Teicoplanin 24-h loading dose regimen using a decision tree model to target serum trough concentration of 15-30 μg/mL: A retrospective study.

Introduction: Teicoplanin (TEIC) is typically administered as a loading dose over 36-48 h. Achieving an effective concentration quickly is expected to treat severe infections, such as sepsis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. We aimed to identify the TEIC loading dose to be completed within 24 h, targeting the concentration of 15-30 μg/mL and factors affecting the loading dose by utilizing the decision tree (DT) model.

High disease activity influences the presence of vertebral fractures in rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: It is important to assess the risk of vertebral fractures (VFs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as RA is associated with a high risk of VFs. However, the epidemiology and risk of VFs in patients with RA remain inconclusive. The present study therefore clarified the prevalence and associated factors of VFs in patients with RA.

Effect of concomitant use of yokukansan on steady-state blood concentrations of donepezil and risperidone in real-world clinical practice.

Aim: Yokukansan is one of the most frequently used herbal medicines that can improve the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. In this exploratory study, we investigated whether yokukansan affects the steady-state blood concentrations of donepezil, risperidone, and the major metabolites of both drugs in a real-world clinical setting.

Methods: A non-randomized, open-label, single-arm study examining drug-drug interactions was conducted.

Efficacy of switching from originator etanercept to biosimilar YLB113 in real-world patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A retrospective 12 months follow-up study.

To investigate the disease activity in real-world patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who switched from originator etanercept (ETN) to biosimilar YLB113. Forty one RA patients who switched from ETN to YLB113 were divided into 2 groups based on the Disease Activity Score based on the 28-joint count (DAS28) 12 months after switching (R group: DAS28 < 2.6, N group: DAS28 ≥ 2.

Importance of reassessment to identify trajectories of chronic transition of clinical indicators in post-myocardial infarction management.

Despite advances in multidisciplinary acute care for myocardial infarction (MI), the clinical need to manage heart failure and elevated mortality risks in the remote phase of MI remains unmet. Various prognostic models have been established using clinical indicators obtained during the acute phase of MI; however, most of these indicators also show chronic changes in the post-MI phase. Although relevant guidelines recommend follow-up assessments of some clinical indicators in the chronic phase, systematic reassessment has not yet been fully established and implemented in a real-world clinical setting.

The impact of bDMARDs on postoperative complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The influence of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) on postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not yet been clarified.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of ScienceTM, Scopus, and The Cochrane Library databases to identify eligible studies published up to August 2023. All studies comparing postoperative SSI or VTE rates in RA patients with or without bDMARD treatment were included.

Choice of and response to treatment in patients with early-diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis: Real-world data from an inception cohort in Japan (NICER-J).

Objective: Various guidelines recommend that patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) try to achieve clinical remission within 6 months, and early therapeutic intervention is important to this end. This study aimed to investigate short-term treatment outcomes of patients with early-diagnosed RA in clinical practice and to examine predictive factors for achieving remission.

Methods: Of the 210 patients enrolled in the multicenter RA inception cohort, 172 patients who were followed up to 6 months after treatment initiation (baseline) were included.

Anti-drug antibodies and rheumatoid factor level in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using the infliximab biosimilar CT-P13.

Background: This study evaluated the existence of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) before and 52 weeks after switching from intravenous infliximab (IFX) to intravenous CT-P13 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We performed a prospective observational study. Twenty-eight patients (7 males and 21 females) received intravenous CT-P13 after intravenous IFX, and the clinical data were collected from medical records.

Relationship between Cardiac Acoustic Biomarkers and Pulmonary Artery Pressure in Patients with Heart Failure.

Since an elevation of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) often precedes clinical worsening of heart failure (HF), early and non-invasive detection of this sign is useful in HF care. This study aimed to assess whether cardiac acoustic biomarkers (CABs) are associated with the elevation of PAP in patients with HF. Patients with HF scheduled to undergo right heart catheterization were prospectively enrolled.

Additive Effects of Drinking Habits and a Susceptible Genetic Polymorphism on Cholesterol Efflux Capacity.

Aims: High levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are not necessarily effective in preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) has attracted attention regarding HDL functionality. We aimed to elucidate whether drinking habits are associated with CEC levels, while also paying careful attention to confounding factors including serum HDL-C levels, other life style factors, and rs671 (2), a genetic polymorphism of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene determining alcohol consumption habit.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 505 Japanese male subjects who were recruited from a health screening program.

Predictive Ability of Visit-to-Visit Variability of HbA1c Measurements for the Development of Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Longitudinal Observational Study.

Aims: This study is aimed at clarifying the relationship between visit-to-visit variability of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the risk of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and to identifying the most useful index of visit-to-visit variability of HbA1c.

Methods: This clinic-based retrospective longitudinal study included 699 Japanese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Visit-to-visit variability of HbA1c was calculated as the internal standard deviation of HbA1c (HbA1c-SD), the coefficient of variation of HbA1c (HbA1c-CV), the HbA1c change score (HbA1c-HVS), and the area under the HbA1c curve (HbA1c-AUC) with 3-year serial HbA1c measurement data, and the associations between these indices and the development/progression of DKD were examined.

Serum Albumin and Bleeding Events After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction (from the HAGAKURE-ACS Registry).

Low serum albumin (SA) on admission in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been reported to be associated with adverse cardiovascular events. The relation between low SA and post-AMI bleeding events is presently unknown. We analyzed 1,724 patients with AMI enrolled in the HAGAKURE-ACS registry who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention from January 2014 to December 2018.

Simple risk-score model for in-hospital major bleeding based on multiple blood variables in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: In-hospital bleeding is associated with poor prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We sought to investigate whether a combination of pre-procedural blood tests could predict the incidence of in-hospital major bleeding in patients with AMI.

Methods And Results: A total of 1684 consecutive AMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were recruited and randomly divided into derivation (n = 1010) and validation (n = 674) cohorts.

Spray Pyrolyzed TiO Embedded Multi-Layer Front Contact Design for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells.

The photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can be improved by utilizing efficient front contact. However, it has always been a significant challenge for fabricating high-quality, scalable, controllable, and cost-effective front contact. This study proposes a realistic multi-layer front contact design to realize efficient single-junction PSCs and perovskite/perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs).

Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 infection in a dialysis center during a nosocomial outbreak.

Background: Blood purification therapy is a treatment method, wherein many patients gather in the same space to receive regular treatments, possibly increasing the risk of contracting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through contact, droplet, and aerosol. We experienced a nosocomial outbreak and evaluated the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 infection in patients undergoing blood purification therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 28 patients who underwent blood purification therapy at the dialysis center of our hospital from April 2, 2020, to April 29, 2020.

Population pharmacokinetic analysis of doripenem for Japanese patients in intensive care unit.

We aimed to construct a novel population pharmacokinetics (PPK) model of doripenem (DRPM) for Japanese patients in intensive care unit, incorporating the clearance of DRPM by continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Twenty-one patients treated with DRPM (0.25 or 0.

Management of anticoagulant therapy using a portable point-of-care international normalized ratio device and social networking service in a patient with a left ventricular assist device.

Device infection and stroke are still frequently reported as complications of left ventricular assist devices, and strict management of anticoagulation therapy is sometimes difficult at the time of infection status. We report the case of a 55-year-old man with a HeartMate II (Abbott, Inc., Abbott Park, IL, USA) as a bridge to cardiac transplantation.

Does periodontitis affect the treatment response of biologics in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis?

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis (PD) have been suggested to share many clinical and pathological features. However, few reports have investigated the relationship between the degree of PD and the treatment response to RA. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the extent of PD and the treatment response to biologics in RA patients using FDG-PET/CT.

Oblique Electrostatic Inkjet-Deposited TiO Electron Transport Layers for Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells.

In this study, a new, simple, and novel oblique electrostatic inkjet (OEI) technique is developed to deposit a titanium oxide (TiO) compact layer (CL) on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate without the need for a vacuum environment for the first time. The TiO is used as electron transport layers (ETL) in planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). This bottom-up OEI technique enables the control of the surface morphology and thickness of the TiO CL by simply manipulating the coating time.

Spontaneous Internal Mammary Artery Graft Dissection Triggered by Emotional Stress.

Internal mammary artery graft dissection is a rare condition and is usually caused by iatrogenic complications or mechanical stress. We experienced a case of acute myocardial infarction due to spontaneous internal mammary artery graft dissection that was triggered by emotional stress and was successfully treated by percutaneous intervention using drug-eluting stents. ().

Effects of denosumab on bone mineral density and bone turnover markers in rheumatoid arthritis patients switching from bisphosphonates.

Background: To compare the efficacy of 12-month denosumab treatment on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers (BTMs) between treatment-naïve osteoporosis patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and those with previous bisphosphonate (BP) therapy.

Methods: A total of 36 RA patients with osteoporosis completed 12-month follow-up. Twenty-five patients were osteoporotic treatment-naïve (naïve group), and 11 patients were previously treated with BPs (switch group) (average 7.

[Clinical Approach to Individualization of Antimicrobial Therapy Based on Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Analysis and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring].

The use of a drug administration plan and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) based on pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) analysis is important for the effective use of antimicrobial agents to treat infections. We focused on the use of beta-lactam agents, anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) agents, and an antifungal agent as antimicrobial agents and examined their efficacy in patients under special clinical conditions from the viewpoint of safety and TDM. Our PK-PD analysis of the use of an administration plan to set an optimum serum level for beta-lactam agents or anti-MRSA drugs for the treatment of pneumonia, acute renal failure during continuous hemodialysis filtration, febrile neutropenia, or malignant tumors confirmed the necessity of managing the optimal serum level.