Safety and Validity of Anterior Cervical Disc Replacement for Single-level Cervical Disc Disease: Initial Two-year Follow-up of the Prospective Observational Post-marketing Surveillance Study for Japanese Patients.

Anterior cervical disc replacement (ACDR) using cervical artificial disc (CAD) has the advantage of maintaining the range of motion (ROM) at the surgical level, subsequently reducing the postoperative risk of adjacent disc disease. Following the approval for the clinical use in Japan, a post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study was conducted for two different types of CAD, namely, Mobi-C (metal-on-plastic design) and Prestige LP (metal-on-metal design). The objective of this prospective observational multicenter study was to analyze the first 2-year surgical results of the PMS study of 1-level ACDR in Japan.

Semiautomatic assessment of respiratory dynamics using cine MRI in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: The quantitative assessment of impaired lung motions and their association with the clinical characteristics of COPD patients is challenging. The aim of this study was to measure respiratory kinetics, including asynchronous movements, and to analyze the relationship between lung area and other clinical parameters.

Materials And Methods: This study enrolled 10 normal control participants and 21 COPD patients who underwent dynamic MRI and pulmonary function testing (PFT).

Head-to-head comparison between MEFIB, MAST, and FAST for detecting stage 2 fibrosis or higher among patients with NAFLD.

Background & Aims: Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and significant fibrosis (fibrosis stage ≥2) are candidates for pharmacological trials. The aim of this study was to perform a head-to-head comparison of the diagnostic test characteristics of three non-invasive stiffness-based models including MEFIB (magnetic resonance elastography [MRE] plus FIB-4), MAST (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]-aspartate aminotransferase [AST]), and FAST (FibroScan-AST) for detecting significant fibrosis.

Methods: This prospective study included 563 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD undergoing contemporaneous MRE, MRI proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) and FibroScan from two prospective cohorts derived from Southern California and Japan.

Short ramus reconstruction for hemi-mandibulectomy defect: Case reports.

Reconstruction of the mandible following hemimandibulectomy is difficult and complex. The appropriate approach to condylar reconstruction remains controversial. In this report, the authors propose the concept of "short ramus reconstruction" after hemimandibulectomy.

Efficacy of left atrial posterior wall isolation guided by lesion size prediction module for non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Aims: The efficacy of left atrial posterior wall isolation (PWI) is controversial. Lesion durability may be a major cause of arrhythmia recurrence. The use of the lesion size prediction module improves lesion durability.

Prognostic impact of atrial fibrillation on the outcomes of peripheral artery disease according to preoperative symptoms for endovascular revascularization.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are associated with major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). However, outcomes stratified according to the preoperative symptoms of PAD in patients with AF have not been sufficiently investigated. This was a retrospective study of prospectively collected data pertaining to 2237 patients (1179 patients with intermittent claudication [IC] and 1058 patients with critical limb-threatening ischemia [CLTI]) who underwent endovascular therapy at 34 hospitals between August 2014 and August 2016.

Efficacy and safety of guanabenz acetate treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a study protocol for a randomised investigator-initiated phase IIa study.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic syndrome phenotype in the liver and thus obviously associated with metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance-related to hyperglycaemic and hyperlipidaemia. The prevalence of NAFLD is increasing worldwide. However, currently, there is no consensus regarding the efficacy and safety of drugs used to treat patients with NAFLD/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Current Trends in the Surgical Management of Intramedullary Tumors: A Multicenter Study of 1,033 Patients by the Neurospinal Society of Japan.

Objective: We performed a retrospective observational study to demonstrate the surgical risks and long-term prognoses of intramedullary tumors in Japan using a multicenter registry authorized by the Neurospinal Society of Japan.

Methods: Data from 1,033 consecutive patients with intramedullary tumors, treated between 2009 and 2020, were collected from 58 centers. Patients with spinal lipomas or myxopapillary ependymomas were excluded.

Cervical Transverse Myelitis Following COVID-19 Vaccination.

Various COVID-19 vaccines are associated with numerous adverse side effects. Associations between vaccinations and neurological disorders, such as transverse myelitis, stroke, Bell's palsy, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome, have been reported. A 27-year-old Japanese woman presented with paresthesia four days after receiving a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Endoscopic Detachable Snare Ligation Therapy for Colonic Diverticular Hemorrhage Improves Procedure Time Compared to Endoscopic Band Ligation.

Background: The clipping method is widely used in endoscopic hemostasis for colonic diverticular hemorrhage. Recently, rebleeding was shown to be less common in ligation therapy than in clipping. Ligation methods include endoscopic band ligation (EBL) and endoscopic detachable snare ligation (EDSL).

Two differentially methylated region networks in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: We previously reported that two differentially methylated region (DMR) networks identified by DMR and co-methylation analyses are strongly correlated with the fibrosis stages of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In the current study, we examined these DMR networks in viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: We performed co-methylation analysis of DMRs using a normal dataset (GSE48325), two NAFLD datasets (JGAS000059 and GSE31803), and two HCC datasets (GSE89852 and GSE56588).

Intraosseous Lipoma of the Calvaria in the Early Stage Resembling Normal Fatty Marrow.

Intraosseous lipoma (IOL) is a benign bone tumor that usually arises from the lower limb and rarely arises from the skull. Radiological diagnosis of a typical case is not problematic due to its characteristic calcification and marginal sclerosis. Here, we report a case of calvarial IOL in the early stage lacking conventional radiopathological features.

Combination of tofogliflozin and pioglitazone for NAFLD: Extension to the ToPiND randomized controlled trial.

The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has recently increased and is related to obesity and the associated surge in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndromes. This trial follows up on our previous work and forms part of the ToPiND study. We aimed to combine tofogliflozin and pioglitazone treatment for hepatic steatosis in patients with NAFLD and T2DM.

COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis in a Patient Treated With Remdesivir, Dexamethasone, and Baricitinib: A Case Report.

Remdesivir, dexamethasone, and baricitinib have recently been used to treat patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and respiratory failure. However, the adverse effects of combination therapy have not been fully explored. A 64-year-old man was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was treated with remdesivir, dexamethasone, and baricitinib.

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration with anti-Yo antibodies and an associated submandibular gland tumor: a case report.

Background: As a debilitating syndrome, paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) remains challenging to treat. Further, anti-Yo antibody (directed against human cerebellar degeneration-related protein 2) detection in patients with PCD is associated with unsatisfactory responses to existing therapies. Here, we present the case of a 60-year-old woman who developed PCD with anti-Yo antibodies and a submandibular gland tumor.

Ultrasound-Guided Thrombin Injection for Postcatheterization Pseudoaneurysms and Its Extended Indications.

Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI) is an option for the treatment of postcatheterization pseudoaneurysms. This method is less invasive and less time-consuming compared with other procedures since it can be performed without general anesthesia, skin incision, or occlusion of the artery. Herein, we report on the efficacy of UGTI for postcatheterization bleeding complications.

The new method to make diagnosis and identify the location of leakage of pleuroperitoneal communication in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Pleuroperitoneal communication is a severe complication in peritoneal dialysis, and about half of the patients forced to discontinue peritoneal dialysis. The method of coloring dialysis solution by indocyanine green or CT peritoneography have been reported to make diagnosis of pleuroperitoneal communication, however sensitivity of these tests is not a satisfactory level. By repairing the pleural hole with thoracoscopic surgery, it is possible to resume peritoneal dialysis.

[Analysis of Information on Drug Adverse Reactions Using U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS)].

Nowadays, medical big data has been developed and made available in a variety of fields such as epidemiology and pharmacovigilance. Spontaneous reporting databases are one category of medical big data and that has been adequate for analysing events related to side effects that rarely occur in general practice. These data are freely available in several countries.

Discrepancies in pathological diagnosis of endometrial stromal sarcoma: a multi-institutional retrospective study from the Japanese clinical oncology group.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare uterine malignancy that requires accurate pathological diagnosis for proper treatment. This study aimed to clarify the discrepancies in the pathological diagnosis of ESS and obtain practical clues to improve diagnostic accuracy. Between 2002 and 2015, 148 patients with low-grade ESS (LGESS), high-grade ESS (HGESS), undifferentiated endometrial sarcoma (UES), or undifferentiated uterine sarcoma (UUS) diagnosed at 31 institutions were included.

The skill qualification system for portal hypertension in Japan.

Objectives: The diverse treatments available for portal hypertension require specialized knowledge of hemodynamics and include endoscopic treatments, interventional radiology (IVR), and surgery. The Japan Society for Portal Hypertension has developed the skill qualification system (SQS) for portal hypertension and began examination in 2014. Here, the status and validity of the judgment of the SQS examination were evaluated.

Two-Step Strategy, FIB-4 Followed by Magnetic Resonance Elastography, for Detecting Advanced Fibrosis in NAFLD.

Background & Aims: A two-step strategy combining a serum marker and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) for detecting advanced fibrosis (stage 3-4) among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been proposed, but its diagnostic accuracy has not been evaluated. In this multicenter study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of a two-step strategy including Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) followed by MRE.

Methods: In this multicenter study, 806 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD who underwent contemporaneous MRE were enrolled and randomly assigned to training and validation cohorts.

Cervical Extradural Arteriovenous Fistula without Intradural Drainage Successfully Treated with Endovascular Treatment Using Both Transvenous and Transarterial Approach: Case Report and Review of Literatures.

The classification of spinal extradural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) was reported based on a case series treated by microsurgery in 2009 and endovascular interventions in 2011. The present report describes a patient with extradural AVFs at the cervical spine manifesting gradual progressive radiculomyelopathy of bilateral upper extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass sign from C1 to C4 at the right ventral side and the spinal cord was deviated to the left and indicated as a flow void sign.