Insights into Land Plant Evolution Garnered from the Marchantia polymorpha Genome.

The evolution of land flora transformed the terrestrial environment. Land plants evolved from an ancestral charophycean alga from which they inherited developmental, biochemical, and cell biological attributes. Additional biochemical and physiological adaptations to land, and a life cycle with an alternation between multicellular haploid and diploid generations that facilitated efficient dispersal of desiccation tolerant spores, evolved in the ancestral land plant. We analyzed the genome of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a member of a basal land plant lineage. Relative to charophycean algae, land plant genomes are characterized by genes encoding novel biochemical pathways, new phytohormone signaling pathways (notably auxin), expanded repertoires of signaling pathways, and increased diversity in some transcription factor families. Compared with other sequenced land plants, M. polymorpha exhibits low genetic redundancy in most regulatory pathways, with this portion of its genome resembling that predicted for the ancestral land plant. PAPERCLIP

Unisoner: An Interactive Interface for Derivative Chorus Creation From Various Singing Voices on the Web

(Abstract to follow

Pelvis-Toe Distance: 3-Dimensional Gait Characteristics of Functional Limb Shortening in Hemiparetic Stroke

We aimed to investigate whether a newly defined distance in the lower limb can capture the characteristics of hemiplegic gait compared to healthy controls. Three-dimensional gait analyses were performed on 42 patients with chronic stroke and 10 age-matched controls. Pelvis-toe distance (PTD) was calculated as the absolute distance between an anterior superior iliac spine marker and a toe marker during gait normalized by PTD in the bipedal stance. The shortening peak during the swing phase was then quantified as PTDmin. The sagittal clearance angle, the frontal compensatory angle, gait speed, and the observational gait scale were also collected. PTDmin in the stroke group showed less shortening on the affected side and excessive shortening on the non-affected side compared to controls. PTDmin on the affected side correlated negatively with the sagittal clearance peak angle and positively with the frontal compensatory peak angle in the stroke group. PTDmin in stroke patients showed moderate to high correlations with gait speed and observational gait scale. PTDmin adequately reflected gait quality without being affected by apparent improvements due to frontal compensatory patterns. Our results showed that various impairments and compensations were included in the inability to shorten PTD, which can provide new perspectives on gait rehabilitation in stroke patients

Complications and risk factors of intermittent nasogastric/intermittent orogastric tube feeding in the rehabilitation ward: A retrospective study

Summary: Background &amp; Aims: Intermittent nasogastric (ING)/intermittent orogastric (IOG) tube feeding is an intermittent tube feeding (ITF) method in which a catheter is sporadically placed through the mouth or nose into the stomach to administer nutrients with syringes. This method proves advantageous in rehabilitation wards, as it allows for bed release and training. However, detailed reports on this method are limited, and its safety remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of complications and risk factors associated with ING/IOG tube feeding. Methods: This longitudinal cohort study included 135 patients who received ING/IOG tube feeding for all meals and were discharged from our hospital between October 2018 and September 2022. The incidence and prevalence of complications (diarrhea, vomiting, and pneumonia) during the first 28 days after admission were retrospectively investigated. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze factors associated with complications. The explanatory variables selected were age, functional independence measure (FIM) motor scores, low body mass index (BMI) (<20 kg/m2), number of observation days, and disease as regulators. Results: Of 135 patients, 57 (42.2%) had complications; 20 (29.6%) had diarrhea, 20 experienced (14.8%) vomiting, and 9 (6.7%) developed pneumonia. The incidence of diarrhea was 3.2% and that of vomiting was 1.2%. Significant factors associated with complications were low BMI (odds ratio=2.497 [1.214–5.136]) and FIM motor scores (odds ratio=0.933 [0.872–0.999]). Conclusions: The incidences of diarrhea, vomiting, and pneumonia were not necessarily higher than those of other tube feeding methods reported previously. ING/IOG tube feeding is recommended with caution in patients with low BMI and FIM scores, which have been identified as risk factors for complications

Real‑world survival outcome comparing abiraterone acetate plus prednisone and enzalutamide for nonmetastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer

Abstract Background There is little evidence of abiraterone acetate (AA) plus prednisone for patients with non‐metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC). In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of real‐world survival outcomes between AA plus prednisone and enzalutamide (Enz) in patients with nmCRPC, utilizing our consortium dataset. Materials and Methods The clinical records of 133 nmCRPC patients treated with first‐line Enz or AA plus prednisone were analyzed. The primary endpoints of the study were overall survival (OS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS). Cumulative incidence function (CIF) using Fine and Gray models was also utilized to assess non‐cancer‐caused death considering the competing risk of cancer‐caused death. Results During a median follow‐up of 36 months, 34 patients (25.6%) had deceased, with a median OS of 99 months in the entire cohort. There were no significant differences in comorbidities between the Enz and AA groups. Time to PSA progression (TTPP: HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.51–1.30, P = 0.375) and CSS (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.55–3.44, P = 0.5141) were comparable between the two groups. However, intriguingly, there was a trend towards shorter OS in patients treated with AA plus prednisone compared to Enz (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.29–1.12, P = 0.0978, median of 99 and 69 months in Enz and AA groups, respectively). CIF analysis revealed that nmCRPC patients treated with AA plus prednisone were more likely to result in non‐cancer‐caused death than those treated with Enz (HR 5.22, 95% CI 1.88–14.50, P = 0.0014). Conclusions Our real‐world survival analysis suggests that while AA plus prednisone may demonstrate comparable treatment efficacy to Enz in the context of nmCRPC, there may be an increased risk of non‐cancer‐caused death. Physicians should take into consideration this information when making treatment decisions for patients with nmCRPC