Definitions, epidemiology, and outcomes of persistent/chronic critical illness: a scoping review for translation to clinical practice.

Background: Medical advances in intensive care units (ICUs) have resulted in the emergence of a new patient population-those who survive the initial acute phase of critical illness, but require prolonged ICU stays and develop chronic critical symptoms. This condition, often termed Persistent Critical Illness (PerCI) or Chronic Critical Illness (CCI), remains poorly understood and inconsistently reported across studies, resulting in a lack of clinical practice use. This scoping review aims to systematically review and synthesize the existing literature on PerCI/CCI, with a focus on definitions, epidemiology, and outcomes for its translation to clinical practice.

Cardioprotective Effect against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury of PAK-200, a Dihydropyridine Analog with an Inhibitory Effect on Cl but Not Ca Current.

We examined the effects of a dihydropyridine analog, PAK-200, on guinea pig myocardium during experimental ischemia and reperfusion. In isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes, PAK-200 (1 μM) had no effect on the basal peak inward and steady-state currents but inhibited the isoprenaline-induced time-independent Cl current. In the right atria, PAK-200 had no effect on the beating rate and the chronotropic response to isoprenaline.

Immunological responses following the third dose of the BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine among Japanese healthcare workers.

Introduction: A limited number of studies have shown a decline in antibody titers in healthcare workers beyond six months after the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine, and has been insufficiently investigated yet in the respective Asian ethnic groups.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal observational study on 187 healthcare workers and other personnel and healthy adults at least eight months after vaccination at the International University of Health and Welfare.

Results: The baseline (before the third dose of BNT162b2) anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) IgG level was 569[377-943] AU/mL 245[240-250] days after the second dose.

Postpartum infective endocarditis with Enterococcus faecalis in Japan: a case report.

Background: The clinical characteristics of infective endocarditis include the presence of predisposing cardiac disease, a history of illegal drug use, and high morbidity in the elderly. Only a few cases of the disease after delivery have been reported in the literature. We describe here a first case of enterococcal postpartum infective endocarditis without underlying disease in Japan.

Membrane-labeled MDCK cells and confocal microscopy for the analyses of cellular volume and morphology.

A clone of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells whose cell membrane was stably labeled with expressed cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) was established, and changes in their volume and shape induced by hyposmotic stress were analyzed with confocal microscopy. The membrane-targeted CFP was present not only on the cell membrane but also in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, but was excluded from the mitochondria and cell nucleus. During hyposmosis, the initial swelling and the following regulatory volume decrease could be accurately measured by summation of the cellular volume in every confocal slice crossing the cell at different heights.

Involvement of intracellular Ca(2+) in the regulatory volume decrease after hyposmotic swelling in MDCK cells.

We examined the source of Ca(2+) involved in the volume regulation of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells with confocal microscopy and fluoroprobes. Hyposmosis induced a transient increase in cell volume, as well as cytoplasmic Ca(2+), which peaked at 3 to 5 min and gradually decreased to reach the initial value within about 30 min. This late decrease in cell volume, as well as the transient rise in cytoplasmic Ca(2+), was reduced in Ca(2+)-free solution and was abolished by pretreatment with thapsigargin.

Analysis of arrhythmogenic profile in a canine model of chronic atrioventricular block by comparing in vitro effects of the class III antiarrhythmic drug nifekalant on the ventricular action potential indices between normal heart and atrioventricular block heart.

The chronic atrioventricular block dog is a useful model for predicting the future onset of drug-induced long QT syndrome in clinical practice. To better understand the arrhythmogenic profile of this model, we recorded the action potentials of the isolated ventricular tissues in the presence and absence of the class III antiarrhythmic drug nifekalant. The action potential durations of the Purkinje fiber and free wall of the right ventricle were longer in the chronic atrioventricular block dogs than in the dogs with normal sinus rhythm.

Atria selective prolongation by NIP-142, an antiarrhythmic agent, of refractory period and action potential duration in guinea pig myocardium.

NIP-142 is a novel benzopyran compound that was shown to prolong the atrial effective refractory period and terminate experimental atrial fibrillation in the dog. In the present study, we examined the effects of NIP-142 on isolated guinea pig myocardium and on the G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel current (acetylcholine-activated potassium current; I(KACh)) expressed in Xenopus oocytes. NIP-142 (10 and 100 microM) concentration-dependently prolonged the refractory period and action potential duration in the atrium but not in the ventricle.