Preferred and Actual Places of Death Among Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Single-centre Cohort Study in Japan.

Objectives: Achieving a 'good death' is one of the important goals of palliative care. Providing goal-concordant care and an environment tailored to the patient's preferences can contribute to a 'good death'. However, the concordance rate between the preferred and actual places of death among advanced cancer patients in Japan is less explored.

Relationship between dyspnoea and related factors in patients with cancer: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Dyspnoea is a common and distressing symptom in patients with cancer. We aimed to analyse the association between dyspnoea and related factors and to estimate their causal relationship.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted.

Cancer Pain Management in Patients Receiving Inpatient Specialized Palliative Care Services.

Context: Cancer pain is a common complication that is frequently undertreated in patients with cancer.

Objectives: This study is aimed at assessing the time needed to achieve cancer pain management goals through specialized palliative care (SPC).

Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal study of inpatients with cancer pain who received SPC.

Data on plasma cortisol levels in nibbler fish reared under high-density conditions in either surface seawater or deep ocean water.

Deep ocean water (DOW) is the water obtained from depth of >200 m below the surface of Earth's oceans and is characterized by rich nutrients and cleanliness [1,2]. We have recently reported that DOW suppresses the high-density-induced increase of plasma cortisol levels (i.e.

Kynurenine promotes Calcitonin secretion and reduces cortisol in the Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus.

Deep ocean water (DOW) exerts positive effects on the growth of marine organisms, suggesting the presence of unknown component(s) that facilitate their aquaculture. We observed that DOW suppressed plasma cortisol (i.e.

Do Types of Opioids Matter for Terminal Cancer Dyspnea? A Preliminary Multicenter Cohort Study.

Context: Dyspnea is among the most distressing symptoms in the last weeks to days of life (terminal dyspnea). While physicians frequently use parenteral opioids other than morphine for terminal dyspnea, little is known about their effects in cancer patients.

Objectives: To explore the effectiveness and safety of parenteral morphine, oxycodone, and hydromorphone for cancer patients with terminal dyspnea.

Current Management Options for Dyspnea in Cancer Patients.

Dyspnea is one of the most frequent and distressing symptoms in patients with advanced cancer. As dyspnea deteriorates patients' quality of life markedly and tends to worsen as the disease progresses, comprehensive assessment and timely treatment of the underlying etiologies are essential. International guidelines recommend various non-pharmacological and pharmacological management options.

Systemic Opioids for Dyspnea in Cancer Patients: A Real-world Observational Study.

Context: Although Systemic opioids are recommended as a pharmacological treatment for cancer-related dyspnea, their effectiveness and safety needs to be investigated in a real-world context OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of systemic regular opioids for dyspnea in cancer patients, in the real-world palliative care practice.

Methods: This was a multicenter prospective observational study. We consecutively enrolled adult cancer patients starting regular opioids (morphine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, or fentanyl) for dyspnea from 12 palliative care services across Japan.

Effectiveness and safety of opioids for dyspnea in patients with lung cancer: secondary analysis of multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: Patients with lung cancer are more likely to have comorbidities [e.g., interstitial lung disease (ILD)], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and metastases that may affect dyspnea and the effectiveness and safety of opioids for dyspnea than other cancer types.

The feasibility and effects of a pharmacological treatment algorithm for cancer patients with terminal dyspnea: A multicenter cohort study.

Background: How clinicians treat patients with terminal dyspnea widely varies, which could hamper quality care. We visualized comprehensive pharmacological treatment delivered by palliative care physicians.

Aim: To examine adherence to a comprehensive pharmacological treatment algorithm for patients with terminal dyspnea, and to explore its outcomes during 48 h.

Factors associated with good death of patients with advanced cancer: a prospective study in Japan.

Purpose: It is important for palliative care providers to identify what factors are associated with a "good death" for patients with advanced cancer. We aimed to identify factors associated with a "good death" evaluated by the Good Death Scale (GDS) score among inpatients with advanced cancer in palliative care units (PCUs) in Japan.

Methods: The study is a sub-analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort study conducted in Japan.

Case Report: Hereditary Fibrosing Poikiloderma With Tendon Contractures, Myopathy, and Pulmonary Fibrosis (POIKTMP) Presenting With Liver Cirrhosis and Steroid-Responsive Interstitial Pneumonia.

Hereditary fibrosing poikiloderma with tendon contractures, myopathy, and pulmonary fibrosis (POIKTMP) is an extremely rare disease caused by mutations in FAM111B, and only approximately 30 cases have been reported worldwide. Some patients develop interstitial pneumonia, which may lead to progressive pulmonary fibrosis and poor prognosis. However, no effective treatment for interstitial pneumonia associated with POIKTMP has been reported.

Is the 1-day surprise question a useful screening tool for predicting prognosis in patients with advanced cancer?-a multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: For cancer patients nearing death, the prediction of their prognosis by physicians is crucial. This study examined the usefulness of the 1-Day Surprise Question (1DSQ).

Methods: This study was conducted as part of a multicenter prospective observational study.

The Possibility of Conducting a Clinical Trial on Palliative Care: A Survey of Whether a Clinical Study on Cancer Dyspnea Is Acceptable to Cancer Patients and Their Relatives.

Context: Conducting randomized controlled trials on palliative care is difficult owing to barriers like fragility of the patients' health status and health care providers' concerns for patients. However, quality randomized controlled trials are required for care improvement.

Objectives: To investigate the willingness of cancer patients and their relatives to participate in a clinical study on cancer dyspnea and identify feasible clinical study designs for this condition.

"3-Day Surprise Question" to predict prognosis of advanced cancer patients with impending death: Multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: The study aimed to clarify the efficacy of the "3-Day Surprise Question (3DSQ)" in predicting the prognosis for advanced cancer patients with impending death.

Patients And Methods: This study was a part of multicenter prospective observational study which investigated the dying process in advanced cancer patients in Japan. For patients with a Palliative Performance Scale ≤20, the 3DSQ "Would I be surprised if this patient died in the next 3 days?" was answered by their physicians.

Clinical Evaluation of a Newly Developed Guidewire for Pancreatobiliary Endoscopy.

Background: The guidewire (GW) plays an important role in pancreatobiliary endoscopy. GW quality is a critical factor in the effectiveness and efficiency of pancreatobiliary endoscopy. In this study, we evaluate a new 0.

Factors influencing spiritual well-being in terminally ill cancer inpatients in Japan.

Purpose: Spiritual well-being is very important in patients undergoing palliative care. Although psychosocial factors have been suggested to be associated with spiritual well-being, the relationship between physical signs and spiritual well-being has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to explore diverse factors associated with spiritual well-being among palliative care patients in Japan.

A prospective phase II study of carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and concomitant interstitial lung disease (HOT1302).

Objectives: Patients with concomitant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) are excluded from most clinical chemotherapy trials because of the high risk of exacerbating the latter condition. This study prospectively investigated the efficacy and safety of albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) in combination with carboplatin in patients with both advanced NSCLC and ILD.

Patients And Methods: The enrolled patients had treatment-naïve, advanced NSCLC with ILD.

Super-early images of brain perfusion SPECT using I-IMP for the assessment of hyperperfusion in stroke patients.

Objective: With the advancement of reperfusion therapy in stroke patients, assessment of perfusion status after therapy is gaining importance. Hyperperfusion tends to be underestimated by the conventional early imaging of I-IMP brain perfusion SPECT. We evaluated the utility of super-early imaging as an adjunct to early imaging for the assessment of postischemic hyperperfusion in stroke patients.

α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone promotes bone resorption resulting from increased osteoblastic and osteoclastic activities in goldfish.

We examined the effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) on bone metabolism using regenerating goldfish scales. Normally developed scales on the bodies of goldfish were removed to allow the regeneration of scales under anesthesia. Thereafter, the influence of α-MSH on the regeneration of goldfish scales was investigated in vivo.