Efficacy of pembrolizumab in microsatellite-stable, tumor mutational burden-high metastatic colorectal cancer: genomic signatures and clinical outcomes.

Background: Pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), shows significant survival benefits in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), but its efficacy in microsatellite-stable (MSS) mCRC is limited. Although ICIs are effective in tumor mutational burden-high (TMB-H) solid tumors, the impact on MSS-TMB-H mCRC, a rare subset within MSS mCRC, remains unclear.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using clinical and genomic data from the Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (C-CAT) repository in Japan.

Access Program for Unapproved and Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatric BRAF V600E-Mutated Brain Tumors in Japan.

Programs allowing access to investigational drugs and off-label drug use for serious diseases have often been applied to pediatric cancers. A clinical study conducted under the Japanese "Patient-Proposed Healthcare Services" evaluated the efficacy and safety of dabrafenib plus trametinib in children with BRAF V600 mutant glioma (jRCTs071210071). This study successfully provided unapproved and off-label medications to four enrolled patients, two with low-grade glioma and two with high-grade glioma (median age: 10.

Sentinel Lymph Node Detection Using SPECT and Gamma Probe in Low-Risk Endometrial Cancer: Efficacy and Factors Associated With Detection Failure.

Introduction: This study examined factors that affected sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification of patients with endometrial cancer having a preoperative estimation of low recurrent risk.

Methods: This study included 97 patients with endometrial cancer who attempted to identify SLN using a uterine cervical injection of technetium-99 m phytate under laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery at our institute. A preoperative single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and intraoperative gamma probe were used to detect hot nodes.

The relationship between blood test results and vasovagal reactions: An intra-individual comparative retrospective analysis of blood donor data in Japan.

Background And Objectives: To determine whether intra-individual differences in pre-donation blood test results were associated with vasovagal reactions (VVRs).

Materials And Methods: The study included donors who voluntarily donated 400 mL of whole blood at least twice during a 5-year blood collection period of the Japanese Red Cross, including both donations with and without a VVR. A conditional logistic regression analysis by age group and sex was conducted, using each donor as a stratum, together with an analysis of deviance to test the significance of including an interaction term between age group and blood data in the regression model.

Reoperation for chronological complete dislodgement of the bioprosthetic aortic valve into the left ventricle due to Takayasu arteritis.

Background: Takayasu arteritis is a large-vessel vasculitis, in addition to giant cell arteritis. Various post-operative complications associated with the cardiac macrovasculature have been reported. Detachment of the prosthetic valve, pseudoaneurysm formation, and dilatation of the aortic root are well-known post-operative complications associated with vasculitis syndromes, including Takayasu arteritis.

Noninvasive machine-learning models for the detection of lesion-specific ischemia in patients with stable angina with intermediate stenosis severity on coronary CT angiography.

This study proposed noninvasive machine-learning models for the detection of lesion-specific ischemia (LSI) in patients with stable angina with intermediate stenosis severity based on coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography. This single-center retrospective study analyzed 76 patients (99 vessels) with stable angina who underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and had intermediate stenosis severity (40-69%) on invasive coronary angiography. LSI, defined as a resting full-cycle ratio < 0.

Impact of radiotherapy-related late toxicities of skin and soft tissue in the neck on quality of life in head and neck cancer patients: a multi-institutional observational study in Japan.

Purpose: This multi-institutional observational study aimed to assess the incidence, severity, and impact of radiotherapy-related late toxicities of the cervical skin and soft tissue in head and neck cancer patients. We also explored patient interest in fat grafting as a potential treatment for skin and soft tissue sequelae.

Methods: This study was conducted across 19 institutions in Japan.

An exploratory cluster-randomized controlled trial on mindfulness yoga's effectiveness in school-refusing children: reductions in SCAS-C physical injury fears and pulse rate.

Introduction: School refusal is one of the serious problems with children's mental health, and various studies have examined its prevalence and factors among students. Although many studies suggested that anxiety and depression are deeply associated with school refusal, there is little agreement as to effective interventions. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mindfulness yoga intervention in children with school refusal.

In vitro neuraminidase inhibitory concentrations (IC) of four neuraminidase inhibitors in the Japanese 2023-24 season: Comparison with the 2010-11 to 2022-23 seasons.

Introduction: To assess the susceptibility of epidemic influenza viruses to the four most used neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) during the 2023-24 influenza season in Japan, we measured the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC) of oseltamivir, peramivir, zanamivir, and laninamivir in virus isolates from the sample of 100 patients.

Methods: Viral isolation was done using specimens obtained before and after treatment, with the type/subtype determined by RT-PCR using type- and subtype-specific primers. IC values were determined by a neuraminidase inhibition assay using a fluorescent substrate.

TIM-3 marks measurable residual leukemic stem cells responsible for relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

In this study, we investigated the measurable residual leukemic stem cell (MR-LSC) population after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML), utilizing T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (TIM-3) expression as a functional marker of AML leukemic stem cells (LSCs). Analysis of the CD34CD38 fraction of bone marrow cells immediately after achievement of engraftment revealed the presence of both TIM-3LSCs and TIM-3 donor hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) at varying ratios. Genetic analysis confirmed that TIM-3 cells harbored patient-specific mutations identical to those found in AML clones, whereas TIM-3 cells did not, indicating that TIM-3CD34CD38 cells represent residual AML LSCs.

Substance P- and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1-derived Tetrapeptides for Neurotrophic Keratopathy Related to Leprosy: A Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Neurotrophic keratopathy is part of the leprosy sequelae and causes progressive deterioration of visual acuity. Although leprosy is bacteriologically curable, there is currently no efficient treatment. Eye drops containing tetrapeptides, phenylalanine-glycine-leucine-methionine-amide (FGLM-NH) and serine-serine-serine-arginine (SSSR), derived from substance P and insulin-like growth factor 1, are clinically efficacious in the treatment of corneal epithelial disorders caused by neurotrophic keratopathy.

Validating knowledge-based volumetric modulated arc therapy plans with a multi-institution model (broad model) using a complete open-loop dataset for prostate cancer.

This study examined the characteristics of the broad model (KBP) through a complete open-loop evaluation of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for prostate cancer in 30 patients at two institutions. KBP, trained using 561 prostate cancer VMAT plans from five institutions with different treatment protocols, was shared with two institutions. The institutions were not involved in the creation of KBP.

Decision-making using the Iowa gambling test in unaffected first-degree relatives of obsessive-compulsive disorder: Comparison with healthy controls and patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Decision-making has been suggested as an endophenotype candidate for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, few studies have examined whether decision-making under ambiguity is an endophenotype of OCD. This study aimed to investigate decision-making under ambiguity, as assessed by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), in patients with OCD and unaffected first-degree relatives (UFDR).

Successful Kidney Transplantation for Bilateral Renal Hypoplasia With Ebstein Disease.

Background: Patients with renal hypoplasia are often associated with congenital heart disease (CHD). During the perioperative period of kidney transplantation (KTx), sufficient circulation volume is required to maintain renal blood flow in the donor kidney. However, little is known about the indication and management of KTx in patients with CHD who require precise hemodynamic assessment during transplantation.

Sarcomere gene variants did not improve cardiac function in pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy from Japanese cohorts.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a progressive myocardial disorder characterized by impaired cardiac contraction and ventricular dilation. However, some patients with DCM improve when experiencing left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR). Currently, the detailed association between genotypes and clinical outcomes, including LVRR, particularly among children, remains uncertain.

Intra-aural swallowing sound analysis with simultaneous videofluoroscopy and cervical swallowing sound recording.

Objective: Haji et al. reported that characteristic click-like sounds during the swallowing reflex were recorded with a small lavalier microphone placed in the ear. They also reported that endoscopic and phototubometric observations showed that these sounds were likely related to the opening and closing of the Eustachian tube during swallowing.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction for In-Hospital Mortality After Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage Using Real-World Clinical and Image Data.

Background: Machine learning (ML) techniques are widely employed across various domains to achieve accurate predictions. This study assessed the effectiveness of ML in predicting early mortality risk among patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in real-world settings.

Methods And Results: ML-based models were developed to predict in-hospital mortality in 527 patients with ICH using raw brain imaging data from brain computed tomography and clinical data.

Oral microbiome alpha diversity and all-cause, cardiovascular, and non-cardiovascular mortality in US adults: Evidence from the NHANES 2009-2019.

Background And Aims: Knowledge about the association between oral microbiome diversity within individuals and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-CVD mortality is scarce. Besides, variation by sex and racial and ethnic groups, and the potential mediators of these associations remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations of oral microbiome alpha diversity with all-cause, CVD, and non-CVD mortality, and the interaction effects of sex and racial and ethnic groups and potential mediators in the associations.