Early and short-term use of proprotein convertase anti-subtilisin-kexin type 9 inhibitors on coronary plaque stability in acute coronary syndrome.

Aims: Proprotein convertase anti-subtilisin-kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9Is) improve plaque volume and composition and reduce major adverse coronary events in chronic coronary artery disease. We evaluated the effects of the short-term use of PCSK9Is on coronary plaque stability in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) using optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods And Results: This is a multicentre, open-label randomized controlled trial.

Surgical removal of multiple left ventricular thrombi with video-assisted cardioscopy: a case report.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) thrombus is a lethal complication of coronary artery disease that can lead to embolization and sudden death. There is no clear consensus on the optimal treatment for LV thrombi. There is a paucity of case series about surgical excision of LV thrombus in patients with coronary vessel disease.

Breastfeeding and risk of febrile seizures in the first 3 years of life: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Objective: Our study was conducted to examine the association between breastfeeding and febrile seizures (FS) in the first 3 years of life.

Methods: We analyzed the dataset of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), which is a birth cohort study undertaken to elucidate the influence of environmental factors on children's health during the fetal period and early childhood. Information on feeding duration and feeding pattern, as well as information on febrile seizures, were obtained from questionnaires sent to mothers/caregivers.

Reduction of door-to-balloon time in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction by single-catheter primary percutaneous coronary intervention method.

Objectives: The objectives of this study is to confirm reduction of door-to-balloon (D2B) time with single-catheter percutaneous coronary intervention (SC-PCI) method.

Background: Reduction of total ischemic time is important in the emergency treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). There have been no established methods in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to shorten ischemic time via radial access.

Correlation Between Gut Microbiome Composition and Acute Pain Perception in Young Healthy Male Subjects.

Objective: Recently, there has been growing interest in the gut-brain axis because it is emerging as a player influencing the health status of the host human. It is a known fact that the gut microbiome (GM) through the gut-brain axis has been implicated in numerous diseases. We previously reported that stool condition was associated with pain perception.

Breastfeeding and risk of febrile seizures in infants: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Objective: Our study was conducted to examine the association between breastfeeding and febrile seizures (FS) in the first year of life.

Methods: We used data from a birth cohort study, the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS). In a self-administered questionnaire, we asked participants the duration of breastfeeding and whether their children were diagnosed as having FS during their first 12 months.

Incidence of infantile spinal muscular atrophy on Shikoku Island of Japan.

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by homozygous mutations in the SMN1 gene. SMA has long been known to be the most common genetic cause of infant mortality. However, there have been no reports on the epidemiology of infantile SMA (types 1 and 2) based on genetic testing in Japan.

The Addition of a Head Rotation When the Ramped Position Fails to Provide Good Laryngeal Visualization: A Preliminary Study.

Although several studies have reported that the ramped position (torso and head elevated) significantly improves laryngoscopic view, in our experience, the ramped position fails to provide good laryngeal visualization in some cases. When the ramped position failed to provide good laryngeal visualization, we added a head rotation in order to improve laryngeal visualization in 62 patients. The method significantly improved laryngeal visualization and did not cause laryngeal disturbances postoperatively.

Comparison of MRI and I-FP-CIT SPECT for the evaluation of MSA-P clinical severity.

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and I-labeled 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)-N-(3-fluoropropyl)nortropane single photon emission computed tomography (I-FP-CIT SPECT) for determining the clinical severity of patients with multiple system atrophy with Parkinsonism (MSA-P). MRI and I-FP-CIT SPECT images from 17 patients with MSA-P as diagnosed using the Unified MSA Rating Scale part IV (UMSARS IV) score were compared. Brain MRI scans were available for all 17 patients and I-FP-CIT SPECT images were available for 12 patients.

Remote effects in the ipsilateral thalamus and/or contralateral cerebellar hemisphere using FDG PET in patients with brain tumors.

Purpose: To evaluate reduced metabolism in the ipsilateral thalamus (TH) and/or contralateral cerebellum (CE) according to tumor localization and cortical metabolism around the tumor in patients with brain tumors based on FDG uptake.

Methods: This study investigated 48 consecutive patients with solitary cerebral hemisphere parenchymal brain tumors who underwent PET/CT and MRI. Patients were divided into 4 groups (A: reduced uptake in ipsilateral TH and contralateral CE, B: reduced uptake in ipsilateral TH only, C: reduced uptake in contralateral CE only, and D: no reduced uptake in ipsilateral TH or contralateral CE).

Efficacy and Limitations of Conservative Treatment for Painful Patella Partita: Positioning of an Ultrasound-Accelerated Fracture Healing Apparatus.

Objective: Generally, painful patella partita is conservatively treated, but the usefulness of a low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) healing apparatus is unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the usefulness of LIPUS for conservative treatment of painful patella partita.

Subjects And Methods: The subjects included 17 patients diagnosed with painful patella partita.

Sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor, improves psoriasis.

A patient with a 17-year history of plaque psoriasis accompanied by type 2 diabetes mellitus discontinued cyclosporine and steroid ointment given for treatment of psoriasis because she was dissatisfied with the effects of the drugs. After sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitor, was administered for control of blood glucose, psoriatic skin lesions were gradually diminished, although HbA1c did not improve. Three months after the administration of sitagliptin, infiltration, scales and erythema on all psoriatic plaques disappeared, leaving pigmentation on flat skin.

Establishment of three novel human malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines: morphological and cytogenetical studies and EGFR mutation status.

Unlabelled: The incidence of mesothelioma is estimated to rise sharply worldwide, including Japan, in the next two decades. Molecular and proteomic studies are urgently required to elucidate the pathobiology of malignant mesothelioma. This paper describes the characterization of novel human malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines representing the sarcomatoid, epithelioid and biphasic subtypes.

Differences in the immunolocalization of surfactant protein (SP)-A, SP-D, and KL-6 in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung disorder characterized by excessive accumulation of surfactant lipoprotein in alveoli, which is caused by autoantibody against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The case of a 42-year-old man with idiopathic PAP, who had worked in steel and cement plants for the past 10 years, is presented. His serum anti-GM-CSF antibody level was markedly increased.

Primary toremifene treatment for elderly postmenopausal women with breast cancer.

Among patients with breast cancer who consulted the Department of Radiology, Kochi Medical School to undergo breast-conservation treatment, toremifene (TOR) alone was administered to 7 postmenopausal women as initial treatment for reasons such as the patient's desire, advanced age, and concomitant disease. In 6 patients, breast-conserving surgery was performed 1-12 months after the start of the administration of TOR alone. A 90-year-old patient has been treated with TOR alone for 56 months, and is being followed up.

An elderly patient with DCIS of the breast effectively treated with toremifene alone.

An elderly patient with breast cancer received toremifene monotherapy for one year, and about 60% tumor remission rate was obtained. Since viability of the residual tumor was suspected on ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), lumpectomy was performed under local anesthesia. The histopathological diagnosis was ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

Breast-conservation treatment for bilateral breast cancer in five Japanese women.

Between August 1989 and September 1999, breast-conservation treatment (BCT) was performed in 250 of 256 breast cancer patients. Five of the 250 patients had bilateral breast cancer, and 4 with synchronous bilateral breast cancer of the 5 were concomitantly treated by chemo-endocrine therapy before simultaneous breast-conservation surgery for bilateral breast cancer. Chemotherapy was performed using cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, and 5-fluorouracil, while endocrine therapy was performed using an antiestrogen agent (tamoxifen or toremifene).

[A case of rheumatoid arthritis associated with pernicious anemia and bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia].

A case of rheumateid arthritis (RA) with pernicious anemia (PA) and wandering multiple patchy densities in bilateral lung fields is reported. A 72-year-old woman was hospitalized in February 1994, because of cough. She had already advanced RA (Class IV, Stage IV).

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus complicated with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism.

We report a case of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) complicated with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism. A 74-year-old male was hospitalized because of diplopia. He was revealed to have NIDDM.