Comparisons of Hepatobiliary Phase Imaging Using Combinations of Parallel Imaging and Variable Degrees of Compressed Sensing With Use of Parallel Imaging Alone.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the image quality in the hepatobiliary phase images of gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver magnetic resonance imaging using parallel imaging (PI) and compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction, using variable CS factors with the standard method using the PI technique.

Methods: In this study, 64 patients who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver magnetic resonance imaging at 3.0 T were enrolled.

Sports activity participation and subjective health status of patients after total hip arthroplasty via the anterolateral-supine approach: a case series study.

Background: No reports have been published about participation in sports activity and subjective health status after total hip arthroplasty via the anterolateral approach in the supine position (ALS-THA) in Japanese patients. This study assessed sports activity participation and subjective health status, as well as factors potential associated with these variables, in patients who underwent ALS-THA.

Methods: Of 698 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty at our institution between 2013 and 2018, questionnaires were sent to 355 patients under 80 years old who had undergone ALS-THA and 242 responded.

Multijurisdictional Outbreak of Enterohemorrhagic O157 Caused by Consumption of Ready-to-Eat Grilled Skewered Meat in Niigata, Japan.

Enterohemorrhagic O157 (EHEC) causes severe complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome. Contaminated ready-to-eat (RTE) food is one of the vehicles of multijurisdictional outbreaks of foodborne disease worldwide. Multijurisdictional (covering cities, towns, and villages) outbreaks of EHEC are usually linked to an increase in cases, and here we describe such an outbreak involving 29 cases in October 2017 in the Niigata Prefecture.

Genomic Epidemiology Reveals Multiple Introductions of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Niigata City, Japan, Between February and May 2020.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a serious disease burden and poses a tremendous public health challenge worldwide. Here, we report a comprehensive epidemiological and genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 from 63 patients in Niigata City, a medium-sized Japanese city, during the early phase of the pandemic, between February and May 2020. Among the 63 patients, 32 (51%) were female, with a mean (±standard deviation) age of 47.

Sports activity participation after curved periacetabular osteotomy for acetabular dysplasia.

Background: Curved periacetabular osteotomy (CPO) was developed to treat acetabular dysplasia. Given that CPO can improve physical function in the early post-operative period, patients might be able to participate in sports activities post-operatively. Therefore, this study examined the post-operative sports activity participation and characteristics of acetabular dysplasia patients who have undergone CPO.

A portable pneumatic compression device to prevent venous thromboembolism in orthopedic patients with the highest risks of both venous thrombosis and bleeding: A case series study.

Purpose: There is a pressing need for safe venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in orthopedic patients with the highest risks of both venous thrombosis and bleeding. Portable intermittent pneumatic compression device (IPCD) has proven to be effective and safe in patients with a high risk of venous thrombosis and low bleeding risk. Therefore, this study examined the effectiveness, safety, and wearing compliance of portable IPCD for postoperative VTE prophylaxis in patients with the highest risks of both venous thrombosis and bleeding.

MEMS-based wearable eyeglasses for eye health monitoring.

A large number of world population suffer from vision related diseases/defects. Visual health supervision is important for detection, prevention and treatment of eyes disorders. Images of retina/fundus are important for diagnosis of eye diseases.

Effects of forefoot arthroplasty on plantar pressure, pain, gait and disability in rheumatoid arthritis.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of forefoot arthroplasty on plantar pressure, pain, gait, and disability within 1 year after arthroplasty in patients with RA. Eleven patients with RA who underwent forefoot arthroplasty completed this quasi-experimental study. Outcome measures were in-shoe plantar pressure, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, temporal gait parameters, and modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ), obtained preoperatively and at 4 and 12 months postoperatively.

A successful treatment for concomitant injury of the coronary artery and tricuspid valve after blunt chest trauma.

A 63-year-old woman involved in an automobile accident was brought to our hospital with thoracic injury sustained by the impact of her vehicle's steering wheel. Cardiac auscultation revealed a grade III/VI systolic murmur and the electrocardiogram showed ST elevation in leads 2, 3 and aVF. A 2D echocardiogram revealed severe tricuspid regurgitation and a hypokinetic right ventricle.

Cardiac myxosarcoma with thoracic spinal metastasis.

Echocardiography revealed a left atrial tumor in a 59-year-old man with back pain that concurrently worsened with left foot drop and loss of the left ankle reflex soon after admission to our hospital. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed an epidural tumor extending from Th5 with spinal cord compression. The patient was immediately treated by emergency Th4-5 laminectomy and epidural decompression.

Time to initiation of treatment with polymyxin B cartridge hemoperfusion in septic shock patients.

Background: We investigated whether early initiation of hemoperfusion with a polymyxin B cartridge (PMX) after the diagnosis of septic shock could improve the clinical outcome.

Methods: A prospective, open-labeled, multicenter cohort study was performed at intensive care units in Japan. 41 patients received PMX within 6 h after the diagnosis of septic shock (early group) and 51 patients were treated after 6 h (late group).

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of intravenous ciprofloxacin versus meropenem in the treatment of postoperative infection.

Therapeutic options for postoperative infection in gastrointestinal surgery are limited. To identify new treatment alternatives, the Japan Society for Surgical Infection conducted a multicenter prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing the efficacy of intravenous ciprofloxacin (CIP IV) and intravenous meropenem (MEM IV). Between July 2005 and May 2008, the trial recruited patients who developed postoperative infection or had suspected infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome after elective clean-contaminated gastrointestinal surgery.

Adjuvant combined paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy for glassy cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix: report of three cases with clinicopathological analysis.

Glassy cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (GCC) is a rare form of cervical carcinoma that is characterized by aggressiveness and poor prognosis. We reviewed a variety of clinicopathological features, treatment strategies, and outcomes in three women with GCC. The three patients were successfully treated by radical hysterectomy with pelvic/para-aortic lymphadenectomy.

Alpha-fetoprotein producing ovarian clear cell carcinoma with a neometaplasia to hepatoid carcinoma arising from endometriosis: a case report.

We present a rare case of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) producing ovarian clear cell carcinoma. This is the first report of a clear cell ovarian carcinoma with hepatoid carcinoma arising from endometriosis. A 54-year-old menopausal woman had a primary ovarian carcinoma of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIIc.

A case of rectal obstruction caused by bilateral internal iliac artery aneurysms.

In this article, we report a rare case of rectal obstruction caused by bilateral internal iliac artery aneurysms that required open surgical repair. A 73-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of abdominal pain and persistent constipation for >1 month. Computed tomography demonstrated bilateral internal iliac artery aneurysms, 5.

Awake partial sternotomy pacemaker implantation under thoracic epidural anesthesia.

An 82-year-old man with symptomatic bradycardia had infective endocarditis with tricuspid vegetation. The patient also had severe obstructive pulmonary disease, and endotracheal general anesthesia was contraindicated. Under satisfactory epidural anesthesia with catheterization at the T5/6 level, lower partial sternotomy was performed, and dual pacing electrodes were placed on the heart.

Successful surgical treatment for infective endocarditis during pregnancy.

We herein describe the case of a 31-year-old woman. In the 27th week of pregnancy, the patient was hospitalized because of fever and a lumbar backache. In the 29th week of pregnancy, she developed embolic symptom in her left lower limb.

Atopic cough-like cough hypersensitivity caused by active sensitization with protein fraction of Aspergillus restrictus strain A-17.

We examined the sensitivity of the cough reflex to inhaled citric acid in guinea pigs that had been actively sensitized with the protein fraction of Aspergillus restrictus strain A-17. The number of coughs elicited by an aerosol of 5% citric acid was significantly increased in the sensitized group compared to the non-sensitized group. The number of citric-acid-induced coughs in sensitized guinea pigs was dose-dependently and significantly reduced to the level in non-sensitized guinea pigs when animals were pretreated with fexofenadine, a selective histamine H1 receptor antagonist, 60min before citric acid inhalation.

Role of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 in capsaicin-induced cough.

The role of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) in the capsaicin-induced cough reflex was examined in mice. Pretreatment with inhaled roscovitine, a selective Cdk5 inhibitor, at concentrations of 0.3 to 3 mM inhibited the number of capsaicin-induced coughs in a concentration-dependent manner.

Elastic convection in vibrated viscoplastic fluids.

We observe a new type of behavior in a shear-thinning yield stress fluid: freestanding convection rolls driven by vertical oscillation. The convection occurs without the constraint of container boundaries, yet the diameter of the rolls is spontaneously selected for a wide range of parameters. The transition to the convecting state occurs without hysteresis when the amplitude of the plate acceleration exceeds a critical value.

Involvement of ionotropic purinergic receptors in the histamine-induced enhancement of the cough reflex sensitivity in guinea pigs.

We examined the effect of inhaled histamine on citric acid-induced coughs and clarified the role of ionotropic purinergic receptors in the resulting changes. Although the inhalation of 0.1 M citric acid by itself produced only a few coughs in guinea pigs, exposure to histamine, at concentrations of 0.