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Purpose: We aimed to develop and validate a new ultrasonography (US) index for the diagnosis of primary medial‐type knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: In total, 156 patients (203 limbs) underwent standing knee radiography and the US for suspected knee OA. Total osteophyte height (TOH) and distance between bones (DBB) aided diagnosis. Logistic regression identified optimal cutoff values. Thresholds from logistic regression informed recipient operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, balancing sensitivity and specificity. These thresholds were then applied in the differential thermal analysis (DTA) to construct a 2 × 2 table. Results: The TOH‐DBB index showed that a DBB of 5.6 mm or less was required to diagnose primary medial‐type knee arthropathy. The results in the 2 × 2 table were 41 true‐positive (TP), 10 false negative (FN), 22 true‐negative (TN), and 7 false positive (FP). A DBB of 5.6 mm or less and TOH of 4.7 mm or more were necessary to diagnose severe deformity. The results in the 2 × 2 table were 10 TP, 4 FN, 23 TN, and 4 FP. Conclusion: The TOH‐DBB index was confirmed to capture changes in primary medial‐type knee OA across various stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study published in the journal Allergy investigated the potential immune-regulating genes that may alleviate Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCPsis) symptoms through the intake of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YIT 0132 (LP0132), a type of lactic acid bacteria. The study found that the downregulation of IDO1 and upregulation of FOXP3 may be associated with the alleviation of JCPsis symptoms by LP0132 intake. However, the study did not compare results with individuals without JCPsis and did not clarify the gene expression profile in immune cells or local changes in mucosa. The study was funded by Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. and the authors declare no conflicts of interest. [Extracted from the article]

N‐myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is a member of the NDRG family, of which four members (NDRG1, NDRG2, NDRG3, and NDRG4) have been identified. NDRG1 is repressed by c‐MYC and N‐MYC proto‐oncogenes. NDRG1 is translated into a 43 kDa protein that is associated with the regulation of cellular stress responses, proliferation, and differentiation. In this study, we aimed to clarify the relationship between progression of glioblastoma (GB) IDH‐wildtype and NDRG1 expression in tumor cells. We assessed the expression of NDRG1 in 41 GBs using immunostaining and evaluated its prognostic significance. NDRG1 expression by GBs was evaluated using Histoscore, which showed high and low scores in 23 and 18 cases, respectively. NDRG1‐positive cells were strongly expressed in Ki‐67 labeled proliferating tumor cells and CD105 positive proliferating microvessels around the area of palisading necrosis. Statistical analyses showed lower survival rates in the high‐score group than the low‐score group (P < 0.01). This study indicated that overexpression of NDRG1 by GB reflects tumor angiogenesis and poor patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]