Case of low-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin presenting metastases to lymph nodes and peritoneum.

A 61-year-old Japanese man had a gradually growing, red-colored nodule in his umbilicus from 3 years ago. He had no symptoms such as hot flush, diarrhea or wheezing. Computed tomography detected a 3.

Do Individual Differences in Physical Therapists' Skills Affect Postoperative Results of Total Knee Arthroplasty?

We investigated variations in postoperative outcomes of total knee arthroplasty which were dependent on the physical therapist (PT) who performed rehabilitation while keeping other parameters as uniform as possible. Seventy-nine among 690 knees were selected based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were randomly assigned to five PTs, who had from 2 to 21 years of experience.

Latent Autonomous Cortisol Secretion From Apparently Nonfunctioning Adrenal Tumor in Nonlateralized Hyperaldosteronism.

Context: Adrenal tumors (ATs), even those diagnosed as nonfunctioning, may cause metabolic disorders. Some primary aldosteronism (PA) patients with ATs are diagnosed with bilateral PA based on adrenal venous sampling (AVS), and their ATs are apparently nonfunctioning.

Objective: To clarify the influence of apparently nonfunctioning ATs, we compared hormone levels and clinical complications between bilateral PA cases with and without ATs.

Notch Signaling Enhances Stemness by Regulating Metabolic Pathways Through Modifying p53, NF-κB, and HIF-1α.

Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hASCs) are attractive for regenerative medicine, but their limited in vitro life span limits their therapeutic applicability. Recent data demonstrate that hypoxia may benefit the ex vivo culture of stem cells. Such cells exhibit a high level of glycolytic metabolism under hypoxic conditions.

Subtype prediction of primary aldosteronism by combining aldosterone concentrations in the left adrenal vein and inferior vena cava: a multicenter collaborative study on adrenal venous sampling.

Subtype diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) by adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is recommended as a mandatory step for indicating adrenal surgery. It is a technically demanding procedure, especially in the right adrenal vein. The aim of the study was to predict the subtype diagnosis in the absence of values from the right AVS.

Hyperkalemia in both surgically and medically treated patients with primary aldosteronism.

Hyperkalemia is an important complication of adrenalectomy for patients with primary aldosteronism (PA). The frequency of hyperkalemia after medication using mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) for PA is unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency and the risk factors of hyperkalemia after surgery and medication for PA.

Efficacy and Safety of an Orally Administered Selective Prostacyclin Receptor Agonist, Selexipag, in Japanese Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Background: Selexipag is an orally available prostacyclin receptor (IP receptor) agonist with a non-prostanoid structure. In this open-label Phase II trial, the efficacy and safety of selexipag in Japanese patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is examined.

Methods and results: Selexipag was administered at 200 μg twice daily and titrated up to 1,600 μg by increments of 200 μg in 37 subjects to reach the individual maximum tolerated dose.

Risk of bleeding and repeated bleeding events in prasugrel-treated patients: a review of data from the Japanese PRASFIT studies.

Prasugrel is a third-generation thienopyridine that achieves potent platelet inhibition with less pharmacological variability than other thienopyridines. However, clinical experience suggests that prasugrel may be associated with a higher risk of de novo and recurrent bleeding events compared with clopidogrel in Japanese patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this review, we evaluate the risk of bleeding in Japanese patients treated with prasugrel at the doses (loading/maintenance doses: 20/3.

Clinical study for pancreatic fistula after distal pancreatectomy with mesh reinforcement.

Background: The purpose of this cohort study was to determine whether distal pancreatectomy with mesh reinforcement can reduce postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) rates compared with bare stapler.

Methods: In total, 51 patients underwent stapled distal pancreatectomy. Out of these, 22 patients (no mesh group) underwent distal pancreatectomy with bare stapler and 29 patients (mesh group) underwent distal pancreatectomy with mesh reinforced stapler.

Significance of adrenal computed tomography in predicting laterality and indicating adrenal vein sampling in primary aldosteronism.

Although laterality assessed by computed tomography (CT) in primary aldosteronism (PA) is not always concordant with that assessed by adrenal vein sampling (AVS), it is unclear whether all patients diagnosed with PA should undergo AVS for subtype classification. The aim of the current study was to investigate the accuracy of CT in subtype classification and to develop a prediction score for bilateral subtype in patients without adrenal tumour. As part of the WAVES-J study, 393 patients with PA were analysed.

Bilateral aldosterone suppression and its resolution in adrenal vein sampling of patients with primary aldosteronism: analysis of data from the WAVES-J study.

Context: In adrenal vein sampling (AVS) for patients with primary aldosteronism, the contralateral ratio of aldosterone/cortisol (A/C) between the nondominant adrenal vein and the inferior vena cava is one of the best criteria for determining lateralized aldosterone secretion. Despite successful cannulation in some patients, the A/C ratios in the adrenal veins are bilaterally lower than that in the inferior vena cava (bilateral aldosterone suppression; BAS).

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of BAS in AVS and how to resolve this condition.

Adrenal Venous Sampling in Patients With Positive Screening but Negative Confirmatory Testing for Primary Aldosteronism.

Adrenal venous sampling is considered to be the most reliable diagnostic procedure to lateralize aldosterone excess in primary aldosteronism (PA). However, normative criteria have not been established partially because of a lack of data in non-PA hypertensive patients. The aim of the study was to investigate aldosterone concentration and its gradient in the adrenal vein of non-PA hypertensive patients.

Upregulation of TGF-β1 and basic FGF in elastofibroma: an immunohistochemical analysis.

Elastofibroma is a rare tumour that occurs in the subscapular space, and it typically presents in middle-aged and older individuals. The aetiology of elastofibroma remains unknown. Recent, sporadic reports have shown, immunohistologically, that fibroblasts in elastofibroma may produce abnormal elastic and collagen fibres through the action of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), a factor that promotes fibroblast proliferation.

Optimum position of left adrenal vein sampling for subtype diagnosis in primary aldosteronism.

Context: Although adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is the standard method for subtype diagnosis in primary aldosteronism (PA), protocol details including the sampling position in the adrenal vein are not standardized.

Objective: To establish the optimum sampling position in the left adrenal vein based on postoperative outcome in PA patients.

Design And Setting: Retrospective study in nine referral centres.