Comparing Dose Calculation Algorithms for Heterogeneous Media: Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm Versus Acuros XB (Dm/Dw) With Continuous CT Value Variation.

Background: To compare the doses calculated by the analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) and two dose reporting modes of Acuros XB (AXB(D) and AXB(D)) with varied CT values on the Eclipse (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA).

Materials And Methods: Virtual phantoms with a central layer of heterogeneous material (thickness = 2 or 5 cm) were created with Eclipse. Using single or opposed fields, the field sizes were 5 x 5 cm or 10 x 10 cm.

The Potential of GPT-4 as a Support Tool for Pharmacists: Analytical Study Using the Japanese National Examination for Pharmacists.

Background: The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as machine learning, has led to its application in various industries, including health care. AI chatbots, such as GPT-4, developed by OpenAI, have demonstrated potential in supporting health care professionals by providing medical information, answering examination questions, and assisting in medical education. However, the applicability of GPT-4 in the field of pharmacy remains unexplored.

Effect of Early Physical Therapy on Children of School Age With Hematological Cancer: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Purpose: Although physical therapy (PT) positively impacts exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with hematological cancers, the optimal time for intervention is unknown. We compared the effects of PT administered before and after initial cancer treatment on the exercise capacity and HRQOL of children with hematological cancer.

Methods: The participants were allocated to early (before initiating treatment) and late PT (after initiating treatment) groups.

Applicability Evaluation of Full-Reference Image Quality Assessment Methods for Computed Tomography Images.

Image quality assessments (IQA) are an important task for providing appropriate medical care. Full-reference IQA (FR-IQA) methods, such as peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM), are often used to evaluate imaging conditions, reconstruction conditions, and image processing algorithms, including noise reduction and super-resolution technology. However, these IQA methods may be inapplicable for medical images because they were designed for natural images.

Ten-year clinical outcomes from a randomized trial comparing new-generation everolimus-eluting stent versus first-generation Sirolimus-eluting stent: Results from the RESET extended study.

Background: New-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) achieved technological innovations and reported clinical advantages as compared with first-generation DES in clinical trials with 3-5 years follow-up. However, detailed clinical outcome data in very long-term follow-up is still scarce.

Objectives: To evaluate 10-year clinical outcomes after first- and new-generation DES implantation.

Amniotic fluid interleukin-6 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for predicting fetal inflammatory response syndrome based on histological chorioamnionitis and funisitis.

Objective: We aimed to analyze the predictive efficacy of amniotic fluid interleukin-6 (IL-6) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) for fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS)-related infection.

Materials And Methods: We included singleton pregnancies classified into FIRS and non-FIRS groups. FIRS was defined as histologic chorioamnionitis and funisitis.

Biodegradable or durable polymer drug-eluting stents in patients with coronary artery disease: ten-year outcomes of the randomised NEXT Trial.

Background: There are no randomised trials reporting clinical outcomes of biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stents (BP-BES) and durable polymer everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES) at 10 years.

Aims: We aimed to compare the 10-year clinical outcomes between BP-BES and DP-EES.

Methods: The randomised NOBORI Biolimus-Eluting Versus XIENCE/PROMUS Everolimus-eluting Stent Trial (NEXT) was originally designed to evaluate the non-inferiority of BP-BES relative to DP-EES with the primary efficacy endpoint of target lesion revascularisation (TLR) at 1 year and the primary safety endpoint of death or myocardial infarction (MI) at 3 years.

Decreased Analgesic Effect of Tramadol in Japanese Patients with CYP2D6 Intermediate Metabolizers after Orthopedic Surgery.

Tramadol is metabolized by CYP2D6 to an active metabolite, which in turn acts as an analgesic. This study aimed to investigate the impact of CYP2D6 genotype on the analgesic effect of tramadol in clinical practice. A retrospective cohort study was performed in patients treated with tramadol for postoperative pain after arthroscopic surgery for rotator cuff injury during April 2017-March 2019.

Usefulness of preset count acquisition in pediatric Tc-DMSA planar imaging.

Objective: This study was aimed at determining the minimum acquisition count to provide diagnosable image quality (DIQ) and investigating the usefulness of preset count acquisition (PCA) for planar images of pediatric Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy.

Methods: First, we calculated a coefficient of variation (CV) for DIQ with the shortest acquisition time through visual evaluation in 12 pediatric patients who underwent Tc-DMSA scintigraphy. Second, a minimum acquisition count to achieve the CV for DIQ was determined with the single regression analysis using CV as an explanatory variable and the total acquisition count as an objective variable in 81 pediatric patients.

CD44-positive Cancer Stem-like Cells as a Potential Source of Peritoneal Metastasis After Surgery.

Background/aim: The role of CD44 in gastric cancer-derived peritoneal metastasis is currently unknown. It was previously shown that viable, tumorigenic cancer cells are spilled into the peritoneal cavity during surgery, providing a potential cause of peritoneal recurrence after surgery. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer through the expression of CD44 and to propose a method for preventing peritoneal recurrence.

A Trimming Technique: A Case Report of a Novel Surgical Approach for Cesarean Scar Dehiscence During Cesarean Section.

Cesarean section can lead to residual myometrial thickness thinning and cesarean scar syndrome. We report a novel trimming technique for residual myometrial thickness recovery in women with cesarean scar syndrome. Case 1: A 33-year-old woman who developed cesarean scar syndrome (CSS) and abnormal uterine bleeding post-cesarean scar became pregnant following hysteroscopic treatment.

Comparison of the Characteristics of Two Types of Parallel-plate Ionization Chamber Under Small-field Electron Irradiation.

Background/aim: This study compared two types of parallel-plate ionization chamber to clarify the pitfalls of dosimetry in electron radiation therapy.

Materials And Methods: The ion recombination correction factor and polarity effect correction factor, sensitivity, and percentage depth doses (PDDs) of PPC05 and PPC40 parallel-plate ionization chambers were compared in a small-field electron beam. The output ratios were measured for 4-20 MeV electron beams with field sizes of 10 cm × 10 cm, 6 cm × 6 cm, and 4 cm × 4 cm.

Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms, c.415C > T (Arg139Cys) and c.416G > A (Arg139His), in the NUDT15 Gene Are Associated with Thiopurine-Induced Leukopenia.

While nucleoside diphosphate-linked moiety X-type motif 15 (NUDT15) gene polymorphism Arg139Cys (rs116855232) is known to be a risk factor for thiopurine-induced severe leukopenia, association with the NUDT15 gene polymorphism Arg139His (rs147390019) has not yet been clarified. In addition, the accuracy of TaqMan PCR to assess these two polymorphisms has not been investigated. In this study, we evaluated TaqMan PCR for detection of the NUDT15 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and examined the clinical impact of Arg139His on thiopurine-induced leukopenia.

Clopidogrel Use in CYP2C19 Loss-of-Function Carriers With High Bleeding Risk After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: It is not known whether clopidogrel use in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 loss-of-function (LOF) carriers with high bleeding risk (HBR) contributes to adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods and results: This retrospective observational study included 618 consecutive patients with available CYP2C19 polymorphism information who underwent PCI between September 2014 and August 2021. Patients with HBR (319 [52%] met the Academic Research Consortium definition) were divided into 2 groups according to P2Yinhibitor action, namely decreased (i.

[A CASE OF PERIVESICAL ABSCESS CAUSED BY MIGRATION OF A FOREIGN BODY FROM THE INTESTINAL TRACT].

A 76-year-old woman was referred to our department because of high fever and bladder irritative symptoms. Computed tomography revealed the presence of a heterogeneous mass with indistinct borders on the left anterior wall of the bladder. The lesion contained a linear hyperdense shadow.

Modifiers of the Risk of Diabetes for Long-Term Outcomes After Coronary Revascularization: CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG Registry.

Background: Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for adverse outcomes after coronary revascularization.

Objectives: This study sought to determine high-risk subgroups in whom the excess risks of diabetes relative to nondiabetes are particularly prominent and thus may benefit from more aggressive interventions.

Methods: The study population consisted of 39,427 patients (diabetes: n = 15,561; nondiabetes: n = 23,866) who underwent first percutaneous coronary intervention (n = 33,144) or coronary artery bypass graft (n = 6,283) in the pooled CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG (Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) registry.

Occupational therapy using a robotic-assisted glove ameliorates finger dexterity and modulates functional connectivity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Introduction: Although rehabilitation is recommended for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), improvement of functional decline has hardly been achieved. We investigated the effect of occupational therapy that uses a robotic-assisted glove (RAG) on hand dexterity and the functional connectivities found in the brain of ALS patients.

Method: Ten patients diagnosed with ALS and admitted to the Shiga University of Medical Science (SUMS) Hospital from December 2018 to December 2021 participated in the study.

Comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for pain, and hybrid cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and pain in individuals with comorbid insomnia and chronic pain: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Considering that insomnia and chronic pain are often comorbid, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), cognitive behavioral therapy for pain (CBT-P), and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and pain (CBT-IP) in individuals with comorbid insomnia and chronic pain. We used PubMed, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and Web of Science for our literature search. The outcomes included sleep, pain, disability, and depression at post-treatment and follow-up (3-12 months).

Sex Differences in Clinical Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: There is a scarcity of studies comparing the clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for women and men stratified by the presentation of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods and results: The study population included 26,316 patients who underwent PCI (ACS: n=11,119, stable CAD: n=15,197) from the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry Cohort-2 and Cohort-3. The primary outcome was all-cause death.

Stent-Related Adverse Events as Related to Dual Antiplatelet Therapy in First- vs Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents.

Background: There are limited data on the long-term stent-related adverse events as related to the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in second-generation (G2) drug-eluting stents (DES) compared with first-generation (G1) DES.

Objectives: This study sought to compare the long-term stent-related outcomes of G2-DES with those of G1-DES.

Methods: The study group consisted of 15,009 patients who underwent their first coronary revascularization with DES from the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG (Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) Registry Cohort-2 (first-generation drug-eluting stent [G1-DES] period; n = 5,382) and Cohort-3 (second-generation drug eluting stent [G2-DES] period; n = 9,627).