Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in pregnancy: Case report and review of 32 patients in the literature.

Key Clinical Message: Systemic prednisolone including steroid pulse therapy would be safe in 32 pregnant women, who developed Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in the literature. Prednisolone administration would be shortened by monitoring of serous retinal detachment with optical coherence tomography. Abstract: A 30-year-old woman in 31 weeks of pregnancy with metamorphopsia and headache was diagnosed Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. She underwent steroid pulse therapy and oral prednisolone 20 mg daily for 3 weeks until complete resolution of serous retinal detachment monitored by optical coherence tomography. Oral prednisolone was tapered and discontinued until uneventful delivery.

Iron complexes supported by silyl-NHC chelate ligands: synthesis and use for double hydroboration of nitriles.

Iron complexes bearing new silyl-NHC bidentate ligands were synthesised by treating Fe3(CO)12 with a mixture of N-(hydrosilyl)methyl imidazolium salts and a base. These complexes showed high performance in the catalytic double hydroboration of nitrile with pinacolborane (HBpin) to produce N,N-bis(boryl)amine by a combination of UV irradiation and mild heating (60 °C). The product yields for the hydroboration of aromatic and aliphatic nitriles reached 85%-95% (NMR) using an iron complex (5 mol%). Reducing the loading amount of the iron complex to 0.5 mol% still afforded the products in high yields. An analogous ruthenium complex, which was similarly synthesised using Ru3(CO)12, showed lower activity. Stoichiometric reactions of the iron complex with nitriles afforded Fe(0)-N-silylimine complexes, which may be dormant states in nitrile hydroboration. A catalytic mechanism including Fe(0) N-silylimine species is proposed.

Protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial on the effect of oestrogen replacement on physical performance to muscle resistance exercise for older women with osteoarthritis of knee joint: the EPOK trial.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is highly prevalent in older women, and previous studies suggest the involvement of hormonal factors play a role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. KOA causes musculoskeletal impairment, resulting in decreased physical activity, muscle mass, and strength, which leads to sarcopenia and further increases the burden on healthcare systems. Oestrogen replacement therapy (ERT) improves joint pain and muscle performance in early menopausal women. Muscle resistance exercise (MRE) is a non-pharmacological method that preserves the physical functions of patients with KOA. However, data on short-term oestrogen administration combined with MRE in postmenopausal women, especially in those aged > 65 years, are limited. Therefore, this study presents a protocol of a trial aimed to examine the synergistic effect of ERT and MRE on lower-limb physical performance in older women with KOA. METHODS: We will conduct a double-blinded, randomised placebo-controlled trial in 80 Japanese women aged > 65 years living independently with knee pain. The participants will be randomly categorised into two groups: (1) 12-week MRE programme with transdermal oestrogen gel containing 0.54 mg oestradiol per push and (2) 12-week MRE programme with placebo gel. The primary outcome measured using the 30-s chair stand test, and secondary outcomes (body composition, lower-limb muscle strength, physical performance, self-reported measure of knee pain, and quality of life) will be measured at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months, and these outcomes will be analysed based on the intention-to-treat. DISCUSSION: The EPOK trial is the first study to focus on the efficacy of ERT on MRE among women aged > 65 years with KOA. This trial will provide an effective MRE to prevent KOA-induced lower-limb muscle weakness, confirming the benefit of short-term oestrogen administration. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Japan Registry of Clinical Trials: jRCTs061210062. Registered 17th December 2021, https://jrct.niph.go.jp/en-latest-detail/jRCTs061210062 .

Production of functional eggs and sperm from in vitro-expanded type A spermatogonia in rainbow trout.

Combining cryopreservation of germline stem cells (GSCs) with their subsequent transplantation into recipient fish is a powerful tool for long-term preservation of genetic resources of endangered fishes. However, application of this technique has been limited because endangered species sometimes have small gonads and do not supply enough GSCs to be used for transplantation. This limitation could be overcome by expanding GSCs in vitro, though this has been difficult due to the complexity of reconstructing the gonadal microenvironment that surrounds GSCs. Here, we describe a novel method of in vitro expansion of rainbow trout GSCs using a feeder layer derived from Sertoli cells and a culture medium containing trout plasma. A transplantation assay demonstrated that the in vitro-expanded GSCs exhibited stem cell activity and potency to produce functional eggs, sperm, and eventually healthy offspring. In vitro expansion of GSCs can aid in rescuing fishes that are on the verge of extinction.