Background Factors Affecting Visual Acuity at Initial Visit in Eyes with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion: Multicenter Study in Japan.

Purpose: To determine the baseline characteristics of patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) that were significantly associated with the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the initial examination.

Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter study using the medical records registered in 17 ophthalmological institutions in Japan. Patients with untreated CRVO (≥20-years-of-age) who were initially examined between January 2013 and December 2017 were studied.

Enhanced Ocular Surface and Intraoral Nociception via a Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 Mechanism in a Rat Model of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by low arterial oxygen saturation during sleep, is associated with an increased risk of orofacial pain. In this study, we simulated chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) during the sleep/rest phase (light phase) to determine the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in mediating enhanced orofacial nocifensive behavior and trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) neuronal responses to capsaicin (a TRPV1 agonist) stimulation in a rat model of OSA. Rats were subjected to CIH (nadir O, 5%) during the light phase for 8 or 16 consecutive days.

Cisplatin induces TRPA1-mediated mechanical allodynia in the oral mucosa.

Objective: Cisplatin, a platinum-based anticancer drug, produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in many cell types and induces mechanical allodynia in the hands and/or feet (chemotherapy-induced painful neuropathy: CIPN). In this study, we examined the possibility of inducing neuropathy in the oral region using oral keratinocytes and rats.

Methods: Human oral keratinocytes (HOKs) were used to evaluate ROS generation after cisplatin application by a ROS-reactive fluorescent assay.

The Association Between Early Administration of Noninvasive Ventilation and Short-Term Outcome for Acute Heart Failure.

Background Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a life-threatening disease that requires emergent intervention. Although noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is crucial for treating ADHF, the earliest time point for administering NPPV remains unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that early NPPV administration for patients with acute heart failure in the emergency department (ED) would lead to a better outcome.

Work status before admission relates to prognosis in older patients with heart failure partly through social frailty.

Background: No reports explicitly examined the relationship between work defined as a certain type of social participation or role and the protective effect on the prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF) by preventing frailty. Therefore, this study examined whether social participation through work before admission relates to future adverse events in HF patients aged ≥65 years, and whether each frailty domain mediates the association between work and prognosis as a second analysis of a multi-centered prospective study (FRAGILE-HF study).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1,332 older patients with HF whose work status before admission to the hospital were investigated.

Periodontal acidification contributes to tooth pain hypersensitivity during orthodontic tooth movement.

Tooth movements associated with orthodontic treatment often cause tooth pain. However, the detailed mechanism remains unclear. Here, we examined the involvement of periodontal acidification caused by tooth movement in mechanical tooth pain hypersensitivity.

Patterns of Distribution of 18F-THK5351 Positron Emission Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease Continuum.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is conceptualized as a biological continuum encompassing the preclinical (clinically asymptomatic but with evidence of AD pathology) and clinical (symptomatic) phases.

Objective: Using 18F-THK5351 as a tracer that binds to both tau and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), we investigated the changes in 18F-THK5351 accumulation patterns in AD continuum individuals with positive amyloid PET consisting of cognitively normal individuals (CNp), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and AD and cognitively normal individuals (CNn) with negative amyloid PET.

Methods: We studied 69 individuals (32 CNn, 11 CNp, 9 aMCI, and 17 AD) with structural magnetic resonance imaging, 11C-Pittsburgh compound-B (PIB) and 18F-THK5351 PET, and neuropsychological assessment.

Persistent bilateral breast pain treated with traditional Kampo medicine.

A 45-year-old woman presented with persistent bilateral breast and axillary pain lasting for more than 3 months. Lengthy work-up failed to identify the etiology. Physical examination was entirely normal, including breast examination.

Autistic-Like Behavior and Impairment of Serotonin Transporter and AMPA Receptor Trafficking in -Ethylmaleimide Sensitive Factor Gene-Deficient Mice.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by profound impairment in social interactions and communication skills, is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder. Many studies on the mechanisms underlying the development of ASD have focused on the serotonergic system; however, these studies have failed to completely elucidate the mechanisms. We previously identified -ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) as a new serotonin transporter (SERT)-binding protein and described its importance in SERT membrane trafficking and uptake .

Effect of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy on exercise tolerance in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A randomized crossover trial.

Background And Objective: Exercise capacity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is limited by exercise-induced hypoxaemia. This study aimed to examine the effect of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) on exercise tolerance in patients with IPF.

Methods: We conducted a single-centre, open-label, randomized crossover trial to compare HFNC and Venturi mask (VM) therapy in terms of exercise tolerance.

IL-33 induces orofacial neuropathic pain through Fyn-dependent phosphorylation of GluN2B in the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis.

Orofacial neuropathic pain can cause considerable disruptions in patients' daily lives, especially because of a lack of effective medications as its underlying causative mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we found neuron-specific expression of the interleukin (IL)-33 receptor in the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Vc), distinct from the spinal dorsal horn. Reduction in head withdrawal threshold in response to von Frey filament stimulation of the whisker pad skin was inversely correlated with the upregulation of IL-33 in the Vc after infraorbital nerve injury (IONI).

Cross-Resistance of the Codling Moth against Different Isolates of Cydia pomonella Granulovirus Is Caused by Two Different but Genetically Linked Resistance Mechanisms.

Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) is a widely used biological control agent of the codling moth. Recently, however, the codling moth has developed different types of field resistance against CpGV isolates. Whereas type I resistance is Z chromosomal inherited and targeted at the viral gene of isolate CpGV-M, type II resistance is autosomal inherited and targeted against isolates CpGV-M and CpGV-S.

Fibroblast growth factor 2 suppresses the expression of C-C motif chemokine 11 through the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway in human dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

The regulation of the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) programming mechanism promises great success in regenerative medicine. Tissue regeneration has been associated not only with the differentiation of MSCs, but also with the microenvironment of the stem cell niche that involves various cytokines and immune cells in the tissue regeneration site. In the present study, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), the principal growth factor for tooth development, dental pulp homeostasis and dentin repair, was reported to affect the expression of cytokines in human dental pulp-derived MSCs.

Relationship between early physical activity after total knee arthroplasty and postoperative physical function: are these related?

Background: Physical activity is associated with physical function; however, the relationship between early physical activity after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and postoperative physical function remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of early physical activity after TKA with postoperative physical function.

Methods: Timed Up and Go test (TUG) of 47 patients was assessed preoperatively and at 10 days, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively.

Eccentric Rotational Acetabular Osteotomy Using Computed Navigation Guidance for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip, Sacroiliac Fusion, and Femoroacetabular Impingement Owing to Acetabular Retroversion: A Case Report.

Background: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is the main factor that causes secondary osteoarthritis of the hip (hip OA). Acetabular retroversion results in pincer-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), and this is also known to cause secondary hip OA. However, few cases of DDH with acetabular retroversion have been reported, and there is no definite opinion on the optimal treatment.

Delayed Enhancement of Ascites after Iodine Contrast Administration Assessed with Dual-energy Computed Tomography: A Case Report.

We report a case of 71-year-old woman with lung cancer and high-attenuation ascites (HAA) due to iodine contrast material (ICM). The patient underwent two sequential CT scans at interval of 4 h between examinations by using ICM. The second scan was obtained by dual-energy CT (DE-CT), yielding the virtual non-contrast (VNC) image and iodine map, which were used to evaluate HAA.

Impact of Social Frailty in Hospitalized Elderly Patients With Heart Failure: A FRAGILE-HF Registry Subanalysis.

Background Frailty is conceptualized as an accumulation of deficits in multiple areas and is strongly associated with the prognosis of heart failure (HF). However, the social domain of frailty is less well investigated. We prospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics and prognostic impact of social frailty (SF) in elderly patients with HF.

Increase of blood culture contamination during COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective descriptive study.

Background: Secondary bacterial infection during the care of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients poses risks to the patients, but there are concerns of an increase in blood culture contamination.

Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted from April 1 to December 31, 2020, when the patients with COVID-19 were taken care of (pandemic period, PP), and it was compared with the same period in 2019 (pre-pandemic period, pre-PP).

Results: A total of 346 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized during the study period in 2020.

Cross-Comparison of 4-Dimensional Flow Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Intraoperative Middle Cerebral Artery Pressure Measurements Before and After Superficial Temporal Artery-Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass Surgery.

Background: The hemodynamic changes after superficial temporal artery (STA) to middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass surgery are unclear.

Objective: To clarify the hemodynamics by comparing flow parameters obtained by 4-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intraoperative MCA pressure measurement.

Methods: We recruited 23 patients who underwent STA-MCA bypass surgery for internal carotid artery (ICA) or MCA stenosis.