Effects of a video-viewing intervention with positive word stimulation on the depressive symptoms of older patients with cardiac disease and subthreshold depression: a pilot randomized controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Intervention for older patients with cardiac disease and subthreshold depression (StD) may be an effective strategy to prevent the development of major depressive disorder. The subliminal priming with supraliminal reward stimulation (SPSRS) website developed by us is an advanced intervention that can improve depressive symptoms in individuals with StD by presenting positive word stimuli in videos. However, its efficacy for treating depressive symptoms in older patients with cardiac disease and StD has not been investigated. Here, we present a pilot randomized controlled trial protocol to investigate the preliminary efficacy of an intervention for older patients with cardiac disease with StD. METHODS: The study was designed as a single-center, open-label, pilot, randomized, parallel-group trial. The participants will include 30 older patients with cardiac disease and StD who are hospitalized in acute wards. The Experimental group received the SPSRS intervention (video viewing with positive word stimuli; n = 15) and the Control group will receive the YouTube intervention (video viewing without positive word stimuli; n = 15). In both groups, the intervention will be administered for 10 min per day, five times per week for 1 week. The primary outcome will be the change in the scores on the Japanese version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II at 1 week after the baseline assessment. The secondary outcomes will be the changes in the Specific Activity Scale, New York Heart Association functional classification, as well as grip strength at 1 week after the baseline assessment. DISCUSSION: This pilot randomized controlled trial will be the first to evaluate the SPSRS intervention for depressive symptoms in older patients with cardiac disease and StD who are admitted to acute wards. The results will provide tentative indications regarding the impact of the intervention on depressive symptoms among older patients with cardiac disease and StD who are admitted to acute wards, and will contribute to the planning of a full-scale study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN, UMIN000052155. Registered September 8, 2023, https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000059526 . This study was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) (UMIN000052155) in Japan.

Effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait speed in older adult inpatients in a convalescent rehabilitation ward: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on enhancing gait speed in older people admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation ward (CRW), compared to conventional gait training methods. METHODS: The study was designed as a single-center, open-label, pilot, randomized, parallel-group study. Thirty older people admitted to CRW were divided into two groups: the experimental group, which received gait training with RAS (n = 15, females = 53.3%, mean age = 83.9, SD = 6.5), and the control group, which underwent usual gait training (n = 15, females = 60.0%, mean age = 81.3, SD = 8.4). Regardless of their assigned group, all participants underwent 30 min training sessions, five times a week, for 3 weeks. The primary outcome was the 10 m walk test (10mWT), and the secondary outcomes included the Medical Outcome Study 8-Item Short-Form Health Survey and the Japanese version of the modified Gait Efficacy Scale. All measurements were taken at baseline and again at week 3. RESULTS: Results indicated that older people in CRWs in the experimental group showed significant improvements in their 10mWT (effect size - 1.02) compared to the control group. None of the secondary outcomes were significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the preliminary effectiveness and feasibility of a gait practice intervention using RAS in a CRW. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Registered 1 October 2022 (UMIN000049089).

Reliability of the Two-dimensional Mood Scale for self-reported mood assessment by older adults with dementia.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the Two-dimensional Mood Scale (TDMS) for mood assessment among older adults with dementia. The study included 100 elderly patients with dementia admitted to two hospitals. For each mood state measured by the TDMS, the intraclass correlation coefficient of agreement (ICCagreement) was calculated to evaluate test-retest reliability. Scores corresponding to the minimal detectable change (MDC) in each mood state at the individual level (MDCind) was also calculated to evaluate measurement error, while McDonald's omega was calculated to evaluate internal consistency. The TDMS ICC was 0.54 for vitality, 0.74 for stability, 0.70 for pleasure, and 0.55 for arousal. The MDCind was 6.89 for vitality, 5.88 for stability, 9.96 for pleasure, and 4.11 for arousal. McDonald's omega ranged from 0.60 to 0.84. The TDMS has generally acceptable reliability for the self-assessment of mood states by older adults with dementia.

Myosin-induced F-actin fragmentation facilitates contraction of actin networks.

Mechanical forces play a crucial role in diverse physiological processes, such as cell migration, cytokinesis, and morphogenesis. The actin cytoskeleton generates a large fraction of the mechanical forces via molecular interactions between actin filaments (F-actins) and myosin motors. Recent studies have shown that the common tendency of actomyosin networks to contract into a smaller structure deeply involves F-actin buckling induced by motor activities, fragmentation of F-actins, and the force-dependent unbinding of cross-linkers that inter-connect F-actins. The fragmentation of F-actins was shown to originate from either buckling or tensile force from previous single-molecule experiments. While the role of buckling in network contraction has been studied extensively, to date, the role of tension-induced F-actin fragmentation in network contraction has not been investigated. In this study, we employed in vitro experiments and an agent-based computational model to illuminate when and how the tension-induced F-actin fragmentation facilitates network contraction. Our experiments demonstrated that F-actins can be fragmented due to tensile forces, immediately followed by catastrophic rupture and contraction of networks. Using the agent-based model, we showed that F-actin fragmentation by tension results in distinct rupture dynamics different from that observed in networks only with cross-linker unbinding. Moreover, we found that tension-induced F-actin fragmentation is particularly important for the contraction of networks with high connectivity. Results from our study shed light on an important regulator of the contraction of actomyosin networks which has been neglected. In addition, our results provide insights into the rupture mechanisms of polymeric network structures and bio-inspired materials.

Interaction modes of human orexin 2 receptor with selective and nonselective antagonists studied by NMR spectroscopy.

Orexin neuropeptides have many physiological roles in the sleep-wake cycle, feeding behavior, reward demands, and stress responses by activating cognitive receptors, the orexin receptors (OX1R and OX2R), distributed in the brain. There are only subtle differences between OX1R and OX2R in the orthosteric site, which has hindered the rational development of subtype-selective antagonists. In this study, we utilized solution-state NMR to capture the structural plasticity of OX2R labeled with 13CH3-ε-methionine in complex with antagonists. Mutations in the orthosteric site allosterically affected the intracellular tip of TM6. Ligand exchange experiments with the subtype-selective EMPA and the nonselective suvorexant identified three methionine residues that were substantially perturbed. The NMR spectra suggested that the suvorexant-bound state exhibited more structural plasticity than the EMPA-bound state, which has not been foreseen from the close similarity of their crystal structures, providing insights into dynamic features to be considered in understanding the ligand recognition mode.

Rapid transformation of branched pancreatic duct-derived intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm into an invasive carcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm (ITPN) is a rare disease accounting for approximately 3% of all intraductal pancreatic tumors, with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) being one of the most common differential diagnoses. Both ITPN and IPMN display slow growth. A branched pancreatic duct type is commonly observed in IPMN, whereas ITPN derived from the branched pancreatic duct has been reported in a limited number of cases; hence, its pathogenesis remains unclear. CASE SUMMARY: Here, we present the case of a patient with ITPN localized in a branched pancreatic duct, with poorly controlled irritable bowel syndrome. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen incidentally revealed a 5-mm oligemic nodule-like change in the body of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) indicated a 10-mm hypoechoic mass without any cystic structures that had grown within 2 mo. EUS-guided fine needle aspiration was performed for definitive diagnosis, and the findings suggested ductal papillary carcinoma. Distal pancreatectomy was performed, and the tumor was pathologically diagnosed as ITPN with an invasive cancerous component, pT3N1aM0, pStage IIB (International Cancer Control, 8th edition). The patient underwent treatment with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (S-1 monotherapy); however, relapse was observed 1 year and 10 mo after surgical resection, and subsequent treatment involving a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy was administered. Maintenance therapy has since facilitated a stable disease state. CONCLUSION: Regardless of the microscopic size of the neoplasm, early diagnosis of ITPN with EUS-guided fine needle aspiration and surgical resection are crucial.