Optimal timing of pharmacoinvasive strategy and its impact on clinical and economic outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a real-world perspective.

Background: The pharmacoinvasive (PhI) strategy is the standard-of-care for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients when primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) is unfeasible. Optimal timing for post-fibrinolytic PCI (lysis-PCI) remains elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the clinical and economic impacts of early vs.

Robust circulating microRNA signature for the diagnosis and early detection of pancreatobiliary cancer.

Background: A new circulating biomarker superior to carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is needed for diagnosing pancreatobiliary cancer (PBca). The aim of this study was to identify serum microRNA (miRNA) signatures comprising reproducible and disease-related miRNAs.

Methods: This multicenter study involved patients with treatment-naïve PBca and healthy participants.

Identifying impairments and compensatory strategies for temporal gait asymmetry in post-stroke persons.

In post-stroke persons, temporal gait asymmetry (TGA) during comfortable gait involves a combination of pure impairments and compensatory strategies. In this study, we aimed to differentiate between pure impairments and compensatory strategies underlying TGA in post-stroke individuals and identify associated clinical factors. We examined 39 post-stroke individuals who participated in comfortable walking speed (CWS) and rhythmic auditory cueing (RAC).

Coping flexibility and associated factors after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer: A cross-sectional multisite study.

Objective: To elucidate the current state of coping flexibility and associated factors in gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy.

Methods: A cross-sectional multisite study was conducted with 142 patients with gastric cancer who completed questionnaires on coping flexibility, postgastrectomy dysfunction, health literacy, and perceived social support. Coping flexibility was measured using the Coping Flexibility Scale-Revised, which includes three subscales: Abandonment Coping (i.

Bronchial structural changes analyzed with three-dimensional computed tomography correlate with severe acute graft-versus-host disease after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can occur during allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Although several biomarkers have been reported for predicting acute GVHD, they are often difficult to measure in routine clinical practice. Recently, three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) has been used to quantify the detailed bronchial structure, which might correlate with acute GVHD.

Efficacy of corneal squamous cell carcinoma antigen-1 in early infancy in predicting atopic dermatitis and food allergy: A prospective study.

Background: Identification of predictive biomarkers is crucial for formulating preventive interventions and halting the progression of atopic march. Although controversial, the use of accessible markers to predict or detect early onset of atopic diseases is highly desirable. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether corneal squamous cell carcinoma antigen-1 (SCCA1) collected from infants can predict the development of atopic dermatitis and food allergy.

Comparison of remimazolam and sevoflurane for general anesthesia during transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a randomized trial.

Purpose: Safe perioperative management of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is crucial. Remimazolam is a newly developed short-acting benzodiazepine. We hypothesized that combining remimazolam and flumazenil would reduce emergence time compared with sevoflurane in patients undergoing general anesthesia for TAVI.

Associations of cognitive decline with outcomes of cardiovascular rehabilitation in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Background: Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are often contending with various comorbidities including cognitive decline. Cognitive decline is a risk marker for adverse outcomes in these patients. On the other hand, cardiovascular rehabilitation (CVR) improves clinical outcomes.

Orthostatic Heart Rate Changes and Prognostic Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure.

Background: Heart rate typically increases during postural changes from a supine to a standing position due to autonomic and hemodynamic factors. Changes in heart rate during orthostasis may reflect the extent of autonomic dysfunction in patients with heart failure (HF). Thus, orthostatic heart rate changes may be useful for evaluating autonomic function and may predict prognosis.

Characterization of PSA dynamics and oncological outcomes in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer treated with androgen receptor signaling inhibitors.

Background: This study investigated the characteristics of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) dynamics when androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI), or vintage agent (bicalutamide) was used for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).

Patients And Methods: A total of 213 mHSPC patients from each of the ARSI and bicalutamide groups treated between 2015 and 2022 were selected from multiple institutions using propensity score-matched analysis to align backgrounds. PSA progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed.

Effectiveness of oral health care intervention for stroke patients following the introduction of Oral Health Assessment Tool.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health assessment tools in facilitating oral health care interventions by dental care providers for acute stroke patients within 48 h of admission, following a reform of the nursing system.

Methods: Data were gathered from a retrospective cohort study conducted at a stroke center, comparing 10 months before and after the implementation of the reformed system, with a 2-month interval. Parameters assessed included stroke type, severity measured using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, stroke history, stroke-related factors, number of teeth, hospitalization cost and duration, occurrence of fever and pneumonia, stroke treatment, days from admission to dental intervention, and intervention frequency.

10-Week Ballroom Dance Program Improves Mood and Influences Health-Related Elements in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults.

Sedentary lifestyles remain a persistent health issue in Japan. Ballroom dancing has recently gained attention as a potential means of maintaining physical activity, but there are very few reports on Japanese subjects. Exploratory research is therefore needed to investigate the effects of ballroom dancing on the physical and mental health of sedentary middle-aged Japanese adults.

Association Between PD-L1 Expression and Efficacy of Chemoimmunotherapy in Extensive-stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background/aim: Few studies have examined the association between programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in small cell lung cancer and the effect of chemoimmunotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Patients diagnosed with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer at our hospital between September 2019 and August 2023, who were treated with atezolizumab plus carboplatin and etoposide and had pathological tissue immunostained with SP142, were retrospectively examined to determine whether treatment efficacy differed depending on the expression of PD-L1.

Results: Twenty-nine patients were analyzed.

Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes in Unilateral Coats disease - a Global Collaborative Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors in unilateral Coats disease in the era of anti-VEGF therapy.

Design: Global, multicenter, retrospective case series.

Subjects: 656 eyes of 656 subjects with Coats disease were included in this study.

Increase in Adult Patients with Varicella Zoster Virus-Related Central Nervous System Infections, Japan.

An increase in the number of herpes zoster patients has been reported since universal varicella immunization was introduced, perhaps because of reduced opportunities for varicella patients to experience the natural booster effect caused by reexposure. We investigated recent trends of varicella zoster virus (VZV)-related central nervous system (CNS) infections at a university hospital in Japan. We enrolled patients with suspected CNS infection during 2013-2022 and tested cerebrospinal fluid samples by real-time PCR for DNA from 7 human herpesviruses.

Impact of Lymphocyte/Monocyte Ratio on Outcomes in Patients with Remnant Gastric Cancer After Gastrectomy.

Background: The inflammatory response plays a crucial role in tumor development. Inflammatory markers are recognized prognostic factors in many types of cancer, including gastric cancer. However, the correlation between inflammatory markers and prognosis in remnant gastric cancer (RGC) remains unclear.

Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Enhances Accumulation of Perfluoropropane Droplets.

Objective: Perfluoropropane droplets (PD) are nanometer-sized particles that can be formulated from commercially available contrast agents. The preferential retention of PDs in diseased microvascular beds can be detected by ultrasound imaging techniques after acoustic activation and offers an opportunity for the detection of such processes as scar formation or inflammation. We hypothesized that in the presence of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, retention of intravenously injected PDs would be enhanced.

Exploring Multilingual Large Language Models for Enhanced TNM Classification of Radiology Report in Lung Cancer Staging.

Background/objectives: This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) classification based on radiology reports using GPT3.5-turbo (GPT3.5) and the utility of multilingual large language models (LLMs) in both Japanese and English.

Chronotype and leisure-time physical activity among civil servants in Japan: a cross-sectional analysis of the Aichi workers' cohort study.

Background: The association between chronotype and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) remains unclear. We investigated the difference in regular LTPA and for a sufficient duration between those with evening-type (ET) and morning-type chronotypes (MT).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the data of the Aichi Workers' Cohort Study.

Clinical Remission in Patients With Biologic-Naïve Asthma: A Multicenter Study in Japan.

Background: Clinical remission (CR) is a new realistic management goal for patients with asthma, regardless of the disease severity.

Objective: To investigate the rate of achievement of CR in patients treated with inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β-agonist (ICS/LABA) and nonbiologics and the characteristics of patients who achieved CR.

Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis from a multicenter, cross-sectional survey in Japan.

Impact of GAP score on surgical prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer with usual interstitial pneumonia.

Objective: Post-surgical survival outcomes in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are expected to be worse than those in patients with other idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). However, these remain unclear regarding patients with NSCLC and IPF histologically diagnosed as usual interstitial pneumonia [IPF(UIP)]. We aimed to assess the surgical and survival outcomes and identify prognostic factors in patients with NSCLC and IPF(UIP).

Implanted cartilaginous grafts following rhinoplasty: A retrospective histopathological study.

To describe histopathological features of rhinoplasty-related implanted cartilages, 83 cartilages surgically removed from 42 patients (2 men and 40 women) with a median age of 28.0 years (range, 21-47 years) following correction/revision rhinoplasty were examined. These cartilages included 16 autologous costal cartilages (ACCs), 14 irradiated homologous costal cartilages (IHCCs), 24 autologous nasal cartilages (ANCs), 2 irradiated homologous nasal cartilages (IHNCs), 14 autologous ear cartilages (ECs) and 13 combined cartilaginous grafts.

Incidence, outcomes, and risk factors of postlaparoscopic subcutaneous emphysema: a historical cohort study.

Purpose: Subcutaneous emphysema is a common complication of laparoscopic surgery. We aimed to determine the incidence, outcomes, and risk factors of postlaparoscopic subcutaneous emphysema.

Methods: We conducted a single-centre historical cohort study of adult patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery at Kagoshima University Hospital between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2021.