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Abstract Background Practical alcohol risk-reduction strategies are widely recommended in public-facing alcohol guidance, but randomized evidence from socially interactive drinking episodes remains limited. We conducted a pilot cluster randomized trial to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of a package intervention comprising practical drinking-strategy information, participant self-selection of same-day strategies, and a brief commitment declaration in a social drinking laboratory. Methods This single-center, parallel-group pilot trial was conducted in Japan. Pre-existing social groups participated. One or two groups scheduled in the same session slot were combined into a time-slot allocation unit, which was randomized 1:1 either to the package intervention or to alcohol-related knowledge only. The primary outcome was total pure alcohol intake during the first 120 min. Session satisfaction on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was a prespecified secondary participant-experience outcome. Results Of 83 interested individuals, 63 were randomized and 59 participants in 17 social groups and 12 allocation units were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. The mean paired intervention-control difference for 120-min alcohol intake was-8.84 g (95% confidence interval [CI]-27.92 to 10.23; exact sign-flip p = 0.281). The corresponding exploratory 0–30 min difference was-4.90 g (95% CI-10.48 to 0.68; exact sign-flip p = 0.094). In a genotype-adjusted participant-level sensitivity analysis, the intervention coefficient for 120-min intake was-16.0 g (95% CI-30.9 to-1.1; p = 0.036). Session satisfaction was high in both arms with no clear between-arm difference. Next-day follow-up was 100%, and no adverse-event-related discontinuations occurred. Conclusions The intervention was feasible to deliver in a socially interactive drinking setting, and session satisfaction was high in both arms. Primary allocation-unit estimates favored lower alcohol intake but were imprecise. Larger trials are needed to estimate effects more precisely, while considering the potential influence of genotype imbalance on effect estimation in East Asian samples. Trial registration University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) UMIN000060685. Registered 17 February 2026.

Intestinal senescence is an important factor in systemic aging and age-related diseases; however, detailed studies have been limited due to the lack of robust experimental models. In this study, we established cellular senescence models of human small intestinal organoids using two senescence-inducing agents: butyrate (an endogenous microbial metabolite) and cisplatin (an exogenous chemotherapeutic agent). Both molecules induced senescence-associated features, including increased p16INK4a, CDKN1A, IL8, and TNF expression, as well as SA-β-Gal activity. RNA-sequencing revealed that cisplatin, but not butyrate, activated the p53 signaling pathway, whereas both downregulated various nutrient absorption and metabolism-related pathways. These models exhibited reduced nutrient transporter expression, diminished glucose uptake, and decreased vitamin D responsiveness, thus recapitulating the features of aged or damaged intestinal tissue. In cisplatin-treated organoids, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related gene ontologies were enriched based on RNA-sequencing. The induction of EMT through cisplatin-induced senescence was further confirmed by EMT marker gene expression, which decreased following the inhibition of TGF-β signaling, a canonical EMT-inducing pathway. Notably, TGF-β signaling inhibition attenuated senescence-induced inflammation and nutrient dysfunction, which suggests the importance of EMT as a target for preventing intestinal senescence. Our models provide a novel platform for examining the intestine-specific molecular mechanisms of senescence associated with distinct senescence-inducing mechanisms and for developing strategies to prevent age-related intestinal dysfunction.

5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) affords various positive health effects, including benefits for conditions such as diabetes. Biological fermentation holds potential for efficiently mass-producing biomolecules, including 5-ALA, yet it generally results in a mixture of target molecules and impurities, including byproducts. Pyrazine-2,5-dipropionic acid (PY), a dimer of 5-ALA, can easily form in 5-ALA production and is one of its major impurities. In this study, we developed an integrated purification process for 5-aminolevulinic acid phosphate (5-ALAP) produced via biological fermentation. The process consists of 16 stages, including impurity removal (ion-exchange resins) and crystallization. Three types of ion-exchange resin (IER) columns were combined to remove impurities such as byproducts and pigment. Comprehensive condition setting for crystallization was carried out to reduce the amount of residual poor solvent in the 5-ALAP crystals. The obtained crystals contained significantly fewer impurities (<0.05% vs. 5-ALAP), such as PY, compared with their commercially available counterparts. The residual poor solvent in the 5-ALAP crystals was reduced to below 1000 ppm under the crystallization conditions. We confirmed the high scalability of the purification method developed in this study. Therefore, this article provides an industrially applicable purification process for fermentatively produced 5-ALA.

Cationic polymer particles exhibit weak antibacterial activity, and the material properties that influence this activity remain unclear. In this study, we enhanced the antibacterial activity of cationic polystyrene particles by introducing acrylate comonomers through soap-free emulsion polymerization using a cationic radical initiator. Compared with polystyrene emulsions, incorporating acrylate monomers with a lower log P than that of styrene afforded higher yields of cationic polymer particle emulsions. The antibacterial activities of these emulsions against Staphylococcus epidermidis were measured. The highest antibacterial activity was obtained for the acrylate monomer, with a log P of ~1.3. Among the emulsions obtained from acrylate monomers with comparable log P values, those with a lower glass transition temperature (Tg) exhibited higher antibacterial activity. Poly(styrene-co-methylmethacrylate-co-(vinylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride), which has a high Tg, demonstrated antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and suppressed the replication of nonenveloped Feline calicivirus. Skin irritation and microbial mutagenicity tests using cultured human skin models were negative. These polymer particles have potential applications as coating agents, base materials in the biomedical field, and hygiene products. We increased the antibacterial activity and yield of styrene-based cationic particles by copolymerizing them with acrylate monomers with optimal log P values via soap-free emulsion polymerization. The cationic poly(styrene-co-methyl methacrylate) particles exhibited greater antibacterial activity than did the cationic polystyrene particles. These particles also demonstrated antiviral activity and did not mutate bacterial DNA or irritate human skin.

This study developed and evaluated a behavioral science tool, based on the nudge and shikakeology theories, to improve household waste separation behavior of parents and children. Conventional environmental education does not adequately address learners' cognition about environmentally conscious behavior or analyze the problems related to such behavior. To address this problem, this tool focuses on three aspects: 1) specific waste separation behavior in the home; 2) the feelings associated with such behavior; and 3) reducing these feelings based on behavioral science. This experiment was performed over three sessions with a sample of 34 fifth-grade students, and questionnaire surveys were administered to the children and their parents. Based on the findings, there was an increase in the "sense of effectiveness" of the target children's environmentally conscious awareness and a decrease in "cost-benefit evaluation" of the target parents' environmentally conscious awareness. Meanwhile, the open-ended responses indicated that the children and their parents found their waste separation behavior enjoyable and interesting. Moreover, through our developed tool and program, the children and their parents showed a change in their consciousness, leading to an improvement in the formation of environmentally conscious behavioral intentions. However, some issues were unresolved, including securing a field for practice, controlling the means of intervention, and improving implementation of waste separation behavior.