Closure of Ventricular Septal Rupture through a Left Thoracotomy in a Patient with a History of Esophageal Reconstruction.

A 73-year-old man who had undergone esophagectomy and retrosternal gastric tube reconstruction for esophageal cancer 8 years prior was transferred to our hospital for the treatment of an acute myocardial infarction. Emergent percutaneous coronary intervention for the left anterior descending artery (#7) was successfully performed. However, echocardiography revealed a ventricular septal rupture (25×27 mm).

Study on the chemical stability of β-lactam antibiotics in concomitant simple suspensions with magnesium oxide.

Background: A simple suspension method, where solid formulations are disintegrated and suspended by being soaked in warm water followed by tube administration, is widely used, especially for elderly patients with dysphagia in Japanese clinical settings. However, there is insufficient information on drug stability in the simple co-suspension of multiple formulations especially including acidic or alkaline ones. The influence of occasional prolonged soakage on drug stability is also of concern.

Cell-mediated and humoral immune responses of cyprinids induced by a live attenuated vaccine against cyprinid herpesvirus 2 infection in comparison to the virus non-permissive high temperature water treatment.

The live attenuated vaccine (P7-P8 strain) against cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) infection of goldfish shows high protective efficacy. However, the underlying immune mechanism induced by P7-P8 vaccination remains unknown. It is known that the fish survived in the primary infection with CyHV-2 by the virus non-permissive high temperature (HT) water treatment elicit immunity against secondary virus challenge.

Association between Histological Composition and Clinical Symptoms in Lumbar Disc Herniation in Different Age Groups.

Study Design: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data.

Objective: To investigate the influence of cartilaginous endplates (CEs) in herniated discs on clinical symptoms and postoperative outcomes in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) in different age groups.

Summary Of Background Data: LDH involving CEs, which are hard and less resorptive, is frequently observed with increasing age and appears to affect the natural course and clinical outcomes following discectomy.

Implementation status of postoperative rehabilitation for older patients with hip fracture in Kyoto City, Japan: A population-based study using medical and long-term care insurance claims data.

Continuing rehabilitation after hip fractures is recommended to improve physical function and quality of life. However, the long-term implementation status of postoperative rehabilitation is unclear. This study aims to investigate the implementation status of postoperative rehabilitation for older patients with hip fractures and the factors associated with continuing rehabilitation.

Surgical Treatment of an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in a Patient with a Liver Abscess.

The presence of an intraperitoneal source of infection, e.g., a liver abscess, can be an obstacle to performing an abdominal aortic surgery with a midline laparotomy because graft infection is one of the most critical complications of aortic surgery.

Regional disparities in primary cesarean delivery rates in Japan: the role of obstetrician availability.

Background: The prevalence of cesarean section procedures is on the rise worldwide, necessitating a deeper understanding of the factors driving this trend to mitigate potential adverse consequences associated with unnecessary cesarean section deliveries.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the rate of primary cesarean deliveries (PCD), a potential key indicator of obstetric care quality.

Study Design: A national retrospective cohort study was conducted utilizing extensive data from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan spanning the years 2012 to 2018.

sp. nov., a rapidly growing species isolated from diseased koi carp, .

A rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacterium was isolated from diseased koi carp in Niigata, Japan, which was identified as representing a novel species through whole genome sequence analysis. The bacterial isolates (NGTWS0302, NGTWS1803 and NGTWSNA01) were found to belong to the genus through phylogenetic analysis using whole genome sequences of mycobacteria species. The bacterial colony was smooth, moist and non-chromogenic on 1% Ogawa medium at 30 °C.

Regional Variation in End-of-life Care Just Before Death Among the Oldest Old in Japan: A Descriptive Study.

Background: The use of life-sustaining treatment (LST) in the final stage of life is a major policy concern due to increased costs, while its intensity does not correlate with quality. Previous reports have shown declining trends in LST use in Japan. However, regional practice variations remain unclear.

Hemoglobin scavenger receptor CD163 as a potential biomarker of hemolysis-induced hepatobiliary injury in sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD)-associated chronic hemolysis promotes oxidative stress, inflammation, and thrombosis leading to organ damage, including liver damage. Hemoglobin scavenger receptor CD163 plays a protective role in SCD by scavenging both hemoglobin-haptoglobin complexes and cell-free hemoglobin. A limited number of studies in the past have shown a positive correlation of CD163 expression with poor disease outcomes in patients with SCD.

Riociguat in patients with sickle cell disease and hypertension or proteinuria (STERIO-SCD): a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled, phase 1-2 trial.

Background: Although nitric oxide based therapeutics have been shown in preclinical models to reduce vaso-occlusive events and improve cardiovascular function, a clinical trial of a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor increased rates of admission to hospital for pain. We aimed to examine if riociguat, a direct stimulator of the nitric oxide receptor soluble guanylate cyclase, causes similar increases in vaso-occlusive events.

Methods: This was a phase 1-2, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Iron restriction in sickle cell disease: When less is more.

Primum non nocere! Can iron deficiency, an abnormality that causes anemia, benefit people with sickle cell disease (SCD) who already have an anemia? The published literature we review appears to answer this question in the affirmative: basic science considerations, animal model experiments, and noncontrolled clinical observations all suggest a therapeutic potential of iron restriction in SCD. This is because SCD's clinical manifestations are ultimately attributable to the polymerization of hemoglobin S (HbS), a process strongly influenced by intracellular HbS concentration. Even small decrements in HbS concentration greatly reduce polymerization, and iron deficiency lowers erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration.

Clinical and Laboratory Correlates of QTc Duration in Adult and Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease, a common genetic disorder in African Americans, manifests an increased risk of sudden death, the basis of which is incompletely understood. Prolongation of heart rate-corrected QT (QTc) interval on the electrocardiogram, a standard clinical measure of cardiac repolarization, may contribute to sudden death by predisposing to ventricular tachycardia.

Methods: We established a cohort study of 293 adult and 121 pediatric sickle cell disease patients drawn from the same geographic region as the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) cohort, in which significant correlates of QT duration have been characterized and quantitatively modeled.

Effect of temperature on the protective efficacy of a live attenuated vaccine against herpesviral haematopoietic necrosis in goldfish.

The live attenuated vaccine P7-P8 strain against herpesviral haematopoietic necrosis, which is caused by cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2), exhibits high protective efficacy in goldfish at 25°C, the predominant temperature for this disease; however, the effect of water temperature during the vaccination period on efficacy has not been determined. In this study, an in vitro experiment revealed that the vaccine strain grew between 15 and 30°C in the goldfish cell line RyuF-2. Subsequent in vivo efficacy tests were conducted with vaccination temperatures ranging from 15 to 30°C.

Postoperative Time Course of Avulsion-Type Herniation Focused on the Development of New Modic Changes and Their Effect on Short-Term Residual Low Back Pain.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of newly developing Modic changes following discectomy and their impact on residual low back pain (LBP) in the early postoperative stage of lumbar disc herniation.

Methods: We included 96 patients who underwent microscopic discectomy.

Impaired hemoglobin clearance by sinusoidal endothelium promotes vaso-occlusion and liver injury in sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a monogenic disorder that affects 100,000 African-Americans and millions of people worldwide. Intra-erythrocytic polymerization of sickle hemoglobin (HbS) promotes erythrocyte sickling, impaired rheology, ischemia and hemolysis, leading to the development of progressive liver injury in SCD. Liver-resident macrophages and monocytes are known to enable the clearance of HbS; however, the role of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) in HbS clearance and liver injury in SCD remains unknown.

Variation in Utilization of Postoperative Rehabilitation After Total Hip Arthroplasty in Japan.

Objective: The use of rehabilitation after arthroplasty in Japan is unknown. We aimed to identify utilization of postoperative rehabilitation after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and to explore the factors associated with rehabilitation usage.

Design: A retrospective cohort study using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan (NDB).

Genetic variants and effect modifiers of QT interval prolongation in patients with sickle cell disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common inherited blood disorder among African Americans (AA), with premature mortality which has been associated with prolongation of the heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc), a known risk factor for sudden cardiac death. Although numerous genetic variants have been identified as contributors to QT interval prolongation in the general population, their impact on SCD patients remains unclear. This study used an unweighted polygenic risk score (PRS) to validate the previously identified associations between SNPs and QTc interval in SCD patients, and to explore possible interactions with other factors that prolong QTc interval in AA individuals with SCD.

A study on the chemical stability of cholesterol-lowering drugs in concomitant simple suspensions with magnesium oxide.

Background: Difficulty in taking solid medicines is a common issue particularly for the elderly because of a decline in swallowing function, also known as dysphagia. For patients with such a dysfunction, a simple suspension method, in which solid medicines are disintegrated and suspended using warm water, has been developed and widely used in Japanese clinical settings. However, there is little information on drug stability in the simple co-suspension of multiple formulations especially including acidic or alkaline ones.

[Surgical Case of Bronchial Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma Safely Diagnosed by Enucleation Under the Bronchoscopy After Bronchial Arterial Embolization].

A 28-year-old male presented to our hospital with hemoptysis and his chest computerized tomography (CT) showed the right middle and lower lobe atelectasis due to the tumor of right intermediate bronchial trunk. To reduce the blood flow to the tumor, bronchial arterial embolization was performed and the tumor was resected using Cryoprobe with a flexible endobronchial scope. Thus, we could observe the tumor localization and diagnose before the surgical procedure.

Ex Vivo Osteogenesis Induced by Calcium Silicate-Based Cement Extracts.

Calcium silicate-based cements are used in a variety of clinical conditions affecting the pulp tissue, relying on their inductive effect on tissue mineralization. This work aimed to evaluate the biological response of calcium silicate-based cements with distinct properties-the fast-setting Biodentine™ and TotalFill BC RRM™ Fast Putty, and the classical slow-setting ProRoot MTA, in an ex vivo model of bone development. Briefly, eleven-day-old embryonic chick femurs were cultured for 10 days in organotypic conditions, being exposed to the set cements' eluates and, at the end of the culture period, evaluated for osteogenesis/bone formation by combining microtomographic analysis and histological histomorphometric assessment.

Ligamentum Flavum Hematoma Accompanied by Intraspinal and Extraspinal Hematomas: A Case Report.

Studies on ligamentum flavum hematoma (LFH) have been gradually increasing; however, no study has reported an LFH spreading to the intraspinal and extraspinal spaces. The purpose of this report is to discuss this rare condition and report that extraspinal hematoma can be formed by LFH. The authors present the case of a 78-year-old man presented with right L5 radiculopathy caused by a space-occupying lesion with intraspinal and extraspinal expansions at the L4-L5 vertebral levels demonstrated on MRI.

Hospital-Level Variation in Cardiac Rehabilitation After Myocardial Infarction in Japan During Fiscal Years 2014-2015 Using the National Database.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an evidence-based medical service for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI); however, its implementation is inadequate. We investigated the provision status and equality of CR by hospitals in Japan using a comprehensive nationwide claims database. We analyzed data from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups in Japan for the period April 2014-March 2016.

CD4-1 and CD4-2 single positive are two major CD4 lymphocyte subpopulations in ginbuna crucian carp Carassius auratus langsdorfii.

In this study, we established a murine cell line that expresses ginbuna crucian carp (ginbuna) CD4-2 and used it to develop an anti-CD4-2 monoclonal antibody (mAb). An established mAb, named D5, showed good reactivities to BALB/c 3T3 cells expressing CD4-2 and a lymphocyte population in the ginbuna leukocytes. Gene expression analysis showed that D5 cells express CD4-2 and TCRβ genes but not CD4-1 and IgM genes, meanwhile May Grunwald-Giemsa staining of sorted D5 cells had the typical morphology of lymphocytes.