The influence of corpus luteum and first-wave dominant follicle location on conception rate after artificial insemination in Holstein cattle.

The influence of post-ovulatory corpus luteum (CL) and first-wave dominant follicle (1DF) location on pregnancy establishment in cattle remains controversial. This study aimed to reveal the relationship between CL and 1DF positioning, pregnancy outcomes, and blood steroid hormone levels following artificial insemination (AI) in Holstein cattle. Data from heifers (n = 163) and cows (n = 69) with optimally timed AI, defined as ovulation within 24 h post-AI, were analyzed to determine associations between CL (left/right ovary) and 1DF (ipsilateral/contralateral to CL) locations and conception rates.

Clinical subtypes of schizophrenia based on the discrepancies between objective performance on social cognition tasks and subjective difficulties in social cognition.

Intervention for social cognition could be key to improving social functioning in patients with schizophrenia. A first step towards its clinical implementation involves interviewing patients about their subjective difficulties with social cognition as they experience them in the real world. The present study focused on the clinical subtypes classified by the discrepancies between the subjective difficulties in social cognition and actual cognitive impairment.

[A case of giant cell arteritis after prednisolone dose reduction during treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica].

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is closely associated with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). We herein report an 82-year-old woman who developed GCA during PMR treatment. She initially presented with shoulder pain and was diagnosed with PMR based on elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and bursitis detected in both shoulders on ultrasonography (US).

Perceptions of and subjective difficulties with social cognition in schizophrenia from an internet survey: Knowledge, clinical experiences, and awareness of association with social functioning.

Aim: Social cognition impacts social functioning in schizophrenia; however, little is known about how patients with schizophrenia themselves perceive social cognition. This study, using an internet survey, aimed to investigate their knowledge of social cognition, clinical experiences related to social cognition, awareness of social cognition's role in one's social life, and the relationships between subjective difficulties with social cognition and social functioning.

Methods: Data from 232 outpatients with schizophrenia (SZ) and 494 healthy controls (HC) were obtained through an internet survey and were weighted according to the demographics of the national population.

COVID-19 in an Adult with Down Syndrome: Impact on Autoimmune Response.

We here report a case of COVID-19 with effusion prior to the development of pneumonia in an adult with Down syndrome. Serositis due to rheumatic disease was initially suspected because of a high titer of serum autoantibodies and leukocytopenia; however, SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on admission after previous negative tests. Several cases of COVID-19 have been associated with autoimmune responses along with some cases of COVID-19 with autoimmune manifestations.

[A case of methotrexate-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with splenial lesions of the corpus callosum on brain MRI after complete remission with chemotherapy].

An 86-year-old woman in a wheelchair was accompanied by her husband and son as she visited our outpatient clinic due to disturbed consciousness and fever. Twenty-seven years earlier, she had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and had been treated with methotrexate (MTX) and low-dose prednisolone (PSL). She stopped taking MTX four years previously when she was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the paranasal sinus.

Eustachian tube involvement in a patient with relapsing polychondritis detected by magnetic resonance imaging: A case report.

Background: Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare inflammatory disease involving the systemic cartilage, such as the auricle, trachea, and bronchiole, among others. A patient with RP shows variable symptoms based on the involved cartilage.

Case Summary: A 72-year-old Japanese woman with a history of redness of the bilateral auricles for 3 d was referred to a clinician.

An integrated youth mental health service in a densely populated metropolitan area in Japan: Clinical case management bridges the gap between mental health and illness services.

Aims: A global movement, including in Asia, is seeking to establish integrated youth mental health services that provide early intervention in the continuum from mental health to mental illness. Clinical case management (CCM), in which a case manager becomes not only a coordinator of services but also a provider of psychosocial support, can establish a 'one-stop network' that supports youth in densely populated areas with various social resources. In 2019, we opened a community-based centre called 'SODA' in front of a metropolitan railway station, which was designed to be highly accessible, stigma-free and youth-friendly to provide CCM.

COVID-19 survivors with calcineurin-inhibitors-treated rheumatoid arthritis.

We report two cases recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 with rheumatoid arthritis which had been in remission or low disease activity by taking calcineurin inhibitor (CNI). Both cases had moderate to severe pneumonia treated with intravenous dexamethasone or in the severe case remdesivir in addition to it. These cases suggest that the use of CNI may have affected the improvement of severe pneumonia.

Predictors of long-term therapy with glucocorticoid in polymyalgia rheumatica.

Objectives: To investigate the response of glucocorticoid (GC) therapy for patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and predictive factors which correspond to the long-term GC.

Methods: We reviewed 93 patients with PMR who were treated with GC for more than 6 months. We compared the clinical findings between patients who achieved remission within 24 months (early-remission group,  = 40) and those who required GC therapy for more than 24 months (long-therapy group,  = 24).

Prevalence and curriculum of sexual and gender minority education in Japanese medical school and future direction.

: In Japan, sexual and gender minorities (SGM) remain stigmatized, provoking hospital access barriers and health disparities from judgmental care. Japan's Western-influenced introduction of SGM course content into medical education for future physicians addresses these disparities, although often perfunctorily and inconsistently.: To examine the prevalence and characteristics of medical education curriculum with respect to SGM patients, we surveyed medical schools.

Early Improvement and Marriage Are Determinants of the 12-Month Treatment Outcome of Paroxetine in Outpatients with Panic Disorder.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the determinants of remission and discontinuation of paroxetine pharmacotherapy in outpatients with panic disorder (PD).

Methods: Subjects were 79 outpatients diagnosed with PD who took 10-40 mg/day of paroxetine for 12 months. The candidate therapeutic determinants included the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region and the -1019C/G promoter polymorphism of the serotonin receptor 1A as genetic factors, educational background and marital status as environmental factors, and early improvement (EI) at 2 weeks as a clinical factor were assessed.

Cognitive function, treatment response to lithium, and social functioning in Japanese patients with bipolar disorder.

Objectives: Patients with bipolar disorder often suffer from cognitive impairment that significantly influences their functional outcome. However, it remains unknown whether lithium has a central role in cognition and functional outcome. We examined whether cognition and functional outcome were predicted by demographic and clinical variables, including the response to lithium, in lithium-treated patients with bipolar disorder.

Genetic Polymorphism of 1019C/G (rs6295) Promoter of Serotonin 1A Receptor and Catechol-O-Methyltransferase in Panic Disorder.

Objective: Family and twin studies have suggested genetic liability for panic disorder (PD) and therefore we sought to determine the role of noradrenergic and serotonergic candidate genes for susceptibility for PD in a Japanese population.

Methods: In this age- and gender-matched case-control study involving 119 PD patients and 119 healthy controls, we examined the genotype distributions and allele frequencies of the serotonin transporter gene linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), -1019C/G (rs6295) promoter polymorphism of the serotonin receptor 1A (5-HT1A), and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphism (rs4680) and their association with PD.

Results: No significant differences were evident in the allele frequencies or genotype distributions of the COMT (rs4680), 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms or the -1019C/G (rs6295) promoter polymorphism of 5-HT1A between PD patients and controls.

Multi-regression analysis revealed a relationship between l-serine and methionine, a component of one-carbon metabolism, in the normal control but not in the schizophrenia.

Background: Alterations in one-carbon metabolism (OCM) have been observed in patients with schizophrenia (SZ), but a comprehensive study of OCM has not yet been conducted. A carbon atom is transferred from l-serine to methionine during OCM, but the relationship between l-serine and methionine in SZ is not yet known. We investigated the relationship between l-serine and methionine to obtain a comprehensive understanding of OCM in SZ.

Influence of the cytochrome P450 2D6 *10/*10 genotype on the pharmacokinetics of paroxetine in Japanese patients with major depressive disorder: a population pharmacokinetic analysis.

Objective: Although the reduced function of the cytochrome P450 2D6*10 (CYP2D6*10) allele is common among Asian populations, existing evidence does not support paroxetine therapy adjustments for patients who have the CYP2D6*10 allele. In this study, we attempted to evaluate the degree of the impact of different CYP2D6 genotypes on the pharmacokinetic (PK) variability of paroxetine in a Japanese population using a population PK approach.

Methods: This retrospective study included 179 Japanese patients with major depressive disorder who were being treated with paroxetine.

Japanese physicians' preferences for decision making in rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex chronic illness requiring continued medical care. During the past decade, the therapeutic options for RA have increased significantly; these often have a higher risk of adverse effects and are more expensive than traditional drugs. Rheumatologists may hence face difficulties when deciding on the optimal modality in initiating or changing treatment.

Phosphoserine phosphatase activity is elevated and correlates negatively with plasma d-serine concentration in patients with schizophrenia.

The pathophysiology of schizophrenia may involve N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction. D-3serine and glycine are endogenous l-serine-derived NMDAR co-agonists. We hypothesized that the l-serine synthesis pathway could be involved in schizophrenia.

[An elderly man presenting polyarthritis diagnosed as chronic tophaceous gout].

An 85-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for swollen and painful bilateral lower legs and a high fever. He was initially diagnosed with acute cellulitis and treated with antibiotics. Several days after the improvement of his swollen legs, he complained of both shoulder and arm pain.

Factors affecting discontinuation of initial treatment with paroxetine in panic disorder and major depressive disorder.

Objective: The aims of the present study were to analyze the association between discontinuation of paroxetine (PAX) and the genetic variants of the polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) in Japanese patients with panic disorder (PD) and major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: The 5-HTTLPR genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction method. PAX plasma concentration was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography to confirm adherence.

Chylothorax in POEMS syndrome.

Chylothorax results from various causes, such as malignancy, trauma, or infection. POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes) is a multisystemic syndrome that is associated with plasma cell disorder. Pleural effusion is a common manifestation of POEMS syndrome, but the association of POEMS syndrome with chylothorax has not been reported.