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Background: Evidence regarding the association between hyperuricemia and arrhythmia recurrence after catheter ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is scarce. We investigated whether hyperuricemia predicts arrhythmia recurrence after catheter ablation for paroxysmal AF and the relationship between hyperuricemia and alcohol consumption in AF recurrence., Methods: Patients who underwent catheter ablation for paroxysmal AF were divided into the hyperuricemia (index serum uric acid [UA] >7.0 mg/dL; n  = 114) and control (UA ≤7.0 mg/dL; n  = 609) groups and were followed for a median of 24 (12-48) months after ablation., Results: The hyperuricemia group had more patients with an alcohol intake of ≥20 g/day (33.3% vs. 22.7%, p  = .017) and a lower incidence of AF-free survival ( p  = .019). Similarly, those with an alcohol intake of ≥20 g/day had a lower incidence of AF-free survival than other patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed the following independent predictors of AF recurrence (adjusted hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval): hyperuricemia (1.64, 1.12-2.40), female gender (1.91, 1.36-2.67), brain natriuretic peptide level >100 pg/mL (1.59, 1.14-2.22), and alcohol consumption ≥20 g/day (1.49, 1.03-2.15) (all p  < .05). In addition, causal mediation analysis revealed that alcohol consumption of ≥20 g/day directly affected AF recurrence, independent of hyperuricemia., Conclusions: Patients with hyperuricemia may be at a high risk of arrhythmia recurrence after catheter ablation for paroxysmal AF. Although high alcohol consumption may contribute to increased UA levels, the presence of hyperuricemia may independently predict AF recurrence., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Arrhythmia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Heart Rhythm Society.)

Anamorelin, a ghrelin receptor agonist, is used for cancer-related cachexia but can induce life-threatening arrhythmias. A case study illustrates an extremely wide QRS tachycardia, posing diagnostic challenges. Anamorelin cessation led to normalization, highlighting the importance of ECG monitoring, particularly in liver-compromised patients, and hemodynamic support are crucial during suspected toxicity., Competing Interests: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Arrhythmia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Heart Rhythm Society.)

Background: The Japanese baseline series (JBS), established in 1994, was updated in 2008 and 2015. The JBS 2015 is a modification of the thin-layer rapid-use epicutaneous (TRUE) test (SmartPractice Denmark, Hillerød, Denmark). No nationwide studies concerning the TRUE test have previously been reported., Objectives: To determine the prevalence of sensitizations to JBS 2015 allergens from 2015 to 2018., Methods: We investigated JBS 2015 patch test results using the web-registered Skin Safety Care Information Network (SSCI-Net) from April 2015 to March 2019., Results: Patch test results of 5865 patients were registered from 63 facilities. The five allergens with the highest positivity rates were gold sodium thiosulfate (GST; 25.7%), nickel sulfate (24.5%), urushiol (9.1%), p-phenylenediamine (PPD; 8.9%), and cobalt chloride (8.4%). The five allergens with the lowest positivity rates were mercaptobenzothiazole (0.8%), formaldehyde (0.9%), paraben mix (1.1%), mercapto mix (1.1%), and PPD black rubber mix (1.4%)., Conclusions: Nickel sulfate and GST had the highest positivity rates. The JBS 2015, including a modified TRUE test, is suitable for baseline series patch testing., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: There is controversy over late and long-lasting reactions to gold sodium thiosulfate (GST)., Objectives: To study the GST patch-test reaction by observing the application site after 1 month, and to clarify the relevance of GST sensitization by piercings and dental metals., Patients: A retrospective analysis was performed on 746 patients (143 male; 603 female) who were patch tested using GST of the TRUE Test. We conducted a questionnaire on the presence of piercings or dental metals in these patients., Results: The GST positive rate was 27.9% at day (D)3 and/or D7 and 40.3% up to the 1-month reading. The positive rate was significantly higher in female patients and increased with age. Sixty-two percent of cases with a positive reaction at D7 continued to show a positive reaction after 1 month. Eleven percent of cases with a negative reaction at D3 and D7 showed a late reaction. Both piercings and dental metals were related to gold sensitization., Conclusions: The GST of the TRUE Test had a high positive and low false-negative rate. The 1-month reading after the patch test was important for identifying late reactions. Piercing history and dental metal were associated with gold sensitization., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons A/S . Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The timing of developmental events is tightly regulated along a time axis for normal development. Although the RNA-binding protein Lin28a plays a crucial role in the regulation of developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans, how the timing of Lin28a expression affects the rate and/or duration of developmental events during mammalian development remains to be addressed., Results: In this study, we discovered that the timing and the duration of Lin28a expression affect embryonic growth. During the neurulation stage of mouse development, endogenous Lin28a levels start to drop. When Lin28a expression was maintained transiently using the inducible tetracycline-regulated gene expression (Tet-ON) system [doxycycline (Dox)-inducible Lin28a transgenic (iLin28a Tg) mice] with Dox administration at E8.5 and E9.5, it resulted in neonatal lethality, increased body weight (organomegaly), and an increased number of caudal vertebrae at birth. On the other hand, Lin28a induction only at E8.5 caused neonatal lethality and organomegaly, but did not affect the caudal vertebra number. Of note, although Dox treatment before or after neurulation still caused neonatal lethality, it neither caused organomegaly nor the increased caudal vertebra number in iLin28a Tg neonates., Conclusions: Temporal regulation of Lin28a expression during neurulation affects developmental events such as cessation of axial elongation and embryonic growth in mice., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The proportion of positive test results with gold sodium thiosulfate included in a patch test panel (P-GST) had been found to be greater than that with gold sodium thiosulfate 0.5% pet. by allergEAZE (A-GST)., Objectives: To compare positive reactions to P-GST and A-GST, and to evaluate late reactions after the day (D) 7 reading., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 588 patients at participating departments (119 males; 469 females) who were patch tested with P-GST and A-GST in May 2015 to March 2016., Results: Positive test reactions to P-GST and A-GST were observed in 15% and 6% of patients, respectively. Three patients reported a positive reaction occurring after the D7 reading., Conclusions: Gold sodium thiosulfate often gives a positive reaction after 2 to 3 weeks, and, in such cases, the positive reaction may be sustained, so it is recommended to assess the reaction for up to 1 month after application., (© 2018 The Authors. Contact Dermatitis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: In Japan, allergic contact dermatitis caused by hair colouring agents is a considerable problem for those occupationally exposed and also for consumers. Over the last 20 years, p-phenylenediamine (PPD) has been a common allergen, with ∼7% positive patch test reactions., Objectives: To investigate which ingredients caused allergic contact dermatitis related to hair dye and perming solutions in Japan, to assess whether PPD is suitable for screening for hair dye allergy, and to propose allergens for a Japanese hairdresser series., Methods: We selected 19 hair cosmetic allergens, including PPD, Bandrowski's base, cysteamine HCl, and ammonium thioglycolate. Altogether 203 patients (26 males and 177 females) with suspected contact allergy to hair colouring or perming solutions at 14 hospitals in Japan were included., Results: The highest prevalence of positive reactions (35.1%) was for PPD. p-Methylaminophenol and o-aminophenol were often positive, both in the PPD-positive and in the PPD-negative patients. Moreover, cysteamine HCl often yielded positive test reactions., Conclusions: PPD is insufficient to diagnose contact allergy caused by to hair dyes. We recommend 13 allergens to be included in a Japanese hairdresser series., (© 2017 The Authors. Contact Dermatitis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) epigenetically silences many genes through the trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 and is implicated in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. However, its role in lung cancer has not been well characterized. The objective of the current study was to elucidate the role of EZH2 in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by investigating both clinical samples and cell lines., Methods: An immunohistochemical analysis of EZH2 expression was performed in samples from patients with stage I NSCLC to investigate the association of EZH2 expression levels with clinicopathologic variables. An in vitro cell growth assay and a Matrigel invasion assay also were conducted in the EZH2-expressing NSCLC cell lines A549 and H1299 after knocking down EZH2 expression by using an EZH2-specific short-hairpin RNA., Results: The immunohistochemical analysis classified stage I NSCLC samples (n = 106) into a negative EZH2 expression group (n = 40; 37.7%) and a positive EZH2 expression group (n = 66; 62.3%). Positive EZH2 expression was associated significantly with larger tumor size (P = .014). Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and log-rank tests demonstrated that patients whose samples were classified into the positive EZH2 expression group had a significantly shorter overall survival (P = .015). Experiments in the NSCLC cell lines revealed that the knockdown of EZH2 expression reduced the tumor growth rate and invasive activity., Conclusions: The current results indicated that EZH2 promotes progression and invasion of NSCLC, and its expression is a novel prognostic biomarker in NSCLC., (Copyright © 2011 American Cancer Society.)

A method for quantifying two toxic glycoalkaloids, alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine, in potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber tissue was developed using HPLC-electrospray ionisation (ESI)/MS. Potato samples were extracted with 5% aqueous acetic acid, and the extracts were subjected directly to HPLC-ESI/MS after filtration. By determining the intensities of the protonated molecules of alpha-solanine (m/z 868) and alpha-chaconine (m/z 852) using selected ion monitoring (positive ion mode), a sensitive assay was attained with detection limits of 38 and 14 ppb for the two glycoalkaloids, respectively. The high sensitivity and selectivity of MS detection effectively reduced the time of analysis thus enabling a high throughput assay of glycoalkaloids in potato tubers.

The natural occurrence of Japanese cedar [Cryptomeria japonica (CJ)] pollinosis has been reported in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata). The present study was designed to investigate seasonal changes in immunological reactions to CJ pollen allergens in monkeys with CJ pollinosis. Blood samples were collected from six monkeys with CJ pollinosis before and after CJ pollen season. Seasonal changes in specific IgE and IgG to major allergens (Cry j 1 and Cry j 2) were observed before and after CJ pollen season. The humoral responses decreased significantly before CJ pollen and increased after CJ pollen season. Similar seasonal changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells proliferative responses to CJ allergens were observed before and after CJ pollen season. These humoral and cellular immune responses might serve as a biomarker for assessing new immunotherapies for monkeys with pollinosis.

Previous studies of white matter signal hyperintensity (WMSH) on T2-weighted MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) have shown it to be related to decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF). However, there have been few studies on the relationship of WMSH and the internal carotid blood flow (CaBF). Doppler ultrasound sonography is widely used for evaluation of CaBF. We analyzed the relationship between CBF, CaBF, and WMSH. The subjects had not suffered cerebral ischemic episodes although they had some risk factors for stroke. They received MRI and were classified into three groups, i.e. mild, moderate, and severe WMSH. The % stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) was measured with angiography. Doppler sonography was used to measure the mean bilateral CaBF. The oxygen-15 steady-state technique and PET (positron emission tomography) were used to measure CBF. There were significant correlations between the % stenosis of ICA and the ipsilateral CaBF and between the % stenosis of ICA and hemispheric CBF. There was a significant relationship between CBF and CaBF in the severe WMSH group, remaining significant after partialling out of the effects of the % stenosis. This indicated that an atherosclerotic change of the cerebral artery occurred in a way that carotid vascular resistence and cerebrovascular resistence were 'proportional'. Copyright Rapid Science Ltd