High Normocapnia and Better Functional Outcome in Patients Undergoing Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Background: The optimal target for partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO₂) remains uncertain in patients undergoing veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Research Question: Are PaCO₂ levels associated with functional outcomes in patients receiving VA-ECMO after OHCA?

Study Design: and Methods: This multicenter, registry-based observational study, conducted from 2014 to 2020, included non-traumatic adult OHCA patients on VA-ECMO with PaCO₂ levels measured within six hours of initiation (initial PaCO₂ set) and at 18-30 hours post-initiation (24-hour PaCO₂ set). PaCO₂ levels were categorized into five groups: hypocapnia (<30 mmHg), low normocapnia (30-<40 mmHg), high normocapnia (40-<50 mmHg), mild hypercapnia (50-<60 mmHg), and moderate to severe hypercapnia (≥60 mmHg).

The Association between High-Dose Allopurinol and Erythropoietin Hyporesponsiveness in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: JOINT-KD Study.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to explore the association between urate-lowering agents and reduced response to erythropoietin-stimulating agents in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease G5.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, multicenter study in Japan between April and June 2013, enrolling patients aged 20 years or older with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≤15 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Shared decision-making in physiotherapy: a cross-sectional study of patient involvement factors and issues in Japan.

Background: Evidence-based medicine education has not focused on how clinicians involve patients in decision-making. Although shared decision-making (SDM) has been investigated to address this issue, there are insufficient data on SDM in physiotherapy. This study aimed to clarify the issues concerning patient involvement in Japan, and to examine whether SDM is related to perceptions of patient involvement in decision-making.

High versus low blood pressure targets for cardiac surgery while on cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Cardiac surgery is performed worldwide. Most types of cardiac surgery are performed using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Cardiac surgery performed with CPB is associated with morbidities.

Association between serum alkaline phosphatase and bacteraemia in haemodialysis outpatients: a multicentre retrospective cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Elevated baseline serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) may correlate with higher medium-term to long-term mortality in the general population and in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, few data are available on the association between serum ALP and the short-term prognosis of patients on haemodialysis (HD). We verified the association of ALP levels and bacteraemia or death in maintenance HD patients suspected of bacteraemia in an outpatient setting.

Effect of education on physical and occupational therapists' perceptions of clinical practice guidelines and shared decision making: a randomized controlled trial.

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the influence of the evidence practice gap on physiotherapist and occupational therapists through shared decision making using the clinical practice guidelines. [Participants and Methods] A randomized controlled trial was used. The participants included 126 therapists from three institutions.

Confidence intervals of prediction accuracy measures for multivariable prediction models based on the bootstrap-based optimism correction methods.

In assessing prediction accuracy of multivariable prediction models, optimism corrections are essential for preventing biased results. However, in most published papers of clinical prediction models, the point estimates of the prediction accuracy measures are corrected by adequate bootstrap-based correction methods, but their confidence intervals are not corrected, for example, the DeLong's confidence interval is usually used for assessing the C-statistic. These naïve methods do not adjust for the optimism bias and do not account for statistical variability in the estimation of parameters in the prediction models.

Association between Bathing and Survival in Patients with Advanced Cancer in Their Last Days of Life: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Although many Japanese patients wish to take a bath in their last days, the safety of bathing for patients with a prognosis of a few days is not known. To examine whether taking a bath affects the survival of advanced cancer patients with prognoses of a few days. A single-center prospective cohort study.

Added value of clinical prediction rules for bacteremia in hemodialysis patients: An external validation study.

Introduction: Having developed a clinical prediction rule (CPR) for bacteremia among hemodialysis (HD) outpatients (BAC-HD score), we performed external validation.

Materials & Methods: Data were collected on maintenance HD patients at two Japanese tertiary-care hospitals from January 2013 to December 2015. We enrolled 429 consecutive patients (aged ≥ 18 y) on maintenance HD who had had two sets of blood cultures drawn on admission to assess for bacteremia.

The epidemiology of minor surgical problems during specialists' absence: Single center, descriptive study.

Background: In Japan, even if physicians have not experienced surgical training, they face many instances in which they must provide initial surgical treatment, especially during off-hours. This study aimed to identify the frequency and fields of commonly encountered problems in a Japanese emergency department.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed to identify walk-in outpatients with exogenous problems visiting during off-hours in the Japanese educational hospital providing primary to tertiary emergency care between January 1 and December 31, 2014.

Screening tool for identifying adults with excessive salt intake among community-dwelling adults: a population-based cohort study.

Background: Excessive salt intake is widely known to be a cause of hypertension, cardiovascular events, and so on. However, simple tools for screening excessive salt intake are lacking.

Objective: We aimed to develop a simple screening tool to identify community-dwelling adults with excessive salt intake.

Serum potassium and adverse outcomes across the range of kidney function: a CKD Prognosis Consortium meta-analysis.

Aims: Both hypo- and hyperkalaemia can have immediate deleterious physiological effects, and less is known about long-term risks. The objective was to determine the risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and end-stage renal disease associated with potassium levels across the range of kidney function and evaluate for consistency across cohorts in a global consortium.

Methods And Results: We performed an individual-level data meta-analysis of 27 international cohorts [10 general population, 7 high cardiovascular risk, and 10 chronic kidney disease (CKD)] in the CKD Prognosis Consortium.

Development and Validation of a Clinical Prediction Rule for Bacteremia among Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients in Outpatient Settings.

Background: To our knowledge, no reliable clinical prediction rule (CPR) for identifying bacteremia in hemodialysis (HD) patients has been established. The aim of this study was to develop a CPR for bacteremia in maintenance HD patients visiting the outpatient department.

Methods: This multicenter cohort study involved consecutive maintenance HD patients who visited the outpatient clinic or emergency room of seven Japanese institutions between August 2011 and July 2013.

Research into acupuncture for respiratory disease in Japan: a systematic review.

Background: In Japan, studies on acupuncture therapy for respiratory disease have rarely been reported. Additionally, most of the reports are difficult for overseas researchers to access because they are written in Japanese and cannot be located using Medline.

Purpose: To review studies on acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for respiratory disease conducted in Japan.

Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) fiber compared to cotton underwear in the treatment of childhood atopic dermatitis: a double-blind randomized study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of underwear made of ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) fiber in children with atopic dermatitis (AD). Twenty-one AD children (11 EVOH group and 10 control group) were studied for 4 weeks. Their AD severity based on the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) score and physiological functions were assessed.

Association study between reward dependence temperament and a polymorphism in the phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene in a Japanese female population.

Cloninger's theory is that specific dimensions of temperament are associated with single neurotransmitter systems, and it is based on neurophysiologic and genetic approaches to the human traits. It suggests that overexpression of temperament could cause psychiatric illness. Based on this theory, we examined the correlation between reward dependence (RD) trait, measured with the Temperament and Character Inventory, and 5 polymorphisms in genes of norepinephrine pathways, ADRB1, COMT, PNMT, SLC18A1, and SLC6A2, in 85 Japanese female nursing students.

Impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and job-related stress on burnout: a study of fire service workers.

Burnout and stress are common, related problems in service professionals, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a major concern among fire service workers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of PTSD and job-related stressors on burnout. A total of 243 fire service workers completed questionnaires, including the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Japan Brief Job Stress Questionnaire.

[Use of complementary and alternative medicine and health problems].

Objective: Remarkable growth in use of alternative and complementally medicine (CAM) has recently been noted from consume to trends, detail surveys are limited. In this study, to clarify the actual state of use of CAM and associated problem, we performed a cross sectional study in a town using a self-administrated questionnaire.

Methods: The questionnaire including demographic variables, subjective health status and health practices was addressed by people in Oguni town in Kumamoto.

Effect of autogenic training on cardiac autonomic nervous activity in high-risk fire service workers for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Objective: We investigated the effect of autogenic training (AT) on cardiac autonomic nervous activity in fire services workers with the use of the questionnaire of the Japanese-language version of Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R-J) and indexes of heart rate variability.

Methods: We studied 22 male fire services workers who were divided into posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related stress group (n=10) and control group (n=12). They underwent AT twice or three times a week for 2 months.

Differences in relaxation by means of guided imagery in a healthy community sample.

Objective: This study investigated differences in relaxation induced by guided imagery in healthy community samples.

Methods: One hundred forty-eight people took part in our investigation. The mean age of the 50 males and 98 females was 39.

Effects among healthy subjects of the duration of regularly practicing a guided imagery program.

Background: We examined a large number of healthy adults in the general community who had individually participated in a guided imagery (GI) program daily and for various durations, to examine the psychophysiological effects of a GI program within a healthy group.

Methods: We studied 176 subjects who had participated in sessions that were part of a guided imagery program, and who had practiced GI at home for 20 minutes once daily in a quiet place after mastering GI in the group sessions. The average duration of GI practiced at home was 6.