Yamaguchi University

Female athletes frequently experience lateral ankle sprains (LAS) during unilateral jump-landing activities and face a significant risk of recurrent ankle injury. LAS has been associated with reduced diaphragm contractility and altered breathing mechanics. The diaphragm and breathing mechanics are crucial for mitigating landing impact, which is typically impaired in individuals with LAS. Given this connection, innovative rehabilitation approaches that address dysfunctional breathing mechanics may be warranted. To date, no research has investigated associations between breathing mechanics and landing kinetics in adolescent female athletes with LAS. This study aimed to compare ground reaction force (GRF) and dynamic stability during a single-leg stabilization task between female athletes with a history of LAS who exhibited diaphragmatic breathing patterns and those who had dysfunctional breathing patterns. Case-control study. Two hundred eighty-three competitive female athletes with a previous history of LAS were recruited from middle school, high school, and Division I college teams. The Hi-Lo test was utilized to categorize participants as dysfunctional breathers or diaphragmatic breathers according to their breathing patterns. Each participant completed 3 trials of a single-leg drop-landing task. Normalized peak vertical and posterior GRF data were extracted, and the average loading rate was calculated from the normalized vertical GRF. The norm of the horizontal component of the GRF was used to calculate time to stabilization. Forty female athletes with LAS history (14.1%) were classified as diaphragmatic breathers, and 243 (85.9%) were classified as dysfunctional breathers. Female athletes with LAS history who exhibited dysfunctional breathing patterns demonstrated a greater peak posterior GRF (P = .01) and longer time to stabilization (P = .04) compared with those who had diaphragmatic breathing patterns. Dysfunctional breathing patterns may contribute to decreased dynamic stability and force attenuation capabilities during single-leg landing tasks following LAS. Assessing the biomechanical dimension of breathing patterns may help clinicians identify patient-specific impairments in individuals with LAS, particularly those with deficits in dynamic postural stability and force attenuation.

Red seabream Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) (Teleostei: Sparidae) farmed in Japan exhibited mild scoliosis, and myxosporean and microsporidian parasites were isolated from the brain and medulla oblongata of the diseased fish, respectively. Based on the morphological and molecular analyses, the myxosporean specimens were described as a new species, Myxobolus tai n. sp. (Bivalvulida: Myxobolidae). The spore is oblong to oval in valvular view, with two pyriform polar capsules of slightly unequal size. Polar capsules are asymmetrically positioned relative to the major axis of the spore. Myxospores morphologically similar to those of M. tai were also identified in the kidney of the yellowback seabream Evynnis tumifrons (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) (Sparidae) caught in North Pacific off Minami-Ise Town, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Whereas white and round plasmodia were observed in the brain of P. major, only free spores were confirmed in the kidney of E. tumifrons. Nucleotide sequences of the partial small subunit ribosomal RNA gene were identical between those myxosporeans collected from P. major and E. tumifrons, indicating they are conspecific. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed M. tai n. sp. is sister to Myxobolus iwagiensis Kawano, Sakurai, & Yanagida, 2025, which was described from the nervous tissues of wild southern medaka Oryzias latipes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (Beloniformes: Adrianichthyidae) collected from brackish water in Japan. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the microsporidian in the medulla oblongata of P. major as an undescribed species belonging to the family Spragueidae.

要旨 【背景】 髄膜炎を主病巣としない侵襲性肺炎球菌感染症において，中枢神経感染症を考慮した対応をどこまで行うべきか明らかではない。今回我々は，侵襲性肺炎球菌感染症に伴う急性感染性電撃性紫斑病の治療中に，髄膜炎・脳室炎が明らかとなり治療変更を要した症例を経験したので報告する。 【症例】 65歳の男性が発熱と四肢の疼痛・紫斑のために救急搬送され，尿中抗原検査・血液培養の結果から肺炎球菌性電撃性紫斑病と診断された。来院時から軽度の意識障害を認めたが，高度の凝固障害のため腰椎穿刺は施行困難であった。高用量のCeftriaxone投与を行ったが，経過中に髄膜刺激症状が顕在化し，髄液検査と頭部MRIの所見から髄膜炎・脳室炎の合併と診断した。Vancomycinの併用を開始した後は速やかに改善が得られ，神経学的後遺症なく退院した。 【結語】 侵襲性肺炎球菌感染症に伴う電撃性紫斑病では，中枢神経感染症を合併することがあるが，初期の臨床所見における非特異性と出血傾向に伴う腰椎穿刺の困難さから，診断が遅れることがある。中枢神経感染症を念頭に置いた経験的治療を速やかに開始したうえで，病状が軽減次第髄液検査やMRIを施行し，その結果と臨床経過に基づき治療方針を再検討することが重要であると考えられた。

Background Urinary C-peptide testing is widely used to evaluate insulin secretion capacity from pancreatic β-cells. We report a case in which urinary C-peptide showed abnormally high levels during treatment with an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI). Case presentation The patient was a 54-year-old man undergoing treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Following an abnormal electrocardiogram during a health check-up, he was diagnosed with aortic valve insufficiency. During admission to the diabetes and endocrinology department for preoperative glycemic control, a clinical laboratory technologist first recognized a marked discrepancy between urinary and serum C-peptide results and reported this to the attending physician, prompting further investigation. A literature review revealed reports suggesting that ARNI administration may suppress C-peptide metabolism, potentially leading to elevation of measured values. Results The patient's excreted urinary C-peptide level decreased markedly after ARNI therapy was discontinued, suggesting that ARNI influences an increase in urinary C-peptide. Conclusions When excreted urinary C-peptide is abnormally elevated and discrepant from the serum C-peptide level, it is important to confirm ARNI use and follow laboratory-driven recommendations for retesting after discontinuation if needed. Prompt reporting of this finding by the clinical laboratory is essential for the accurate assessment of insulin secretion capacity.

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are primarily repaired in eukaryotic cells through two pathways: homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus is recognized for its highly active NHEJ pathway, making it a suitable model organism for studying the role of NHEJ in DSB repair. To induce DSBs in K. marxianus DMKU3-1042, an expression cassette containing the gene encoding the endonuclease RsaI was integrated into the LYS1 locus of both the wild-type and NHEJ-deficient KU70 mutant strains. This cassette is regulated by the galactose-inducible promoter GAL10. Cells expressing RsaI and grown in galactose medium exhibited an elongated, rod-shaped morphology under a microscope. Following RsaI expression, the viability of transformed KU70 cells decreased during the first three hours of culture in liquid medium and then partially recovered after six hours of incubation. In contrast, the KU70 mutant cells failed to produce viable survivors. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis revealed distinct chromosomal separation patterns among various RsaI-transformed KU70 cells. These findings demonstrate that the repair of RsaI-induced DSBs in K. marxianus DMKU3-1042 results in new strains with several forms of rearranged chromosomes.

Abstract Purpose: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a potentially fatal complication of distal pancreatectomy (DP) but the optimal prevention method is unknown. The standard methodology for DP is to dissect the pancreas using a stapler alone. This pilot study evaluated post-DP remnant closure by stapling plus a PGA felt patch and examined the predictors of POPF. Methods: We prospectively enrolled and analyzed 26 patients scheduled for DP in which the remnants were closed with staples and a PGA felt patch. Results: Primary disease included 17 pancreatic adenocarcinomas, 3 pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms, 2 mucinous cystic neoplasms, 2 solid pseudopapillary neoplasms, and 2 other disorders. The mean main pancreatic duct diameter at the excision site was 2.3 mm. The mean pancreatic parenchyma thickness was 12.3 mm. The mean pancreatic dissected line was 0.5 mm to the left from the left edge of the portal vein. We observed nine biochemical leaks and the formation of nine grade B POPFs. We found significant differences in the BMI, pancreatic parenchymal thickness, and pancreatic dissection line between patients with and without POPF. Conclusion: Although stapling and applying PGA felt did not show efficacy in preventing POPF, the pancreatic dissecting line was suggested as a risk factor.

Abstract We present results from coordinated multiwavelength observations of the microquasar SS 433, obtained with XRISM, optical telescopes (Seimei, LCO, Tomo-e Gozen, MITSuME), and the kSIRIUS near-infrared camera during 2024 April and 2025 March. The XRISM exposures amounted to ${\sim}200$ ks in 2024 and ~100 ks in 2025, corresponding to different combinations of orbital and precessional phases. With XRISM/Resolve’s high spectral resolution and large effective area, we clearly resolved numerous emission lines even in short time segments, achieving improved accuracy in Doppler-shift measurements relative to earlier observations. The simultaneously obtained X-ray and optical Doppler shifts suggest a possible tendency for the optical emission to lag slightly behind the X-rays. In the Resolve data, the Doppler shifts of the two jet components exhibited apparent asymmetries, with jet speeds fluctuating around ${\sim}0.26 \pm 0.01c$ in 2024 and ${\sim}0.30 \pm 0.01c$ in 2025. The velocity variations indicated modulations on a timescale of ~6.3 d, with a phase offset of about $-90^{\circ }$ relative to the nutation cycle. The observed line widths and flux of the approaching and receding jets appear consistent with the expected geometrical effects, indicating systematically larger line widths in the inner regions of the jets, as proposed by Shidatsu et al. (2025, PASJ, 77, 1313). Optical light curves show flares of ~400 s in 2024 and ~1600 s in 2025, with amplitudes up to ~15% during out-of-eclipse intervals, while the XRISM/Xtend light curves show no significant variability within the overlapping intervals and given the statistical uncertainties. Near-infrared photometry in 2024, obtained during an out-of-eclipse interval at a different epoch from the optical observations, showed no flare-like variability, and the X-ray band also remained constant within uncertainties. These coordinated observations provide a foundation for future XRISM studies aimed at probing the dynamical properties of the relativistic jets in SS 433.

For the appropriate evaluation of environmental odours, it is necessary to develop a reliable odour measurement scale. Odour intensity is one of the main odour characterisation parameters and a remarkably common and important sensory indicator of environmental odours. In this study, the odour intensity level between two and four of the six-point odour intensity scale was focused on, and odour intensity reference solutions of representative odorants for environmental odour evaluation were developed. As a result, propionic acid, propylamine, ethyl acetate, and isobutyraldehyde were selected as representative odorants, and three concentration steps of each odorant were determined to cover the odour intensity of two, three, and four of the six-point odour intensity scale. These reference odour solutions will be applicable to the training of inexperienced panel members and reliable on-site investigations of environmental odours.