The influence of CYP2C19 polymorphisms on exacerbating effect of rabeprazole in celecoxib-induced small bowel injury.

Background: Simultaneous use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been shown to increase the risk of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced small bowel injury.

Aim: To investigate whether polymorphisms of the cytochrome P450 2C19 gene (CYP2C19), encoding a key metabolising enzyme for PPIs, are associated with small bowel injury induced by celecoxib in combination with the PPI rabeprazole.

Methods: Study participants included 55 healthy Japanese volunteers, who participated in the PPI-NSAID Kyushu University Study using video capsule endoscopy.

High Detection Rates of Urine Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Patients with Suspected Miliary Tuberculosis.

Objective The utility of detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in urine samples from patients with pulmonary tuberculous with diffuse small nodular shadows (suspected miliary tuberculosis (MTB)) is still unclear in Japan. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the detection rates of M. tuberculosis in urine of patients with suspected MTB.

Outcomes of the Japanese multicenter Viabahn trial of endovascular stent grafting for superficial femoral artery lesions.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess 1-year safety, efficacy, and invasiveness outcomes of endovascular stent grafting of symptomatic long lesions (≥10 cm) in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) as a substitute for above-knee open bypass surgery.

Methods: This prospective, multicenter (15 hospitals) study assessed heparin-coated stent grafts for the treatment of long SFA lesions in Japanese subjects with peripheral arterial disease. Inclusion criteria were Rutherford category 2 to 5 symptoms (grade 5 without active infection), ankle-brachial index ≤0.

A Novel Reconstructive Procedure for the Divided Nevus of the Eyelids Using a Tissue Expander.

Expanded local flaps and skin grafts (expanded/nonexpanded) are a common approach for reconstructing medium (1.5-20 cm) and large (>20 cm) divided nevi of the eyelids. However, this approach does not often provide a satisfactory cosmetic result, particularly in Asian patients, because of different skin types.

Three-dimensional computed tomography analysis on bony birth canal after bilateral periacetabular osteotomy.

Background: Curved periacetabular osteotomy (CPO) is one of the joint preserving procedures for developmental dysplasia of the hip. CPO requires osteotomy of the medial wall of the acetabulum, which may cause narrowing of the bony birth canal and this step may result in increased risk of cesarean delivery. We analyzed the narrowest part of the bony birth canal using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) before and after bilateral CPO.

Updated results from GEST study: a randomized, three-arm phase III study for advanced pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: The GEST study showed non-inferiority of S-1 but not superiority of gemcitabine plus S-1 (GS) to gemcitabine alone for overall survival with the data by the cut-off date of 31st July in 2010 for chemo-naïve patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. We considered it important to determine whether S-1 maintains non-inferiority after a long-term follow-up in the GEST study and to obtain a firm positive conclusion. In addition, it may be an interesting challenge to explore the efficacious profile of GS in the long-term follow-up study.

New cross-table lateral radiography method for measuring acetabular component anteversion in total hip arthroplasty: a prospective study of 93 primary THA.

Introduction: Various methods have been described for measuring acetabular component anteversion. However, accurate measurement of anteversion is difficult. We herein propose a new method using cross-table lateral (CL) radiography performed with the contralateral hip flexed to 45° (45° flexed CL radiography).

Risk of bleeding and repeated bleeding events in prasugrel-treated patients: a review of data from the Japanese PRASFIT studies.

Prasugrel is a third-generation thienopyridine that achieves potent platelet inhibition with less pharmacological variability than other thienopyridines. However, clinical experience suggests that prasugrel may be associated with a higher risk of de novo and recurrent bleeding events compared with clopidogrel in Japanese patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this review, we evaluate the risk of bleeding in Japanese patients treated with prasugrel at the doses (loading/maintenance doses: 20/3.

Drug-eluting stenting for femoropopliteal lesions, followed by cilostazol treatment, reduces stent restenosis in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease.

Background: Cilostazol improves clinical endovascular therapy outcomes for femoropopliteal (FP) lesions in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease, but whether it also has clinical benefits for patients after drug-eluting stent implantation remains unclear.

Methods: This study is a subanalysis of the ZilvEr PTX for tHe Femoral ArterY and Proximal Popliteal ArteRy (ZEPHYR) study, a prospective multicenter study investigating FP lesions treated with the Zilver (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind) paclitaxel-eluting stent. The present study analyzed 475 lesions in 459 limbs of 399 patients who maintained therapy with aspirin and thienopyridine, with or without cilostazol, during the 1-year follow-up period.

HotBalloon Ablation of the Pulmonary Veins for Paroxysmal AF: A Multicenter Randomized Trial in Japan.

Background: Point-by-point catheter ablation is an established treatment for drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). However, it is time consuming, requires excellent technique to achieve complete pulmonary vein (PV) isolation, and is associated with severe complications.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a HotBalloon ablation (HBA) compared with antiarrhythmic drug therapy (ADT) for the treatment of PAF.

Typical Symptoms of Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus Caused by Choroid Plexus Papilloma in the Cerebellopontine Angle.

Background: Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) are rare benign intracranial tumors. We report a rare case of CPP manifesting with typical symptoms of normal-pressure hydrocephalus rather than obstructive hydrocephalus.

Case Description: A 45-year-old woman presented with a 6-year history of headache and typical symptoms of normal-pressure hydrocephalus, including gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, and cognitive dysfunction, in addition to the more common symptoms of CPP, such as lower cranial nerve dysfunctions and ataxia.

Abnormal auditory synchronization in stuttering: A magnetoencephalographic study.

In a previous magnetoencephalographic study, we showed both functional and structural reorganization of the right auditory cortex and impaired left auditory cortex function in people who stutter (PWS). In the present work, we reevaluated the same dataset to further investigate how the right and left auditory cortices interact to compensate for stuttering. We evaluated bilateral N100m latencies as well as indices of local and inter-hemispheric phase synchronization of the auditory cortices.

Effect of sitagliptin on plaque changes in coronary artery following acute coronary syndrome in diabetic patients: The ESPECIAL-ACS study.

Background: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have anti-atherosclerotic and cardioprotective effects in vitro. However, the impact of DPP-4 inhibitors on coronary plaque remains unclear. We sought to assess the effect of sitagliptin on coronary plaque volume (PV) and stabilization in diabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Incidence and its characteristics of repetition of reintervention after drug-eluting stent implantation for femoropopliteal lesion.

Objective: Although clinical trials demonstrated the superiority of the Zilver (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind) paclitaxel-eluting stent (PTX), a recently developed drug-eluting stent (DES), to conventional therapy for femoropopliteal (FP) lesions, the incidence and risk factors of the repetition of reintervention after DES implantation in clinical practice remained unrevealed.

Methods: This was a subanalysis of the ZEPHYR (ZilvEr PTX for tHe Femoral ArterY and Proximal Popliteal ArteRy) study, enrolling FP lesions undergoing endovascular therapy (EVT) with DES implantation. The current study analyzed the 2-year database including 583 FP lesions in 495 patients undergoing preoperative intravascular ultrasound imaging before DES implantation.

Comparable 2-Year Restenosis Rates Following Subintimal and Intraluminal Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation for Femoropopliteal Chronic Total Occlusion.

Purpose: To report midterm outcomes after subintimal vs intraluminal drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation for femoropopliteal (FP) chronic total occlusion (CTO).

Methods: This subanalysis of the prospective, multicenter ZEPHYR study (ZilvEr PTX for tHe Femoral ArterY and Proximal Popliteal ArteRy) included 176 patients (mean age 74±8 years; 130 men) with 192 de novo FP CTOs that were evaluated by intravascular ultrasound after successful guidewire crossing. The primary outcome was the 2-year restenosis rate after subintimal (n=73) or intraluminal (n=119) DES implantation.

Effect of Optimal Medical Therapy Before Procedures on Outcomes in Coronary Patients Treated With Drug-Eluting Stents.

It has not been established whether the achievement of optimal medical therapy (OMT) before implantation of a drug-eluting stent has a clinical benefit for patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). This study included 3,004 patients with CAD treated with drug-eluting stent from 123 Japanese participating centers. The achievement of OMT was defined as control of blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg, hemoglobin A1c <7.

Effectiveness of sarpogrelate after endovascular treatment for femoropopliteal artery disease: ESPALIER study.

Optimal medical therapy following endovascular therapy (EVT) for femoropopliteal (FP) lesions remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether sarpogrelate improves primary patency after EVT for FP lesions. This study was performed as a multicenter, randomized, open-label clinical trial.

Impact of Sleep-Disordered Breathing on Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome Who Have Undergone Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been recognized as an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases; however, the impact of SDB on long-term outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome has not been fully evaluated.

Methods And Results: We performed overnight cardiorespiratory monitoring of 241 patients with acute coronary syndrome who were successfully treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2005 and December 2008. The presence of SDB was defined as apnea-hypopnea index ≥5 events per hour.

The Characteristics of In-Stent Restenosis After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation in Femoropopliteal Lesions and 1-Year Prognosis After Repeat Endovascular Therapy for These Lesions.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the characteristics of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation for femoropopliteal (FP) lesions, and to examine 1-year prognosis after repeat endovascular therapy (re-EVT) for these DES-ISR.

Background: The morphology of DES-ISR and its association with clinical outcomes after re-EVT have not been well examined.

Methods: This was a subanalysis of the ZEPHYR (Zilver PTX for the femoral artery and proximal popliteal artery) study.

Drug-Eluting Stent vs Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty for Treatment of Femoropopliteal In-Stent Restenosis: Results From a Retrospective 1-Year Multicenter Study.

Purpose: To compare drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the treatment of femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis (ISR).

Methods: A comparison was performed of data from 112 ZEPHYR registry patients (mean age 74±9 years; 60 men) with 119 femoropopliteal ISR lesions treated with a drug-eluting stent (Zilver PTX) with historical data from 116 patients (mean age 72±8 years; 83 men) with 133 lesions treated with PTA. The patients were stratified for analysis by lesions with (101/252, 40%) and without (n=151) in-stent occlusion.

Responsiveness of blood and sputum inflammatory cells in Japanese COPD patients, non-COPD smoking controls, and non-COPD nonsmoking controls.

Purpose: To compare pulmonary and systemic inflammatory mediator release, pre- and poststimulation, ex vivo, in cells from Japanese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-COPD smoking controls, and non-COPD nonsmoking controls (NSC).

Patients And Methods: This was a nontreatment study with ten subjects per group. Inflammatory biomarker release, including interleukin (IL)-6 and -8, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and sputum cells with and without lipopolysaccharide or TNF-α stimulation.

Zilver PTX Post-Market Surveillance Study of Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents for Treating Femoropopliteal Artery Disease in Japan: 12-Month Results.

Objectives: This multicenter, prospective, post-market surveillance study in Japan evaluates the paclitaxel-coated Zilver PTX stent in real-world patients with complex lesions.

Background: The Zilver PTX stent is the first drug-eluting stent (DES) approved for the superficial femoral artery. Previously, results from a large randomized study and a complementary, large single-arm study supported the safety and effectiveness of the DES.

Three-year follow-up outcomes of SES and PES in a randomized controlled study stratified by the presence of diabetes mellitus: J-DEsSERT trial.

Background: Three-year clinical follow-up of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the Japan-Drug Eluting Stents Evaluation; a Randomized Trial (J-DESsERT) using 2 different drug eluting stents (DES). A recent study demonstrated that efficacy of sirolimus eluting stents (SES) attenuated over time in diabetic patients.

Methods: In the largest trial of its kind, 1724 DM patients out of 3533 enrolled patients were randomized to either SES or paclitaxel eluting stents (PES).

Colonoscopic features and malignant potential of sessile serrated adenomas: comparison with other serrated lesions and conventional adenomas.

Aim: Sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps) have been proposed as precursors of colorectal cancer. The aims of this investigation were to compare the endoscopic findings of SSA/Ps with those of other serrated lesions and to compare the histological findings of SSA/Ps with those of conventional adenomas.

Method: We retrospectively reviewed colonoscopy records at our institution from 1984 to 2013 and identified cases of endoscopically or surgically resected conventional adenomas and serrated lesions, including SSA/Ps, hyperplastic polyps (HPs) and traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs).