Day-by-Day Blood Pressure Variability in the Subacute Stage of Ischemic Stroke and Long-Term Recurrence.

Background And Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether variability of day-by-day blood pressure (BP) during the subacute stage of acute ischemic stroke is predictive of long-term stroke recurrence.

Methods: We analyzed 7665 patients (mean±SD age: 72.9±13.

Comparison of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in the Prediction of Diabetes: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: Both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are associated with diabetes risk, and the difference between them in predictive ability for diabetes is still contentious. We conducted a population-based study to investigate and compare the association of them with diabetes by sex.

Methods: This study included a total of 4754 subjects aged 40-80 years with no diabetes at baseline between 2008 and 2017.

Minimal detectable change in handgrip strength and usual and maximum gait speed scores in community-dwelling Japanese older adults requiring long-term care/support.

Aging is an important issue in Japan that has led to a large number of older adults requiring long-term care/support. Therefore, we determined the range of measurement error in the measurement of handgrip strength and gait speed which are representative tests. This cross-sectional study included 111 community-dwelling Japanese older adults aged ≥65 years who required long-term care/support and underwent ambulatory rehabilitation.

How culture affects validity: understanding Japanese residents' sense-making of evaluating clinical teachers.

Objectives: Traditionally, evaluation is considered a measurement process that can be performed independently of the cultural context. However, more recently the importance of considering raters' sense-making, that is, the process by which raters assign meaning to their collective experiences, is being recognised. Thus far, the majority of the discussion on this topic has originated from Western perspectives.

Association between pulmonary oxygen uptake on-kinetics and acute cardiovascular responses to resistance exercise in patients with coronary artery disease: a preliminary study.

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine whether pulmonary oxygen uptake on-kinetics at the onset of moderate-intensity exercise can predict acute cardiovascular responses to resistance exercise. [Participants and Methods] The association between pulmonary oxygen uptake on-kinetics and acute cardiovascular responses to a single resistance exercise session was investigated in seven patients with low-risk coronary artery disease who underwent revascularization through percutaneous coronary intervention. The participants performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test on a cycle ergometer and a single resistance exercise session at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction on a bilateral leg-extension machine 1 week after surgery.

HE4 Predicts Progressive Fibrosis and Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Background Cardiac fibrosis plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). HE4 (human epididymis protein 4) is a secretory protein expressed in activated fibroblasts that exacerbates tissue fibrosis. In the present study, we investigated the clinical utility of HE4 measurement in patients with DCM and its pathophysiological role in preclinical experiments in vivo and in vitro.

Determinants of school attendance in elementary school students in Japan: a structural equation model.

Background: Managing school nonattendance is a priority worldwide. Frequent school nonattendance in early school years has immediate and long-term negative effects. Although strategies to address nonattendance are being developed and implemented, the number of students with school nonattendance issues is increasing.

Complete Genome Sequencing of Mycobacterium heckeshornense Strain JMUB5695, Isolated from Necrotizing Granulomatous Lesions.

We report the complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium heckeshornense strain JMUB5695, which was isolated from necrotizing granulomatous lesions in a lung cancer patient. The complete genome consists of a 4,865,109-bp chromosome with a GC content of 65.9% and contains no plasmids.

Data-point-wise spatiotemporal mapping of human ventral visual areas: Use of spatial frequency/luminance-modulated chromatic faces.

Visual information involving facial identity and expression is crucial for social communication. Although the influence of facial features such as spatial frequency (SF) and luminance on face processing in visual areas has been studied extensively using grayscale stimuli, the combined effects of other features in this process have not been characterized. To determine the combined effects of different SFs and color, we created chromatic stimuli with low, high or no SF components, which bring distinct SF and color information into the ventral stream simultaneously.

A specific phase of transcranial alternating current stimulation at the β frequency boosts repetitive paired-pulse TMS-induced plasticity.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 20 Hz (β) has been shown to modulate motor evoked potentials (MEPs) when paired with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in a phase-dependent manner. Repetitive paired-pulse TMS (rPPS) with I-wave periodicity (1.5 ms) induced short-lived facilitation of MEPs.

Short-term changes in radiographic joint space width after jiggling exercise as conservative treatment for hip osteoarthritis: A retrospective case series of nine patients.

Jiggling exercise is a conservative treatment for hip osteoarthritis, which involves continuous shaking of the foot and leg in small oscillations while seated. Previous studies have shown beneficial effects of jiggling exercises for outpatients with advanced- and terminal-stage hip osteoarthritis when performed for longer than 1 year, including increases in joint space width and remission of symptoms. We aimed to use the data from our own treatment to evaluate the short-term impact of intensive jiggling exercises on inpatients with hip osteoarthritis to further examine the clinical utility of this exercise.

Comparison of clinical characteristics in patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy according to anti-retinal antibody status.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR), according to the presence or absence of anti-retinal antibodies (ARAs) that are frequently detected in autoimmune retinopathy.

Methods: Retrospective observational case series. This study included 33 patients with acute-stage AZOOR who had been followed up for more than 6 months after the initial visit.

Comparing activated brain regions between noisy and conventional galvanic vestibular stimulation using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) enhances vestibular sensory inputs in vestibular afferents. However, it is unclear whether noisy and conventional GVS activate different regions of the brain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in activated brain regions between those two interventions using functional MRI (fMRI).

Testing the Validity of the Diamond Steps Test for Balance in Healthy Adults.

Objectives: To test the validity of the Diamond Steps Test (DST), a new test to assess balance.

Design: This cross-sectional study evaluated the validity of the DST, a brief new balance assessment tool.

Setting: The implementation site was the rehabilitation center of a hospital.

Differences in the total hip rotation range of motion between sides in healthy young Japanese adults.

[Purpose] To investigate the difference by degrees in total hip rotation range of motion (ROM) between sides and with regard to gender in healthy young Japanese adults. [Participants and Methods] Data from previously published studies were used. We utilized the left and right hip rotation ROM of 205 Japanese participants aged 18 to 25 years, who satisfied the inclusion criteria and were randomly measured three times in the prone position by the double-blind method.

The Effects of Combining Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Gait Training with Functional Electrical Stimulation on Trunk Acceleration During Walking in Patients with Subacute Stroke.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether the combination of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and gait training with FES affected walking speed and trunk accelerometry-based gait characteristics in patients with subacute stroke, compared with FES or tDCS gait training only.

Materials And Methods: Stroke patients (n = 34; female 15; mean age, 72.5 ± 11.

Pharmacokinetics of edoxaban in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer patients with venous thromboembolism.

Background: The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increased 7-fold in patients with cancer than in those without. Low-molecular-weight heparin is the standard treatment for cancer-associated VTE. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are not inferior to low-molecular-weight heparin with respect to the general outcome of recurrent VTE.

Psychometric properties of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire and psychopathology in Japanese patients with eating disorders.

Objective: The Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is one of the most widely used tools to assess the core psychopathology of eating disorders (ED). However, recent empirical findings did not support the original four-factor structure. The aims of the present study were to investigate the factor structure of the EDE-Q in Japanese ED patients, to test the reliability and convergent validity of the EDE-Q, to examine group differences between various ED groups and healthy participants, and to explore the main behavioral features of Japanese ED patients using the newly developed Japanese version of EDE-Q.

Influence of Static Magnetic Field Stimulation on the Accuracy of Tachystoscopically Presented Line Bisection.

Transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS) has been known to reduce human cortical excitability. Here, we investigated whether tSMS would modulate visuo-spatial cognition in healthy humans. Subjects performed a visuo-spatial task requiring judgements about the symmetry of pre-bisected lines.

[Neural Oscillations and Network Diseases of the Human Brain].

Oscillatory neuronal (electrical) activity in defined frequency ranges supports synchronous interactions between anatomically distinct regions of the human brain during cognitive tasks. Here in, this study presents a review of our previous studies, focusing on the neural oscillations in the sensory systems in response to external stimuli in normal healthy subjects and those with neurological disorders. Event-related evoked responses, using magnetoencephalography and high-density electroencephalography, were applied to evaluate neuromagnetic oscillations.

The Effects of Vestibular Rehabilitation on Gait Performance in Patients with Stroke: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Patients with post-stroke hemiparesis have poor postural stability; nevertheless, it is unclear whether vestibular rehabilitation affects gait performance after a stroke or not. We performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials to investigate the effects of vestibular rehabilitation on gait performance in patients with post stroke.

Methods: The Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were comprehensively searched.

Rapid detection method of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae by MALDI-TOF MS with imipenem/cilastatin (KB) disc and zinc sulfate solution.

Introduction: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is a major global health threat, and development of rapid detection methods is desired. Here, we established a cost-effective and relatively rapid CPE detection method using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

Methods: We examined 134 CPE strains (IMP-type, NDM-type, VIM-type, KPC-type, OXA-48-like-type, and GES-type) and 107 non-CPE strains, previously confirmed by genetic tests.

Predicative factors of the effect of Body Weight Support Treadmill Training in stroke hemiparesis patients.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine if gait index predicts the efficacy of weight-support treadmill training (BWSTT) in hemiplegic stroke patients. [Participants and Methods] In total, 21 patients who had sustained a hemiplegic stroke, on an average 71 days prior, and could walk independently on level ground were included in the study. BWSTT was performed under 20% of bodyweight unloading at the maximum speed possible for each participant to a perceived level of fatigue of 15 on the 20-point Borg scale.