Efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy for biliary drainage in hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective study from Japan.

Background/aims: Biliary obstruction drainage in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with symptom palliation, improved access to chemotherapy, and improved survival. Stent placement and exchange via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography biliary drainage risk traversing the HCC, a hypervascular tumor and causing bleeding. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) potentially prevents procedure-related bleeding.

Exciton dynamics in CsPbBr3 single crystal: LT splitting energy, exciton-polariton dispersion, and biexciton binding energy.

Metal halide perovskite materials (MHPs) are promising for several applications due to their exceptional properties. Understanding excitonic properties is essential for exploiting these materials. For this purpose, we focus on CsPbBr3 single crystals, which have higher crystal quality, are more stable, and have no Rashba effect at low temperatures compared to other 3D MHPs.

Relationships Between Various Parameters of Prolonged Sedentary Bouts and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Previous studies have revealed that sedentary behavior, including quantitative and qualitative parameters, was associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Objective: The present study examined the relationships between various parameters of prolonged sedentary bouts on non-hemodialysis days and HRQOL in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Methods:  A total of 110 patients (47.

Cold plasma irradiation of chitosan: A straight pathway to selective antitumor therapy.

Plasma-activated chitosan (PAC) colloids for cancer treatment were obtained by using the cold atmospheric plasma technique. Chitosan solutions were irradiated by plasma ignited in argon gas and in a mixture of argon with nitrogen and oxygen gases in certain ratios. The structural modifications of chitosan and the chemical species generated in plasma were investigated by EPR, LC-MS/MS, XRD, DLS, and TGA methods.

Individual evaluation of nitrite and free nitrous acid inhibition on anammox activity.

The anammox reaction simultaneously utilizes ammonia and nitrite as substrates; however, high nitrite concentrations act as strong inhibitors of the reaction. In this study, inhibition by NO and free nitrous acid (FNA) was separately evaluated in continuous feeding tests using different biomass carriers. The influent NO concentration was increased under pH 7.

Safety and efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic duct drainage using a drill dilator: a retrospective study in Japan.

Background/aims: Dilation of the tract before stent deployment is a challenging step in endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic duct drainage (EUS-PDD). In this study, we examined the effectiveness and safety of a novel spiral dilator, Tornus ES (Asahi Intec), for EUS-PDD.

Methods: This was a retrospective, single-arm, observational study at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital.

Impact of proficiency in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation procedure on clinical outcomes: a single center retrospective study.

Background: We used transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure time to investigate the association between surgical team maturity and outcome.

Methods: Among patients who underwent TAVI between October 2015 and November 2019, those who had Sapien™ implanted with the transfemoral artery approach were included in the analysis. We used TAVI procedure time and surgery number to draw a learning curve.

Prevention of Oxygen Desaturation in a Patient With Previous Experience of Severe Hypoxia in Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy by Transnasal Humidified Rapid-Insufflation Ventilator Exchange: A Case Report.

Transnasal humidified rapid-insufflation ventilator exchange (THRIVE) has been reported to have better efficacy during anesthesia induction compared to conventional mask ventilation, including improved oxygenation and prolonged safe apnea time. This study reports on the effectiveness of the THRIVE system during modified electroconvulsive therapy (mECT) for a patient experiencing severe hypoxia. A 78-year-old female patient with bipolar disorder received maintenance mECT every four weeks.

Anesthetic management with remimazolam for a patient with hereditary angioedema:a case report.

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE), a genetic disorder caused by C1-inhibitor deficiency or dysfunction, may cause mucosal edema in the upper airway during tracheal intubation and extubation.

Case Report: A 57-year-old man with HAE and a history of laryngeal edema, scheduled to undergo cervical laminoplasty under general anesthesia. General anesthesia was induced by continuous injection of remimazolam and remifentanil, during which manual mask ventilation and intubation were performed without difficulty.

The New Potential for Using Franseen Needles in Interventional EUS.

Objective Adverse events such as bile leakage and bleeding are among the issues that need to be resolved in EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy (EUS-CDS). To overcome this problem, we developed a new EUS-CDS technique using a 19-G Franseen needle without tract dilation. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the new EUS-CDS technique.

Characterization of metabolic phenotypes and distinctive genes in mice with low-weight gain.

Being overweight exacerbates various metabolic diseases, necessitating the identification of target molecules for obesity control. In the current study, we investigated common physiological features related to metabolism in mice with low weight gain: (1) G protein-coupled receptor, family C, group 5, member B-knockout; (2) gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor-knockout; and (3) Iroquois-related homeobox 3-knockout. Moreover, we explored genes involved in metabolism by analyzing differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between low-weight gain mice and the respective wild-type control mice.

Remimazolam-based anesthesia with flumazenil allows faster emergence than propofol-based anesthesia in older patients undergoing spinal surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Remimazolam is a novel, ultrashort-acting benzodiazepine that can be antagonized by flumazenil. This study aimed to determine whether remimazolam-based anesthesia with flumazenil provides a more rapid emergence than propofol-based anesthesia in older patients undergoing spinal surgery.

Methods: This was a prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Rehabilitation contributes to lower readmission rates for individuals with peripheral arterial disease: A retrospective observational study.

Background: Non-pharmacological interventions, such as rehabilitation, are crucial for the treatment of people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Although several studies have shown rehabilitation is effective in improving the functional prognosis of PAD, there is currently insufficient evidence regarding its effect on readmission rates.

Objectives: To examine the impact of rehabilitation on readmission rates for people with PAD.

Non-cardiac Chest Pain in Japan: Prevalence, Impact, and Consultation Behavior - A Population-based Study.

Background/aims: Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is defined as recurring angina-like retrosternal chest pain of non-cardiac origin. Information about the epidemiology of NCCP in Japan is lacking. We aim to determine the prevalence and characteristics of NCCP in the Japanese general population.

Diet-related factors strongly shaped the gut microbiota of Japanese macaques.

Although knowledge of the functions of the gut microbiome has increased greatly over the past few decades, our understanding of the mechanisms governing its ecology and evolution remains obscure. While host genetic distance is a strong predictor of the gut microbiome in large-scale studies and captive settings, its influence has not always been evident at finer taxonomic scales, especially when considering among the recently diverged animals in natural settings. Comparing the gut microbiome of 19 populations of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata across the Japanese archipelago, we assessed the relative roles of host genetic distance, geographic distance and dietary factors in influencing the macaque gut microbiome.

Prolonged Sedentary Bouts Are Critically Involved in All-Cause Mortality in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

We investigated the link between prolonged sedentary bouts and all-cause mortality in patients on chronic hemodialysis, using a prospective cohort. A total of 104 outpatients on chronic hemodialysis from 2013 to 2019, aged 71.4±11.

Phase Control of Organometal Halide Perovskites for Development of Highly Efficient Solar Cells.

To develop a highly efficient solar cell using organometal halide perovskites, its microscale structure control is one of the most important factors because the microstructural defects inside the organometal halide perovskite are harmful to charge carrier flow and, thus, degrade device performance. In this study, we confirmed the existence of large physical gaps at the grain boundary in a methylammonium iodide (MAPbI, MA = CHNH) perovskite with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis and revealed that the physical gap prevents charge carrier flow in the MAPbI perovskite. To minimize the physical gap and its negative influences, the grain size of the MAPbI perovskite was optimized by increasing the portion of the cubic phase via microstructural phase control using liquid nitrogen (LN).

Rapid Dantrolene Administration with Body Temperature Monitoring Is Associated with Decreased Mortality in Japanese Malignant Hyperthermia Events.

Purpose: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare genetic disorder but one of the most severe complications of general anesthesia. The mortality rate of MH has dropped from 70% in the 1960s to 15% because of dantrolene, the only currently accepted specific treatment for MH. In this study, we retrospectively identified the optimal dantrolene administration conditions to reduce MH mortality further.

Isofraxidin enhances hyperthermia‑induced apoptosis via redox modification in acute monocytic leukemia U937 cells.

The cell‑killing potential of most chemotherapeutic agents is enhanced by a temperature elevation. Isofraxidin (IF) is a coumarin compound widely found in plants, such as the Umbelliferae or Chloranthaceae families. IF induces anticancer effects in lung and colorectal cancer.

Safety assessment of herbal supplement components targeting hepatotoxicity and CYP3A4 induction in cell-based assay using HepG2 cells.

Herbal supplements can cause hepatotoxicity and drug interactions via hepatic cytochrome P-450 (CYP) in some cases. However, there is no simple and stable cell-based assay to conduct a screening for hepatotoxicity and CYP induction. In the present study, we selected 14 components of the herbal supplement based on our previous reports and investigated the safety of the herbal supplement components focusing on toxicity and CYP3A4 induction in a cell-based assay using HepG2.