Evaluation of the Impact of ABCDEF Bundle Compliance Rates on Postintensive Care Syndrome: A Secondary Analysis Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between ABCDEF bundles and long-term postintensive care syndrome (PICS)-related outcomes.

Design: Secondary analysis of the J-PICS study.

Setting: This study was simultaneously conducted in 14 centers and 16 ICUs in Japan between April 1, 2019, and September 30, 2019.

Survival and acute exacerbation for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or non-IPF idiopathic interstitial pneumonias: 5-year follow-up analysis of a prospective multi-institutional patient registry.

Objective: Few prospective cohort studies with relatively large numbers of patients with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (non-IPF) of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) have been described. We aimed to assess disease progression and cause of death for patients with non-IPF IIPs or IPF under real-life conditions.

Methods: Data were analysed for a prospective multi-institutional cohort of 528 IIP patients enrolled in Japan between September 2013 and April 2016.

Combined Ultrasound and Computed Tomography Guidance in Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Reduces Local Recurrence Rate.

Background/aim: In radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the therapeutic effect depends on the appropriate position of the electrode. To improve the accuracy of the electrode needle position, we currently perform RFA with combined ultrasound sonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) guidance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this US/CT-guided RFA method.

Minocycline-Induced Hyperpigmentation: Importance of Early Diagnosis.

A 75-year-old woman on hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure due to polycystic kidney disease developed dark spots on her limbs. She had been treated for extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli bacteremia by a rectovaginal fistula and was on long-term oral minocycline (cumulative dose 45 g). Physical examination revealed dark patches on her forearms and lower legs but no trunk hyperpigmentation or visual impairment.

Potential Predictive Biomarkers of Systemic Drug Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Anticipated Usefulness in Clinical Practice.

In the systemic drug treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, only the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sorafenib was available for a period. This was followed by the development of regorafenib as a second-line treatment after sorafenib, and then lenvatinib, a new TKI, proved non-inferiority to sorafenib and became available as a first-line treatment. Subsequently, cabozantinib, another TKI, was introduced as a second-line treatment, along with ramucirumab, the only drug proven to be predictive of therapeutic efficacy when AFP levels are >400 ng/mL.

Mortality and prognostic factors for spontaneous pneumothorax in older adults.

Spontaneous pneumothorax occurs predominantly in young males and older adults, often as a secondary condition, and can be refractory and fatal. This study aimed to investigate the mortality and prognostic factors for pneumothorax in older patients. We retrospectively cohort studied patients with pneumothorax aged ≥65 years who visited our department from October 2012 to January 2019.

Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration for Duodenal Subepithelial Lesions Showing a Hypoechoic Mass on Endoscopic Ultrasound Imaging.

Background/aims: For duodenal subepithelial lesions showing a hypoechoic mass on endoscopic ultrasound imaging, the utility of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and the frequency of histological types have not been the focus of previous literature. This study aimed to clarify this.

Materials And Methods: This prospective observational study enrolled 22 consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasoundguided fine-needle aspiration for duodenal subepithelial lesions with hypoechoic mass on endoscopic ultrasound.

Retained medullary cord and caudal lipoma with histopathological presence of terminal myelocystocele in the epidural stalk.

Background: The retained medullary cord (RMC), caudal lipoma, and terminal myelocystocele (TMCC) are thought to originate from the failed regression spectrum during the secondary neurulation, and the central histopathological feature is the predominant presence of a central canal-like ependyma-lined lumen (CC-LELL) with surrounding neuroglial tissues (NGT), as a remnant of the medullary cord. However, reports on cases in which RMC, caudal lipoma, and TMCC coexist are very rare.

Case Description: We present two patients with cystic RMC with caudal lipoma and caudal lipoma with an RMC component, respectively, based on their clinical, neuroradiological, intraoperative, and histopathological findings.

Anti-SOX-1 Antibody-Positive Paraneoplastic Limbic Encephalitis Diagnosed During Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment.

Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS) mostly presents its symptoms prior to cancer treatment. We present a case of anti-Sry-like high mobility group box 1 (SOX-1) antibody-positive PNS diagnosed during the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). A 65-year-old woman with a history of smoking and SCLC (T3N1M0) was hospitalized to receive chemo-radiation therapy.

Continuous positive airway pressure versus high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure: A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Objective: The relative effectiveness of initial non-invasive respiratory strategies for acute respiratory failure using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is unclear.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of CPAP and HFNC on reducing the risk of meeting the prespecified criteria for intubation and improving clinical outcomes of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. The primary endpoint was the time taken to meet the prespecified criteria for intubation within 28 days.

FIB‑4 index and serum α‑fetoprotein are useful predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence in hepatitis B patients with nucleos(t)ide analogs therapy.

Current antiviral therapies cannot achieve eradication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and can reduce but not eliminate the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic HBV infection. The present study aimed to identify the risk factors for HCC development by analyzing nucleoside analogue (NA)-treated patients as a retrospective cohort using fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4 index) as a non-invasive fibrosis marker. A total of 260 patients with HBV receiving NAs without a history of HCC between January 2001 and January 2021 were included in the present study.

Error of intraoperative measurement of stem anteversion is decreased by measuring in neutral hip position during total hip arthroplasty.

Background: Intraoperative stem anteversion, which is the angle between the lower leg axis and the trial-stem axis with hip flexion and adduction, is generally evaluated by the surgeon's visual estimation during total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, the conventional approach can be influenced by knee osteoarthritis or uncertain surgeon's observation point. Therefore, we developed a new method for measuring the stem anteversion angle in the neutral hip position using an original rod attached to the trial-stem perpendicular to the long axis and parallel to the stem neck.

Effect of duration of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 (6 versus 12 months) for resected pancreatic cancer: the multicenter clinical randomized phase II postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy S-1 (PACS-1) trial.

Background: Six-month adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 is standard care for resected pancreatic cancer in Japan; however, the optimal duration has not been established. We aimed to evaluate the impact of duration of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase II study.

Temporal Trends in Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention From 2014 to 2022 in Japan.

Recent revisions of clinical guidelines by the Japanese Circulation Society, American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology, and European Society of Cardiology updated the management of antithrombotic strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the extent to which these guidelines have been implemented in real-world daily clinical practice is unclear. We conducted surveys on the status of antithrombotic therapy for patients with AF undergoing PCI every 2 years from 2014 to 2022 in 14 cardiovascular centers in Japan.

Roles considered important for hospitalist and non-hospitalist generalist practice in Japan: a survey study.

Background: An increased focus on quality and patient safety has led to the evolution of hospitalists. The number of hospitalists covering ward and outpatient care is on the rise in Japan. However, it is unclear what roles hospital workers themselves consider important in their practice.

An Imaging Feature Predicts Efficacy of Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background/aim: Systemic chemotherapy with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab is approved for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is necessary to identify probable predictive biomarkers for chemotherapies. HCC with rim arterial-phase enhancement (APHE) has been linked to aggressive tumor activity.

High-grade Serous Carcinoma can Show Squamoid Morphology Mimicking True Squamous Differentiation.

Tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HG-SC) and ovarian endometrioid carcinoma (EC) can show overlapping morphologic features, such as glandular and solid patterns. The differential diagnosis of these subtypes is thus sometimes difficult. The existence of "squamous differentiation" tends to lead to a diagnosis of EC rather than HG-SC.