I). High-resolution elemental mapping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the resulting UNRs indicate that a Ag monatomic layer is formed on the Au UNR surface by the antigalvanic reduction of Ag(I). This process allowed us to synthesize a series of Au@Ag core–shell UNRs with LSPR wavelengths in the range of 1.2–2.0 μm.

Polymer self-assemblies driven by enthalpic interactions, such as hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, exhibit distinct properties compared to those driven by hydrophobic interactions. Carbohydrate–carbohydrate interactions, which are observed in physiological phenomena, also fall under enthalpic interactions. Our group previously reported on self-assemblies of methacrylate-type glycopolymers carrying mannose units in the presence of calcium ions; however, a detailed study of these interactions was lacking. In this work, we investigated the interactions between glycopolymers using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. Our quantitative analysis revealed that the interactions between the glycopolymers were influenced by the carbohydrate structures in the side chains, the types of divalent metal ions, and the structures of the polymer main chains. Notably, the strongest interaction was observed in the combination of methacrylate-type glycopolymers carrying mannose units and calcium ions, demonstrating their potential as a driving force for polymer self-assembly.

Liver transplantation is often the only lifesaving option for acute liver failure (ALF); however, the predictors of short-term mortality (death within one year) after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for ALF have yet to be defined. We retrospectively collected patients ≥18 years old who underwent LDLT for ALF between 2010 and 2020 at 35 centers in Asia. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the clinical variables related to short-term mortality and establish a novel scoring system. The Kaplan-Meier method was performed to explore the association between the score and overall survival. Of the 339 recipients, 46 (13.6%) died within 1 year after LDLT. Multivariate analyses revealed 4 independent risk factors for death: use of vasopressors or mechanical ventilation, the higher model for end-stage liver disease score, and a lower graft-to-recipient weight ratio. The internally validated c-statistic of the short-term mortality after transplant (SMT) score derived from these 4 variables was 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.74-0.87). The SMT score successfully stratified recipients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups with 1-year overall survival rates of 96%, 80%, and 50%, respectively. In conclusion, our novel SMT score based on 4 predictors will guide ALF recipient and living donor selection.

Gaussian quasi-likelihood estimation of the parameter in the square-root diffusion process is studied under high-frequency sampling. Different from previous studies under low-frequency sampling, high-frequency of data leads to a very simple form of the asymptotic covariance matrix. Through easy-to-compute preliminary contrast functions, a practical two-stage manner without numerical optimization is formulated to conduct not only an asymptotically efficient estimation of the drift parameters but also a high-precision estimator of the diffusion parameter. Simulation experiments are given to illustrate the results.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, pneumococcus, is one of most important bacterial pathogens in adult community-acquired pneumonia. Although it can cause a variety of illness including invasive diseases (IPD), pneumonia has a greater impact than IPD from the perspective of health economics. 23 valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) and 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) have been recommended for people ≥65 years old until recently based on evidence in preventing IPD and pneumonia. Because the introduction and dissemination of PCVs for infants and its effects on herd immunity have led ‘serotype replacement’ in adult IPD and pneumococcal pneumonia since the 2000s, serotypes targeted by vaccines have sifted accordingly. With the availability of PCV21 this year, in addition to PCV15 and PCV20, vaccine prevention strategies for adult pneumococcal pneumonia need to be reconsidered. In this narrative review, we discuss current and future challenges regarding pneumococcal vaccines to prevent adult pneumococcal pneumonia.

A novel synthesis of selenoesters and telluroesters based on the reactions of nucleophilic siloxycarbenes, which were generated by the visible-light-induced isomerization of the corresponding aroyl-, heteroaroyl-, or alkenoylsilanes, with electrophilic chalcogen reagents was developed. The use of appropriate selenides or ditellurides/Lewis acids enabled the coupling at temperatures below ambient temperature with a broad substrate scope and high functional-group tolerance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a synthetic method for selenoesters and telluroesters involving the combination of an acylanion equivalent and cationic chalcogen synthons.

Advanced materials leveraging water control are garnering considerable interest, with the state of water emerging as a critical aspect of material design. This study explored the impact of microphase separation on water using aqueous solutions of double zwitterionic diblock copolymers, specifically poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) and poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PCB2-b-PSB4). These copolymers form a mesoscale periodic ordered lattice structure consisting of two distinct aqueous phases. Through differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray emission spectroscopy, it was found that water in these PCB2-b-PSB4 aqueous solutions exhibits pronounced cold crystallization and subtle distortions in hydrogen-bonding configurations.

Policies that limit access to beverage alcohol are likely to drive people living with severe dependencies toward unsafe substitutes in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). One such policy was a 1988 moratorium on liquor license issuance, expansion, and relocation applied to a specific area of Vancouver’s downtown core termed the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District. Drawing from community-engaged archival research conducted over a four-year period, we ground our analysis in a critical assessment of public health’s contribution to settler colonial projects to argue that Vancouver’s spatially unique and highly restrictive ban on liquor licenses in the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District is appropriately understood as a continuation of a much longer history of racializing alcohol policy in British Columbia. Further, we suggest that the moratorium and its antecedents contributed to a cordon therapeutiqueestablished through neoliberal public health interventions introduced in Vancouver’s DTES after the 1970s. The idea for the policy first emerged around 1980 from the Downtown Eastside Residents Association, an accomplished activist group that had an ambiguous relationship with precariously housed illicit drinkers and an active role in regulating neighborhood drinking spaces since the early 1970s. A shift in the Downtown Eastside Residents Association organizing strategy toward the removal of drinking spaces deemed problematic coincided with the City of Vancouver’s efforts to secure increased control over liquor licensing decisions, allowing for the moratorium’s passage in 1988. As a result of the moratorium, nearly 1,000 licensed seats were removed from the central area of the DTES between 1988 and 2021, even while the population of the surrounding neighborhood grew by approximately 3,500 people. We conclude by assessing the present DTES regime of liquor control as one that frames area drinkers as pathological, warranting the spatial prohibition of alcohol, and community resistance to the resulting health risks to acutely marginalized illicit drinkers.

Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are frequently used for hemodialysis access, but approximately 15%–20% of AVFs fail to mature within 3 months of their creation. Vascular access interventional therapy (VAIVT) is typically performed for treating an immature AVF. However, it should be performed 4–6 weeks or later after AVF creation. Here, we present a case in which VAIVT effectively addressed AVF occlusion that occurred only 9 days after its creation. The patient was an 82-year-old woman with chronic kidney disease who underwent surgery to create a left radiocephalic AVF for hemodialysis. Nine days postoperatively, disappearance of the AVF sound prompted an angiography, revealing thrombosis near the AVF anastomosis. VAIVT successfully restored blood flow, resulting in AVF maturation, and with no thrombosis or flow dysfunction at 21 months after VAIVT. To the best of our knowledge, this case presents the earliest successful intervention for an occluded AVF.

Comparar los valores del dosímetro cutáneo en tiempo real en el cristalino entre los cristalinos incluidos en el rango de exploración (línea orbitomeatal base [OML]) o sin los cristalinos incluidos en el rango de exploración (línea orbitomeatal superior [SOML]) a diferentes tensiones de tubo.

Skin sensitization is a critical end point in occupational toxicology that necessitates the use of fast, accurate, and affordable models to aid in establishing handling guidance for worker protection. While many in silico models have been developed, the scarcity of reliable data for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their intermediates (together regarded as pharmaceutical compounds) brings into question the reliability of these tools, which are largely constructed using publicly available nonspecialty chemicals. Here, we present the quantum-mechanical (QM) Computer-Aided Discovery and REdesign (CADRE) model, which was developed with the bioactive and structurally complex chemical space in mind by relying on the fundamentals of chemical interactions in key events (versus structural attributes of training-set data). Validated in this study on 345 APIs and intermediates, CADRE achieved 95% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and a combined 79% accuracy in assigning potency categories compared to the mouse local lymph node assay data. We show how historical outcomes from CADRE testing in the pharmaceutical space, generated over the past 10 years on ca. 2500 chemicals, can be used to probe the relationships between sensitization mechanisms (or the underlying chemical classes) and the probability of eliciting a sensitization response in mice of a given potency. We believe this information to be of value to both practitioners, who can use it to quickly screen and triage their data sets, as well as to model developers to fine-tune their structure-based tools. Lastly, we leverage our experimentally validated subset of APIs and intermediates to show the importance of dermal permeability on the sensitization potential and potency. We demonstrate that common physicochemical properties used to assess permeation, such as the octanol–water partition coefficient and molecular weight, are poor proxies for the more accurate energy-pair distributions that can be computed from mixed QM and classical simulations using model representations of the stratum corneum.

Fully superconducting synchronous motors are very interesting for mobile applications such as aviation, thanks to their high output power density (kW/kg). In order to obtain a large current capacity, multi-strand parallel conductors are usually used in armature coils but parallel conductors without transposition present non-uniform current sharing. In this manuscript, current sharing properties among three REBa2Cu3Oy parallel tapes with/without a transposition in three-phase armature coil conditions, were investigated experimentally and analytically. The sample coils were prepared under the three-phase arrangement of armature coils for a two-pole rotating machine, and its branch currents were evaluated by Rogowski coils by applying AC transport current in liquid nitrogen at 77 K. We demonstrated that the introduction of the transposition was also an effective way to control the current sharing in rotating magnetic fields generated by the three-phase armature coils as well as single-phase situations. In addition, the influence of other phase armature coils on the current sharing was discussed via analytical calculations.

Focal parenchymal atrophy and main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilatation have been identified as early signs of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. However, limited evidence exists regarding their temporal progression due to previous study limitations with restricted case numbers. To ascertain a more precise frequency assessment of suspicious pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma findings as well as delineate the temporal progression of them. A multicenter retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma between 2015 and 2021. We included patients who had undergone at least one computed tomography (CT) scan ≥6 months before diagnosing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The temporal progression of suspicious pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma findings on CT was investigated. Out of 1832 patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, 320 had a previous CT before their diagnosis. Suspicious pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma findings were detected in 153 cases (47.8%), with focal parenchymal atrophy (26.6%) being the most common followed by MPD dilatation (11.3%). Focal parenchymal atrophy was the earliest detectable sign among all suspicious findings and became visible on average 2.7 years before diagnosis, and the next most common, MPD dilatation, 1.1 years before diagnosis. Other findings, such as retention cysts, were less frequent and appeared around 1 year before diagnosis. Focal parenchymal atrophy followed by MPD dilatation was observed in 10 patients but not in reverse order. Focal parenchymal atrophy was more frequently detected in the pancreatic body/tail. No significant relationship was found between the pathological pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma differentiation or tumor stage and the time course of the CT findings. All cases of focal parenchymal atrophy progressed just prior to diagnosis, and the atrophic area was occupied by tumor at diagnosis. Main pancreatic duct dilatation continued to progress until diagnosis. This large‐scale study revealed that the temporal progression of focal parenchymal atrophy is the earliest detectable sign indicating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. These results provide crucial insights for early pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma detection.

Byline: Naoto. Yamamoto, Toru. Aoyama, Masaaki. Murakawa, Mariko. Kamiya, Manabu. Shiozawa, Yasushi. Rino, Munetaka. Masuda, Soichiro. Morinaga Aims: Feeding jejunostomy tube (FJT) is one option for enteral nutrition after pancreaticoduodenectomy [...]

Byline: Hiroshi. Tamagawa, Masakatsu. Numata, Toru. Aoyama, Keisuke. Kazama, Yukio. Maezawa, Yosuke. Atsumi, Kentaro. Hara, Kazuki. Kano, Keisuke. Komori, Shinnosuke. Kawahara, Norio. Yukawa, Sho. Sawazaki, Hiroyuki. Saeki, Teni. Godai, Yasushi. [...]

A global pandemic brings soaring unemployment, mass layoffs and plunging revenues. All of these, in turn, mean that the tidy executive pay plans you developed just a few months ago [...]

Presently, the development of a technology to stably produce hydrogen (H2) from hydrogen carriers at high speed and with high efficiency is highly required. Biomass-derived formic acid (HCOOH) can be a promising hydrogen carrier for the realization of a carbon-neutral H2production process. Here, we show that ultraviolet (UV)-light irradiation (λex= 365 nm, light intensity = 200 mW cm–2) of mesoporous anatase TiO2nanocrystalline film-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide (mp-TiO2/FTO) electrode generates anodic photocurrent of 22.8 mA cm–2at electrode potential (E) = 1.4 V vs standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) in an HCOOH aqueous electrolyte solution, while the photocurrent is saturated at 1 mA cm–2at E> 0.3 V without HCOOH. Also, the addition of HCOOH increases the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency from 30% to 100% at λex= 340 nm and E= 1.4 V. Further, the HCOOH-photoelectrochemical cell yields equimolar H2and CO2with a rate of 116 μmol h–1cm–2and ∼100% Faradaic efficiency. These remarkable cell performances can stem from the oxidation of HCOOH by valence band holes followed by the efficient current doubling and the direct photoinduced electron injection from the chemisorbed HCOOH to the conduction band of TiO2.

A definitive diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) depends on endoscopic and/or pH‐study criteria. However, high resolution manometry (HRM) can identify factors predicting GERD, such as ineffective esophageal motility (IEM), esophago‐gastric junction contractile integral (EGJ‐CI), evaluating esophagogastric junction (EGJ) type and straight leg raise (SLR) maneuver response. We aimed to build and externally validate a manometric score (Milan Score) to stratify the risk and severity of the disease in patients undergoing HRM for suspected GERD. A population of 295 consecutive patients undergoing HRM and pH‐study for persistent typical or atypical GERD symptoms was prospectively enrolled to build a model and a nomogram that provides a risk score for AET > 6%. Collected HRM data included IEM, EGJ‐CI, EGJ type and SLR. A supplemental cohort of patients undergoing HRM and pH‐study was also prospectively enrolled in 13 high‐volume esophageal function laboratories across the world in order to validate the model. Discrimination and calibration were used to assess model's accuracy. Gastroesophageal reflux disease was defined as acid exposure time >6%. Out of the analyzed variables, SLR response and EGJ subtype 3 had the highest impact on the score (odd ratio 18.20 and 3.87, respectively). The external validation cohort consisted of 233 patients. In the validation model, the corrected Harrel c‐index was 0.90. The model‐fitting optimism adjusted calibration slope was 0.93 and the integrated calibration index was 0.07, indicating good calibration. A novel HRM score for GERD diagnosis has been created and validated. The MS might be a useful screening tool to stratify the risk and the severity of GERD, allowing a more comprehensive pathophysiologic assessment of the anti‐reflux barrier. ClinicalTrials.gov(Identifier: NCT05851482).

Remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIEDs) can detect various events early. However, the diagnostic ability of CIEDs has not been sufficient, especially for lead failure. The first notification of lead failure was almost noise events, which were detected as arrhythmia by the CIED. A human must analyze the intracardiac electrogram to accurately detect lead failure. However, the number of arrhythmic events is too large for human analysis. Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be helpful in the early and accurate detection of lead failure before human analysis. To test whether a neural network can be trained to precisely identify noise events in the intracardiac electrogram of RM data. We analyzed 21 918 RM data consisting of 12 925 and 1884 Medtronic and Boston Scientific data, respectively. Among these, 153 and 52 Medtronic and Boston Scientific data, respectively, were diagnosed as noise events by human analysis. In Medtronic, 306 events, including 153 noise events and randomly selected 153 out of 12 692 nonnoise events, were analyzed in a five‐fold cross‐validation with a convolutional neural network. The Boston Scientific data were analyzed similarly. The precision rate, recall rate, F1 score, accuracy rate, and the area under the curve were 85.8 ± 4.0%, 91.6 ± 6.7%, 88.4 ± 2.0%, 88.0 ± 2.0%, and 0.958 ± 0.021 in Medtronic and 88.4 ± 12.8%, 81.0 ± 9.3%, 84.1 ± 8.3%, 84.2 ± 8.3% and 0.928 ± 0.041 in Boston Scientific. Five‐fold cross‐validation with a weighted loss function could increase the recall rate. AI can accurately detect noise events. AI analysis may be helpful for detecting lead failure events early and accurately. A convolutional neural network with a pre‐trained model was used to predict noise or nonnoise events. In the analysis of five‐fold cross‐validation with weighted loss function, the trained artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm could predict noise events in intracardiac electrograms with high diagnostic performance. AI could focus on noise.

Co‐driver display is becoming a trend of in‐vehicle display as an entertainment purpose for passengers. In order to ensure the safety driving, privacy mode is required not to distract driver in conjunction with a switchable function to public (sharing) mode. This paper presents a switchable privacy LCD utilizing an efficient edge‐lit system which allows high privacy performance, high homogeneity of front‐of‐screen (FOS) and low power consumption.

The demand for higher frame rates and resolutions on display panels remains strong as the gaming market has expanded in recent years. To make new use of these display panels, we have developed a privacy display in combination with active retarder. We made a prototype using high frame rate scanning backlight system and achieved the 4% level for the crosstalk ratio.

The Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration (JASMINE) is a planned M-class science space mission by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. JASMINE has two main science goals. One is Galactic archaeology with a Galactic Center survey, which aims to reveal the Milky Way’s central core structure and formation history from Gaia-level (∼25 ${\mu} $as) astrometry in the near-infrared (NIR) Hwband (1.0–1.6 ${\mu} $m). The other is an exoplanet survey, which aims to discover transiting Earth-like exoplanets in the habitable zone from NIR time-series photometry of M dwarfs when the Galactic Center is not accessible. We introduce the mission, review many science objectives, and present the instrument concept. JASMINE will be the first dedicated NIR astrometry space mission and provide precise astrometric information on the stars in the Galactic Center, taking advantage of the significantly lower extinction in the NIR. The precise astrometry is obtained by taking many short-exposure images. Hence, the JASMINE Galactic Center survey data will be valuable for studies of exoplanet transits, asteroseismology, variable stars, and microlensing studies, including discovery of (intermediate-mass) black holes. We highlight a swath of such potential science, and also describe synergies with other missions.

Despite much effort being made, the origin of Stokes shift in colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solutions is still debatable to date, particularly in the case of QD films, which are typically used as active layers in the optoelectronic devices but have been rarely explored. Herein, we demonstrate that for QD solutions, the main origin contribution to the Stokes shift is the confined electron state (CES). In the case of QD films, in addition to the aforementioned CES, for the first time, we found that the Stokes shift is also affected by the electronic coupling strength between adjacent QDs. Overall, an improved understanding of the origin of the Stokes shift in lead sulfide (PbS) QD solutions and films can provide the key fundamental knowledge for realizing efficient optoelectronic devices.

Actinomycetes are prolific producers of natural products, particularly antibiotics. However, a significant proportion of its biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) remain silent under typical laboratory conditions. This limits the effectiveness of conventional isolation methods for the discovery of novel natural products. Genetic interventions targeting the activation of silent gene clusters are necessary to address this challenge. Streptomycesantibiotic regulatory proteins (SARPs) act as cluster-specific activators and can be used to target silent BGCs for the discovery of new antibiotics. In this study, the expression of a previously uncharacterized SARP protein, Syo_1.56, in Streptomycessp. RK18-A0406 significantly enhanced the production of known antimycins and led to the discovery of 12 elasnins (1–12), 10 of which were novel. The absolute stereochemistry of elasnin A1was assigned for the first time to be 6S. Unexpectedly, Syo_1.56 seems to function as a pleiotropic rather than cluster-specific SARP regulator, with the capability of co-regulating two distinct biosynthetic pathways, simultaneously. All isolated elasnins were active against wild-type and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureuswith IC50values of 0.5–20 μg/mL, some of which (elasnins A1, B2, and C1and proelasnins A1, and C1) demonstrated moderate to strong antimalarial activities against Plasmodium falciparum3D7. Elasnins A1, B3, and C1also showed in vitroinhibition of the metallo-β-lactamase responsible for the development of highly antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.

Purpose: Progression of hip osteoarthritis (hip OA) leads to pain and disability, likely leading to surgical treatment such as hip arthroplasty at the terminal stage. The severity of hip OA is often classified using the Crowe and Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) classifications. However, as the classification is subjective, we aimed to develop an automated approach to classify the disease severity based on the two grades using digitally-reconstructed radiographs from CT images. Methods: Automatic grading of the hip OA severity was performed using deep learning-based models. The models were trained to predict the disease grade using two grading schemes, i.e., predicting the Crowe and KL grades separately, and predicting a new ordinal label combining both grades and representing the disease progression of hip OA. The models were trained in classification and regression settings. In addition, the model uncertainty was estimated and validated as a predictor of classification accuracy. The models were trained and validated on a database of 197 hip OA patients, and externally validated on 52 patients. The model accuracy was evaluated using exact class accuracy (ECA), one-neighbor class accuracy (ONCA), and balanced accuracy. Results: The deep learning models produced a comparable accuracy of approximately 0.65 (ECA) and 0.95 (ONCA) in the classification and regression settings. The model uncertainty was significantly larger in cases with large classification errors ($P\&lt;6\text{e}-3$\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$P&lt; 6\text {e}{-}3$$\end{document}). Conclusions: In this study, an automatic approach for grading hip OA severity from CT images was developed. The models have shown comparable performance with high ONCA, which facilitates automated grading in large-scale CT databases and indicates the potential for further disease progression analysis. Classification accuracy was correlated with the model uncertainty, which would allow for the prediction of classification errors. The code will be made publicly available at https://github.com/NAIST-ICB/HipOA-Grading.

Agitation and mixing play an important role in ensuring the appropriate dispersion of ice crystals, bubbles, and fat globules during the freezing process in ice cream manufacturing. The dispersion determines the internal structure of ice creams and hence, the ice cream quality. To achieve advanced control of the internal structure of ice creams, in this study, the effect of agitation on air entrainment, micronisation of air bubbles, and fat globule agglomeration was investigated using a batch-type freezer with an anchor impeller. Besides, rheological properties of an ice cream sample that was stored in the refrigerator for 24 h after freezing were analysed. In addition to steady agitation, unsteady agitation with a periodical change in the rotation direction was employed. Temperature measurement and flow observation suggested more effective scraping of frozen phase from the cooling surface for unsteady agitation than for steady agitation. Furthermore, air entrainment and fat globule agglomeration during freezing were promoted under unsteady agitation. Consequently, the sample manufactured under unsteady agitation exhibited enhanced thermal robustness compared to that manufactured under steady agitation. Thus, unsteady agitation can be an effective strategy to control the formation of microstructures in ice cream.

Chronic cough is one of the most common symptoms of respiratory diseases and can adversely affect patients’ quality of life and interfere with social activities, resulting in a significant social burden. A survey is required to elucidate the frequency and treatment effect of chronic cough. However, clinical studies that cover all of Japan have not yet been conducted.

•We report the allo-HSCT outcome for adult hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).•This study included the largest number of cord blood transplantation (CBT) for HLH.•CBT recipients had shorter overall survival than those of other donor sources.•Myeloablative conditioning (MAC) led to worse survival than reduced-intensity one.•Older age, MAC, and CBT correlated with shorter survival in multivariable analysis.

Formation of biofilms on equipment used in various fields, such as medicine, domestic sanitation, and marine transportation, can cause serious problems. The use of antibiofouling and bactericidal modifications is a promising strategy for inhibiting bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. To further enhance the antibiofilm properties of a surface, various combinations of bactericidal modifications alongside antibiofouling modifications have been developed. Optimization of the arrangements of antimicrobial peptides on the antibiofouling surface would allow us to design longer-life antibiofilm surface modifications. In this study, a postmodification was conducted with different design using the antimicrobial peptide KR12 on an antibiofouling copolymer film consisting of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, 3-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, and 3-(methacryloyloxy) propyl-tris(trimethylsilyloxy) silane. The distance of KR12 from the film was adjusted by combining different lengths of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) spacers (molecular weights are 2000 and 5000). The density of KR12 was ranged from 0.06 to 0.22 nm–2. When these modified surfaces were exposed to a nutrient-rich TSB suspension, the bacterial area formed by E. colicovered 5–127% of the original copolymer film. We found that a significant distance between the bactericidal and antibiofouling modifications, along with a higher density of bactericidal modifications, slows down the biofilm formation.

ABSTRACTA shielding experiment using activation detectors was performed at the CERN High-energy AcceleRator Mixed-field (CHARM) facility and the CERN Shielding Benchmark Facility (CSBF). The protons (24 GeV/c) were bombarded into a 50-cm-thick copper target, and the released neutrons were transmitted through various shields located vertically upward from the target. Ordinary concrete slabs of 40- to 160-cm thicknesses and steel slabs of 20- to 80-cm thicknesses were installed by changing the material and the thickness of the shield. Activation detectors of bismuth, indium, aluminum, and graphite were variously placed in these shields and activated by high energy neutrons. From the radionuclide production rate in the activation detectors, the attenuation profiles through the various shielding materials were obtained for the reactions of 209Bi(n,xn)210-xBi(x = 4–9), 115In(n,n’)115mIn, 27Al(n,α)24Na, and 12C(n,2n)11C. Estimated attenuation lengths of high energy neutrons through concrete and steel were compared with cited data and discussed. Monte Carlo simulations using FLUKA, PHITS, and GEANT4 were also performed as benchmark calculations, and they agreed with the experimental data, generally within a factor of 2.

Byline: Hiroshi. Tamagawa, Toru. Aoyama, Masakatsu. Numata, Yukio. Maezawa, Keisuke. Kazama, Yosuke. Astumi, Kentaro. Hara, Kazuki. Kano, Norio. Yukawa, Hiroyuki. Saeki, Tenii. Godai, Takashi. Oshima, Motohiko. Goda, Yasushi. Rino, Munetaka. [...]

We investigated plasma and serum blood derivatives from capillary blood microsamples (500 μL, MiniCollect tubes) and corresponding venous blood (10 mL vacutainers). Samples from 20 healthy participants were analyzed by 1H NMR, and 112 lipoprotein subfraction parameters; 3 supramolecular phospholipid composite (SPC) parameters from SPC1, SPC2, and SPC3subfractions; 2 N-acetyl signals from α-1-acid glycoprotein (Glyc), GlycA, and GlycB; and 3 calculated parameters, SPC (total), SPC3/SPC2, and Glyc (total) were assessed. Using linear regression between capillary and venous collection sites, we explained that agreement (Adj. R2≥ 0.8, p< 0.001) was witnessed for 86% of plasma parameters (103/120) and 88% of serum parameters (106/120), indicating that capillary lipoprotein, SPC, and Glyc concentrations follow changes in venous concentrations. These results indicate that capillary blood microsamples are suitable for sampling in remote areas and for high-frequency longitudinal sampling of the majority of lipoproteins, SPCs, and Glycs.

An 18-step synthesis of (−)-enigmazole A is herein disclosed. The present synthesis is based on a modular assembly of three building blocks of similar complexity, a macrocyclic ring-closing metathesis to forge the 18-membered macrocyclic skeleton, and a desilylative transannular oxa-Michael addition for stereoselective construction of the 2,6-cis-substituted tetrahydropyran ring.