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Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal X-linked disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, which encodes a cytoskeletal protein, dystrophin. Creatine kinase (CK) is generally used as a blood-based biomarker for muscular disease including DMD, but it is not always reliable since it is easily affected by stress to the body, such as exercise. Therefore, more reliable biomarkers of muscular dystrophy have long been desired. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, ∼22 nucleotide, noncoding RNAs which play important roles in the regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Recently, it has been reported that miRNAs exist in blood. In this study, we hypothesized that the expression levels of specific serum circulating miRNAs may be useful to monitor the pathological progression of muscular diseases, and therefore explored the possibility of these miRNAs as new biomarkers for muscular diseases. To confirm this hypothesis, we quantified the expression levels of miRNAs in serum of the dystrophin-deficient muscular dystrophy mouse model, mdx, and the canine X-linked muscular dystrophy in Japan dog model (CXMD(J)), by real-time PCR. We found that the serum levels of several muscle-specific miRNAs (miR-1, miR-133a and miR-206) are increased in both mdx and CXMD(J). Interestingly, unlike CK levels, expression levels of these miRNAs in mdx serum are little influenced by exercise using treadmill. These results suggest that serum miRNAs are useful and reliable biomarkers for muscular dystrophy.

Objectives Muscular dystrophies are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited myogenic disorders. In clinical tests for these diseases, creatine kinase (CK) is generally used as diagnostic blood-based biomarker. However, because CK levels can be altered by various other factors, such as vigorous exercise, etc., false positive is observed. Therefore, three microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206, were previously reported as alternative biomarkers for duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, no alternative biomarkers have been established for the other muscular dystrophies. Methods We, therefore, evaluated whether these miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206 can be used as powerful biomarkers using the serum from muscular dystrophy patients including DMD, myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), and distal myopathy with rimmed vacuoles (DMRV) by qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification assay. Results Statistical analysis indicated that all these miRNA levels in serum represented no significant differences between all muscle disorders examined in this study and controls by Bonferroni correction. However, some of these indicated significant differences without correction for testing multiple diseases ( P  < 0.05). The median values of miR-1 levels in the serum of patients with LGMD, FSHD, and BMD were approximately 5.5, 3.3 and 1.7 compared to that in controls, 0.68, respectively. Similarly, those of miR-133a and miR-206 levels in the serum of BMD patients were about 2.5 and 2.1 compared to those in controls, 1.03 and 1.32, respectively. Conclusions Taken together, our data demonstrate that levels of miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206 in serum of BMD and miR-1 in sera of LGMD and FSHD patients showed no significant differences compared with those of controls by Bonferroni correction. However, the results might need increase in sample sizes to evaluate these three miRNAs as variable biomarkers.

Contrast media exposure is associated with contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusion (CTO). Aim of this study is to assess the utility of minimum contrast media volume (CMV ≤ 50 mL) during CTO-PCI for CIN prevention in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We extracted data from the Japanese CTO-PCI expert registry; 2863 patients with CKD who underwent CTO-PCI performed from 2014 to 2020 were divided into two groups: minimum CMV ( n  = 191) and non-minimum CMV groups ( n  = 2672). CIN was defined as an increased serum creatinine level of ≥ 25% and/or ≥ 0.5 mg/dL compared with baseline levels within 72 h of the procedure. In the minimum CMV group, the CIN incidence was lower than that in the non-minimum CMV group (1.0% vs. 4.1%; p  = 0.03). Patient success rate was higher and complication rate was lower in the minimum CMV group than in the non-minimum CMV group (96.8% vs. 90.3%; p  = 0.02 and 3.1% vs. 7.1%; p  = 0.03). In the minimum CMV group, the primary retrograde approach was more frequent in the case of J-CTO = 1,2 and 3–5 groups compared to that in non-minimum CMV-PCI group (J-CTO = 0; 11% vs. 17.7%, p  = 0.06; J-CTO = 1; 22% vs. 35.8%, p  = 0.01; J-CTO = 2; 32.4% vs. 46.5%, p  = 0.01; and J-CTO = 3–5; 44.7% vs. 80.0%, p  = 0.02). Minimum CMV-PCI for CTO in CKD patients could reduce the incidence of CIN. The primary retrograde approach was observed to a greater extent in the minimum CMV group, especially in cases of difficult CTO.

English translation team: (affiliation as of May 2021) Ryota Hashimoto, Department of Pathology of Mental Diseases, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry Junichi Iga, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine Ken Inada, Department of Psychiatry, Tokyo Women’s Medical University Taro Kishi, Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University School of Medicine Hiroshi Kimura, Department of Psychiatry, International University of Health and Welfare/Gakuji-kai Kimura Hospital Yuki Matsuda, Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine Nobumi Miyake, Department of Neuropsychiatry, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Kiyotaka Nemoto, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba Shusuke Numata, Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Tokushima University Shinichiro Ochi, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine Hideki Sato, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry Seiichiro Tarutani, Department of Psychiatry, Shin-Abuyama Hospital, Osaka Institute of Clinical Psychiatry Hiroyuki Uchida, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine English translation team: (COI as of 2018-2020) Ryota Hashimoto: Received research grants from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Japan Tobacco Inc., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.; rewards for lectures from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., Lundbeck Japan K.K., Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., and Mochida Pharmaceutical.Co., Ltd.; manuscript fees for writing from Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. Junchi Iga: Received rewards for lectures from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Meiji Seika Pharma Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd., Kyowa Pharmaceutical Industry Co. Ltd., Shionogi & Co. Ltd., Mochida Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Eisai Co. Ltd., Mylan Inc., Sawai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Novartis Pharma K.K., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., MSD K.K., Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Sanofi K.K., Viatris Inc., and Yoshitomiyakuhin Co. Ken Inada: Received research grants, rewards for lectures, manuscript fees for writing, and donations from Astellas Pharma Inc., Eisai Co. Ltd., MSD K.K., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shionogi & Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd., Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Novartis Pharma K.K., Pfizer Inc., Meiji Seika Pharma Co. Ltd., Mochida Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., and Yoshitomiyakuhin Co. Taro Kishi: Received speaker’s honoraria from Sumitomo Dainippon, Otsuka, Eisai, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen, Takeda, Kyowa, Kissei, Meiji, Pfizer, Mochida, Eli Lilly, MSD, Janssen, and Tanabe-Mitsubishi (Yoshitomi); as well as research grants from Eisai, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, and Fujita Health University School of Medicine. Before reading this guideline (For experts, patients, families, and supporters) This guideline was written for specialists in the treatment of schizophrenia, but patients, as well as their families and supporters, may also use this guideline. [...]a very simple explanation will first be given on the aims of this guideline. [...]one may have the impression from reading the individual texts that it is recommended to treat schizophrenia with pharmacological therapy alone, or that pharmacological therapy has a larger effect than other therapies. [...]the available drugs and their administration and the medical system can vary between Japan and other countries. [...]a clinical guideline that is aligned with the medical circumstances in Japan was needed.

Background Filiform polyposis is a rare form of inflammatory polyposis, which is occasionally formed in the colon of patients with history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is characterized by presence of several to hundreds of slender, worm-like polyps in the colon lined by histologically normal colonic mucosa and often coalesce, resulting in a tumor-like mass. Filiform polyposis is most frequently associated with a post-inflammatory reparative process in patients with IBD history, and only cases of filiform polyposis occurring in patients without IBD history have been reported. Filiform polyposis has been considered as a benign inflammatory polyposis without any risk of dysplasia, while the possibility of carcinogenesis of inflammatory polyps is not fully excluded. To date, only three cases of filiform polyposis coexisting with dysplasia have been reported. Case presentation A 59-year-old male patient with no past medical history of IBD underwent laparoscopic sigmoidectomy for obstructive filiform polyposis, which was associated with sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma. Based on the histological findings of the resected specimen, invasive sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma was surrounded by filiform polyposis, and adenocarcinoma also scattered uniformly on the surface of filiform polyposis. In immunohistochemistry, abnormal p53 expression was observed in adenocarcinoma, while it was not shown in mucosa on filiform polyposis. Conclusions This is the fourth case of filiform polyposis that is closely associated with colon dysplasia or adenocarcinoma based on histological findings. However, immunohistochemical findings did not support the theory that inflammation initiates adenocarcinoma in filiform polyposis like IBD. Hence, further immunohistochemical and genetic analyses are needed to clarify the association between filiform polyposis and carcinogenesis.

Wheat blast, a devastating disease having spread recently from South America to Asia and Africa, is caused by Pyricularia oryzae (synonym of Magnaporthe oryzae) pathotype Triticum, which first emerged in Brazil in 1985. Rmg8 and Rmg7, genes for resistance to wheat blast found in common wheat and tetraploid wheat, respectively, recognize the same avirulence gene, AVR-Rmg8. Here we show that an ancestral resistance gene, which had obtained an ability to recognize AVR-Rmg8 before the differentiation of Triticum and Aegilops, has expanded its target pathogens. Molecular cloning revealed that Rmg7 was an allele of Pm4, a gene for resistance to wheat powdery mildew on 2AL, whereas Rmg8 was its homoeologue on 2BL ineffective against wheat powdery mildew. Rmg8 variants with the ability to recognize AVR-Rmg8 were distributed not only in Triticum spp. but also in Aegilops speltoides, Aegilopsumbellulata and Aegilopscomosa. This result suggests that the origin of resistance gene(s) recognizing AVR-Rmg8 dates back to the time before differentiation of A, B, S, U and M genomes, that is, ~5 Myr before the emergence of its current target, the wheat blast fungus. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that, in the evolutionary process thereafter, some of their variants gained the ability to recognize the wheat powdery mildew fungus and evolved into genes controlling dual resistance to wheat powdery mildew and wheat blast.Rmg8 and Rmg7, genes for resistance to wheat blast, proved to be a homoeologue and an allele of Pm4, a gene for resistance to powdery mildew. Their functional homologues were also found in Aegilops spp., suggesting that their origin dates back to the time before differentiation of Triticum and Aegilops.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of human resources for health promotion advocacy in a rural community. A 16-item questionnaire was sent to 1000 residents of a rural Japanese town. Items concerned demographics, participation in organizational activities, awareness of volunteer activities, and willingness to participate in community-based oral health activities. Responses were measured on a 5-point scale. The response rate was 57.4%. To reveal potential factors from the distribution of responses, a principal component analysis was performed, and 4 components were extracted. The components were interpreted as “Municipality initiative,” “Personal initiative,” “Worth volunteering,” and “Internal health locus of control (HLC),” respectively. The results of multiple regression analysis using the above components stratified by gender and age- group revealed that potential leaders in oral health activities in Japan are presently participating in social activities of their own accord and highly value volunteer activity. Target groups are senior males and middle-aged females.

The detection performance of a portable ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) (SABRE 4000, Smiths Detection) with 63 Ni ionization, air purification, and reduced ion mobility measurements using calibrants was investigated for vapors of chemical warfare agents. In a matter of several seconds, the SABRE 4000 enabled tentative identification of sarin, soman, cyclohexylsarin, tabun, and nitrogen mustard 3, each with a limit of alarm (LOA) of 0.005–0.5 mg m −3 in positive ion collection mode. Hydrogen cyanide could be identified with a LOA of 0.2 mg m −3 in the negative mode. Mustard gas, nitrogen mustards 1, 2, and 3, phosgene, and chloropicrin showed a positive alarm of “HD/Phos” with a LOA of 0.2–2 mg m −3 in negative mode. Lewisite 1, cyanogen chloride, and chlorine vapors did not show any alarm, although the characteristic ion peaks appeared in negative mode. The peak areas of the respective detected ions on the second differentiation spectra were positively correlated with the corresponding vapor concentrations in low concentration ranges. Several chemical agent simulants and organic solvents were also examined for detection by the machine. The SABRE 4000 is superior to other portable IMS machines at this time, although some improvements of the system are necessary.