The Impact of Ageing on Diaphragm Function and Maximal Inspiratory Pressure: A Cross-Sectional Ultrasound Study.

: The effects of ageing on the diaphragm are unclear. This study examined the association between ageing and diaphragm thickness, thickening fraction (TF), and diaphragm excursion (DE) as assessed by ultrasonography after adjusting for other factors. The relationship between these parameters and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) was also investigated.

Isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia and three-year neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Background: To retrospectively investigate the developmental outcomes at 3 years of age in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) using a multicenter collaborative research approach.

Methods: We evaluated patients with CDH and no other malformations born between 2010 and 2016 in seven facilities in the Japanese CDH Research Group. The developmental quotient (DQ) at 3 years of age was evaluated using the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development 2001, the most standardized scale in Japan.

Novel desensitization therapy of mesalamine intolerance in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background: Mesalamine is the first-line drug for treating mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC); however, some patients develop symptoms of intolerance. Although several desensitization methods have been reported, these desensitization regimens were rather complicated for physicians to prescribe in daily clinical practice; therefore, it has not yet become a major therapeutic option for intolerance patients. Thus, we developed an alternative desensitization protocol.

Relationship Between Diaphragm Function and Sarcopenia Assessed by Ultrasound: A Cross-Sectional Study.

: The diaphragm is important for respiration, but the effects of age-related muscle loss and sarcopenia on diaphragm function are unclear. We evaluated the associations of sarcopenia and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) with diaphragm function. : This study was conducted at three Japanese hospitals from May 2023 to September 2024.

Double-balloon endoscopy for duodenal diverticulitis with calculus after intestinal reconstruction: A case report.

Small-bowel diverticulosis is relatively common, but there is no set treatment strategy for duodenal diverticulitis with stone impaction. A woman aged in her 70s presented with a chief complaint of abdominal pain, and she had been reconstructed by the Roux-en-Y method after total gastrectomy. We performed an enhanced computed tomography which revealed edematous wall thickening of the duodenum.

Furosemide for patent ductus arteriosus during cyclooxygenase inhibitor therapy: A systematic review.

Background: Although furosemide is used during cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor therapy for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), there are concerns regarding increased ductal closure failure and acute renal failure (ARF). This systematic review explores the effects of furosemide during COX inhibitor therapy.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Igaku Chuo Zasshi databases for randomized clinical trials that assessed furosemide during COX inhibitor therapy for PDA in preterm infants.

Risk factor of disability as new certification of long-term care needs in older Japanese adults with diabetes mellitus: A longitudinal study.

Aim: This observational longitudinal study aimed to explore the risk factors for disabilities in older Japanese individuals with diabetes at a frailty clinic, an outpatient clinic specializing in comprehensive geriatric assessments for older patients.

Methods: The outcome was the onset of disability as a new certification of long-term care needs in outpatients aged ≥65 years. Multivariable Cox regression analyses examined the independent associations between the onset of disability and the variables that reached significance in the bivariate analysis, after adjusting for age and sex, years of education, and certification of need for support.

Intraoperative surgical complications of open surgery for congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a multicenter, observational study in Japan.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify surgical complications associated with open surgery for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

Methods: We performed an exploratory data analysis of the clinical characteristics of surgical complications of neonates with CDH who underwent laparotomy or thoracotomy between 2006 and 2021. Data of these patients were obtained from the database of the Japanese CDH Study Group.

Coexistence of high visceral fat area and sarcopenia is associated with atherosclerotic markers in old-old patients with diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

Aims/introduction: To investigate whether sarcopenic obesity is associated with the progression of atherosclerotic lesions in older patients with diabetes and to identify the obesity components of sarcopenic obesity that best reflect atherosclerosis.

Materials And Methods: In 118 inpatients aged ≥75 years with diabetes mellitus, sarcopenia defined as a low skeletal muscle mass and low grip strength was assessed, and sarcopenia coexisting with a high body-fat percentage or visceral fat area was defined as sarcopenic obesity. Correlations between the obesity components and atherosclerotic markers, including the carotid intima-media thickness, were analyzed; the intima-media thickness was analyzed in four groups with and without obesity and sarcopenia, and a multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for covariates was conducted to investigate whether sarcopenic obesity was independently associated with the intima-media thickness.

The effects of telepresence with real-time video and audio communication on parent-infant interaction and staff experience in neonatal intensive care unit.

Objective: We implemented an online visitation system named "telepresence" in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for family members at home to communicate with their babies in real-time using video and audio. This study evaluated the impact of this system on families and medical staff.

Methods: Nineteen families of babies admitted to the NICU between 2022 and 2023 and 65 medical staff participated.

Feasibility of Three-Dimensional Echocardiographic Analysis in Newborns by Novice Observers.

Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) provides better interobserver agreement than conventional methods. However, more evidence of whether there is good agreement between novice and experienced observers, especially in pediatric 3DE analysis, is required. We conducted 3DE analysis training in novice observers and investigated the agreement when analyzing 3DE images between novice and experienced observers.

Adrenal Insufficiency and Thyrotoxicosis Following Combined Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Use: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Destructive thyroiditis and secondary adrenal insufficiency are major endocrinological immune-related adverse events of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, the timing at which each event occurs most frequently after drug administration varies, and cases where multiple events occur simultaneously are rare. We encountered a patient who concurrently suffered from thyrotoxicosis and adrenal insufficiency.

Efficiency and feasibility of semi-automated software for measuring left atrial volume in routine echocardiography in a pediatric population.

Purpose: The traditional method for measuring left atrial volume (LAV) involves manual tracing. Recently, semi-automated techniques for measuring LAV, based on 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and 3D echocardiography (3DE), have become commercially available. This study aimed to investigate the efficiency and feasibility of these semi-automated software methods for LAV measurement in pediatric patients.

Modeling of multiple atrial septal defects with inferior vena cava rim deficiency: Three-dimensional visualization of the rim based on transthoracic echocardiographic imaging.

The morphologic features of the multiple atrial septal defects assessed by TTE-based 3D imaging were similar to those by 3D-TEE. TTE-based 3D model had excellent visibility, allowing observation of 3D structure of the rims of the defects. It may be useful method for assessment of the multiple atrial septal defects.

Indocyanine green lymphography in the congenital chylothorax and chylous ascites.

Background: The prognosis of congenital chylothorax and ascites ranges from spontaneous resolution to death, but no established examination exists to predict the prognosis. We aimed to develop a clinically useful method to evaluate lymphatic abnormalities using indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography in infants with congenital chylothorax and ascites.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated infants with congenital chylothorax and chylous ascites who underwent ICG lymphography in our hospital between 2012 and 2022.

Biventricular function in preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus ligation: A three-dimensional echocardiographic study.

Background: The detailed hemodynamics after patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation in preterm infants remain unknown. We aimed to clarify the effect of surgical ligation on left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) volume and function.

Methods: Echocardiography was performed in 41 preterm infants (median gestational age: 25 weeks) before and after PDA ligation.

Proactive Diagnosis and Tailor-Made Treatment of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Very Preterm Infants with Routine Echocardiography in Japan: A post hoc Analysis of the PLASE Study.

Introduction: A feature of the management of extremely preterm infants in Japan is proactive circulatory management using early routine echocardiography performed by neonatologists.

Methods: This study was a post hoc analysis of the Patent ductus arteriosus and Left Atrial Size Evaluation in preterm infants (PLASE) study, which is a prospective cohort study including preterm infants admitted to 34 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in Japan between October 2015 and December 2016. We described the details of the treatment strategy of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) based on early routine echocardiography.

Impact of comprehensive quality improvement program on outcomes in very-low-birth-weight infants: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Japan.

Background: Differences in outcomes among neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Japan have been noted, prompting the need for quality improvement.

Aim: To assess a comprehensive quality improvement program on outcomes in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants.

Study Design: A cluster-randomized clinical trial.

Serum Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Levels Predict the Incidence of Frailty among Patients with Cardiometabolic Diseases.

Introduction: Frailty is a crucial health issue among older adults. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial dysfunction, which are possible pathogeneses of frailty. However, few longitudinal studies have investigated the association between GDF15 and the incidence of frailty.