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Mechanically-alloyed Ni-base ODS superalloys currently receive attention for application in future gas turbines because they exhibit outstanding mechanical properties at high temperatures. They also protect themselves against oxidation by forming chromia and/or alumina scales. However, little attention has been given so far to the initial stages of oxidation of Ni-base ODS superalloys, containing Cr as well as Al in considerable amounts. In the current work, oxidation at 1150°C was studied for different holding times up to 200 hr for the commercial materials MA6000 and PM3030 which contain. Al in increasing amounts. MA 754, a chromia former, was investigated as a reference. It was shown that for the potential alumina formers MA6000 and PM3030 the continuity and therefore protectiveness of the secondary Al2O3 at later stages is indeed determined by the initial stages of oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) may suffer from insomnia and use hypnotics. However, the effect of the use of hypnotics on their clinical course remains unclear., Research Question: Is the use of hypnotics associated with an increased risk of mortality in patients with IPF?, Study Design and Participants: This study included 99 and 123 patients with IPF from the Hamamatsu and Seirei hospital-based cohorts, respectively, and 30,218 patients with IPF from the national claims database of Japan (NDB cohort). To analyze the association of hypnotic use with outcomes avoiding immortal time bias, multivariable Cox models with time-dependent covariates and target trial emulation with a new user design were employed for the hospital- and NDB-based cohorts, respectively., Results: In the cohorts studied, the 3-year cumulative incidence of new use of hypnotics after IPF diagnosis was 13.4%-24.1%. In both the hospital-based cohorts, the continuous use of hypnotics was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and disease progression. In the NDB cohort, the continuous use of hypnotics was also associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Subgroup analysis found associations between the continuous use of hypnotics and increased mortality regardless of sex and comorbidities, excluding certain subpopulations., Interpretation: This study found that continuous use of hypnotics was associated with an increased risk of mortality in patients with IPF. Given the relatively high cumulative incidence of hypnotic use in this population, there is an urgent need to reassess the appropriate use of hypnotics for patients with IPF., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Cerebral arterial air embolism (CAE) is a rare complication after esophageal stenting, but it can be life-threatening. It is especially a concern for those with a history of previous gastrointestinal cancer therapies. We report a case of CAE after esophageal stenting in a patient with recurrent gastroesophageal junction cancer and a history of multiple cancer treatments. A 71 year-old man with a history of a proximal gastrectomy, resection of the lower esophagus, chemotherapy, and radiation presented to our hospital 2 weeks after stenting with epigastric and back pain. Mediastinitis was suspected and conservative treatment was begun. The patient suddenly developed altered mental status, left hemiplegia, and anisocoria after drinking water. A brain computed tomography (CT) revealed right-sided predominance of multifocal CAE. Chest and abdominal CT showed a hematoma in the gastric and duodenal wall and an intraluminal hematoma from the esophagus, around the stent, to the upper ileum. CAE was thought to be due to rupture of the recurrent tumor. Unfortunately, despite intensive care, the patient died about 5 h after the onset of neurological symptoms. It has been reported that prior treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, increase the risk of life-threatening adverse events, including CAE after esophageal stenting. Clinicians should keep in mind the possibility of CAE after esophageal stenting in patients with a history of multiple cancer treatments., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Gastroduodenal stenting (GDS) is a less invasive alternative to gastrojejunostomy for the management of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (mGOO). GDS is a minimally invasive treatment with good technical and clinical success, and severe complications that require surgical intervention are rare. Stent fracture is an uncommon complication associated with GDS; however, migration of the fractured distal segment can result in small bowel obstruction. Adverse effects of stent fractures in patients with mGOO have rarely been reported. We herein report two surgical cases of small bowel obstruction caused by the migration of fractured metal stent in patients with mGOO.

Superresolution microscopy (SR microscopy) of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) occurring in subcellular structures is essential for understanding cellular functions. However, a powerful and useful technology for SR microscopy of PPIs remains elusive. Here, we develop a highly efficient photoconvertible fluorescent probe, named split-Dendra2, for SR microscopy of PPIs in the cell. We found that split-Dendra2 enables a highly efficient detection of PPIs, making it possible to perform SR microscopy of PPIs with high spatial resolution and high image reconstruction fidelity. We demonstrate the utility of split-Dendra2 by visualizing PPIs occurring in small subcellular structures at the superresolution, such as clathrin-coated pits and focal adhesions, which cannot be visualized by the existing tools. Split-Dendra2 offers a powerful and useful tool that greatly expands the possibility of SR microscopy and can contribute to revealing the function of PPIs at the nanoscale resolution.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall, activates Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) may be involved in the progression of periodontal disease. Mice exposed to a novel environment show hyperlocomotion that is inhibited by systemic administration of LPS derived from Escherichia coli (Ec-LPS). However, whether Pg-LPS influences novelty-induced locomotion is unknown. Accordingly, we carried out an open field test to analyse the effects of Pg-LPS. For comparison, effects of Ec-LPS were also studied. We additionally investigated the influence of systemic administration of Pg-LPS or Ec-LPS on IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 levels in blood, as they could be involved in the changes in locomotion. The TLR4 receptor antagonist TAK-242 was used to study the involvement of TLR4. Since Pg-LPS may block TLR4 in vitro, we analysed the effects of Pg-LPS on Ec-LPS-induced changes in behavioural and biochemical parameters. Male ddY mice were used. Pg- or Ec-LPS and TAK-242 were administered intraperitoneally. Ec-LPS (840 μg/kg), but not Pg-LPS (100, 500 and 840 μg/kg), inhibited novelty-induced locomotion, which was antagonized by TAK-242 (3.0 mg/kg). Ec-LPS (840 μg/kg) increased blood levels of IL-6 and IL-10, which were antagonized by TAK-242 (3.0 mg/kg). However, TAK-242 did not inhibit Ec-LPS-induced increases in TNF-alpha levels in blood. Pg-LPS (100, 500, and 840 μg/kg) did not alter blood IL-6, TNF-alpha, or IL-10 levels. The Ec-LPS-induced increase in blood IL-10, but not IL-6 and TNF-alpha, levels was inhibited by Pg-LPS (500 μg/kg). These results suggest that TLR4 stimulation mediates the inhibition of novel environment-induced locomotion in mice following systemic administration of Ec-LPS, while also increasing blood IL-6 and IL-10 levels. In contrast, Pg-LPS did not exhibit these effects. The present study also provides in vivo evidence that Pg-LPS can inhibit TLR4-mediated increases in blood levels of IL-10, a cytokine thought to prevent the development of periodontal disease., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Aono 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.)

Iron is a vital metal for most biological functions in tissues, and its concentration is exquisitely regulated at the cellular level. During the process of differentiation, keratinocytes in the epidermis undergo a noticeable reduction in iron content. Conversely, psoriatic lesions, characterized by disruptions in epidermal differentiation, frequently reveal an excessive accumulation of iron within keratinocytes that have undergone differentiation. In this study, we clarified the significance of attenuated cellular iron content in the intricate course of epidermal differentiation. We illustrated this phenomenon through the utilization of hinokitiol, an iron chelator derived from the heartwood of Taiwanese hinoki, which forcibly delivers iron into cells independent of the intrinsic iron-regulation systems. While primary cultured keratinocytes readily succumbed to necrotic cell death by this iron chelator, mild administration of the hinokitiol-iron complex modestly disrupts the process of differentiation in these cells. Notably, keratinocyte model cells HaCaT and anaplastic skin rudiments exhibit remarkable resilience against the cytotoxic impact of hinokitiol, and the potent artificial influx of iron explains a suppressive effect selectively on epidermal differentiation. Moreover, the augmentation of iron content induced by the overexpression of divalent metal transporter 1 culminates in the inhibition of differentiation in HaCaT cells. Consequently, the diminution in cellular iron content emerges as an important determinant influencing the trajectory of keratinocyte differentiation., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: Patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) have a favourable prognosis when they have interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF). However, precise IPAF-related findings from high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and lung histopathological specimens and the treatment response have not been fully determined. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between findings on HRCT or lung histopathological specimens and the progression of interstitial pneumonia in patients with IPAF., Methods: This multicentre cohort study prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with IIP. At the diagnosis of IIP, we systematically evaluated 74 features suggestive of connective tissue diseases and followed them up. HRCT, lung specimens, serum antibodies, and the clinical course were also evaluated., Results: Among 222 patients with IIP, 26 (11.7%) fulfilled the IPAF criteria. During a median observation period of 36 months, patients with IPAF showed better survival than those without IPAF (p = 0.034). While histopathological findings were not related to IPAF, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) with organizing pneumonia (OP) overlap was the most prevalent HRCT pattern (p < 0.001) and the consolidation opacity was the most common radiological finding in IPAF (p = 0.017). Furthermore, in patients with IPAF, the diagnosis of COP or NSIP with OP overlap was associated with a higher increase in %FVC in 1 year than in those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, NSIP, or unclassifiable IIP (p = 0.002)., Conclusions: This study shows the presence of consolidation opacity on HRCT and the diagnosis of COP or NSIP with OP overlap are associated with IPAF and its favourable treatment response in patients with IPAF., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Noriyuki Enomoto received funding from Boehringer Ingelheim Japan Co., Ltd. All of other authors did not receive funding., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal condition characterized by fibroblast and myofibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition. TGF-β plays a pivotal role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, modulation of TGF-β signaling is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating pulmonary fibrosis. To date, however, interventions targeting TGF-β have not shown consistent efficacy. CD109 is a GPI-anchored glycoprotein that binds to TGF-β receptor I and negatively regulates TGF-β signaling. However, no studies have examined the role and therapeutic potential of CD109 in pulmonary fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the role and therapeutic value of CD109 in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. CD109-transgenic mice overexpressing CD109 exhibited significantly attenuated pulmonary fibrosis, preserved lung function, and reduced lung fibroblasts and myofibroblasts compared with wild-type (WT) mice. CD109-/- mice exhibited pulmonary fibrosis comparable to WT mice. CD109 expression was induced in variety types of cells, including lung fibroblasts and macrophages, upon bleomycin exposure. Recombinant CD109 protein inhibited TGF-β signaling and significantly decreased ACTA2 expression in human fetal lung fibroblast cells in vitro. Administration of recombinant CD109 protein markedly reduced pulmonary fibrosis in bleomycin-treated WT mice in vivo. Our results suggest that CD109 is not essential for the development of pulmonary fibrosis, but excess CD109 protein can inhibit pulmonary fibrosis development, possibly through suppression of TGF-β signaling. CD109 is a novel therapeutic candidate for treating pulmonary fibrosis., (Copyright © 2024 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.)