Reduction of ischemic time using the pull-through technique for scapular free flap.

Purpose: Current scapular free flap (SFF) harvest in mandibular reconstruction often requires repositioning, hindering simultaneous harvest and resection and potentially increasing ischemic time. This study evaluated the efficacy of the pull-through technique (PTT) for SFF harvest, aiming to reduce ischemic time during mandibular segmental resection.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 24 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction using SFF at two maxillofacial surgery departments between January 2015 and May 2022.

Optimizing mass casualty: an incident report of centralizing patient transport and its impact on triage efficiency.

In mass casualty incidents, effective triage, treatment, and transport are critical for efficient management but often deviate from practices and ethical standards. In terms of resource allocation, decentralized transport is the predominant transport method; however, it is not standardized. This report retrospectively analyzed the response to a mass casualty incident at a university emergency center.

History of Lens Care Products in Japan: Insights From Advertisements in the Journal of the Japan Contact Lens Society for 65 Years.

This review examines the history of contact lens (CL) care products, particularly focusing on hard contact lenses (HCLs) like those made from polymethyl methacrylate and rigid gas permeable (RGP) materials. Although literature on CL history is extensive, there is limited information on the history of CL care products, especially in Japan. This review uses advertisements from the Journal of the Japan Contact Lens Society from 1959 to 2023 to trace the evolution of these products.

Serum EphA2 as a Promising Biomarker for the Early Detection and Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer.

Background: EphA2, a receptor-type tyrosine kinase, is overexpressed in several cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC), and can be detected as soluble EphA2 in serum. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between soluble EphA2 and CRC.

Methods: Serum samples were collected from 65 patients with CRC and 19 healthy individuals.

Spherical periacetabular osteotomy via para-sartorial intermuscular approach with bikini incision for patients with acetabular dysplasia: surgical technique and preliminary results.

Purpose: This study introduces a new technique, spherical periacetabular osteotomy (SPO), performed via a para-sartorial intermuscular (PSIM) approach with a bikini incision, aiming to optimise the benefits of SPO, including preservation of muscles and providing cosmetic advantages.

Methods: Overall, 57 joints of 52 patients (mean age 36 ± 17 years) underwent SPO via the PSIM approach. Preoperative osteoarthritis was classified according to Tönnis grade, with 34 and 23 hips categorised as grades 0 and 1, respectively.

Genetic landscape in undiagnosed patients with syndromic hearing loss revealed by whole exome sequencing and phenotype similarity search.

There are hundreds of rare syndromic diseases involving hearing loss, many of which are not targeted for clinical genetic testing. We systematically explored the genetic causes of undiagnosed syndromic hearing loss using a combination of whole exome sequencing (WES) and a phenotype similarity search system called PubCaseFinder. Fifty-five families with syndromic hearing loss of unknown cause were analyzed using WES after prescreening of several deafness genes depending on patient clinical features.

Blood DNA virome associates with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19.

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

Pleural Tuberculoma Presenting as a Solitary Pleural Mass in a Child.

Pleural tuberculoma is often observed during treatment for tuberculous pleurisy; however, this condition is rarely found as a solitary pleural nodule in patients without a history of tuberculosis treatment, and no cases have been reported in children. We report a case of a 12-year-old boy with pleural tuberculoma presenting as a solitary mass. He had a fever and cough that prompted chest radiography, which revealed a mass in the right lung.

A Case of Sympathetic Ophthalmia After Corneal Perforation.

We report a case of sympathetic ophthalmia that developed in the fellow eye following therapeutic corneal transplantation and amniotic membrane transplantation for corneal perforation caused by corneal ulceration. A 62-year-old man presented with discharge, lacrimation, and decreased visual acuity in the left eye. He was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer and treated with antimicrobial agents, but corneal epithelial erosion persisted, leading to nontraumatic corneal perforation.

Impact of long-term trends on outcomes in the management of colonic diverticular bleeding: mediation analyses in a large multicenter study.

Background: Despite accumulating evidence and recommendations for management of colonic diverticular bleeding (CDB), the changes in its clinical management and outcomes remain unknown.

Methods: We performed a retrospective tendency analysis on a biennial basis, a propensity score-matched cohort study between the first and latter half groups, and mediation analyses to compare the diagnostic and treatment methods between January 2010 and December 2019 (CODE BLUE-J Study).

Results: A total of 6575 patients with CDB were included.

Japanese clinical practice guidelines for oral cancer, 2023.

The Japanese Society of Oral Oncology and Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons have jointly developed clinical practice guidelines for oral cancer (oral squamous cell carcinoma) to improve and standardize the quality of oral cancer treatment in Japan. The first, second, and third editions were published in 2009, 2013, and 2019, respectively, and the 2023 edition was recently developed. In the development of the 2023 edition, 60 clinical questions (CQs) were listed.

Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis: Insights From the CURRENT AS Registry-2.

Background: Low-gradient (LG) aortic stenosis (AS) has not been fully characterized compared with high-gradient (HG) AS in terms of cardiac damage, frailty, aortic valve calcification, and clinical outcomes.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes between each hemodynamic type of LG AS and HG AS.

Methods: The current study included 3,363 patients in the CURRENT AS (Contemporary outcomes after sURgery and medical tREatmeNT in patients with severe Aortic Stenosis) Registry-2 after excluding patients without indexed stroke volume or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) data.

Optimal Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Multivessel Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease.

There is a scarcity of data on clinical outcomes after intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with multivessel disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The Optimal Intravascular Ultrasound (OPTIVUS)-Complex PCI study multivessel cohort was a prospective multicenter single-arm trial enrolling 1,015 patients who underwent multivessel IVUS-guided PCI including left anterior descending coronary artery target with an intention to meet the prespecified OPTIVUS criteria for optimal stent expansion. We compared the clinical outcomes between patients with and without CKD.

Robot-Assisted Retroperitoneoscopic Traction-Aligned Suture Repair of Failed Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty for Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction.

A case of redo pyeloplasty using robot-assisted retroperitoneoscopic pyeloplasty (RARP) for failed primary laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is reported. A 12-year-old boy had LP elsewhere. He was referred for management of persistent left hydronephrosis, but was managed conservatively due to minimal symptoms and stable radioisotopic renography.

Safety of Calcium Channel Blockers in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis and Hypertension.

Background: There is a paucity of data on safety of calcium channel blockers (CCB) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and hypertension.

Methods And Results: Among 2,460 patients with severe AS and hypertension receiving antihypertensive therapy in the CURRENT AS registry-2, we compared the clinical outcomes between patients taking antihypertensive therapy with CCB (CCB group) and without CCB (no CCB group). In the entire study population, CCB was prescribed in 1,763 patients (71.

Association between the HAL score and the development of progressive pulmonary fibrosis in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia: A prospective observational study.

Background: Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is a critical concern in interstitial lung disease (ILD) management. The HAL score, which incorporates honeycombing (H), age >75 years (A), and serum lactate dehydrogenase >222 U/L (L), can predict acute exacerbations in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). This study aims to evaluate the predictive utility of the HAL score for PPF development.

Hybrid surgery for imminent rupture of superior mesenteric artery aneurysms.

A case of a superior mesenteric artery aneurysm presented with an impending rupture. The aneurysm was located in the right side branch of the superior mesenteric artery. The patient underwent an emergency hybrid procedure, which included aneurysm embolization and exclusion of the aneurysm with an endoluminal stent graft.

Postoperative complications of intrascleral intraocular lens fixation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Our systematic review and meta-analysis elucidates the postoperative complication rates associated with 3 major surgical approaches, including the scleral tunnel, glued, and flanged techniques, for sutureless intrascleral intraocular lens (IOL) fixation. An online search was performed for articles published in PubMed and EMBASE between January 1, 1975, and January 7, 2023. Original studies reporting postoperative complications of sutureless intrascleral IOL fixation were included.

Is Intraoperative Blood Loss Volume in Elderly Cervical Spine Injury Surgery Greater in Patients with Ankylosis? A Multicenter Survey.

Introduction: Preoperative estimations of blood loss are important when planning surgery for cervical spine injuries in older adults. The association between ankylosis and blood loss in perioperative management is of particular interest. This multicenter database review aimed to evaluate the impact of ankylosis on surgical blood loss volume in elderly patients with cervical spine injury.

Repeated pancreatic juice cytology via endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage catheter combined with clinical findings improves diagnostic ability for malignant cases of suspected pancreatic cancer with non-identifiable tumors.

Background/objectives: The detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) often depends on indirect indicators such as parenchyma atrophy (PPA), main pancreatic duct stenosis, and low echoic areas, particularly when no mass is evident on imaging. While pathological evaluation is the gold standard for differentiating malignant from benign conditions, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration/biopsy is not always feasible in such cases. Serial pancreatic juice aspiration cytologic examination (SPACE) via endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage (NPD) has emerged as an alternative diagnostic method, though its accuracy remains underevaluated.

Effectiveness of super-selective digital subtraction angiography and 3D rotational digital subtraction venography for a developmental venous anomaly with an arteriovenous malformation: A case report and literature review.

Background: Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and developmental venous anomaly (DVA) rarely coexist. Developing a surgical strategy to treat this co-occurrence is difficult due to the unclear pathogenesis. We report the use of super-selective digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and Three-dimensional (3D) rotational digital subtraction venography (DSV) to develop a surgical strategy for complex AVM draining into a DVA.