Clinical and Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Adult Congenital Heart Disease - A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.

Background: Little is known about clinical or sociodemographic factors that influence health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD).

Methods and results: We conducted a nationwide prospective cross-sectional multicenter study at 4 large ACHD centers in Japan. From November 2016 to June 2018, we enrolled 1,223 ACHD patients; 1,025 patients had an HRQoL score.

Glucosyl hesperidin exhibits more potent anxiolytic activity than hesperidin accompanied by the attenuation of noradrenaline induction in a zebrafish model.

Anxiety is a symptom of various mental disorders, including depression. Severe anxiety can significantly affect the quality of life. Hesperidin (Hes), a flavonoid found in the peel of citrus fruits, reportedly has various functional properties, one of which is its ability to relieve acute and chronic stress.

[PAX5-positive plasma cell leukemia presenting as lymphocytosis].

An 82-year-old Japanese male patient was initially diagnosed with lymphocytosis. His complete blood count revealed a white blood cell count of 30.9×10/l with 81% abnormal lymphocytes.

Electrocardiographic Diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in the Pre- and Post-Diagnostic Phases in Children and Adolescents.

Background: The usefulness of electrocardiographic (ECG) voltage criteria for diagnosing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in pediatric patients is poorly defined.

Methods and results: ECGs at the 1st grade (mean [±SD] age 6.6±0.

Novel electrocardiographic criteria for short QT syndrome in children and adolescents.

Aims: Although shortening of the corrected QT interval (QTc) is a key finding in the diagnosis of short QT syndrome (SQTS), there may be overlap of the QTc between SQTS patients and normal subjects in childhood and adolescence. We aimed to investigate electrocardiographic findings for differentiation of SQTS patients.

Methods And Results: The SQTS group comprised 34 SQTS patients <20 years old, including 9 from our institutions and 25 from previous reports.

Early vascular aging in adult patients with congenital heart disease.

Many studies have reported that adults with congenital heart disease suffer from hypertension and cardiovascular disease even at younger ages. Therefore, we analyzed early vascular aging, which is defined as pulse wave velocity values higher than the 95th percentile for age and sex, and clarified the relationship between early vascular aging and many parameters related to cardiovascular disorders in adults with congenital heart disease. We enrolled 72 adult patients with congenital heart disease and measured their brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity.

Direct oral anticoagulant use and outcomes in adult patients with Fontan circulation: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Background: Many adult patients with Fontan circulation are treated with antithrombotic agents, including direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). However, few studies have investigated the efficacy, feasibility, and safety of DOACs in adult patients with Fontan circulation.

Methods And Results: In this retrospective cohort study, clinical records of 139 adult patients with Fontan circulation (70 females, 50.

Privacy-Preserved Fall Detection Method with Three-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network Using Low-Resolution Infrared Array Sensor.

Due to the rapid aging of the population in recent years, the number of elderly people in hospitals and nursing homes is increasing, which results in a shortage of staff. Therefore, the situation of elderly citizens requires real-time attention, especially when dangerous situations such as falls occur. If staff cannot find and deal with them promptly, it might become a serious problem.

Development of Sign Language Motion Recognition System for Hearing-Impaired People Using Electromyography Signal.

Sign languages are developed around the world for hearing-impaired people to communicate with others who understand them. Different grammar and alphabets limit the usage of sign languages between different sign language users. Furthermore, training is required for hearing-intact people to communicate with them.

Impact of the T-wave characteristics on distinguishing arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy from healthy children.

Background: T-wave inversion (TWI) is not considered useful for diagnosing pediatric arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), because right precordial TWI in ARVC resembles a normal juvenile pattern.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to clarify the electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics of pediatric ARVC to distinguish those patients from healthy children.

Methods: Between 1979 and 2017, 11 ARVC patients under 18 years old were registered and compared with school screening ECGs from 48,401 healthy children.

A significance of school screening electrocardiogram in the patients with ventricular noncompaction.

Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a hereditary cardiomyopathy and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, the role and significance of school screening for LVNC have not been fully elucidated. In this multicenter, retrospective cohort study, a total of 105 children with LVNC were included from 2000 to 2017.

Employment status and contributing factors among adults with congenital heart disease in Japan.

Background: Working is an important concern in transitional care for adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) because work connects people with society. Employment status is correlated with gender, but studies on patient employment by gender have rarely been conducted. This study therefore aimed to examine the employment status of ACHD by gender and to explore the factors influencing this status.

Relationship between non-osmotic arginine vasopressin secretion and hemoglobin A1c levels in adult patients with congenital heart disease.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP), which induces vasoconstriction and conserves solute-free water when released during high plasma osmolality, is secreted through 2 mechanisms: osmoregulation and baroregulation. This study aims to clarify the mechanisms and influencing factors for non-osmotic AVP secretion in adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). AVP levels were measured in 74 adults with CHD.

Liver Cirrhosis and/or Hepatocellular Carcinoma Occurring Late After the Fontan Procedure - A Nationwide Survey in Japan.

Background: Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is an important late complication involving liver dysfunction, such as liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in patients undergoing the Fontan procedure. However, the prevalence, clinical manifestation, and methods of diagnosis of FALD are still not well established.

Methods and results: This study comprised 2 nationwide surveys in Japan.

Surgical treatment for adult congenital heart disease: consideration for indications and procedures.

The number of the adult patients with congenital heart diseases (ACHD) continues to grow owing to improvement of surgical results and medical management. Corrective surgery for complex CHD does not always mean complete cure. It is not rare that the patients will visit the cardiology institutes because of secondary lesions due to residua or sequela in adults.

Increased risk of thromboembolic events in adult congenital heart disease patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias.

Background: Atrial tachyarrhythmias are a major morbidity in patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). However, few studies have investigated risk stratification of thromboembolic events in ACHD patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias.

Methods And Results: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the clinical records of 2314 ACHD patients from 1977 to 2014.

Effective Photo- and Triboluminescent Europium(III) Coordination Polymers with Rigid Triangular Spacer Ligands.

Luminescent Eu coordination polymers with rigid triangular spacer ligands are reported. The Eu coordination polymer, [Eu (hfa) (tppb) ] (hfa: hexafluoroacetylacetonate, tppb: tris(4-diphenylphosphorylphenyl)benzene), shows high thermo-stability (decomposition temperature=354 °C) and photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ =82 %, photosensitized energy transfer efficiency=78 %). The triboluminescence efficiency of Eu coordination polymer with triangular spacers under laser pulse irradiation (Nd:YAG, λ=1064 nm, pulse width=5 ns, pulse energy=0.

Prognostic predictive value of gene mutations in Japanese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Although some studies have attempted to find useful prognostic factors in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), those results are not fully helpful for use in actual clinical practice. Furthermore, several genetic abnormalities associated with HCM have been identified. However, the genotype-phenotype correlation in HCM remains to be elucidated.

Involvement of endogenous neuromedin U and neuromedin S in thermoregulation.

We investigated the possible involvement of neuromedin U (NMU) and neuromedin S (NMS) in thermoregulation in rats. Intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of NMU or NMS increased the back surface temperature (BS-T) in a dose-dependent manner during both the light and dark periods. Pre-treatment with the β3 blocker SR59230A, and the cyclooxygenase blocker indomethacin, inhibited the increase in BS-T induced by NMS.

Carbon-depleted outer core revealed by sound velocity measurements of liquid iron-carbon alloy.

The relative abundance of light elements in the Earth's core has long been controversial. Recently, the presence of carbon in the core has been emphasized, because the density and sound velocities of the inner core may be consistent with solid Fe7C3. Here we report the longitudinal wave velocity of liquid Fe84C16 up to 70 GPa based on inelastic X-ray scattering measurements.