Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus gB-specific antibody levels in sera of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Japanese zoos.

Prevalence of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) infections in Asian elephants in Japan was assessed by determination of EEHV gB specific antibody levels. Among 28 healthy Asian (sub) adult elephants from 11 zoos, 27 animals exhibited intermediate to high antibody levels. Like elsewhere worldwide, this suggested exposure of Asian elephants in Japan to at least one EEHV (sub) species.

Outbreak of ST646 in a head and neck surgical oncology ward.

Unlabelled: causes a variety of human infections, and hospital outbreaks with this pathogen have also been reported. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics of an outbreak of involving 15 patients and four healthcare workers (HCWs), as well as the molecular characteristics of the causative isolates. The course and response to the outbreak were reviewed, and information on the characteristics of the patients was extracted retrospectively from the medical records.

Clinical Features, Genome Epidemiology, and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of spp. Causing Human Infections: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: The genus is increasingly implicated in human infections, but knowledge of its clinical characteristics and antimicrobial resistance profiles has been limited owing to its complex taxonomy.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study of patients with infections at hospitals across Japan. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had an spp.

Report on the Regional Workshop on Image Reading Conducted by the Japanese Society of Nuclear Cardiology.

Since 2007, The Japanese Society of Nuclear Cardiology (JSNC) has been conducting regional training workshops on film reading for physicians and technologists who are just beginning their career in cardiac nuclear medicine examinations. JSNC will continue this workshop to expand the fields of cardiac nuclear medicine examinations.

Phase transitions and slow spin dynamics of slightly inverted A-site spinel CoAlGaO.

We report the properties of an A-site spinel magnet, CoAlGaO, and analyze its anomalous, low-temperature magnetic behavior, which is derived from inherent, magnetically frustrated interactions. Rietveld analysis of the x-ray diffraction profile for CoAlGaOrevealed that the metallic ions were randomly distributed in the tetrahedral (A-) and octahedral (B-) sites in the cubic spinel structure. The inversion parametercould be controlled by varying the gallium (Ga) composition in the range 0.

Prognostic Implications of Sarcoidosis Granulomas - Insights From the Multicenter Registry, the Japanese Cardiac Sarcoidosis Prognostic Study.

Definitions of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) differ among guidelines. Any systemic histological finding of CS is essential for the diagnosis of CS in the 2014 Heart Rhythm Society statement, but not necessary in the Japanese Circulation Society 2016 guidelines. This study aimed to reveal the differences in outcomes by comparing 2 groups, namely CS patients with or without systemic histologically proven granuloma.

Agarose gel electrophoresis pattern of serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in zoo-managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

Serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes were evaluated in nine zoo-managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) using a commercial agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) kit. CK was separated into two major fractions, CK-BB and CK-MM, along with a small fraction of macroenzyme-CK type 2 (mCK2); CK-MM was the largest fraction. LDH was separated into five fractions (LDH1-5); LDH3 was the largest fraction.

Direct detection of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 1 (EEHV1) DNA in heparinized plasma by loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) causes a fatal hemorrhagic disease and is a significant cause of mortality in juvenile Asian elephants. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was developed to rapidly diagnose EEHV viremia. However, extracting DNA from whole blood samples to perform LAMP hampers diagnosis in a field setting.

The Correlation between the Vascular Calcification Score of the Coronary Artery and the Abdominal Aorta in Patients with Psoriasis.

Psoriasis is known as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease due to its chronic inflammation. Studies have been conducted to evaluate the progress of atherosclerotic plaques in psoriasis. However, inadequate efforts have been made to clarify the relationship between atherosclerosis progress in coronary arteries and other important blood vessels.

The serum activities of alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes measured using two approved methods in zoo-managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

The approved Japanese measurement method of circulating alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has changed from that of the Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC) to that of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). We measured the serum levels of total ALP (t-ALP) and those of the isoenzymes ALP2 and ALP3 in 50 Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) specimens using both methods. The activities determined by the IFCC method were roughly one-third lower than those determined by the JSCC method.

Multicenter Registry in the Japanese Cardiac Sarcoidosis Prognostic (J-CASP) Study: Baseline Characteristics and Validation of the Non-invasive Approach Using F-FDG PET.

: Recent advances in cardiac modalities contribute to the guidelines on the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) updated by the Japanese Circulation Society. The multicenter registry, Japanese Cardiac Sarcoidosis Prognostic (J-CASP) study tried to reveal recent trends of diagnosis and outcomes in CS patients and to validate the non-invasive diagnostic approach, including cardiac F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) study. : Databases from 12 hospitals consisting of 231 CS patients (mean age, 64 years; female, 65%; LV ejection fraction, 47%) diagnosed by the guidelines with FDG positron emission tomography (PET) study were integrated to compile clinical information on the diagnostic criteria and outcomes.

Morphological analysis of cell distribution and network structure via gap junctions in swine corneal stroma.

Because of corneal transplantation limitations, there is a need for cornea-specific regenerative medicine. The development of such regenerative medicine has been delayed because of the complex and unique structure of the corneal stroma. Few studies have explored the corneal stroma cell distribution and cell types in vivo.

Comparison of the Treatment Outcome of Piperacillin-Tazobactam versus Carbapenems for Patients with Bacteremia Caused by Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli in Areas with Low Frequency of Coproduction of OXA-1: a Preliminary Analysis.

Although piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) was shown to be less effective than carbapenems in treating bacteremia due to extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL)-producing organisms in a randomized controlled trial, the fact that many of the causative organisms co-produced inhibitor-resistant OXA-1 along with ESBLs may have influenced the results. In this study, we compared the therapeutic effectiveness of TZP and carbapenem in treating ESBL-producing Escherichia coli bacteremia in areas with low frequency of OXA-1 co-production. Forty patients, 14 in the TZP treatment group and 26 in the carbapenem treatment group, were included in the analysis.

Axillary schwannoma mimicking lymph node metastasis-associated breast cancer: a case report.

Background: Axillary schwannoma associated with breast cancer is an extremely rare disease, and previous reports have been limited. In this setting, there is great concern about whether a tumor in the axillary region is lymph node metastasis. Herein, we report a unique case of axillary schwannoma that mimicked lymph node metastasis associated with breast cancer.

Propensity score-based analysis of stereotactic body radiotherapy, lobectomy and sublobar resection for stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

We applied two propensity score-based analyses to simultaneously compare three treatment modalities-stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), lobectomy, or sublobar resection (SLR)-for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the aim of clarifying the average treatment effect (ATE) and formulating a risk-adapted approach to treatment selection. A retrospective review of 823 patients aged ≥65 years who underwent SBRT, lobectomy, or SLR for stage I NSCLC was conducted. The following two analyses using machine learning-based propensity scores were performed: (i) propensity score weighting (PSW) to assess the ATE in the entire cohort, and (ii) propensity score subclassification (PSS) to evaluate treatment effects of subgroups.

Peritumoral radiomics features on preoperative thin-slice CT images can predict the spread through air spaces of lung adenocarcinoma.

The spread through air spaces (STAS) is recognized as a negative prognostic factor in patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. The present study aimed to develop a machine learning model for the prediction of STAS using peritumoral radiomics features extracted from preoperative CT imaging. A total of 339 patients who underwent lobectomy or limited resection for lung adenocarcinoma were included.

Evaluation of correlation between intrafractional residual setup errors and accumulation of delivered dose distributions in single isocenter volumetric modulated arc therapy for multiple brain metastases.

Purpose: To evaluate the displacement of gross tumor volume (GTV) positions caused by intrafractional residual setup errors (RSEs) and to accumulate delivered dose distributions considering intrafraction RSEs in fractionated-stereotactic radiotherapy (f-SRT) with single isocenter volumetric modulated arc therapy (SI-VMAT) for multiple brain metastases.

Methods: Overall, 72 consecutive patients who underwent f-SRT with SI-VMAT for multiple brain metastases were included. For all patients, 6D correction was performed using the ExacTrac X-ray (ETX) system.

Bonding performance of a thiohydantoin-methacrylate monomer on noble metal alloys.

This study assessed the effect of a primer containing 10-methacryloyloxydecyl-(2-thiohydantoin-4-yl)propionate (MDTHP) on the bonding of noble metal alloys to an acrylic resin. Three noble metal alloys were selected as adherends, and V-Primer containing 6-(4-vinylbenzyl-n-propyl)amino-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dithione was used as a comparative control. The disk specimens of each noble metal alloy were wet-ground and divided into three conditions: specimens primed with MDTHP primer or V-Primer, and specimens without priming.

Development and validation of a prognostic model for non-lung cancer death in elderly patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer.

This study sought to develop and validate a prognostic model for non-lung cancer death (NLCD) in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Patients aged ≥65 diagnosed with NSCLC (Tis-4N0M0), tumor diameter ≤5 cm and SBRT between 1998 and 2015 were retrospectively registered from two independent institutions. One institution was used for model development (arm D, 353 patients) and the other for validation (arm V, 401 patients).

Dosimetric comparison among dynamic conformal arc therapy, coplanar and non-coplanar volumetric modulated arc therapy for single brain metastasis.

In the delivery of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) by linear accelerator (LINAC), dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCAT) with non-coplanar beams is conventionally used. However, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) can improve target conformity, thereby decreasing the dose to organs at risk by inversed planning methods, but few studies have directly compared DCAT and VMAT with and without non-coplanar beams in patients with single brain metastasis. We therefore conducted a planning study to compare the dose distribution in DCAT, VMAT using only a coplanar arc (CoVMAT) and VMAT with non-coplanar arcs (NcVMAT) in the treatment of single brain metastasis.

Relationship between Psoriasis and Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease in 88 Japanese Patients.

Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease known to affect survival in the presence of cerebral or cardiovascular comorbidities. However, no clear guidelines have been defined regarding the extent of vascular lesion testing that should be performed in patients with psoriasis. We therefore performed coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in 88 Japanese patients with psoriasis who visited Kansai Medical University Hospital between 2015 and 2019 and determined the ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) for 44 of these patients.