Publications by authors named "Kenji Numata"

Objective: This study aimed to examine self-reported code-status practice patterns among emergency clinicians from Japan and the U.S.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to emergency clinicians from one academic medical center and four general hospitals in Japan and two academic medical centers in the U.

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In Japan, there is a shortage of emergency medicine specialists, often leading non-specialists (physicians who treat conditions outside their area of specialty) to handle cases outside their expertise, which can cause challenges and necessitate specialist support. Starting from December 2023, the St. Marianna University Hospital, which has emergency medicine specialists, began offering overnight emergency outpatient support to Kawasaki Municipal Tama Hospital using the Teladoc HEALTH Mini Cart telemedicine device (Teladoc Health, Inc.

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Aim: We attempted to convert a simulation course held on-site for primary care physicians to learn about the initial treatment of minor emergencies, including some common surgical procedures, to an online format.

Methods: We reviewed the subjects covered in the course and evaluated whether it was "decision-making" or "technical skills" that had been primarily taught as simulation-based training for each subject, and then supplemented the contents accordingly.

Results: As a result, satisfaction levels with the online course were comparable to those with the on-site course as measured by a postcourse questionnaire (97.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to evaluate the pros and cons of various drug treatments for adults with type 2 diabetes, including new options like non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and tirzepatide.
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on data from 816 trials involving over 471,000 patients, focusing on drug classes with a follow-up period of at least 24 weeks.
  • Findings indicate that SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists significantly lower the risk of all-cause death and cardiovascular events, while finerenone shows potential in reducing hospitalization for heart failure, although certainty of evidence varies for other drugs.
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Introduction: A 26-year-old man was impaled by a nail after a nail gun accident. He was fully conscious with weakness and loss of sensation in the extremities. Cervical computed tomography showed a 9-centimeter long nail penetrating the spinal cord.

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Article Synopsis
  • CPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic posed risks for healthcare workers and led to varying management strategies due to supply shortages.
  • A web-based questionnaire surveyed 110 physicians to assess changes in personal protective equipment (PPE) and CPR algorithms, revealing that most had made adjustments and experienced high stress levels (average 8 for PPE and 7 for CPR algorithm changes).
  • The study highlights the need for established protocols to improve preparedness for future pandemics affecting emergency medical care.
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Several studies have reported the effects of short-term immobilization of the upper limb on the excitability of the primary motor cortex. In a report examining the effects of upper limb immobilization on somatosensory information processing using somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs), short-term upper limb immobilization reduced the amplitude and increased the latency of the P45 component recorded over the contralateral sensorimotor cortex of SEPs. However, the effects of upper limb immobilization on other regions involved in somatosensory information processing are unknown.

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Introduction: This study aimed to describe the changes in the intensive care burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the first year of outbreak in Japan.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included COVID-19 patients who received mechanical ventilation (MV) support in two designated hospitals for critical patients in Kawasaki City. We compared the lengths of MV and stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) or high care unit (HCU) according to the three epidemic waves.

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Aim: Awake prone positioning (PP) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can improve oxygenation. However, evidence showing that it can prevent intubation is lacking. This study investigated the efficacy of awake PP in patients with COVID-19 who received remdesivir, dexamethasone, and anticoagulant therapy.

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At NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, we have been developing spaceborne lidar instruments for space sciences. We have successfully flown several missions in the past based on mature diode pumped solid-state laser transmitters. In recent years, we have been developing advanced laser technologies for applications such as laser spectroscopy, laser communications, and interferometry.

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Aim: The Triage and Action (T&A) minor emergency course was developed to improve the clinical skills of Japanese non-specialist physicians for minor emergent problems. Currently, the course quality is evaluated only by a self-reported satisfaction questionnaire. This study described a new clinical skills and confidence questionnaire to evaluate its validity and reliability.

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Objectives: We investigated the relationship between pyramidal tract evaluation indexes (i.e., diffusion tensor imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor-evoked potential (MEP), and central motor conduction time (CMCT) on admission to the recovery rehabilitation unit) and motor functions at discharge in patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

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Background: Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis is a critical clinical presentation that can occur during treatment with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. However, little is known regarding how a low-carbohydrate diet in combination with this treatment can increase the risk for this condition. Here, we report a case of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis in a patient treated with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors after initiation of a low-carbohydrate diet.

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We generalize a model for retrieving atmospheric constituents from lidar absorption spectra measured at any laser frequency channels. Random and systematic retrieval errors from measurement noise and model bias, respectively, are analyzed parametrically and numerically to provide deeper insight. By placing four or more channels symmetrically around the absorption peak, retrieval errors from a common laser frequency shift and spectral baseline tilt can be eliminated.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to establish a new D-dimer threshold for diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) specific to the Japanese population, as the existing thresholds were based on data from Western countries where PE incidence is much higher.
  • Conducted in a Japanese emergency department, the retrospective study analyzed 395 patients and found that a D-dimer threshold of 1100 μg/L resulted in a 0% failure rate for PE detection, suggesting safer exclusions of unnecessary imaging tests.
  • The findings indicate that the new threshold could effectively reduce CTPA use in Japanese patients, with potential applicability to other Asian populations, but further research is required to confirm these results.
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Acute vertigo is a common problem in emergency departments. However, clinical strategies of acute vertigo care vary among care providers. The aim of the study was to investigate differences in diagnosis [Dix-Hallpike test, the head impulse, nystagmus, and the test of skew (HINTS) procedure, and imaging modalities] and treatment (pharmacological treatments and the Epley maneuver) by otolaryngologists and non-otolaryngologists in emergency medicine settings.

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Objectives: Acute alcohol intoxication is often treated in emergency departments by intravenous crystalloid fluid (IVF), but it is not clear that this shortens the time to achieving sobriety. The study aim was to investigate the association of IVF infusion and length of stay in the ED.

Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted in Japan and included patients aged ≥20years of age and treated for acute alcohol intoxication without or with IVF.

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We report on an airborne demonstration of atmospheric methane (CH) measurements with an Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar using an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and optical parametric oscillator (OPO) laser transmitter and sensitive avalanche photodiode detector. The lidar measures the atmospheric CH absorption at multiple, discrete wavelengths near 1650.96 nm.

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We report a case of cerebral venous thrombosis related to the ingestion of tadalafil. A 45-year-old man presented with posterior headache and was diagnosed with tension headache. Five days later, he was transported to our hospital via ambulance due to a tonic-clonic seizure.

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We examine the impact of broadened laser line-shape on retrievals of atmospheric species from lidar-sounding absorption spectra. The laser is assumed to be deterministically modulated into a stable, nearly top-hat frequency comb to suppress the stimulated Brillouin scattering, allowing over 10-fold pulse energy increase without adding measurement noise. Our model remains accurate by incorporating the laser line-shape factor into the effective optical depth.

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We report new methods for retrieving atmospheric constituents from symmetrically-measured lidar-sounding absorption spectra. The forward model accounts for laser line-center frequency noise and broadened line-shape, and is essentially linearized by linking estimated optical-depths to the mixing ratios. Errors from the spectral distortion and laser frequency drift are substantially reduced by averaging optical-depths at each pair of symmetric wavelength channels.

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We describe the characteristics of the planar-waveguide external cavity diode laser (PW-ECL). To the best of our knowledge, it is the first butterfly-packaged 1064 nm semiconductor laser that is stable enough to be locked to an external frequency reference. We evaluated its performance from the viewpoint of precision experiments.

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