Advance Care Planning Initiatives in Critical Care Centers in Japan: A Case Report.

This report examines the promotion of advance care planning (ACP) for patients admitted to critical care centers and discharged to home. Emergency transport experience allows patients and their families to realistically discuss her ACP.

Status and content of outpatient preoperative education for rectal cancer patients undergoing stoma surgery provided by Japanese wound, ostomy, and continence nurses: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Preoperative education can improve postoperative quality of life in patients undergoing stoma surgery. However, the prevalence and when, where, and how preoperative education is implemented are unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the current status of outpatient preoperative education for patients undergoing stoma surgery for rectal cancer as perceived by nurses.

The Glasgow Prognostic Score Predicts Survival Outcomes in Patients with Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is an inflammation-related score based on C-reactive protein and albumin concentrations. Few studies have assessed the correlation between the GPS and the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the utility of the GPS in predicting the survival outcomes of patients with ES-SCLC.

The Glasgow Prognostic Score Predicts Survival in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Harboring Sensitive Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutations Who Are Treated with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors.

Introduction: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the standard first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with sensitive EGFR mutations. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is an inflammation-assessing score based on C-reactive protein and albumin concentrations. Information regarding the association between the GPS and EGFR-TKI treatment effectiveness is limited; hence, we investigated whether the GPS can predict the response of NSCLC to EGFR-TKIs.

[Relationship between work engagement and organizational justice among hospital nurses].

Objective　This study aimed to clarify the relationship between organizational justice and work engagement among nurses.Methods　Japanese nurses working in a medium-sized hospital in the Tokyo metropolitan area were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. We conducted a stepwise multiple regression analysis with scores from the Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-J) as the dependent variable and scores from the Japanese version of the Organizational Justice Scale (OJS-J), age, sex, position, employment status, shift work, self-efficacy, social support, work control, and work quantitative load as the independent variables.

Implementation and Evaluation of Life-planning Lecture to Enhance Perspective-Taking among High School Students: A School-based Nonrandomized Waitlist Intervention Study in Japan.

Introduction: The Australian "empathy session," which is a parenting program aimed at alleviating postpartum depression by increasing empathy among expecting couples, was adapted to a life-planning education program for Japanese high school students. In this present study, we aimed to assess changes in high school students' empathy levels.

Methods: A nonrandomized, controlled, waitlist intervention was performed in 210 first-year students.

Effect of Early vs Delayed Surgical Treatment on Motor Recovery in Incomplete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury With Preexisting Cervical Stenosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The optimal management for acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is unknown.

Objective: To determine whether early surgical decompression results in better motor recovery than delayed surgical treatment in patients with acute traumatic incomplete cervical SCI associated with preexisting canal stenosis but without bone injury.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted in 43 tertiary referral centers in Japan from December 2011 through November 2019.

Implementation of clinical sequencing for molecular profiling in patients with advanced cancer.

Background: The advancement of cancer genomics has allowed for multiplex gene assays using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to be practically implemented, however, a clinical practice system remains to be established.

Objective: We evaluated the feasibility of clinical sequencing using NGS-based multiplex gene assays between cooperating medical institutions in patients with advanced cancers.

Methods: In this observational study, DNA and RNA samples prepared from existing tumor tissues were subjected to comprehensive genomic profiling using targeted sequencing.

Impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Background Exon 19 deletion and L858R point mutation in exon 21 of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are the most commonly encountered mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and predict better clinical outcomes following treatment with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The inflammatory indicator neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood serves as a predictive factor for NSCLC patients treated with chemotherapy. Here, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between NLR and clinical efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC patients harboring EGFR mutations.

Spironolactone use is associated with improved outcomes in heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction.

Aims: Spironolactone has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (EF). We investigated whether the discharge use of spironolactone could be associated with better long-term outcomes among patients with HF with mid-range EF (HFmrEF).

Methods And Results: We analysed HFmrEF (left ventricular EF 40-49%) patients enrolled in the Japanese Cardiac Registry of Heart Failure in Cardiology, which prospectively studied the clinical characteristics, treatments, and long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized due to HF.

Multicenter study of zoledronic acid administration in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with bone metastasis: Thoracic Oncology Research Group (TORG) 1017.

Skeletal-related events (SREs) may occur at the time of first diagnosis in 20-30% of lung cancer patients with bone metastases. Several clinical trials have shown that zoledronic acid (ZA) is effective for decreasing SREs. The main objective of the present study was to discuss clinical data of ZA and compare the frequency of SREs with previous reports.

Impact of genotype on the efficacy of osimertinib in tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a prospective observational study.

A T790M of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the most frequently encountered mutation conferring acquired resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to assess the differential clinical outcomes of osimertinib therapy in NSCLC patients with T790M according to the type of activating mutation, ie, exon 19 deletion or L858R point mutation. A prospective observational cohort study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of osimertinib in patients with a major mutation and T790M-positive advanced NSCLC who had disease progression after first-line EGFR-TKI therapy.

Prognostic differences between oligometastatic and polymetastatic extensive disease-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Oligometastasis is a state in which cancer patients have a limited number of metastatic tumors; patients with oligometastases survive longer than those with polymetastases. Extensive disease (ED)-small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is considered a systemic disease and a poor survival. This study investigated whether the concept of oligometastases is prognostic factor also applicable to patients with ED-SCLC.

Evaluation of osimertinib efficacy according to body surface area and body mass index in patients with non-small cell lung cancer harboring an EGFR mutation: A prospective observational study.

Background: Osimertinib is recommended for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutation; however, it is unclear whether body size variables affect the efficacy of osimertinib in such patients. This study assessed the potential effect of body surface area (BSA) and body mass index (BMI) on osimertinib chemotherapy in patients with T790M-positive advanced NSCLC who progress on prior EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study.

Questionnaire survey on patient awareness of invasive rebiopsy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Treatment strategies for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) depend on various factors including physical condition, complications, tumor histology, and molecular profiling. Even if initial chemotherapy is efficacious, almost all patients develop treatment resistance. Invasive rebiopsy from sites of recurrence might provide insight into resistance mechanisms and aid in the selection of suitable sequential antitumor drugs.

Real-world evaluation of carboplatin plus a weekly dose of nab-paclitaxel for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with interstitial lung disease.

Background: The optimal chemotherapy regimen for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) remains unknown. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the real-world efficacy and safety of carboplatin (CBDCA) plus nab-paclitaxel (nab-PTX) as a first-line regimen for NSCLC patients with ILD.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed advanced NSCLC patients with ILD who had received CBDCA plus nab-PTX as a first-line chemotherapy regimen between April 2013 and March 2018.