Implication of Right Atrial Pressure Estimated by Echocardiography in Patients with Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background: Little is known about how tightly right atrial pressure (RAP) is associated with prognosis in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of RAP estimated by echocardiography (RAP-echo) with cardiovascular events in patients with severe TR.

Methods: Two hundred forty outpatients (median age, 75 years; 130 women) who underwent two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography and were diagnosed with severe TR were retrospectively studied.

Lysophosphatidic acids and their substrate lysophospholipids in cerebrospinal fluid as objective biomarkers for evaluating the severity of lumbar spinal stenosis.

Lysophospholipids (LPLs) are known to have potentially important roles in the initiation and maintenance of neuropathic pain in animal models. This study investigated the association between the clinical severity of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of LPLs, using human samples. We prospectively identified twenty-eight patients with LSS and fifteen controls with idiopathic scoliosis or bladder cancer without neurological symptoms.

Synergistic cytoprotection by co-treatment with dexamethasone and rapamycin against proinflammatory cytokine-induced alveolar epithelial cell injury.

Background: One of the main pathophysiological manifestations during the acute phase of sepsis is massive production of proinflammatory mediators. Clinical trials involving direct suppression of inflammatory mediators to relieve organ dysfunction in sepsis have been extensively performed; however, the clinical outcomes of such trials remain far from satisfactory. Given the need for better sepsis treatments, we have screened various agents with anti-inflammatory properties for cytoprotective effects.

Lysophosphatidic acid is associated with neuropathic pain intensity in humans: An exploratory study.

The underlying mechanisms of neuropathic pain remain to be elucidated. Basic animal research has suggested that lysophosphatidic acids, which are bioactive lipids produced by autotaxin from lysophosphatidylcholine, may play key roles in the initiation and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Here, we investigated the clinical relevance of lysophosphatidic acids signaling on neuropathic pain in humans.

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacter spp. isolates from companion animals in Japan.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance among Enterobacter spp., including resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC), is of great concern in both human and veterinary medicine. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among 60 isolates of Enterobacter spp.

Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistance in Klebsiella spp. Isolates from Companion Animals in Japan: Clonal Dissemination of Multidrug-Resistant Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella spp., including resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) and fluoroquinolones, is of great concern in both human and veterinary medicine. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in a total of 103 Klebsiella spp.

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistance in Proteus mirabilis isolates from dogs.

Large-scale monitoring of resistance to 14 antimicrobial agents was performed using 103 Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from dogs in Japan. Resistant strains were analysed to identify their resistance mechanisms. Rates of resistance to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, enrofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, kanamycin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, cephalothin, gentamicin, cefoxitin and cefotaxime were 20.

[Intraoperative body temperature changes and short-term outcomes of open and minimally invasive esophagectomy].

Background: Esophagectomy is a highly invasive procedure, and recently the use of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) via thoracoscopy and laparoscopy increased, since this technique possibly enhances the recovery and outcomes of the patient compared with open esophagectomy (OE). However there is little data about intraoperative changes in body temperature during OE and MIE.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated the intraoperative body temperature and the postoperative short-term outcomes of patients undergoing OE (n = 33) or MIE (n = 24).

Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest for hemiarch replacement in a pediatric patient with moyamoya disease.

Moyamoya disease is a chronic cerebrovascular occlusive disease, occurring predominantly in young populations, that causes cerebral ischemia and hemorrhage. Patients with moyamoya disease are at high risk of neurological complications during cardiac surgery because of perioperative hemodynamic changes. However, there is no established evidence on temperature management during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Anesthetic management of pregnant women with stroke.

Stroke during pregnancy is rare, but after occurring, most patients develop serious neurological conditions. Hemorrhagic stroke, including intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage, often requires emergency surgical intervention. In addition to significant maternal physiological changes, the potential for fetal harm should be considered during anesthetic management of these patients.

Clinical validity of cerebral oxygen saturation measured by time-resolved spectroscopy during carotid endarterectomy.

Background: Near-infrared spectroscopy has been used clinically to continuously and noninvasively monitor cerebral oxygen saturation (ScO2). However, there is no gold standard for measuring absolute values of ScO2. Although time-resolved spectroscopy (TRS) is one of the most reliable algorithms that reliably calculate absolute values of ScO2, there are very few clinical studies available.

[Bladder temperature versus tympanic temperature in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery].

Background: Inaccurate measurements of body temperature might be associated with complications during the perioperative period. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to compare the bladder temperature and the tympanic membrane temperature in patients undergoing open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Methods: Fifteen adult patients who had undergone general anesthesia with/without epidural anesthesia were included in the present cohort.

Impact of remifentanil introduction on practice patterns in general anesthesia.

Purpose: The introduction of new medicine can change clinical practice patterns and may affect patient outcomes. In the present study, we investigated whether introduction of remifentanil in Japan affected the practice patterns of anesthesia.

Methods: Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we extracted records of 423,491 patients who underwent surgery with general anesthesia in 243 hospitals before (2006) and after (2007) the introduction of remifentanil, and identified anesthetic agents used for each patient.

[Intraoperative coronary spasm during caesarean section under spinal anesthesia].

A 37-year-old woman without history of ischemic heart disease or any coronary risk factors was scheduled for caesarean section. Under spinal anesthesia, the patient's blood pressure (BP) decreased to 93/72 mmHg. Although 6 mg of ephedrine was administered intravenously, BP continued to decrease to 75/40 mmHg and she complained of nausea.