Effect of dupilumab on otitis media associated with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis.

Objective: Eosinophilic Otitis Media (EOM) is an intractable disease caused by type 2 inflammation, such as Eosinophilic Chronic Rhinosinusitis (ECRS) and bronchial asthma. Biologics have recently been used to treat ECRS and bronchial asthma. Biologics are not indicated for EOM; however, because approximately 10% of ECRS cases has concomitant EOM, concomitant EOM improvement has been observed when dupilumab is administered for ECRS.

Physical and psychological distress amongst patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer.

Objective: This study compares baseline clinical characteristics, physical function testing, and patient-reported outcomes for patients undergoing primary cytoreductive surgery versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with the goal of better understanding unique patient needs at diagnosis.

Methods: Patients with suspected advanced stage (IIIC/IV) epithelial ovarian cancer undergoing either primary cytoreductive surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in a single-institution, non-randomized prospective behavioral intervention trial of prehabilitation. Baseline clinical characteristics were abstracted.

rs7296262 Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Is Significantly Associated with Nausea Induced by Opioids Administered for Cancer Pain and Postoperative Pain.

Opioids are almost mandatorily used for analgesia for cancer pain and postoperative pain. Opioid analgesics commonly induce nausea as a side effect. However, the genetic factors involved are still mostly unknown.

Defining optimal perioperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparotomy for advanced gynecologic malignancy: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways utilize multimodal analgesia. In pathways already utilizing incisional injection of liposomal bupivacaine (ILB), we assessed the benefit of adding intrathecal opioid analgesia (ITA).

Methods: In this randomized controlled non-inferiority trial in patients undergoing laparotomy for gynecologic malignancy, we allocated patients 1:1 to ILB alone versus ITA + ILB with 150 μg intrathecal hydromorphone.

Long-term effect of posterior nasal neurectomy for perennial allergic rhinitis.

Background: Surgical treatment is recommended for patients with severe allergic rhinitis (AR) refractory to medical treatment. Endoscopic posterior nasal neurectomy (PNN) is primarily performed to improve rhinorrhea in severe perennial AR, however studies on its long-term prognosis are lacking.

Aims/objectives: This study aimed to investigate the long-term prognosis of PNN.

Impact of pharmacogenomic profiles on post-surgical pain following laparotomy for gynecologic pathology.

Objectives: The aim of this prospective study was to compare perioperative opioid use in women by status of CYP2D6, a highly polymorphic pharmacogene relevant to opioid metabolism.

Methods: Patients undergoing laparotomy were prospectively recruited and provided a preoperative saliva swab for a pharmacogenomic (PGx) gene panel. Postoperative opioid usage and pain scores were evaluated via chart review and a phone survey.

The Incidence of Serious/Invasive Bacterial Diseases in Infants 90 Days Old or Younger at an Emergency Hospital in Japan.

Background The incidence of severe bacterial infections (SBIs) in infants aged ≤90 days is thought to have decreased because of widespread vaccination programs. However, relevant epidemiological data in Japan are scarce. Materials and methods This observational, single-center study investigated the epidemiology of fever in infants aged ≤90 days.

Short-term efficacy and safety of early medical abortion in Japan: A multicenter prospective study.

Purpose: To evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of a combined mifepristone-misoprostol regimen in individuals seeking medical abortion at up to 63 days of gestational age.

Methods: This open-label, multicenter, prospective study evaluated the short-term efficacy and safety of medical abortion, with the primary outcome being the abortion success rate 24 h after misoprostol administration. The participants received 200 mg of mifepristone orally and 800 μg of misoprostol buccally in the hospital/clinic 36-48 h later.

Clinical usefulness of cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) in combination with chemotherapy for malignant ascites: a post-marketing surveillance study.

Background: Cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) has been suggested to be able to treat malignant ascites more safely and effectively with chemotherapy because of its ability to retain serum protein and albumin. Although the characteristics of cancer types and CART and the clinical implications of combination therapy with antitumor agents are becoming widespread, there are limited reports on its efficacy and complications.

Methods: In this prospective observational national post-marketing study, 128 patients with malignancies received 300 CART sessions at 22 centers.

Basilar artery occlusion presenting as sudden bilateral deafness: a case report.

Background: Most sudden-onset hearing loss is due to otolaryngologic- and very rarely to cerebrovascular disease. We report a woman with sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. This case suggests that even in the absence of brainstem or cerebellar signs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MR angiography (MRA) should be performed since such studies may reveal signs of life-threatening vertebrobasilar artery occlusion.

[Focusing on Recent Trends in Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care].

The integration of standard oncology and palliative care has become common around the world. Since the proposal of this approach by ASCO in the late 1990s, and studies by Temel, et al on EBM using RCT in 2010, and by Kaasa, et al at the Lancet Oncology Commission in 2018, it seems that most of the world agrees. Today, there are increasing expectations that comprehensive cancer care should be carried out by a multidisciplinary team.

Spotlight on Japanese physicians: An exploration of their professional experiences elicited by means of narrative facilitators.

Background: While investigation of physicians' work experience is often limited to issues of satisfaction or burnout, a broader view of their experiences is lacking.

Objective: To explore professional experiences, we asked Japanese physicians (N = 18, 12 men and 6 women) of a general hospital to react to so-called "narrative facilitators".

Methods: The narrative facilitators - inspired by clinical psychology, visual sociology and purpose-designed techniques - oriented physicians' narratives towards clinical practise, relationship with peers and context.

Evaluation of cellular adequacy in endometrial liquid-based cytology.

Objective: This study evaluated cellular adequacy in endometrial liquid-based cytology (LBC) specimens.

Methods: In total, 1267 cases were obtained and the rate of unsatisfactory specimen and diagnostic accuracy for malignancy were assessed. If ≥10 cellular clusters composed of ≤30 endometrial cells were found per specimen, then the sample was provisionally considered adequate.

Collusion in palliative care: an exploratory study with the Collusion Classification Grid.

Objective: Collusion is a largely unconscious, dynamic bond, which may occur between patients and clinicians, between patients and family members, or between different health professionals. It is widely prevalent in the palliative care setting and provokes intense emotions, unreflective behavior, and negative impact on care. However, research on collusion is limited due to a lack of conceptual clarity and robust instruments to investigate this complex phenomenon.

Guidelines for office gynecology in Japan: Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) and Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (JAOG) 2017 edition.

Six years after the first edition of The Guideline for Gynecological Practice, which was jointly edited by The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and The Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the third revised edition was published in 2017. The 2017 Guidelines includes 10 additional clinical questions (CQ), which brings the total to 95 CQ (12 on infectious disease, 28 on oncology and benign tumors, 27 on endocrinology and infertility and 28 on healthcare for women). Currently a consensus has been reached on the Guidelines and therefore the objective of this report is to present the general policies regarding diagnostic and treatment methods used in standard gynecological outpatient care that are considered appropriate.

Clinical factors associated with the therapeutic outcome of chemotherapy in very elderly cancer patients.

Background: The purpose of this study was to detect background factors that might be associated with the therapeutic and curative outcome of chemotherapy in elderly cancer patients aged over 75 years.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for elderly cancer patients aged over 75 years who had received more than 2 courses of chemotherapy at our hospital. We analyzed the relationships between RECIST outcome and background factors, such as age, sex, clinical TNM stage, pre-treatment history, ECOG performance status, serum albumin, and Charlson comorbidity index using logistic regression analysis.

Endometrial regeneration using cell sheet transplantation techniques in rats facilitates successful fertilization and pregnancy.

Objective: To regenerate functional endometrium tissue using "cell sheet" techniques as a regenerative medicine approach to address endometrial disorders causing female factor infertility.

Design: In vivo experimental study.

Setting: Preclinical surgical and biomedical research laboratories.

Possible Application of Ascites-infiltrating Gamma-delta T Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy.

Background/aim: Malignant ascites contain many tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes. γδ T cells with antitumour activity have attracted attention as effector cells in cancer immunotherapy. Vδ T cells were cultured from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and ascites-infiltrating lymphocytes (AILs) to compare the differences in response to 2-methyl-3-butenyl-1-pyrophosphate (2M3B1-PP) and zoledronate (Zol) as antigens in vitro.

Low Seroprevalence of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Antibodies in Individuals Living in an Endemic Area in Japan.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne infection with a high mortality rate. It is caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV) and is endemic in some areas in western Japan, including the Kagoshima prefecture. In the present study, healthy individuals living in this prefecture were examined to assess for anti-SFTSV seroprevalence.