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A 75-year-old male, weighing 71 kg, was admitted to our institution with anemia related to a subcapsular hematoma after accidental extraction of a nephrostomy catheter. While the patient exhibited the progression of chronic kidney disease, he was not yet on dialysis. His serum creatinine level increased to 6.8 mg/dL, with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 7.4 mL/min/1.73 m2. Radiologists planned contrast-enhanced photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) with an ultra-low-dose contrast media to mitigate the impact on renal function. The contrast media dosage was set at 7.4 gI, which was 82.6% lower that used in the standard protocol for a male weighing 71 kg. Non-contrast-enhanced PCD-CT identified a low-density nodular area within the renal subcapsular hematoma. Contrast-enhanced PCD-CT revealed contrast enhancement in both the early and late phases corresponding to the nodular area. On virtual monoenergetic images, the renal pseudoaneurysm was most clearly delineated at 40 keV. Following the diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm, transcatheter arterial coil embolization was performed. No subsequent progression of anemia or the deterioration of renal function was observed, showcasing the potential of ultra-low-dose contrast-enhanced PCD-CT for the detection of small vascular abnormalities while minimizing adverse effects on renal function.

Abstract Applying lattice strain to thin films, a critical factor to tailor their properties such as stabilizing a structural phase unstable at ambient pressure, generally necessitates heteroepitaxial growth to control the lattice mismatch with substrate. Therefore, while homoepitaxy, the growth of thin film on a substrate made of the same material, is a useful method to fabricate high‐quality thin films, its application to studying strain‐induced structural phases is limited. Contrary to this general belief, here the quasi‐homoepitaxial growth of Cs and Rb thin films is reported with substantial in‐plane compressive strain. This is achieved by utilizing the alkali‐metal layer existing in bulk crystal of kagome metals AV3Sb5 (A = Cs and Rb) as a structural template. The angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal the formation of metallic quantum well states and notable thickness‐dependent quasiparticle lifetime. Comparison with density functional theory calculations suggests that the obtained thin films crystalize in the face‐centered cubic structure, which is typically stable only under high pressure in bulk crystals. These findings provide a useful approach for synthesizing highly strained thin films by quasi‐homoepitaxy, and pave the way for investigating many‐body interactions in Fermi liquids with tunable dimensionality.

Abstract Fermi-surface (FS) nesting originating from Peierls’ idea of electronic instabilities in one-dimensional materials is a key concept to stabilize charge-density wave (CDW), whereas its applicability to two-dimensional (2D) materials is under intensive debate. Here we report unusual CDW associated with the higher-order FS nesting in monolayer 2D VS2. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy uncovered stripe CDW with $$\sqrt {21} R10.9^\circ \times \sqrt 3 R30^\circ$$ 21 R 10 . 9 ∘ × 3 R 3 0 ∘ periodicity together with an energy-gap opening on the entire FS. We suggest that this CDW involves the higher-order FS-nesting vector 2q twice larger than that of the normal one (q), as supported by the anomalies in the calculated phonon dispersion and electronic susceptibility. The present results suggest that the cooperation of q and 2q nesting leads to the fully gapped CDW state unlike the case of conventional single q nesting which produces a partial gap, pointing to an intriguing mechanism of CDW transition.

Abstract A current key challenge in 2D materials is the realization of emergent quantum phenomena in hetero structures via controlling the moiré potential created by the periodicity mismatch between adjacent layers, as highlighted by the discovery of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene. Generally, the lattice structure of the original host material remains unchanged even after the moiré superlattice is formed. However, much less attention is paid for the possibility that the moiré potential can also modify the original crystal structure itself. Here, it is demonstrated that octahedral MoTe2 which is unstable in bulk is stabilized in a commensurate MoTe2/graphene hetero‐bilayer due to the moiré potential created between the two layers. It is found that the reconstruction of electronic states via the moiré potential is responsible for this stabilization, as evidenced by the energy‐gap opening at the Fermi level observed by angle‐resolved photoemission and scanning tunneling spectroscopies. The present results provide a fresh approach to realize novel 2D quantum phases by utilizing the moiré potential.

Abstract Background Although new-onset diabetes has been described in up to 20% of patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer, reports regarding new-onset diabetes associated with newly developed liver metastasis from pancreatic cancer are limited. Case presentation A 60-year-old man was diagnosed with pancreatic tail cancer without impaired glycemic control. A curative-intent distal pancreatectomy with adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy was performed. Two years after surgery, a high HbA1c concentration and solitary liver metastasis were identified on follow-up examination. Two major chemotherapy regimens, gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel and modified FOLFIRINOX, were sequentially administered to the patient; however, his carbohydrate 19-9 concentration continued to increase. Because the patient’s glycemic control rapidly worsened in synchrony with the tumor growth, insulin therapy was initiated. Although the liver metastasis was refractory to chemotherapy, curative-intent left hepatectomy was performed because only one tumor remained. His impaired glycemic control improved immediately after surgery, and insulin therapy was terminated. When writing this report (2 years after hepatectomy), the patient was alive and recurrence-free. Conclusions New-onset diabetes appeared with the progression of metachronous liver metastasis from pancreatic cancer, without recurrence at any other site. The patient’s diabetic state was improved by resection of the liver tumor, and liver metastasis itself was proven to have caused the glucometabolic disorder by increasing insulin resistance.

The Wada test is the gold standard for determining language-dominant hemisphere. However, the precise determination of language areas in each patient requires more invasive methods, such as electrocortical stimulation. Some studies have reported the use of anesthetic injection into selective cerebral arteries to predict postoperative function. To assess the function of the anterior and posterior language areas separately, we developed an advanced test named the “super-selective Wada test” (ssWada). The ssWada procedure is as follows: an endovascular neurosurgeon identifies the arterial branches of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) perfusing the anterior language area of the inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior language area of the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus using angiography. Behavioral neurologists assess language symptoms before and after propofol administration using a microcatheter tip in the selected arterial branch. From 30 serial patients with epilepsy who underwent ssWada test at Tohoku University Hospital, we retrospectively reviewed patients in whom multiple areas in the bilateral MCA region was examined. Eight cases were identified in this study. All eight cases had been considered for resection of the area overlapping the classical language area. Three of the eight cases were left-dominant, and the within-hemisphere distribution was also considered typical. One case was determined to be left-dominant but atypical in the intra-hemispheric functional distribution. Two cases were right-dominant, and the intra-hemispheric functional distribution was considered a mirror image of the typical pattern. The remaining two cases were considered atypical, not only in terms of bilateral language function, but also in terms of anterior-posterior functional distribution. This case series demonstrates the potential utility of ssWada in revealing separate function of the anterior and posterior language areas. The ssWada allows simulation of local surgical brain resection and detailed investigation of language function, which potentially contributes to planning the resection area. Although indications for ssWada are quite limited, it could play a complementary role to noninvasive testing because it provides information related to resection using a different approach.

Sea-bottom plowing is originally a method used to oxidize sediment by stirring the bottom with a trawl fishing tool, and its effect in increasing primary productivity of the water column was investigated in the western part of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Preliminary field sampling showed that diatom resting stage cells were abundant in the sediment of the tested area at 1.5–2.6 × 105 MPN g-1 wet sediment. When the sediment was added to filtered seawater, diatom cells emerged from the sediment after one day and increased more drastically under a light level corresponding to sunny weather than cloudy weather. In the actual trials of sea-bottom plowing on the field for a continuous period of 4 years, dissolved inorganic nutrients increased at the bottom layer after the plowing and promoted photosynthetic activities of the phytoplankton communities in 2018 and 2021. Chlorophyll a concentration at the middle layers increased 1.06–2.15 times after plowing throughout the trials for 4 years. Diatoms contributed to 67–99% of this chlorophyll a concentrations and included the genera Skeletonema and Chaetoceros, which formed resting-stage cells in the sediment. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. often increased after the plowing, which was assumed to be of seawater origin. Estimated primary productivities of the middle layers dropped once the following day due to turbid water caused by the plowing but increased 2.03–4.41 times after two or five days in 2018, 2019, and 2021. These results suggest that sea-bottom plowing has an enrichment effect on diatoms and could be a possible measure to fertilize the sea.

Kagome metals are interesting for the coexistence of chiral charge density wave and superconductivity. Here, the structural distortion responsible for the charge density wave in KV3Sb5 is investigated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, providing microscopic insight into the charge density wave and superconducting mechanisms.

Abstract Topological Dirac semimetals (TDSs) offer an excellent opportunity to realize outstanding physical properties distinct from those of topological insulators. Since TDSs verified so far have their own problems such as high reactivity in the atmosphere and difficulty in controlling topological phases via chemical substitution, it is highly desirable to find a new material platform of TDSs. By angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy combined with first-principles band-structure calculations, we show that ternary compound BaMg2Bi2 is a TDS with a simple Dirac-band crossing around the Brillouin-zone center protected by the C3 symmetry of crystal. We also found that isostructural SrMg2Bi2 is an ordinary insulator characterized by the absence of band inversion due to the reduction of spin–orbit coupling. Thus, XMg2Bi2 (X = Sr, Ba, etc.) serves as a useful platform to study the interplay among crystal symmetry, spin–orbit coupling, and topological phase transition around the TDS phase.

Monolayer transition metal dechalcogenides are a promising platform to study the interplay of low-dimensionality and electron correlations. Here, the authors report a Mott insulator state in monolayer 1T-TaSe2, that survives far above room temperature and is robust against external perturbations.

Extracting quasiparticle dispersion from photoemission data is challenging and often results in confusion when investigating low-energy excitations. As a solution the authors demonstrate a technique, which applies Bayesian analysis to extract the quasiparticle dynamics of a topological insulator from angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data, and could be applied to other quantum materials.

We have performed micro-/nanofocused angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on cleaved single-crystal surfaces of bismuth to clarify the spatially resolved electronic states. While the dominant area of the cleaved surface was found to display the well-known Rashba-spin-split surface state with the (111)-surface origin, the steplike region with a typical width of ∼10–20 µm shows distinctly different band structure and fermiology originating from the hard-to-cleave (100) surface. This unexpected mixture of the (100)-derived electronic states in a tiny area of the cleaved (111) surface is attributed to the crystal planes separated by a twin boundary, as supported by laser microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction measurements. The present study paves a pathway toward investigating electronic states associated with inhomogeneities and coexisting phases of hard-to-cleave crystal planes and complex materials by spatially resolved ARPES, making this technique a powerful method to investigate the interplay between local electronic states and crystal structures when combined with structural characterization techniques.

Objective: To investigate possible mechanistic factors to explain cefiderocol (CFDC) non-susceptibility, we characterized 38 clinical isolates with a CFDC minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of >4 μg/mL from a multi-national surveillance study. Methods: The MIC measurement in the presence of β-lactamase inhibitors and whole genome sequencing were performed. Results: The MIC decrease of CFDC by β-lactamase inhibitors was observed against all of the test isolates. Among the 38 isolates, NDM and PER genes were observed in 5 and 25 isolates, respectively. No other β-lactamases responsible for high MIC were identified in the other eight isolates. The MIC of CDFC against Escherichia coli isogenic strains introduced with NDM and PER β-lactamase increased by ≥16-fold, suggesting the contribution of NDM and PER to the non-susceptibility to CFDC. Against NDM producers, a ≥8-fold MIC increase was observed only when both serine- and metallo-type β-lactamase inhibitors were added. In addition, many of the PER or NDM producers remained susceptible to CFDC. These results suggested that the presence of only NDM or PER would not lead to non-susceptibility to CFDC and that multiple factors would be related to CFDC resistance. Conclusion: Multiple factors including NDM and PER could be related to reduced susceptibility to CFDC.

Abstract Background Primary neuroendocrine tumor (NET) originating from the extrahepatic bile duct is rare, although liver metastasis from gastroenteropancreatic NET is frequently observed. We herein report a case who successfully underwent repeat hepatectomy for liver metastases from bile duct NET grade 2 (G2). Case presentation A 75-year-old man presented with jaundice and was suspected of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He underwent extended left hepatectomy, extrahepatic bile duct resection, and hepaticojejunostomy. Pathological findings showed a NET G2 of the biliary tract arising from the common bile duct. Two years and 11 months after surgery, a liver metastasis was detected and hepatectomy was performed. During the surgery, another liver metastasis was detected, and limited liver resection for the two lesions was performed. Pathological findings showed four liver metastases of NET G2. Five years and 4 months after the first surgery (2 years and 5 months after the second hepatectomy), four liver metastases were detected. Thereafter, he received somatostatin analogues for 1 year. Although the size of tumors increased slightly, the number did not change. He underwent limited liver resections and was diagnosed with 7 liver metastases of NET G2. Finally, another hepatectomy (fourth hepatectomy) was performed and long-term survival without recurrence was obtained for as long as 8 years after the first surgery. Conclusions Repeat hepatectomy is a good option to obtain long-term survival for liver metastases from bile duct NET G2 in select patients.

Abstract Background Limited data describe the therapeutic practice and outcomes of colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) in elderly patients. We aimed to evaluate the impact of age on multidisciplinary treatment for CRLMs. Methods We reviewed treatment and outcomes for patients in different age groups who underwent initial hepatectomy for CRLMs from 2004 through 2012. Results We studied 462 patients who were divided into three groups by age: ≤ 64 years (n = 265), 65–74 years (n = 151), and ≥ 75 years (n = 46). The rate of major hepatectomy and incidence of postoperative complications did not differ between groups. Adjuvant chemotherapy was used less in the ≥ 75-year group (19.6%) than that in the ≤ 64 (54.3%) or 65–74 age group (43.5%). Repeat hepatectomy for liver recurrence was performed less in the ≥ 75-year group (35%) than in the ≤ 64 (57%) or 65–74 (66%) age group. The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate of 44.2% in the ≥ 75-year group was lower than in the ≤ 64 (59.0%) or 65–74 (64.7%) age group. Multivariate analysis revealed age ≥ 75 years was an independent predictor of poor DSS. Conclusions Liver resection for CRLMs can be performed safely in elderly patients. However, repeat resection for recurrence are performed less frequently in the elderly, which may lead to the poorer disease-specific prognosis.

A pH-responsive membrane is expected to be used for applications such as drug delivery, controlling chemical release, bioprocessing, and water treatment. Polyacrylic acid (PAA) is a pH-responsive polymer that swells at high pH. A tubular α-alumina porous support was coated with PAA by grafting to introduce appropriate functional groups, followed by polymerization with acrylic acid. The permeances of acetic acid, lactic acid, phenol, and caffeine were evaluated by circulating water inside the membrane, measuring the concentration of species that permeated into the water, and analyzing the results with the permeation model. The permeance of all species decreased with increasing pH, and that of phenol was the largest among these species. At high pH, the PAA carboxy group in the membrane dissociated into carboxy ions and protons, causing the swelling of PAA due to electrical repulsion between the negative charges of the PAA chain, which decreased the pore size of the membrane and suppressed permeation. Furthermore, the electrical repulsion between negatively charged species and the PAA membrane also suppressed the permeation. The results of this study demonstrated that the PAA-coated α-alumina porous support functioned as a pH-responsive membrane.

Two-dimensional (2D) growth of ultra-thin Sn films is a prerequisite for examining exotic quantum phenomena as one of their crystallized forms is a promising candidate for topological materials. In this study, we have investigated the ultra-thin film growth of Sn at room temperature with a Fe buffer layer on an insulating Al2O3 substrate using molecular-beam epitaxy. By the insertion of a 2- or 4-nm-thick Fe layer, the growth mode of Sn thin films varies from a three-dimensional (3D) island-based mode on Al2O3 to a 2D layer-based mode on Fe. However, the 3D growth mode reappeared when the thickness of Sn (dSn) reached the critical value dcSn of about 1.0 nm, corresponding to three atomic layers. A systematic increase in the sheet conductance with increasing dSn on the Fe buffer layer revealed that the sheet conductance of the Sn film can be characterized for a thickness less than dcSn. The saturation of the sheet conductance above dcSn indicates a disconnection of the Sn film grown by the island-based growth mode. In addition, the reduction in anomalous Hall resistance in the Sn/Fe bilayer with increasing dSn is attributed to the shunting and short-circuit effects of the conductive ultra-thin 2D Sn layer. By considering the strong coupling between Sn and Fe providing large anomalous Hall effects in the bilayer, further optimization of the 2D growth of ultra-thin Sn on Fe will pave the way to investigate exotic interfacial physical phenomena through electrical transport measurement.

Kagome metals AV_{3}Sb_{5} (A=K, Rb, and Cs) exhibit a unique superconducting ground state coexisting with charge-density wave (CDW), whereas how these characteristics are affected by carrier doping remains unexplored because of the lack of an efficient carrier-doping method. Here we report successful electron doping to CsV_{3}Sb_{5} by Cs dosing, as visualized by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We found that the electron doping with Cs dosing proceeds in an orbital-selective way, as characterized by a marked increase in electron filling of the Sb 5p_{z} and V 3d_{xz/yz} bands as opposed to the relatively insensitive nature of the V 3d_{xy/x^{2}-y^{2}} bands. By monitoring the temperature evolution of the CDW gap around the M[over ¯] point, we found that the CDW can be completely killed by Cs dosing while keeping the saddle point with the V 3d_{xy/x^{2}-y^{2}} character almost pinned at the Fermi level. The present result suggests a crucial role of multiorbital effect to the occurrence of CDW and provides an important step toward manipulating the CDW and superconductivity in AV_{3}Sb_{5}.

The discovery of high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity in one-monolayer FeSe on SrTiO3 has attracted tremendous attention. Subsequent studies suggested the importance of cooperation between intra-FeSe-layer and interfacial interactions to enhance Tc. However, the nature of intra-FeSe-layer interactions, which would play a primary role in determining the pairing symmetry, remains unclear. Here we have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of one-monolayer and alkaline-metal-deposited multilayer FeSe films on SrTiO3, and determined the evolution of quasiparticle band dispersion across Tc. We found that the band dispersion in the superconducting state deviates from the Bogoliubov-quasiparticle dispersion expected from the normal-state band dispersion with a constant gap size. This suggests highly anisotropic pairing originating from small momentum transfer and/or mass renormalization due to electron–boson coupling. This band anomaly is interpreted in terms of the electronic interactions within the FeSe layers that may be related to the high-Tc superconductivity in electron-doped FeSe.

We have performed angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on EuIn_{2}As_{2} which is predicted to be an axion insulator in the antiferromagnetic state. By utilizing soft-x-ray and vacuum-ultraviolet photons, we revealed a three-dimensional hole pocket centered at the Γ point of the bulk Brillouin zone together with a heavily hole-doped surface state in the paramagnetic phase. Upon entering the antiferromagnetic phase, the band structure exhibits a marked reconstruction characterized by the emergence of an “M”-shaped bulk band near the Fermi level. The qualitative agreement with first-principles band-structure calculations suggests the occurrence of bulk-band inversion at the Γ point in the antiferromagnetic phase. We suggest that EuIn_{2}As_{2} provides a good opportunity to study the exotic quantum phases associated with a possible axion-insulator phase.

Nutrient uptake by roots often involves substrate-dependent regulated nutrient transporters. For robust uptake, the system requires a regulatory circuit within cells and a collective, coordinated behaviour across the tissue. A paradigm for such systems is boron uptake, known for its directional transport and homeostasis, as boron is essential for plant growth but toxic at high concentrations. In Arabidopsis thaliana, boron uptake occurs via diffusion facilitators (NIPs) and exporters (BORs), each presenting distinct polarity. Intriguingly, although boron soil concentrations are homogenous and stable, both transporters manifest strikingly swift boron-dependent regulation. Through mathematical modelling, we demonstrate that slower regulation of these transporters leads to physiologically detrimental oscillatory behaviour. Cells become periodically exposed to potentially cytotoxic boron levels, and nutrient throughput to the xylem becomes hampered. We conclude that, while maintaining homeostasis, swift transporter regulation within a polarised tissue context is critical to prevent intrinsic traffic-jam like behaviour of nutrient flow.

Aims. To evaluate the prognostic significance of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients and Methods. Preoperative serum IL-6 was measured in 233 CRC patients and 13 healthy controls. Relationships between IL-6 and various clinicopathological factors were evaluated, and the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates according to IL-6 status were calculated for all patients and according to disease stage. Results. The mean IL-6 level was 6.6 pg/mL in CRC patients and 2.6 pg/mL in healthy controls. Using a cutoff of 6.3 pg/mL, obtained using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, 57 patients had a high IL-6 level. The mean value was higher for stage II disease than for stage III disease. IL-6 status correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) and carcinoembryonic antigen levels, obstruction, and pT4 disease. The OS differed according to the IL-6 status for all patients, whereas the DFS differed for all patients and for those with stage II disease. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that pT4 disease was an independent risk factor for recurrence in all CRC patients; IL-6, CRP, and pT4 were significant risk factors in stage II patients. Conclusions. The preoperative IL-6 level influences the risk of CRC recurrence.

Ischemic reperfusion (IR) during the perinatal period is a known causative factor of fetal brain damage. So far, both morphologic and histologic evidence has shown that fetal brain damage can be observed only several hours to days after an IR insult has occurred. Therefore, to prevent fetal brain damage under these circumstances, a more detailed understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved during an acute response to IR is necessary. In the present work, pregnant mice were exposed to IR on day 18 of gestation by clipping one side of the maternal uterine horn. Simultaneous fetal electrocardiography was performed during the procedure to verify that conditions resulting in fetal brain damage were met. Fetal brain sampling within 30 minutes after IR insult revealed molecular evidence that a fetal response was indeed triggered in the form of inhibition of the Akt-mTOR-S6 synthesis pathway. Interestingly, significant changes in mRNA levels for both HIF-1α and p53 were apparent and gene regulation patterns were observed to switch from a HIF-1α-dependent to a p53-dependent process. Moreover, pre-treatment with pifithrin-α, a p53 inhibitor, inhibited protein synthesis almost completely, revealing the possibility of preventing fetal brain damage by prophylactic pifithrin-α treatment.

Denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidizing (DAMO) microorganisms were enriched from paddy field soils using continuous-flow and batch cultures fed with nitrate or nitrite as a sole electron acceptor. After several months of cultivation, the continuous-flow cultures using nitrite showed remarkable simultaneous methane oxidation and nitrite reduction and DAMO bacteria belonging to phylum NC10 were enriched. A maximum volumetric nitrite consumption rate of 70.4±3.4 mg-N·L(-1)·day(-1) was achieved with very short hydraulic retention time of 2.1 hour. In the culture, about 68% of total microbial cells were bacteria and no archaeal cells were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. In the nitrate-fed continuous-flow cultures, 58% of total microbial cells were bacteria while archaeal cells accounted for 7% of total cell numbers. Phylogenetic analysis of pmoA gene sequence showed that enriched DAMO bacteria in the continuous-flow cultivation had over 98% sequence similarity to DAMO bacteria in the inoculum. In contrast, for batch culture, the enriched pmoA gene sequences had 89-91% sequence similarity to DAMO bacteria in the inoculum. These results indicate that electron acceptor and cultivation method strongly affect the microbial community structures of DAMO consortia.