Brugada phenocopy in fulminant eosinophilic myocarditis: a case series.

Background: Brugada phenocopy (BrP) is a condition that induces reversible Brugada-like electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in patients without true Brugada syndrome. We present two cases of fulminant eosinophilic myocarditis that showed Type 1 Brugada ECG changes in the early phase of the clinical course.

Case Summary: Case 1 was a 76-year-old man who developed fulminant eosinophilic myocarditis with ventricular tachycardia while hospitalized for heart failure.

Early recurrence of spontaneous coronary artery dissection: potential association with coronary vasospasm and optimal timing for spasm provocation test-a case series.

Background: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an uncommon cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Various factors predispose individuals to SCAD, including coronary vasospasm, which has been identified in some studies as a related factor.

Case Summary: We present a series of three cases of ACS attributed to SCAD.

A Case of Transapical Thoracic Endovascular Repair for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm with a Complicated Access Route.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) is an alternative treatment option for high-risk patients. While conventionally performed via a transfemoral approach, it is sometimes difficult due to poor access routes. We report the case of a 90-year-old man who was incidentally diagnosed with a descending TAA while undergoing computed tomography for esophageal cancer.

Albumin-Lymphocyte-Globulin-C-Reactive Protein Index as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Hepatectomy.

Introduction: This study evaluated the performance of the albumin-lymphocyte-globulin-C-reactive protein (CRP) (ALGC) index as a novel prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy.

Methods: Patients (n = 178) who underwent hepatectomy for HCC (July 2010-December 2021) were analyzed. The ALGC index was calculated as ([albumin × lymphocyte]/[CRP × globulin × 104]).

An unusual case of two acute coronary syndrome episodes caused by allergic and non-allergic coronary artery dissection with potential coronary vasospasm association: a case report.

Background: Type I variant Kounis syndrome is characterized by coronary spasm following an allergic or anaphylactic reaction. Coronary spasm is also recognized as a contributing factor in spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD).

Case Summary: A 46-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with a chief complaint of chest discomfort following the ingestion of a steamed bun.

Combination of sarcopenia and systemic inflammation-based markers for predicting the prognosis of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of sarcopenia and inflammation on the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Methods: Eighty patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer between July 2010 and December 2023 were included in this study. The psoas muscle index was used to assess sarcopenia.

Unusual optical coherence tomography findings resembling sea anemone tentacles after orbital atherectomy for nodular calcification lesions in a haemodialysis patient: a case report.

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to characterize the details of calcified plaques because it allows high-resolution evaluation of coronary plaques, thrombi, and calcium.

Case Summary: A 72-year-old man on haemodialysis who had stenosis with a severe calcified lesion at the left anterior descending artery underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Pre-intervention OCT imaging identified a nodular calcification (NC) that protruded into the lumen of the left anterior descending artery.

Preoperative Myosteatosis and Prognostic Nutritional Index Predict Survival in Older Patients With Resected Biliary Tract Cancer.

Background/aim: Sarcopenia accompanied by systemic inflammation is associated with poor prognosis in patients with cancer. This study evaluated the prognostic significance of sarcopenia (myopenia and myosteatosis) and systemic inflammatory markers in older patients (aged ≥80 years) with resected biliary tract cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients who underwent resection for biliary tract cancer between July 2010 and January 2023 at the NHO Fukuyama Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed.

Predictive values of sarcopenia and systemic inflammation-based markers in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy.

Background: Sarcopenia accompanied by systemic inflammation is associated with poor prognosis in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the effect of sarcopenia combined with systemic inflammation on the prognosis of patients with advanced HCC who underwent hepatectomy is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sarcopenia and inflammation on the prognosis of patients with advanced HCC.

Reaction time and brain oscillations in Go/No-go tasks with different meanings of stimulus color.

Color has meaning in particular contexts, and the meaning of color can impact behavioral performance. For example, the meaning of color about traffic rules (blue/green and red mean "go" and "stop" respectively) influences reaction times (RTs) to signals. Specifically, in a Go/No-go task, RTs have been reported to be longer when responding to a red signal and withholding the response to a blue signal (Red Go/Blue No-go task) than when responding to a blue signal and withholding the response to a red signal (Blue Go/Red No-go task).

Two domains of Tim50 coordinate translocation of proteins across the two mitochondrial membranes.

Hundreds of mitochondrial proteins with N-terminal presequences are translocated across the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes via the TOM and TIM23 complexes, respectively. How translocation of proteins across two mitochondrial membranes is coordinated is largely unknown. Here, we show that the two domains of Tim50 in the intermembrane space, named core and PBD, both have essential roles in this process.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting after artificial joint replacement surgery: comparison between remimazolam and sevoflurane, a propensity score analysis.

Purpose: Remimazolam, a newly synthesized ultrashort-acting benzodiazepine, has not been previously compared with sevoflurane with regard to postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of PONV between remimazolam and sevoflurane among patients undergoing artificial joint replacement surgery.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the electronic medical records of patients who underwent artificial joint replacement surgery at Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital from 2020 to 2022, with a focus on comparing the incidence of PONV among those who received sevoflurane versus remimazolam anesthesia.

Higher synchronization stability with piano experience: relationship with finger and presentation modality.

Background: Synchronous finger tapping to external sensory stimuli is more stable for audiovisual combined stimuli than sole auditory or visual stimuli. In addition, piano players are superior in synchronous tapping and manipulating the ring and little fingers as compared to inexperienced individuals. However, it is currently unknown whether the ability to synchronize to external sensory stimuli with the ring finger is at the level of the index finger in piano players.

Preoperative C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio as a prognostic factor in biliary tract cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The preoperative C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio is a novel inflammation-based prognostic marker in various cancers. However, its prognostic role in biliary tract cancer is unknown. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio in biliary tract cancer.

BCL6B Contributes to Ocular Vascular Diseases via Notch Signal Silencing.

Background: Endothelial cell activation is tightly controlled by the balance between VEGF (vascular endothelial cell growth factor) and Notch signaling pathway. VEGF destabilizes blood vessels and promotes neovascularization, which are common features of sight-threatening ocular vascular disorders. Here, we show that BCL6B (B-cell CLL/lymphoma 6 member B protein), also known as BAZF, ZBTB28, and ZNF62, plays a pivotal role in the development of retinal edema and neovascularization.

Pulmonary artery reconstruction using a pulmonary vein conduit in case having an imbalanced dissection length during double-sleeve lobectomy.

Background: Among the types of lung resection procedures, pneumonectomy carries the highest risk for mortality. In recent years, bronchovascular double-sleeve lobectomy has been performed for centrally located non-small cell lung cancer involving both the bronchus and the pulmonary artery (PA) in order to avoid pneumonectomy. The use of an autologous pulmonary vein (PV) conduit for PA reconstruction during lung-sparing resections had first been reported in 2009.

Differential Effects of Transcranial Static Magnetic Stimulation Over Left and Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex on Brain Oscillatory Responses During a Working Memory Task.

Transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS) is known to influence behavioral and neural activities. However, although the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are associated with different cognitive functions, there remains a lack of knowledge on a difference in the effects of tSMS on cognitive performance and related brain activity between left and right DLPFC stimulations. To address this knowledge gap, we examined how differently tSMS over the left and right DLPFC altered working memory performance and electroencephalographic oscillatory responses using a 2-back task, in which subjects monitor a sequence of stimuli and decide whether a presented stimulus matches the stimulus presented two trials previously.

C-reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio Predicts Conversion from Laparoscopic to Open Cholecystectomy in Acute Cholecystitis.

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy, and to determine whether pre-operative C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) can predict conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy, in patients with acute cholecystitis diagnosed according to the Tokyo Guidelines 2018.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analysed 231 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis between January 2012 and March 2022. Two hundred and fifteen (93.

Cutaneous information processing differs with load type during isometric finger abduction.

During submaximal isometric contraction, there are two different load types: maintenance of a constant limb angle while supporting an inertial load (position task) and maintenance of a constant force by pushing against a rigid restraint (force task). Previous studies demonstrated that performing the position task requires more proprioceptive information. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there would be a difference in cutaneous information processing between the position and force tasks by assessing the gating effect, which is reduction of amplitude of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), and cutaneomuscular reflex (CMR).

Alveolar macrophages instruct CD8 T cell expansion by antigen cross-presentation in lung.

Lung CD8 memory T cells play central roles in protective immunity to respiratory viruses, such as influenza A virus (IAV). Here, we find that alveolar macrophages (AMs) function as antigen-presenting cells that support the expansion of lung CD8 memory T cells. Intranasal antigen administration to mice subcutaneously immunized with antigen results in a rapid expansion of antigen-specific CD8 T cells in the lung, which is dependent on antigen cross-presentation by AMs.