Optimal Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Multivessel Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease.

There is a scarcity of data on clinical outcomes after intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with multivessel disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The OPTIVUS-Complex PCI study multivessel cohort was a prospective multicenter single-arm trial enrolling 1015 patients who underwent multivessel IVUS-guided PCI including left anterior descending coronary artery target with an intention to meet the prespecified OPTIVUS criteria for optimal stent expansion. We compared the clinical outcomes between patients with and without CKD.

Temple Syndrome: Comprehensive Clinical Study in Genetically Confirmed 60 Japanese Patients.

Objective: Temple syndrome (TS14) is a rare 14q32.2-related imprinting disorder. Here, we report comprehensive clinical findings in TS14.

Repeated pancreatic juice cytology via endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage catheter combined with clinical findings improves diagnostic ability for malignant cases of suspected pancreatic cancer with non-identifiable tumors.

Background/objectives: The detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) often depends on indirect indicators such as parenchyma atrophy (PPA), main pancreatic duct stenosis, and low echoic areas, particularly when no mass is evident on imaging. While pathological evaluation is the gold standard for differentiating malignant from benign conditions, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration/biopsy is not always feasible in such cases. Serial pancreatic juice aspiration cytologic examination (SPACE) via endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage (NPD) has emerged as an alternative diagnostic method, though its accuracy remains underevaluated.

Pemafibrate for treating MASLD complicated by hypertriglyceridaemia: a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial study protocol.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, now known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is a phenotype of the metabolic syndrome in the liver and is clearly associated with metabolic abnormalities such as hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia. Although the prevalence of MASLD is increasing worldwide, there is currently no consensus on the efficacy and safety of the drugs used to treat MASLD/metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Pemafibrate, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha modulator, was designed to have higher peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alfa (PPARα) agonist activity and selectivity than existing PPARα agonists, and in development trials, without increasing creatinine levels, lipid parameters and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were significantly improved.

Factors associated with uncontrolled severe asthma in the biologic era.

Background: Despite the development of biologics for severe asthma, individuals with uncontrolled status persist, posing a significant social problem. This multicenter prospective study aimed to identify factors associated with the uncontrolled status of patients with severe asthma in the biologic era assessed using the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ).

Methods: Subjects with severe asthma diagnosed by respiratory specialists were enrolled from 11 hospitals.

Efficacy and safety of estetrol (15 mg)/drospirenone (3 mg) combination in a cyclic regimen for the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea: a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the estetrol (E4) (15 mg)/drospirenone (DRSP) (3 mg) combination in a cyclic regimen in Japanese women with primary and secondary dysmenorrhea.

Design: A 16-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, followed by a 36-week, open-label, extension study.

Setting: Double-blined study.

Map-Like Redness Development After Eradication Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Infection: Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

Background: Map-like redness, pathological intestinal metaplasia, is observed in one-fourth to one-third of patients 1 year after Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy, mainly in the corpus, and is a newly identified endoscopic risk factor for gastric cancer development after eradication. However, it is unclear whether intestinal metaplasia is present before eradication at the site where the map-like redness appears. We aimed to identify endoscopic findings that predict the occurrence of map-like redness before H.

Uncovering the role of tumor cGAS expression in predicting response to PD-1/L1 inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: The impact of cGAS/STING tumor expression on PD-1/L1 inhibitor efficacy and the tumor microenvironment remain to be elucidated.

Methods: In a post-hoc analysis of a prospective biomarker study with 106 advanced NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/L1 inhibitors from December 2015 to September 2018, tumor tissue before treatment from 68 patients was analyzed. cGAS and STING expression were measured using immunohistochemical staining and H-scores.

Impact of Estetrol Combined with Drospirenone on Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis in Patients with Endometriosis: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label, Active-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study.

Venous thromboembolism is a serious safety concern in women using combined oral contraceptives; ethinyl estradiol (EE) is widely used as an estrogen. Estetrol (E4) is a native estrogen with selective tissue activity and exclusively produced by the fetal liver. This study used a multicenter, randomized, open-label, active-controlled, parallel-group design to evaluate the effects of E4 combined with drospirenone (DRSP) on coagulation and fibrinolysis in Japanese patients with endometriosis.

Comprehensive study on central precocious puberty: molecular and clinical analyses in 90 patients.

Context: Defects in MKRN3, DLK1, KISS1, and KISS1R and some disorders, such as Temple syndrome (TS14), cause central precocious puberty (CPP). Recently, pathogenic variants (PVs) in MECP2 have been reported to be associated with CPP.

Objective: We aimed to clarify the contribution of (epi)genetic abnormalities to CPP and clinical and hormonal features in each etiology.

Innovative combined Ozaki and Bentall procedures for aortic root replacement.

In treating aortic root diseases, the Bentall procedure offers reliable and stable results. However, it requires a prosthetic valved conduit, which presents inherent challenges due to the need for anticoagulation. The Ozaki procedure, which uses pericardium for aortic valve neocuspidization, is an alternative to prosthetic valves and does not need anticoagulation.

Long-Term Outcome of Eltrombopag With First-Line Immunosuppressive Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Severe Aplastic Anemia.

Background: To investigate whether the addition of eltrombopag (EPAG) to rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)-based immunosuppressive therapy (IST) for newly diagnosed severe aplastic anemia (SAA) improves outcomes and affects the cumulative incidence of clonal evolution (CE), we conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis.

Methods: Data were collected from 101 patients, aged 15 - 65 years, undergoing initial IST.

Results: No significant imbalance in age, sex, or severity was observed between the EPAG (n = 20) and non-EPAG (n = 81) groups.

Biliary fibrosis is an important but neglected pathological feature in hepatobiliary disorders: from molecular mechanisms to clinical implications.

Fibrosis resulting from pathological repair secondary to recurrent or persistent tissue damage often leads to organ failure and mortality. Biliary fibrosis is a crucial but easily neglected pathological feature in hepatobiliary disorders, which may promote the development and progression of benign and malignant biliary diseases through pathological healing mechanisms secondary to biliary tract injuries. Elucidating the etiology and pathogenesis of biliary fibrosis is beneficial to the prevention and treatment of biliary diseases.

Efficacy and safety of the combination of estetrol 15 mg/drospirenone 3 mg in a cyclic regimen for the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain and objective gynecological findings: a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 24-week cyclic administration of estetrol (E4) (15 mg)/drospirenone (DRSP) (3 mg) in Japanese patients with endometriosis.

Design: A 24-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study.

Setting: Twenty-five study centers in Japan.

SHOX and sex difference in height: a hypothesis.

The mean height is taller in males than in females, except for early teens. In this regard, previous studies have revealed that (1) distribution of the mean adult heights in subjects with disorders accompanied by discordance between sex chromosome complement and bioactive sex steroids and in control subjects (the British height standards) indicates that, of the ~12.5 cm of sex difference in the mean adult height, ~9 cm is accounted for by the difference in the sex chromosome complement and the remaining ~3.

Mid-term outcomes of delivery catheter-based and stylet-based right ventricular septal pacing: Follow-up results from a multicenter, prospective, randomized study.

Background: The Mt FUJI study was a multicenter, prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial comparing delivery catheter-based and stylet-based right ventricular (RV) lead placement at the RV septum. This study extended the follow-up duration to 1 year after implantation.

Methods: Seventy patients with pacemaker indications for atrioventricular block were randomly assigned to the delivery catheter and stylet groups.