Kumamoto University

Palliative radiotherapy for gastric cancer–related bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis of bleeding response and dose–response relationships

PURPOSE: Palliative radiotherapy is commonly used to control bleeding in advanced gastric cancer; however, the optimal dose-fractionation regimen as well as the dose-response relationship remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of radiotherapy for gastric cancer-re...

QUBO sampling for mixed binary quadratic programming without continuous variable binarization

Quantum annealing and related combinatorial optimization methods typically accept quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problems as input, whereas many practical models include constraints and continuous variables. Standard QUBO conversions discretize continuous vari...

Preoperative Total Iron‐Binding Capacity Is a Potential Surrogate Marker of Long‐Term Outcomes After Pancreatectomy for Pancreatic Cancer

ABSTRACT Background This study aimed to examine whether preoperative serum total iron‐binding capacity (TIBC), which is directly proportional to transferrin level, correlates with long‐term outcomes after pancreatectomy. Methods Preoperative TIBC levels, calculated by summing ser...

Calprotectin Accelerates Pathogenic Calciprotein Particle Maturation to Promote Vascular Calcification in Chronic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-mineral and bone disorder and a major determinant of cardiovascular mortality. Secondary calciprotein particles (CPP2) are key mediators of vascular calcification; however, the mechanisms regulating...

Dermatological Needs After the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake

ABSTRACT Major earthquakes may alter dermatological needs through physical injury, disruption of living conditions, and psychological stress. We investigated dermatological needs after the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake. This retrospective observational study included patients from eig...

Defect-rich three-dimensionally ordered macroporous magnesium cobalt oxide spinel coupled with graphite felt for vanadium redox flow batteries

Developing electrodes that simultaneously enable rapid redox kinetics and efficient mass transport is critical for advancing high-performance vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). Herein, a defect-rich three-dimensionally ordered macroporous MgCo 2 O 4 catalyst is integrated ont...

Fasting proinsulin as a predictor of future glucose tolerance deterioration in Japanese adults

ABSTRACT Aims/Introduction Proinsulin is associated with β‐cell stress and has been linked to subsequent deterioration in glucose metabolism in Western populations, but its predictive value in Asian populations remains unclear. We investigated whether proinsulin is associated wit...

Novel device-based and catheter-directed therapies for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) presents a major clinical and therapeutic challenge owing to its complex pathophysiology and pronounced clinical heterogeneity. While traditional empirical strategies targeting comorbidities offered limited success, recent ad...

Cesarean delivery and overweight at 6 years of age: a prospective cohort analysis of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Abstract Cesarean delivery (CD) has been suggested as a potential risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity; however, evidence beyond early childhood remains inconsistent. We examined the association between CD and childhood overweight at age 6 years and explored early lif...

Tonicity drives collecting duct maturation in the mammalian kidney

Organ maturation is an emerging focus in the fields of organoid and developmental biology. The authors show that high tonicity drives the maturation of renal collecting ducts in vitro and in vivo, improving morphology, gene expression, and function.

Spectral imaging for differentiating intrapancreatic accessory spleen from hypervascular pancreatic neoplasms using single-phase post-contrast CT

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the diagnostic performance of spectral imaging for differentiating intrapancreatic accessory spleen (IPAS) from hypervascular pancreatic neoplasms using portal-venous phase (PVP) spectral CT. Materials and methods This retrospective study included...

Performance Evaluation of Ising and QUBO Variable Encodings in Boltzmann Machine Learning

We compare Ising ([Formula: see text]) and QUBO ([Formula: see text]) encodings for Boltzmann machine learning under controlled protocols that fix the sampler, optimizer, and learning-rate design within each comparison. Exploiting the identity that the Fisher information matrix (...

Dynamically Constructing Lanthanum Oxide on Ruthenium to Enhance Lithium‐Oxygen Interfacial Reactions

ABSTRACT Reversibly tuning the active structure of air cathodes in response to dynamic electrochemical conditions has long been sought for aprotic lithium‐oxygen batteries (LOBs). Here, we report a charge/discharge‐regulated transformation of lanthanum oxide nanocrystals on ruthe...

Prior vedolizumab exposure and fibroblast-derived MMP13 are associated with ustekinumab nonresponse in ulcerative colitis

Abstract Background As therapeutic options for ulcerative colitis increase, optimizing the sequencing of advanced therapies has become an important challenge. We examined whether baseline clinical characteristics influence the effectiveness of ustekinumab and investigated molecul...

Adaptive Output Tracking Control System Design With SPR‐Based Adaptive PFC

ABSTRACT Adaptive output feedback control based on an Almost Strictly Positive Real (ASPR) condition has been developed. In the control method based on the ASPR condition, its distinct feature is that an ASPR system can be stabilized by merely applying static output‐feedback cont...

Sustained NAD⁺ augmentation by high-dose nicotinamide mononucleotide supplementation in older adults: a 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract In animal studies, the administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), can ameliorate aging-related diseases by increasing tissue and blood NAD⁺ levels. However, human data on this intervention are limited. In...

Tourist Preparedness for Tsunami Hazards in Sustainable Coastal Tourism: A Protection Motivation Theory Approach in Pangandaran, Indonesia

Tourists visiting tsunami-prone destinations often have limited familiarity with local hazards, making preparedness important for sustainable coastal tourism and disaster risk reduction. This study examines the determinants of tourist preparedness in Pangandaran, Indonesia, using...

Computational screening of alloy-type H2/O2 recombination catalysts: A hybrid approach using machine-learning interatomic potentials, molecular dynamics, and Bayesian optimization

Hydrogen safety is a critical issue for hydrogen-based energy and industrial systems, where controlling hydrogen accumulation is essential to mitigate the risk of serious explosions. Passive autocatalytic recombiners (PARs) with equipped catalysts address this challenge by cataly...

Fourth-generation chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting mucin 1 for enhanced anti-tumor activity against breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and current treatments are unmet clinical needs. Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been approved for hematological malignancies, their advancements in solid tumors are challenging....

ON UNIVERSAL PROPERTY OF RECIPROCAL KIRCHBERG ALGEBRAS AND UNIQUELY ERGODIC AUTOMORPHISMS

Abstract Reciprocality in Kirchberg algebras with finitely generated K $\mathrm {K}$ normal upper K -groups is regarded as a K $\mathrm {K}$ normal upper K -theoretic duality through K $\mathrm {K}$ normal upper K -groups and strong extension groups. We prove that the reciprocal...