Endoscopic incisional balloon dilation combined with anti-scarring agents for postoperative esophageal anastomotic strictures.

The management of locally advanced esophageal cancer typically involves esophagectomy; however, postoperative complications, particularly anastomotic stricture, remain prevalent. Anastomotic stricture can severely compromise patients' quality of life by leading to difficulties in food intake. Although endoscopic balloon dilation has become a standard treatment for gastrointestinal strictures, its efficacy is often limited due to the risk of perforation and the potential for recurrent stricture, necessitating multiple interventions.

Experiences of Patients and Families Living with Krabbe Disease.

The challenges faced by patients with Krabbe disease remain unelucidated. This study aimed to identify these challenges and facilitate the development of methods for assessing the quality of life. This qualitative descriptive study used in-person or online semistructured interviews from March to December 2022 using a qualitative content analysis approach.

Factors associated with subjective shoulder function preoperatively and postoperatively after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Background: Understanding factors associated with improvements in subjective shoulder function after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) helps clinicians identify targets for postoperative rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with subjective shoulder function after ARCR.

Methods: Patients who underwent ARCR for rotator cuff tear with at least 12 months of follow-up were included.

Left Main Coronary Artery Ostial Stenosis Caused by Syphilitic Aortitis Presenting With Syncope.

A 51-year-old man with a history of antibiotic therapy for syphilis 1 month ago presented with syncope. Computed tomography revealed circumferential aortic wall thickening complicating severe stenosis of left main coronary ostium. Abnormalities in serologic and cerebrospinal fluid tests led to the diagnosis of syphilitic aortitis and neurosyphilis.

Maintained transparency of preserved cornea after penetrating keratoplasty for fungal keratitis: A case report.

Purpose: This report presents a case of fungal keratitis treated with penetrating keratoplasty using a cryopreserved cornea, highlighting the successful maintenance of corneal transparency post infection resolution.

Observations: A 57-year-old man complaining of pain in the right eye was referred to our hospital. Although diagnosed with fungal keratitis, his corneal scraping indicated the presence of , and he was unresponsive to voriconazole, micafungin, and pimaricin treatments.

Somatosensory-Evoked Potentials and Clinical Assessments of Sensory Function Over Time in Patients With Subacute Stroke.

To demonstrate the utility of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) following median nerve stimulation for chronological assessment of sensory function in patients with subacute stroke during rehabilitation. Retrospective study. Forty-seven patients with hemiparesis due to stroke during the subacute phase.

A nosographic and etiopathogenetic framework for subchondral bone marrow lesions in the knee: A narrative review.

Purpose: Subchondral bone marrow lesions (BMLs) are present in a wide range of pathologies with different prognoses. Thus, a careful diagnosis is mandatory to address them with the proper treatment. The aim of this review was to examine BMLs aetiology and their relationship with biomechanical and biological factors, to identify BMLs and help clinicians to properly recognize and treat each of these common alterations.

A never-ending story: updated 3D cyber-taxonomic revision of the ant genus Wheeler (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dorylinae) for the Afrotropical region.

The ant genus are fascinating ants due to their distinctive morphology, ecology, and rarity. In this study, a comprehensive revision of in the Afrotropical region is presented, through a combination of morphological examination under the light microscope and three-dimensional (3D) cyber-taxonomy based on microtomography (micro-CT). Micro-CT based 3D surface models of all species were used for virtual morphological visualisation and examination.

A Case of IgA Nephropathy in a Patient With Sarcoidosis: Confirmation of Glomerular Galactose-Deficient IgA1 Deposition.

A 63-year-old Japanese housewife was admitted to our hospital because of hematuria and proteinuria lasting for 3 months. At the age of 59 years, she was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis at another hospital, and she received oral glucocorticoid therapy for 1 year. Her serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels were elevated.

Effects of infection on neonates: a meta-analysis.

Objective: (UU) is an opportunistic pathogen transmitted from mother to fetus, potentially causing neonatal diseases. Despite extensive research, its association with these diseases remains uncertain. This study analyzes the effects of UU infection on newborns.

Japan's Growing Public Health Crisis: Tackling the Alarming Increase in Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome.

Japan is experiencing a dramatic spike in streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) cases, exceeding the previous year's statistics. This life-threatening illness, caused by , has been connected not only to the relaxation of COVID-19 precautions but also to the prolonged effects of confinement and lack of contact with the surrounding environment/ecology. The condition is characterized by a sudden onset of symptoms, including high fever, rash, and shock, and demands immediate medical intervention.

Automated xeno-free chondrogenic differentiation from human embryonic stem cells: Enhancing efficiency and ensuring high-quality mass production.

Introduction: Repairing damaged cartilage poses significant challenges, particularly in cases of congenital cartilage defects such as microtia or congenital tracheal stenosis, or as a consequence of traumatic injury, as the regenerative potential of cartilage is inherently limited. Stem cell therapy and tissue engineering offer promising approaches to overcome these limitations in cartilage healing. However, the challenge lies in the size of cartilage-containing organs, which necessitates a large quantity of cells to fill the damaged areas.

STRAIGHTMORPH: A Voice Morphing Tool for Research in Voice Communication Sciences.

The purpose of this paper is to make easily available to the scientific community an efficient voice morphing tool called STRAIGHTMORPH and provide a short tutorial on its use with examples. STRAIGHTMORPH consists of a set of Matlab functions allowing the generation of high-quality, parametrically-controlled morphs of an arbitrary number of voice samples. A first step consists in extracting an 'mObject' for each voice sample, with accurate tracking of the fundamental frequency contour and manual definition of Time and Frequency anchors corresponding across samples to be morphed.

Therapeutic Intervention for Trunk Control Impairments in Central Nervous System Disorders: A Comprehensive Review of Methods and Efficacy.

Objectives: Trunk control involves multiple brain regions related to motor control systems. Therefore, patients with central nervous system (CNS) disorders frequently exhibit impaired trunk control, decreasing their activities of daily living (ADL). Although some therapeutic interventions for trunk impairments have been effective, their general effects on CNS disorders remain unclear.

Pollution resistance of Saturn's ring particles during micrometeoroid impact.

Saturn's rings have been estimated to be as young as about 100 to 400 million years old according to the hypothesis that non-icy micrometeoroid bombardment acts to darken the rings over time and the Cassini observation indicated that the ring particles appear to be relatively clean. These young age estimates assume that the rings formed out of pure water ice particles with a high accretion efficiency of impacting non-icy micrometeoroid material ( ≳ 10%). Here we show, using numerical simulations of hypervelocity micrometeoroid impacts on a ring particle, that non-icy material may not be as readily accreted as previously thought.

Novel Endovascular Technique for Thrombus Removal: The "Super Grab a Clot and Hold ON (Super GACHON)" Technique.

We present a case of a 60-year-old man with claudication in his right foot; the patient had received stent-graft implantation for the right superficial femoral artery (SFA) 1 year ago. Computed tomography angiography suggested stent occlusion of the right SFA, and a thrombus was considered to cause occlusion. To avoid distal embolization, we performed lesion recanalization via a trans-ankle intervention.

Plasma galectin-9 levels correlate with blood monocyte turnover and predict simian/human immunodeficiency virus disease progression.

Background: Late-stage human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is typically characterized by low CD4 + T-cell count. We previously showed that profound changes in the monocyte turnover (MTO) rate in rhesus macaques infected by the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) outperforms declining CD4 + T-cell counts in predicting rapid health decline associated with progression to terminal disease. High MTO is associated with increased tissue macrophage death.

Cadaveric Study Evaluating the Potential for Hindfoot Endoscopy and Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendoscopy Using a 1.9-mm Diameter Needle Arthroscope.

Background: Hindfoot endoscopy is an effective treatment for posterior ankle impingement syndrome (PAIS) and flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon disorders. However, FHL tendoscopy, especially from the posteromedial portal, carries a risk of tibial nerve damage. A needle-arthroscopic system with a 1.

Updated Review of Proximal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer or Cancer of the Gastroesophageal Junction.

Proximal gastrectomy (PG) has reemerged as a viable surgical option for managing proximal gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer, particularly for early-stage tumors, offering potential advantages over total gastrectomy (TG). This review examines the evolution of PG, emphasizing surgical techniques and outcomes. Although PG was initially abandoned due to postoperative complications such as reflux esophagitis, advances in reconstruction methods, such as the double-flap technique and double-tract reconstruction, have significantly improved patient quality of life and reduced complications.

A Comprehensive and Comparative Review of Global Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines: 2024 Update.

Differences in demographics, medical expertise, and patient healthcare resources across countries have led to significant variations in guidelines. In light of these differences, in this review, we aimed to explore and compare the most recent updates to gastric cancer treatment from five guidelines that are available in English. These English-version guidelines, which have been recently published and updated for journal publication, include those published in South Korea in 2024, Japan in 2021, China in 2023, the United States in 2024, and Europe in 2024.

Conversion Therapy for Stage IV Gastric Cancer: Report From the Expert Consensus Meeting at KINGCA WEEK 2024.

Conversion therapy is a treatment strategy that shifts from palliative systemic therapy to curative surgical treatment for primary and/or metastatic stage IV gastric cancer (GC). To address its clinical statements, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association aims to present a consensus on conversion therapy among experts attending KINGCA WEEK 2024. The KINGCA Scientific Committee and Development Working Group for Korean Practice Guidelines prepared preformulated topics and 9 clinical statements for conversion therapy.

A 37-Year Retrospective Analysis Reveals a High Rate of Cutaneous Angiosarcoma of the Scalp in Okinawa, Japan.

Angiosarcoma (AS) is a rare, aggressive malignancy originating from vascular or lymphatic endothelial cells. Despite its severity, little is known about its epidemiology, and no geographical regions have previously been identified as having an exceptionally high incidence. We retrospectively analyzed medical records spanning 37 years (1987-2023) in Okinawa, Japan, identifying 135 cases of AS that were used to calculate its incidence.

Prognostic significance of the Questionnaire for Medical Checkup of Old-Old for the incidence of functional disability: The Shizuoka Kokuho Database study.

Aim: In the Japanese health checkup system for older adults aged ≥75 years, the Questionnaire for Medical Checkup of Old-Old (QMCOO) was adopted after 2020. However, the prognostic significance of this questionnaire for the incidence of functional disability is uncertain. The current study aimed to validate the prognostic significance of the QMCOO, and to develop a simple risk score for functional disability by analyzing health insurance claims data including annual health checkup data.

Related factors of postoperative half-year care utilization for health status and recovery in older adults with hip fracture: A retrospective study of Osaka National Health Insurance Data.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between preoperative patient factors and postoperative half-year health care utilization reflecting recovery, common complications, comorbidities, and significant health concerns, identifying strong risk and protective factors.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized linear, quantile, and ordinal regressions to analyze Osaka National Health Insurance data from 26 606 elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery between 2012 and 2018.

Results: The key factors associated with multiple postoperative care utilizations (P < 0.