When performing a knee replacement surgery or total knee arthroplasty, doctors traditionally try to align the hip, knee, and ankle in a straight line, forming a neutral alignment, rather than replicating the patient’s original alignment. To understand which approach is better, researchers from Kyushu University have conducted a post-operation questionnaire comparing patient-reported outcomes to changes in knee alignment before and after surgery. Their findings may improve current surgical guidelines and patients’ long-term quality of life.

Physicians often work for extended hours to provide medical care for patients, which can result in sleep loss and affect their optimal functioning. Researchers from Juntendo University have conducted a national survey and used a computer-based psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) to assess the impact of long work hours and sleep duration on alertness and the psychological health of Japanese physicians. Poor PVT performance was significantly associated with physician depression and burnout.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created a mathematical model that models how the evolutionary strategies of organisms are affected by the environment. They studied salmonid fishes which choose either to migrate to the sea then return to lay eggs or stay in the river depending on their individual features. Their model correctly predicts how the proportion choosing to migrate changes with environmental conditions, predicting how environmental change can trigger eco-evolutionary responses.

Singlet fission (SF) is an exciton amplification phenomenon in which two triplet excitons are generated from a singlet exciton produced by the absorption of a single photon in chromophores. A team of researchers from Kyushu University has demonstrated that SF can be promoted by introducing chirality and controlling chromophore orientation and arrangement. Their innovative study is expected to promote diverse applications in energy science, quantum, and information materials science, photocatalysis, solar cells, and life science.

Lower indoor home temperatures are associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. A recent study by Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) reports that upgrading thermal insulation in new homes is more cost-effective than retrofitting insulation to existing homes in Japan. This finding could help guide policymakers in subsidizing housing costs to create warmer homes, thus reducing cold-induced hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

A research team led by National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) et al., has developed a method to enhance the nutritional value of black soldier fly larvae by reducing amino acid excretion. This increase in essential amino acid levels suggests that insects can be tailored to meet animal dietary needs.

A team of researchers at Kumamoto University has uncovered a groundbreaking mechanism in the formation of harmful protein aggregates that lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's Disease. The team, led by Professor Norifumi Shioda and Associate Professor Yasushi Yabuki, identified for the first time that unique RNA structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s) play a central role in promoting the aggregation of α-synuclein, a protein associated with neurodegeneration. By demonstrating that inhibiting G4 assembly could potentially prevent the onset of synucleinopathies, this discovery positions G4 as a promising target for early intervention in these diseases.