Association between delirium severity and prognosis following Transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: Delirium is associated with patient prognosis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, the prognostic impact of subsyndromal delirium, described as an intermediate stage between delirium and normal cognition, is uncertain. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of delirium severity in patients undergoing TAVI.

G-quadruplex-forming small RNA inhibits coronavirus and influenza A virus replication.

Future pandemic threats may be caused by novel coronaviruses and influenza A viruses. Here we show that when directly added to a cell culture, 12mer guanine RNA (G12) and its phosphorothioate-linked derivatives (G12(S)), rapidly entered cytoplasm and suppressed the propagation of human coronaviruses and influenza A viruses to between 1/100 and nearly 1/1000 of normal virus infectivity without cellular toxicity and induction of innate immunity. Moreover, G12(S) alleviated the weight loss caused by coronavirus infection in mice.

Lyme neuroborreliosis in Japan: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato as a cause of meningitis of previously undetermined etiology in hospitalized patients outside of the island of Hokkaido, 2010-2021.

Background And Purpose: Clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl), include erythema migrans, Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), carditis, and arthritis. LB is a notifiable disease in Japan with <30 surveillance-reported LB cases annually, predominately from Hokkaido Prefecture. However, LB, including LNB, may be under-diagnosed in Japan since diagnostic tests are not readily available.

Seizure aggravation by ampicillin/sulbactam in an elderly patient with status epilepticus.

Background: Ampicillin/sulbactam (ABPC/ SBT) is one of the most common β-lactam antibiotics for patients with status epilepticus complicated with aspiration pneumonia. It is known that β-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin aggravate epileptic seizures or status epilepticus. Here, we investigated whether ABPC/SBT aggravates seizures using electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring.

Association Between Self-Reported Sitting Time and the Physical Function Domain of the Kihon Checklist Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Objective Interventions that reduce sitting time are easier to implement than those that aim to increase physical activity in compliance with the guidelines. There is no consensus on the association between sitting time as assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and physical function. We investigated the association between self-reported sitting time and physical function according to the Kihon Checklist (KCL) among community-dwelling older adults.

Estimated potassium intake and the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Background And Hypothesis: Lower potassium intake is associated with a higher risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general population. However, there are no stated recommendations on potassium intake in the CKD population owing to limited evidence of benefits from potassium intake and concerns about the risk of hyperkalaemia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between potassium intake and CKD progression.

Draft genome sequence of spp. strains L3W, 9LR, 8W, 10W, and 10LW, a fatty acid-producing thraustochytrids from food wastes.

We report draft genome sequences of spp. strains L3W, 9LR, 8W, 10W, and 10LW isolated from coastal environments. The strains were able to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), confirming the metabolic pathways retained in the genomes.

Right Ventricular to Pulmonary Artery Uncoupling Is Associated With Impaired Exercise Capacity in Patients With Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Background: Exercise capacity is related to mortality and morbidity in heart failure (HF) patients. Determinants of exercise capacity in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) have not been established.

Methods And Results: This single-center study retrospectively evaluated ATTR-CA patients and patients with non-amyloidosis HF with preserved/mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFpEF/HFmrEF) (n=32 and n=51, respectively).

Impact of Cognitive Impairment on Long-Term Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Background: Cognitive impairment assessed using the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) is associated with short-term mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We assessed the long-term prognostic impact of cognitive impairment in patients with severe aortic stenosis post-TAVI.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 1,057 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI at the Kokura Memorial Hospital and prospectively assessed them using the MMSE.

Effectiveness of Vericiguat on right ventricle to pulmonary artery uncoupling associated with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Backgrounds: A soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulator vericiguat has been shown to reduce cardiovascular mortality or hospitalization for heart failure in patients with worsening heart failure in the VICTORIA study. However, little is known about the effects of vericiguat on biventricular structure and function.

Methods And Results: A retrospective analysis of 63 consecutive patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who were treated with vericiguat was performed.

Vasa vasorum enhancement on optical coherence tomography in Kawasaki disease.

Background: Patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) prone to develop coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) with unknown etiology. We aimed to disclose the relationship between vasa vasorum (VV) and intimal thickening using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in KD.

Methods: Forty-three coronary artery branches of 21 patients with KD were examined by OCT.

Quantitative evaluation of adhesion severity around subscapularis and its relationship with shoulder range of motion in frozen shoulder and rotator cuff disorder: an observational study using dynamic ultrasonography.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the severity of adhesion between muscles in the shoulder joint using dynamic ultrasonography and to confirm whether adhesions cause range of motion (ROM) restrictions.

Methods: Twenty-four shoulders from 15 frozen shoulder patients and 24 shoulders from 18 rotator cuff disorder patients were enrolled. We obtained ultrasound video sequences of the subscapularis (SSC) and deltoid muscles during shoulder external rotation.

Pathological Alterations of Coronary Arteries Late After Kawasaki Disease: An Optical Coherence Tomography Study.

Background: The long-term impact of Kawasaki disease on coronary arteries in vivo is unclear.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate coronary arteries in the late convalescent phase, we followed patients with Kawasaki disease who developed coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs).

Methods: We followed 24 patients and used optical coherence tomography at a median of 16.

Impact of the clinical frailty scale on long-term outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: The semiquantitative Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is reportedly a useful marker for predicting short- and mid-term mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We assessed the long-term prognostic impact of CFS in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI.

Methods: We prospectively assessed patients undergoing TAVI in Kokura Memorial Hospital using a 9-level CFS and enrolled 1594 patients after excluding patients with CFS 8-9.

Quest for Nitrous Oxide-reducing Bacteria Present in an Anammox Biofilm Fed with Nitrous Oxide.

NO-reducing bacteria have been examined and harnessed to develop technologies that reduce the emission of NO, a greenhouse gas produced by biological nitrogen removal. Recent investigations using omics and physiological activity approaches have revealed the ecophysiologies of these bacteria during nitrogen removal. Nevertheless, their involvement in‍ ‍anammox processes remain unclear.

Case Report: Identification of a CARD8 variant in all three patients with PFAPA syndrome complicated with Kawasaki disease.

Background: Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA syndrome), and Kawasaki disease (KD) are both considered to be disorders of the innate immune system, and the potential role of inflammasome activation in the immunopathogenesis of both diseases has been previously described.

Case Presentation: Herein, we report the clinical courses of three patients who presented a rare combination of PFAPA syndrome and KD. Two patients who presented KD later developed the PFAPA syndrome, of whom one developed recurrent KD 2 years after the initial diagnosis.

Age-specific comparisons in the rate of force development of toe pressure strength and its association with the timed up and go test.

Purpose: It has recently been recommended that Rate of Force Development (RFD) be evaluated in addition to maximal muscle strength. There are no studies on RFD of toe pressure strength, and its importance in older adults and the extent to which it is associated with aging needs to be clarified. This study purpose was to examine the association between the RFD of toe pressure strength and timed up and go test (TUG) in an age-specific study.

Successful retrieval of a foreign body in an infant's right pulmonary artery using the new boomerang loop-snare technique: A case report.

We report successful percutaneous retrieval of a foreign body located in an infant's right pulmonary artery using the new boomerang loop-snare technique. The case was an 18-month-old girl. A central venous catheter for chemotherapy was inserted from the right subclavian vein during treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome at another hospital.

Intraneural fibrosis within ilioinguinal nerve in inguinal hernia patients with preoperative pain: it's the sign of irreversible nerve injury, isn't it?

Purpose: Preoperative pain is known as one of the most powerful risk factors for chronic postoperative inguinal pain (CPIP), while its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate patients with preoperative pain from the pathological perspective and discuss the potential pathogenesis of CPIP in those patients.

Methods: This was a single-institutional retrospective study.

Topical Application of a PDE4 Inhibitor Ameliorates Atopic Dermatitis through Inhibition of Basophil IL-4 Production.

Phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effect remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we addressed this unsolved issue by analyzing the action of difamilast, a novel phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, on an oxazolone-induced skin allergic inflammation commonly used as a mouse model of atopic dermatitis.

Microaerophilic Activated Sludge System for Ammonia Retention toward Recovery from High-Strength Nitrogenous Wastewater: Performance and Microbial Communities.

A transition to ammonia recovery from wastewater has started; however, a technology for sustainable nitrogen retention in the form of ammonia and organic carbon removal is still in development. This study validated a microaerophilic activated sludge (MAS) system to efficiently retain ammonia from high-strength nitrogenous wastewater. The MAS is based on conventional activated sludge (CAS) with aerobic and settling compartments.