Rupture of liver metastasis in high-volume metastatic prostate cancer patient on androgen deprivation therapy combined with upfront docetaxel chemotherapy.

Introduction: Recent studies have indicated an improvement in the survival rate of patients using docetaxel in addition to androgen deprivation therapy for high-volume metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Hepatorrhexis, characterized by the rupture of the liver, is a rare complication associated with chemotherapies. We report a case of hepatic metastases rupture during androgen deprivation therapy combined with upfront docetaxel chemotherapy.

Significant impact of cachexia index on the outcomes after hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastases.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between preoperative cachexia index (CXI) and long-term outcomes in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) after hepatic resection.

Method: In all,118 patients who underwent hepatic resection for CRLM were analyzed retrospectively. The relationship between CXI and the long-term outcomes in patients after hepatic resection was investigated.

Free water derived by multi-shell diffusion MRI reflects tau/neuroinflammatory pathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Free-water (FW) imaging, a new analysis method for diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can indicate neuroinflammation and degeneration. We evaluated FW in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using tau/inflammatory and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET).

Methods: Seventy-one participants underwent multi-shell diffusion MRI, F-THK5351 PET, C-Pittsburgh compound B PET, and neuropsychological assessments.

Rivaroxaban Treatment for Patients With Unprovoked or Provoked Venous Thromboembolism - Subanalysis of the J'xactly Study.

The efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) remain unclear. In this subanalysis of the J'xactly study, a multicenter prospective observational study, we evaluated the safety and effectiveness of rivaroxaban in patients with acute VTE according to unprovoked (n=388) or provoked (n=557) VTE status. Median follow-up was 21.

Social Isolation and Implementation of Advanced Care Planning Among Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure.

Background The implementation of advance care planning (ACP) in heart failure management is insufficient. Social isolation (SI) could be a barrier to ACP initiation, albeit the relationship between SI and patients' preference for ACP or end-of-life care remains unknown. Methods and Results We conducted a questionnaire survey, including assessments of SI using the 6-item Lubben Social Network Scale as well as patients' perspectives on ACP and end-of-life care.

Japanese rapid/living recommendations on drug management for COVID-19: updated guidelines (July 2022).

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread worldwide since early 2020, and there are still no signs of resolution. The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock (J-SSCG) 2020 Special Committee created the Japanese Rapid/Living recommendations on drug management for COVID-19 using the experience of creating the J-SSCG.

Methods: The Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to determine the certainty of the evidence and strength of recommendations.

Age Cutoff for Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease: Recommendations from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Task Force on Early Onset Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Early-onset Parkinson's disease (EOPD)/young-onset Parkinson's disease (YOPD) is defined as Parkinson's disease (PD) with an age at onset (AAO) after age 21 years but before the usual AAO for PD. Consensus is lacking, and the reported maximal age for EOPD/YOPD has varied from 40 to 60 years, leading to a lack of uniformity in published studies and difficulty in harmonization of data. EOPD and YOPD have both been used in the literature, somewhat interchangeably.

Potential significance of uncovered self-expandable metal stents for distal malignant biliary obstruction: A propensity score-adjusted competing risk regression analysis.

Objectives: Selection criteria for self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) with or without cover during palliative treatment of distal malignant biliary obstruction (DMBO) remain unclear. We evaluated factors associated with time to recurrent biliary obstruction (TRBO) in fully covered SEMSs (FCSEMSs) and uncovered SEMSs (UCSEMSs).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with DMBO who received a SEMS.

Day-to-Day Blood Pressure Variability and Risk of Incident Chronic Kidney Disease in a General Japanese Population.

Background Several longitudinal studies have reported that higher visit-to-visit blood pressure variability is associated with greater risk for developing chronic kidney disease. However, no population-based studies have investigated the association between day-to-day home blood pressure variability and incident chronic kidney disease. Methods and Results A total of 2342 Japanese community-dwelling residents aged ≥40 years without chronic kidney disease at baseline were followed up by annual health examinations for 10 years.

Differential Impact of Renal Function on the Diagnostic Performance of Resting Full-Cycle Ratio in Patients With Renal Dysfunction.

Physiological assessments using fractional flow reserve (FFR) and resting full-cycle ratio (RFR) have been recommended for revascularization decision making. Previous studies have shown a 20% rate of discordance between FFR and RFR. In this context, the correlation between RFR and FFR in patients with renal dysfunction remains unclear.

Comorbidities Associated With Residual Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With Chronic Coronary Syndrome Receiving Statin Therapy - Subanalysis of the REAL-CAD Trial.

Even with high-dose statin therapy, residual cardiovascular event risks remain in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). Thus, future treatment targets need to be elucidated. This study determined the factors associated with residual cardiovascular risk in patients with CCS treated with high-dose statins.

Stratification of Destination Therapy Candidates by J-HeartMate Risk Score Among Elderly Non-Responders to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.

For elderly patients with refractory heart failure (HF), destination therapy (DT) with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a possible treatment. The aim of DT is for long-term, satisfying quality of life on LVAD support. Previously, elderly non-responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) were primarily destined for palliative care, but DT has been available in Japan since April 30, 2021.

Differential diagnoses of calcified nodules in pulmonary amyloidosis: A case report.

Pulmonary amyloidosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of calcified lung nodules, and more careful preparation for bleeding should be taken when performing bronchoscopy. While management does not require aggressive treatment, follow-up is necessary to monitor for multiple myeloma and malignant lymphoma.

White matter alterations in the dorsal attention network contribute to a high risk of unsafe driving in healthy older people.

Aim: Healthy older drivers may be at high risk of fatal traffic accidents. Our recent study showed that volumetric alterations in gray matter in the brain regions within the dorsal attention network (DAN) were strongly related to the risk of unsafe driving in healthy older people. However, the relationship between white matter (WM) structural connectivity and driving ability in healthy older people is still unclear.

The impact of postoperative exocrine index on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease following pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: To study exocrine function of the remnant pancreas after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), we propose the use of an exocrine index (PEI) that combines the volume of the remnant pancreas and the intraoperative amylase activity of the pancreatic juice. Here, we aimed to determine whether the PEI can predict non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) following PD.

Methods: Fifty-seven patients for whom pancreatic juice amylase activity was measured during PD were enrolled.

Development of a risk score model for 1-year graft loss after adult deceased donor liver transplantation in Japan based on a 20-year nationwide cohort.

Aim: Using nationwide data collected over the past 20 years, we aimed to investigate deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) outcomes to develop a unique risk model that can be used to establish a standard for organ acceptance in Japan.

Methods: Data were collected for 449 recipients aged ≥18 years who underwent DDLT between 1999 and 2019. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was utilized to develop an original risk score model for 1-year graft loss (termed the Japan Risk Index [JRI]).

Clinical impact of laparoscopic surgery and adhesion prevention material for prevention of small bowel obstruction.

Aim: Adhesive small bowel obstructions (SBO) are one of the most common complications following abdominal surgery, and they decrease patient quality of life. Since 2000, laparoscopic surgery has been employed with increasing frequency, as has adhesion prevention material (APM). In this study we tried to evaluate whether laparoscopic surgery and APM reduce the incidence of SBO.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the prostate with alteration in a Japanese patient.

Introduction: Squamous cell carcinoma of the prostate is very rare. Due to difficulty in diagnosis, it is often detected in advanced stages. Effective treatment of squamous cell carcinoma and the genetic profiling has not yet been established.

siRNA against CD40 delivered via a fungal recognition receptor ameliorates murine acute graft-versus-host disease.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) remains a major threat to a successful outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Although antibody-based targeting of the CD40/CD40 ligand costimulatory pathway can prevent aGvHD, side effects hampered their clinical application, prompting a need for other ways to interfere with this important dendritic T-cell costimulatory pathway. Here, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) complexed with β-glucan allowing the binding and uptake of the siRNA/β-glucan complex (siCD40/schizophyllan [SPG]; chemical modifications called NJA-312, NJA-302, and NJA-515) into Dectin1+ cells, which recognize this pathogen-associated molecular pattern receptor.

Clinical Outcome After Discontinuation of Anticoagulation Therapy in Japanese Patients With Venous Thromboembolism - Insights From the J'xactly Study.

Rivaroxaban, a direct oral anticoagulant, is used as first-line treatment to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). However, the frequency of rivaroxaban discontinuation and the subsequent clinical outcomes remain unclear. The study was a subanalysis of the prospective, multicenter, observational J'xactly study, conducted in Japan, and included patients who underwent anticoagulant discontinuation without major bleeding and recurrent VTE.

Hospitalizations for Cardiovascular Diseases During the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.

Although reductions in hospitalizations for myocardial infarction and heart failure have been reported during the period of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, it is unclear how the overall number of hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) treatment changed in the early stages of the pandemic. We analyzed the records of 574 certified hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Circulation Society and retrieved data from April 2015 to March 2020. Records were obtained from the nationwide Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases-Diagnosis Procedure Combination database.

Counting gross fetal movement using a fetal movement acceleration measurement recorder in two fetuses with gastroschisis.

We used the fetal movement acceleration measurement recorder to count gross fetal movement in two fetuses with gastroschisis. In conclusion, both fetuses moved as much as normal fetuses, which suggested that normal fetal movement could indicate reassuring status also in fetuses with malformation when they have normal neurological developments.