Transfusion-transmitted bacterial infection risk due to the proliferation of psychrotrophic bacterial species in RBCs and their difficulty in detection.

Background: Reports of cases of bacterial infection due to transfusion of red blood cell (RBC) components (RBC-TTBI) are relatively rare. Hence, the possibility of undetectable bacterial contamination in RBCs, especially by psychrotrophic bacteria, must be clarified.

Study Design And Methods: We assessed nine psychrotrophic bacterial species, including those implicated in bacteremia or RBC-TTBIs.

[Thoracic Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Using the Concomitant Chimney Technique for Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injury:Report of a Case].

Blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Recently, minimally invasive thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been reported to be a safe surgical treatment for acute BTAI. Here, we report the success of TEVAR using the concomitant chimney technique for BTAI.

[Surgery for a Missile Embolus in the Right Ventricle].

Ballistic embolism represents an unusual complication of vascular by a flying object injury. Because embolus is remote from injury site, the occurrence of missile embolus may be overlooked and lead to delay in diagnosis of significant ischemia or embolism. We herein report a successful surgical removal of a rare missile embolus from the upper arm in the right ventricle.

Association of decreased frequency of conversation with depression, oral function and eating alone: A cross-sectional study of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: This study examined the associations between geriatric factors and decreased opportunities for conversation among older adults amid a period of self-restraint during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out in October 2020. The participants were 204 residents aged ≥65 years staying at a private care home in Kyoto city, Japan.

Universal nucleic acid donor screening revealed epidemiological features of hepatitis E and prevented transfusion-transmitted infection in Japan.

Background: More than 45 cases of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E virus infection (TT-HEV) have been reported in Japan. Therefore, in 2020, universal individual donation nucleic acid amplification testing (ID-NAT) was implemented for HEV.

Study Design And Methods: We characterized HEV NAT-positive blood donors.

Risk of transfusion-transmitted infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 from blood donors in Japan.

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) essentially affects respiratory organs and tissues. SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia is often associated with more severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to cases without RNAemia. To determine the impact of the pandemic on transfusion medicine, particularly transfusion-related infection, we examined the frequency of blood donation with RNAemia, the viral RNA (vRNA) concentration, and any possibility of transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI) among transfusion recipients.

A shift of brain network hub after spinal cord injury.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes severe sequelae and significant social loss, depending on the extent of the damage. Most previous studies have focused on the pathology of the spinal cord to develop treatments for SCI. However, it is now known that the brain, which is not directly damaged, also undergoes morphological changes after spinal cord injury, which could affect natural recovery and treatment.

Marked reduction in the incidence of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus infection after the introduction of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen and individual donation nucleic acid amplification screening in Japan.

Background: In Japan, 41 million blood donations have been screened for hepatitis B virus (HBV) during the past 8.4 years using individual donation nucleic acid amplification testing (ID-NAT) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) screening.

Study Design And Methods: Transfusion-transmitted HBV infection (TT-HBV) incidence was examined.

Does the degree of preoperative gait disturbance remain after tumor resection in patients with intradural extramedullary spinal cord tumors?

Study Design: Retrospective comparative study.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the degree of preoperative gait disturbance remains following surgical resection in patients with intradural extramedullary spinal cord tumors (IDEMSCTs), and to investigate any factors that may influence poor improvement in postoperative gait disturbance.

Setting: The single institution in Japan.

Effects of Bone Cross-Link Bridging on Fracture Mechanism and Surgical Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Spine Fractures.

Study Design: This study adopted a cross-sectional study design.

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the effects of bone cross-link bridging on fracture mechanism and surgical outcomes in vertebral fractures using the maximum number of vertebral bodies with bony bridges between adjacent vertebrae without interruption (maxVB).

Overview Of Literature: The complex interplay of bone density and bone bridging in the elderly can complicate vertebral fractures, necessitating a better understanding of fracture mechanics.

Evaluation of human T-cell leukemia virus in vitro diagnostics using plasma specimens collected in Japan.

Background: In vitro diagnostics (IVDs) for primary detection test/screening of human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) have recently been updated to new-generation products in Japan. In this study, the performance of these products was evaluated and discussed in terms of the usability of HTLV diagnosis in Japan.

Methods: The performance of 10 HTLV IVDs for primary detection test and confirmatory/discriminatory test was evaluated.

Two cases of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis infection transmitted through transfusion of platelet concentrate derived from separate blood donations by the same donor.

Background: Transfusion-transmitted bacterial infections (TTBIs) in Japan have been largely prevented due to a short shelf life of 3.5 days after blood collection for platelet concentrate (PC) and washed PCs (WPCs; PC in which 95% plasma is replaced by platelet additive solution).

Case Presentation: Case 1: In January 2018, a woman in her 50s with aplastic anaemia who received WPC transfusion and developed a fever the next day and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) was detected in the residual WPC.

Performance evaluation of in vitro diagnostic kits for hepatitis B virus infection using the regional reference panel of Japan.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health concern. Precise and sensitive detection of viral markers, including HBV DNA and HBs antigen (Ag), is essential to determine HBV infection.

Methods: The sensitivities and specificities of 5 HBV DNA and 14 HBsAg kits were evaluated using World Health Organization International Standards (WHO IS) and the Regional Reference Panel (RRP) consisting of 64 HBsAg-negative and 80 HBsAg-positive specimens.

Transfusion-transmitted HBV infection with isolated anti-HBs-positive blood.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-positive individuals with isolated anti-HBs are found among HBV vaccine recipients and healthy blood donors with no vaccination history. HBV infectivity from blood transfusions derived from such individuals remains unclear.

Case Presentation: A male patient who received transfusion with blood negative for individual donation-NAT, HBsAg and anti-HBc but weakly positive for anti-HBs developed typical transfusion-transmitted (TT)-HBV with anti-HBc response.

Association between glucose tolerance and mortality among Japanese community-dwelling older adults aged over 75 years: 12-year observation of the Tosa Longitudinal Aging Study.

Aim: Although the relationship between impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and mortality has been investigated in diverse populations, few studies have focused on older populations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between glucose tolerance and overall mortality among populations aged ≥75 years.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Tosa Longitudinal Aging Study, a community-based cohort survey conducted in Kochi, Japan.

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A virus infection in Japan: An area of very low endemicity.

The incidence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection has declined significantly worldwide, including in Japan. A nationwide seroepidemiological study on hepatitis A in Japan has taken place almost every 10 years since 1973, and the last study was performed in 2003. In the present study, we describe the latest seroepidemiological pattern of hepatitis A in Japan using 7867 serum specimens obtained from healthy individuals collected between 2013 and 2017, approximately 10 years after the last study.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus due to an iatrogenic giant lumbar pseudomeningocele after posterior lumbar interbody fusion: illustrative case.

Background: Iatrogenic pseudomeningocele incidence after lumbar surgery is 0.068%-2%, and most lumbar pseudomeningoceles are smaller than 5 cm; however, in rare cases, "giant" pseudomeningoceles greater than 8 cm in size may develop. Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is another rare condition in which the ventricles expand despite the presence of normal intracranial pressure.

Calibrating Hepatitis E Virus Serological Assays Using Asymptomatic Specimens Obtained in Japan.

This study aimed to calibrate hepatitis E virus (HEV) serological assays. We optimized the previously developed in-house HEV antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by setting the cutoff with an in-house serological performance panel consisting of broad HEV antibody titers and subtracting nonspecific background values for anti-HEV IgM, IgA, and IgG. We also compared the assay's performance with that of commercial serological assay kits (four kits for IgM, one for IgA, and two for IgG).

Periodontal status is associated with oral function in community-dwelling older adults, independent of dentition status.

Objective: To determine whether periodontal status is associated with oral function, including masticatory performance and occlusal force, among community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Although a potential association between periodontal status and oral function has been reported, variations in the root surface area (RSA) of each tooth have not been considered.

Methods: We used data from a population-based study involving community-dwelling older adults.

Older adults' preferences for and actual situations of artificial hydration and nutrition in end-of-life care: An 11-year follow-up study in a care home.

Aim: To clarify older adults' preferences for and actual situations of artificial hydration and nutrition (AHN) in end-of-life care in a care home.

Methods: Participants were residents of a care home who had completed advance directives regarding preferred methods of AHN from 2009 to 2018. Advance directives alone were available from April 2009 to June 2016 (Wave 1), and advance care planning for AHN including advance directives was introduced in July 2016 (Wave 2).

Influence of Pedicle Screw Insertion Depth on Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Radiological Significance of Deeper Screw Placement.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Objectives: To investigate the influence of screw size on achieving bone fusion in posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF).

Methods: In total, 137 consecutive patients with L4 degenerative spondylolisthesis who underwent single-level PLIF at L4-L5 were evaluated.