Misdiagnosis of Aortic Dissection Due to Streak Artifact in the Descending Aorta.

Contrast-enhanced CT is a primary tool in emergency departments for diagnosing acute aortic dissection, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity. However, artifacts such as streak artifacts can mimic aortic dissection, leading to misdiagnosis. Here, we report a case involving a 21-year-old male who sustained traumatic injuries after a motor vehicle accident.

Immune complexome analysis reveals an autoimmune signature predictive of COVID-19 severity.

Background: The factors contributing to the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain unclear. Although the presence of immune complexes (ICs), formed between antibodies and their antigens, has been linked to COVID-19 severity, their role requires further investigation, and the antigens within these ICs are yet to be characterized.

Method: Here, a C1q enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay and immune complexome analysis were used to determine IC concentrations and characterize IC antigens, respectively, in the sera of 64 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, enrolled at seven participating centers in 2020.

A case of fatal disseminated infection with masticator space abscess caused by ESBL-producing K57-ST412 hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae.

A 70-year-old Japanese man with well-controlled diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease was hospitalized for an examination of acute renal failure and elevated inflammatory reactions. He had a history of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia without extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production five months earlier. The patient was found to have bacteremia due to hypermucoviscous ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, and developed septic shock, multiple cerebral infarctions, and an abscess in the left masticatory muscle space.

AQUABEAM robotic system use-results survey: Aquablation for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia in the Japanese Population.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and patient-reported outcomes of Aquablation therapy using the AQUABEAM Robotic System for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a Japanese population.

Methods: This post-market use-results survey included 103 Japanese men with BPH who underwent Aquablation across five centers with previously Aquablation naïve physicians. Data were collected at baseline, during the procedure, at discharge, and at 3 and 6 months post-procedure.

Predictive factors of immediate continence after conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: a single-institution retrospective study.

Background: To assess the predictive factors of immediate urinary continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Methods: This study included 282 patients who underwent conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy at our institution from April 2019 to March 2024. The primary outcome was immediate urinary continence, defined as the absence of urine leakage immediately after urinary catheter removal on postoperative day 6 or 7.

Macroscopic hematuria-associated severe acute kidney injury triggered by kidney stone formation in a patient with thin basement membrane and no history of microscopic hematuria.

Macroscopic hematuria (MH)-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) is a rare condition that causes acute tubular damage due to severe glomerular bleeding with MH. A 66-year-old Japanese woman with no significant past medical history was referred for severe kidney injury with oliguric MH. Her prior medical checkup results showed no occult blood in her urine.

Therapeutic Effectiveness of a Novel Cranial Remolding Helmet (baby band2) for Positional Plagiocephaly: A Multicenter Clinical Observational Study.

This multicenter study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a novel cranial remolding helmet (baby band2), which is completely custom-made based on the shape of an infant's cranium. The study included 224 full-term infants from moderate to very severe positional plagiocephaly in Japan. Cranial geometry was assessed before and after helmet therapy using a three-dimensional scanner, and changes in the cranial vault asymmetry index (CVAI) were analyzed.

Hair Loss in a Hemodialysis Patient after Repetitive Use of the Antipruritic Drug Nalfurafine: Implications of Impaired Angiogenesis for Hair Loss.

A 47-year-old man who presented with scalp hair loss was transferred to our dialysis facility 3 months after hemodialysis initiation. He noticed systemic hair loss one month after the initiation of dialysis. Because the antipruritic drug nalfurafine was the only drug that had been newly added to his regular medication after he started hemodialysis, we stopped its prescription.

Clinical Anatomy of the Superficial Preprostatic Vein and Accessory Pudendal Artery in Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

We herein describe the superficial preprostatic vein (SPV) anatomy and determine its relationship with the accessory pudendal artery (APA). We reviewed 500 patients with localized prostate cancer who underwent conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy between April 2019 and March 2023 at our institution. SPV was defined as "any vein coming from the space between the puboprostatic ligaments and running within the retropubic adipose tissue anterior to the prostate toward the vesical venous plexus or pelvic side wall.

Clip with line-pulley securing technique with plastic detachable snare for endoscopic submucosal dissection defect closure.

Video 1Clip with line-pulley securing technique with plastic detachable snare for endoscopic submucosal dissection defect closure.

Japanese Patient Engagement Promotion Training (J-PEPT): Learning course on the implementation strategy of patient engagement.

Patient engagement for patient safety is emphasized in recent years. Therefore, the Committee on Quality and Patient Safety of the Japan Primary Care Association developed a Japanese Patient Engagement Promotion Training (J-PEPT) course. J-PEPT promotes to facilitate the implementation of PE strategies and contributes to nationwide dissemination for patient safety.

Palliative care screening tools in Japan: cross-sectional utility study.

Objectives: In Japan's ageing society, the utility of US-based and UK-based palliative care screening tools in the inpatient setting is unknown. The purpose of this study is to identify the unmet palliative care needs of patients who are admitted to an acute care hospital using the US-based and UK-based screening tools.

Methods: This single-centre, cross-sectional study included patients who were admitted to an acute care hospital in Tokyo, Japan, from November 2019 to January 2020.

Fractional excretion of total protein in patients with nephrotic syndrome.

Background: The urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPCR) correlates well with the 24-h urine protein test (24-h UPT) and is a reliable indicator of proteinuria. However, in nephrotic syndrome, the correlation between the UPCR and the 24-h UPT tends to decrease. To address this, we introduced the fractional excretion of total protein (FETP), which reflects serum total protein and creatinine levels because severe hypoproteinemia and/or elevated serum creatinine levels tend to occur under these conditions.

Successful treatment with ivabradine for haemodynamically unstable junctional ectopic tachycardia occurring early after ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) is a relatively uncommon arrhythmia predominantly observed in infancy, often occurring after congenital heart surgery. Although JET is rare in adults, it can occur in the presence of myocardial ischaemia. We describe a woman in her early 70s who presented with multivessel ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention on left anterior descending artery and right coronary artery.

Inguinal hernia leads to worse immediate urinary continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Objectives: Patients with inguinal hernia (IH) may have voiding dysfunction and weak urethra-stabilizing periurethral fascial tissues, contributing to urinary incontinence. This study aimed to review the association between IH and urinary continence after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Methods: This single-institution retrospective study included 251 consecutive cases of RARP between April 2019 and June 2022.