Nationwide multi-centric prospective study for the identification of biomarkers to predict the treatment responses of nivolumab through comprehensive analyses of pretreatment plasma exosome mRNAs from head and neck cancer patients (BIONEXT study).

Background: Nivolumab paved a new way in the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic (RM) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RM-HNSCC). However, the limited rates of long-term survivors (< 20%) demand a robust prognostic biomarker. This nationwide multi-centric prospective study aimed to identify a plasma exosome (PEX) mRNA signature, which serves as a companion diagnostic of nivolumab and provides a biological clue to develop effective therapies for a majority of non-survivors.

[Guidelines for presymptomatic genetic testing for adult-onset hereditary neuromuscular diseases in Japan].

In Japan, there are no nationwide guidelines for presymptomatic testing for hereditary neuromuscular diseases. Although each institution has been dealing with this situation by using their own procedures to date, it is necessary to develop a standardized guidelines based on the Japanese medical system, because the development of disease-modifying therapies has progressed, and we are entering an era in which early diagnosis and early treatment are necessary. The guidelines presented here were devised by the Committee on Medical Genetics of the Japan Neurological Society.

Evaluating the Diagnostic Value of Lymphocyte Subsets in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid and Peripheral Blood Across Various Diffuse Interstitial Lung Disease Subtypes.

Diffuse interstitial lung diseases (ILD) include conditions with identifiable causes such as chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP), sarcoidosis (SAR), chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (CHP), and connective tissue disease-associated interstitial pneumonia (CTD), as well as idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) of unknown origin. In non-IIP diffuse lung diseases, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid appearance is diagnostic. This study examines lymphocyte subsets in BAL fluid and peripheral blood of 56 patients with diffuse ILD, excluding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), who underwent BAL for diagnostic purposes.

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor Roxadustat Accelerates Wound Healing in a Mouse Hind limb Lymphedema Model.

Drugs regulating hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α have not been investigated for wound healing in lymphedema. Therefore, we examined the effects of drug modulation of HIF-1α activity for wound healing in our previously developed mouse model of nonirradiated hind limb lymphedema. Mouse hind limb lymphedema models ( = 17) and a sham group ( = 6) were created using 8- to 10-week-old male C57BL/6N mice.

Automatic Aortic Valve Extraction Using Deep Learning with Contrast-Enhanced Cardiac CT Images.

Purpose: This study evaluates the use of deep learning techniques to automatically extract and delineate the aortic valve annulus region from contrast-enhanced cardiac CT images. Two approaches, namely, segmentation and object detection, were compared to determine their accuracy.

Materials And Methods: A dataset of 32 contrast-enhanced cardiac CT scans was analyzed.

Elevated A2F bisect N-glycans of serum IgA reflect progression of liver fibrosis in patients with MASLD.

Background: Advanced liver fibrosis in cases of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) leads to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The current gold standard for liver fibrosis is invasive liver biopsy. Therefore, a less invasive biomarker that accurately reflects the stage of liver fibrosis is highly desirable.

Real-world effectiveness of mepolizumab in Japanese asthma patients with diverse backgrounds: Improvements in rhinosinusitis imaging (J-Real-Mepo).

Background: Although randomized controlled trials (RCT) have demonstrated the efficacy of mepolizumab for asthma, they have excluded certain patient subgroups. To bridge the gap between RCT and real-world practice, the effectiveness of mepolizumab in a diverse population, including those potentially excluded from RCT, was assessed. Its effects on imaging findings and symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with asthma were also assessed.

Indications for chemoradiotherapy in older patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer in Japan: a questionnaire survey in the JCOG head and neck cancer study group.

Introduction: Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) with concurrent high-dose cisplatin (CDDP) is one of the standard treatment options for locally advanced head and neck cancer. Since the indications specific to the older population have not been reported, we conducted a multicenter survey on the indications.

Methods: In April and May 2023, a questionnaire survey was emailed to all institutions belonging to the JCOG-HNCSG, consisting of 37 institutions.

Nail growth arrest under low body temperature during hibernation.

Growth and differentiation are reduced or stopped during hibernation, an energy conserving strategy in harsh seasons by lowered metabolism and body temperature. However, few studies evaluated this in a same individual using a non-invasive method. In this study, we applied a non-invasive tracking method of the nail growth throughout the hibernation period in the same hibernating animals, the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

Gait Video-Based Prediction of Severity of Cerebellar Ataxia Using Deep Neural Networks.

Background: Pose estimation algorithms applied to two-dimensional videos evaluate gait disturbances; however, a few studies have used this method to evaluate ataxic gait.

Objective: The aim was to assess whether a pose estimation algorithm can predict the severity of cerebellar ataxia by applying it to gait videos.

Methods: We video-recorded 66 patients with degenerative cerebellar diseases performing the timed up-and-go test.

Cystine transporter SLC7A11 regulates sensitivity to unsaturated carbonyl compounds in mouse macrophage cell lines.

Cytotoxic effects of cigarette smoke are thought to be causes of cigarette smoking-related diseases such as respiratory infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and atherosclerosis. Unsaturated carbonyl compounds are major cytotoxic factors in the gas phase of cigarette smoke. Cell death induced by unsaturated carbonyl compounds in cigarette smoke is PKC-dependent ferroptosis.

Coronary Artery Calcification on Chest Computed Tomography as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Adverse Events in Patients With COVID-19 - A Multicenter Retrospective Study in Japan.

Background: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) detected through chest computed tomography (CT) strongly predicts cardiovascular events in asymptomatic individuals undergoing primary prevention. Few studies with limited sample sizes have investigated the predictive value of CAC for cardiovascular complications in COVID-19. This study examined the impact of CAC on cardiovascular complications using a large-scale COVID-19 database.

A Five-Year Longitudinal Assessment of Quality of Life in Patients Who Have Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Multicenter Study.

Background: The effects of surgical treatment on the quality of life (QOL) of patients who have osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) have been rarely reported. This multicenter study aimed to elucidate the longitudinal QOL in patients who have ONFH undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods: Self-assessment QOL questionnaires, including the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ), Oxford Hip Score (OHS), and 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-12v2), were administered to 124 patients at six months, one year, two and five years postoperatively.

Actionable Gene Alterations Identified in Patients With Malignant Melanoma by Targeted Sequencing in Japan.

Purpose: Precision medicine plays an important role in the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma. Despite its high incidence in White patients, advanced melanoma is rare in Asian countries, hampering prospective clinical trials targeting the Asian population. This retrospective study aimed to elucidate the real-world molecular diagnoses and outcomes of Japanese patients with melanoma using comprehensive genome profiling (CGP).

Efficacy of anifrolumab on systemic lupus erythematosus patients with serological manifestations: A post hoc analysis of the Japan subgroup of the TULIP-2 Trial.

Objectives: To describe the efficacy of anifrolumab vs. placebo in Japanese systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with low complement (C3 or C4) and/or who are positive for anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies.

Methods: This was a descriptive post hoc analysis of Japanese SLE patients with serological manifestations in the TULIP-2 trial who received either anifrolumab or placebo.

Normal tissue complication probability model for severe radiation-induced lymphopenia in patients with pancreatic cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Background And Purpose: Radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) may be associated with a worse prognosis in pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to develop a normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) model to predict severe RIL in patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Materials And Methods: We reviewed pancreatic cancer patients treated at our facility for model training and internal validation.

Safety and Efficacy of Selexipag for Pediatric Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Japanese Patients - An Open-Label Phase 2 Study.

Background: Selexipag, an oral prostacyclin (PGI) receptor agonist, is approved for adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of selexipag for Japanese pediatric patients with PAH.

Methods And Results: The study enrolled 6 patients who received selexipag twice daily at an individualized dose based on body weight; maintenance doses were determined for each patient by 12 weeks after starting administration.

Real-World Long-Term Effectiveness of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Elderly Patients.

Background: Because it is unclear whether implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are equally effective in patients of all ages, we investigated the association of age with long-term clinical outcomes of patients who underwent ICD implantation.

Methods And Results: A total of 416 consecutive patients (mean age: 69 years) from 4 tertiary hospitals who underwent ICD implantation or were upgraded from an existing permanent pacemaker between January 2011 and November 2022 were enrolled and divided into 3 groups based on age: <65 years (n=158), 65-74 years (n=138), and ≥75 years (n=120). We compared the incidence of all-cause death and adverse cardiovascular events, including cardiac death, appropriate ICD therapy, and heart failure hospitalization.

Disease activity and glucocorticoid tapering patterns in Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus treated with anifrolumab: post hoc analysis of the Japanese subpopulation of the TULIP-2 study.

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of anifrolumab on disease activity and glucocorticoid tapering patterns in Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: We analysed disease activity and glucocorticoid tapering in the Japanese subpopulation (anifrolumab, n = 24; placebo, n = 19) of the TULIP-2 trial, which showed the efficacy and safety of anifrolumab in patients with moderate-to-severe active SLE.

Results: The percentage of patients who achieved a British Isles Lupus Assessment Group-based Composite Lupus Assessment response at Week 52 was greater in the anifrolumab group than placebo [50.

Post-operative vestibular function outcomes evaluated by video Head Impulse Test in patients with non-vestibular schwannoma cerebellopontine angle tumors.

Objectives: To evaluate post-operative semicircular canal function in patients with non-vestibular schwannoma (VS) cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors by video Head Impulse Test (vHIT).

Methods: Fourteen patients with non-VS CPA tumors who underwent surgery. The gain in vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) was examined pre- and post-operatively for the semicircular canals in patients with non-VS CPA tumors.

Treatment outcomes of primary salivary gland squamous cell carcinoma: A multi-institutional retrospective study in Japan.

Objective: Primary salivary gland squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is extremely rare, accounting for 0.3-10.4 % of all salivary gland malignancies.

Thoracolumbar kyphosis prognoses poor results after proximal femoral fracture: a 3-year multicenter prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Proximal femoral fractures are critically associated with increased risk of mortality and secondary fractures. Identifying prognosis predictors related to sagittal imbalance that are known to have negative impact on fracture risk and mortality is crucial. This study aimed to explore the relationship between various sagittal imbalance parameters and the prognosis of proximal femoral fractures to identify the most important prognostic indicators.