The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that occurred in March 2011 not only resulted in the loss of many human lives due to earthquakes and tsunamis, but also led to the occurrence of nuclear accidents involving the widespread diffuse release of radioactive materials at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). The nuclear accident created great apprehension among residents of the Fukushima Prefecture, where the FDNPP is located, and residents of Northeastern Japan outside of Fukushima, such as the south region of the Miyagi Prefecture, which is adjacent to the northern part of Fukushima Prefecture. The Miyagi Prefecture is located approximately 50 to 120 km from the FDNPP. In Miyagi before the nuclear accident, nuclear disaster drills including respondent to residents’ anxieties had been conducted at Onagawa Town, Ishinomaki City and prefectural office, and radiologic technologists had participated in the drills. In the face of the actual nuclear disaster, radiologic technologists carried out personalized consultation activities with the aim of eliminating anxiety among pregnant women and parents with infants at two local governments in the south region of Miyagi. After the activities, we conducted questionnaire survey on the activities, and were able to obtain evaluations and various opinions. This paper discusses regarding the efforts to personalized consultation and the results of questionnaire survey conducted by the radiologic technologists in the southern Miyagi following the FDNPP accident.

Fluid mechanics show that high-density gases need more energy while flowing through a tube. Thus, high-density anesthetic gases consume more energy to flow and less energy for lung inflation during general anesthesia. However, its impact has not been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of high-density anesthetic gases on tidal volume in laboratory and clinical settings. In the laboratory study, a test lung was ventilated at the same pressure-controlled ventilation with 22 different gas compositions (density range, 1.22-2.27 kg/m³) using an anesthesia machine. A pneumotachometer was used to record the tidal volume of the test lung and the respiratory gas composition; it showed that the tidal volume of the test lung decreased as the respiratory gas density increased. In the clinical study, the change in tidal volume per body weight, accompanied by gas composition change (2% sevoflurane in oxygen and with 0-30-60% of N₂O), was recorded in 30 pediatric patients. The median tidal volume per body weight decreased by 10% when the respiratory gas density increased from 1.41 kg/m³ to 1.70 kg/m³, indicating a significant between-group difference (P < 0.0001). In both settings, an increase in respiratory gas density decreased the tidal volume during pressure-controlled ventilation, which could be explained by the fluid dynamics theory. This study clarified the detailed mechanism of high-density anesthetic gas reduced the tidal volume during mechanical ventilation and revealed that this phenomenon occurs during pediatric anesthesia, which facilitates further understanding of the mechanics of ventilation during anesthesia practice and respiratory physiology.

Aging affects various sensory functions of the body. However, the effect on the oral mucosal nociception has remain unclear, so this elucidation is very important. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of age-related changes in transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and TRPV2 expression in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons on intraoral mucosal heat sensitivity in the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) model. We used 23-week-old (aged) and 7-week-old (young) SAMP8 mice. Heat stimulation was applied to the palatal mucosa under light anesthesia; moreover, the heat head withdrawal threshold (HHWT) was measured. We counted the number of TRPV1-immunoreactive (IR) and TRPV2-IR TG neurons innervating the palatal mucosa. Additionally, we investigated changes in HHWT when TRPV1 or TRPV2 antagonists (SB366791 or Tranilast) were administered to the palatal mucosa. Aged SAMP8 mice showed a higher HHWT than young SAMP8 mice. Compared with the aged SAMP8 mice, young SAMP8 mice showed a larger number of TRPV1-IR small-diameter neurons and a smaller number of TRPV2-IR medium-sized neurons innervating the palatal mucosa. SB366791 administration increased the HHWT in young, but not aged SAMP8 mice. Contrastingly, Tranilast administration increased the HHWT in aged, but not young SAMP8 mice. These results suggest that the modulation of heat pain sensitivity in the oral mucosa due to aging is dependent on changes in the TRPV1 and TRPV2 expression patterns in the TG neurons innervating the palatal mucosa.

Vasohibin-1 (VASH1) is an angiogenesis inhibitor, while vasohibin-2 (VASH2) is a proangiogenic factor. The roles of VASH1 and VASH2 expression in gastroenterological cancers remain unclear. We searched for relevant literature, specifically studies on gastroenterological cancer, and evaluated the relationship between VASH expression and clinical outcomes. Nine studies on VASH1 involving 1,574 patients were included. VASH1 expression was associated with the TNM stage [OR (odds ratio) 2.05, 95% CI (confidence interval) 1.24-3.40], lymph node metastasis (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.24-2.58), lymphatic invasion (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.41-2.68), and venous invasion (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.60-3.88); poor clinical outcomes were associated with high VASH1 expression. High VASH1 expression was associated with a significantly shorter overall survival (OS) [HR (hazard ratio) 1.69, 95% CI 1.25-2.29] and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.28-3.15). Three studies on VASH2 involving 469 patients were analyzed. VASH2 expression was associated with the TNM stage (OR 4.21, 95% CI 1.89-9.51) and venous invasion (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.15-3.84); poor clinical outcomes were associated with high VASH2 expression. High VASH2 expression was associated with a significantly lower OS (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.09-2.37). In conclusion, high VASH1 and VASH2 expression levels were associated with poor clinical outcomes and prognosis in patients with gastroenterological cancers.

Myositis-specific autoantibodies are relevant factors that define the disease phenotype of dermatomyositis (DM). Anti-Mi-2 antibody-positive DM patients may present with the typical skin lesions and prominent myositis. On the other hand, adult DM patients with anti-TIF-γ antibody seem to be associated with internal malignancy. Here, we report a rare case of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) exhibiting anti-Mi-2 and anti-transcriptional intermediary factor-1 gamma (TIF1-γ) antibodies, with no internal malignancy. A 16-year-old female Japanese patient under treatment with a 2-year history of chronic eczematous lesions was admitted to our department with elevated levels of muscle enzymes. Characteristic skin changes, such as Gottron’s papules of the hand, heliotrope rash of the eyelids, and poikiloderma-like legions and diffuse pigmentation on the back, were observed. Histologically, the patient’s skin was characterized by the presence of lymphocytic vascular inflammation and endothelial swelling, which are consistent with DM. Severe symmetric proximal muscle weakness, elevated serum muscle enzymes and the presence of anti-TIF1-γ and Mi-2 antibodies were noted. The diagnosis of JDM was made according to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) diagnostic criteria. A high dose of corticosteroids and following intravenous cyclophosphamide treatment (750 mg three times) resulted in an improvement in clinical manifestations and functional outcomes, and recurrence did not occur. Estimation of autoantibodies may serve as an ancillary tool in delineating and defining distinct clinical phenotypes in JDM.

This research investigated the histopathological changes in the tissue of the lung, heart and liver, hepatocyte cell death, autophagy, and the apoptosis inductions in the postmortem cases. Since December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a significant global health concern. In order to clarify the changes in tissues of the lung, heart and liver by COVID-19, samples were taken from five patients who died of COVID-19 and five control cases, and the pathological changes in the lung, liver, and heart tissue were studied by X-ray, computed tomography, histological studies, and stereological analysis. The formation of hyaline membranes, alveolar wall edema, and fibrin exudate was seen on histological analysis of the lungs in the COVID-19 group. Stereological analysis illustrated the number of hepatocytes, volume of the sinusoid, and volume of the liver have been decreased, however the pathological changes in the heart tissue were not observed. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and angiotensin-converting enzyme significantly increased. Real-time PCR results showed that the Bcl2, Caspase3, ATG5, and LC3 decreased while the Bax increased. COVID-19 causes fibrotic changes in the lung tissue and hepatocyte mortality in the liver tissue. Besides, it elevates the level of apoptosis and autophagy markers.

Cerebellar ataxia, mental retardation, and disequilibrium syndrome 4 (CAMRQ4) is early onset neuromotor disorder and intellectual disabilities caused by variants of ATP8A2. We report sibling cases and systematically analyze previous literature to increase our understanding of CAMRQ4. Japanese siblings presented with athetotic movements at 1 and 2 months of age. They also had ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, feeding difficulty, hypotonia, and severely delayed development. One patient had retinal degeneration and optic atrophy. Flattening of the auditory brainstem responses and areflexia developed. At the last follow-up, neither patient could sit or achieve head control, although some nonverbal communication was preserved. Whole exome sequencing revealed compound heterozygous variants of ATP8A2: NM_016529.6:c.[1741C>T];[2158C>T] p.[(Arg581*)];[(Arg720*)]. The p.(Arg581*) variant has been reported, while the variant p.(Arg720*) was novel. The symptoms did not progress in the early period of development, which makes it difficult to distinguish from dyskinetic cerebral palsy, particularly in solitary cases. However, visual and hearing impairments associated with involuntary movements and severe developmental delay may be a clue to suspect CAMRQ4.

Urinary exosomal miRNA is an ideal non-invasive biomarker of renal disease, but little is known about its ability to diagnose idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical value of urinary exosomal miRNAs in IMN. Urine samples were collected from 36 IMN patients and 36 healthy subjects. Some samples were used to analyze the miRNA profiles of urinary exosomes by high-throughput sequencing. The remaining cases were verified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Additionally, the serum of the patients and healthy people was collected, and the clinical parameters were detected. Through high-throughput sequencing of samples, it was found that 20 miRNAs were markedly down-regulated. MiR-9-5p and miR-30b-5p were selected for verification, and the results were consistent with those of high-throughput sequencing. MiR-9-5p was correlated with the level of triglyceride and estimated glomerular filtration rate. MiR-30b-5p was related to the levels of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody, serum albumin, β 2-microglobulin and the ratio of global sclerosis/observed glomeruli number. The analysis of Receiver Operating Characteristic curves revealed that miR-30b-5p and miR-9-5p showed a potential diagnostic value for IMN. This study showed that there were significant differences in urinary exosome miRNA profiles between IMN patients and healthy persons. MiR-30b-5p and miR-9-5p may become new non-invasive biomarkers of IMN.

Recently, the incidence of pancreatectomy for patients with a history of upper abdominal surgery has been increasing. The clinical courses of 307 patients who underwent the pancreatectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were retrospectively reviewed to clarify the impact of a history of gastrectomy in patients undergoing a pancreatectomy for PDAC. Among 307 patients, 28 (9.1%) had a history of gastrectomy, while 279 did not. We compared the difference in clinical course and prognostic outcomes between the groups. In patients with a history of gastrectomy, the 5-year survival rate was 17.6%, which was relatively poorer than that of patients without it (33.4%, P = 0.1329). A multivariate analysis of factors associated with the overall survival rate identified the low preoperative body mass index [BMI < 20.3 kg/m², hazard ratio (HR) 1.646, P = 0.0190] and adjuvant chemotherapy (not-completed, HR 1.652, P = 0.0170) as independent prognostic factors. In patients with a history of gastrectomy, there were significantly more patients with poor prognostic factors, including a low preoperative BMI (P = 0.0009) and low completion rate of adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.0294) as compared with those without a history of gastrectomy. A low preoperative BMI significantly reduced the completion rate of adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.0186), which may lead to poor prognostic outcomes. In conclusion, perioperative nutritional management is important to reduce postoperative BMI loss and obtain a better prognosis after a pancreatectomy for PDAC in patients with a history of gastrectomy.