Long COVID among the first three waves of COVID-19 in Japan: a multicentre cohort study.

Objectives: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 significantly impacts Japan with a high number of infections and deaths reported. Long coronavirus disease (COVID) characterised by persistent symptoms after COVID-19 has gained recognition but varies across studies. This study aimed to investigate the differences in long COVID among patients hospitalised during Japan's first three waves of the pandemic.

Non-toxic core-shell nanowires for extracellular vesicle scavenging.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from cancer cells promote abnormal growth in normal cells, potentially leading to cancer proliferation. We developed a nanowire-based EV-elimination device that efficiently eliminated EVs without toxicity. This method restored normal growth in mammary gland cells cultured with breast adenocarcinoma-derived EVs containing medium treated with the device.

Rapidly Worsening Infective Endocarditis With Severe Mitral Stenosis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) rarely results in mitral stenosis (MS), but MS in patients with IE can be life-threatening. We present a case of prosthetic MS secondary to IE. A 69-year-old Japanese man underwent mitral valve replacement with a bioprosthetic valve 2 years previously.

The response to adenosine tells all: What is the mechanism?

The surface electrocardiograms during a wide QRS complex tachycardia and during the injection of 10 mg of adenosine triphosphate. What is the mechanism of this wide QRS tachycardia?

Workflow of the zero-fluoro pulsed field ablation.

Background: Zero-fluoroscopic pulsed field ablation (PFA) is the next step in advancing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: A workflow incorporating a variable-loop circular PFA catheter, intracardiac echocardiography (ICE), and a visualized sheath was applied to 15 paroxysmal AF patients.

Results: It consisted of three steps: (1) positioning a non-magnetic mapping catheter in the coronary sinus after creating a right atrial matrix, (2) transseptal puncture with the sheath advancement to the left atrium under ICE guidance, and (3) PFA confirming catheter-tissue contact with tissue proximity indication.