Successful Endoscopic Removal of an Ingested Thumbtack Stuck in the Ileocecal Valve in a Patient With a Psychiatric Disorder.

Foreign body ingestion is sometimes missed during the initial evaluation of a patient with a psychiatric disorder in the emergency department. This is often due to a lack of awareness regarding the need for thorough physical and diagnostic imaging examinations. Additionally, the management of ingested foreign bodies is often controversial.

Clonal hematopoiesis-related mutant ASXL1 promotes atherosclerosis in mice via dysregulated innate immunity.

Certain somatic mutations provide a fitness advantage to hematopoietic stem cells and lead to clonal expansion of mutant blood cells, known as clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Among the most common CH mutations, ASXL1 mutations pose the highest risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), yet the mechanisms by which they contribute to CVDs are unclear. Here we show that hematopoietic cells harboring C-terminally truncated ASXL1 mutant (ASXL1-MT) accelerate the development of atherosclerosis in Ldlr mice.

Differences in clinical significance of atrial tachyarrhythmias in idiopathic ventricular fibrillation vs Brugada syndrome: A multicenter study.

Background: Atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATAs) are the primary cause of inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) and are associated with decreased quality of life and increased mortality. Nonetheless, the incidence of ATAs in IVF cases has not been clarified.

Objective: The study sought to determine the incidence and clinical significance of ATAs in patients with IVF compared with those with Brugada syndrome (BrS).

Efficacy of Ivabradine in Preventing Inappropriate Shock due to Sinus Tachycardia in a Patient with Cardiac Sarcoidosis.

We herein report a case of left ventricular dysfunction due to cardiac sarcoidosis following cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) in an 87-year-old man. He presented to our hospital after receiving shock therapy while conscious. Device interrogation revealed that inappropriate shock occurred due to sinus tachycardia.

Role of Liquid-Based Cytology in the Endoscopic Diagnosis of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Recently, endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) has been widely used to diagnose pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The histological examination of core tissues acquired using novel biopsy needles is the primary diagnostic approach for patients with PDAC. However, in patients with early-stage PDAC, such as Stages 0 and I, EUS-TA can be challenging, and its diagnostic accuracy may be limited.

Late gadolinium enhancement in early repolarization syndrome.

Background: In patients with Brugada syndrome, myocardial fibrosis can be identified through epicardial biopsy or cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). However, the myocardial alterations in patients with early repolarization syndrome (ERS) remain poorly elucidated.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of myocardial fibrosis in patients with ERS by LGE in CMR.

Two Preparation Methods for Peptide Thioester Containing Tyr(SOH) Residue(s) without the Use of Protecting Group for Sulfate Moiety.

We report two methods for the preparation of peptide thioesters containing Tyr(SOH) residue(s), without use of a protecting group for the sulfate moiety. The first was based on direct thioesterification using carbodiimide on a fully protected peptide acid, prepared on a 2-chlorotrityl (Clt) resin with fluoren-9-ylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-based solid-phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc-SPPS). Subsequent deprotection of the protecting groups with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) (0 °C, 4 h) yielded peptide thioesters containing Tyr(SOH) residue(s).

The splicing factor CCAR1 regulates the Fanconi anemia/BRCA pathway.

The twenty-three Fanconi anemia (FA) proteins cooperate in the FA/BRCA pathway to repair DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs). The cell division cycle and apoptosis regulator 1 (CCAR1) protein is also a regulator of ICL repair, though its possible function in the FA/BRCA pathway remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that CCAR1 plays a unique upstream role in the FA/BRCA pathway and is required for FANCA protein expression in human cells.

Artificial intelligence to detect noise events in remote monitoring data.

Background: Remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIEDs) can detect various events early. However, the diagnostic ability of CIEDs has not been sufficient, especially for lead failure. The first notification of lead failure was almost noise events, which were detected as arrhythmia by the CIED.

Adherence to istradefylline in patients with Parkinson's disease: A group-based trajectory analysis.

Background: Understanding the different patterns of adherence to istradefylline treatment is essential to identifying Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who might benefit from targeted interventions.

Objectives: This descriptive study aimed to identify longitudinal istradefylline adherence patterns and to characterize factors associated with them.

Methods: We identified PD patients aged 21-99 years who initiated istradefylline treatment in a Japanese hospital administrative database.

Tofogliflozin Delays Portal Hypertension and Hepatic Fibrosis by Inhibiting Sinusoidal Capillarization in Cirrhotic Rats.

Background: Liver cirrhosis leads to portal hypertension (PH) with capillarization of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), although drug treatment options for PH are currently limited. Sodium glucose transporter 2 inhibitors, which are antidiabetic agents, have been shown to improve endothelial dysfunction. We aimed to elucidate the effect of tofogliflozin on PH and liver fibrosis in a rat cirrhosis model.

Configuration of the neoaortic root after chimney reconstruction in the Norwood procedure.

Objectives: After staged reconstruction for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the neoaortic root tends to dilate, and the incidence of significant neoaortic valve insufficiency increases with time. This study aimed to evaluate the mid-term outcomes of the neoaortic root geometries and valve function after chimney reconstruction in the Norwood procedure.

Methods: Between 2013 and 2021, 20 consecutive patients who underwent chimney reconstruction during the Norwood procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome and its variants in our institution were enrolled.

Methotrexate-associated lymphoproliferative disorder: A rare pancreatic tumor diagnosed via endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy.

A 73-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate (MTX) for the last 10 years was referred to our hospital for a pancreatic tumor examination. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography revealed a 20-mm-diameter hypovascular tumor in the pancreatic tail. A hypoechoic mass with heterogeneous internal echo was found on an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

Real-world evidence on levodopa dose escalation in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with istradefylline.

Objective: Istradefylline, a selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, is indicated in the US and Japan as adjunctive treatment to levodopa/decarboxylase inhibitors in adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) experiencing OFF time. This study aimed to observe patterns of dose escalation of levodopa over time in patients initiated on istradefylline.

Methods: Using Japanese electronic health record data, interrupted time series analyses were used to compare levodopa daily dose (LDD, mg/day) gradients in patients before and after initiation of istradefylline.

Hyperactive Natural Killer cells in Rag2 knockout mice inhibit the development of acute myeloid leukemia.

Immunotherapy has attracted considerable attention as a therapeutic strategy for cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this study, we found that the development of several aggressive subtypes of AML is slower in Rag2 mice despite the lack of B and T lymphocytes, even compared to the immunologically normal C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, an orally active p53-activating drug shows stronger antileukemia effect on AML in Rag2 mice than C57BL/6 mice.