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BNCT is a radiotherapeutic method for cancer treatment that uses tumor-targeting 10B-compounds. BNCT for cutaneous melanoma using BPA, a phenylalanine derivative, was first initiated by Mishima et al. in 1987. This article reviews the radiobiological basis of melanoma control and damage to normal tissues as well as the results of clinical studies. Experimental studies showed that the compound biological effectiveness (CBE) values of the 10B (n, α)7Li reaction for melanoma control ranged from 2.5 to 3.3. The CBE values of the 10B (n, α)7Li reaction for skin damage ranged from 2.4 to 3.7 with moist desquamation as the endpoint. The required single radiation dose for controlling human melanoma was estimated to be 25 Gy-Eq or more by analyzing the 50% tumor control dose data of conventional fractionated radiotherapy. From the literature, the maximum permissible dose to human skin by single irradiation was estimated to be 18 Gy-Eq. With respect to the pharmacokinetics of BPA in patients with melanoma treated with 85–350 mg/kg BPA, the melanoma-to-blood ratio ranged from 2.1–3.8 and the skin-to-blood ratio was 1.31 ± 0.22. Good local tumor control and long-term survival of the patients were achieved in two clinical trials of BNCT conducted in Japan.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a cancer-selective radiotherapy that utilizes the cancer targeting 10B-compound. Cancer cells that take up the compound are substantially damaged by the high liner energy transfer (LET) particles emitted mainly from the 10B(n, α7Li reaction. BNCT can minimize the dose to normal tissues, but it must be performed within the tolerable range of normal tissues. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the response of normal tissues to BNCT. Since BNCT yields a mixture of high and low LET radiations that make it difficult to understand the radiobiological basis of BNCT, it is important to evaluate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) and compound biological effectiveness (CBE) factors for assessing the responses of normal tissues to BNCT. BSH and BPA are the only 10B-compounds that can be used for clinical BNCT. Their biological behavior and cancer targeting mechanisms are different; therefore, they affect the CBE values differently. In this review, we present the RBE and CBE values of BPA or BSH for normal tissue damage by BNCT irradiation. The skin, brain (spinal cord), mucosa, lung, and liver are included as normal tissues. The CBE values of BPA and BSH for tumor control are also discussed.

Hybrid silicon optical modulator brings efficiency benefits. Demand for more transmission capacity in data centres is increasing due to the continuous growth of Internet traffic. The introduction of external modulators into datacom networks is essential with advanced modulation formats. However, the large footprint of silicon photonics Mach–Zehnder (MZ) modulators will limit further increases in transmission capacity 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . To overcome this, we introduce III–V compound semiconductors because the large electron-induced refractive-index change, high electron mobility and low carrier-plasma absorption are beneficial for overcoming the trade-offs among the voltage–length product ( V π L ), operation speed and insertion loss of Si MZ modulators. Here, we demonstrate an MZ modulator with a 250-µm-long InGaAsP/Si metal-oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitor phase-shifter and obtain a V π L of 0.09 Vcm in accumulation mode, an insertion loss of ∼1.0 dB, a cutoff frequency of ∼2.2 GHz in depletion mode and a 32-Gbit s –1 modulation with signal pre-emphasis. These results are promising for fabricating high-capacity large-scale photonic integrated circuits with low power consumption.

Detection of dysmorphic cells in peripheral blood (PB) smears is essential in diagnostic screening of hematological diseases. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are hematopoietic neoplasms characterized by dysplastic and ineffective hematopoiesis, which diagnosis is mainly based on morphological findings of PB and bone marrow. We developed an automated diagnostic support system of MDS by combining an automated blood cell image-recognition system using a deep learning system (DLS) powered by convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with a decision-making system using extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The DLS of blood cell image-recognition has been trained using datasets consisting of 695,030 blood cell images taken from 3,261 PB smears including hematopoietic malignancies. The DLS simultaneously classified 17 blood cell types and 97 morphological features of such cells with >93.5% sensitivity and >96.0% specificity. The automated MDS diagnostic system successfully differentiated MDS from aplastic anemia (AA) with high accuracy; 96.2% of sensitivity and 100% of specificity (AUC 0.990). This is the first CNN-based automated initial diagnostic system for MDS using PB smears, which is applicable to develop new automated diagnostic systems for various hematological disorders.

Recent studies have demonstrated developmental changes of functional brain networks derived from functional connectivity using graph theoretical analysis, which has been rapidly translated to studies of brain network organization. However, little is known about sex- and IQ-related differences in the topological organization of functional brain networks during development. In this study, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) was used to map the functional brain networks in 51 healthy children. We then investigated the effects of age, sex, and IQ on economic small-world properties and regional nodal properties of the functional brain networks. At a global level of whole networks, we found significant age-related increases in the small-worldness and local efficiency, significant higher values of the global efficiency in boys compared with girls, and no significant IQ-related difference. Age-related increases in the regional nodal properties were found predominately in the frontal brain regions, whereas the parietal, temporal, and occipital brain regions showed age-related decreases. Significant sex-related differences in the regional nodal properties were found in various brain regions, primarily related to the default mode, language, and vision systems. Positive correlations between IQ and the regional nodal properties were found in several brain regions related to the attention system, whereas negative correlations were found in various brain regions primarily involved in the default mode, emotion, and language systems. Together, our findings of the network topology of the functional brain networks in healthy children and its relationship with age, sex, and IQ bring new insights into the understanding of brain maturation and cognitive development during childhood and adolescence.

To determine the relationship between age and gray matter structure and how interactions between gender and hemisphere impact this relationship, we examined correlations between global or regional gray matter volume and age, including interactions of gender and hemisphere, using a general linear model with voxel-based and region-of-interest analyses. Brain magnetic resonance images were collected from 1460 healthy individuals aged 20-69 years; the images were linearly normalized and segmented and restored to native space for analysis of global gray matter volume. Linearly normalized images were then non-linearly normalized and smoothed for analysis of regional gray matter volume. Analysis of global gray matter volume revealed a significant negative correlation between gray matter ratio (gray matter volume divided by intracranial volume) and age in both genders, and a significant interaction effect of age × gender on the gray matter ratio. In analyzing regional gray matter volume, the gray matter volume of all regions showed significant main effects of age, and most regions, with the exception of several including the inferior parietal lobule, showed a significant age × gender interaction. Additionally, the inferior temporal gyrus showed a significant age × gender × hemisphere interaction. No regional volumes showed significant age × hemisphere interactions. Our study may contribute to clarifying the mechanism(s) of normal brain aging in each brain region.

Prior research has implied that promoting sustaining physical activity through nudges is challenging and boosting health literacy is important for the long-term establishment of behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of commitment-based health application on step count and health literacy. A control experiment was conducted involving employees from companies located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Participants were divided into three groups: the commitment app group (utilizing a commitment-based application \"Minchalle,\" where teams of around five members were randomly assigned to declare a target step count and report daily step count with pictures), the self-commitment group (individuals declaring a target step count and endeavoring on their own), and the control group (no intervention). Changes in step count and health literacy were examined over one month. A total of 109 employees from 7 companies participated. The changes in step count were an increase of 893 steps for the commitment app group, 243 steps for the self-commitment group, and 178 steps for the control group, with a significant increase in the commitment app group compared to the control group. Regarding health literacy measures, there was significant progress in four items out of five for the commitment app group compared to the control group, and significant progress in one item for the self-commitment group compared to the control group. Communication within the app teams, such as commitment, sharing photos of their goal achievements and provide encouraging comments to others, functioned as social nudges, suggesting the potential for an immediate increase in step count and long-term behavioral reinforcement through improved health literacy.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with increasing prevalence in Japan. While pharmacological therapies have advanced, the effect of dietary timing, particularly breakfast skipping, on disease course remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the JMDC database (2015–2023), which contains claims and annual health checkup data from about 8.17 million insured individuals. We identified 1645 UC patients who initiated corticosteroid therapy within 1 year after diagnosis and were followed for at least 3 years. Breakfast skipping was defined as skipping breakfast more than three times per week. The primary outcome was steroid withdrawal, defined as discontinuation of corticosteroid prescriptions. Logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for steroid withdrawal according to breakfast habits. Among 1645 patients, 303 (18.4%) reported skipping breakfast. Steroid withdrawal occurred in 543 patients (33.0%), including 108 (35.6%) in the breakfast skipping group and 435 (32.4%) in the breakfast consuming group. In fully adjusted models accounting for 5‐aminosalicylic acid and immunosuppressant use, breakfast skipping was associated with higher odds of steroid withdrawal (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.08–2.14). These findings suggest that meal timing may influence sustained remission in UC.

To assess the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and complications of type 2 diabetes among young adults in Japan. A cross-sectional study. Outpatient wards of 96 member hospitals and clinics of the Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions. A total of 782 outpatients with type 2 diabetes (525 males, 257 females), aged 20-40 years as of March 31, 2012. After excluding 110 participants whose retinopathy diagnosis was in question, 672 participants were analyzed. We examined the relations between SES (educational level, income, type of public healthcare insurance, and employment status) and diabetes complications (retinopathy and nephropathy) using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of type 2 diabetic retinopathy was 23.2%, while that of nephropathy was 8.9%. The odds of having retinopathy were higher among junior high school graduates (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.09-3.34), patients receiving public assistance (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.20-3.95), and patients with irregular (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.03-2.86) or no employment (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.36-3.68), compared to those with a higher SES, even after covariate adjustment (e.g., age, gender, body mass index). Similarly, the odds of having nephropathy were higher among patients with middle (OR 3.61, 95% CI 1.69-8.27) or low income levels (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.11-6.07), even after covariate adjustment. Low SES was associated with a greater likelihood of type 2 diabetes complications in young adults. These findings suggest the necessity of health policies that mitigate socioeconomic disparity and thereby reduce the prevalence of diabetic complications.

Background In 2023, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was defined as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to avoid stigmatizing terminology. Although recent studies have suggested an association between MASLD and serum uric acid (SUA), the evidence remains limited. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between MASLD and SUA in Japanese participants. Methods This cross-sectional study included 3,264 eligible participants (1,917 men and 1,347 women) who underwent voluntary health checkups at Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, between January 2021 and December 2023. Data on basic characteristics, anthropometric indices, blood pressure, glycemic and lipid markers, SUA levels, and medical histories were collected. Steatosis was assessed by computed tomography or ultrasound. MASLD was defined as imaging-confirmed steatosis plus at least one metabolic dysfunction criterion. The participants were stratified into sex-specific SUA quartiles. Associations between MASLD and SUA quartiles were evaluated by multivariable logistic and Poisson regression, adjusted for age, alcohol consumption, smoking, estimated glomerular filtration rate, urate-lowering medication use, and body mass index. The results are reported as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) or prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Higher SUA levels were significantly associated with MASLD prevalence. After adjustment for confounders, the association remained significant. Compared with the lowest quartile, the AORs (95% CI) for MASLD in men were: Q2, 1.45 (1.08–1.97, p  < 0.01); Q3, 1.43 (1.04–1.95, p  < 0.01); and Q4, 2.00 (1.45–2.76, p  < 0.01). In women, the AORs were: Q2, 1.45 (0.90–2.35, p  = 0.13); Q3, 2.21 (1.39–3.53, p  < 0.01); and Q4, 3.52 (2.22–5.56, p  < 0.01). SUA that was treated as a continuous variable showed a clear dose–response association in both sexes. Sensitivity analyses using imaging-defined steatosis yielded consistent results. Conclusions SUA levels were positively associated with MASLD in both men and women, with women showing elevated MASLD risk even at SUA levels below the conventional hyperuricemia threshold. SUA might serve as a clinically relevant metabolic indicator; consideration of sex-specific metabolic risk might improve MASLD risk assessment. Further research on clarifying causal pathways is warranted. Clinical trial number Not applicable.