Early Intervention of Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease Is a Favorable Factor for Short-Term Improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life.

Patients with fibrosing interstitial lung disease (FILD) have poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We analyzed predictors of short-term improvement of HRQOL after starting pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in moderate to severe FILD patients. This study involved 28 consecutive patients with FILD (20 males, median age of 77.

Association of serum monomeric periostin level with outcomes of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and fibrosing nonspecific interstitial pneumonia.

Background: The associations of serum monomeric periostin (M-PN) level and serial change in M-PN with acute exacerbation of chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia (AE-FIP) are unclear.

Methods: We prospectively measured serum M-PN level from onset of AE to day 14 in 37 patients with AE-FIP and evaluated its association with outcome. To determine localization of periostin expression, immunohistochemical staining of pathological lung tissue from autopsy cases of AE-IPF was evaluated.

Effects of Pemafibrate in Patients with Stroke and Hypertriglyceridemia: Baseline Cerebral Artery Diseases and 3-Month Laboratory Outcomes.

Aims: The role of hypertriglyceridemia in stroke is poorly understood. The Pemafibrate for Prevention of Atherosclerotic Diseases in Stroke (PPAR Stroke) study was designed to assess the effects of a novel selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha modulator, pemafibrate, on vascular outcomes in stroke patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

Methods: This was a prospective single-arm study including 74 patients (mean age, 64.

Pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG and opsonophagocytic activity in young Japanese patients with asplenia.

Patients with asplenia are at high risks of severe infections caused by encapsulated bacteria, particularly . Thirteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) are recommended for invasive pneumococcal disease prevention; however, little is known about the immunity to pneumococci in young patients with asplenia. We measured pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG (Pn-IgG) levels and pneumococcal opsonophagocytic activity (Pn-OPA) against some PCV13-contained serotypes (1, 3, 5, 6A, 7 F, 19A) in 23 young patients with asplenia using surplus serum samples.

Development of the Japanese version of the Intensive Care Unit Trigger Tool to detect adverse events in critically ill patients.

Aim: The Intensive Care Unit Trigger Tool (ICUTT) was developed to detect adverse events (AEs) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the ICUTT (ICUTT-J).

Methods: The translation of ICUTT was carried out based on the guideline for translation of instruments.

No Difference in Ligamentous Strain or Knee Kinematics Between Rectangular or Cylindrical Femoral Tunnels During Anatomic ACL Reconstruction With a Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Graft.

Background: As our understanding of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) anatomy has evolved, surgical techniques to better replicate the native anatomy have been developed. It has been proposed that the introduction of a rectangular socket ACL reconstruction to replace a ribbon-shaped ACL has the potential to improve knee kinematics after ACL reconstruction.

Purpose: To compare a rectangular femoral tunnel (RFT) with a cylindrical femoral tunnel (CFT) in terms of replicating native ACL strain and knee kinematics in a time-zero biomechanical anatomic ACL reconstruction model using a bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) graft.

Nuclear translocation promotes proteasomal degradation of human Rad17 protein through the N-terminal destruction boxes.

The ATR pathway is one of the major DNA damage checkpoints, and Rad17 is a DNA-binding protein that is phosphorylated upon DNA damage by ATR kinase. Rad17 recruits the 9-1-1 complex that mediates the checkpoint activation, and proteasomal degradation of Rad17 is important for recovery from the ATR pathway. Here, we identified several Rad17 mutants deficient in nuclear localization and resistant to proteasomal degradation.

Association Between Perineal Burns Injury and In-hospital Mortality: A Retrospective Observational Study from the Nation-Wide Burn Registry in Japan.

Although perineal burn injury is included in the burn center referral criteria for Advanced Burn Life Support, clinical evidence that perineal burn injury increases mortality risk is limited, especially from Asian countries. The objective of this study was to investigate whether perineal burns affect in-hospital mortality. Using data from the nation-wide burn registry collected from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2019, we retrospectively identified 10,179 hospitalized burn patients over 16 years of age.

Real-world safety and effectiveness of nivolumab for recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer in Japan: a post-marketing surveillance.

Background: On the basis of phase III CheckMate 141 results, nivolumab was approved for recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer after undergoing platinum-containing chemotherapy in Japan. This post-marketing surveillance aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of nivolumab for head and neck cancer in the real-world setting.

Methods: All patients with head and neck cancer who planned to receive nivolumab were centrally registered.

Cicatricial organising pneumonia associated with fibrosing interstitial pneumonia - a clinicopathological study.

Aims: The recent recognition of cicatricial organising pneumonia (ciOP) indicates that the ciOP may resemble or simulate fibrotic interstitial pneumonia; however, there has been great uncertainty regarding the affected populations, pathogenesis, clinical relevance and characteristics. In this study, we compared the characteristics of fibrotic interstitial pneumonia with and without ciOP.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 121 patients from the consultation archive whose pathological findings were fibrotic interstitial pneumonia and for whom follow-up clinical data were available.

Clinical factors affecting cerebral oxygenation in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Although cerebral regional oxygen saturation (rSO) is significantly lower in hemodialysis (HD) patients than that in healthy controls, investigations on cerebral oxygenation in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are limited. We aimed to confirm the cerebral oxygenation status and identify the factors affecting cerebral rSO in PD patients.

Methods: Thirty-six PD patients (21 men and 15 women; mean age, 62.

Heterogeneous dynamics in the curing process of epoxy resins.

Epoxy resin is indispensable for modern industry because of its excellent mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and excellent moldability. To date, various methods have been used to investigate the physical properties of the cured product and the kinetics of the curing process, but its microscopic dynamics have been insufficiently studied. In this study, the microscopic dynamics in the curing process of a catalytic epoxy resin were investigated under different temperature conditions utilizing X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy.

Estimated respiratory arousal threshold in patients with rapid eye movement obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: Rapid eye movement (REM) obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent clinical phenotype. However, the literature focusing on the pathophysiology of REM OSA is limited. This study compared the proportion of individuals with a low respiratory arousal threshold between patients with REM and non-REM OSA.

[A Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Complicated by Liver Metastasis of Colon Cancer during the Course of Treatment].

A 72‒year‒old man with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)was treated with transarterial chemoembolization(TACE)and radiofrequency ablation(RFA). Six months after RFA, gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(Gd‒ EOB‒DTPA)‒enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)revealed multiple metastatic recurrences in the liver. TACE was performed for the recurrent HCC.

Adequacy of hand positioning by medical personnel during chest compression in a simulation study.

Aim: During chest compressions (CCs), the hand position at the lower half of the sternum is not strictly maintained, unlike depth or rate. This study was conducted to determine whether medical staff could adequately push at a marked location on the lower half of the sternum, identify where the inappropriate hand position was shifted to, and correct the inappropriate hand position.

Methods: This simulation-based, prospective single-center study enrolled 44 medical personnel.

The role of screening questionnaires in the assessment of risk and severity of obstructive sleep apnea - polysomnography versus polygraphy.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disease of significant importance, which may lead to numerous severe clinical consequences. The gold standard in the diagnosis of this sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD) is polysomnography (PSG). However, due to the need for high expertise of staff who perform this procedure, its complexity, and relatively low availability, some simpler substitutes have been developed; among them is polygraphy (PG), which is most widely used.

Analysis of Binding Modes of Antigen-Antibody Complexes by Molecular Mechanics Calculation.

Antibodies are one of the most important protein molecules in biopharmaceutics. Due to the recent advance in technology for producing monoclonal antibodies, many structural data are available on the antigen-antibody complexes. To characterize the molecular interaction in antigen-antibody recognition, we computationally analyzed 500 complex structures by molecular mechanics calculations.

Efficacy of Zinc Acetate Treatment for Patients with Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis Complicated by Hypozincemia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of zinc acetate treatment for patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis complicated by hypozincemia. We retrospectively analyzed 49 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis complicated by hypozincemia who received zinc acetate treatment from August 2017 to March 2020. The relationships between serum zinc levels and several parameters including the prognosis, sarcopenia, and immunity were evaluated.

Risk factors for non-cancer death after surgery in patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.

Objectives: With improvements in the outcome of treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), other diseases may account for a high death rate after surgery in patients with stage I NSCLC. In the present study, we analysed the associations between the clinical factors and non-cancer death after surgery in these patients.

Methods: The records of 514 patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent surgery were retrospectively reviewed; a proportional hazards model for the subdistribution of a competing risk was conducted to define the risk factors for non-cancer death.

Long-term follow-up of a single dose of fluralaner in nine dogs with demodicosis.

Background: Long-term follow-up of oral fluralaner for canine demodicosis has not been demonstrated.

Objectives: A multicentre prospective open trial for the efficacy of oral fluralaner for the long-term (>12 month) management of canine demodicosis.

Animals: Client-owned dogs diagnosed with demodicosis at nine veterinary clinics.

Clinical significance of peripheral TCR and BCR repertoire diversity in EGFR/ALK wild-type NSCLC treated with anti-PD-1 antibody.

Introduction: TCR and BCR repertoire diversity plays a critical role in tumor immunity. Thus, analysis of TCR and BCR repertoires might help predict the clinical efficacy of anti-PD-1 treatment.

Methods: Blood samples from 30 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with anti-PD-1 antibody were collected before and six weeks after treatment initiation.

Pin tract infection caused by Mycobacterium neoaurum in a 14-year-old child: A case report.

Although rapidly growing non-tuberculosis mycobacterium can occasionally cause postoperative infections, Mycobacterium neoaurum is a rare pathogen of surgical site infection. We report a case of pin tract infection caused by M. neoaurum in a 14-year-old girl who was admitted for lengthening of her right fourth metatarsal bone.