Detectable HBV DNA during nucleos(t)ide analogues stratifies predictive hepatocellular carcinoma risk score.

Nucleos(t)ide analogs (NA) suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, NA cannot suppress carcinogenesis completely in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The aims of this study were to identify risk factors for HCC and develop a refined carcinogenesis prediction model.

Potential of Tyrosine Kinase Receptor TIE-1 as Novel Therapeutic Target in High-PI3K-Expressing Ovarian Cancer.

Tyrosine kinase receptor TIE-1 plays a critical role in angiogenesis and blood-vessel stability. In recent years, increased TIE-1 expression has been observed in many types of cancers; however, the biological significance and underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the tumor biological functions of TIE-1 in ovarian cancer.

Immune microenvironment in Barrett's esophagus adjacent to esophageal adenocarcinoma: possible influence of adjacent mucosa on cancer development and progression.

The immune microenvironment plays a pivotal role in cancer development and progression. Therefore, we studied the status of immune cells in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and adjacent Barrett's esophagus (BE) and their association with the clinical course of patients. We included 87 patients with EAC who underwent surgical resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms lead to biases in self-evaluated masticatory performance among community-dwelling older Japanese adults: the Tsurugaya Project.

Objective: This cross-sectional study aims to examine if cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms, and their combination are associated with biases between self-evaluated and measured masticatory performance in community-dwelling older Japanese adults.

Methods: The sample constituted of 804 community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals aged ≥70 years. Cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively.

Questionnaire survey on the prescription of renal replacement therapy for acute phase patients on maintenance dialysis who developed cerebrovascular disease.

Background: There is limited information about acute phase renal replacement therapy (RRT) for maintenance hemodialysis patients after the onset of cerebrovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate which modality of renal replacement therapy is currently selected in practice.

Methods: We conducted a mail-based survey in 317 dialysis facilities that were certified by three academic societies that focus on dialysis, neurology, and neurosurgery in Japan.

Glucocorticoid receptor and serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase-1 in esophageal adenocarcinoma and adjacent Barrett's esophagus.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a consequence of gastroesophageal reflux disease and is predisposed to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). EAC is an exemplar model of inflammation-associated cancer. Glucocorticoids suppress inflammation through glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase-1 (Sgk1) expressions.

The effectiveness and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in chronic hepatitis C patients with refractory factors in the real world: a comprehensive analysis of a prospective multicenter study.

Background: Direct-acting anti-virals (DAAs) have markedly improved the effectiveness of anti-viral therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. In a phase III trial in Japan, treatment with the NS3/4A protease inhibitor glecaprevir and the NS5A inhibitor pibrentasvir (G/P) resulted in a small number of patients with refractory factors. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of G/P, especially among patients with these refractory factors, and the influence of these factors on treatment.

Decreased expression of a phagocytic receptor Siglec-1 on alveolar macrophages in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Alveolar macrophages are professional phagocytes that remove microbial pathogens inhaled into the lung. The phagocytic ability is compromised in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this defect in phagocytosis are not clearly defined.

Marked heterogeneity in the diagnosis of compensated cirrhosis of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection in a real-world setting: A large, multicenter study from Japan.

Background And Aim: The presence of cirrhosis is an important factor for the management of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and it determines the duration of treatment for HCV with the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimen of glecaprevir (GLE) and pibrentasvir (PIB), that is, 8 or 12 weeks, if patients do not have a history of DAA failure. However, in real-world settings, determination of cirrhosis depends on the discretion of the attending hepatologists, and it is unclear whether compensated cirrhosis was homogenously diagnosed or not. In this study, we investigated the real-world diagnosis of cirrhosis by characterizing DAA-naïve patients who underwent a 12-week GLE/PIB regimen in whom cirrhosis was diagnosed, comparing their characteristics with those of patients who underwent an 8-week regimen in whom cirrhosis was absent.

Primary Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome Complicated with Cerebellar Hemorrhage and Aortic Dissection: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disease associated with arterial and venous thromboembolism and pregnancy complications. There have been several reports of APS with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) complicated with aortic dissection. However, none of them has been primary APS, which is APS without SLE.

Henoch-Schönlein Nephritis Manifesting with Purpura 15 years after Diagnosis of IgA Nephropathy.

Henoch-Schönlein nephritis or immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis is characterized by purpura, arthralgia, abdominal pain, and glomerulonephritis with glomerular IgA deposition. Notably, the presence of purpura is essential to diagnose this disease. We report the case of a patient in whom proteinuria and haematuria were detected during screening tests and he was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy at 20 years of age.

Improving the viability of tissue-resident stem cells using an organ-preservation solution.

Human clinical specimens are a valuable source of tissue-resident stem cells, but such cells need to be collected immediately after tissue collection. To extend the timescale for collection from fresh human samples, we developed a new extracellular fluid (ECF)-type preservation solution based on a high-sodium and low-potassium solution containing low-molecular-weight dextran and glucose, which is used for preservation of organs for transplantation. In this study, we compared the preservation of tissue-resident stem cells using our ECF solution with that using three other solutions: PBS, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium and Euro-Collins solution.

Long-Term Outcomes of Acute Limb Ischemia: A Retrospective Analysis of 93 Consecutive Limbs.

: To examine the medium- to long-term outcomes of acute limb ischemia (ALI), which are unclear at present. : We analyzed 93 consecutive limbs in 77 patients with ALI between January 2005 and December 2015 treated at our vascular center. We categorized the cases into four groups according to etiology (embolism, thrombosis, graft thrombosis, and dissection groups) to assess survival, limb salvage, and freedom from re-intervention rates.

Real-world experience of 12-week direct-acting antiviral regimen of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Background: In clinical trials, a pangenotype direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimen consisting of glecaprevir (GLE) and pibrentasvir (PIB) exhibited high virologic efficacy and tolerability in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This study sought to confirm these findings in real-world settings, focusing on patients with cirrhosis, history of DAA failure, or HCV genotype 3 who were treated with a 12-week regimen in a large multicenter study from Japan.

Methods: In a nationwide multicenter prospective cohort study, we analyzed background characteristics, tolerability, and treatment outcome of patients who underwent a 12-week GLE/PIB regimen.

The association between bilateral maximum occlusal force and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older adults: The Tsurugaya project.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the bilateral maximum occlusal force (MOF) of full dental arches and all-cause mortality in a group of community-dwelling older males and females in Japan.

Methods: This 13-year prospective cohort study was conducted among 815 older adults (395 male and 420 female) aged 70 years or over (mean age ± standard deviation: 75.1 ± 4.

Contribution of systemic inflammation and nutritional status to the relationship between tooth loss and mortality in a community-dwelling older Japanese population: a mediation analysis of data from the Tsurugaya project.

Objectives: To assess whether systemic inflammation and nutritional status contribute to a relationship between tooth loss and mortality in community-dwelling older Japanese individuals using mediation analyses.

Materials And Methods: This longitudinal study targeted community-dwelling older Japanese individuals (N = 891). The exposure variable was the number of teeth (edentulous, 1-9, 10-19, ≥ 20), while the outcome was all-cause mortality from 2003 to 2016.

CD45CD326 Cells are Predictive of Poor Prognosis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Purpose: The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, the major process by which some cancer cells convert from an epithelial phenotype to a mesenchymal one, has been suggested to drive chemo-resistance and/or metastasis in patients with cancer. However, only a few studies have demonstrated the presence of CD45/CD326 doubly-positive cells (CD45/CD326 DPC) in cancer. We deployed a combination of cell surface markers to elucidate the phenotypic heterogeneity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and identified a new subpopulation that is doubly-positive for epithelial and non-epithelial cell-surface markers in both NSCLC cells and patients' malignant pleural effusions.

Comparison of hepatitis B virus genotypes B and C among chronically hepatitis B virus-infected patients who received nucleos(t)ide analogs: A multicenter retrospective study.

Aim: Hepatitis B virus genotype B (HBV/B) has been reported to have less risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but long-term observation has rarely been reported. We aimed to clarify the characteristics of HBV/B in nucleos(t)ide analog-treated patients in an area where HBV/B is more prevalent than in other areas of Japan.

Methods: A total of 498 chronically HBV-infected patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analog (lamivudine, entecavir, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, or tenofovir alafenamide fumarate) for >6 months (mean 70.

Fabry Disease with Pacemaker Implantation as the Initial Event.

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked hereditary disorder (Xq22) caused by a deficiency in alpha-galactosidase activity. A 34-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of renal dysfunction. He had previously undergone pacemaker implantation at 24 years of age.

Efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir as retreatment therapy for patients with genotype 2 chronic hepatitis C who failed prior sofosbuvir plus ribavirin regimen.

Aim: Rescue therapy for patients with genotype 2 (GT2) chronic hepatitis C who failed prior sofosbuvir (SOF) plus ribavirin (RBV) awaits establishment. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of the fixed-dose combination of glecaprevir (300 mg)/pibrentasvir (120 mg) (GLE/PIB) for patients with GT2 chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: In this nationwide observational study undertaken by the Japanese Red Cross Liver Study Group, 28 GT2 patients with prior failure of SOF + RBV were retreated with GLE/PIB for 12 weeks.

Trends and Efficacy of Interferon-Free Anti-hepatitis C Virus Therapy in the Region of High Prevalence of Elderly Patients, Cirrhosis, and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Real-World, Nationwide, Multicenter Study of 10 688 Patients in Japan.

Background: We investigated changes in patient characteristics, rate of sustained virologic response (SVR), and factors associated with SVR after anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens in real-world practice in Japan, where patients with HCV are characterized by older age and high prevalence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Changes in patient characteristics and SVR rates were evaluated from medical records among 10 688 patients who started interferon (IFN)-free DAA therapy between September 2014 and June 2018 in a nationwide, multicenter study. Factors associated with failure of SVR were analyzed.

Preoperative biliary drainage of the hepatic lobe to be resected does not affect liver hypertrophy after percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization.

Background: In patients with malignant perihilar biliary strictures, preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) of the hepatic lobe to be resected may decrease the liver volume of the future liver remnant (FLR) after percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization (PVE). However, evidence of its application is insufficient. This study aimed to clarify the effects of PBD on liver hypertrophy after PVE.