Reimagining hospital management: the balanced scorecard as a catalyst for employee retention and organizational excellence.

Employee turnover in healthcare institutions is a critical issue affecting both quality of care and organizational costs. This study examines the potential impact of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a communication tool on employee turnover rates in a Japanese hospital setting. A case study of Bethlehem Garden Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, was conducted to examine turnover rates before and after the implementation of BSC.

Amino acid substitutions in the fusion protein of respiratory syncytial virus in Fukushima, Japan during 2008-2023 and their effects.

Background: Amino acid (AA) substitutions in the fusion protein of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and their effects remain unclear. We aimed to analyze AA substitutions in main neutralizing epitopes of the fusion (F) protein.

Methods: We analyzed F protein genes of 236 RSV strains isolated from children hospitalized with RSV infection in Fukushima, Japan (June 2008-February 2023).

Incorporating "kawaii-ness" into your life may increase gray matter volume in the putamen and frontal gyrus.

Interest in kawaii-ness is growing day by day around the world. However, the relationship between the brain and kawaii-ness remains unclear. Previous studies have revealed how adults' brains respond to infants, but there is little research into the relationship between non-infant objects that have kawaii-ness and the brain, particularly its structure.

Prophylactic Clip Closure in Preventing Delayed Bleeding After Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection on anticoagulants: A multicenter retrospective cohort study in Japan.

Background And Study Aims: Prophylactic clip closure after colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) among patients on anticoagulants is of uncertain effectiveness in reducing delayed bleeding (DB) risk. We aimed to assess the effect of prophylactic clip closure in preventing DB after colorectal ESD among patients on anticoagulants.

Patients And Methods: We used the ABCD-J study database, a large-scale multicenter study analyzing DB among 34,455 colorectal ESD cases from 47 Japanese institutions.

Electroconvulsive therapy-specific volume changes in nuclei of the amygdala and their relationship to long-term anxiety improvement in depression.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for depression. ECT induces volume changes in the amygdala, a key center of anxiety. However, the clinical relevance of ECT-induced changes in amygdala volume remains uncertain.

A case report of a 14-year-old male patient with large vessel vasculitis following COVID-19.

Most reported cases of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have involved adults, with paediatric cases being rare. We present the case of a 14-year-old boy who developed LVV following COVID-19. Initially, he presented with fever and cough, and nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction testing confirmed COVID-19.

Hypoperfusion of the Left Insula, Operculum, and Putamen on Technetium-99m Ethyl Cysteinate Dimer (99mTc-ECD) Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective: The easy Z-score imaging system (eZIS) objectively interprets brain perfusion. Using eZIS-processed images, we observed decreased regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the left putamen of several patients with forgetfulness. This study aimed to examine this decrease using statistical image analysis.

Characteristics of patients with neurotic disorders requiring long-term treatment: Relationship to "nervous personality" as described in Morita's theory.

Aim: Few studies have investigated the association between premorbid personality and the prognosis of neurotic disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the presence of a "nervous personality" described in Morita's theory and the duration of treatment in patients with neurotic disorders.

Methods: The study included 70 patients aged ≥15 years old who first visited the Department of Psychiatry, Toho University Omori Medical Center, between January 2010 and December 2010 and were diagnosed as having neurotic disorders.

Lymph node metastasis risk factors in T2 colorectal cancer.

Objectives: This study evaluates risk factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) in T2 colorectal cancer to refine patient selection for endoscopic resection.

Methods: We reviewed records from consecutive patients who had undergone curative surgical resection of T2 colorectal cancer at our institution in Japan between April 2001 and December 2021. Data on conventional clinicopathologic variables were retrieved from the pathology reports at the time of surgery.

Reversible Sliding Motion by Hole-Injection in Ammonium-Linked Ferrocene, Electronically Decoupled from Noble Metal Substrate by Crown-Ether Template Layer.

Artificial molecular machines, especially when based on wheel-and-axle complexes, can generate mechanical motions in response to external stimuli. Ferrocene (Fc) is a key component, but it decomposes at 300 K on metal surfaces. Here, a novel method is presented to construct and control the molecular complex composed of ammonium-linked ferrocene (Fc-amm) and tetrabrominated crown ether (BrCR) on a Cu(111) surface.

In vitro selection of dye-fluorescence-enhancing peptide aptamer by cDNA display.

Although Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is useful and most widely used, steric hindrance due to its size and the time required for chromophore formation are complications. However, it is difficult to form chromophores with peptides to reduce the molecular weight. Therefore, we focused on peptides that can become fluorescent by binding to dyes.

Increased structural covariance of cortical measures in individuals with an at-risk mental state.

An anomalous pattern of structural covariance has been reported in schizophrenia, which has been suggested to represent connectome changes during brain maturation and neuroprogressive processes. It remains unclear whether similar differences exist in a clinical high-risk state for psychosis, and if they are associated with a prodromal phenotype and/or later psychosis onset. This multicenter magnetic resonance imaging study cross-sectionally examined structural covariance in a large at-risk mental state (ARMS) sample with different outcomes.

The Change of Asymptomatic Atlantoaxial Instability With Down Syndrome From Infant to Adolescent in Japanese Population: Minimum 10 Years Follow-Up.

Background: Although 10% to 60% of patients with Down syndrome (DS) develop atlantoaxial instability (AAI), clarifying the course of asymptomatic AAI may prevent unnecessary clinical interactions and investigations. This study investigates the radiographic changes observed in asymptomatic AAI associated with DS in Japanese children as they grow from infancy to adolescence over a minimum of 10 years.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of cervical radiographs acquired from asymptomatic patients with DS in both infancy and adolescence was carried out.

Risk factors for lenvatinib-induced hypertension in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A retrospective study.

Aims: Lenvatinib mesylate (LEN) is an orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LEN therapy for HCC is associated with a high incidence of adverse events, including hypertension (HTN). However, the risk factors associated with LEN therapy remain unclear.

Captopril prevents depressive-like behavior in an animal model of depression by enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis via activation of the ACE2/Ang (1-7)/Mas receptor/AMPK/BDNF pathway.

The brain's Renin-Angiotensin System plays an important role in the modulation of mental state. Previously we demonstrated that activated angiotensin (Ang) converting enzyme (ACE) 2, which converts Ang II into Ang (1-7), or the intracerebroventricular administration of Ang (1-7) produced an antidepressant-like effect in mice via Mas receptors (MasR). Since the ACE inhibitor Captopril (Cap) increases Ang (1-7) in the brain, it remains unknown whether Cap affects the depressive-like behavior of olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) mice, an animal model of depression.

Disruption of Iqsec1 in mice leads to embryonic lethality with reduced large apical vacuoles in the visceral endoderm.

Iqsec1 (IQ motif and Sec7 domain-containing protein 1), also known as BRAG2 (Brefeldin A-resistant Arf-GEF 2), is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that regulates membrane trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, and signal transduction by activating class II and III ADP-ribosylation factors. To investigate the physiological role of Iqsec1 at the whole animal level, we generated Iqsec1-deficient mice using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Nearly all Iqsec1 mice (99%) exhibited embryonic lethality with severe growth retardation.

The blast pathogen effector AVR-Pik binds and stabilizes rice heavy metal-associated (HMA) proteins to co-opt their function in immunity.

Intracellular nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing (NLR) receptors play crucial roles in immunity across multiple domains of life. In plants, a subset of NLRs contain noncanonical integrated domains that are thought to have evolved from host targets of pathogen effectors to serve as pathogen baits. However, the functions of host proteins with similarity to NLR integrated domains and the extent to which they are targeted by pathogen effectors remain largely unknown.

Effects of low-level laser irradiation on canine fibroblasts.

Low-level laser (LLL) therapy is a well-known noninvasive treatment that stimulates fibroblasts to improve wound healing. LLL can improve fibroblast proliferation and migration without causing toxicity. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of two laser wavelengths at different irradiation times on canine fibroblasts.

Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis as a Treatment for Neurogenic Bladder in Patients With Lower Extremity Lymphedema After Gynecologic Cancer Treatment.

Background And Objectives: Neurogenic bladder (NB), a complication of gynecological cancer treatment, entails significant symptoms such as loss of urinary urgency, incontinence, and renal dysfunction. To investigate whether lymphatic fluid stagnation at the pelvis causes NB, we investigated the effectiveness of lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) for NB.

Methods: In this retrospective study between 2014 and April 2024, LVA was performed on 52 patients complaining of preoperative urinary dysfunction with lower extremity lymphedema following pelvic lymphadenectomy in gynecologic cancer treatment.

Differences in regions of interest to identify deeply invasive colorectal cancers: Computer-aided diagnosis vs expert endoscopists.

Diagnostic performance of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for deep submucosally invasive (T1b) colorectal cancer was excellent, but the "regions of interest" (ROI) within images are not obvious. Class activation mapping (CAM) enables identification of the ROI that CAD utilizes for diagnosis. The purpose of this study was a quantitative investigation of the difference between CAD and endoscopists.

Role of intermediate water in alleviating postsurgical intrapericardial adhesion.

Purpose: Various polymers have been used as postsurgical antiadhesive materials; however, the mechanisms underlying their efficacy remain unclear. Intermediate water has been found to prevent the adhesion between polymer molecules and proteins or cells. The present study investigated the role of intermediate water retained in the polymer in alleviating postsurgical pericardial adhesion.