Effects of anti-thrombotic drugs on all-cause mortality after upper gastrointestinal bleeding in Japan: A multicenter study with 2205 cases.

Objects: Although anti-thrombotic use is recognized as a risk factor for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), there has been no clear evidence that it worsens the outcomes after the bleeding. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of anti-thrombotic agents on in-hospital mortality following UGIB.

Methods: Information on clinical parameters, including usage of anti-thrombotic agents, was retrospectively collected from consecutive patients with UGIB at 12 high-volume centers in Japan between 2011 and 2018.

PGC-1α regulates airway epithelial barrier dysfunction induced by house dust mite.

Background: The airway epithelial barrier function is disrupted in the airways of asthmatic patients. Abnormal mitochondrial biogenesis is reportedly involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the role of mitochondrial biogenesis in the airway barrier dysfunction has not been elucidated yet.

Impact of body size on first-line Helicobacter pylori eradication success using vonoprazan and amoxicillin dual therapy.

Background: As a first-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori, dual therapy with vonoprazan and amoxicillin (VA-dual) provides an eradication rate similar to that of vonoprazan-based triple therapy. As the factors associated with the eradication rate of H. pylori with VA-dual are unknown,we investigated them in this study.

Advanced colorectal cancer subtypes (aCRCS) help select oxaliplatin-based or irinotecan-based therapy for colorectal cancer.

Oxaliplatin (OX) and irinotecan (IRI) are used as key drugs for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, no biomarkers have been identified to decide which of the drugs is initially used. In this translational research (TR) of the TRICOLORE trial, the advanced colorectal cancer subtype (aCRCS) was analyzed as a potential biomarker for the selection of OX or IRI.

High Body Mass Index Is Correlated with the Success of Vonoprazan-Based Second-Line Therapy for Helicobacter Pylori Infection.

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is necessary for preventing peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. The potassium-competitive acid blocker vonoprazan is a gastric acid secretion inhibitor that improves the success rate of Hp eradication through its immediate and persistent inhibition of acid excretion. In Japan, first-line treatment involves a regimen in which vonoprazan is combined with amoxicillin and clarithromycin, while second-line treatment involves vonoprazan combined with amoxicillin and metronidazole.

A Non-Interventional, Cross-Sectional Study to Evaluate Factors Relating to Daily Step Counts and Physical Activity in Japanese Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: STEP COPD.

Purpose: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have decreased physical activity (PA) compared with healthy adults. As lower PA is associated with increased mortality, improving PA is an important objective for COPD management. This large-scale, multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional study examined the activity status of COPD patients in Japan and explored factors related to PA.

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Overlap According to the Japanese Respiratory Society Diagnostic Criteria: The Prospective, Observational ACO Japan Cohort Study.

Introduction: Patients with asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap (ACO) present with chronic respiratory symptoms with features of both asthma and COPD. New ACO diagnostic criteria (2018) were suggested by the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS). This prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study was conducted to investigate the proportion of patients who meet the JRS ACO diagnostic criteria among COPD patients in clinical practice.

Structural MRI Study of the Planum Temporale in Individuals With an At-Risk Mental State Using Labeled Cortical Distance Mapping.

Recent studies have demonstrated brain structural changes that predate or accompany the onset of frank psychosis, such as schizophrenia, among individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS). The planum temporale (PT) is a brain region involved in language processing. In schizophrenia patients, gray matter volume reduction and lack of normal asymmetry (left > right) of PT have repeatedly been reported.

Long-term endoscopic surveillance for Barrett's esophagus in Japan: Multicenter prospective cohort study.

Objects: Although a recent study showed the cancer incidence of Barrett's esophagus (BE) to be 1.2%/year in 251 patient-years in Japan, the long-term outcomes remain unclear. The present study estimated the cancer risk of BE in Japan using our original prospective multicenter cohort.

Mandible fractures and dental injuries related to road traffic accidents over a 12-year period-Retrospective multicentre study.

Background/aim: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a common cause of maxillofacial injuries. The aim of this retrospective multicentre study was to investigate the characteristics of maxillofacial fractures and dental injuries that occurred in RTAs in Miyagi, Japan.

Materials And Methods: The records of 404 patients with maxillofacial injuries treated at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Departments of four different institutions over a period of 12 years were analysed.

A Case Demonstrating the Pathological Relationship between Granulomatous Vasculitis and Glomerular Lesion in Renal Sarcoidosis.

We experienced a rare case of tubulointerstitial angiocentric granulomatous vasculitis with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and associated sarcoidosis. Our patient was an 18-year-old man who presented with exertional cough and dyspnea. He also had overt proteinuria (3.

Opioid-induced constipation in patients with cancer pain in Japan (OIC-J study): a post hoc subgroup analysis of patients with lung cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the opioid-induced constipation burden in the subgroup of patients with lung cancer who participated in the observational Opioid-Induced Constipation in Patients with Cancer Pain in Japan (OIC-J) study.

Methods: The prospective, observational study, OIC-J, included 212 patients with various tumour types, 33% of whom had lung cancer. The incidence of opioid-induced constipation was evaluated using several diagnostic criteria, as well as the physician's diagnosis and patient's subjective assessment.

Oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy duration (3 versus 6 months) for high-risk stage II colon cancer: the randomized phase III ACHIEVE-2 trial.

Background: Oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with debilitating peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN) in patients with high-risk stage II colon cancer. This open-label, multicenter, randomized phase III trial was conducted as a prospective pooled analysis to investigate the non-inferiority of 3 versus 6 months of adjuvant oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: From 12 February 2014 to 31 January 2017, 525 Asian patients with high-risk stage II colon cancer were randomly assigned to 3- and 6-month treatment arms.

JAK2 mutation-positive polycythaemia vera associated with IgA vasculitis and nephrotic syndrome: a case report.

We report a case of polycythaemia vera (PV) associated with IgA vasculitis. A 45-year-old man was admitted for evaluation of abdominal pain and palpable purpura. IgA vasculitis was diagnosed, and oral prednisolone therapy (30 mg/day) was initiated.

Opioid-induced constipation in patients with cancer pain in Japan (OIC-J study): a post hoc subgroup analysis of patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Background: Constipation is a common side effect of opioid therapy. An observational study of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in Japanese patients with cancer (OIC-J) included 212 patients with various tumor types. This post hoc analysis of OIC-J evaluated a subgroup of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer.

Multidisciplinary Approach to Prevent de novo Hepatitis B in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is currently a social problem. Our hospital has established a project team, which consisted of medical staff including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and technicians, to prevent HBV reactivation and subsequent de novo hepatitis B in 2015. To verify the usefulness of the team, we aimed to examine the implementation rate of HBV screening tests in patients with RA in 2011, 2015, and 2018.

1,5-anhydroglucitol is a good predictor for the treatment effect of the Sodium-Glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background And Aims: The suitable selection of appropriate medicines is one of important factor in successful diabetes care. We looked for clinical indicators that could predict the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors in advance.

Methods And Results: In a single-center, this retrospective study was designed to examine predictive indices of the effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients with low baseline Health Assessment Questionnaire scores have a risk of functional disability progression: a post hoc analysis of a nationwide longitudinal cohort in Japan.

Objectives: To determine prognostic factors for the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical practice.

Methods: We evaluated 388 biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD)-naïve Japanese patients with RA with moderate to high disease activity at study entry after being treated with conventional synthetic DMARDs. These patients were treated according to a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy for one year.

Chronic Active Antibody-Mediated Rejection With Donor-Specific Anti-HLA-DP Antibodies Following Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: A Case Report.

Posttransplant donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) cause chronic antibody-mediated rejection. Anti-DR and anti-DQ DSAs have especially been shown to be associated with negative graft function. In contrast, the prevalence and significance of anti-DP DSA have not been well established and remain unclear.

High Relapse Rate in Patients with Polymyalgia Rheumatica despite the Combination of Immunosuppressants and Prednisolone: A Single Center Experience of 89 patients.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disorder in the elderly and is characterized by pain in the shoulders and lower back. Previous studies from western countries have shown that relapse is frequent; however, there are only a few reports on the relapse rate in Japan. Here we examined the relapse rate, and sought to identify factors that predict recurrence in patients with PMR.

Risk factors for severe gastrointestinal toxicity in patients receiving palliative radiotherapy for metastatic bone tumors: association with the use of molecular-targeted agents.

This study aimed to investigate whether the use of molecular-targeted agents could affect gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity in palliative radiotherapy (RT) for metastatic bone tumors in the abdominopelvic region. We collected data of patients who received palliative RT for bone metastases in the abdominopelvic region between 2013 and 2014 from six institutions. Data of 395 patients were collected and184 patients received molecularly targeted therapy, of whom 80 received vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted agents.

Immune microenvironment in Barrett's esophagus adjacent to esophageal adenocarcinoma: possible influence of adjacent mucosa on cancer development and progression.

The immune microenvironment plays a pivotal role in cancer development and progression. Therefore, we studied the status of immune cells in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and adjacent Barrett's esophagus (BE) and their association with the clinical course of patients. We included 87 patients with EAC who underwent surgical resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Kidney enlargement effect of angioplasty for nonatherosclerotic renovascular disease: reversibility of ischemic kidney.

Renal artery stenosis causes kidney ischemia, reducing the size of the affected kidney, which eventually results in atrophy. Although renal atrophy is considered irreversible, resolution of the ischemia occasionally restores kidney size when the cause is renal artery stenosis. Angioplasty is effective in patients with nonatherosclerotic renovascular diseases (non-ARVDs).