Establishment and clinical impacts of decision-support system for older patients with aortic valve stenosis: A retrospective observational study.

Objectives: Treatment decisions for severe aortic stenosis (AS) are complex, since there are two active and comparable options: transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement. The disease predominantly affects older individuals, who are frequently comorbid with from cognitive impairment. This study aimed to establish a screening-triggered system to assess the decision-making capacity of patients with AS, support their decision-making, and facilitate referrals to specialists when necessary.

Management of patients after total knee arthroplasty using mechanical prophylaxis and reduced doses of edoxaban: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Edoxaban is given as pharmacologic prophylaxis alone or in combination with mechanical prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism after total knee arthroplasty. Several choices are made regarding edoxaban dosages when used in combination with mechanical prophylaxis. This study aimed to compare efficacy and safety in patients who received edoxaban with elastic stockings after total knee arthroplasty between those who received the standard dose, including those who received a reduced dose after meeting dose reduction criteria, and those who received reduced doses without dose reduction criteria.

Effects of GLP-1RA and SGLT2i, Alone or in Combination, on Mouse Models of Type 2 Diabetes Representing Different Disease Stages.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) and sodium-dependent glucose transporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), in addition to lowering glucose, have pleiotropic effects on the heart, kidneys, and liver. These drugs have thus come into widespread use for treating type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, mechanistic comparisons and effects of combining these drugs have not been adequately studied.

Tuberculosis Relapse in the Epididymis After the Completion of Nine Months of Anti-Tuberculosis Chemotherapy in a Patient with Poorly Controlled Diabetes Mellitus.

The standard six-month tuberculosis (TB) treatment comprises an intensive phase lasting two months, followed by a continuation phase lasting four months. Meanwhile, the nine-month regimen, which has a prolonged continuation phase, is indicated for patients with complicated diabetes mellitus (DM) because of their poor response to treatment. A 61-year-old Japanese man with poorly controlled DM for five years presented with bilateral scrotal swelling noticed two weeks ago.

The Online Attention Game for Digital Identity Education: An Exploratory Study.

Ill-considered postings by young social media users hungry for attention have recently garnered headlines. Imprudent online posts distort the posters' digital identity, which refers to one's online image as perceived by others. Online attention-seeking behaviour may result in digital identities that are separate from a person's true nature, which can lead to social and mental harm.

Inverse Correlation Between Grip Strength and Serum Phosphorus: A Retrospective Observational Study in Japanese Elderly with Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes.

The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with sarcopenia among elderly patients with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM). We retrospectively analyzed 41 patients with type 2 DM, aged ≥65 years who required diabetes education hospitalization. Patients were classified into two groups according to the presence or absence of a weakened hand grip, and clinical characteristics were compared.

Hyponatremia Associated with Prophylactic Low-Dose Trimethoprim during Systemic Corticosteroid Therapy for AQP4-Positive Optic Neuritis in a Diabetic Patient.

Hyponatremia associated with low-dose trimethoprim in patients on concomitant systemic corticosteroid therapy has rarely been reported. Here, we describe a 57-year-old woman with a history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension treated with telmisartan, who presented with progressive visual impairment of the left eye due to anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-positive optic neuritis. The patient received pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral prednisolone at 30 mg/day and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis (160 mg and 800 mg daily).

Isolated ACTH deficiency during single-agent pembrolizumab for squamous cell lung carcinoma: a case report.

Background: The programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab is a promising agent for treatment of several different malignancies, but as with all immunotherapy there is a potential risk of immune-related adverse events. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency and hypophysitis have been reported in patients treated with a different PD-1 inhibitor, nivolumab. However, clinical characteristics of these side effects associated with pembrolizumab have yet to be described in detail.

Terazulene Isomers: Polarity Change of OFETs through Molecular Orbital Distribution Contrast.

Intermolecular orbital coupling is fundamentally important to organic semiconductor performance. Recently, we reported that 2,6':2',6″-terazulene (TAz1) exhibited excellent performance as an n-type organic field-effect transistor (OFET) via molecular orbital distribution control. To validate and develop this concept, here we present three other terazulene regioisomers, which have three azulene molecules connected at the 2- or 6-position along the long axis of the azulene, thus constructing a linear expanded π-conjugation system: 2,2':6',2″-terazulene (TAz2), 2,2':6',6″-terazulene (TAz3), and 6,2':6',6″-terazulene (TAz4).

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-induced granulomatous dermatitis with enlarged histiocytes clinically manifesting as painful edematous nodules with high fever similar to Sweet's syndrome.

A 72-year-old woman with a history of diffuse large B cell lymphoma and recent recurrence visited our department complaining of several painful edematous nodules with blisters on her face. She had iteratively developed cutaneous eruptions after every treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for neutropenia, and each time the eruption improved after the cessation of the G-CSF treatment. The blisters became crusty and the skin lesions slightly improved, but on the 24th hospital day, the eruption formed painful erythematous nodules with erosion, and the patient also developed a high fever of up to 38°C.

Iron-catalyzed ring-opening azidation and allylation of O-heterocycles.

We have established the first catalytic C-C and C-N bond formation reactions of O-heterocycles (e.g., tetrahydrofuran, phthalane, and lactone derivatives) using iron trichloride as a catalyst in the presence of TMSN3 or allylsilanes accompanied by the ring opening of O-heterocycles.

A simple and efficient oxidation of alcohols with ruthenium on carbon.

A simple, efficient, and environmentally-friendly heterogeneous Ru/C-catalyzed oxidation of secondary and primary alcohols without additives under an atmosphere of oxygen has been established.

Effect of mometasone furoate on nasal congestion model in rats.

Aims: The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of mometasone furoate on a nasal congestion model in Brown Norway rats.

Methods: Nasal congestion in rats sensitized with toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) was measured using whole-body plethysmography which allowed animals to move freely.

Results: Penh (enhanced pause), an index of nasal congestion, was significantly increased after 5% TDI challenge in sensitized rats compared with that in non-sensitized rats.

Evolution of vertebrate indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenases.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) are tryptophan-degrading enzymes that catalyze the same reaction, the first step in tryptophan catabolism via the kynurenine pathway. TDO is widely distributed among life-forms, being found not only in eukaryotes but also in bacteria. In contrast, IDO has been found only in mammals and yeast to date.

Effects of hop extracts on nasal rubbing and sneezing in BALB/c mice.

The effects of hop extracts (Humulus lupulus L.) on histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells and human basophilic KU812 cells were studied. Hop water extract (HWE) and XAD-4 50% methanol fraction of HWE (MFH) inhibited histamine release from rat mast cells induced by compound 48/80 at concentrations of 100 and 10 mug/ml, respectively.

Characteristics of scratching behavior induced by some chemical mediators in hairless mice.

To find the characteristics of scratching behavior in hairless mice (HR-1), compound 48/80 and some putative chemical mediators of allergic reaction were injected intradermally into the backs of mice, and the number of scratching behaviors was measured. As reference mice, NC/Nga, ICR, and ddY mice were used. Scratching behavior in HR-1 and ICR mice was increased dose-dependently by compound 48/80.

Antipruritic and antierythema effects of ascomycete Bulgaria inquinans extract in ICR Mice.

The effect of ethanol extract obtained from Bulgaria inquinans on the scratching behavior and vascular permeability changes induced by compound 48/80, histamine and serotonin in ICR mice was studied. The extract dose-dependently inhibited scratching behavior induced by compound 48/80 and serotonin. A significant inhibition was observed at doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg when Bulgaria inquinans extract was administered orally.

Effects of mometasone furoate on a rat allergic rhinitis model.

The present study was undertaken to clarify the effects of mometasone on nasal symptoms induced by repeated intranasal application of antigen in sensitized rats in comparison with that of chlorpheniramine. Rats received mometasone intranasally or chlorpheniramine orally 1 h before a topical antigen challenge for 7 days. Mometasone caused a decrease in the instances of nasal rubbing and an inhibition of this response was observed during the treatment period.

Effect of loratadine on mouse models of atopic dermatitis associated pruritus.

To confirm the effectiveness of loratadine for relieving pruritus in atopic dermatitis, we examined the effect of this drug using animal models of atopic dermatitis associated pruritus in ICR and hairless mice. As for the results, in ICR mice, single oral administration of loratadine at a dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg significantly inhibited the dorsal scratching behavior induced by histamine or an antigen, and the effect of loratadine was more potent than that of fexofenadine and chlorpheniramine. In hairless mice, oral administration of loratadine at a dose of 10 mg/kg for 6 days significantly inhibited the facial scratching behavior induced by the feeding of a low magnesium diet.

Is alexithymia a culture-bound construct? Validity and reliability of the Japanese versions of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and modified Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire.

The possibility remains that alexithymia is a culture-bound construct. The authors examined the validity and reliability of the Japanese versions of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the modified Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire, testing two samples of 473 college students and 149 psychiatric outpatients. The face validity and internal consistencies were suggested by factor analysis, adequate internal consistency, relatively high test-retest correlations, and high specificity and sensitivity.

Secondary alexithymia as a state reaction in panic disorder and social phobia.

In a 6-month follow-up study, a change in alexithymia was examined in two samples of 26 patients with panic disorder and 24 patients with social phobia. Before psychiatric treatment, the prevalence rate of alexithymia, measured by the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), was higher for both panic disorder (54%) and social phobia (58%) groups than for healthy persons (15%). After treatment, scores on the alexithymia constructs of difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings significantly decreased in panic disorder and social phobia patients.

Changes in scores on alexithymia over a period of psychiatric treatment.

We examined changes in alexithymia over a period of psychiatric treatment. Scores on a measure of alexithymia construct (affect awareness but not externally oriented thinking) decreased significantly after psychiatric treatment, suggesting that alexithymia or affect awareness for patients with psychiatric disorders or psychosocial problems is a state reaction rather than a personality trait. As for an association of reactions to stress with alexithymia, a group on high extrapunitiveness demonstrated significant decrease in scores on affect awareness compared to a group on low extrapunitiveness both before and after psychiatric treatment.

An investigation of the psychometric properties of the 26 item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in a Japanese culture.

We investigated the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the 26 item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in a Japanese culture, testing a sample of 1,008. The validity and reliability of this Japanese version were suggested by significant correlations with the Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire and estimates to test-retest and internal consistency. These results suggest that this version may be suitable for Japanese populations.