Delirium following total hip or knee arthroplasty: A retrospective, single-center study.

Background: Delirium is a postoperative complication that may occur in older patients. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of postoperative delirium and its risk factors in patients who had undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Few reports have addressed the occurrence of delirium when different methods of pain control are used following total joint arthroplasty, and, therefore, whether its incidence varied depending on differences in pain control was investigated.

The Apparent Lack of the Risk of Intussusception Immediately After Rotavirus Vaccination Among Japanese Infants.

Rotavirus vaccines carry a small risk of intussusception mainly 1-7 days after vaccination in the United States of America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America where the background rate of intussusception is relatively low. Such risks are undetectable in Africa and India where the background rate is the lowest. Because few studies were carried out in high-background-rate countries such as Japan, we examined how intussusception occurred in infants living in Akita prefecture, Japan, while the vaccines were sold in the private market.

Massive bowel resection modulates the expression of genes involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism in rats.

We have previously shown that vitamin A-absorptive function was enhanced in bowel-resected rats via increased expression of cellular retinol-binding protein II (CRBP II). Recently, CRBP II was shown to bind not only to retinol but also to monoacylglycerols to modulate gut endocrine signaling. We hypothesized that the increased CRBP II in bowel-resected rats had broader effects than vitamin A metabolism.

Contrast-Enhanced Sonography of the Liver: How to Avoid Artifacts.

Contrast-enhanced sonography (CEUS) is a very important diagnostic imaging tool in clinical settings. However, it is associated with possible artifacts, such as B-mode US-related artifacts. Sufficient knowledge of US physics and these artifacts is indispensable to avoid the misinterpretation of CEUS images.

Progresses Toward Polio Eradication in Asian Countries: Its History and Japan's Contributions.

Japan experienced a large outbreak of wild poliovirus in the 1960s. The government made an exceptional decision to import oral polio vaccines (OPVs) from the Soviet Union and Canada while bypassing the usual approval process for medical products. Mass vaccination and subsequent, routine immunization successfully contained the wild poliovirus; the last case in Japan was reported in 1980.

Genetic Ablation of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase Isoform 4 Gene Enhances Recovery from Hyperoxic Lung Injury: Insights into Antioxidant and Inflammatory Mechanisms.

Background: Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoform 4 (PDK4) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cellular proliferation and apoptosis. The objective of this study was to examine whether the genetic depletion of the PDK4 gene attenuates hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal mice.

Methods: Neonatal PDK4-/- mice and wild-type (WT) mice were exposed to oxygen concentrations of 21% (normoxia) and 95% (hyperoxia) for the first 4 days of life.

Association of hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 gene with the need of home oxygen therapy in premature Japanese infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has a lasting effect on the respiratory function of infants, imposing chronic health burdens. BPD is influenced by various prenatal, postnatal, and genetic factors. This study explored the connection between BPD and home oxygen therapy (HOT), and then we examined the association between HOT and a specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 () gene among premature Japanese infants.

Eradication Does Not Adversely Affect the Clinical Course of Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter Study on Screening Endoscopic Examination in Japan.

Background: Since gastric cancers (GCs) detected after () eradication present with different morphological characteristics from conventional -positive GCs, delayed detection of early-stage GCs may be observed. This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of eradication on diagnosing GC during screening endoscopy.

Methods: Eleven health checkup institutions in Japan participated in the present study.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Non-Fibrotic Liver: A Narrative Review.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a non-fibrotic liver (F0) is considered to be rare, and there is a marked paucity of studies in the literature on this HCC type. A review of the literature shows some important clinical and tumor characteristics: (a) it occurs mainly in young female and elder male patients; (b) clinically, under normal hepatic function, alpha-fetoprotein level is often normal, and there are no risk factors; (c) associated with metabolic disease; (d) macroscopically, single large lesions are noted; and (e) microscopically, the lesions are well-differentiated and encapsulated. Radiological imaging results are straightforward, showing arterial hyperenhancement and later wash-out.

Frameshift Mutation in de novo Small-Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Prostate: A Case Report.

A 66-year-old male was diagnosed with cT4N0M1b small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the prostate. Four months after the administration of combined androgen blockade, multiple novel metastatic regions in the lung and liver and progression of bone metastasis were observed. The patient was referred to our hospital because of biochemical and radiographic progression after four cycles of docetaxel as a first-line therapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer.