Clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and outcomes of heat-related illness (Heatstroke Study 2017-2018).

Aim: Heat-related illness is common, but its epidemiology and pathological mechanism remain unclear. The aim of this study was to report current clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and outcomes of heat-related illness in Japan.

Methods: We undertook a prospective multicenter observational study in Japan.

Comparison of reduced-intensity/toxicity conditioning regimens for umbilical cord blood transplantation for lymphoid malignancies.

To investigate which reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC)/reduced-toxicity conditioning (RTC) is superior for umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) for lymphoid malignancies, we retrospectively compared three widely used RIC/RTC regimens: fludarabine/melphalan/total body irradiation (FM-TBI, n = 524), fludarabine/cyclophosphamide/total body irradiation (FC-TBI, n = 96), and fludarabine/busulfan/total body irradiation or melphalan (FB-based, n = 159). Among patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (n = 314), there were no differences in overall survival (OS) by conditioning regimen. Among patients with malignant lymphoma (ML) (n = 465), FM-TBI and FC-TBI regimens had similar OS, whereas FB-based regimen had lower OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.

Lymphopenia at diagnosis predicts survival of patients with immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders.

The number of patients who are administered immunosuppressive agents has been increasing. Accordingly, more patients face higher risks for developing immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD). Although immunodeficiency-associated LPD are distinct from other lymphoid neoplasms in terms of their immunocompromised backgrounds, little is known about the impact of lymphopenia at diagnosis on survival in patients with these LPD.

Relationship Between Platelet Reactivity and Ischemic and Bleeding Events After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in East Asian Patients: 1-Year Results of the PENDULUM Registry.

Background The balance between ischemic and bleeding events and their association with platelet reactivity in patients receiving antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which differs among regions, is not fully evaluated for East Asians. We examined ischemic/bleeding events and platelet reactivity in Japanese patients undergoing PCI and determined associations between high/low platelet reactivity and clinical outcomes. Methods and Results PENDULUM (Platelet Reactivity in Patients with Drug Eluting Stent and Balancing Risk of Bleeding and Ischemic Event) is a prospective, multicenter registry of Japanese patients with PCI.

Drug monitoring for mycophenolic acid in graft-vs-host disease prophylaxis in cord blood transplantation.

Aims: We performed the retrospective analysis to clarify the significance of drug monitoring for mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active form of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), in prophylaxis for graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) in cord blood transplantation.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed the data of 46 patients who underwent first cord blood transplantation and received GVHD prophylaxis with tacrolimus plus MMF. MPA levels were measured on days 7 and 21, and 24-hour areas under the curve (AUC ) were estimated.

Effects of the combined administration of risedronate and menatetrenone on bone loss induced by tacrolimus in rats.

Tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, affects bone metabolism and increases the risk of fracture due to marked bone loss. Bisphosphonates increase the bone mineral density (BMD) in osteoporosis patients. Menatetrenone has less positive effects on BMD but reduces the risk of fracture by improving bone quality.

Hematopoietic cell infusion-related adverse events in pediatric/small recipients in a prospective/multicenter study.

Background: Hematopoietic cell infusion-related adverse events (HCI-AEs) in hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCTs) have been largely attributed to toxicity of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for cryopreservation, but HSC products also contain various cells and plasma components. Our recent prospective study of 1125 HSCT recipients revealed the highest overall HCI-AE rate in bone marrow transplantation (BMT) using fresh/noncryopreserved products, although products of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and cord blood transplantation (CBT) are generally cryopreserved with DMSO containing smaller plasma volumes. We aimed to clarify if product volume and component effects are more substantial in small recipients including children.

Influence of HLA 1-3-locus mismatch and antithymocyte globulin administration in unrelated bone marrow transplantation.

For patients without an HLA-matched donor, an HLA-mismatched unrelated donor (MMUD) has been considered as an alternative donor in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). We conducted a nationwide retrospective study to compare the transplant outcomes among 1-, 2-, and 3-locus (allele/antigen) mismatched unrelated donors (1MMUD n = 2044, 2MMUD n = 492, and 3MMUD n = 73) in allo-HCT and to assess the impact of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in allo-HCT from 1-3MMUD. 2MMUD and 3MMUD were independent significant adverse factors for grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (hazard ratio [HR] 1.

Reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia with fludarabine-based conditioning with intravenous busulfan versus melphalan.

Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) has been facilitating allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) for patients originally considered ineligible for HCT with myeloablative conditioning. Fludarabine (Flu) with reduced doses of busulfan (Bu) (Flu + Bu) and Flu with reduced doses of melphalan (Mel) (Flu + Mel) are widely used RIC regimens for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A nationwide retrospective study comparing clinical outcomes of adult patients with AML receiving first allo-HCT after RIC between 2001 and 2010 was performed.

Heterogeneous impact of cytomegalovirus reactivation on nonrelapse mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major complication in allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The utility of CMV prophylaxis with letermovir has been reported; however, the specific applications remain unclear. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed large-scale registry data (N = 10 480) to clarify the risk factors for nonrelapse mortality (NRM) in connection with CMV reactivation.

Wide availability of HLA-matched or a few loci-mismatched donors in the graft-vs-host direction among nonsibling first-degree relatives.

Although outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from alternative donors have been improved, it has not yet challenged the precedence of HLA-matched or a few loci-mismatched donors. Because the availabilities of these donors among nonsibling relatives have been scarcely discussed, we analyzed them using a large Japanese dataset of HLA typing. Data set included HLA data from 2838 patients and their relatives, distributed in all parts of Japan.

Effect of graft-versus-host disease on outcomes after pediatric single cord blood transplantation.

The effect of GVHD on transplant outcomes after unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is not yet fully understood. Pediatric patients aged 0-15 years with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome who underwent their first UCBT (n = 740) were selected from the Japanese registry. Fifty percent of the patients received a UCB unit containing more than 5.

Reconstruction of radiocesium levels in sediment off Fukushima: Simulation analysis of bioavailability using parameters derived from observed Cs concentrations.

Radiocesium was released to the North Pacific coastal waters by the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (1FNPP) of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) in March 2011. Since the radiocesium in the sediment off Fukushima was suggested as a possible source for the transfer of this radionuclide through the benthic food chain, we conducted numerical simulations of Cs in sediments off the Fukushima coast by using a model which incorporates dynamic transfer processes between seawater and the labile and refractory fractions in sediment particles. This model reproduced the measured temporal changes of Cs concentration in seabed surface sediment off Fukusima coasts, by normalizing the radiocsium transfer between seawater and sediment according to the particle diameter sizes.

Comparison of the outcomes after haploidentical and cord blood salvage transplantations for graft failure following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Graft failure (GF) is a life-threatening complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Although salvage SCTs can be performed with haploidentical donor (HID) or cord blood (CB), no study has compared the performances of these two sources. Using nationwide registration data, we compared the transplant outcomes of patients who developed GF and underwent salvage transplantation from HID (n = 129) and CB (n = 570) from 2007 to 2016.

Efficacy of three-dimensional roadmapping by fusion of computed tomography angiography with volumetric data from an angiography machine in endovascular therapy for iliac chronic total occlusion: a case report.

Background: The usefulness of endovascular therapy (EVT) for the iliac artery has been established. However, difficult cases such as a long total occlusion and tortuous vessels are sometimes encountered. We recently performed rotational angiography with an angiography machine immediately before EVT and fused three-dimensional (3D) anatomical information obtained from preoperative enhanced computed tomography (CT) that had been performed in advance to create a 3D roadmap.

Outcomes and Prognostic Factors for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Who Underwent Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A KSGCT Multicenter Analysis.

A multicenter retrospective study was performed to evaluate the prognostic factors in 104 patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) between 2005 and 2015. The median age was 38 (range, 17 to 68), and the median blast fraction in peripheral blood and bone marrow was 1% (range, 0 to 99%) and 52% (range, 0 to 100%), respectively. With a median follow-up of 47 months (range, 8.

Improvement of early mortality in single-unit cord blood transplantation for Japanese adults from 1998 to 2017.

The major limitation of cord blood transplantation (CBT) for adults remains the delayed hematopoietic recovery and higher incidence of graft failure, which result in a higher risk of early mortality in CBT. We evaluated early overall survival (OS), non-relapse mortality (NRM), neutrophil engraftment, acute graft-vs-host disease, and cause of early death among 9678 adult patients who received single-unit CBT in Japan between 1998 and 2017. The probability of OS at 100 days was 64.

Automated colorimetric determination of nanomolar urea in seawater by gas-segmented continuous flow analysis using a liquid waveguide capillary cell.

A sensitive automated colorimetric method for the determination of nanomolar concentration of urea in seawater is presented. The colorimetry was based on the diacetyl monoxime method and the automated system was constructed by a gas-segmented continuous flow analyzer equipped with a 100 cm path length of liquid waveguide capillary cell. The most suitable surfactant for the system was hexadecyl-trimethyl-ammonium-bromide as compared to Brij-35, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and Triton X-100.

Impact of HLA Allele Mismatch at HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 in Single Cord Blood Transplantation.

The impact of allele-level HLA mismatch on outcomes of cord blood transplantation has not been well established. We retrospectively analyzed the effects of HLA allele matching at HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 in cord blood transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome. In multivariate analysis, overall survival (OS) significantly deteriorated in the 4-allele or higher mismatch in pediatric cases (hazard ratio, 1.

Outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for DLBCL: a multi-center study from the Kyoto Stem Cell Transplantation Group.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) has been considered as a potentially curative treatment option for refractory or relapsed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. However, there is little information available, especially for Japanese patients and in cord blood transplantation (CBT). We aimed to determine treatment outcomes of allo-SCT for DLBCL in the Kyoto Stem Cell Transplantation Group, a multi-institutional joint research group.

Effect of the severity of acute graft-versus-host disease on physical function after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the effect of the severity of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) on physical function after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Methods: 76 patients were included as subjects of this study. Severity of acute GVHD was classified according to the method defined by Grucksberg.