Ruminal protein degradability of sunflower cake, and effects of feeding sunflower cake on nutrient digestion, nitrogen balance, rumen fermentation, and blood metabolites compared with soybean meal.

The ruminal degradation parameters of sunflower cake (SFC), a by-product left after the mechanical extraction of oil from sunflower seeds, were estimated in an in situ experiment using a cow. And also the effect of feeding SFC on nutrient digestibilities, digestible energy, nitrogen balance, and ruminal and blood properties were investigated in a feeding trial using four Shiba goats compared isonitrogenously with soybean meal (SBM). The in situ results demonstrated that the SFC had high soluble protein (>70%) with 97% total degradable protein.

Efficacy of Telemedicine in Hypertension Care Through Home Blood Pressure Monitoring and Videoconferencing: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The burden of time is often the primary reason why patients discontinue their treatment. Telemedicine may help patients adhere to treatment by offering convenience.

Objective: This study examined the efficacy and safety of telemedicine for the management of hypertension in Japan.

Complete remission of chemo-refractory multiple-metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma by autologous formalin-fixed tumor vaccine.

A patient with chemo-refractory multiple-metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) treated by monotherapy with autologous formalin-fixed tumor vaccine (AFTV) resulted in complete remission of the lung and para-aortic lymph node metastases (ongoing >3 years after AFTV). The tumor was immunohistologically negative for PD-L1. AFTV will be an attractive treatment option.

A transient increase and subsequent sharp decrease of chemo-refractory liver-metastasized uterine cervical small cell carcinoma to autologous formalin-fixed tumor vaccine plus anti-PD-1 antibody.

Uterine cervical small cell carcinoma is rare and aggressive with no standardized therapy. A patient bearing the advanced chemo-refractory carcinoma, treated with a tumor vaccine combined with 1 mg/kg of pembrolizumab, showed a transient increase and subsequent sharp decrease of the liver-metastasized lesion to less than half its maximum diameter.

Thermal Disparity between Fingers after Cold-water Immersion of Hands: A Useful Indicator of Disturbed Peripheral Circulation in Raynaud Phenomenon Patients.

Objective: To devise an effective method to assess the peripheral circulation using an infrared thermographic analysis.

Methods: Sequential measurements of the skin temperature before and after cold-water immersion of the hands were analyzed by a thermographic examination in healthy controls and patients diagnosed to have Raynaud phenomenon (RP). The skin temperatures of the dorsum of all fingernail folds and the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints were measured at baseline.

Atypical Subacute Recurrence of Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome in a Japanese Female Patient.

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) survivors rarely relapse. We herein report a case of a second CAPS episode with an unusual subacute course and no microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA), a common CAPS symptom. During the first episode, the 69-year-old woman responded well to high-dose glucocorticoids and plasma exchange.

Platinum hypersensitivity and desensitization.

Platinum agents are drugs used for various types of cancer. With increased frequency of administration of platinum agents, hypersensitivity reactions appear more frequently, occurring in over 25% of cases from the seventh cycle or second line onward. It then becomes difficult to conduct treatment using these agents.

[Successful treatment of interstitial pneumonia and pneumomediastinum associated with polymyositis during pregnancy with a combination of cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus: A case report].

A 30-year-old pregnant woman experienced mild dyspnea in April 2009. She complained of mild myalgia and was subsequently admitted to our hospital in June 2009 because of worsening dyspnea. Physical examination revealed fine crackles in the lower lung field, but no eruptions externally.