2024 Update of the Japan College of Rheumatology Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis - secondary publication.

Objectives: To update the Japan College of Rheumatology Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (CPG for RA).

Methods: The recommendations were developed based on the evidence published until the end of June 2022 using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). The steering committee, CPG panel, systematic review (SR) group, and SR support team were organised.

Exploring perceptions of diabetes distress and its care in Japan: a qualitative study of patients and physicians.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the obstacles preventing care of diabetes distress from being integrated into diabetes management, as perceived by both patients and healthcare professionals. By conducting interviews with people with type 2 diabetes (PWD) and physicians, this study aimed to gain insight into the current state of care for diabetes distress in diabetes management and propose targeted interventions to improve patients' overall well-being and treatment outcomes.

Design: This qualitative study used semistructured interviews with patients and physicians.

Androgen receptor and osteoglycin gene expression predicting prognosis of metastatic prostate cancer.

This study aimed to identify the predictive factors associated with the oncological outcomes of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer-related genes. A nomogram for predicting prostate cancer-specific survival (CSS) was constructed based on biopsy samples obtained from 103 patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. We analyzed the association between clinical data and mRNA expression levels.

Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection With Polymer Ligation Clips Significantly Reduces Hospital Stay Compared to Vessel Sealer: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction Lymphocele is a typical complication of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). This study aimed to compare postoperative lymphatic leakage between the polymer ligation clip and vessel sealer, and evaluated the costs associated with the former. Methods The study enrolled patients who underwent RARP with PLND at our institution between April 2018 and March 2023 and were treated with a vessel sealer (LigaSure Blunt Tip 44 NC; Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) until September 2021, and Hem-o-lok polymer ligation clips(Teleflex, Wayne, PA, USA) thereafter.

Drug resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on the isolation sites and types of gastrointestinal diseases: An observational study.

We investigated the drug resistance status of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) focusing on its isolation sites and types of diseases.　Materials and methods: A microbiological laboratory database was searched to identify all clinical cultures positive for P.

Selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α modulator improves hypertriglyceridemia and muscle quality in patients with chronic kidney disease: A retrospective observational study.

Background & Aims: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have additional health problems, including sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity. These conditions involve ectopic fat accumulation within muscles. This ectopic fat deposition reduces muscle quality, leading to weaker muscle strength and poorer physical performance.

Pemafibrate for treating MASLD complicated by hypertriglyceridaemia: a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial study protocol.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, now known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is a phenotype of the metabolic syndrome in the liver and is clearly associated with metabolic abnormalities such as hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia. Although the prevalence of MASLD is increasing worldwide, there is currently no consensus on the efficacy and safety of the drugs used to treat MASLD/metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Pemafibrate, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha modulator, was designed to have higher peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alfa (PPARα) agonist activity and selectivity than existing PPARα agonists, and in development trials, without increasing creatinine levels, lipid parameters and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were significantly improved.

Histopathological Analysis of Esophageal Damage Caused by Coin-Shaped Lithium Batteries in Living Piglets.

Background: More than 3,000 cases of accidental ingestion of coin-shaped lithium batteries (CSLBs) have been reported in the United States. Battery ingestion can cause serious injury and even death. Prior reports have indicated that complications often occur two or more hours after ingestion.

A new technique for ureteral resection to prevent urine dissemination and cancer seeding.

Introduction: We describe a case in which robot-assisted radical ureterectomy was performed for residual ureteral recurrence in a postoperative patient with renal pelvis cancer.

Case Presentation: A 75-year-old woman underwent laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy for left renal pelvic cancer at another hospital. During follow-up, a papillary tumor was found in the bladder on cystoscopy, and a continuous tumor was found in the residual ureter on computed tomography.

Clinical Insights Into Pediatric Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasms of the Pancreas.

Background: Solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs) of the pancreas are rare tumors with low malignant potential that usually occur in young girls and women. This study investigated the treatment experiences and outcomes after surgery for pediatric SPNs in our institutions as pediatric case series of solid SPNs are few, and long-term follow-up is also limited.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of nine patients diagnosed with SPNs who underwent surgery in our three hospitals (The Jikei University Hospital, The Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital, and Kawaguchi Municipal Medical Center) between 2001 and 2023.

Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy for Invasive Bladder Cancer With Vesicovaginal Fistula: A Case Report.

An 89-year-old woman was diagnosed with vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) during transurethral surgery for repeated bladder cancer recurrences. She was referred to our hospital for the treatment of VVF and pT1 invasive bladder cancer. Typical radical cystectomy procedures incising the vaginal wall are not suitable for her because of the high risk of disseminating tumors.

Successful conservative management of advanced pyogenic sternoclavicular joint arthritis with osteomyelitis and pulmonary infiltration: a case report.

Background: Sternoclavicular joint arthritis is a rare condition that poses considerable diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, leading to severe complications and a high mortality rate. Although surgical interventions are often considered necessary for advanced cases, some reports have suggested that conservative management with antibiotic therapy can be effective in certain cases. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports of successful conservative treatment in cases exhibiting aggressive spread.

Nationwide epidemiological survey of juvenile idiopathic arthritis during transition to young adulthood in Japan using the National Database of Designated Incurable Diseases of Japan.

Objectives We aimed to assess the unmet medical needs of young adult patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis by evaluating real-world treatment data. Methods We analyzed data on juvenile idiopathic arthritis in the 20-29 age group from the National Database of Designated Incurable Diseases of Japan, which records severe cases or those requiring high-cost medical care registered between April 2018 and March 2020. Results Overall, 322 patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis transitioning to adulthood were included.

In-silico predicted mouse melanopsins with blue spectral shifts deliver efficient subcellular signaling.

Melanopsin is a photopigment belonging to the G Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) family expressed in a subset of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and responsible for a variety of processes. The bistability and, thus, the possibility to function under low retinal availability would make melanopsin a powerful optogenetic tool. Here, we aim to utilize mouse melanopsin to trigger macrophage migration by its subcellular optical activation with localized blue light, while simultaneously imaging the migration with red light.

Pregnancy and childbirth in Takayasu arteritis in Japan: A nationwide retrospective study.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand the status quo of medical treatments of the primary disease and pregnancy outcomes in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and children's birth outcomes.

Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled patients with TAK who conceived after the disease onset and were managed at medical facilities participating in the Japan Research Committee of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for Intractable Vasculitis.

Results: This study enrolled 51 cases and 68 pregnancies 2019-2021.

Initial surgical performance in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy is associated with clinical outcomes and learning curves.

Background: The association between surgical performance ratings and clinical outcomes in robotic surgery is poorly understood. Additionally, no studies have reported on the relationship between the surgeon's initial case-skill evaluation and the learning curve in robot-assisted surgery. We evaluated whether an objective surgical technique evaluation score for initial robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) was associated with clinical outcomes and surgeons' learning curves.

Low-Dose Glucocorticoids in Older Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: What Does the Evidence Say?

The short-term use of glucocorticoids (GCs) in combination with methotrexate was recommended for the initial treatment of rheumatoid arthritis by the European League Against Rheumatism. A randomized controlled trial (GLORIA) showed that treatment of older patients with low-dose GCs in combination with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs was more efficacious than disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs plus placebo in terms of disease activity control and prevention of joint destruction. Glucocorticoid-related adverse events were likely to increase relative to placebo, with no increase in serious adverse events and fractures over 2 years.

Establishment and activity of the planning and acting network for low dose radiation research in Japan (PLANET): 2016-2023.

The Planning and Acting Network for Low Dose Radiation Research in Japan (PLANET) was established in 2017 in response to the need for an all-Japan network of experts. It serves as an academic platform to propose strategies and facilitate collaboration to improve quantitative estimation of health risks from ionizing radiation at low-doses and low-dose-rates. PLANET established Working Group 1 (Dose-Rate Effects in Animal Experiments) to consolidate findings from animal experiments on dose-rate effects in carcinogenesis.