Predicting Postoperative Motor Function After Brain Tumor Resection With Motor Evoked Potential Monitoring Using Decision Tree Analysis.

Background Motor evoked potential (MEP) monitoring is a commonly employed method in neurosurgery to prevent postoperative motor dysfunction. However, it has low prediction accuracy for postoperative paralysis. This study aimed to develop a decision tree (DT) model for predicting postoperative motor function using MEP monitoring data.

Motor-Evoked Potential Monitoring With Multi-train Electrical Stimulation During Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Surgery: A Case Report.

Intraoperative motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) are measured for assessing motor function during surgery. MEP monitoring is often performed in thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) surgery, but false positives are common and amplification methods are needed to obtain waveforms under severe conditions to assess proper spinal cord function. One method of amplitude amplification in transcranial-stimulated MEP monitoring is multitrain stimulation.

Metabolic stress-induced long ncRNA transcription governs the formation of meiotic DNA breaks in the fission yeast fbp1 gene.

Meiotic recombination is a pivotal process that ensures faithful chromosome segregation and contributes to the generation of genetic diversity in offspring, which is initiated by the formation of double-strand breaks (DSBs). The distribution of meiotic DSBs is not uniform and is clustered at hotspots, which can be affected by environmental conditions. Here, we show that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcription creates meiotic DSBs through local chromatin remodeling in the fission yeast fbp1 gene.

A Japanese Case of COVID-19 Caused by Omicron Strain with Y453F Substitution.

Frequent mutations of SARS-CoV-2 change the strain more transmissible, leading to the pandemic in worldwide. We detected Y453F substitution on Omicron strain, isolated from a Japanese patient in July 2022. While Y453F substitution was identified B1.

Varicella-zoster virus meningitis coincident with bacteremia caused by liver abscess: a case report.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) meningitis is sometimes associated with herpes zoster, which is also associated with various other infectious diseases. However, there are limited case reports of VZV meningitis with concomitant infectious diseases. Herein, we report a unique case of VZV meningitis concomitant with a pyogenic liver abscess.

A Qualitative Assessment of Community Learning Initiatives for Environmental Awareness and Behaviour Change: Applying UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework.

This study uses qualitative research methods of text mining to elucidate the potential and prospects for community-based learning opportunities for raising environmental awareness and bringing about healthy behaviour change among university students and local residents. In particular, we focus on the importance of community-based learning in raising environmental awareness and inspiring action to support healthy living and harmony with nature. The three groups were triangulated using semi-structured questionnaires to model the ways in which education for sustainable development (ESD) can contribute to the promotion of environmental education in local communities.

Rare toxin A-negative and toxin B-positive strain of Clostridioides difficile from Japan lacking a complete tcdA gene.

Introduction: Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) produces three kinds of toxins: toxin A (enterotoxin), toxin B (cytotoxin), and C. difficile transferase (CDT), a binary toxin.

Impact of cooling method on the outcome of initial shockable or non-shockable out of hospital cardiac arrest patients receiving target temperature management: a nationwide multicentre cohort study.

Background: Little is known about the effectiveness of surface cooling (SC) and endovascular cooling (EC) on the outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients receiving target temperature management (TTM) according to their initial rhythm.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed data from the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest registry, a multicentre, prospective nationwide database in Japan. For our analysis, OHCA patients aged ≥ 18 years who were treated with TTM between June 2014 and December 2017 were included.

Investigating into the critical factors supporting healthy independent longevity: A proposition of a conceptual model with measurements during and beyond COVID-19 pandemic.

This study investigated the factors that support the elderly citizens' perceived healthy independent longevity during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The Structural Equation Modeling was conducted with the 1607 dataset collected from Japan to validate a proposed model with six antecedent factors. It has been found that "Town vibrancy" and "Mobility and transportations" have the most significant impact, whereas "Health and welfare policies" and "Community bonding" have a relatively lower impact on their perceived healthy longevity.

Urinary reabsorption in the rat kidney by anticholinergics.

Anticholinergics, therapeutic agents for overactive bladder, are clinically suggested to reduce urine output. We investigated whether this effect is due to bladder or kidney urine reabsorption. Various solutions were injected into the bladder of urethane-anesthetized SD rats.

Relationships between kidney dysfunction and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: a hospital-based retrospective study.

Background: Preclinical left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is a high-risk state for heart failure. Kidney dysfunction is a known risk factor for heart failure, but its association with asymptomatic LVDD is not well-known.

Methods: A hospital-based retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent echocardiogram between 2006 and 2016 to assess the association between baseline kidney function and LVDD on echocardiogram.

Duration of smoking cessation is negatively associated with the magnitude of chronic prostatic inflammation and storage dysfunction in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of smoking and the benefit of smoking cessation on lower urinary tract function and prostatic inflammation in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Methods: The medical records of 118 benign prostatic hyperplasia patients who underwent transurethral prostatic surgery between 2006 and 2016 were analyzed. Their smoking history was confirmed.

Remarkable effect of presurgical nivolumab on originally inoperable papillary renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus in inferior vena cava.

For the long-term survival of a patient with renal cell carcinoma and a vena cava tumor thrombus, total resection is desired: inoperable patients are sometimes treated with drugs. The effect of the presurgical use of nivolumab, an anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibody drug, has been described. Our patient had inoperable renal cancer with an inferior vena cava tumor thrombus.

Low and high body mass index values are associated with female nocturia.

Aims: We evaluated the relationship between body mass index (BMI), including low BMI, and nocturia in Japanese women.

Methods: We collected data on 18 952 women who participated in a multiphasic health screening in Fukui, Japan, in 2006. The participants were asked to report any current or previous disease.

Potential benefit of a simultaneous, side-by-side display of contrast MDCT and echocardiography over routine sequential imaging for assessment of adult congenital heart disease: A preliminary study.

Background: Management of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients requires understanding of its complex morphology and functional features. An innovative imaging technique has been developed to display a virtual multi-planar reconstruction obtained from contrast-enhanced multidetector-computed tomography (MDCT) corresponding to the same cross-sectional image from transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of this imaging technology in ACHD patients.

Reduced variability of visual left ventricular ejection fraction assessment with reference images: The Japanese Association of Young Echocardiography Fellows multicenter study.

Background: Visual estimation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is widely applied to confirm quantitative EF. However, visual assessment is subjective, and variability may be influenced by observer experience. We hypothesized that a learning session might reduce the misclassification rate.

Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Analysis of Cisplatin with Hydration and Mannitol Diuresis: The Contribution of Urine Cisplatin Concentration to Nephrotoxicity.

Background And Objectives: Forced diuresis, high-volume hydration with diuresis, is widely used as a prophylactic treatment against cisplatin nephrotoxicity. However, the details of the underlying mechanisms and the optimal protocol of forced diuresis remain unclear. The present study investigated the alterations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (nephrotoxicity) of cisplatin with forced diuresis treatment.

Calcified amorphous tumor of the heart with mitral annular calcification: a case report.

Background: Calcified amorphous tumor of the heart is a rare, non-neoplastic cardiac mass characterized by nodular calcium in the background of amorphous degenerating fibrinous material. Clinical diagnosis of calcified amorphous tumor can be difficult, and current single imaging techniques do not specifically differentiate calcified amorphous tumor from other cardiac tumors such as calcified atrial myxoma, calcified thrombi, or vegetation. Complete surgical resection is the treatment of choice for both symptom improvement and prevention of embolization, as well as for pathological diagnosis.

Voxel-Based Lesion Mapping of Cryptogenic Stroke in Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Detailed Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of Distribution Pattern.

Background: Ischemic stroke is one form of cancer-associated thrombosis that can greatly worsen a patient's performance status. The present investigation aimed to elucidate the characteristic distribution pattern(s) of cryptogenic stroke lesions using a voxel-based lesion-mapping technique and examine the differences in clinical manifestations between cryptogenic and conventional strokes in patients with advanced cancer.

Methods: Data from 43 patients with advanced cancer who developed acute ischemic stroke were retrospectively collected.