Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of a b-value of 3000 s/mm² in liver diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for differentiating between benign and malignant hepatic masses using a 3T MR scanner with a peak gradient of 100 mT/m.

Materials Fifty-four patients (33 men, 21 women; mean age: 65 years) with hepatic masses, including 13 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), 18 hepatic metastases, 12 hepatic hemangiomas, and 11 hepatic cysts, were prospectively enrolled.

Methods Liver DWI was performed at b-values of 1000 and 3000 s/mm². Quantitative analyses included signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast ratio (CR), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Two independent readers assessed qualitative signal intensity (SI) scores of hepatic masses. The diagnostic performance for differentiating between benign and malignant hepatic masses was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and compared between the two b-values.

Results A b-value of 3000 s/mm² provided significantly higher AUCs for SNR, CR, and SI scores than 1000 s/mm² (P < 0.05). The SI score at 3000 s/mm² achieved an AUC of 1.00, with 100% sensitivity and specificity. While malignant masses maintained high SI across both b-values, benign masses showed significantly lower SI at 3000 s/mm² (P < 0.001). ADC values were significantly lower at 3000 s/mm².

Conclusions Liver DWI at a b-value of 3000 s/mm² enhances diagnostic accuracy in differentiating hepatic masses. The use of this higher b-value preserves the high SI of malignancies while effectively reducing false positives from the T2 shine-through effect, making it a valuable imaging approach for clinical applications.

　In recent years, advances in medical technology have shortened the length of hospital stays for patients with heart disease. However, concerns about recurrence after discharge may lead patients to restrict their activities. Cardiac rehabilitation is particularly important for preventing recurrence and improving quality of life. Until now, outpatient rehabilitation has been the standard approach. However, research is advancing to enable patients to continue rehabilitation safely at home through telerehabilitation. Tele-cardiac rehabilitation involves real-time, two-way communication with physicians and rehabilitation specialists via smartphones or computers. By monitoring electrocardiograms, heart rate, fatigue levels, and other parameters, personalized guidance can be provided to each patient. We believe this system can reduce patients' anxiety and expand their range of activities after discharge. This paper explains the background behind the growing interest in tele-cardiac rehabilitation, the types of tele-cardiac rehabilitation, its benefits, and future challenges.

　Python is one of the most popular programming languages to learn and use. It is ubiquitous in fields like data analysis, artificial intelligence, image processing, robotics, and web development. Its versatility and reliability make it ideal for major companies, including Tesla and Netflix. NASA even uses it to calibrate the James Webb Space Telescope. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), writing a Python program can be as simple as prompting an AI assistant for a solution. For research scientists, this lowered barrier could spark a generational change, transforming every research stage from idea conception to publishing. My interest in AI-assisted programming inspired my lecture on how Python can assist PhD students in their work. This lecture begins with basic terminology and presents three mini projects as first steps for learning Python. These projects cover text extraction and analysis, statistical data analysis, and virtually staining histological samples into digital image stacks. Small variations of these projects could lead to code that extracts reagents from manuscripts, creates stunning statistical graphs, and advances histopathological methods.

Objectives Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the leading causes of heart failure. To date, 48 genes are known to be associated with DCM. Telethonin, encoded by the TCAP gene, is a Z-disk protein that composes cytoskeletal structures and facilitates various signaling pathways in cardiomyocytes. At least, six TCAP variants have been found in patients with DCM. We sought to investigate the role of TCAP in cardiac function using TCAP-knockdown (KD) iPS cell (iPSC)-induced cardiomyocytes (CMs).

Methods & Results To investigate the role of TCAP in cardiomyocytes, the TCAP gene was knocked down in human iPS cells established from a healthy subject (201B7) using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. The expressions of TCAP mRNA and telethonin were confirmed by RT-qPCRs and Western blot, respectively. The 201B7 wild type (WT) and the TCAP-knocked down (KD) cells were differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CMs). The contractility measured by a high-resolution block matching-based optical flow technique showed that all contractility parameters, including contraction velocity, relaxation velocity, and contraction-relaxation duration, were decreased in the KD-CMs (n = 54) compared to the WT-CMs (n = 24) (WT vs. KD: 51.28 ± 22.82 vs. 29.11 ± 22.83 µm/s, p < 0.001; 22.05 ± 8.85 vs. 12.48 ± 8.85 µm/s, p < 0.001; 0.82 ± 0.12 vs. 0.58 ± 0.12 s, p < 0.001). Ca²⁺-imaging studies showed aberrant Ca²⁺-waves in the KD-CMs.

Conclusions We found that TCAP-KD in human iPS cell-induced CMs impairs contraction, induces triggered activities, and abnormal Ca²⁺-waves, which is consistent with the phenotypes of DCM.

Objectives Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has replaced combined coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) as the standard treatment for elderly patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD) and aortic valve stenosis (AS). However, the long-term outcomes of the surgical approaches in the pre-TAVI era need revisiting. This study evaluated the short- and long-term outcomes of combined SAVR and CABG in elderly patients during the pre-TAVI era.

Materials This retrospective data analysis evaluated patients aged ≥ 70 years who underwent combined SAVR and CABG between 2005 and 2014.

Methods Short-term outcomes, including in-hospital mortality, stroke, respiratory failure and acute kidney injury, and long-term outcomes such as all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), were assessed.

Results Among 123 patients (mean age: 78 years), risk scores confirmed an intermediate risk (EuroSCORE II: 6.1%, JapanSCORE: 7%, JapanSCORE II: 21%), with rates of in-hospital mortality of 3.3%, stroke of 5.7%, and respiratory failure of 22%. Five- and 10-year survival rates were 66.3% and 42.6%, respectively, cardiac mortality rates were 4.8% and 7.2%, respectively, and event-free survival for MACCE were 66.6% and 55.1%, respectively.

Conclusions The outcomes of SAVR+CABG in the pre-TAVI era demonstrate the efficacy and durability of surgical approaches, with favorable long-term survival even in elderly intermediate risk patients. These findings highlight the continued significance of surgical intervention, particularly for patients requiring treatment for both AS and CAD, and provide a benchmark for assessing current treatment strategies in the TAVI era.

　Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is like a cloud. We really can see it, but we never feel or touch it. This means that we can diagnose it, but we still do not know how that happens and how to manage it. DIC was first recognized as an uncontrollable bleeding disorder complicated by critical diseases. Curiously, despite such bleeding tendency, pathological examination revealed systemic micro-clot formation in multiple organs. Soon after, these specific findings were revealed as the result of excess coagulation followed by consumptive coagulopathy. Numerous factors, such as imbalanced coagulation/fibrinolysis, endothelial damage, platelet activation, and intravascular inflammation, are involved in the pathogenesis. However, the whole story has not been clarified yet, and DIC is also recognized as "Disseminated Intracerebral Confusion." In nearly 40 years, several diagnostic criteria were proposed but never integrated. As for the sepsis-associated DIC, the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis recommended a two-step approach by Sepsis-Induced Coagulopathy (SIC) followed by overt DIC criteria. In this approach, the early (compensated)-phase is diagnosed by SIC, and the late (decompensated)-phase is diagnosed by overt DIC criteria. Regarding treatment, we are very sorry, but only the treatment for underlying conditions is recommended. However, aggressive anticoagulant therapies for early-phase DIC have been explored in Japan. We expect the effects of anticoagulant therapy to be proven in the near future.

Objectives Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), obtained by centrifuging autologous blood, is widely used for pain relief and wound healing. PRP is also used in the dental field, but the safety and validity thereof for dental diseases have not yet been fully established. We aimed to evaluate the safety of PRP for the following dental procedures: post-extraction socket healing, maxillary sinus floor elevation, periodontal tissue regeneration, and intentional tooth replantation.

Materials PRP was purified from patient’s own venous blood and transplanted.

Methods Eight patients were enrolled in clinical trials targeting four dental diseases, and subjected to the required treatment with transplantation (two patients/study). The primary endpoint was safety; specifically, adverse events after PRP treatment were evaluated based on clinical observations. Secondary endpoints were clinical evaluation, dental radiography and/or imaging evaluation, and platelet count.

Results No serious adverse events associated with the PRP transplantation were observed. In tooth extraction sockets, postoperative pain tended to subside the day after treatment. Regeneration of hard tissue at the PRP transplant site has been confirmed in clinical studies on maxillary sinus lifts, periodontal tissue regeneration, and tooth replantation.

Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the safety and validity of PRP transplantation for each type of dental disease. Because the sample size was limited, further large-scale clinical studies are required to evaluate the safety and validity of PRP treatment for each dental disease.

Psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia, represent significant global healthcare challenges. Addressing these issues requires the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies grounded in a deeper understanding of the underlying pathological mechanisms. Although the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders is believed to be rooted in the brain, direct access to the living human brain remains a major limitation. Researchers are actively exploring alternative methods to overcome this challenge. This review examines recent advancements in genomic studies and single-cell RNA sequencing of postmortem brain tissue as promising approaches for understanding psychiatric disorders, with a particular emphasis on BD. Additionally, the potential of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a future extension of genomic research is discussed. By integrating clinical genomic data with cell-type-specific expression profiles, it is possible to identify the specific cell types and brain regions implicated in psychiatric disorders. Further cellular analyses, coupled with drug screening using organoids or neuronal models, hold promise for the development of targeted therapeutic strategies. Coordinated efforts across these areas will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the pathological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders and facilitate the identification of novel therapeutic opportunities.