Efficacy of Preoperative Bilateral Thoracic Paravertebral Block in Cardiac Surgery Requiring Full Heparinization: A Propensity-Matched Study.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of preoperative bilateral paravertebral block (PVB) with general anesthesia (GA) in contributing to early extubation and decreasing opioid consumption in cardiac surgery.

Design: A propensity score-matched retrospective study.

Setting: A single tertiary medical center between January 2018 and December 2020.

Randomized phase 2 study comparing irinotecan versus amrubicin as maintenance therapy after first-line induction therapy for extensive disease small cell lung cancer (HOT1401/NJLCG1401).

Background: A cisplatin plus irinotecan (CPT-11) regimen is used for patients with extensive disease small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). Amrubicin (AMR) is primarily used for relapsed SCLC. The HOT1401/NJLCG1401 trial, an open-label randomized phase II trial, was designed to assess the benefit of maintenance therapy in patients with ED-SCLC who responded to induction therapy.

Safety and Efficacy of Mirogabalin for Peripheral Neuropathic Pain: Pooled Analysis of Two Pivotal Phase III Studies.

Purpose: Mirogabalin besylate has been approved in several countries to treat peripheral neuropathic pain. This pooled analysis, using data from the two pivotal Phase III studies in Asian patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain and post-herpetic neuralgia, aimed to provide clinicians with more detailed and precise information relating to mirogabalin's safety and efficacy.

Methods: Data were pooled from 2 multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, 14-week treatment studies of mirogabalin conducted at ∼350 study sites (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand).

Impact of pretreatment anemia on upfront abiraterone acetate therapy for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Anemia has been a known prognostic factor in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). We therefore examined the effect of anemia on the efficacy of upfront abiraterone acetate (ABI) in patients with mHSPC.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 66 mHSPC patients with high tumor burden who received upfront ABI between 2018 and 2020 (upfront ABI group).

Comparison of pembrolizumab with conventional chemotherapy after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma in real-world practice: A multicenter retrospective study.

Objectives: To assess the clinical benefit of pembrolizumab as second-line therapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Methods: We retrospectively compared the effects of pembrolizumab with those of conventional chemotherapy on the prognosis of patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma at six hospitals between January 2004 and August 2020. We compared the oncological outcomes between the patients treated with pembrolizumab and those treated with conventional chemotherapy using Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis with the inverse probability of treatment weighting method.

Treatment With Vasopressor Agents for Cardiovascular Shock Patients With Poor Renal Function; Results From the Japanese Circulation Society Cardiovascular Shock Registry.

According to the guidelines for cardiogenic shock, norepinephrine is associated with fewer arrhythmias than dopamine and may be the better first-line vasopressor agent. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of norepinephrine vs. dopamine as first-line vasopressor agent for cardiovascular shock depending on the presence and severity of renal dysfunction at hospitalization.

Methylation profile of imprinted genes provides evidence for teratomatous origin of a subset of mucinous ovarian tumours.

Mucinous ovarian tumours are sometimes associated with mature teratomas. It is suggested that the mucinous tumours in this setting are derived from teratomas, but there remains the possibility of collision or metastasis from extra-ovarian sites. Because mature ovarian teratomas are considered to be parthenogenetic tumours that arise from a single oocyte/ovum, they have only a maternal genome and therefore show maternal genome imprinting.

Phytobezoar Associated with Levodopa-carbidopa Intestinal Gel Infusion in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Continuous intrajejunal infusion of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) is an established device-aided therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Phytobezoar associated with LCIG is a rare device-related complication and presents with exacerbations of gastrointestinal and PD symptoms. We herein report the case of a phytobezoar that was formed at a knot on the pigtail-shaped J-tube and developed only in association with postprandial abdominal pain, similar to a feeling of a tube being pulled in without an exacerbation of PD symptoms.

The effect of number of treatment cycles of platinum-based first-line chemotherapy on maximum radiological response in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Objective: The number of cycles of platinum-based first-line chemotherapy associated with the maximum tumor response in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma is not yet established. We investigated the association between the number of cycles and the maximum radiological response of first-line chemotherapy.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 167 patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with platinum-based first-line chemotherapy between May 2003 and December 2020.

[Two Cases in Which Simultaneous Laparoscopic Surgery and Breast Cancer Surgery Using a Head-Mounted Monitor Were Useful].

Herein, we report on how we were able to reduce the operation time by simultaneously performing laparoscopic surgery and breast cancer surgery using a head-mounted monitor(HMS-3000MT, Sony corporation). Case 1: 60s, female. A 5.

Effects of anti-thrombotic drugs on all-cause mortality after upper gastrointestinal bleeding in Japan: A multicenter study with 2205 cases.

Objects: Although anti-thrombotic use is recognized as a risk factor for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), there has been no clear evidence that it worsens the outcomes after the bleeding. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of anti-thrombotic agents on in-hospital mortality following UGIB.

Methods: Information on clinical parameters, including usage of anti-thrombotic agents, was retrospectively collected from consecutive patients with UGIB at 12 high-volume centers in Japan between 2011 and 2018.

The first-round results of a population-based cohort study of HPV testing in Japanese cervical cancer screening: baseline characteristics, screening results, and referral rate.

Objective: In 2013, a cohort study aimed to clarify the positive and negative effects of introducing the human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for population-based cervical cancer screening has been launched in Japan. This study included four screenings during the subsequent 7-year follow-up period. We aim to describe the results of the first round of this study on cervical cancer screening here.

Fluctuations in internal cerebral vein and central side veins of preterm infants.

Background: Studies on the acute management of extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants reveal a high incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in infants with high-grade internal cerebral vein perfusion waveform fluctuations. In this prospective observational study we investigated the Doppler perfusion waveform fluctuations in the great cerebral vein, straight sinus, and internal cerebral veins of ELBW infants.

Methods: We evaluated perfusion waveforms after birth every 12 h until 120 h in 73 ELBW infants (<1,000 g) at our hospital.

Therapeutic effects of the combined androgen blockade therapy versus luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog monotherapy in patients with hormone naïve metastatic prostate cancer: a multi-institutional comparative analysis.

Background: The clinical benefit of the combined androgen blockade (CAB) therapy over luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog (LH-RHa) monotherapy for hormone naïve metastatic prostate cancer (mHNPC) is unclear. Therefore, we retrospectively compare the effectiveness of CAB with the LH-RHa monotherapy on the prognosis of Japanese patients with mHNPC.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the prognosis of 517 patients diagnosed with mHNPC between August 2001 and May 2017.

Trends in the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and oncological outcomes for high-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a multicentre retrospective study.

Objective: To evaluate temporal trends in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) utilisation and outcomes in patients with locally advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

Patients And Methods: We included 289 patients from seven hospitals who underwent radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for locally advanced UTUC (≥cT3 or cN+) between 2000 and 2020. These patients received RNU alone or two to four courses of NAC with either a cisplatin- or carboplatin-based regimen.

[A Case of Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer with an Adachi Type Ⅵ Group 24 Vascular Anomaly].

We report a case of successful laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer with an Adachi type Ⅵ group 24 vascular anomaly. A male in his 60s exhibited a type 0-Ⅱa plus Ⅱc lesion at the lesser curvature of the gastric angle by esophagogastroduodenoscopy and was diagnosed with tub2. He was referred to us for surgical treatment.

Clinical significance of bifocal treatment for synchronous brain metastasis in T1-2 non-small-cell lung cancers: JNETS0301.

Objectives: The treatment of patients with brain metastases associated with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is frequently challenging. Starting in 2003, we conducted a phase II study of surgery for patients with clinical T1-2N0-1 NSCLC with oligometastasis. The aim of this subset study was to assess the clinical significance of bifocal treatment for synchronous brain metastases in T1-2N0-1 NSCLC using prospectively collected data.

Compression of the Left Atrium and Left Ventricle by a Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A Case Report.

We describe the case of a 66-year-old man with a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, who presented with cardiac failure; he had complained of shortness of breath. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan and transthoracic echocardiography showed compression of the left atrium and ventricle by a giant thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. The cardiac failure resolved after early prosthetic graft replacement surgery.

Arterial Spin Labeling Was Useful for Evaluating the Treatment Response of a Transverse-Sigmoid Sinus Dural Arteriovenous Fistula: A Case Report.

Objective: We report the case of a patient in whom arterial spin labeling (ASL) was useful for assessing the effects of treatment for a transverse-sigmoid sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (TSS-dAVF).

Case Presentation: The patient was a 65-year-old man. Cerebral angiography demonstrated an aggressive dAVF involving the TSS, superior sagittal sinus (SSS), and the sinus confluence, with severe cortical and deep venous reflux.

Usefulness of the Double-Lumen Super-Compliant Balloon Catheter "Super-Masamune" for Balloon-Assisted Coil Embolization of Carotid-Cavernous Fistulas.

Objective: Transarterial embolization (TAE) of the cavernous sinus (CS) via a fistula formed in the internal carotid artery (ICA) is the standard for carotid-cavernous fistulas (CCFs). Depending on the fistula, an adjunctive technique using a balloon or stent is effective. We report a case in which the balloon-assisted technique using the super-compliant balloon catheter "Super-Masamune" was effective.

[Herpes zoster duplex associated with Ramsay Hunt syndrome and cervical zoster paresis. A case report].

A 63-year-old Japanese female in an immunocompetent state developed right Ramsay Hunt syndrome and left shoulder pain, and left upper limb motor paresis with herpes zoster (HZ) duplex in the right auricle and left shoulder regions. With her Ramsay Hunt syndrome, neural deafness, tinnitus and vestibular symptoms were observed, and she lacked facial nerve palsy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings revealed an increase in lymphocytes (21 cells/μl) and protein content (29 mg/dl), and polymerase chain reaction for varicella-zoster virus DNA in CSF was negative.

Effectiveness of Gabapentinoids for Cancer-related Rectal and Vesical Tenesmus: Report of Four Cases.

Gabapentinoids could be assumed to relieve cancer-related rectal/vesical tenesmus based on their pharmacological mechanism. Four patients were refractory for cancer-related rectal/vesical tenesmus although their opioid doses were titrated up. Symptom intensity difference (SID) between initiation and follow-up after 24, 48, and 72 h and daily changes in the frequency of urination, defecation, opioid rescue doses, presence of sleep disruption, and dose of regular opioid medication were evaluated.