The Effect of Antihypertensive Therapy on Skeletal Muscle Mass and Bone Mineral Density in Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease.

Objective: Sarcopenia and osteoporosis substantially influence health and lifespan. However, the variables affecting skeletal muscle mass (SMM) or bone mineral density (BMD) remain unknown.

Design And Methods: From August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019, we conducted a single-center, observational cohort study with 291 Japanese adult patients on maintenance hemodialysis due to end-stage kidney disease, who had their femoral neck BMD measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Calcium-based phosphate binder use is associated with lower risk of osteoporosis in hemodialysis patients.

Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) is a substantial risk of mortality in addition to fracture in hemodialysis patients. However, the factors affecting BMD are not fully determined. We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study on 321 maintenance hemodialysis patients who underwent evaluation of femoral neck BMD using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry from August 1, 2018, to July 31, 2019.

Predictors of fatal outcome after severe necrotizing fasciitis: Retrospective analysis in a tertiary hospital for 20 years.

Background: Prognostic factors for fatal outcomes of patients with necrotizing fasciitis remain unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of patients with necrotizing fasciitis from January 1998 to July 2019 using our hospital's medical database. Clinical characteristics of patients who died during hospitalization or had been discharged were evaluated.

Evaluation of Analytical Precision of Polychromatic Simultaneous WDXRF Spectrometer and Application to Valence Analysis of Cathode Materials of Lithium-Ion Batteries.

A polychromatic simultaneous wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (PS-WDXRF) spectrometer can measure the valence changes of 3d transition metals with high precision in the laboratory. Adjustment and maintenance of the drive mechanism are unnecessary, and high-precision measurements are possible in a short time because the optical system has no moving parts and is compact. We have developed a PS-WDXRF spectrometer with improved analytical precision that can measure simultaneously the valence changes of three main elements, Mn, Co, and Ni, which are used as cathode materials in Li-ion batteries (LIBs).

Type II diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for heart failure in pre-dialysis patients.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure (HF) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). The characteristics of patients with CKD complicated with HF at the time of starting hemodialysis have not yet been evaluated. We enrolled 347 patients in this study and compared gender, age, body mass index, laboratory data, causative disease, complications, and echocardiographic findings between groups with (n = 105) and without (n = 242) HF.

Synergistic effect of combined HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and angiotensin-II receptor blocker therapy in patients with chronic heart failure: the HF-COSTAR trial.

Background: It is known that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) may have a therapeutic benefit in patients with heart failure (HF). However, no studies have yet evaluated the possible interaction of statins and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs) on left ventricular (LV) function in patients with HF. We hypothesized that statins might alter the effect of ARBs on cardiac function in patients with HF.

Effect of anemia on cardiac disorders in pre-dialysis patients immediately before starting hemodialysis.

Introduction: Anemia is a common complication of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which not only lowers their quality of life but also potentially causes cardiovascular diseases such as congestive heart failure and coronary heart disease, and accelerates the progression of renal dysfunction.

Methods: Pre-dialysis patients were assigned to groups A, B, C or D based on hemoglobin levels of ≤ 8.9 (n = 48), 9.

Clinical course of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in the era of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and radiofrequency catheter ablation.

This study investigated the clinical course of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) patients and in particular evaluated the contribution of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to the treatment of ARVC. ARVC is a myocardial disorder and a cause of sudden cardiac death due to ventricular tachycardia (VT). Little is known about its prognosis in Japanese ARVC patients.

A phase I/II study of docetaxel and gemcitabine combination for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer.

Background: A phase I/II study of docetaxel (DOC) and gemcitabine (GEM) combination for treatment-resistant ovarian cancer (OC) was conducted.

Materials And Methods: Eligible patients exhibited recurrent OC within 12 months after initial treatment, or after more than 2 chemotherapy regimens. Planned dose levels (DL) were as follows: DOC 70 mg/m(2), GEM 800 mg/m(2) (DL1); DOC 70 mg/m(2), GEM 1000 mg/m(2) (DL2).

Single-agent pemetrexed for chemonaïve and pretreated patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: results of an International Expanded Access Program.

Introduction: Pemetrexed has established efficacy, and is the backbone for chemotherapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). An International Expanded Access Program provided >3000 mesothelioma patients with access to single-agent pemetrexed or pemetrexed plus platinum analogs (cisplatin or carboplatin) in 13 countries. In this article, we report the safety and efficacy data of MPM patients who were treated with single-agent pemetrexed (n = 812).

Efficacy and safety of two doses of pemetrexed supplemented with folic acid and vitamin B12 in previously treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two doses of pemetrexed supplemented with folic acid and vitamin B(12) in pretreated Japanese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Experimental Design: Patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 2, stage III or IV, and who received previously one or two chemotherapy regimens were randomized to receive 500 mg/m(2) pemetrexed (P500) or 1,000 mg/m(2) pemetrexed (P1000) on day 1 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was response rate.

Efficacy and safety of pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin for malignant pleural mesothelioma: a phase I/II study in Japanese patients.

Background: Pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin (Pem/Cis) is used globally for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). This Phase I/II study was conducted to determine the recommended dose (RD) (Phase I) of Pem/Cis, and evaluate the efficacy and safety (Phase II) in Japanese MPM patients.

Methods: Key eligibility criteria were histologic diagnosis of MPM incurable by surgery, no prior chemotherapy, and a performance status 0-1.

Phase III trial of pemetrexed plus best supportive care compared with best supportive care in previously treated patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Purpose: This multicenter, phase III study compared overall survival (OS) of second-line pemetrexed plus best supportive care (BSC) versus BSC alone in patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Secondary end points included response rate, progression-free survival (PFS), time to tumor progression (TTP), time to treatment failure (TTF), and toxicity.

Patients And Methods: Patients with relapsed MPM after first-line chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2) plus BSC (P+BSC) every 21 days or BSC alone.

Induction of premature senescence in cardiomyocytes by doxorubicin as a novel mechanism of myocardial damage.

Cellular senescence is an important phenomenon in decreased cellular function. Recently, it was shown that cellular senescence is induced in proliferating cells within a short period of time by oxidative stresses. This phenomenon is known as premature senescence.

Reliable self-replicating machines in asynchronous cellular automata.

We propose a self-replicating machine that is embedded in a two-dimensional asynchronous cellular automaton with von Neumann neighborhood. The machine dynamically encodes its shape into description signals, and despite the randomness of cell updating, it is able to successfully construct copies of itself according to the description signals. Self-replication on asynchronously updated cellular automata may find application in nanocomputers, where reconfigurability is an essential property, since it allows avoidance of defective parts and simplifies programming of such computers.

Utility of gallium-67 scintigraphy for evaluation of cardiac sarcoidosis with ventricular tachycardia.

Background: The outcome of cardiac sarcoidosis is sometimes very poor. Ventricular tachycardia (VT) associated with cardiac sarcoidosis is the most common cause of sudden death among most patients. However, there is no established method for potential VT in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor fluvastatin prevents angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy via Rho kinase and inhibition of cyclin D1.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, so called statins, decrease cardiac events. Previous studies have shown that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors inhibit cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo by blocking Rho isoprenylation. We have shown that the G1 cell cycle regulatory proteins cyclin D1 and Cdk4 play important roles in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

A CCR1 antagonist prevents the development of experimental autoimmune myocarditis in association with T cell inactivation.

Chemokines play an important role in induction of chemotaxis of immune cells. CCR1 is a chemokine receptor expressed on neutrophils, monocytes, and T lymphocytes. The role of CCR1 in immunity is not well examined.

[Evidence-based management of nausea and vomiting].

One of the most common chemotherapy-related adverse reactions has been nausea and vomiting. With the recent advances in supportive care, however, it has become possible to prevent most of the chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. This article summarizes the ASCO guideline published in 1999 and the 2004 NCCN guideline together with the recent advances in this field.