Efficacy of Magnifying Texture and Color Enhancement Imaging With Indigo Carmine as an Alternative to Crystal Violet for Colorectal Tumors.

Background: Pit pattern diagnosis using crystal violet staining for colorectal tumors is useful for qualitative and depth diagnosis. However, due to its reported carcinogenic potential, the use of crystal violet has been restricted. This study was aimed at investigating the efficacy of texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI) magnification in pit pattern diagnosis.

A Giant Aneurysm of Vieussens' Arterial Ring With Pulmonary Artery Fistula.

A 79-year-old woman presented with a systolic murmur and dyspnea on exertion. Transthoracic echocardiography and multidetector-row computed tomography revealed a giant aneurysm in an abnormal vessel known as Vieussens' arterial ring (VAR). A pulmonary artery VAR fistula was also observed.

Efficacy of tranilast in preventing exacerbating cardiac function and death from heart failure in muscular dystrophy patients with advanced-stage heart failure: a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study.

Background: Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 2 (TRPV2) functions as a stretch-sensitive calcium channel, with overexpression in the sarcolemma of skeletal and cardiac myocytes leading to detrimental calcium influx and triggering muscle degeneration. In our previous pilot study, we showed that tranilast, a TRPV2 inhibitor, reduced brain natriuretic peptide levels in two patients with muscular dystrophy and advanced heart failure. Building on this, we performed a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study herein to evaluate the safety and efficacy of tranilast in the treatment of advanced heart failure in patients with muscular dystrophy.

The N-Terminal Fragment of Urine Titin Is Not a Product of Degradation by Calpain 3.

Introduction: A 20 kDa fragment at the N-terminus of titin is highly excreted in the urine of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), making urine titin a prominent biomarker for muscle breakdown. This N-terminal fragment is presumed to be a product of degradation by a protein-degrading enzyme, calpain 3; however, whether calpain 3 is required remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether urine titin elevation occurs in the absence of calpain 3.

Characteristics of Microaneurysm Size in Residual Edema After Intravitreal Injection of Faricimab for Diabetic Macular Edema.

Microaneurysms (MAs) are important in the pathology of diabetic macular edema (DME) and its response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. This study aimed to clarify the morphological characteristics of MAs in residual edema following consecutive faricimab injections, a bispecific antibody against angiopoietin-2 and VEGF. We selected patients with DME who exhibited residual edema after three monthly injections of faricimab.