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We report the p+p and p+d differential cross sections measured in the SeaQuest experiment for J/ψ and ψ(2S) production at Image 1 beam energy covering the forward x-Feynman (xF) range of 0.5

γ emission probabilities from unbound states in 78,80Se, populated by a neutron-transfer reaction (d,p) on 77,79Se nuclei in inverse kinematics, were measured by directly detecting reaction residues. Assuming the spin distribution at the respective excitation energy of the unbound state, the cross-sections of the 79Se(n,γ)80Se reaction were evaluated using the γ emission probabilities. The surrogate-ratio method with the experimental γ emission probabilities of 78,80Se was also employed to deduce the cross-sections of 79Se(n,γ) reaction by incorporating the theoretical evaluations of the neutron-capture reaction on the isomeric state in 77Se. Our two cross-sections are in good agreement with existing nuclear data compilations for the neutron-capture reaction on 79Se. The presented method contributes to the body of existing knowledge by providing approaches for determining the neutron capture cross-sections of radioactive nuclei at various neutron energies.

Detailed γ-ray spectroscopy of the exotic neon isotope 28Ne has been performed for the first time using the one-neutron removal reaction from 29Ne on a liquid hydrogen target at 240 MeV/nucleon. Based on an analysis of parallel momentum distributions, a level scheme with spin-parity assignments has been constructed for 28Ne and the negative-parity states are identified for the first time. The measured partial cross sections and momentum distributions reveal a significant intruder p-wave strength providing evidence of the breakdown of the N=20 and N=28 shell gaps. Only a weak, possible f-wave strength was observed to bound final states. Large-scale shell-model calculations with different effective interactions do not reproduce the large p-wave and small f-wave strength observed experimentally, indicating an ongoing challenge for a complete theoretical description of the transition into the island of inversion along the Ne isotopic chain.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with laser scanners have been widely used for various purposes, such as in construction sites, forestry, and disaster management, as they can obtain high density point clouds with millimeter to centimeter scale accuracy. However, systematic errors in the height of a UAV relative to the earth's surface may occur owing to the method of direct georeferencing using the global navigation system satellite (GNSS) and inertial measurement unit (IMU). Therefore, to enable highly accurate surveying, adjustments must be made using ground control points. However, interpreting the ground control points of a discrete, inhomogeneous density point cloud requires a high degree of skill and effort. In this study, a high-end UAV laser scanner was used to obtain the point clouds of a site using a white circular target enclosed within a black frame in a measurement setup of 500 points/m2. The center coordinates of the circle, calculated using the conventional and proposed methods, were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. As a result, the average of 10 error distances was found to be 0.028 m for the weighted center of gravity method, 0.014 m for the fitting circle equation method, and 0.008 m for the proposed method. These results corresponded to one-fifth to one-half of the 0.045-m point intervals of the measurement plan. Thus, using the reflection intensity of point clouds, the circular target observation could be performed.

With the development and widespread application of aerial LiDAR, point cloud data can easily be acquired and used in many fields. The accurate detection of buildings from an aerial LiDAR point cloud has attracted much attention owing to its wide range of applications, such as updating building maps and constructing 3D city models. However, such applications remain challenging in the fields of photogrammetry, remote sensing, and computer vision. In this paper, we discuss the features that contribute to building detection accuracy from an aerial LiDAR point cloud using a deep-learning-based method (KPConv). We evaluated the influence of neighborhood size, intensity, RGB, and normal vectors on building detection. The study area was approximately 6 km2, consisting of 133 million points and 8,099 buildings. The density of the point cloud data was eight points/m2. We compared search radii of 4, 10, 25, and 50 m for finding neighboring points. The results suggest that an optimal neighborhood size improves the accuracy of building detection. For searching neighboring points, a radius of 25 m is optimal when the building area is less than 1000 m2, whereas a radius of 50 m is optimal when the building area is larger than 1000 m2.We also compared different features as inputs to KPConv for training and testing, such as i) 3D coordinates only, ii) 3D coordinates and intensity, iii) 3D coordinates and RGB, iv) 3D coordinates and normal vectors, and v) 3D coordinates, intensity, RGB, and normal vectors. The results suggest that neither intensity nor normal vectors contribute to the accuracy of building detection, while the features of RGB have a limited effect on the results.

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors certify that all of their affiliations and/or financial involvement with any organization, or any financial conflicts with the subject matter discussed in the manuscript are disclosed in the Acknowledgement section of the manuscript.

This paper considers message delivery through direct communication between drones in an epidemic manner. One method of increasing communication opportunities is to enlarge the communication range. However, this approach is not always possible due to power consumption or equipment limitations. As a novel alternative to this method, we consider setting a virtually deployed road network (VDRN) for drones. By making drones move in a distributed manner along a VDRN, they pass close to each other more frequently, increasing communication opportunities. Through theoretical analysis, we clarify how much a VDRN can improve contact performance. We also investigate how much the use of a VDRN can increase travel time, since moving along such a network can cause detours. By comparing the numerical results for the above two methods of increasing communication opportunities, we examine the required duration of detours for VDRNs to achieve the same level of contact performance as enlarging the communication range., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Miyakita et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Oxide-based all-solid-state batteries are ideal next-generation batteries that combine high energy density and high safety, but their realization requires the development of interface bonding technology between the stiff solid electrolyte and electrode. Even if the interface could be bonded, it is difficult to hold the interface, because only the electrode expands/contracts unilaterally during charge/discharge reactions. In particular, silicon (Si), which has eagerly awaited as a next-generation negative-electrode material for many years, changes in volume by several hundred percent. To solve these problems, in this work, highly porous silicon oxide (SiO x ) electrodes with different porous structures were fabricated on a stiff garnet-type Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 solid electrolyte, the three-dimensional nanoporous structure was analyzed quantitatively, and the charge/discharge characteristics were investigated. The microscopic observation and electrochemical analysis revealed how we should control the porous structure, such as sizes of pores and SiO x , size distribution, and porosity, for repeated and stable charge/discharge cycles. In addition, the resultant porous SiO x electrodes demonstrated superior charge/discharge cycle performance even when it thickened to 5 μm, whereas non-porous SiO x easily peeled off from the solid electrolyte when its thickness exceeded 0.1 μm. The thick SiO x films greatly improved the energy density per unit area (mAh cm -2 ). Nanosized fine pores with an interconnected open-pore architecture effectively mitigated the internal and interfacial stress upon expansion (charge)/contraction (discharge) of Si, and as a result, the thick and porous SiO x electrode maintained the interfacial joint with the stiff solid electrolyte after repeated charge/discharge cycles. These results will provide useful insights for effectively designing more practical porous SiO x powder effectively.

Aim: Pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to nonpregnant women. The aim of this multicenter prospective study was to assess the current COVID-19 vaccination status of pregnant women in the southern Osaka district and to compare their antibody titers with those of nonpregnant women., Methods: Serum antibody titers of anti-NCP antibodies (antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid) and anti-RBD antibodies (the receptor binding domain of the S1 subunit of the spike protein) were evaluated in 753 pregnant women at 34-35 weeks of gestation from October 2021 to March 2022. Anti-RBD antibody titre was also investigated in 1003 health care workers at Kindai University hospital 3 and 6 months after a second dose of the vaccine from March 2021 to April 2021. 519 (68.9%) pregnant women were vaccinated during pregnancy, of whom 497 (95.8%) received two doses., Results: The COVID-19 infection rate calculated from the number of pregnant women with a positive anti-NCP antibody titre or with confirmed diagnosis was 5.1% (12/234) in the unvaccinated and 3.5% (18/519) in the vaccinated. The estimated half-life calculated from anti-RBD antibody titers and the number of days between vaccination and antibody testing was 39.9 days. The antibody titre and half-life in pregnant women were significantly lower and shorter than in nonpregnant women aged 20-39 years (109.4 days)., Conclusion: Our study showed that pregnant women may have lower vaccine-acquired COVID-19 immunity than nonpregnant women., (© 2024 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

This paper proposes a system for predicting the effect of electrical defibrillation using spectral feature parameters. The proposed method consists of two-stage prediction. The first stage involves predicting whether electrical defibrillation is "Successful" or "Ineffective." As the next stage, if the proposed prediction system determines "Ineffective," the proposed system discriminates between "VF recurrence" or "Failure" for electrical defibrillation. To develop the prediction system, feature parameters for the target electrocardiograms (ECGs) were first extracted by using the wavelet transform and spectral analysis. Next, effective feature parameters for prediction are selected through an analysis of variance. Moreover, in the preprocessing phase, the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique method and standardization are introduced. Finally, support vector machines with some kernel functions and the regularization method are utilized to predict the three states, i.e., "Successful," "Failure," and "VF recurrence," for electrical defibrillation in two phases. In this paper, we present our analysis method for ECGs and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed prediction system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Hidetoshi Oya reports a relationship with Japan Society for the Promotion of Science that includes: funding grants., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Pseudomonas filamentous bacteriophage (Pf) infects Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) and is abundant in the airways of many people with cystic fibrosis (CF) (pwCF). We previously demonstrated that Pf promotes biofilm growth, as well as generates liquid crystals that confer biofilms with adhesivity, viscosity and resistance to clearance. Consistent with these findings, the presence of Pf in sputum from pwCF has been linked to chronic Pa infection and more severe exacerbations in a cross-sectional cohort study., Methods: We examined the relationships between Pf and clinical outcomes in a longitudinal study of pwCF. Sputum Pa and Pf concentrations were measured by qPCR, as well cytokines and active neutrophil elastase by standardized assays. Recorded clinical data, including spirometry and microbiological results, were analyzed for associations with Pf. Finally, lung explants from pwCF in this cohort who underwent lung transplantation were examined for presence of liquid crystals within secretions., Results: In explanted lungs from pwCF with known Pf infection we demonstrate areas of birefringence consistent with liquid crystalline structures within the airways. We find that high concentration of Pf in sputum is associated with accelerated loss of lung function, suggesting a potential role for Pf in the pathogenesis of CF lung disease. We also find Pf to associate with increased airway inflammation and an anti-viral cytokine response., Conclusion: Pf may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for Pa infections in CF., 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. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background This study aims to develop and validate a comprehensive prediction model for ICU readmissions. Readmission following ICU discharge is associated with adverse outcomes such as increased mortality, prolonged hospital stays, and elevated healthcare costs. Consequently, predicting and preventing readmissions is crucial. Previous models for predicting ICU readmissions were primarily based on physiological indices; however, these indices fail to capture the complete nature of treatment or patient conditions beyond physiological measures, thereby limiting the accuracy of these predictions. Methodology A total of 1,400 patients who had an unplanned ICU admission at Sapporo Medical University Hospital from January 2015 to October 2022 were included; a single regression analysis was performed using unplanned ICU readmission as the dependent variable. After performing a single regression analysis, logistic regression analysis using the stepwise method was performed using variables with significant differences, and a predictive nomogram was created using the variables that remained in the final model. To internally validate the predictive nomogram model, nonparametric bootstrapping (1,000 replications) was performed on the original model. Results Of the 1,400 patients who had an unplanned admission to the ICU, 114 (8.1%) were readmitted to the ICU unplanned. Seven main variables (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, respiratory rate, Glasgow Coma Scale, sleep disturbance, Continuous Kidney Replacement Therapy, presence of tracheal suctioning, and Oxygen Saturation) were selected to be associated with ICU readmission. The evaluation of the models showed excellent discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.805 (original model) and 0.796 (bootstrap model). Calibration plots also confirmed good agreement between observed and predicted reentry. Conclusions This new predictive model is more accurate than previous models because it includes physiological indicators as well as other patient conditions and procedures needed and is expected to be used in clinical practice. In particular, the inclusion of new factors, such as sleep disturbance and the need for tracheal suctioning, enabled a more comprehensive patient assessment. The use of this predictive nomogram as a criterion for discharging ICU patients may prevent unplanned ICU readmission., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. The Institutional Review Board of Sapporo Medical University issued approval 342-157, December 1, 2022. Owing to the observational nature of this study, the information was released on an opt-out basis. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Nakano et al.)

Synaptic phenotypes in living patients with psychiatric disorders are poorly characterized. Excitatory glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) is a fundamental component for neurotransmission. We recently developed a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for AMPAR, [ 11 C]K-2, the first technology to visualize and quantify AMPARs density in living human brain. In this study, we characterized patients with major psychiatric disorders with [ 11 C]K-2. One hundred forty-nine patients with psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, n = 42; bipolar disorder, n = 37; depression, n = 35; and autism spectrum disorder, n = 35) and 70 healthy participants underwent a PET scan with [ 11 C]K-2 for measurement of AMPAR density. We detected brain regions that showed correlation between AMPAR density and symptomatology scores in each of four disorders. We also found brain areas with significant differences in AMPAR density between patients with each psychiatric disorder and healthy participants. Some of these areas were observed across diseases, indicating that these are commonly affected areas throughout psychiatric disorders. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and autism spectrum disorder are uniquely characterized by AMPAR distribution patterns. Our approach to psychiatric disorders using [ 11 C]K-2 can elucidate the biological mechanisms across diseases and pave the way to develop novel diagnostics and therapeutics based on the synapse physiology., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Immunological self-tolerance is established in the thymus by the expression of virtually all self-antigens, including tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) and cell-type-restricted antigens (CRAs). Despite a wealth of knowledge about the transcriptional regulation of TRA genes, posttranscriptional regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we show that protein arginine methylation plays an essential role in central immune tolerance by maximizing the self-antigen repertoire in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). Protein arginine methyltransferase-5 (Prmt5) was required for pre-mRNA splicing of certain key genes in tolerance induction, including Aire as well as various genes encoding TRAs. Mice lacking Prmt5 specifically in thymic epithelial cells exhibited an altered thymic T cell selection, leading to the breakdown of immune tolerance accompanied by both autoimmune responses and enhanced antitumor immunity. Thus, arginine methylation and transcript splicing are essential for establishing immune tolerance and may serve as a therapeutic target in autoimmune diseases as well as cancer immunotherapy.

Background and Purpose: Dyspnea in patients with terminal cancer worsens near death, necessitating effective nonpharmacological management. Despite guideline recommendations, detailed studies on nonpharmacological nursing practices are scarce. This study aimed to elucidate nursing practices for dyspnea in patients with cancer based on monthly and weekly prognoses., Methods: A multi-site cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses in 389 palliative care units in Japan. The study surveyed the frequency of direct care practices for dyspnea management (nurse-led intervention, multidisciplinary intervention, psychoeducational programs, breathing techniques, walking therapy, inspiratory muscle training, respiratory rehabilitation, yoga, acupressure, fan therapy, guided imagery, abdominal massage, aromatherapy, and a reduction in room temperature and humidity) in patients with cancer with monthly and weekly prognoses., Results: Of the 389 invited units, 162 participated. From these, 2448 registered nurses were invited and 539 (22.3%) responded. Almost similar nursing practices were provided regardless of patient prognosis. Nurse-led intervention was the most frequently practiced, followed by room temperature and humidity reduction, multidisciplinary intervention, and fan therapy. Yoga, respiratory rehabilitation, and acupressure were rarely practiced., Conclusion: Nursing practices for dyspnea are similar, irrespective of prognosis. Nurse-led interventions, reducing room temperature and humidity, multidisciplinary intervention, and fan therapy are frequently used for dyspnea in patients with cancer. Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of these nursing practices., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

A bioinformatic analysis is a promising approach to understand the relationship between the vast tumor microbiome and cancer development. In the present study, we studied the relationships between the intratumoral microbiome and classical clinical risk factors using bioinformatics analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Cancer Microbiome Atlas (TCMA) datasets. We used TCMA database and investigated the abundance of microbes at the genus level in solid normal tissue (n = 22) and the primary tumors of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) (n = 154) and identified three major tumor microbiomes, Fusobacterium , Prevotella , and Streptococcus . The tissue level of Fusobacterium was higher in primary tumors than in solid normal tissue. However, univariate and multivariate analyses of these 3 microbes showed no significant effects on patient survival. We then extracted 43, 55, or 59 genes that were differentially expressed between the over and under the median groups for Fusobacterium , Prevotella , or Streptococcus using the criteria of >2.5, >1.5, or >2.0 fold and p  < 0.05 in the Mann-Whitney U test. The results of a pathway analysis revealed the association of Fusobacterium- and Streptococcus -related genes with the IL-17 signaling pathway and Staphylococcus aureus infection, while Prevotella -associated pathways were not extracted. A protein-protein interaction analysis revealed a dense network in the order of Fusobacterium , Streptococcus , and Prevotella . An investigation of the relationships between the intratumoral microbiome and classical clinical risk factors showed that high levels of Fusobacterium were associated with a good prognosis in the absence of alcohol consumption and smoking, while high levels of Streptococcus were associated with a poor prognosis in the absence of alcohol consumption. In conclusion, intratumoral Fusobacterium and Streptococcus may affect the prognosis of patients with HNSCC, and their effects on HNSCC are modulated by the impact of drinking and smoking., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Overexpression of cardiac reprogramming factors, including GATA4, HAND2, TBX5, and MEF2C (GHT/M), can directly reprogram cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs). Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are widely used clinically, and vectors targeting cardiomyocytes (CMs) have been extensively studied. However, safe and efficient AAV vectors targeting CFs for in vivo cardiac reprogramming remain elusive. Therefore, we screened multiple AAV capsids and promoters to develop efficient and safe CF-targeting AAV vectors for in vivo cardiac reprogramming. AAV-DJ capsids containing periostin promoter (AAV-DJ-Postn) strongly and specifically expressed transgenes in resident CFs in mice after myocardial infarction (MI). Lineage tracing revealed that AAV-DJ-Postn vectors expressing GHT/M reprogrammed CFs into iCMs, which was further increased 2-fold using activated MEF2C via the fusion of the powerful MYOD transactivation domain (M-TAD) with GHT (AAV-DJ-Postn-GHT/M-TAD). AAV-DJ-Postn-GHT/M-TAD injection improved cardiac function and reduced fibrosis after MI. Overall, we developed new AAV vectors that target CFs for cardiac reprogramming., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests M. Ieda holds a patent related to this work, U.S. Patent 9,517,250, entitled ‘‘Methods for Generating Cardiomyocytes,” issued on October 19, 2012., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction in the heart is associated with the development of heart failure (HF). However, the clinical consequences of mitochondrial structural abnormalities in patients with HF remain unexplored., Methods and Results: Ninety-one patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction who underwent endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) were enrolled in the study. Myocardial specimens were obtained from the right ventricular septum. Specimens were characterized using electron microscopy to assess mitochondrial size, outer membrane disruption, and cristae disorganization. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death and unplanned hospitalization for HF. Patients were classified into LV reverse remodeling (LVRR)-positive (n=52; 57.1%) and LVRR-negative (n=39; 42.9%) groups. Cristae disorganization was observed in 21 (23.1%) patients: 6 (11.5%) in the LVRR-positive group and 15 (38.5%) in the LVRR-negative group (P=0.005). During the 1-year post-EMB observation period, 16 patients (17.6%) met the primary endpoint, with 2 (2.2%) cardiovascular deaths and 14 (15.4%) HF hospitalizations. Cristae disorganization (P=0.002) was significantly associated with the endpoints, independent of age (P=0.115), systolic blood pressure (P=0.004), B-type natriuretic peptide level (P=0.042), and mitral regurgitation (P=0.003)., Conclusions: We classified mitochondrial structural abnormalities and showed that cristae disorganization was associated with LVRR and worse prognosis. These findings may affect the management of patients with HF and systolic dysfunction who undergo EMB.

Purpose: This study explores the use of nursing support among nurses for caregiver burden in family caregivers of terminally ill patients with cancer in palliative care units (PCUs)., Methods: Requests were sent to 389 institutions, and cooperation was received from 162 PCUs. Nurses at 162 PCUs were asked to participate in an Internet survey regarding nursing practices for caregiver burden in Japan. The frequency of six nursing support practices (extracted in a scoping review) was reported using a 5-point Likert scale., Results: The response rate was 22.3% (539/2448). Support for reducing caregiver stress was the most frequently provided nursing support (mean Likert score: 2.41 for monthly prognosis and 2.42 for weekly prognosis). Psychological and educational support was mainly provided via non-face-to-face (telephone) (mean Likert score: 2.26 for monthly prognosis and 2.21 for weekly prognosis) and face-to-face methods (mean Likert score: 2.32 for monthly prognosis and 2.29 for weekly prognosis)., Conclusion: Nursing support was provided through telephone support and face-to-face interactions and aimed at reducing caregiver stress among nurses and family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer in PCUs. In this study, the trends in nursing support were similar for patients with a prognosis of weeks or months., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

Purpose: To identify nursing support for caregiver burden in family caregivers of patients with cancer. Methods: This scoping review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's six-stage scoping review framework. All available published articles from database inception to July 31, 2023 were systematically searched through PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Ichushi-Web of the Japan Medical Abstract Society databases with additional relevant studies from the article list. Each key journal was manually searched. Results: Overall, 502 articles were screened, and 34 were finally included. The results of the qualitative thematic analysis were categorized into 7 components of nursing support: psychological and educational support, psychological and educational support using mainly non-face-to-face (Information and Communication Technology), psychological and educational support mainly using non-face-to-face (telephone) methods, mindfulness to support, support aimed at reducing caregiver stress, support for both patients and caregivers, and others. Of the 34 studies, 23 were randomized controlled trials (RCT), and the remaining 11 were non-RCTs. Conclusion: The results of the scoping review categorized nursing support for caregiver burden in the family caregivers of patients with cancer into 7 components. Future research should examine the feasibility of implementing these components., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The periosteum is the layer of cells that covers nearly the entire surface of every bone. Upon infection, injury or malignancy the bone surface undergoes new growth-the periosteal reaction-but the mechanism and physiological role of this process remain unknown 1,2 . Here we show that the periosteal reaction protects against cancer invasion into the bone. Histological analyses of human lesions of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) show that periosteal thickening occurs in proximity to the tumour. We developed a genetically dissectible mouse model of HNSCC and demonstrate that inducible depletion of periosteal cells accelerates cancerous invasion of the bone. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals that expression of the gene encoding the protease inhibitor TIMP1 is markedly increased in the periosteum at the pre-invasive stage. This increase is due to upregulation of HIF1α expression in the tumour microenvironment, and increased TIMP1 inactivates matrix-degrading proteases, promoting periosteal thickening to inhibit cancer invasion. Genetic deletion of Timp1 impairs periosteal expansion, exacerbating bone invasion and decreasing survival in tumour-bearing mice. Together, these data show that the periosteal reaction may act as a functional stromal barrier against tumour progression, representing a unique example of tissue immunity mediated by stromal cells., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

BACKGROUND Gas in the portal venous system, or hepatic portal venous gas, is a rare occurrence associated with ischemic colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, or any cause of bowel perforation, including from a necrotic tumor. This report presents the case of a 72-year-old man with diabetes who had carcinoma of the ileocecal region, sepsis due to Klebsiella pneumoniae, and hepatic portal venous gas. CASE REPORT A 72-year-old man with ileocecal cancer was admitted to our hospital for preoperative diabetes control. He developed a fever and septic shock, without abdominal symptoms or signs of peritoneal irritation. Klebsiella pneumoniae was detected in blood cultures. Abdominal ultrasonography showed hepatic portal venous gas, and a simple computed tomography scan revealed gas in the vasculature and hepatic portal vein in the lateral segment, which led us to believe that the ileocecal mass was the source of infection, and emergency surgery was performed. The patient was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 34 with good progress despite dehydration due to high-output syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Sepsis due to necrosis of ileocecal cancer is often difficult to diagnose because it is not accompanied by abdominal symptoms, as in our case. However, abdominal ultrasound is useful because it allows for a broad evaluation. This report has demonstrated and highlighted that the findings of hepatic portal venous gas on imaging should be regarded seriously, requiring urgent investigation to identify the cause and commence treatment in cases of infection or sepsis.

Background: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are safe and useful alternatives to centrally inserted central catheters (CICCs). Several studies have investigated the effectiveness and safety of PICCs; however, few have focused on their use in patients with gastroenterological diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the outcomes of patients with gastroenterological diseases who received PICCs and identified the risk factors associated with central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI)., Methods: We retrospectively examined hospitalized patients at our institution who received PICCs between 2015 and 2023. We evaluated the data on their clinical characteristics, complications, and outcomes. Furthermore, we investigated the risk factors for CLABSIs., Results: A total of 405 patients were included (262 men and 143 women). The median age was 71 (range, 15-94) years. The vessels were inserted in the basilic, cephalic, and brachial veins in 366 (90%), 22 (6%), and 17 (4%) patients, respectively. The median procedure time was 32 [6-149] min. The median dwell time was 16 [0-188] days. CLABSI, catheter occlusions, phlebitis, and exit-site skin infection occurred in 14 (3.5%; 1.77/1000 catheter days), 6 (1.5%; 0.76/1000 catheter days), 3 (0.7%; 0.38/1000 catheter days), and 1 (0.2%; 0.13/1000 catheter days) patients, respectively. There was no case of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary thrombosis due to PICC placement. Multivariate analysis performed using a Cox's proportional hazard regression model revealed that patients with gastroenterological malignancies had an independently higher risk for CLABSIs (odds ratio [OR]: 3.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-10.05, p  = 0.041) and that older age (⩾70 years) tended to be associated with CLABSIs (OR: 3.61, 95% CI: 0.98-13.32, p  = 0.054)., Conclusions: Gastroenterological malignancies and older age were associated with a higher risk of CLABSIs. Rigorous catheter management is crucial for preventing complications, particularly in vulnerable patient subgroups., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the most common primary glomerulonephritis, is considered an intractable disease with unknown pathogenic factors. In our previous study, Streptococcus mutans, the major causative bacteria of dental caries, which expresses Cnm, was related to the induction of IgAN-like nephritis. In the present study, the Cnm-positive S. mutans parental strain, a Cnm-defective isogenic mutant strain, its complementation strain, and recombinant Cnm (rCnm) protein were administered intravenously to Sprague Dawley rats, and the condition of their kidneys was evaluated focusing on the pathogenicity of Cnm. Rats treated with parental and complement bacterial strains and rCnm protein developed IgAN-like nephritis with mesangial proliferation and IgA and C3 mesangial deposition. Scanning immunoelectron microscopy revealed that rCnm was present in the electron-dense deposition area of the mesangial region in the rCnm protein group. These results demonstrated that the Cnm protein itself is an important factor in the induction of IgAN in rats., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Silole- and phosphole-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds have attracted significant attention in the field of organic functional materials. The structure of the aromatic units has great impact on the photophysical properties of the resulting silole- and phosphole-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds. Here, dibenzo-fused naphtho[2,3- b :6,7- b ']disilole (NDS) and naphtho[2,3- b :6,7- b ']diphosphole (NDP), where a naphthalene unit is arranged between two silole and phosphole units, respectively, were designed and synthesized. The solid-state structures of them were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The photophysical properties were evaluated by UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies and compared with those of their related compounds, such as dibenzo-fused silolo[3,2- b ]silole and benzo[1,2- b :4,5- b ']disilole, ever reported. The longest wavelength absorption band of a series of silole-fused compounds was found to be red-shifted in the order benzo[1,2- b :4,5- b ']disilole < NDS < silolo[3,2- b ]silole derivatives. For a series of phosphole-fused compounds, π-extension from phospholo[3,2- b ]phosphole to NDP derivatives induces the lower absorption coefficient of the longest wavelength absorption band and the red-shift of the second longest wavelength absorption band. Both NDS and NDP exhibit much lower fluorescence quantum yields than their related compounds.

Background: To overcome organ shortage during transplantation, interspecies organ generation via blastocyst complementation has been proposed, although not yet in evolutionarily distant species. To establish high levels of chimerism, low chimerism is required early in development, followed by high chimerism, to effectively complement the organ niche. Very few human cells are expected to contribute to chimerism in heterologous animals. Previous studies had demonstrated increased donor chimerism in both intra- and interspecies chimeras in rodents, using insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor ( Igf1r ) knockout (KO) mice; deletion of the Igf1r gene in the mouse host embryo created a cell-competitive niche. The current study aimed to generate IGF1R- KO pigs and evaluate whether they have the same phenotype as Igf1r -KO mice., Methods: To generate IGF1R- KO pigs, genome-editing molecules were injected into the cytoplasm of pig zygotes. The fetuses were evaluated at 104 days of gestation., Results: IGF1R -KO pigs were generated successfully. Their phenotypes were almost identical to those of Igf1r -KO mice, including small lungs and enlarged endodermal organs in fetuses, and they were highly reproducible., Conclusions: Pigs may allow the generation of organs using blastocyst complementation with developmentally-compatible xenogeneic pluripotent stem cells over a large evolutionary distance., Competing Interests: H.Nagashima is a founder and shareholder of PorMedTec Co., Ltd. These associations do not alter the authors' adherence to the journal's policies on sharing data and materials. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Background: Streptococcus mutans is studied for its acidogenic and aciduric characteristics, notably its biofilm formation in the presence of sucrose, toward its role in the caries process. Variations in both genotype and phenotype have been reported among clinical isolates of S. mutans. This study aimed to examine genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of S. mutans obtained from Thai children with varying caries statuses., Methods: We determined the presence of S. mutans and caries status in 395 children aged 3-4 years. From 325 children carrying S. mutans, we selected 90 with different caries statuses-caries-free (CF; n = 30), low severity of caries (LC; n = 30), or high severity of caries (HC; n = 30). Three isolates of S. mutans were taken from each child, thus, a total of 270 isolates were obtained. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to genotype the isolates and assess their clonal relationships. The properties, including biofilm formation, collagen binding, and acid production and tolerance were also evaluated., Results: Children with carious lesions showed a higher detection rate and number of S. mutans in saliva than those without caries. S. mutans from individuals with HC status showed the lowest biofilm formation ability, while this group had the highest detection rate of collagen-binding isolates. There was no difference in acid production or tolerance by caries status. Genotyping by MLST did not reveal any clone of S. mutans specific to CF status. This result remained even when we included MLST data from the open-access PubMLST database. MLST did identify clones containing only strains from caries-affected hosts, but tests of their phenotypic properties did not reveal any differences between S. mutans from these clones and clones that were from both caries-free and caries-affected children., Conclusions: The clonal relationships of S. mutans indicated by MLST were not associated with the status of dental caries in the host., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Lipids interfere with absorbance measurements conducted using colorimetric methods. To monitor lipemia, some systems measure absorbance using an analyzer. This report describes a novel case of interference with the lipemia index without lipemia. A 64-year-old woman with giant basal cell carcinoma underwent resection and sentinel lymph node biopsy. The patient had been subcutaneously injected with patent blue during sentinel lymph node resection. After surgery, her serum and urine were yellow-green, and the lipemia index, calculated by measuring absorbance at 658 nm (main wavelength) and 694 nm (secondary wavelength) using a JCA-BM8040 chemistry analyzer, was high. The absorbance spectrum of the patient's serum and patent blue solution were compared to determine the cause of the high lipemia index. The patient's serum and the patent blue solution showed absorption at wavelengths between 540 and 698 nm. Moreover, the absorbance was concentration-dependent for patent blue. These results thus indicated that the patient's serum contained patent blue. Here, we report a case wherein patent blue affected the lipemia index. Thus, it must be noted that patent blue injection may yield inaccurate results when evaluating lipemia index., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pathology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The surface pre-reacted glass ionomer (S-PRG) filler is a type of bioactive functional glass that releases six different ions. This study examined the effects of the S-PRG filler eluate on Streptococcus mutans in the presence of sucrose. In a solution containing S. mutans , the concentrations of BO 3 3- , Al 3+ , Sr 2+ , and F - were significantly higher in the presence of the S-PRG filler eluate than in its absence ( p < 0.001). The concentrations of these ions further increased in the presence of sucrose. Additionally, the S-PRG filler eluate significantly reduced glucan formation by S. mutans ( p < 0.001) and significantly increased the pH of the bacterial suspension ( p < 0.001). Bioinformatic analyses revealed that the S-PRG filler eluate downregulated genes involved in purine biosynthesis (purC, purF, purL, purM, and purN) and upregulated genes involved in osmotic pressure (opuAa and opuAb). At a low pH (5.0), the S-PRG filler eluate completely inhibited the growth of S. mutans in the presence of sucrose and significantly increased the osmotic pressure of the bacterial suspension compared with the control ( p < 0.001). These findings suggest that ions released from the S-PRG filler induce gene expression changes and exert an inhibitory effect on S. mutans in the presence of sucrose.

The lane-change decision-making module of automated and connected vehicles (ACVs) is one of the most crucial and challenging issues to be addressed. Motivated by human beings' underlying driving paradigm and the convolutional neural network's (CNN) dramatic capability of extracting features and learning strategies, this article proposes a CNN-based lane-change decision-making method via the dynamic motion image representation. Human drivers take proper driving maneuvers after they subconsciously construct the dynamic traffic scene representation in their brains, so this study first proposes the dynamic motion image representation method to reveal informative traffic situations in the motion-sensitive area (MSA), which provides a full view of surrounding cars. Then, this article develops a CNN model to extract the underlying features and learn driving policies from labeled datasets of MSA motion images. Besides, a safety-constrained layer is added to avoid vehicle collisions. We build a simulation platform based on the simulation of urban mobility (SUMO) to collect traffic datasets and test our proposed method. In addition, real-world traffic datasets are also involved to further investigate the proposed method's performance. The rule-based strategy and reinforcement learning (RL)-based method are used to compare with our approach. All results demonstrate that the proposed method performs lane-change decision-making much better than prevailing methods, which suggests our scheme has huge potential to accelerate the deployment of ACVs and is worth further study.

Background: The semiquantitative Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is reportedly a useful marker for predicting short- and mid-term mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We assessed the long-term prognostic impact of CFS in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI., Methods: We prospectively assessed patients undergoing TAVI in Kokura Memorial Hospital using a 9-level CFS and enrolled 1594 patients after excluding patients with CFS 8-9. The patients were divided into the low (CFS level, 1-3; N = 842), intermediate (4; N = 469), and high (5-7; N = 283) groups according to their CFS levels., Results: In the low, intermediate, and high groups, 3-year all-cause mortality rates were 17.4%, 29.4%, and 41.7% (P < .001) and composite rates of cardiovascular mortality and heart failure hospitalization were 12.1%, 19.1%, and 23.9% (P < .001), respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that higher frailty was independently associated with all-cause mortality (intermediate group: adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-2.15, P < .001; high group: adjusted HR, 2.18, 95% CI, 1.59-2.99, P < .001) and composite of cardiovascular mortality and heart failure hospitalization (intermediate group: adjusted HR, 1.47, 95% CI, 1.04-2.08, P = .030; high group: adjusted HR, 1.66, 95% CI, 1.09-2.51, P = .018) and this result was consistent, irrespective of stratification based on age, sex, body mass index, left ventricular ejection fraction, Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, and New York Heart Association functional class without significant interaction., Conclusions: The simple CFS tool predicts the long-term adverse outcomes post-TAVI., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Kenichi Ishizu, MD is the proctor of intracardiac echocardiography-guided TAVI for Johnson and Johnson. Shinichi Shirai, MD, is the proctor of transfemoral-TAVI for Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Abbott Medical. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Porphyromonas gulae is a major causative agent of periodontal disease in companion animals that possesses various virulence factors, including fimbriae, lipopolysaccharides, and proteases. P. gulae fimbriae are classified into three genotypes (A, B, and C) based on their nucleotide sequences. Type C fimbrial isolates have been reported to be more virulent than other fimA types, suggesting that different fimA types may aid in the regulation of periodontal pathogenesis. Detailed findings regarding the ability of P. gulae to form biofilms have yet to be reported. Here, we investigated the contributions of fimbrial genotypes in P. gulae biofilm formation., Methods: P. gulae and P. gingivalis biofilms were generated on plates and analyzed using confocal laser microscopy. Additionally, the biofilms formed were assessed by staining with crystal violet. Furthermore, the physical strength of P. gulae biofilms was examined by ultrasonication., Results: Biofilms formed by P. gulae type C were denser than those formed by types A and B. Moreover, the amount of biofilm formed by type C strains was significantly greater than that formed by type A and B strains, which was similar to the biofilms formed by P. gingivalis with type II fimbriae. Additionally, the physical strength of the type C biofilm was significantly greater than that of the other strains., Conclusions: These results suggest that FimA variation may coordinate for biofilm formation. This is the first report on the observation and characterization of P. gulae biofilm formation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Ni/Co-free high-energy positive electrode materials are of great importance to ensure the sustainability of Li-ion battery production and its supply chain in addition to minimizing environmental impact. Here, nanostructured LiMnO 2 with both orthorhombic/monoclinic layered domains is synthesized, and its lithium storage properties and mechanism are examined. High-energy mechanical milling is used to convert the metastable and nanosized LiMnO 2 adopting the cation-disordered rocksalt structure to an optimal domain-segregated layered LiMnO 2 . This positive electrode produces an energy density of 820 W h kg -1 , achieved by harnessing a large reversible capacity with relatively small voltage hysteresis on electrochemical cycles. Moreover, voltage decay for cycling, as observed for Li-excess Mn-based electrode materials, is effectively mitigated. Furthermore, by determining the structure-property relationships of different LiMnO 2 polymorphs, LiMnO 2 with similar domain structure and surface area is successfully synthesized with an alternative and simpler method, without the metastable precursor and high-energy mechanical milling. The cyclability of domain-containing LiMnO 2 is also improved with the use of a highly concentrated electrolyte coupled with a lithium phosphate coating due to the suppression of Mn dissolution. These findings maximize the possibility of the development of high-energy, low-cost, and practical rechargeable batteries made from sustainable and abundant Mn sources without Ni/Co., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The neutron-rich unbound fluorine isotope ^{30}F&#95;{21} has been observed for the first time by measuring its neutron decay at the SAMURAI spectrometer (RIBF, RIKEN) in the quasifree proton knockout reaction of ^{31}Ne nuclei at 235  MeV/nucleon. The mass and thus one-neutron-separation energy of ^{30}F has been determined to be S&#95;{n}=-472±58(stat)±33(sys)  keV from the measurement of its invariant-mass spectrum. The absence of a sharp drop in S&#95;{n}(^{30}F) shows that the "magic" N=20 shell gap is not restored close to ^{28}O, which is in agreement with our shell-model calculations that predict a near degeneracy between the neutron d and fp orbitals, with the 1p&#95;{3/2} and 1p&#95;{1/2} orbitals becoming more bound than the 0f&#95;{7/2} one. This degeneracy and reordering of orbitals has two potential consequences: ^{28}O behaves like a strongly superfluid nucleus with neutron pairs scattering across shells, and both ^{29,31}F appear to be good two-neutron halo-nucleus candidates.