Takayasu arteritis: clinical importance of extra-vessel uptake on FDG PET/CT.

Background: [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography is routinely used for assessing Takayasu arteritis patients. However, extra-vessel [F]fluorodeoxyglucose uptake has not been evaluated in detail in these patients. We aimed to describe the extent and distribution of extra-vascular [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography/computed tomography in Takayasu arteritis patients.

Complete Resolution of Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction After Spontaneous Mitral Valve Chordal Rupture in a Patient With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

• Spontaneous mitral chordal rupture is a complication in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). • Mitral chordal rupture in HCM causes deterioration in heart failure. • Symptoms improved when left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction disappeared.

High throughput development of TCR-mimic antibody that targets survivin-2B/HLA-A*A24 and its application in a bispecific T-cell engager.

Intracellular tumor-associated antigens are targeted by antibodies known as T-cell receptor mimic antibodies (TCRm-Abs), which recognize T-cell epitopes with better stabilities and higher affinities than T-cell receptors. However, TCRm-Abs have been proven difficult to produce using conventional techniques. Here, we developed TCRm-Abs that recognize the survivin-2B-derived nonamer peptide, AYACNTSTL (SV2B), presented on HLA-A*24 (SV2B/HLA-A*24) from immunized mice by using a fluorescence-activated cell sorting-based antigen-specific plasma cells isolation method combined with a high-throughput single-cell-based immunoglobulin-gene-cloning technology.

Nationwide Survey of Multidisciplinary Care and Cardiac Rehabilitation for Patients With Heart Failure in Japan - An Analysis of the AMED-CHF Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to clarify the implementation rate of multidisciplinary heart failure (HF) care and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in Japan, as well as the relationship between implementation rates and characteristics of the facility.

Methods and results: Survey participants were cardiologists who are members of the Japan Heart Failure Society and belonged to 1 of 845 medical institutions that are members of the Japan Heart Failure Society, as of April 2016. A total of 288 institutions (34.

Usefulness of the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Risk Score to Determine Mid-Term Outcomes.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate if the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) risk score can independently predict outcomes following TAVR, and to evaluate its predictive performance.

Methods and results: This retrospective multicenter study comprised 682 patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVR. The primary endpoint was all-cause death following TAVR.

Clinical features of potential after-effects of percutaneous coronary intervention in the treatment of silent myocardial ischemia.

Clinical predictors for later adverse cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for silent myocardial ischemia remain undetermined. We investigated clinical features leading to later adverse cardiovascular events in patients who underwent PCI for silent myocardial ischemia. Of a total of 294 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of silent myocardial ischemia who successfully underwent contemporary PCI in our institute between January 2013 and December 2014, an initial event of any of all-cause death, hospitalized heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, and target vessel revascularization were identified as later adverse cardiovascular events and evaluated an association of them with baseline clinical characteristics.

Strophasterols E and F: Rearranged ergostane-type sterols from Pleurotus eryngii.

Strophasterols E (1) and F (2) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Pleurotus eryngii, together with four new ergostane-type sterols (3-6). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis performed on the tris-p-bromobenzoate derivatives of compounds 1 and 2 allowed these two compounds to be identified as the structurally rare (22S,23R)- and (22S,23S)-5α,6α-epoxy-3β,7β,23-trihydroxy-15(14 → 22)-abeo-ergost-8-en-14-one, respectively. The inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production of the six new steroids thus isolated from the fruiting bodies of P.

T memory stem cells after allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation: unique long-term kinetics and influence of chronic graft-versus-host disease.

T memory stem cells (TSCMs) are a subset of primitive T cells capable of both self-renewal and differentiation into all subsets of memory and effector T cells. Therefore, TSCMs may play a role in immune reconstitution and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients receiving allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the proportions, absolute counts, phenotypes and functions of TSCMs in 152 adult patients without disease recurrence at least 12 months after undergoing HCT.

Dual antiplatelet therapy using cilostazol for secondary prevention in patients with high-risk ischaemic stroke in Japan: a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Although dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel reduces early recurrence of ischaemic stroke, with long-term use this type of therapy is no longer effective and the risk of bleeding increases. Given that cilostazol prevents stroke recurrence without increasing the incidence of serious bleeding compared with aspirin, we aimed to establish whether dual antiplatelet therapy involving cilostazol is safe and appropriate for long-term use.

Methods: In a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial across 292 hospitals in Japan, patients with high-risk non-cardioembolic ischaemic stroke identified on MRI were randomly assigned to two groups in a 1:1 ratio to receive monotherapy with either oral aspirin (81 or 100 mg, once per day) or clopidogrel (50 or 75 mg, once per day) alone, or a combination of cilostazol (100 mg, twice per day) with aspirin or clopidogrel.

Impact of Pulmonary Artery-to-Aorta Ratio by CT on the Clinical Outcome in Heart Failure.

Introduction: Previous studies have indicated that the ratio of pulmonary artery (PA) to ascending aorta (Ao) diameter as measured by computed tomography (PA/Ao) is strongly associated with pulmonary artery pressure. However, the clinical significance of PA/Ao in heart failure (HF) has not been fully characterized. We sought to investigate the prognostic impact of PA/Ao in HF.

Red blood cell transfusion burden by day 30 predicts mortality in adults after single-unit cord blood transplantation.

Increased red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requirements are associated with morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. However, its impact on the outcomes after cord blood transplantation (CBT) is unclear. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 278 adult patients who received single-unit CBT in our institute.

Characteristics of Low Back Pain due to Superior Cluneal Nerve Entrapment Neuropathy.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the features of low back pain (LBP) due to superior cluneal nerve (SCN) entrapment neuropathy (SCN-EN) using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and to analyze the differences between LBP due to SCN-EN and lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSS).

Overview Of Literature: The SCN is derived from the cutaneous branches of the dorsal rami of T11-L5 and passes through the thoracolumbar fascia.

Gluteus medius muscle decompression for buttock pain: a case-series analysis.

Background: The causes of low back and buttock pain are variable. Elsewhere, we presented a surgical technical note addressing the gluteus medius muscle (GMeM) pain that elicited buttock pain treatable by surgical decompression. Here, we report minimum 2-year surgical outcomes of GMeM decompression for intractable buttock pain.

Design optimization of a fast-neutron detector with scintillating fibers for triton burnup experiments at fusion experimental devices.

Time-resolved triton burnup studies have been carried out to estimate the behavior of alpha particles in DD fusion experimental devices. In those studies, 14 MeV neutrons emitted through DT reactions in DD plasmas should be measured selectively in the backgrounds of DD neutrons and gamma rays. For this purpose, a scintillating-fiber (Sci-Fi) based fast-neutron detector has been adapted because of its advantages such as fast response, design flexibility in detection efficiency by changing the number of Sci-Fi, and discrimination property against 2.

Cognitive assessment using the revised Hasegawa's dementia scale to determine the mid-term outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: Several predictors are available to guide patient selection for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to achieve better outcomes, and cognitive function is one of these predictors. This study investigated whether the revised Hasegawa's dementia scale (HDS-R) could independently predict mid-term outcomes following TAVR.

Methods: The study population comprised 455 patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVR at the Sakakibara Heart Institute between 2010 and 2018.

Long-term outcomes in Japanese nonagenarians undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A multi-center analysis.

Background And Hypothesis: Japan is an aging society, and the number of nonagenarians with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is increasing, but their outcomes have not been determined fully.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 767 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI in three Japanese institutions. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of nonagenarians (n = 94) were evaluated and compared with those of patients aged <90 years (n = 673).

Physical performance as a predictor of midterm outcome after mitral valve surgery.

The usefulness of performing physical function assessments for evaluating clinical outcomes after all cardiac surgeries has been reported. However, no studies have evaluated the relationship between physical function and prognosis in patients undergoing cardiac open surgery with mitral valve regurgitation (MR). This study investigated whether physical assessment, such as the short physical performance battery (SPPB), could predict unplanned readmission events in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery due to MR.

Prognostic impact of circulating tumor DNA status post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in AML and MDS.

This study was performed to assess the utility of tumor-derived fragmentary DNA, or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), for identifying high-risk patients for relapse of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (AML/MDS) after undergoing myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). We retrospectively collected tumor and available matched serum samples at diagnosis and 1 and 3 months post-alloSCT from 53 patients with AML/MDS. After identifying driver mutations in 51 patients using next-generation sequencing, we designed at least 1 personalized digital polymerase chain reaction assay per case.

Clinical Scenario Classification for Characterization and Outcome Prediction of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Under Contemporary Phenotyping.

The concept of Clinical Scenario (CS) classification has been widely utilized to aid in choosing appropriate management strategies for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). The West Tokyo-Heart Failure (WET-HF) Registry is a multicenter, prospective cohort registry enrolling consecutive hospitalized ADHF patients. Based on systolic blood pressure (SBP) at admission, 4,000 patients enrolled between 2006 and 2017 were classified into 3 groups: CS1, SBP ≥140 mmHg; CS2, 100≤SBP<140 mmHg; and CS3, SBP <100 mmHg.

Fungemia due to Fusarium solani under low-dose liposomal amphotericin B in a patient after cord blood transplantation.

The introduction of the prophylactic use of antifungal drugs caused the increased occurrence of invasive fungal infections due to previously rare molds, such as fusariosis, after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We herein report the case of a patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who developed fungemia due to Fusarium solani during liposormal amphotericin B on day 25 after cord blood transplantation (CBT). Because Fusarium species might differ in virulence and drug susceptibility, the sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA gene accurately identified Fusarium solani to be the cause of fungemia at the species level.

Abnormalities of striatal morphology in gambling disorder and at-risk gambling.

Objective: The clinical phenotype of gambling disorder (GD) is suggestive of changes in brain regions involved in reward and impulse suppression, notably the striatum. Studies have yet to characterize striatal morphology (shape) in GD and whether this may be a vulnerability marker.

Aims: To characterize the morphology of the striatum in those with disordered gambling (at-risk gambling and GD) versus controls.

Middle cluneal nerve entrapment mimics sacroiliac joint pain.

Background: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ)-related pain is associated with low back- and buttock pain and the SIJ score is diagnostically useful because it helps to differentiate between SIJ-related pain and pain due to other factors such as lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal canal stenosis. Middle cluneal nerve (MCN) entrapment (MCN-E) can produce pain involving the lower back and buttocks. Therefore, the origin of the pain must be identified.

Development of Pre-Engraftment Syndrome, but Not Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease, Reduces Relapse Rate of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia after Single Cord Blood Transplantation.

The different effects of pre-engraftment syndrome (PES) and acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) on outcomes after cord blood transplantation (CBT) are unclear. We retrospectively evaluated the impact of PES and aGVHD on relapse and survival after single-unit CBT in 138 adult patients with hematologic malignancies at our institution between 2004 and 2016. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that development of grade III-IV aGVHD, particularly with gut or liver involvement, significantly contributed to higher nonrelapse mortality (P < .