Efficacy of Dysesthesia-Matched Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Chronic Lower Limb Numbness in Patients With Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: A Case Report.

Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) is a degenerative condition that causes leg pain, numbness, and gait disturbances. Despite surgical treatment, reducing numbness is more challenging than reducing pain, and there is currently no established effective intervention method. Dysesthesia-matched transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (DM-TENS) is a novel technique that adjusts TENS settings to match the sensation of numbness, potentially improving it.

Five-Year Impacts of Antithrombotic Therapy Based on 10-Year Clinical Outcomes of Cypher™ Stent Implantation.

Introduction: Few researchers have investigated the optimal long-term antithrombotic therapy regimen, especially after first-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) use. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mid-term antithrombotic therapy on long-term outcomes in patients treated with the first sirolimus-eluting coronary stent (Cypher™).

Methods: Between 2004 and 2009, 1021 patients underwent Cypher™ implantation at our institute; among them, 567 patients had available data on antithrombotic therapy at year 5.

Fragmented QRS on far-field intracardiac electrograms as a predictor of arrhythmic events.

Background: Studies suggest that fragmented QRS (fQRS) can predict arrhythmic events in various cardiac diseases. However, the association between fQRS recordings on intracardiac electrogram (EGM) and ventricular arrhythmic events remains unknown.

Methods: We enrolled 51 patients (age, 62 ± 12 years; 40 men) with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and structural heart disease and evaluated surface electrocardiogram (ECG) and EGM measurement of fQRS and the association between fQRS and arrhythmic events.

Incidence of outflow tract ventricular tachycardia long after surgical aortic valve replacement.

Background: The peri-outflow tract region could be the origin of ventricular tachycardia (VT) after aortic valve replacement (AVR). However, the clinical characteristics of outflow tract ventricular tachycardias (OTVTs) after AVR are yet to be clarified. This study investigated the incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of patients with OTVTs after AVR.

Feasibility and safety of uninterrupted apixaban in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Background: An optimal periprocedural anticoagulation strategy is essential for minimizing bleeding and thromboembolic complications during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Limited data are available on the uninterrupted use of apixaban in patients with AF undergoing catheter ablation. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of uninterrupted apixaban in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation for AF.

Clinical experience of idarucizumab use in cases of cardiac tamponade under uninterrupted anticoagulation of dabigatran during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Anticoagulants are prescribed for prevention of thromboembolic events (TE) of atrial fibrillation (AF), however, their effects have a negative impact on disastrous bleeding outcomes. Idarucizumab was developed to reverse the anticoagulation effects of dabigatran. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of idarucizumab in the setting of progressive emergent bleeding events associated with catheter ablation (CA).

The proportion of asymptomatic recurrence after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with a pacemaker for sick sinus syndrome.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is an effective treatment. However, the frequency of asymptomatic AF recurrence after CA in patients with PAF and sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is not clear. The aim of this study was to elucidate the real AF recurrence after CA in patients with PAF and a pacemaker for SSS.

Efficacy and safety of uninterrupted rivaroxaban taken preoperatively for radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation compared to uninterrupted warfarin.

Purpose: Data on uninterrupted rivaroxaban taken preoperatively for radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited. The aim was to evaluate safety and efficacy of rivaroxaban taken in the morning for AF ablation, especially with regard to asymptomatic cerebral emboli (ACE) and anticoagulation parameters.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 147 consecutive patients who underwent RFCA (mean age 66, 110 patients with paroxysmal AF), 76 of whom were on rivaroxaban, 71 on warfarin.

Impact of Alcohol Consumption on the Outcome of Catheter Ablation in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Although several studies have reported an association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and alcohol, the impact of alcohol consumption on the outcome after catheter ablation (CA) for AF has not been discussed. We aimed to elucidate the effect of alcohol consumption on the outcome of CA for paroxysmal AF.

Methods And Results: We examined 1361 consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF (mean age, 61±11 years, 334 women) who underwent CA, including 623 (45.

Serological survey of Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in cats in Japan.

Antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi) were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using E. cuniculi PTP2 recombinant protein from serum samples that had been collected from a total of 295 cats in Japan.

Plasmonic-heating-induced nanofabrication on glass substrates.

Fabricating nano-sized through-holes on a coverslip approximately 100 μm thick is challenging but rewarding when applied to ultrafine filters that separate proteins and DNA of various sizes and isolate viruses from cells. Toward this end, we developed an in situ etching-assisted laser processing technique exploiting gold nanoparticles. Plasmonic heating of a single gold nanoparticle through focused illumination of a continuous-wave laser beam enables structural modifications to be localized to the contact area on the glass surface.

Identification of immunodiagnostic antigens for cerebrospinal filariasis in horses by western blot analysis.

In the present study, the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of horses diagnosed with Setaria digitata cerebrospinal filariasis were analyzed by western blot. The results revealed S. digitata protein bands measuring 65, 34, 22, and 18 kDa in molecular weight.

Seasonal, weekly, and circadian distribution of ventricular fibrillation in patients with J-wave syndrome from the J-PREVENT registry.

Background: Ventricular fibrillation (VF) in Brugada syndrome (BrS) is known to occur more frequently during nighttime and from spring to early summer. In this study, we investigated whether early repolarization syndrome (ERS) has the same seasonal, weekly, and circadian distribution of VF events as BrS using data from the "J-wave associated with prior cardiac event" (J-PREVENT) registry.

Methods: The study included 90 consecutive patients with BrS and 31 patients with ERS during a mean follow-up of 49±37 months.

Differences in catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation between males and females.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) has become a standard treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, gender-related differences associated with CA of paroxysmal AF (PAF) remain unclear.

Methods: We compared 1124 consecutive patients (mean age, 61 ± 10 years; male, n=864) with PAF scheduled for CA between the genders.

The inhibitory effects of fluoroquinolones on L-carnitine transport in placental cell line BeWo.

L-Carnitine plays an important role in lipid metabolism by facilitating the transport of long-chain fatty acids across the mitochondrial inner membrane followed by fatty acid beta-oxidation. It is known that members of the OCTN family play an important role in L-carnitine transport in the placenta. Investigation of drug-drug or drug-nutrient interaction in the placenta is important for establishment of safety drug medication during pregnancy.

Mechanism of the inhibitory effect of zwitterionic drugs (levofloxacin and grepafloxacin) on carnitine transporter (OCTN2) in Caco-2 cells.

L-Carnitine plays an important role in lipid metabolism by facilitating the transport of long-chain fatty acids across the mitochondrial inner membrane followed by fatty acid beta-oxidation. It is known that L-carnitine exists as a zwitterion and that member of the OCTN family play an important role in its transport. The aims of this study were to characterize L-carnitine transport in the intestine by using Caco-2 cells and to elucidate the effects of levofloxacin (LVFX) and grepafloxacin (GPFX), which are zwitterionic drugs, on L-carnitine uptake.