Electrophysiological features of repetitive focal Purkinje ventricular arrhythmias originating from the proximal cardiac conduction system.

Background: Focal Purkinje ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) might originate from the vicinity of the proximal portion of the cardiac conducting system. This study aimed to clarify the features associated with focal Purkinje VAs originating from the proximal conduction system.

Methods: A total of 18 patients with focal Purkinje VAs undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) were retrospectively examined and divided into the proximal type or the non-proximal type.

Persistent epigenetic alterations in transcription factors after a sustained virological response in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) persists in a condition of sustained virologic response (SVR) after hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication. Comprehensive molecular analyses were performed to test the hypothesis that epigenetic abnormalities present after an SVR play a role in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Methods: Whole-genome methylome and RNA sequencing were performed on HCV, SVR, and healthy liver tissue.

Vagal nerve stimulation preserves right ventricular function in a rat model of right ventricular pressure overload.

Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) ameliorates pulmonary vascular remodeling and improves survival in a rat model of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the direct impact of VNS on right ventricular (RV) function, which is the key predictor of PH patients, remains unknown. We evaluated the effect of VNS among the three groups: pulmonary artery banding (PAB) with sham stimulation (SS), PAB with VNS, and control (no PAB).

Clinical significance of postpancreatectomy acute pancreatitis defined by the International Study Group for Pancreatic Surgery.

Aim: The International Study Group for Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) developed a structured definition of postpancreatectomy acute pancreatitis (PPAP) in 2021. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of PPAP as defined by the ISGPS criteria.

Methods: We evaluated the medical records and postoperative computed tomography (CT) findings of 247 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Day-to-Day Blood Pressure Variability and Risk of Incident Chronic Kidney Disease in a General Japanese Population.

Background Several longitudinal studies have reported that higher visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is associated with greater risk for developing chronic kidney disease. However, no population-based studies have investigated the association between day-to-day home blood pressure variability and incident chronic kidney disease. Methods and Results A total of 2342 Japanese community-dwelling residents aged ≥40 years without chronic kidney disease at baseline were followed up by annual health examinations for 10 years.

Clinical effects of the use of the indocyanine green fluorescence imaging technique in laparoscopic partial liver resection.

Aim: This study aimed to clarify the clinical effects of the indocyanine green (ICG)-fluorescence imaging (FI) technique for determination of liver transection lines during laparoscopic partial liver resection for liver tumors.

Methods: This was a retrospective study including 112 patients who underwent laparoscopic partial liver resection for liver tumors. These enrolled patients were divided into an ICG-FI group (n = 55) and a non-ICG-FI group (n = 57) according to the availability of the ICG-FI.

Factors associated with health-related quality of life in long-stay inpatients with chronic schizophrenia.

Aim: Few studies have investigated the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in long-stay inpatients with chronic schizophrenia in Japan. This study aimed to clarify the factors associated with HRQoL among these patients.

Methods: Out of 238 patients with chronic schizophrenia admitted to three hospitals, 101 inpatients provided informed consent to participate in the study.

Comparison of the prognostic effect of sarcopenia on atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and lenvatinib therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Background And Aim: Sarcopenia has received much attention as a poor prognostic factor in various fields, and has also been reported to worsen prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib or lenvatinib (LEN). Atezolizumab/bevacizumab (ATZ/BEV) is recommended as first-line drug therapy for unresectable-HCC, but the effect of sarcopenia on patients treated with ATZ/BEV is unknown.

Methods: We enrolled 98 patients treated with ATZ/BEV or LEN.

Dopamine-related oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in dopaminergic neurons differentiated from deciduous teeth-derived stem cells of children with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome (DS) is one of the common genetic disorders caused by the trisomy of human chromosome 21 (HSA21). Mitochondrial dysfunction and redox imbalance play important roles in DS pathology, and altered dopaminergic regulation has been demonstrated in the brain of individuals with DS. However, the pathological association of these elements is not yet fully understood.

Impact of three major risk factors on clinical outcomes in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation receiving rivaroxaban: Sub-analysis from the XAPASS study.

Background: To evaluate the impact of three risk factors (age [≥75 years], renal impairment [creatinine clearance <50 ml/min], and low body weight [≤50 kg]) on the risk of any bleeding events, all-cause mortality, and stroke, non-central nervous system (non-CNS) systemic embolism (SE), and myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) treated with rivaroxaban in a real-world clinical setting.

Methods: The Xarelto Post-Authorization Safety and Effectiveness Study in Japanese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (XAPASS) is a prospective, single-arm, observational study. Enrolled patients were divided into four subgroups by the number of risk factors.

An adult case of congenital duodenal diaphragm that was successfully treated by endoscopic resection using a grasping-type scissor forceps.

Congenital duodenal diaphragm (CDD) is a rare disease that is usually diagnosed in the neonatal period; however, it is sometimes diagnosed later in the adult period. A 39-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to tarry stool and anemia. Emergent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed an obstructing membranous structure with a small orifice in the second portion of the duodenum, together with dilatation of the bulbar part.

Comparisons of outcomes between ProKnife injection endoscopic submucosal dissection and conventional endoscopic submucosal dissection for large gastric lesions in ex vivo porcine model study: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare treatment outcomes between injection endoscopic submucosal dissection using ProKnife (P-ESD) and conventional ESD (C-ESD) for gastric lesions.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we compared treatment outcomes of P-ESD and C-ESD for simulated gastric lesions ≥3 cm in resected porcine stomachs. Predictive factors associated with ESD difficulties were investigated using logistic regression analysis.

Association of maternal hemoglobin levels during pregnancy with sleep and developmental problems in 1-year-old infants: A cohort study.

Background And Aims: Maternal hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy is reported to be associated with various perinatal outcomes and may also be associated with infant development. This study aims to investigate the association between maternal hemoglobin levels during early or mid-pregnancy and sleep and developmental problems in 1-year-old infants.

Methods: We used the data of 66,935 pregnant women who were participants of the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide cohort study in Japan, between 2011 and 2014.

Sustainable Clinical Development of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer.

Numerous clinical studies in an adjuvant setting have been conducted and the combination therapy of 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin has been established as the standard treatment for Stage III and as an option for high-risk Stage II patients. Biologics such as bevacizumab and antiepidermal growth factor receptor antibodies have failed to show additional survival benefits. The indication of adjuvant chemotherapy has been determined according to the pathological stage.

Increased Lung Uric Acid Deteriorates Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Background Recent studies have demonstrated that uric acid (UA) enhances arginase activity, resulting in decreased NO in endothelial cells. However, the role of lung UA in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains uncertain. We hypothesized that increased lung UA level contributes to the progression of PAH.

Prediction of Lifetime Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Deaths Stratified by Sex in the Japanese Population.

Background Lifetime risk is an informative estimate for driving lifestyle and behavioral changes especially for young adults. The impact of composite risk factors for cardiovascular disease on lifetime risk stratified by sex has not been investigated in the Japanese population, which has a much lower mortality of coronary heart disease compared with the Western population. We aimed to estimate lifetime risk of death from cardiovascular disease attributable to traditional risk factors.

t(6; 11) renal cell carcinoma. A case report successfully diagnosed by using fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Introduction: Definitive diagnosis of translocation renal cell carcinoma is challenging. We herein experienced a case of translocation(6;11) renal cell carcinoma, successfully diagnosed by using fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Case Presentation: During the follow-up of a 21-year-old man with Crohn's disease, computed tomography revealed a 40-mm mass in the right kidney.

The authors' reply: Indispensable discrepancy between predicted graft "volume" and actual graft "weight" in clinical practice in living-donor liver transplantation.

We would like to respond to the Letter to the Editor "'GRWR' or 'GV/SLV' in clinical practice in living donor liver transplantation" by Haruki et al, that is a comment on our original article "Which is better to use 'body weight' or 'standard liver weight,' for predicting small-for-size graft syndrome after living-donor liver transplantation?" in .

Regional Disparity of Reperfusion Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Japan: A Retrospective Analysis of Nationwide Claims Data from 2010 to 2015.

Background We aimed to determine whether a regional disparity exists in usage of reperfusion therapy (intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator [IV rt-PA] and endovascular thrombectomy [EVT]) and post-reperfusion 30-day mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke, and which regional factors are associated with their usage. Methods and Results We retrospectively investigated 69 948 patients (mean age±SD, 74.9±12.

The current status and future directions of robotic pancreatectomy.

Robotic surgery has emerged as an alternative to laparoscopic surgery and it has also been applied to pancreatectomy. With the increase in the number of robotic pancreatectomies, several studies comparing robotic pancreatectomy and conventional open or laparoscopic pancreatectomy have been published. However, the use of robotic pancreatectomy remains controversial.

Impact and risk factors for skeletal muscle mass loss after hepatic resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: The aims of this study were to determine whether a postoperative decrease in skeletal muscle mass (SMM) after hepatic resection can predict long-term outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and identify risk factors for SMM loss in patients who undergo hepatic resection.

Methods: This was a large retrospective study of 400 patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC and pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans. SMM was measured at the third lumbar vertebrae, and the postoperative change in SMM compared with preoperative values was calculated as Δ SMM.