Acto3D: an open-source user-friendly volume rendering software for high-resolution 3D fluorescence imaging in biology.

Advances in fluorescence microscopy and tissue-clearing have revolutionised 3D imaging of fluorescently labelled tissues, organs and embryos. However, the complexity and high cost of existing software and computing solutions limit their widespread adoption, especially by researchers with limited resources. Here, we present Acto3D, an open-source software, designed to streamline the generation and analysis of high-resolution 3D images of targets labelled with multiple fluorescent probes. Acto3D provides an intuitive interface for easy 3D data import and visualisation. Although Acto3D offers straightforward 3D viewing, it performs all computations explicitly, giving users detailed control over the displayed images. Leveraging an integrated graphics processing unit, Acto3D deploys all pixel data to system memory, reducing visualisation latency. This approach facilitates accurate image reconstruction and efficient data processing in 3D, eliminating the need for expensive high-performance computers and dedicated graphics processing units. We have also introduced a method for efficiently extracting lumen structures in 3D. We have validated Acto3D by imaging mouse embryonic structures and by performing 3D reconstruction of pharyngeal arch arteries while preserving fluorescence information. Acto3D is a cost-effective and efficient platform for biological research.

Identification and epidemiological study of an uncultured flavivirus from ticks using viral metagenomics and pseudoinfectious viral particles.

During their blood-feeding process, ticks are known to transmit various viruses to vertebrates, including humans. Recent viral metagenomic analyses using next-generation sequencing (NGS) have revealed that blood-feeding arthropods like ticks harbor a large diversity of viruses. However, many of these viruses have not been isolated or cultured, and their basic characteristics remain unknown. This study aimed to present the identification of a difficult-to-culture virus in ticks using NGS and to understand its epidemic dynamics using molecular biology techniques. During routine tick-borne virus surveillance in Japan, an unknown flaviviral sequence was detected via virome analysis of host-questing ticks. Similar viral sequences have been detected in the sera of sika deer and wild boars in Japan, and this virus was tentatively named the Saruyama virus (SAYAV). Because SAYAV did not propagate in any cultured cells tested, single-round infectious virus particles (SRIP) were generated based on its structural protein gene sequence utilizing a yellow fever virus-based replicon system to understand its nationwide endemic status. Seroepidemiological studies using SRIP as antigens have demonstrated the presence of neutralizing antibodies against SAYAV in sika deer and wild boar captured at several locations in Japan, suggesting that SAYAV is endemic throughout Japan. Phylogenetic analyses have revealed that SAYAV forms a sister clade with the Orthoflavivirus genus, which includes important mosquito- and tick-borne pathogenic viruses. This shows that SAYAV evolved into a lineage independent of the known orthoflaviviruses. This study demonstrates a unique approach for understanding the epidemiology of uncultured viruses by combining viral metagenomics and pseudoinfectious viral particles.

Low remission rates and high incidence of adverse events in a prospective VEXAS syndrome registry.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to gather real-world clinical evidence of detailed disease activity, treatments, remission rates, and adverse events (AEs) associated with vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic (VEXAS) syndrome in a prospective study. METHODS: Patients in Japan suspected of having VEXAS syndrome were enrolled in a registry study. A novel disease activity measure (VEXASCAF) assessing 11 symptoms associated with VEXAS syndrome was evaluated at enrolment and after 3 months. AEs, survival, CRP levels, and treatments were also recorded at enrolment and 3 months after enrolment. All exons of UBA1 were sequenced using a next-generation sequencer to determine the variant allele frequencies of pathogenic variants in the peripheral blood of all patients. RESULTS: Of the 55 registered patients, 30 patients were confirmed to have pathogenic variants of UBA1. All patients were male, with a median age of 73.5 years. VEXASCAF and CRP levels decreased significantly at 3 months post-enrolment, but the oral prednisolone dose did not change. Only two patients achieved complete remission according to FRENVEX at 3 months after enrolment. During the observation period of 6 months, 28 AEs were observed, including 3 deaths, 4 malignancies from two cases, 2 thromboses, and 13 infections (including 4 mycobacterial infections). Inflammation of the lung and cervical region (i.e. parotid and submandibular gland swelling, tonsillitis, cervical swelling, and pain) were the most common AEs. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with VEXAS syndrome required high-dose glucocorticoids to achieve remission, and complications-such as malignancy, thrombosis, and infection-occurred frequently within a short observation period.

Phase II Study of Intraperitoneal Administration of Paclitaxel Combined with S-1 and Cisplatin for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is promising for gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis. Although a phase III study failed to show a statistically significant superiority of intraperitoneal paclitaxel combined with S-1 and intravenous paclitaxel, the sensitivity analysis suggested clinical efficacy. Thus, attempts to combine intraperitoneal paclitaxel with other systemic therapies with higher efficacy have been warranted. We sought to explore the efficacy of intraperitoneal paclitaxel with S-1 and cisplatin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis were enrolled in the phase II trial. In addition to the established S-1 and cisplatin regimen every 5 weeks, intraperitoneal paclitaxel was administered on days 1, 8, and 22 at a dose of 20 mg/m2. The primary endpoint was overall survival rate at 1 year after treatment initiation. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival and toxicity. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were enrolled and fully evaluated for efficacy and toxicity. The 1-year overall survival rate was 73.6% (95% confidence interval 59.5-83.4%), and the primary endpoint was met. The median survival time was 19.4 months (95% confidence interval, 16.1-24.6 months). The 1-year progression-free survival rate was 49.6% (95% confidence interval, 34.6-62.9%). The incidences of grade 3/4 hematological and non-hematological toxicities were 43% and 47%, respectively. The frequent grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (25%), anemia (30%), diarrhea (13%), and anorexia (17%). Intraperitoneal catheter and implanted port-related complications were observed in four patients. There was one treatment-related death. CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal paclitaxel combined with S-1 and cisplatin is well tolerated and active in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis.

Loss of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase immunoreactivity correlates with poor prognosis and elevated uptake of 11C-methionine in IDH-mutant astrocytoma.

PURPOSE: The proximate localization of MTAP, which encodes methylthioadenosine phosphorylase, and CDKN2A/B on Chromosome 9q21 has allowed the loss of MTAP expression as a surrogate for homozygous deletion of CDKN2A/B. This study aimed to determine whether MTAP status correlates with clinical outcomes and 11C-methionine uptake in astrocytomas with IDH mutations. METHODS: We conducted immunohistochemistry for MTAP in 30 patients with astrocytoma, IDH-mutant who underwent 11C-methionine positron emission tomography scans prior to surgical resection. The tumor-to-normal (T/N) ratio of 11C-methionine uptake was calculated using the mean standardized uptake value (SUV) for tumor and normal brain tissues. Cox regression analysis was used for multivariate survival analysis. RESULTS: Among IDH-mutant astrocytomas, 26.7% (8/30) exhibited the loss of cytoplasmic MTAP expression, whereas 73.3% (22/30) tumors retained MTAP expression. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly shorter in patients with MTAP loss than those with MTAP retention (1.88 years vs. 6.80 years, p = 0.003). The median overall survival (OS) was also shorter in patients with MTAP loss than in MTAP-retaining counterparts (5.23 years vs. 10.69 years, p = 0.019). Multivariate analysis identified MTAP status (hazard ratio (HR), 0.081) and extent of resection (HR, 0.104) as independent prognostic factors for PFS. Astrocytomas lacking cytoplasmic MTAP expression showed a significantly higher median T/N ratio for 11C-methionine uptake than tumors retaining MTAP (2.12 vs. 1.65, p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that the loss of MTAP expression correlates with poor prognosis and an elevated T/N ratio of 11C-methionine uptake in astrocytoma, IDH-mutant.

Sequential hydrolysis of FAD by ecto-5' nucleotidase CD73 and alkaline phosphatase is required for uptake of vitamin B2 into cells.

Extracellular hydrolysis of flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) to riboflavin is thought to be important for cellular uptake of vitamin B2 because FAD and FMN are hydrophilic and do not pass the plasma membrane. However, it is not clear whether FAD and FMN are hydrolyzed by cell surface enzymes for vitamin B2 uptake. Here, we show that in human cells, FAD, a major form of vitamin B2 in plasma, is hydrolyzed by CD73 (also called ecto-5' nucleotidase) to FMN. Then, FMN is hydrolyzed by alkaline phosphatase to riboflavin, which is efficiently imported into cells. We determined that this two-step hydrolysis process is impaired on the surface of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-deficient cells due to the lack of these GPI-anchored enzymes. During culture of GPI-deficient cells with FAD or FMN, we found that hydrolysis of these forms of vitamin B2 was impaired, and intracellular levels of vitamin B2 were significantly decreased compared with those in GPI-restored cells, leading to decreased formation of vitamin B2-dependent pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and mitochondrial dysfunction. Collectively, these results suggest that inefficient uptake of vitamin B2 might account for mitochondrial dysfunction seen in some cases of inherited GPI deficiency.

Pathogenetic associations of anti-ribosomal P protein antibody titres and its subclasses in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the association between anti-ribosomal P antibody (anti-RibP) titres and disease activity in Japanese systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. METHODS: Eighty patients admitted and treated in Niigata University Hospital for new-onset or flare-up of SLE were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Clinical data were obtained from medical records at admission. Anti-RibP index, and cytokine and tryptophan metabolite levels were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Of the 80 SLE patients, 30 had anti-RibP. Anti-RibP presence was associated with a greater prevalence of skin rash and more severe inflammatory responses, demonstrated by higher inflammatory cytokine levels, hypocomplementemia, and accelerated tryptophan metabolism, in younger patients. The serum anti-RibP index correlated with age at diagnosis, clinical indicators, initial prednisolone dose, and cytokines and tryptophan metabolite levels in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed the anti-RibP index was independently associated with initial prednisolone dose and prevalence of skin rash. Anti-RibP IgG were mainly IgG2 and IgG3 subclasses, and anti-RibP IgG3 was associated with hypocomplementemia, higher disease activity score, accelerated kynurenine pathway activity, and higher proinflammatory cytokine production. The coexistence of anti-dsDNA IgG and anti-RibP IgG2 or IgG3 accompanied higher IL-10 and IFN-α2 levels; furthermore, anti-RibP IgG3 coexistence with anti-dsDNA antibody contributed to the requirement for higher initial prednisolone doses and accelerated kynurenine pathway activity. CONCLUSION: Anti-RibP was associated with clinical manifestations and parameters in SLE, and its index might be a useful indicator of disease severity. Anti-RibP IgG3 was the IgG subclass most strongly associated with the pathogenesis of SLE.

Efficient detection of somatic UBA1 variants and clinical scoring system predicting patients with variants in VEXAS syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: To efficiently detect somatic UBA1 variants and establish a clinical scoring system predicting patients with pathogenic variants in VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome. METHODS: Eighty-nine Japanese patients with clinically suspected VEXAS syndrome were recruited [81 males and 8 females; median onset age (IQR) 69.3 years (62.1-77.6)]. Peptide nucleic acid-clamping PCR (PNA-PCR), regular PCR targeting exon 3 clustering UBA1 variants, and subsequent Sanger sequencing were conducted for variant screening. Partitioning digital PCR (pdPCR) or targeted amplicon deep sequencing (TAS) was also performed to evaluate the variant allele frequency (VAF). We developed our clinical scoring system to predict UBA1 variant-positive and ­negative patients and assessed the diagnostic value of our system using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Forty patients with reported pathogenic UBA1 variants (40/89, 44.9%) were identified, including a case having a variant with VAF of 1.7%, using a highly sensitive method. Our clinical scoring system considering >50 years of age, cutaneous lesions, lung involvement, chondritis, and macrocytic anaemia efficiently predicted patients with UBA1 variants (the area under the curve for the scoring total was 0.908). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic screening with the combination of regular PCR and PNA-PCR detected somatic UBA1 variants with high sensitivity and specificity. Our scoring system could efficiently predict patients with UBA1 variants.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of coumarin derivatives as selective CYP2A6 inhibitors.

Cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) inhibitors are expected to be suitable as smoking cessation aids and for cancer prevention. Because the typical coumarin-based CYP2A6 inhibitor methoxsalen also inhibits CYP3A4, unintended drug-drug interactions are still a concern. Therefore, the development of selective CYP2A6 inhibitors is desirable. In this study, we synthesized coumarin-based molecules, determined the IC50 values for CYP2A6 inhibition, verified the possibility of mechanism-based inhibition, and compared the selectivity for CYP2A6 versus CYP3A4. The results demonstrated that we developed CYP2A6 inhibitors that were more potent and selective than methoxsalen.

Wider Dissemination of Simplified Chest Compression-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training Combined With Conventional Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training and 10-Year Trends in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Performed by Bystanders in a City.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how to effectively increase bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), so we evaluated the 10-year trend of the proportion of bystander CPR in an area with wide dissemination of chest compression-only CPR (CCCPR) training combined with conventional CPR training.Methods and Results: We conducted a descriptive study after a community intervention, using a prospective cohort from September 2010 to December 2019. The intervention consisted of disseminating CCCPR training combined with conventional CPR training in Toyonaka City since 2010. We analyzed all non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients resuscitated by emergency medical service personnel. The primary outcome was the trend of the proportion of bystander CPR. We conducted multivariate logistic regression models and assessed the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) using a 95% confidence interval (CI) to determine bystander CPR trends. Since 2010, we have trained 168,053 inhabitants (41.9% of the total population of Toyonaka City). A total of 1,508 OHCA patients were included in the analysis. The proportion of bystander CPR did not change from 2010 (43.3%) to 2019 (40.0%; 1-year incremental AOR 1.02 [95% CI: 0.98-1.05]). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of bystander CPR did not increase even after wider dissemination of CPR training. In addition to continuing wider dissemination of CPR training, other strategies such as the use of technology are necessary to increase bystander CPR.

Risk score for predicting death from other causes after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The number of patients who die from causes other than gastric cancer after R0 resection is increasing in Japan, due in part to the aging population. However, few studies have comprehensively investigated the clinicopathological risks associated with deaths from other causes after gastrectomy. This study aimed to build a risk score for predicting such deaths. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data for 3575 patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer at nine institutions in Japan between January 2010 and December 2014. RESULTS: The final study population of 1758 patients were assigned to Group A (n = 187): patients who died from other causes within 5 years of surgery, and Group B (n = 1571): patients who survived ≥ 5 years after surgery. Multivariate analysis identified nine characteristics as risk factors for poor survival: age ≥ 75 years, male sex, body mass index < 22 kg/m2, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (≥ 1), diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease, other malignant diseases, preoperative albumin level < 3.5 g/dL, and total gastrectomy. Patients with risk scores of 0-2, 3-4, or 5-9 (based on 1 point per characteristics) were classified into Low-risk, Intermediate-risk, and High-risk groups, respectively. The 5-year survival rates were 96.5%, 85.3%, and 56.5%, for the Low-, Intermediate-, and High-risk groups, respectively, and the hazard ratio (95% confidence intervals) was 16.33 (10.85-24.58, p < 0.001) for the High-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: The risk score defined here may be useful for predicting deaths from other causes after curative gastrectomy.

Ameliorating effects of cystine and theanine in a cancer cachexia mouse model.

Cachexia is a common cancer complication and is associated with weight loss and anorexia. In this study, we investigated the ameliorating effects of cystine and theanine on cancer cachexia using a mouse model. In mice carrying the colon cancer cell line C-26, there was a suppression of body weight increase and reduction in both internal fat and lower limb muscles. Repeated cystine and theanine administration significantly prevented weight loss, internal fat loss, lower limb muscle loss, and serum IL-6 increase in the cachexia model. These results suggested that cystine and theanine may be effective in ameliorating cancer cachexia.

Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Cardiac Perforation During Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization: a Retrospective Observational Study from the Congenital Cardiac Interventional Study Consortium (CCISC).

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac perforation is a rare life-threatening complication of cardiac catheterization. There is very little published literature detailing risk factors for cardiac perforation and outcomes from this complication in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study analyzing the cardiac catheterization case registry of the Congenital Cardiovascular Interventional Study Consortium. Children aged < 18 years were included during the study period of 9 years (January 2009-December 2017). The primary outcome measures were incidence of cardiac perforation, risk factors for and outcomes of patients who experience cardiac perforation during cardiac catheterization. RESULTS: Cardiac perforation occurred in 50 patients from a total of 36,986 (0.14%). Cardiac perforation was more likely to occur in younger, smaller patients undergoing urgent/emergent and interventional procedures (p < 0.01). Cardiac peroration risk was significantly different across diagnostic and procedure categories (p < 0.01). Higher CRISP score (Area Under Curve [AUC] = 0.87), lower age, and procedure category (radiofrequency perforation of pulmonary valve, AUC = 0.84) were independent predictors of cardiac perforation. Cardiac perforation was associated with a significantly higher rate of mortality (14%), further emergency procedure (42%), ECMO (14%), and cardiac arrest (6%), p < 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac perforation during cardiac catheterization is a life-threatening complication with a range of associated secondary complications. Higher CRISP score, lower age, and radiofrequency perforation of pulmonary valve are independent predictors.

Preoperative neutrophil-to-platelet ratio as a potential prognostic factor for gastric cancer with positive peritoneal lavage cytology in the absence of other non-curative factors: a multi-institutional dataset analysis.

PURPOSE: Peritoneal dissemination is the key to the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) and can be detected early with peritoneal lavage cytology. No studies have examined preoperative prognostic factors in GC patients who have positive cytology but no other non-curative factors. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis using a multicenter database of 3575 patients who underwent gastrectomy between 2010 and 2014. Patients with positive peritoneal lavage cytology as a sole non-curative factor were retrieved, and correlations between parameters and the prognosis were compared. RESULTS: A total of 66 patients were identified as eligible. In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the neutrophil-to-platelet ratio (NPR) had the greatest area under the curve value and was selected. We divided the NPR into two groups based on the optimal cutoff value of the NPR (2.000), as determined by the ROC curve analysis. A high preoperative NPR was the only prognostic factor. The NPR-high group had shorter overall survival than the NPR-low group (hazard ratio 1.85, 95% confidence interval 1.05-3.28, P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: Our analysis indicated that the preoperative NPR serves as a prognostic factor in GC patients with positive peritoneal lavage cytology in the absence of other non-curative factors.

Diagnosis of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip by Ultrasound Imaging Using Deep Learning.

BACKGROUND: A timely diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is important for satisfactory clinical outcomes. Ultrasonography is a useful tool for DDH screening; however, it is technically demanding. We hypothesized that deep learning could assist in the diagnosis of DDH. In this study, several deep-learning models were assessed to diagnose DDH on ultrasonograms. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of diagnoses made by artificial intelligence (AI) using deep learning on ultrasound images of DDH. METHODS: Infants who were up to 6 months old with suspected DDH were included. DDH diagnosis using ultrasonography was performed according to the Graf classification. Data on 60 infants (64 hips) with DDH and 131 healthy infants (262 hips) obtained from 2016 to 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. For deep learning, a MATLAB deep learning toolbox (MathWorks, Natick, MA, US) was used, and 80% of the images were used as training data, with the rest as validation data. Training images were augmented to increase data variation. In addition, 214 ultrasound images were used as test data to evaluate the AI's accuracy. Pre-trained models (SqueezeNet, MobileNet_v2, and EfficientNet) were used for transfer learning. Model accuracy was evaluated using a confusion matrix. The region of interest of each model was visualized using gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM), occlusion sensitivity, and image LIME. RESULTS: The best scores for accuracy, precision, recall, and F-measure were all 1.0 in each model. In DDH hips, the region of interest for deep learning models was the area lateral to the femoral head, including the labrum and joint capsule. However, for normal hips, the models highlighted the medial and proximal areas where the lower margin of the os ilium and the normal femoral head exist. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound imaging with deep learning can assess DDH with high accuracy. This system could be refined for a convenient and accurate diagnosis of DDH. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level-Ⅳ.

Risks of femoral localized periosteal thickening in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of femoral localized periosteal thickening (LPT), which can precede atypical femoral fracture (AFF), is not low (1-10%) in Japanese patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs). We explored the associations between underlying AIRDs and the prevalence of LPT. METHODS: We conducted post hoc analyses of two cohorts that included a total of 280 Japanese women, 105 of whom had AIRDs and had been taking bisphosphonate (BP) and prednisolone (PSL) and 175 of whom had rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RESULTS: LPT was detected in a total of 18 patients (6.4%) and 3 (1.1%) developed AFFs. RA was negatively correlated with LPT. A disease other than RA requiring glucocorticoid treatment, BP use ≥5 years, PSL use ≥7 years, and a PSL dose ≥5.5 mg/day were positively correlated with LPT. After adjusting for age, diabetes mellitus, and BP duration or daily PSL dose, RA was no longer associated with LPT. CONCLUSIONS: LPT in Japanese patients with AIRDs was associated with BP and glucocorticoid treatment rather than underlying AIRDs. When PSL dose ≥5.5 mg/day is required long-term [typically combined with long-term BP treatment (≥5 years)], clinicians need to pay particular attention in cases LPT and AFF as well as glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Screening for tick-borne and tick-associated viruses in ticks collected in Ghana.

Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that transmit many pathogens, including arboviruses. Arboviruses transmitted by ticks are generally referred to as tick-borne viruses (TBVs). TBVs are known to cause diseases in humans, pets, and livestock. There is, however, very limited information on the occurrence and distribution of TBVs in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was designed to determine the presence and distribution of ticks infesting dogs and cattle in Ghana, as well as to identify the tick-borne or tick-associated viruses they harbour. A more diverse population of ticks was found to infest cattle (three genera) relative to those infesting dogs (one genus). Six phleboviruses and an orthonairovirus were detected in tick pools screened by RT-PCR. Subsequent sequence analysis revealed two distinct phleboviruses and the previously reported Odaw virus in ticks collected from dogs and a virus (16GH-T27) most closely related to four unclassified phleboviruses in ticks collected from cattle. The virus 16GH-T27 was considered a strain of Balambala tick virus (BTV) and named BTV strain 16GH-T27. Next-generation sequencing analysis of the BTV-positive tick pool detected only the L and S segments. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that BTV clustered with viruses previously defined as M-segment-deficient phleboviruses. The orthonairovirus detected in ticks collected from cattle was confirmed to be the medically important Dugbe virus. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of understanding the presence and distribution of ticks and TBVs in disease prevention and mitigation and the implications for public health. Our findings contribute to the knowledge pool on TBVs and tick-associated viruses.

Clinical Phenotyping of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Patients With Shockable Rhythm　- Machine Learning-Based Unsupervised Cluster Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The hypothesis of this study is that latent class analysis could identify the subphenotypes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients associated with the outcomes and allow us to explore heterogeneity in the effects of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR).Methods and Results:This study was a retrospective analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study (CRITICAL study) of OHCA patients. It included adult OHCA patients with initial shockable rhythm. Patients from 2012 to 2016 (development dataset) were included in the latent class analysis, and those from 2017 (validation dataset) were included for evaluation. The association between subphenotypes and outcomes was investigated. Further, the heterogeneity of the association between ECPR implementation and outcomes was explored. In the study results, a total of 920 patients were included for latent class analysis. Three subphenotypes (Groups 1, 2, and 3) were identified, mainly characterized by the distribution of partial pressure of O2(PO2), partial pressure of CO2(PCO2) value of blood gas assessment, cardiac rhythm on hospital arrival, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. The 30-day survival outcomes were varied across the groups: 15.7% in Group 1; 30.7% in Group 2; and 85.9% in Group 3. Further, the association between ECPR and 30-day survival outcomes by subphenotype groups in the development dataset was as varied. These results were validated using the validation dataset. CONCLUSIONS: The latent class analysis identified 3 subphenotypes with different survival outcomes and potential heterogeneity in the effects of ECPR.

Mechanisms and Safety of Antidepressant-Like Effect of Nutmeg in Mice.

Nutmeg, a dried seed kernel of a tall evergreen Myristicaceae tree, is widely used as a spice and herbal medicine and is known to have antidepressant-like effects. This study evaluates the mechanisms underlying this antidepressant-like effect and safety of nutmeg n-hexane extract (NNE) in mice. Tail suspension and open field tests showed that NNE (10 mg/kg, per OS (p.o.)) significantly decreased the immobility time of mice without effecting their spontaneous locomotor activity. The reduction of immobility time of mice elicited by NNE was significantly inhibited by ketanserin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)2A/2C receptor antagonist), ondansetron (5-HT3 receptor antagonist), and yohimbine (α2 receptor antagonist). WAY100635 (5-HT1A receptor antagonist) tended to inhibit the effect of NNE but without significance. Testing according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines, no mice died due to administrated NNE (2000 mg/kg, p.o.), and behavioral and weight changes were not seen in the acute toxicity test. In the Ames test, no increase in the number of revertant colonies for each bacterial strain test strains TA98 and TA100 by nutmeg powder was observed either with or without metabolic activity by S9 mix. These results suggest that NNE shows an antidepressant-like effect involving various serotonergic and noradrenergic nervous systems and maybe a highly safe natural preparation.

Possibility of Multiple Drug-Drug Interactions in Patients Treated with Statins: Analysis of Data from the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) Database and Verification by Animal Experiments.

Adverse drug events due to drug-drug interactions can be prevented by avoiding concomitant use of causative drugs; therefore, it is important to understand drug combinations that cause drug-drug interactions. Although many attempts to identify drug-drug interactions from real-world databases such as spontaneous reporting systems have been performed, little is known about drug-drug interactions caused by three or more drugs in polypharmacy, i.e., multiple drug-drug interactions. Therefore, we attempted to detect multiple drug-drug interactions using decision tree analysis using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database, a Japanese spontaneous reporting system. First, we used decision tree analysis to detect drug combinations that increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis in cases registered in the JADER database that used six statins. Next, the risk of three or more drug combinations that significantly increased the risk of rhabdomyolysis was validated with in vivo experiments in rats. The analysis identified a multiple drug-drug interaction signal only for pitavastatin. The reporting rate of rhabdomyolysis for pitavastatin in the JADER database was 0.09, and it increased to 0.16 in combination with allopurinol. Furthermore, the rate was even higher (0.40) in combination with valsartan. Additionally, necrosis of leg muscles was observed in some rats simultaneously treated with these three drugs, and their creatine kinase and myoglobin levels were elevated. The combination of pitavastatin, allopurinol, and valsartan should be treated with caution as a multiple drug-drug interaction. Since multiple drug-drug interactions were detected with decision tree analysis and the increased risk was verified in animal experiments, decision tree analysis is considered to be an effective method for detecting multiple drug-drug interactions.