Keio University

The thermal properties of clathrate hydrates are determined by the combination of water molecules and encapsulated types of guest molecules through the resulting crystal structure. Takaya et al have reported that the 2-propanol + CH₄ hydrate possesses a tetragonal structure II’ (sII′) below 110 K. This finding shows that thermodynamic conditions ( T, P ) could change the crystal structural transition in the same chemical system. This study investigated crystallographic characteristics of the HFC-41 + 2-propanol hydrate and demonstrated that a single-atom fluorination stabilizes the sII’, replaced with methane in small cages. We have employed variable-temperature powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) measurement, and the results show that the binary HFC-41 + 2-propanol hydrate exhibits canonical cubic sII hydrate with a lattice constant of a=17.2259(5) Å. Cooling down to 93 K, HFC-41 + 2-propanol hydrate transits to a tetragonal structure (sII’) from sII with lattice constants a t =12.304(1) Å and c t =16.925(2) Å. The transition temperature from sII′ to sII is near 153 K, 40 K higher than that of the methane + 2-propanol hydrate. This result demonstrated that a single-atom fluorination stabilizes the sII’, which was replaced with methene in the small cage.

Supersulfides, sulfur species containing catenated sulfur atoms, are potent reducing agents produced by diverse organisms. Although their intracellular functions are increasingly recognized, the ecological and physiological importance of gut microbial supersulfides remains poorly understood. In this study, we explored two complementary aspects of gut microbiota-derived supersulfide. First, by assessing the reducing activity, we found that bacterial supersulfides contribute to the enhancement of the extracellular reducing capacity. In particular, Dorea longicatena and Enterocloster bolteae exhibit strong cystine-dependent supersulfide production, which is associated with protection against oxidative stress. Second, beyond their ecological roles, supersulfides influence protein supersulfidation, which is a reversible post-translational modification. Supersulfidated proteins have been detected across multiple commensal taxa with species-specific profiles. This modification is redox-sensitive and modulated by extracellular supersulfides. Members of the Lactobacillaceae family are particularly susceptible to exogenous supersulfides. Supersulfidation involves proteins linked to core microbial processes, including bile acid metabolism, suggesting their potential role in tuning bacterial functions. Together, these findings suggest that microbial supersulfides act as dual regulators: (i) contributing to a protective reducing milieu and (ii) modulating bacterial protein function through supersulfidation. By highlighting post-translational control in gut bacteria and their sensitivity to the local redox environment, this work broadens the current models of microbial redox biology and provides a basis for linking bacterial sulfur metabolism with gut ecosystem stability and host-microbe interactions.

• Eye-tracking identifies gaze patterns linked to judgment and situational awareness. • This review clarifies how gaze metrics inform design, assessment, and skill learning. • Findings guide simulation design and feedback to strengthen clinical reasoning skills. To synthesize how eye-tracking technology has been applied in nursing simulation and identify its contributions to educational design, learner assessment, and skill development. A scoping review following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. PubMed, EBSCOhost, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched (September 2025), supplemented by manual screening. Eligible studies involved nursing participants, used eye-tracking as a primary method, and were conducted in simulation-based learning settings. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Three themes emerged: (1) expert-novice gaze pattern differences, showing broader AOI coverage and more efficient scanning among experts; (2) cognitive-load indicators such as pupil dilation and fixation duration that varied by task complexity and experience; and (3) gaze-based feedback that enhanced reflective learning using visualizations, including heatmaps and gaze replays. Eye-tracking provides objective insight into learners’ cognitive processes, supporting improved simulation design, assessment of clinical judgment and situational awareness, and the extraction of teachable visual-scanning strategies. Standardization and multimodal approaches are needed to advance future research.

To investigate the effect of anti-VEGF therapy on wide-field retinal and choroidal thickness in patients with macular edema secondary to RVO, and to identify how these effects vary based on clinical characteristics such as occlusion location and patient sex. Retrospective observational study. Thirty-eight patients (38 eyes) with RVO treated at Keio University Hospital (26 males, 12 females; mean age, 67.7 ± 8.5 years). Seventeen fellow eyes without injection served as internal controls. We analyzed 38 eyes with RVO who received intravitreal injections of aflibercept ( n = 31) or ranibizumab ( n = 7). Wide-field optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed at baseline (within 7 days before the injection) and at the follow-up visit (30 ± 14 days after the injection). Changes in retinal and choroidal thickness were analyzed across nine predefined regions: a central 5-mm subfield (C0) and eight surrounding peripheral sectors: temporal (L1), superior-temporal (L2), superior (L3), superior-nasal (L4), nasal (L5), inferior-nasal (L6), inferior (L7), and inferior-temporal (L8). Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Bonferroni correction for nine regions. Changes in regional retinal and choroidal thickness Post-injection, retinal thickness significantly decreased in all regions except L4 and L6 ( p < 0.0056). Choroidal thickness showed a significant reduction in L2, L5, and L8 ( p < 0.0056). Subgroup analyses revealed no significant changes in choroidal thickness in either the superior RVO group (n = 9) or the inferior RVO group (n = 17). A clear sex-based difference was also observed: male patients ( n = 26) exhibited choroidal thinning in L4, L5, L6, and L8 ( p < 0.0056), whereas female patients ( n = 12) showed no significant changes in any region. Anti-VEGF therapy reduced retinal and choroidal thickness in specific regions in eyes with RVO. No significant differences were observed between eyes with superior and inferior occlusions. In male patients, significant thinning was observed in multiple peripheral regions, whereas no significant changes were noted in female patients. These findings suggest that the choroidal response to anti-VEGF therapy is complex and warrants further investigation.

To evaluate the feasibility of a telemedicine workflow using the Smart Eye Camera (SEC) for anterior segment imaging during community outreach screenings in Timor-Leste, and to describe the distribution of anterior segment findings among screening attendees. Prospective, community outreach, cross-sectional pilot screening study.. Eighty-two adults (164 eyes) who participated in community eye screenings in Timor-Leste. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCVA) and pinhole visual acuity were recorded in logMAR units. Anterior segment slit-lamp videos were acquired using the SEC (a smartphone-attachable slit-beam camera) and uploaded to a secure cloud platform for remote grading by ophthalmologists. Nuclear cataracts were graded (NUC1–NUC3) from slit-beam images in a subset with nuclear cataract. Feasibility of remote image acquisition and grading; frequency of anterior segment findings among screened eyes; UCVA and pinhole visual acuity; and exploratory description of nuclear cataract grade in relation to visual acuity. Participants had a mean age of 58.95±14.03 years (range, 29–87), and 52.4% were female. Mean UCVA was 0.55±0.65 logMAR and mean pinhole visual acuity was 0.42±0.66 logMAR. Among screened eyes, the most common findings were cataract (37.1%), conjunctivitis (25.9%), and pterygium (12.3%). In descriptive age-stratified summaries, cataract was identified only in the ≥50 years group (44.7% of eyes), and visual acuity was worse in older participants. In the nuclear cataract subset (59 eyes), higher nuclear grades were associated with worse UCVA and pinhole visual acuity. In this pilot convenience sample, telemedicine screening using a portable smartphone-based slit-beam camera was feasible and enabled remote identification of common anterior segment conditions in Timor-Leste. Cataract and ocular surface conditions were frequent among screening attendees, but these findings should not be interpreted as population prevalence. Larger, systematically sampled studies incorporating best-corrected visual acuity and reproducibility assessments of image grading are needed to estimate population prevalence and to evaluate clinical impact and referral outcomes.

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging mediators of host-microbe communication; however, their role in human disease remains unclear. Here, we identify two bacterial small tRNAs (tsRNAs) enriched in gut commensal Klebsiella pneumoniae-derived EVs (KpEVs) that are markedly elevated in the serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These tsRNAs suppress the production of nitric oxide (NO) by macrophages, a critical antitumor molecule. Notably, KpEVs reach the liver more efficiently than bacterial cells, thus facilitating bacterial translocation from the gut by inducing distinctive immunosuppressive macrophages. Mechanistically, KpEVs drive an M2-like macrophage phenotype, enhance phagocytosis, and inhibit both NO production and caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis during infection. The results show that KpEVs shape a liver microenvironment promoting gut-liver bacterial translocation, which may also influence HCC progression. Our study uncovers a previously unrecognized strategy by which K. pneumoniae exploits EVs to modulate host immunity of distant organs, highlighting tsRNAs as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Following the LEAP and PETIT studies demonstrating that early allergen introduction can prevent food allergies, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare revised its weaning guideline in 2019. The updated guideline recommended earlier egg introduction and noted that delaying specific foods may increase allergy risk. This study examined trends in the timing of solid food introduction among Japanese infants before and after this revision. We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from the parenting application Papatto Ikuji collected between 2014 and 2023. After excluding outliers and errors, 59,433 infants were analyzed. The age at solid food introduction was examined by birth year. From 2014 to 2018, the age distribution showed two peaks at 5 and 6 months. After 2019, the 6-month peak declined, leaving a single 5-month peak by 2021. These findings suggest that national guideline revisions substantially influenced caregivers' feeding behaviors, leading to earlier solid food introduction in Japan.