Risk Factors for Legal Blindness in 77 Japanese Patients with Endogenous Endophthalmitis: A Multicenter Cohort Study from J-CREST.

Purpose: We investigated potential predictive factors for visual prognosis in Japanese patients with endogenous endophthalmitis.

Design: Retrospective observational multicenter cohort study.

Methods: We examined the characteristics of 77 Japanese patients with endogenous endophthalmitis and performed statistical analyses of these real-world data.

Identification of fusion transcripts in sarcoma from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues: A next-generation sequencing approach.

Most sarcomas are highly aggressive, and cause necrosis and hemorrhage. The diagnosis of sarcoma is challenging because of the lack of specificity of immunohistochemical staining; however, molecular biological approaches, such as genetic mutation, chromosomal translocation, and gene amplification, are promising. In this study, we extracted RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue derived from surgically resected specimens of sarcoma stored for various periods and performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis by MiniSeq using the Archer Fusion-Plex Sarcoma Panel.

Simple sutureless closure of a thoracic ventral dural defect in a patient with superficial siderosis: technical report.

Background: Closure of the ventral dura mater of the thoracic spinal cord is challenging because it requires both avoiding spinal cord damage and obtaining sufficient working space in an anatomically narrow area. We report a case of superficial siderosis (SS) due to chronic bleeding from a thoracic ventral dural defect in which we preformed dural repair using as a simple sutureless method and obtained good results.

Case Description: A 75-year-old man complained of slowly progressive gait, speech, and hearing disturbances over 5 years.

Pathogenesis of Paradoxical Reactions Associated with Targeted Biologic Agents for Inflammatory Skin Diseases.

Targeted biologic agents have dramatically changed the therapeutic landscape for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, particularly in rheumatology and dermatology. Their introduction has resulted in a paradigm shift, i.e.

Optimal Chest Drainage Method After Anatomic Lung Resection: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Several methods for chest drainage after pulmonary resection of malignant lung tumors exist, but consensus on the ideal method has not been reached.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective observational study. We enrolled 2200 patients who underwent lung resection for lung tumors.

Visual prognosis of submacular hemorrhage secondary to age-related macular degeneration: A retrospective multicenter survey.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical features, treatment options, and visual outcomes of submacular hemorrhage (SMH) secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Design: A retrospective, observational case series.

Methods: Setting: Multicenter institutional setting.

Association of multiple rib fractures with the frequency of pneumonia in the post-resuscitation period.

Purpose: Successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation is associated with a high incidence of chest wall injuries. However, few studies have examined chest wall injury as a risk factor for respiratory complications after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Therefore, herein, we investigated the association of multiple rib fractures on the incidence of post-resuscitation pneumonia.

Cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum after COVID-19 vaccination.

A 23-year-old previously healthy man (Patient 1) and a 33-year-old woman with a past history of depression (Patient 2) developed neurological symptoms approximately 1 week after receipt of the first COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and deteriorated over the next week. Patient 1 reported nausea, headache, a high fever, and retrograde amnesia. Patient 2 reported visual disturbance, headache, dysarthria, a left forearm tremor, dysesthesia of the mouth and distal limbs, and visual agnosia.

Early diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on fasciculations in muscle ultrasonography: A machine learning approach.

Objective: Although fasciculation on muscle ultrasonography (MUS) is useful in diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), its applicability to early diagnosis remains unclear. We aimed to develop and validate diagnostic models especially beneficial to early-stage ALS via machine learning.

Methods: We investigated 100 patients with ALS, including 50 with early-stage ALS within 9 months from onset, and 100 without ALS.

Clozapine Treatment Is Associated With Higher Prescription Rate of Antipsychotic Monotherapy and Lower Prescription Rate of Other Concomitant Psychotropics: A Real-World Nationwide Study.

Background: Although clozapine is effective for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), the rate of clozapine prescription is still low. Whereas antipsychotic monotherapy is recommended in clinical practice guidelines, the rate of antipsychotic polypharmacy is still high. There is little evidence on whether a clozapine prescription influences changes in the rate of monotherapy and polypharmacy, including antipsychotics and other psychotropics.

Characteristics of the treatments for each severity of major depressive disorder: A real-world multi-site study.

Purpose: In the treatment guidelines for major depressive disorder (MDD), the recommended treatment differs based on the severity. However, the type of treatment provided based on the severity of MDD in real-world clinical practice has not been investigated. In this study, we clarified the actual situation of MDD treatment in clinical practice and compared the treatment based on the severity of MDD.

Transdiagnostic comparisons of intellectual abilities and work outcome in patients with mental disorders: multicentre study.

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in people with mental disorders, leading to transdiagnostic classification based on cognitive characteristics. However, few studies have used this approach for intellectual abilities and functional outcomes.

Aims: The present study aimed to classify people with mental disorders based on intellectual abilities and functional outcomes in a data-driven manner.

Prescription of Anticholinergic Drugs in Patients With Schizophrenia: Analysis of Antipsychotic Prescription Patterns and Hospital Characteristics.

In several clinical guidelines for schizophrenia, long-term use of anticholinergic drugs is not recommended. We investigated the characteristics of the use of anticholinergics in patients with schizophrenia by considering psychotropic prescription patterns and differences among hospitals. A cross-sectional, retrospective prescription survey at the time of discharge was conducted on 2027 patients with schizophrenia from 69 Japanese hospitals.

Decline in the Incidence of Chronic Subdural Hematoma During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Retrospective Single-Center Descriptive Study.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced restrictions on social activities in some areas. There has also been a decrease in the number of trauma patients in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a traumatic disorder that often develops following head injury.

The association of family history of herpes zoster and the risk of incident herpes zoster: the SHEZ Study.

Background: We investigated whether family histories of herpes zoster (HZ) are associated with the risk of incident HZ in a Japanese population.

Methods: A total of 12,522 Japanese residents aged ≥50 years in Shozu County participated in the baseline survey between December 2008 and November 2009 (the participation rate = 72.3%).

[Treatment of Dermatomyositis and Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy with Poor Muscle Recovery with Steroids and IVIg: Intractable Dermatomyositis and Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy].

Among idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, dermatomyositis and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy are distinguished by their different clinicopathological features. Corticosteroids are administered as the first-line treatment for both, and immunosuppressive agents and intravenous immunoglobulin important second-line treatments. Since some patients show resistance to these therapies, it is necessary to considering additional treatment based on muscle pathology, muscle imaging, and systemic complications such as malignancy and interstitial lung disease, in addition to the careful evaluation of muscle strength.

Prevalence and Clinical Impact of Cervical Facet Joint Degeneration on Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Novel Computed Tomography Classification Study.

Objective: To evaluate cervical facet joint degeneration using a newly developed classification, investigate its prevalence and relationship with cervical degenerative spondylolisthesis, and clarify its clinical significance in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).

Methods: This study included 145 consecutive patients with DCM who underwent surgical treatment. Clinical variables and radiological findings were analyzed.

Inverse Association of Skin Temperature With Ambulatory Blood Pressure and the Mediation of Skin Temperature in Blood Pressure Responses to Ambient Temperature.

Background: The inverse association between ambient temperature and blood pressure (BP) has been investigated in the context of excess cardiovascular mortality in winter. However, the role of skin temperature (ST), which reflects our external and internal thermal environments, in BP regulation remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the association between ST and ambulatory BP and the mediation of ST in BP responses to ambient temperature in real-life settings.

Pathological features of inflammatory myopathy as a manifestation of chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is the most important complication resulting in the death of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) survivors. It is also a relatively rare cause of inflammatory myopathy (IM). We report the case of a 46-year-old woman who developed severe cGVHD-related IM after BMT for myelodysplastic syndrome.

Monogenic causes of pigmentary mosaicism.

Pigmentary mosaicism of the Ito type, also known as hypomelanosis of Ito, is a neurocutaneous syndrome considered to be predominantly caused by somatic chromosomal mosaicism. However, a few monogenic causes of pigmentary mosaicism have been recently reported. Eleven unrelated individuals with pigmentary mosaicism (mostly hypopigmented skin) were recruited for this study.