Clinical outcomes and treatment patterns of maintenance avelumab in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a multicenter collaborative study.

Background: The JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial demonstrated improved overall survival (OS) with maintenance avelumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma UC (la/mUC) who achieved disease control following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (1 L-PBC). However, real-world data on eligibility, utilization, and outcomes of maintenance avelumab therapy remain limited.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with la/mUC who received 1 L-PBC.

Impact of intravascular ultrasound on limb events in endovascular therapy for patients with peripheral arterial disease: insights from the TOMA-CODE registry.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has become a standard procedure for performing coronary intervention, but its impact on peripheral endovascular therapy (EVT) remains unclear. To assess the usefulness of IVUS during EVT, this study analyzed over 2000 consecutive patients from the TOkyo-taMA peripheral vascular intervention research COmraDE (TOMA-CODE) registry with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in Japan. The primary outcome was chronic limb events (a composite of clinically driven target lesion revascularization (cTLR) and major amputation) during a two-year follow-up period.

Effectiveness of oral health care intervention for stroke patients following the introduction of Oral Health Assessment Tool.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health assessment tools in facilitating oral health care interventions by dental care providers for acute stroke patients within 48 h of admission, following a reform of the nursing system.

Methods: Data were gathered from a retrospective cohort study conducted at a stroke center, comparing 10 months before and after the implementation of the reformed system, with a 2-month interval. Parameters assessed included stroke type, severity measured using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, stroke history, stroke-related factors, number of teeth, hospitalization cost and duration, occurrence of fever and pneumonia, stroke treatment, days from admission to dental intervention, and intervention frequency.

Development of a novel multiplex digital PCR-based method for the detection of HTLV-1 proviral deletion.

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a retrovirus, integrates into host DNA and causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) in some individuals. Two types of defective proviruses, Type 1 and Type 2, are often observed in ATL cells. Here, we developed a 3-plex digital PCR (dPCR) method to detect HTLV-1 proviral deletions by comparing the ratios of copy numbers quantified using specific primer-probes for the LTR, pol, and pX regions.

Prognostic Nutrition Index as a Biomarker for Treatment Sensitivity to Chemotherapy and Nivolumab as the First-Line Treatment in Patients with Unresectable Advanced or Recurrent Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: This multicenter study aimed to determine whether the pretreatment prognostic nutrition index (PNI) or a change in the index after two treatment courses could be a biomarker for predicting treatment sensitivity in patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer treated using chemotherapy and nivolumab as the first-line treatment.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study with 104 patients was conducted at 12 institutions. PNI was calculated before treatment and after two courses of treatment in each case.

A retrospective evaluation of therapeutic efficacy and safety of chemoradiotherapy in older patients (aged ≥ 75 years) with limited-disease small cell lung cancer: insights from two institutions and review of the literature.

Background: The standard treatment for patients in good general condition with limited-disease small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC) is concurrent platinum/etoposide chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy (TRT). However, the efficacy and safety of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in older patients with LD-SCLC has not been fully explored; moreover, the optimal treatment for this patient group remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of CRT in older patients with LD-SCLC.

Effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccine in children during the 2023/24 season: The first season after relaxation of intensive COVID-19 measures.

Background: The annual administration of the influenza vaccine is the most effective method for preventing influenza. We have evaluated the effectiveness of the inactivated influenza vaccine in children aged 6 months to 15 years across the seasons from 2013/2014 to 2022/2023. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the inactivated influenza vaccine in the 2023/2024 season, the first year following the easing of strict COVID-19 measures, and possibly the last season when only the inactivated vaccine is available on the market.

Real-world evidence of triplet therapy efficacy in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer: a Japanese multicenter study.

Background: Two randomized trials demonstrated that the survival benefits afforded by triplet therapy were greater than those of doublet therapy, thus changing the treatment paradigm for metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). This is the first study to assess the real-world use, performance, and safety of triplet therapy in Japanese patients.

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study included 45 consecutive mCSPC patients who received triplet therapy composed of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), docetaxel, and darolutamide between January 2023 and June 2024.

Utilizing a Guiding Catheter to Improve Endovascular Therapy Outcomes for Acute Vertebrobasilar Artery Occlusion in Patients with Tortuous Vessels.

 Stable and swift placement of a guiding catheter in endovascular therapies for acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion is often difficult because of the tortuous bends of the vertebral or subclavian artery especially in older people. The use of a delivery assist guiding catheter (DAGC) shortens the time with stable support to deliver a therapeutic treatment catheter to the target lesions. Herein, we reported the clinical and radiographic outcomes in endovascular therapies utilizing the DAGC for acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusions in actual clinical settings.

Optimal Endovascular Therapy Technique for Isolated Intracranial Atherothrombotic Stroke-Related Large-Vessel Occlusion in the Acute-to-Subacute Stage.

Background And Purpose: Reocclusion after treatment is a concern in endovascular therapy for isolated intracranial atherothrombotic stroke-related large-vessel occlusion (AT-LVO). However, the optimal endovascular therapy technique for AT-LVO has not yet been investigated. This study evaluated the optimal endovascular therapy technique for AT-LVO in a real-world setting.

Palliative Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for a Small Part of a Large Vestibular Schwannoma in an Elderly Patient.

We report a case of a large vestibular schwannoma in an 80-year-old female patient that shrank after palliative Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS). Neurological symptoms included hearing deterioration and facial palsy. The tumor volume was 21.

Ruptured Vertebral Artery Dissection Treated with Endovascular Intervention.

Objective: A retrospective study of cases of endovascular treatment of dissection of the vertebral artery with subarachnoid hemorrhage was conducted.

Material And Methods: Data were 11 cases of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm (VADA) among 291 consecutive subarachnoid hemorrhage patients who underwent clipping or endovascular treatment at Ota Memorial Hospital. Classified into 4 patterns based on the location of the dissection and posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA): pre-PICA, post-PICA, involved PICA, and non-PICA.

Trends and Progress in Neuroendovascular Treatment in Japan: Japanese Registry of Neuroendovascular Therapy (JR-NET) 4. Main Report.

We reported the main results of the Japanese Registry of Neuroendovascular Therapy (JR-NET) 4, a nationwide surveillance of therapy (NET) in Japan from January 2015 to December 2019. JR-NET 4 registered consecutive patients who underwent NETs by Japan Society of Neuroendovascular Therapy (JSNET) -certified specialists. The primary endpoint was functional independence (mRS score of 0-2) at 30 days post-NET, with secondary endpoints focusing on technical success and major adverse events within 30 days.

Twenty-Four-Month Safety and Effectiveness of TCD-17187 Drug-Coated Balloon for Treatment of Atherosclerotic Lesions in Superficial Femoral and Proximal Popliteal Artery.

Purpose: In the present trial, the 24-month safety and effectiveness of the TCD-17187 drug-coated balloon (DCB) for the treatment of atherosclerotic lesions in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) and proximal popliteal artery (PA) were evaluated in Japanese patients.

Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, core laboratory-adjudicated, single-arm trial. From 2019 to 2020, 121 patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease were enrolled.