Causative diseases of bloody sputum and hemoptysis in respiratory clinics in Japan.

Background: No previous studies have compared respiratory clinics and respiratory specialized facilities regarding causative diseases for bloody sputum and hemoptysis in Japan.

Methods: We retrospectively compared causative diseases for bloody sputum and hemoptysis between 3 respiratory clinics (clinic group) and 7 departments of respiratory medicine at hospitals (hospital group) in Japan.

Results: We collected data from 231 patients (median age, 51 years; age range, 24-96 years; 109 men (47.

Survival benefit of CPAP therapy among dialysis patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Background And Hypothesis: We observed lower risk of all-cause mortally among continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) users compared to those non-users using a large polysomnography (PSG) registry. However, the effect of CPAP on mortality risk has not been examined in dialysis patents.

Methods: We studied 9841 patients with PSG performed from September 1990 to 2010 in Nakamura clinic, Okinawa.

Enhancing Cartilage Metabolism in Rats through a Novel Thermal Stimulation Technique with Photosensitizers.

Although the moderate thermal stimulation of articular cartilage exerts chondroprotective effects, it is difficult to effectively heat deep articular cartilage with conventional methods. Photosensitizers increase the ambient temperature using near-infrared (NIR) radiation, which has high tissue permeability. We hypothesized that the intra-articular administration of photosensitizers and NIR irradiation would exert a greater heating effect on articular cartilage.

Long-term, non-invasive FTIR detection of low-dose ionizing radiation exposure.

Non-invasive methods of detecting radiation exposure show promise to improve upon current approaches to biological dosimetry in ease, speed, and accuracy. Here we developed a pipeline that employs Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectrum to identify a signature of low dose ionizing radiation exposure in mouse ear pinnae over time. Mice exposed to 0.

Transformative Technology for FLASH Radiation Therapy.

The general concept of radiation therapy used in conventional cancer treatment is to increase the therapeutic index by creating a physical dose differential between tumors and normal tissues through precision dose targeting, image guidance, and radiation beams that deliver a radiation dose with high conformality, e.g., protons and ions.

A Novel Platform for Evaluating Dose Rate Effects on Oxidative Damage to Peptides: Toward a High-Throughput Method to Characterize the Mechanisms Underlying the FLASH Effect.

High dose rate radiation has gained considerable interest recently as a possible avenue for increasing the therapeutic window in cancer radiation treatment. The sparing of healthy tissue at high dose rates relative to conventional dose rates, while maintaining tumor control, has been termed the FLASH effect. Although the effect has been validated in animal models using multiple radiation sources, it is not yet well understood.

A Qualitative Study on the Recovery Process and Its Associated Factors in Morita Therapy for Inpatients with Mood Disorders.

Morita therapy (MT) has been re-evaluated and has attracted much attention internationally to date. However, it is not known what kinds of experiences inpatients with mood disorders undergo during the process of recovery through MT. The purpose of this study was therefore to empirically clarify what subjective experiences influence the recovery from depression when it is treated with MT.

Disturbed medication management in older adults with good cognitive health and mild cognitive impairment associated with semantic memory impairment: The Wakuya Project.

Aim: For older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, maintaining daily lives at home is also ideal for quality of life. However, they have serious problems with medication management. Although the Dementia Assessment Sheet in community-based integrated care system-21 items and the regimen comprehension scale are assessment scales for medication, there have been no reports evaluating both semantic memory and actual performance.

Online charge measurement for petawatt laser-driven ion acceleration.

Laser-driven ion beams have gained considerable attention for their potential use in multidisciplinary research and technology. Preclinical studies into their radiobiological effectiveness have established the prospect of using laser-driven ion beams for radiotherapy. In particular, research into the beneficial effects of ultrahigh instantaneous dose rates is enabled by the high ion bunch charge and uniquely short bunch lengths present for laser-driven ion beams.

Survey of spatio-temporal couplings throughout high-power ultrashort lasers.

The investigation of spatio-temporal couplings (STCs) of broadband light beams is becoming a key topic for the optimization as well as applications of ultrashort laser systems. This calls for accurate measurements of STCs. Yet, it is only recently that such complete spatio-temporal or spatio-spectral characterization has become possible, and it has so far mostly been implemented at the output of the laser systems, where experiments take place.

A new platform for ultra-high dose rate radiobiological research using the BELLA PW laser proton beamline.

Radiotherapy is the current standard of care for more than 50% of all cancer patients. Improvements in radiotherapy (RT) technology have increased tumor targeting and normal tissue sparing. Radiations at ultra-high dose rates required for FLASH-RT effects have sparked interest in potentially providing additional differential therapeutic benefits.

An Autopsy Case of An Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Triggered by the Inhalation of a Waterproofing Spray.

An 82-year-old Japanese man with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) experienced dyspnea after using a waterproofing spray in a closed room. He presented with hypoxemia and his chest computed tomography showed additive bilateral diffuse ground-glass attenuation on fibrosis, which was diagnostic of an acute exacerbation of IPF (AE-IPF). Combined treatment with high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants were ineffective, and he later died of respiratory failure.

Difficulties with Workplace Support for a Patient with Frontotemporal Dementia: A Case Report.

A 59-year-old, right-handed woman made many mistakes in her job in a pharmacy, despite having considerable experience working in this setting. She had a can-do attitude, but also showed no sign of remorse when she failed. Other staff grew impatient with her and she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia based on clinical and brain imaging findings.

The expression of the alpha1 subunit of Na/K-ATPase is related to tumor development and clinical outcomes in gastric cancer.

Background: The Na/K-ATPase alpha1 subunit (ATP1A1) is a critical component of Na/K-ATPase (NKA), a membrane pump that maintains a low intracellular Na/K ratio and retains cellular volume and osmolarity. ATP1A1 was recently implicated in tumor behavior. Therefore, the present study investigated the role of ATP1A1 in patients with gastric cancer (GC).

Decreased Time on the Nondominant One-Leg Standing Test Associated with Repeated Falls in Older Residents with Healthy Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia: The Wakuya Project.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to clarify the association between repeated falls and the dominant/nondominant side in the open-eyed one-leg standing (OLS) test among people who are healthy or have mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia in a community setting. We recruited 180 participants from 39 areas in the town of Wakuya.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study.

Mental and Physical Self-Awareness of Alzheimer Patients: Decreased Awareness of Amnesia and Increased Fear of Falling Compared to Views of Families: The Tajiri and Wakuya Projects.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to examine self-awareness of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) regarding forgetfulness and physical status, with the goal of further psychological understanding of these patients.

Methods: The 255 subjects included 33 healthy volunteers and 48 patients with mild cognitive impairment who were elderly community residents selected from the 2017 Wakuya Project and 174 consecutive outpatients with AD at the Tajiri Clinic. Test data were selected from a pooled database.

Self-Reported Cognitive Decline Based on the Ascertain Dementia 8 Questionnaire May Be Effective for Detecting Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in the Community: The Wakuya Project.

Introduction: To assess cognitive impairment, self-awareness is an important issue. The Ascertain Dementia 8 questionnaire (AD8) is a brief observation checklist for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. After analyzing the reliability and validity of a self-reported Japanese version of the AD8 (AD8-J), we compared self- and informant-reported versions of the AD8-J.

Post-mortem biopsy of a patient with late exacerbation of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Pathological findings of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have rarely been reported owing to its contagious nature. Here, we treated an 82-year-old man whose condition was diagnosed as COVID-19 pneumonia, which exacerbated approximately 25 days after the initial onset. The patient died despite receiving intensive care.

[A Case of Papillary Thyroid Cancer Diagnosed as Recurrent Pulmonary Metastases Diagnosed by Transbronchial Biopsies 18 Years After Surgery].

We report a 79-year-old woman, who had undergone surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma 18 years previously and lung adenocarcinoma 15 years previously. She didn't receive any follow-up because she had no recurrence for 5 years in both diseases. She visited a local doctor with precordial pain and thorax discomfort as her chief complaints, where chest computed tomography indicated a 14 mm-sized nodule in the right lower lobe and 5-7 mm-sized small nodules in both lungs.

[A Case of a Bronchial Foreign Body (Artificial Tooth) in the Right Middle Bronchus Without Respiratory Symptoms].

Patients with bronchial foreign bodies often present with subjective symptoms, mainly cough, and removing the foreign bodies is difficult. Bronchial foreign bodies are mostly located in the right lower bronchus, and rarely in the right middle bronchus. An 85-year-old man had no subjective symptoms.

Survival benefit of continuous positive airway pressure in Japanese patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a propensity-score matching analysis.

Study Objectives: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apneas. However, the long-term benefit in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death are limited among Japanese.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients treated in our sleep clinic in Okinawa, Japan.

Does parity matter in women's risk of dementia? A COSMIC collaboration cohort study.

Background: Dementia shows sex difference in its epidemiology. Childbirth, a distinctive experience of women, is associated with the risk for various diseases. However, its association with the risk of dementia in women has rarely been studied.

[A Retrospective Study of Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) Performed on Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Cases].

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has been reported to be useful not only for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of lung cancer but also for benign diseases. We retrospectively analyzed the results of patients with tuberculous lymphadenitis (TL) who had undergone EBUS-TBNA between November 2010 and January 2016. EBUS-TBNA was performed in 427 cases during that period.

A Case of Pulmonary Infectious Bulla Caused by Mycobacterium Avium.

A 37-year-old Japanese man presented with a bulla with niveau-like opacity in the right upper lung on chest radiography. Air-fluid level gradually increased despite broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. Right upper lobectomy was performed, and epithelioid granuloma with mycobacteria was histopathologically observed.