Publications by authors named "Kasai Y"

Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is a syndrome characterized by prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, facial features, and body asymmetry. SRS is often complicated with hypoglycemia, whose etiology is unclear. We describe the clinical course of 25-year-old man with hypoglycemia.

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Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET) often metastasize to the liver. Although curative liver resection provides a favorable prognosis for patients with neuroendocrine liver metastasis (NELM), with a 5-year survival rate of 70-80%, recurrence is almost inevitable, mainly in the remnant liver. In Western countries, liver transplantation (LT) has been performed in patients with NELM, with the objective of complete removal of macro- and micro-NELMs.

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RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) may have a positive regulatory role in controlling tumor growth and progression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the downstream substrates and the molecular mechanism of PKR in the growth and progression of HCC have not been clarified. In this study, mass spectrometry analysis was performed with immunoprecipitated samples, and 4.

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  • A 60-year-old man had surgery for T2N0M0 gallbladder cancer, which showed high FDG uptake prior to the procedure.
  • Two years after surgery, he developed multiple liver masses with lower FDG uptake, which were diagnosed as grade 3 neuroendocrine tumors through biopsy.
  • The finding of neuroendocrine tumor components in the original gallbladder sample indicates that varying FDG uptake in cancers may require different diagnostic approaches.
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  • Lower extremity artery disease is on the rise, and complex issues like calcified chronic total occlusions complicate treatment through endovascular therapy.
  • The needle rendezvous technique, which allows for better guidewire access within the lesion, shows promise in overcoming these challenges.
  • A study involving 25 patients treated with this technique reported a 100% success rate for both technical and procedural outcomes, with minimal complications and a low rate of revascularization needs in the short term.
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  • This study is a retrospective cohort analysis focusing on the structure of lumbar vertebrae in the Thai population.
  • The research highlights the importance of understanding lumbar vertebrae morphometry to improve cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screw fixation for spinal disorders, noting significant size variations between sexes and lumbar levels.
  • Findings provide detailed measurements of lumbar vertebrae that can aid in designing better-suited surgical screws for Thai patients, enhancing surgical outcomes.
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  • A healthy gut environment is linked to better mental health, with dietary fiber playing a key role in maintaining this environment; however, previous studies focused mainly on soluble fiber.
  • A new study found that mice fed a cellulose-rich diet (insoluble fiber) displayed increased anxiety and intestinal issues, such as lower short-chain fatty acid levels and increased gut permeability.
  • The observed increase in anxiety was connected to changes in brain signaling through the gut-brain axis, with specific effects on dopamine signaling in the amygdala, highlighting the potential negative impact of consuming only insoluble fiber like cellulose on mental health.
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  • Cardiac rehabilitation is essential for preventing further cardiovascular issues, especially in Japan, where reduced hospital stays make outpatient care more critical.
  • A study of 92 Japanese outpatients revealed they spent a lot of time being sedentary (over 11 hours) and very little on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), with significant differences observed between men and women.
  • Findings suggest that customized rehabilitation plans based on factors like sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and anaerobic threshold (AT) could improve rehabilitation outcomes, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches and monitoring of patients' home activities.
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  • The study aimed to identify dosimetric factors that predict the risk of brain necrosis (BN) in patients undergoing fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for brain metastases.
  • Researchers used multivariate logistic models to analyze data from patients who received various SRT doses, calculating the volume of normal brain exposed to specific biological doses (VxxEQD2).
  • Results indicated that larger volumes of the brain receiving higher doses (V55EQD2 and V60EQD2) were associated with increased chances of developing symptomatic BN, emphasizing the need for careful planning to minimize exposure.
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  • Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a common treatment for a heart condition called atrial flutter, with cryoablation being another option that uses cold temperatures.
  • A 65-year-old man, who didn't respond to medicine for his heart issues, had a cryoablation procedure, during which doctors saw two episodes of ST-elevation, a sign of heart trouble.
  • The first episode was fixed by stopping the freezing process, while the second was due to a spasm in the artery and was treated with medicine. This case shows the importance of special imaging technology (ICE) to keep procedures safe.
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•COVID-19-related MIS-A developed in a Japanese patient.•Acute MIS-A symptoms improved with steroid and immunoglobulin therapy.•Unilateral ureteral calcified stenosis observed in the late phase of MIS-A.

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Purpose: Opioid-induced constipation is the most frequent and non-self-limiting adverse effect of opioid analgesia, reducing adherence and interfering with pain relief. This clinical trial aimed to clarify the preventive effect of naldemedine versus placebo for constipation in patients with cancer starting regularly dosed strong opioids therapy.

Methods: This multicenter, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, confirmatory trial was conducted between July 2021 and May 2023 at four academic hospitals in Japan (Japan Registry of Clinical Trials identifier: jRCTs031200397).

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This study aimed to identify the required capabilities and workload of medical staff in accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). From August to September 2022, a questionnaire related to the capabilities and workload in the accelerator-based BNCT was administered to 12 physicians, 7 medical physicists and 7 radiological technologists engaged in BNCT and 6 other medical physicists who were not engaged in BNCT to compare the results acquired by those engaged in BNCT. Only 6-21% of patients referred for BNCT received it.

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We introduce a novel notation system for pancreatectomy designed to provide a clear and concise representation of surgical procedures. As surgical techniques and the scope of pancreatic surgeries continue to diversify, existing communication methods among medical professionals regarding the specifics of the surgeries have proven inadequate. Our proposed notation system clearly indicates the approach (open, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted), type of surgery (e.

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Although handheld ultrasound devices (HUDs) are commonplace, their ability to diagnose fecal retention (FR) remains unclear. This prospective observational study examined HUDs' usefulness in diagnosing FR in patients with constipation in a palliative care setting. Between 10 December 2020 and 30 June 2022, we compared rectal ultrasonographic findings obtained using HUDs with clinical manifestations in 64 males and 70 females (48%, 52%, 68 ± 11 years old) with constipation who had undergone computed tomography (CT).

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  • The sheath-in-sheath technique involves using a 15Fr cryoballoon delivery sheath inside a larger 16Fr sheath to assist in medical procedures.
  • This method is particularly effective for accessing complex iliac veins during cryoballoon ablation, a treatment for atrial fibrillation.
  • It ensures safe delivery of the cryoballoon while maintaining the device's performance and avoiding any complications.
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The optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based calcium scoring system was developed to guide optimal lesion preparation strategies for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of calcified lesions. However, the score was derived retrospectively, and a prospective investigation is lacking. The CORAL (UMIN000053266) study was a single-arm, prospective, multicenter study that included patients with calcified lesions with OCT-calcium score of 1-2 to investigate whether these lesions could be optimally treated with a balloon-only preparation strategy using a non-compliant/scoring/cutting balloon.

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Introduction: Although kissing spine syndrome in the lumbar spinal region is a relatively common condition in older adults, no study examining its biomechanical characteristics has been reported. We hypothesized that kissing of the spinous processes during extension causes an increase in the flexural rigidity of the spine and significantly limits the deformation behavior of extension, which in turn might cause lower back pain.

Methods: Three test models (human cadavers A, B, and C) were prepared by removing supraspinal/interspinous ligaments between L4 and L5.

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This paper presents a novel approach to gap mapping in pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment, utilizing the real-time Ripple (RR) technique. Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation, particularly encircling PVI, is a common intervention for AF. Identifying left atrium-pulmonary vein conduction gaps is crucial for achieving PVI with minimal additional ablation if first-pass PVI is unsuccessful.

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