CT-Guided Pelvic Lymph Nodal Brachytherapy.

Purpose: This is a report of our initial experience using computed tomography (CT)-guided interstitial high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy to treat bulky pelvic nodal metastases as a part of definitive radiotherapy.

Material And Methods: Between February 2015 and April 2019, 14 cervical/endometrial cancer patients presenting with bulky pelvic node(s) underwent nodal interstitial brachytherapy boost in our institution. In total, 17 nodes were treated.

Progressive Site-Directed Therapy for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Localization of the Progressive Site as a Prognostic Factor.

Purpose: Locoregional therapy for oligometastatic prostate cancer has generated great interest. However, its benefit for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) has not been fully demonstrated. Our objective was to evaluate the treatment outcome of progressive site-directed therapy (PSDT) for oligoprogressive CRPC (OP-CRPC).

Outcomes of radiotherapy in advanced external auditory canal cancer.

External auditory canal cancer (EACC) is a rare malignant tumor. In the present study, we retrospectively evaluated the treatment results in patients with advanced EACC who were treated using external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) combined with chemotherapy or radical surgery. Overall, 21 patients with Stage III (n = 8) or Stage IV (n = 13) EACC who underwent initial treatment at our hospital between 2003 and 2016 were enrolled in this study.

Hypothalamic hypopituitarism secondary to suprasellar metastases from small cell lung cancer: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Metastasis to the pituitary gland is an infrequent clinical problem, and the symptoms caused by metastases have been reported in only 2.5-18.2% of the cases.

High Cardiac Troponin I Is Associated With Transesophageal Echocardiographic Risk of Thromboembolism and Ischemic Stroke Events in Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation Patients.

Background: Abnormalities in the left atrium (LA) detected on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) are reliable predictors of thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Cardiac troponin I, a marker of subclinical myocardial damage, may also be a predictor of thromboembolic events in patients with AF. The relationship between cardiac troponin I and thromboembolic risk on TEE, however, remains unclear.

Transesophageal echocardiographic thromboembolic risk is associated with smoking status in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, but it is unclear whether smoking status, including environmental tobacco smoke, increases stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Abnormalities of the left atrium (LA) and aortic atherosclerosis, as detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), are risk factors for stroke and thromboembolism in AF patients. We investigated the impact of smoking status on thromboembolic risk by TEE in patients with nonvalvular AF.

Deficiency of a Retinal Dystrophy Protein, Acyl-CoA Binding Domain-containing 5 (ACBD5), Impairs Peroxisomal β-Oxidation of Very-long-chain Fatty Acids.

Acyl-CoA binding domain-containing 5 (ACBD5) is a peroxisomal protein that carries an acyl-CoA binding domain (ACBD) at its N-terminal region. The recent identification of a mutation in the ACBD5 gene in patients with a syndromic form of retinal dystrophy highlights the physiological importance of ACBD5 in humans. However, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms and the precise function of ACBD5 remain unclear.

Hyperuricemia and transesophageal echocardiographic thromboembolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation at clinically low-intermediate risk.

Background: There is no clear consensus on thromboprophylaxis in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) at low-intermediate thromboembolic risk. Although hyperuricemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, the relationship between serum uric acid (UA) levels and thromboembolic risk has not been fully elucidated in patients with AF.

Methods And Results: Serum UA levels and the score for congestive heart failure, hypertension, age, diabetes mellitus, prior stroke/transient ischemic attack, vascular disease and sex (ie, CHA2DS2-VASc score) were determined in 470 patients with nonvalvular AF who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to evaluate their risk of thromboembolism.

Transesophageal echocardiographic findings are independent and relevant predictors of ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Background And Purpose: Not only clinical factors, including the CHADS(2) score, but also echocardiographic findings have been reported to be useful for predicting the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). However, it remains to be determined which of these factors might be more relevant for evaluation of the risk of stroke in each patient.

Methods: In 490 patients with NVAF who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), we examined the long-term incidence of ischemic stroke events (mean follow-up time, 5.

Clinical and transesophageal echocardiographic variables for prediction of thromboembolic events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at low-intermediate risk.

Background: There is no clear consensus about antithrombotic treatment in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at low-intermediate thromboembolic risk. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is useful for prediction of thromboembolic events in AF.

Methods And Results: Of 498 patients with nonvalvular AF, incidence of stroke, cardiac events, and mortality was investigated in 280 patients with CHADS(2) score 0 or 1 (mean age 64 years, mean follow-up 6.

Repeat brachytherapy for patients with residual or recurrent tumors of oral cavity.

Purpose: To analyze data from patients receiving repeat brachytherapy (re-BT) for the treatment of residual or recurrent tumor in the oral cavity.

Methods And Materials: Between January 2003 and December 2007, 62 patients who had undergone definitive BT as an initial treatment of oral cancer subsequently underwent re-BT for the treatment of residual or recurrent tumors at the diagnostic radiology and oncology department (Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital). Re-BT was performed 0.

Health-related quality of life assessed by the effect of bepotastine besilate in patients with pruritus: importance of emotions score in atopic dermatitis.

The Skindex-16 questionnaire was recently developed as a measure of dermatological health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including symptoms, emotions and functional aspects. Bepotastine besilate is a selective histamine H(1) -receptor antagonist and a second-generation non-sedating antihistamine to treat various dermatological disorders. We assessed changes of the HRQoL instrument (Skindex-16) on patients with pruritus, including those with atopic dermatitis (AD) over bepotastine treatment period.

Relation of the severity of mitral regurgitation to thromboembolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at risk for thromboembolism. Although mitral regurgitation (MR) could be protective against left atrial (LA) blood stasis, the relationship between the severity of MR and thromboembolic risk has not been clarified in patients with AF.

Methods: 271 patients with permanent AF underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

Pseudoproteoglycan (pseudoPG) probes that simulate PG macromolecular structure for screening and isolation of PG-binding proteins.

A proteoglycan (PG) monomer is a macromolecule consisting of one or more glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains attached to a core protein. PGs have signaling roles and modulatory functions in the extracellular matrix and at the cell surface. To elucidate the functions of higher-order PG structures, pseudoPGs that imitate the PG structure were prepared to develop probes and affinity adsorbents.

Relation of left atrial blood stasis to clinical risk factors in atrial fibrillation.

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate whether an accumulation of clinical risk factors for thromboembolism would correlate with severity of blood stasis in the left atrium (LA) and aortic atherosclerosis in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

Methods: Risk levels of thromboembolism were assessed in 515 (mean age 67.5 years) NVAF patients using CHADS(2) score (an acronym for Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age >or=75, Diabetes mellitus, and prior Stroke or transient ischemic attack) to estimate the thromboembolic risk.

Thoracic aortic plaque enhances hypercoagulability in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at risk for thromboembolism, and coexistent cardiovascular diseases could affect their prothrombotic profiles. The relationship between plasma hemostatic markers and aortic atherosclerosis was determined in patients with AF or in sinus rhythm (SR).

Methods And Results: Sixty patients with nonrheumatic AF and 46 patients in SR who underwent transesophageal echocardiography and did not receive anticoagulant therapy constituted the study group.

[Labor management using epidural anesthesia in a gravida patient with high spinal injury].

Since autonomic hyperreflexia (AH) is a serious complication during labor in a gravida with spinal cord injury, anesthetic measures should be taken for the suppression of AH even in a sensory-loss condition. Several reports have described various methods for the suppression of AH, in which epidural anesthesia has been advocated as a useful means for the prevention or amelioration of AH. However, it is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of epidural anesthesia due to the lack of sensory and motor functions.

Prolonged activation of hemostatic markers following conversion of atrial flutter to sinus rhythm.

Background: It remains controversial whether prophylactic anticoagulation for embolism is required in patients with atrial flutter (AFL) prior to and following cardioversion as in patients with atrial fibrillation. To evaluate the potential prothrombotic state following cardioversion of AFL, concentrations of hemostatic markers were determined before and after conversion to sinus rhythm (SR).

Methods And Results: In 12 patients (mean age 68 years) with AFL who underwent transesophageal echocardiography in the plasma concentrations of markers for platelet activity (platelet factor 4 (PF4) and beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG)), thrombotic status (thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT) and prothrombin fragments 1 and 2 (F1+2)) and fibrinolytic status (D-dimer and plasmin-alpha(2)-plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC)) were determined during AFL, and 3 days and 7 days after restoration of SR.

Maintenance of sinus rhythm and recovery of atrial mechanical function after cardioversion with bepridil or in combination with aprindine in long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate pharmacological cardioversion of long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) using bepridil in terms of recovery of atrial mechanical function and maintenance of sinus rhythm. Bepridil alone or in combination with aprindine is effective for termination of persistent AF.

Methods And Results: The study group comprised 38 consecutive patients (24 men, 58.

Left atrial appendage function and abnormal hypercoagulability in patients with atrial flutter.

Study Objectives: The prevalence of thromboembolism might be higher than previously recognized in patients with atrial flutter (AFL) based on findings of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). To evaluate the potential prothrombotic state in patients with AFL, TEE findings and hemostatic markers were compared among patient groups with AFL, normal sinus rhythm (NSR) and chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF).

Design And Settings: Cross-sectional study at a university hospital.