Predictive model for postoperative pleural effusion after hepatectomy.

Aim: Severe postoperative pleural effusion (sPOPE) after hepatectomy can lead to respiratory distress and may require thoracic drainage, leading to prolonged hospitalization. Preventive chest tube insertion may be useful for patients at high risk for sPOPE. We aimed to develop a predictive model for sPOPE after hepatectomy and evaluate indications for preventive chest tube insertion using our model.

Analysis of the survival and clinical characteristics of colorectal cancer patients with mental disorders.

Aim: Many studies have shown that patients with mental disorders are less likely than non-psychiatric patients to be diagnosed with or treated for various types of cancers because of their low awareness and understanding of the disease as well as reduced ability to cooperate with medical staff. We analyzed the clinical features of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and preexisting mental illness.

Methods: All patients underwent primary tumor resection for CRC.

Oncological benefits of portal vein embolization for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Portal vein embolization (PVE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was first introduced in 1986 and has been continuously developed throughout the years. Basically, PVE has been applied to expand the indication of liver resection for HCC patients of insufficient future liver remnant. Importantly, PVE can result in tumor progression in both embolized and non-embolized livers; however, long-term survival after liver resection following PVE is at least not inferior compared with liver resection alone despite the smaller future liver remnant volume.

Steroid therapy is effective for IgA nephropathy after liver transplantation in a pediatric patient.

Hepatic IgA nephropathy is a complication of chronic liver disease. IgA nephropathy after liver transplantation is rare, especially in children, and carries a significant risk factor for chronic renal failure and mortality. In cases without viral hepatitis, steroid therapy may be useful for IgA nephropathy associated with liver dysfunction.

Identification of Anemia for Predicting Mid-Term Prognosis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Japanese Patients - Insights From the OCEAN-TAVI Registry.

Patients with anemia have a poor prognosis following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Given the unique distribution of hemoglobin levels in the Japanese cohort, the optimal cut-off hemoglobin value may help stratify Japanese patients' mortality following TAVI. Data of patients who underwent TAVI were collected from the prospective multicenter Optimized transCathEter vAlvular iNtervention (OCEAN)-TAVI Registry.

Preoperative transferrin level is a novel prognostic marker for colorectal cancer.

Aim: This study investigated whether preoperative serum transferrin, a rapid-turnover protein, was associated with prognosis after colorectal cancer (CRC) resection.

Methods: We evaluated preoperative transferrin, which was calculated as iron and unsaturated iron-binding capacity, in 501 patients who underwent surgery for Stage I-III CRC. Transferrin level was directly proportional to total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and TIBC < 250 μg/dl was defined as low transferrin.

A nationwide, multi-institutional collaborative retrospective study of colorectal neuroendocrine tumors in Japan.

Aim: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are one of the subtypes of neuroendocrine neoplasms and are defined as epithelial neoplasms with predominant neuroendocrine differentiation. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal NETs through a nationwide retrospective study in Japan.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study of NETs in Japan was conducted by the study group of the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum.

Future IoT tools for COVID-19 contact tracing and prediction: A review of the state-of-the-science.

In 2020 the world is facing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19. To address these challenges, many digital tools are being explored and developed to contain the spread of the disease. With the lack of availability of vaccines, there is an urgent need to avert resurgence of infections by putting some measures, such as contact tracing, in place.

Validation of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure Diagnoses in Hospitalized Patients With the Nationwide Claim-Based JROAD-DPC Database.

Big data systems such as diagnosis procedure combination (DPC) datasets have recently been used for research purposes. However, there have been few validation studies to determine the accuracy of diagnoses. The aim of this study was to validate and evaluate 2 diagnoses, namely acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure (HF), using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes in the Japanese Registry Of All cardiac and vascular Disease (JROAD)-DPC database.

Impact of Reactive Oxidative Metabolites Among New Categories of Nonischemic Heart Failure.

Background We investigated the clinical significance of derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (DROMs), a new marker of reactive oxygen species, in patients with nonischemic heart failure (HF) and compared them among new categories of HF. Methods and Results We recruited 201 consecutively hospitalized patients with HF and measured DROM under stable conditions. Then, we divided them according to new categories of HF (HF with reduced ejection fraction [EF], HF with midrangeEF, and HF with preserved EF) without coronary artery disease.

Effects of Dual Initial Combination Therapy With Macitentan Plus Riociguat or Macitentan Plus Selexipag on Hemodynamics in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (SETOUCHI-PH Study) - Protocol of a Multicenter Randomized Control Trial.

The latest guideline from the European Society of Cardiology and European Respiratory Society recommends initial combination therapy with oral pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-specific drugs in PAH patients with World Health Organization functional class (WHO-FC) II or III. However, whether this initial combination therapy improves hemodynamics and clinical failure events regardless of the combination of PAH-specific drugs remains unknown. This study was designed to evaluate whether the initial combination therapy with macitentan plus riociguat or macitentan plus selexipag showed equal efficacy in reducing pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) 8 months after administration.

Current Awareness and Status of Transthoracic Echocardiography in Kumamoto Prefecture - A Report of the Kumamoto Cardiovascular Echocardiography Standardization Project.

There are few reports on current awareness and status of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), including the actual performance rate according to echocardiographic guidelines, in a specific area or region. This cross-sectional survey study was conducted in Kumamoto Prefecture from October 2018 to March 2019. There are 366 medical institutions advocating cardiology in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Cardioprotective Effects of Rivaroxaban on Cardiac Remodeling After Experimental Myocardial Infarction in Mice.

Direct-activated factor X (FXa) plays an important role in thrombosis and is also involved in inflammation via the protease-activated receptor (PAR)-1 and PAR-2 pathway. We hypothesized that rivaroxaban protects against cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). MI was induced in wild-type mice by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery.

Two-Year Outcomes of Asymptomatic vs. Symptomatic Patients After Deferral of Revascularization Based on Fractional Flow Reserve - Insights From the J-CONFIRM Registry.

The effect of symptoms on clinical outcomes after deferral of revascularization based on fractional flow reserve (FFR) remains poorly understood. From the J-CONFIRM (Long-Term Outcomes of Japanese Patients With Deferral of Coronary Intervention Based on Fractional Flow Reserve in Multicenter) Registry, this study evaluated 1,215 patients with stable coronary artery disease, including symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (n=571 and 644, respectively). The primary endpoint was the cumulative 2-year incidence of target vessel failure (TVF), including cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (TVMI), and clinically driven target vessel revascularization (CDTVR).

Temporal Change in Longitudinal Strain After Domino Liver Transplantation With Liver Grafts Explanted From Patients With Hereditary Amyloidogenic Transthyretin Amyloidosis.

Using transthoracic echocardiography, including 2D speckle tracking imaging (STI), this study examined cardiac function after domino liver transplantation (DLT) with liver grafts explanted from patients with hereditary amyloidogenic transthyretin amyloidosis. In all, 14 patients who underwent DLT at Kumamoto University Hospital and for whom 2D STI information was available were enrolled in the study; time-dependent echocardiographic changes were evaluated in 7. Although left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function did not differ between the pre- and post-DLT periods (mean [±SD] 5.

Efficacy of delayed primary closure with intrawound continuous negative pressure and irrigation treatment after surgery for colorectal perforation.

Aim: Surgical-site infections (SSIs) often occur after surgery for colorectal perforation. We introduced delayed primary closure (DPC) after intrawound continuous negative pressure and irrigation treatment (IW-CONPIT) to prevent SSIs. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of DPC after IW-CONPIT compared with primary closure (PC) after surgery for colorectal perforation.

Impact of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake on patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and preparations for the future.

Patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus should establish a support network system by contacting the government to ensure that water can be preferentially obtained in the event of a disaster and create and carry a medical alert card.

Esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma shares characteristics with gastric adenocarcinoma: Literature review and retrospective multicenter cohort study.

The incidence of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) adenocarcinoma has been gradually increasing in Asia, just like in Western countries a few decades ago. Despite recent advances in next-generation sequencing and multimodal treatments, EGJ adenocarcinoma is still an aggressive malignancy with poor outcomes. Clinically, EGJ adenocarcinoma can be separated into Barrett's adenocarcinoma and cardiac adenocarcinoma, with frequent similarities observed.

Ungual hyalohyphomycosis caused by .

onychomycosis is uncommon in the temperate climate zone of Japan. Based on the morphological characteristics and a gene analysis, we diagnosed a patient with ungual hyalohyphomycosis caused by belonging to the complex. This intractable disease was cured by 6-month treatment with efinaconazole 10% solution.

Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome with concurrent macular edema caused by granulomatous uveitis.

It is difficult to differentiate between TINU syndrome and sarcoidosis in young people with renal abnormalities and ocular lesions. Since the spontaneous prognosis of interstitial nephritis is different between the two, it was considered necessary to actively conduct tests for differentiation.

Surgical treatment for gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms, with an estimated annual incidence of 6.9/100 000. They arise from cells of the diffuse endocrine system, which are mainly dispersed throughout the gastrointestinal (GI), pancreatic, and respiratory tracts.

Precision medicine for adjuvant chemotherapy of resected colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in Japan. Surgical resection is the only curative option for localized disease. However, undetectable micrometastases remaining after curative surgery may cause disease recurrence.

Severe pulmonary alveolar proteinosis with respiratory failure treated by intrapulmonary percussive ventilation.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease characterized by abnormal accumulation of surfactant in the alveoli. Whole lung lavage (WLL) is the standard treatment for severe autoimmune PAP (aPAP); however, it is highly invasive. Intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) is a non-invasive technique that delivers small bursts of high-flow respiratory gas into the lung and mobilizes secretions.