The relationship between long COVID, labor productivity, and socioeconomic losses in Japan: A cohort study.

Objectives: We examined shifts in labor productivity and their economic ramifications among adult patients with long COVID in Japan.

Methods: A total of 396 patients were categorized into three groups based on symptom progression: non-long COVID, long COVID recovered, and long COVID persistent. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed at three time intervals: 3, 6, and 12 months after COVID-19 diagnosis.

Chorioamnionitis and earlier gestational age are associated with neonatal hypercalcemia after maternal magnesium sulfate therapy: A case-control study.

Background: Magnesium sulfate (MgSO) is a tocolytic agent used to treat gestational hypertension and to prevent preterm labor. Neonatal hypocalcemia is a well-known side effect of maternal MgSO use. Cases of neonatal hypercalcemia after maternal MgSO have been reported.

Epidemiology and risk factors for mortality in clostridial bacteremia in Japan: A retrospective multicenter observational study.

Objectives: Clostridium species are ubiquitous in nature and commonly cause infections, including bacteremia. C. perfringens is often the causative species, while the epidemiology of other clostridial species remains unclear.

New criteria for preoperative liver function assessment with safety margins to avoid postoperative mortality during liver resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Despite recent medical advancements, surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma is associated with high complication and mortality rates. This may be partly attributed to the absence of established preoperative liver evaluation criteria for safe surgery. This study aimed to propose a reliable indicator for safe and well-planned management of major hepatectomy with extrahepatic bile duct resection.

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.

Combined Comprehensive Risk Score of the Estimation of Physiologic Ability and Surgical Stress and C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio Is a Strong Prognostic Indicator of Long-term Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer.

Background: In patients with colorectal cancer, both the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio and comprehensive risk score of the estimation of physiologic ability and surgical stress have demonstrated prognostic significance.

Objective: To assess the clinical value of the combined use of C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio and comprehensive risk score for predicting prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.

Design: Multicenter retrospective study.

Verification of image quality improvement by deep learning reconstruction to 1.5 T MRI in T2-weighted images of the prostate gland.

This study aimed to evaluate whether the image quality of 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate is equal to or higher than that of 3 T MRI by applying deep learning reconstruction (DLR). To objectively analyze the images from the 13 healthy volunteers, we measured the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the images obtained by the 1.

The hematopoietic microenvironment of the fetal liver and transient abnormal myelopoiesis associated with Down syndrome: A review.

Transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) in neonates with Down syndrome is a distinct form of leukemia or preleukemia that mirrors the hematological features of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. However, it typically resolves spontaneously in the early stages. TAM originates from fetal liver (FL) hematopoietic precursor cells and emerges due to somatic mutations in GATA1 in utero.

A Case of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor with Liver Metastases Demonstrating the Possibility of Enhanced ACTH Production by the SACI Test.

Objective: ACTH-producing pancreatic NETs have a propensity to metastasize, and in patients with metastases, there is no established method yet to precisely determine if the excess ACTH is produced by the primary or the metastatic tumors. Localizing the source of production of ACTH in such cases is important for devising suitable treatment strategies and evaluating the benefit of local therapies from the viewpoint of control of Cushing's syndrome.

Methods: We performed the selective arterial calcium injection (SACI) test combined with selective portal and hepatic venous sampling in a 32-year-old female patient with ectopic ACTH-producing pancreatic NET and liver metastases.

Pulmonary function and chest CT abnormalities 3 months after discharge from COVID-19, 2020-2021: A nation-wide multicenter prospective cohort study from the Japanese respiratory society.

Background: No comprehensive analysis of the pulmonary sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan based on respiratory function tests and chest computed tomography (CT) has been reported. We evaluated post-COVID-19 conditions, especially focusing on pulmonary sequelae assessed by pulmonary function tests and chest CT.

Methods: For this prospective cohort study, we enrolled 1069 patients who presented pneumonia at the time of admission in 55 hospitals from February 2020 to September 2021.

Mitral Valve Regurgitation in Klippel-Feil Syndrome With Related Thoracic Deformity.

Klippel-Feil syndrome, characterized by congenital fusion of any 2 or more cervical vertebrae, is a rare disorder in which skeletal and other organ system-related abnormalities have been reported. This article reports a case of mitral valve regurgitation in a patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome and related thoracic deformity who underwent mitral valvuloplasty. Postoperatively, the mitral valve regurgitation disappeared, and there has been no recurrence for 3 years.

An unfavorable and a successful pregnancy outcome during and after treatment of gamma heavy chain disease.

Gamma heavy chain disease (gHCD) is a rare B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that mostly occurs after childbearing age. Here we report the first case of gHCD in a pregnant patient that was diagnosed in the second trimester, and another pregnancy in the same patient after initial treatment for gHCD. The former pregnancy ended in intrauterine fetal death, believed to be caused by insufficient maternal blood flow due to multiple placental infarcts.

Discordant responses of bone formation and absorption markers in Japanese infants with vitamin D deficiency: a comprehensive matched case-control study.

Vitamin D deficiency during infancy has been associated with increased bone turnover rate and bone mineral loss. However, few studies have examined bone turnover markers (BTMs) for both bone formation and resorption in infants with vitamin D deficiency. Here, we analyzed serum concentrations of 25OHD, intact parathormone (iPTH), and BTMs including total alkaline phosphatase (ALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRACP-5b), and serum type I collagen N-telopeptide (NTx) as well as basic clinical characteristics of 456 infants (626 samples) aged less than 12 mo born at Saitama City Hospital, Japan (latitude 35.