Association of Serum Albumin Levels and Long-Term Prognosis in Patients with Biopsy-Confirmed Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

The relationship between baseline serum albumin level and long-term prognosis of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unknown. This is a sub-analysis of the CLIONE (Clinical Outcome Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) study. The main outcomes were: death or orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), liver-related death, and liver-related events (hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC], decompensated cirrhosis, and gastroesophageal varices/bleeding).

Characteristics and In-Hospital Outcomes of Patients Who Underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting during Hospitalization for ST-Segment Elevation or Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Purpose: Little is known about the outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the current percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era.

Methods: We analyzed 25120 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients hospitalized between January 2011 and December 2016. In-hospital outcomes were compared between patients who underwent CABG during hospitalization and those who did not undergo CABG in the STEMI group (n = 19428) and NSTEMI group (n = 5692).

Impacts of an age-related hearing loss allele of cadherin 23 on severity of hearing loss in ICR and NOD/Shi mice.

The age-related hearing loss allele (Cdh23) of the cadherin 23 gene leads to a more severe hearing loss phenotype through additive effects with risk alleles for hearing loss. In this study, we genome edited the Cdh23 allele to the wild-type Cdh23 allele in outbred ICR mice and inbred NOD/Shi mice established from ICR mice and investigated their effects on hearing phenotypes. Several hearing tests confirmed that ICR mice developed early onset high-frequency hearing loss and exhibited individual differences in hearing loss onset times.

Sequential therapies after atezolizumab plus bevacizumab or lenvatinib first-line treatments in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Introduction: The aim of this retrospective proof-of-concept study was to compare different second-line treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and progressive disease (PD) after first-line lenvatinib or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1381 patients had PD at first-line therapy. 917 patients received lenvatinib as first-line treatment, and 464 patients atezolizumab plus bevacizumab as first-line.

Coronary Microvascular Spasm: Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis.

Professor Maseri pioneered the research and treatment of coronary vasomotion abnormalities represented by coronary vasospasm and coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD). These mechanisms can cause myocardial ischaemia even in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease, and have been appreciated as an important aetiology and therapeutic target with major clinical implications in patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA). Coronary microvascular spasm is one of the key mechanisms responsible for myocardial ischaemia in patients with INOCA.

Lymphoproliferative disorder risk after methotrexate treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

Methotrexate (MTX)-associated lymphoproliferative disorder (MTX-LPD) is a troublesome problem in patients receiving MTX for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, its incidence, prognosis, and risk factors remain unclear. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the actual incidence, prognostic impact, and risk factors of MTX-LPD.

Physical pictures of rotation mechanisms of F- and V-ATPases: Leading roles of translational, configurational entropy of water.

We aim to develop a theory based on a concept other than the chemo-mechanical coupling (transduction of chemical free energy of ATP to mechanical work) for an ATP-driven protein complex. Experimental results conflicting with the chemo-mechanical coupling have recently emerged. We claim that the system comprises not only the protein complex but also the aqueous solution in which the protein complex is immersed and the system performs essentially no mechanical work.

Epithelialization of Free Flap Vascular Pedicles through the Nasal Cavity after Long-term Follow-up: A Case Report.

A 59-year-old man with right maxillary cancer presented with a right buccal fistula and an ectropion of the lower eyelid after multidisciplinary treatment. With no suitable vessels in the right face or neck for anastomosis, we planned reconstruction with a free thinned deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap using the contralateral left facial artery and vein as the recipient. To simulate the length of the vascular pedicle, we used our original software and determined to use the route passing through the nasal cavity.

Five new resin glycosides, calyhedins XI-XV, from Calystegia hederacea.

Calystegia hederacea Wall. (Convolvulaceae) is a perennial herbaceous vine that grows widely in India and East Asia. All parts of this plant are used to treat various disorders such as menoxenia and gonorrhea.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound therapy for refractory angina pectoris.

Background: Despite the advances in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, effective treatment remains to be established to improve the quality of life and prognosis of patients with chronic coronary syndromes. This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) therapy, which we have developed as a novel non-invasive angiogenic therapy through upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS).

Methods And Findings: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled (RCT) pilot trial of the LIPUS therapy for patients with refractory angina pectoris.

Significance of multiple tumor markers measurements in conversion surgery for unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the significance of multiple tumor markers (TMs) measurements in determining the indications for conversion surgery (CS) in the management of unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer (UR-LAPC).

Methods: A total of 103 patients with UR-LAPC, treated between 2008 and June 2021, were enrolled in this study. Three TMs, including carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and Duke pancreatic monoclonal antigen type 2 (DUPAN-2), were measured.

Use of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators for Primary Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Asia.

The effectiveness of primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) is well established. However, there are several unsolved problems related to ICD use for primary prevention in Asia, including ICD underuse, population differences in underlying heart disease, and the rate of appropriate ICD therapy compared with Western countries. Although the prevalence of ischemic cardiomyopathy in Asia is lower than in Europe and the United States, the mortality rate of Asian patients with ischemic heart disease has been increasing recently.

A case of fulminant type 1 diabetes and protein C deficiency complicated by deep vein thrombosis.

A 25-year-old man was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at the onset of fulminant type 1 diabetes. After acute-phase DKA treatment including placement of a central venous catheter, a massive deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) were detected on hospital day 15. His protein C (PC) activity and antigen levels were low even 33 days after completing the DKA treatment, indicating partial type I PC deficiency.

Geriatric nutritional risk index as an easy-to-use assessment tool for nutritional status in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.

Aim: The present study focused on Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), which is based on bodyweight and serum albumin, and known as an easy-to-use nutritional assessment tool in clinical settings, to elucidate the prognostic predictive ability of GNRI in patients treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: A total of 525 HCC patients treated with Atez/Bev, based on their classification of unsuitable status for curative treatments and/or transarterial catheter chemoembolization, were enrolled (Child-Pugh A:B:C = 484:40:1, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage 0:A:B:C:D = 7:25:192:283:18). Prognosis was evaluated retrospectively using GNRI.

A teenage boy with acute myocarditis and reversible microvascular angina: A case report.

Unlabelled: A 17-year-old male was diagnosed with acute myocarditis based on the presence of CD3-positive T-lymphocytes in myocardial biopsy, normal coronary angiography, and focal increase in late gadolinium enhancement, T2 intensity and native T1 value. On day 2, the patient suffered from recurrence of chest pain with new ST segment elevations on electrocardiogram. A transient metabolic alteration (inversed lactate level of the coronary sinus relative to that of the coronary artery) accompanied by chest pain and electrocardiographic changes without epicardial coronary spasm in acetylcholine provocation test led to the diagnosis of microvascular angina, which is characterized by a transient myocardial ischemia secondary to a dysfunction of the resistance coronary vessels (<500 μm) that, because of their small size, are not visualized at coronary angiography.

Real-world treatment outcome with protease inhibitor direct-acting antiviral in advanced hepatitis C cirrhosis: a REAL-C study.

Introduction: Current guidelines discourage the use of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) containing protease-inhibitor (PI) in advanced HCV cirrhosis. We aimed to compare the real-world tolerability of PI vs. non-PI DAA regimens in this population.

Analysis of the Factors That Affect the Detection Duration of SARS-CoV-2 in Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification among COVID-19 Inpatients.

In COVID-19 patients who are immunocompromised or have severe COVID-19, the duration of infectious viral shedding may be longer, and a longer isolation duration is recommended. At the National Sagamihara Hospital, a decline in the viral load to end the isolation of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was confirmed using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). However, a subset of patients displayed LAMP positivity for more than 20 days after symptom onset.