Exploring the relationship between plasma substance P and glottal incompetence in the elderly.

We speculated that increased blood-plasma levels of Substance P may serve as an indicator of glottal incompetence, which is usually indicated by reduced maximum phonation time. We performed an initial study to test the plausibility of this hypothesis. Patients with dysphonia caused by glottal incompetence were asked to perform vocal exercises for six months to reduce glottal incompetence and we compared the plasma concentration of Substance P before and after the vocal exercise to detect correlation between maximum phonation time and plasma concentration of Substance P.

Association of - alleles with risk of relapse in myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody positive vasculitis in the Japanese population.

Background: Disease relapse remains a major problem in the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). In European populations, is associated with both susceptibility and relapse risk in proteinase 3-ANCA positive AAV. In a Japanese population, we previously reported an association between and with susceptibility to, and with protection from, myeloperoxidase-ANCA positive AAV (MPO-AAV).

Real-world effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib and abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: We compared the 52-week effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib (TOF) and abatacept (ABT) in patients with RA in a real-world setting and investigated a role of human leucocyte antigens (HLA)-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) in the effectiveness.

Methods: RA patients starting TOF ( = 187) and ABT ( = 183) were enrolled. Effectiveness was compared after reducing the selection bias to a minimum using the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) based on propensity scores.

What factors influence the R value in data-driven respiratory gating technique? A phantom study.

Objective: The R value is adopted as a metric for the effectiveness of the respiratory waveform in the Advanced Motion Free implemented in the PET scanner as the data-driven respiratory gating (DDG) algorithm. The effects of changes in various factors on R values were evaluated by phantom analysis.

Methods: We used a programmable respiratory motion phantom QUASAR with a sphere filled with an 18F solution.

Fulminant elderly adult-onset Still disease effectively treated with tocilizumab and methotrexate: A case report.

Rationale: Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. AOSD is common in young or middle-aged adults; however, in recent years, there have been increasing reports of elderly AOSD. Differentiating AOSD from diseases such as infections and malignancies is difficult.

Acute pancreatitis coincided with multiple arteriolar aneurysms in a patient with polyarteritis nodosa.

A 78-year-old man presented to our hospital with a history of 10 kg weight loss within 6 months previously and general fatigue and fever for 2 and 1 months, respectively. On hospitalisation, the patient was diagnosed with polyarteritis nodosa after multiple microaneurysms were observed in the liver, kidney, pancreas, and mesenteries. He achieved remission with the administration of 1000 mg methylprednisolone for 3 days, followed by prednisolone (55 mg/day).

Impact of the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope on responses to treatment with tofacitinib or abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of tofacitinib and abatacept and clarify the impact of the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) on responses to these treatments in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: After adjustments by propensity score matching, 70 out of 161 patients receiving tofacitinib and 70 out of 131 receiving abatacept were extracted. The clinical effectiveness of both drugs over 24 weeks and the impact of the copy numbers of SE on effectiveness outcomes were investigated.

Organizational climate for safe and effective inter-unit handoffs in Japanese hospitals.

Objectives: To extract the organizational climate factors that contribute to safe and effective inter-unit patient handoffs, as well as to capture their crucial characteristics in the context of current Japanese hospitals.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among nursing staff in 31 general hospitals, collecting a total of 5117 valid responses (69% response rate).

Results: A five-factor model was established to determine the inter-unit handoff climate within hospitals.

Factors influencing occupational truck driver safety in ageing society.

In ageing societies, the effective employment of ageing occupational drivers is one of the most important managerial concerns to be addressed to compensate for the lack of younger workers. In this study, the key factors contributing to the safety outcome in trucking transportation were identified using empirical data, including driving accident information, individual attributes, and task-related attributes. For this purpose, 306 driver records from 26 trucking companies in Japan were analysed.

Inter-shift handoff: Changes over a 6-year interval.

Aims: To capture inter-shift handoff changes over a 6-year interval and to verify whether the handoff supporting system and aids (e.g., guidelines, training, and protocols) and environment really affect handoff performance.

F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography for the diagnosis of polymyalgia-like illnesses: a retrospective study.

Background: Various inflammatory conditions may present with musculoskeletal symptoms similar to those of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). We investigated findings on F-fluorodexoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) images that may differentiate PMR from polymyalgia-like illnesses.

Methods: We analyzed data from 25 patients with new-onset polymyalgia-like illnesses who fulfilled Bird's diagnostic criteria for PMR and had undergone FDG-PET/CT scan.

Hand posture affects brain-function measures associated with listening to speech.

A major difficulty in studies of the brain, from the molecular to large-scale network level, is ensuring the accuracy and reliability of results, since repeatability has been a problem in studies utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI) near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and positron-emission tomography (PET). More generally, an effort to replicate psychological studies has shown that the original results were unambiguously reobtained only 39% of the time. It has been suggested that researchers must undertake studies to identify factors that reduce reliability and conduct more carefully controlled studies to improve reliability.

Impact of adding tacrolimus to initial treatment of interstitial pneumonitis in polymyositis/dermatomyositis: a single-arm clinical trial.

Objective: Interstitial pneumonia is common and has high short-term mortality in patients with PM and DM despite glucocorticoid (GC) treatment. Retrospective studies suggested that the early use of immunosuppressive drugs with GCs might improve its short-term mortality.

Methods: A multicentre, single-arm, 52-week-long clinical trial was performed to test whether the initial combination treatment with tacrolimus (0.

A comparative study on healthcare employee satisfaction between Japan and China.

Objectives: To explore essential characteristics of healthcare employee satisfaction by comparing Japan and China in terms of job satisfaction model, satisfaction level, and the crucial factors predicting overall job satisfaction.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed with 35 facet-specific job-related satisfaction and 10 general satisfaction items. The Japanese survey collected 474 responses (74% response rate).

Vocal Hygiene Education Program Reduces Surgical Interventions for Benign Vocal Fold Lesions: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives/hypothesis: Vocal fold polyps and nodules are common benign laryngeal lesions. Currently, the Japanese health insurance system covers surgical interventions. However, the establishment of more cost-effective conservative methods is required, because healthcare costs are viewed as a major concern, and the government and taxpayers are demanding more economical, effective treatments.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated glomerulonephritis with detection of myeloperoxidase and phospholipase A receptor in membranous nephropathy-lesions: report of two patients with microscopic polyangiitis.

Background: Podocyte phospholipase A receptor (PLAR) is a major target antigen in idiopathic adult membranous nephropathy (MN). Histological PLAR staining in the renal tissue has proven to be useful for the detection of idiopathic MN. However, glomerular PLAR deposits have also been recently observed in several patients with secondary MN, such as hepatitis B virus-associated, hepatitis C virus-associated, and neoplasm-associated MN.

Low body mass index and lymphocytopenia associate with Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at an increased risk of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD). We aimed to identify factors associated with MAC-PD in RA patients, and investigate their clinical significance for diagnosis of this disease.

Methods: We examined 396 patients with RA for the presence of MAC-PD, using the criteria of the American Thoracic Society and conducted three years of follow-up on these patients.

Performance measures for a dialysis setting.

Objectives: This study from Japan extracted performance measures for dialysis unit management and investigated their characteristics from professional views.

Methods: Two surveys were conducted using self-administered questionnaires, in which dialysis managers/staff were asked to rate the usefulness of 44 performance indicators. A total of 255 managers and 2,097 staff responded.

Independent exercise for glottal incompetence to improve vocal problems and prevent aspiration pneumonia in the elderly: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of a self-controlled vocal exercise in elderly people with glottal closure insufficiency.

Design: Parallel-arm, individual randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Patients who visited one of 10 medical centers under the National Hospital Organization group in Japan for the first time, aged 60 years or older, complaining of aspiration or hoarseness, and endoscopically confirmed to have glottal closure insufficiency owing to vocal cord atrophy, were enrolled in this study.

Evaluation of the Effects of S-Allyl-L-cysteine, S-Methyl-L-cysteine, trans-S-1-Propenyl-L-cysteine, and Their N-Acetylated and S-Oxidized Metabolites on Human CYP Activities.

Three major organosulfur compounds of aged garlic extract, S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC), S-methyl-L-cysteine (SMC), and trans-S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine (S1PC), were examined for their effects on the activities of five major isoforms of human CYP enzymes: CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4. The metabolite formation from probe substrates for the CYP isoforms was examined in human liver microsomes in the presence of organosulfur compounds at 0.01-1 mM by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis.

Performance indicators: healthcare professionals' views.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to capture factors behind professional views of indicator usefulness as a common structure for assessing healthcare performance and their important characteristics to design limited key performance indicators (PIs) for holistic hospital management. Design/methodology/approach - Two surveys were conducted using self-administered questionnaires, in which hospital manager/staff respondents were asked to rate the 52 PIs' usefulness. In total, 228 manager and 894 staff responses were collected.

Pharmacokinetics and N-acetylation metabolism of S-methyl-l-cysteine and trans-S-1-propenyl-l-cysteine in rats and dogs.

1. Pharmacokinetics and N-acetylation metabolism of S-methyl-L-cysteine (SMC) and trans-S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine (S1PC) were examined in rats and dogs. SMC and S1PC (2-5 mg/kg) were well absorbed in both species with high bioavailability (88-100%).