One nucleotide replacement in codon 233 of HLA-A*24020101 results in a novel allele, HLA-A*240231. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.AIMS Changes in echocardiographic parameters and biomarkers of cardiac and venous pressures or estimated plasma volume during hospitalization associated with decongestive treatments in acute heart failure (AHF) patients with either preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HFPEF) or reduced LVEF (HFREF) are poorly assessed. METHODS AND RESULTS From the metabolic road to diastolic heart failure diastolic heart failure (MEDIA-DHF) study, 111 patients were included in this substudy 77 AHF (43 HFPEF and 34 HFREF) and 34 non-cardiac dyspnea patients. Echocardiographic measurements and blood samples were obtained within 4 h of presentation at the emergency department and before hospital discharge. In AHF patients, echocardiographic indices of cardiac and venous pressures, including inferior vena cava diameter [from 22 (16-24) mm to 13 (11-18) mm, P = 0.009], its respiratory variability [from 32 (8-44) % to 43 (29-70) %, P = 0.04], medial E/e' [from 21.1 (15.8-29.6) to 16.6 (11.7-24.3), P = 0.004], and E y & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.AIMS Improving mental health literacy through school-based education may encourage mental health promotion, prevention and care and reduce stigma in adolescents. In Japan, instruction about mental illness has been formulated in a Course of Study that reflects governmental curriculum guidelines, which will be enforced from 2022 to promote an understanding of current issues of adolescent health. Educational resources available to schoolteachers have been developed. This article describes the development processes and contents of these resources.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/shr0302.html  METHODS Our collaborating team, consisting of mental health professionals and schoolteachers, developed educational resources, based on feedback from high school students in general and young people who had experienced mental health problems. RESULTS The new Course of Study covers (1) mechanisms of mental illness, prevalence, age at onset, risk factors and treatability; (2) typical symptoms of mental health problems and illnesses; (3) self-help strategies for prevention of and recovery from mental illness; (4) enhancing help-seeking and helping behaviour and (5) decreasing the stigma associated with people with mental health problems. The educational strategy is targeted at high school students (grades 10-12) and is conducted by teachers of health and physical education. The educational resources include short story animated films, filmed social contact and educators' manuals, which are freely available through the internet and open to all concerned including schoolteachers in Japan. CONCLUSIONS Our efforts are expected to help implement mental health education of the public throughout Japan and other countries and promote the practice of early intervention and prevention of mental illnesses in adolescents. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.BACKGROUND Maternally expressed 3 (MEG3), a long chain noncoding RNA (lncRNA), has verified its function as a suppressor in several kinds of cancers. However, the downstream mechanism of MEG3 in regulating the molecular mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) progression demands further investigation. METHODS Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the expression level of MEG3 in HNSCC and adjacent normal tissues of 51 cases. Luciferase report assay was used to detect the correlation between miR-421 and MEG3, and miR-421 and E-cadherin in HNSCC cell lines. Cell invasion and proliferation capacity were assessed through transwell and CCK8 assays. Scratch wound assay was used to assess cell migration capacity. RESULTS Firstly, this study demonstrated that the expression of MEG3 was significantly downregulated in HNSCC compared to adjacent normal tissues. Overexpressed MEG3 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Secondly, MEG3 upregulated the expression of E-cadherin, which was instead downregulated by miR-421. MiR-421 was negatively regulated by MEG3 in HNSCC. Therefore, MEG3 regulated EMT by sponging miR-421 targeting E-cadherin in HNSCC. CONCLUSIONS This study indicated that the MEG3-miR-421-E-cadherin axis could be a new therapeutic target for HNSCC. © 2020 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.In-vitro experimental parametric studies of laser ablation using natural sialoliths and artificial stones have been performed toward an efficient laser treatment of sialolithiasis. Surface microstructure and water adsorption become critical for coupling high power pulsed HoYAG laser radiation (λ = 2080 nm, τ ∼250 μsec), inducing ablative interactions and stone fragmentation. Results reveal a generic trend, with single pulse laser energy density threshold for sialolith ablative erosion at ∼200 J cm-2 (corresponding to intensity ∼800 kW cm-2 ) and fragmentation rates reaching ∼1 mm/pulse at ∼2400 J cm-2 . This process shows no saturation, suggesting that very high energy density irradiation at low pulse repetition rate is an efficient approach. Such operation facilitates rapid cooling and minimal thermal loading of the oral and maxillofacial area, thus causing negligible adverse effects. The method is expected to contribute to the establishment of an easy and optimal therapeutic protocol for sialolithiasis pathology. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.Four novel HLA-A alleles were detected using two next generation sequencing technologies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.This study aimed to determine the mechanism of isogeneic induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) homing to vascular transplants and their therapeutic effect on chronic allogeneic vasculopathy. We found that integrin β1 (Intgβ1) was the dominant integrin β unit in iPSCs that mediates the adhesion of circulatory and endothelial cells (ECs). Intgβ1 knockout or Intgβ1-siRNAs inhibit iPSC adhesion and migration across activated endothelial monolayers. The therapeutic effects of the following were examined iPSCs, Intgβ1-knockout iPSCs, iPSCs transfected with Intgβ1-siRNAs or non-targeting siRNAs, iPSC-derived ECs, iPSC-derived ECs simultaneously overexpressing Intgα4 and Intgβ1, iPSCs pre-cultured in endothelial medium for 3 days (endothelial prone stem cells), primary aortic ECs, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), and phosphate-buffered saline (control). The cells were administered every 3 days for a period of 8 weeks. iPSCs, iPSCs transfected with non-targeting siRNAs, and endothelial prone stem cells selectively homed on the luminal surface of the allografts, differentiated into ECs, and decreased neointimal proliferation.