One-year safety and effectiveness of the Agent paclitaxel-coated balloon for the treatment of small vessel disease and in-stent restenosis.

The Agent device consists of a semi-compliant balloon catheter, which is coated with a therapeutic low-dose formulation of paclitaxel (2 µg/mm) blended with an inactive excipient acetyl-tri-n-butyl citrate (ATBC). AGENT Japan SV is a randomized controlled study that enrolled 150 patients from 14 Japanese sites treated with Agent or SeQuent Please paclitaxel-coated balloon. This study also includes a single-arm substudy evaluating the safety and effectiveness of Agent in patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR).

Factors associated with the response to atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: The purpose of this study was to analyze factors associated with the overall survival (OS) of atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). We also assessed the OS of patients with ineffective therapy and those who discontinued treatment owing to adverse events (AEs).

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study involved 139 patients with aHCC who received atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination therapy between November 2020 and September 2022.

A novel fully covered metal stent for unresectable malignant distal biliary obstruction: results of a multicenter prospective study.

Background/aims: Endoscopic self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement is currently the standard technique for treating unresectable malignant distal biliary obstructions (MDBO). Therefore, covered SEMS with longer stent patency and fewer migrations are required. This study aimed to assess the clinical performance of a novel, fully covered SEMS for unresectable MDBO.

Clinical impact of optical coherence tomography findings after drug-coated balloon treatment for patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Background: Drug-coated balloon (DCB) became a potential treatment option for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, factors associated with target lesion failure (TLF) remain uncertain.

Methods: This retrospective, multicentre, observational study included consecutive ACS patients who underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided DCB treatment. Patients were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of TLF, a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target lesion revascularisation.

Public support for patients with intractable diseases in Japan: impact on clinical indicators from nationwide registries in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend antihypertensive and tolvaptan therapies for patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in Japan. However, tolvaptan therapy may pose an economic burden. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare supports patients with intractable diseases.

Evaluation of survival outcomes between minimally invasive and open surgery in the treatment of early-stage endometrial cancer: a population-based study in Osaka Japan.

Objective: To compare the oncological outcomes between Japanese women who underwent minimally invasive surgery and those who underwent open surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer.

Methods: This population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Osaka Cancer Registry from 2011 to 2018. Surgically treated patients for localized (uterine-confined) endometrial cancer were identified.

Stem alignment with short tapered-wedge cementless stems affects bone mineral density continuously for at least 5 years after primary total hip arthroplasty.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the relationship between the three-dimensional (3D) alignment of short tapered-wedge cementless stems and bone mineral density (BMD) changes in patients followed up for 5 years after total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods: We retrospectively analysed the hips of 52 patients who underwent THA using short tapered-wedge cementless stems at our institution from 2013 to 2016 with complete 5-year follow-up data. We evaluated the relationship between stem alignment, measured using a 3D-templating software, and BMD changes in the 7 Gruen zones.

Serial changes of the side-branch ostial area after single crossover stenting with kissing-balloon inflation.

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the serial change of the side-branch ostial area (SBOA) depended on the wire-position before Kissing-balloon inflation (KBI) in the single-stent strategy for bifurcation lesions separately in the left main coronary artery (LMCA) and in non-LMCA.

Methods: Patients who underwent a single-stent KBI for a bifurcation lesion and had OCT images at the timing of the rewiring, at the post-procedure, and at the 9-month follow-up were extracted from the 3D-OCT Bifurcation Registry, which is a multicenter-prospective registry of patients with a percutaneous coronary intervention for a bifurcation lesion under OCT guidance. The SBOA was measured by dedicated software, and the rewiring position at the side-branch ostium after crossover stenting was assessed by three-dimensional-optical coherence tomography (3D-OCT).

Laboratory Findings of Benign Convulsions With Mild Gastroenteritis: A Meta-Analysis.

Investigating factors associated with benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (CwG) is important for early detection and treatment. In previous studies, uric acid (UA) has been reported to be associated with CwG. However, the association between CwG and abnormal laboratory values remains inconclusive.

Parents' Fears about Hospital Visits and Trait Anxiety in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Anxiety in parents of children with allergic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic may impact hospital visits. This study explored the effect of the pandemic on parents' fears about hospital visits and their relationship with their personality traits. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted between September 2020 and March 2021, with parents of children aged 0-15 years, who regularly visited 24 outpatient facilities for allergic disease.

Developing an artificial intelligence-based headache diagnostic model and its utility for non-specialists' diagnostic accuracy.

Background: Misdiagnoses of headache disorders are a serious issue. Therefore, we developed an artificial intelligence-based headache diagnosis model using a large questionnaire database in a specialized headache hospital.

Methods: Phase 1: We developed an artificial intelligence model based on a retrospective investigation of 4000 patients (2800 training and 1200 test dataset) diagnosed by headache specialists.

Lifestyle and body composition changes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective, observational study.

Objectives: Behavioral restrictions and staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic have affected lifestyles. It was hypothesized that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) decreased their activities of daily living (ADL) and exercise during the pandemic. The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in lifestyle and body composition.