End-of-Life Discussions and Their Timing for Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases - From the Perspective of Bereaved Family Members.

Background: Enhanced discussions regarding end-of-life (EOL) are crucial to provide appropriate care for seriously ill patients. However, the current status of EOL discussions, especially their timing and influencing factors, among patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remains unknown.

Methods and results: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of bereaved family members of CVD patients who died at 10 tertiary care institutes in Japan.

Predictive Rule for Mortality of Inpatients With Escherichia coli Bacteremia: Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector Decision Tree Analysis Model.

Aim: A predictive rule for risk factors for mortality due to ()bacteremia has not been defined, especially using the chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID) decision tree analysis. Here we aimed to create the predictive rule for risk factors for in-hospital mortality due to bacteremia.

Methods: The outcome of this retrospective cross-sectional survey was death in the hospital due to bacteremia.

Association of illness perception and alexithymia with fatigue in hemodialysis recipients: a single-center, cross-sectional study.

Fatigue in hemodialysis recipients interferes with daily activities and renal rehabilitation, and its underlying causes and treatment remain unclear. Psychological factors, like illness perceptions and alexithymia, cause fatigue in other diseases; however, their contribution to hemodialysis-related fatigue is unknown. This cross-sectional study included 53 hemodialysis recipients.

A favourable suture method for size-mismatched nerve transfer: a case series of intercostal-to-musculocutaneous nerve transfer for brachial plexus injury.

We review a nerve suture method for size-mismatched nerve transfers and report a case series involving patients with brachial plexus injury who underwent intercostal-to-musculocutaneous nerve transfer using this method.

Splenic sarcoid reaction mimicking metastases in patients after uterine cancer surgery: a report of two cases.

Background: Tumor-associated sarcoid reactions have been observed with various tumors; however, they have not been reported with uterine cancer. We present two cases of splenic sarcoid reactions that mimicked metastases a few years after uterine cancer surgery.

Case Presentation: Case 1 involved a 67-year-old female patient diagnosed with endometrial cancer (pT1aN0M0, pStage Ia, grade 1).

Identification of the simultaneous use of multiple hypnotics as a risk factor for falls in hospitalized patients by a matched case-control study.

Aim: The risk of falls owing to simultaneous use of multiple hypnotics has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the simultaneous use of 2 hypnotics and the occurrence of falls in hospitalized patients.

Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted at Tokyo Medical University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, utilizing data from medical records.

A Predictive Rule for COVID-19 Pneumonia Among COVID-19 Patients: A Classification and Regression Tree (CART) Analysis Model.

Background: In this study, we aimed to identify predictive factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with complicated pneumonia and determine which COVID-19 patients should undergo computed tomography (CT) using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted at a university hospital. We recruited patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

A favorable suture method for size-mismatched nerve transfer: comparison with standard perineural suture in an experimental rat study.

Background: In nerve transfer for peripheral nerve injury, it is sometimes necessary to suture size-mismatched nerves. In 1993, a favorable suture method called the Ochiai suture method for size-mismatched nerve transfer was reported. However, there is currently a lack of substantial evidence beyond the original report.

Pathophysiology of sex difference in refractoriness in lateral epicondylitis: Biomechanical study of wrist torque.

Eccentric contractions of the wrist extensors worsen lateral epicondylitis (LE), whose pathophysiology may involve sex differences in wrist torque. This study aimed to investigate sex differences in wrist torque in patients with LE. The wrist extension and flexion torques of 22 patients with LE (11 males and 11 females) were measured.

Treatment of Fabry Nephropathy: A Literature Review.

Fabry disease is an X-linked inherited lysosomal storage disorder with a deficiency of α-galactosidase A activity, which results in the intracellular accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) and related glycosphingolipids in various organs. Fabry nephropathy is one of the major complications of Fabry disease, and kidney damage is often related to cardiovascular disease and mortality. The treatment of Fabry nephropathy thus helps prolong life expectancy.

Bronchoscopic visualization of the inner cavity caused by infection.

We report a 69-year-old man who presented to our hospital with cough and sputum production. He had been in close contact with six domestic cats. He had a smoking history of 40 pack-years and had been in close contact with six domestic cats.

Effect of Medical Fee Schedule Revisions on the Expansion of Nutritional Support Teams in Japan: An Interrupted Time-series Analysis.

Introduction: In 2018, the fee schedule for nutrition support teams (NSTs) in Japanese hospitals was changed. The change was intended to encourage more hospitals to establish NSTs, and this study aims to investigate whether this change had the desired effect. Specifically, we will look at the proportion of hospitals with NSTs before and after the 2018 revision to see if there was a significant increase in the number of hospitals with NSTs.

Upregulation of Taurine Biosynthesis and Bile Acid Conjugation with Taurine through FXR in a Mouse Model with Human-like Bile Acid Composition.

Taurine, the end product in the sulfur-containing amino acid pathway, is conjugated with bile acids (BAs) in the liver. The rate-limiting enzymes in both taurine synthesis and BA conjugation may be regulated by a nucleus receptor, FXR, that promotes BA homeostasis. However, it is controversial because BAs act as natural FXR agonists or antagonists in humans and mice, respectively, due to the species differences in BA synthesis.

The role of gram stain in reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

The number of studies that verify whether Gram stain can help to reduce the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics is relatively limited compared to those evaluating its concordance with culture test results. Thereby, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Gram staining in the reduction of broad-spectrum antibiotics and its impact on clinical outcomes. We systematically reviewed studies having used Gram stain to guide antibiotic selection and evaluated performance measures between 1996 and 2022.

Optimal Physical Activity Is Associated with the Reduction of Depressive Symptoms via Neuroticism and Resilience.

Background: Personality traits, such as neuroticism, that results in vulnerability to stress, and resilience, a measure of stress coping, are closely associated with the onset of depressive symptoms, whereas regular physical activity habits have been shown to reduce depressive symptoms. In this study, the mediating effects of neuroticism and resilience between physical activity duration and depressive symptoms were investigated by a covariance structure analysis.

Methods: Between April 2017 and April 2018, 526 adult volunteers were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires.

Impact of endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural drainage for postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreatic surgery.

Objectives: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a major cause of morbidity after pancreatic surgery. Recently, endoscopic ultrasound-guided transmural drainage (EUS-TD) has been widely used to manage pancreatic pseudocysts after acute pancreatitis. Several studies have reported the effectiveness of EUS-TD for POPF, although there is insufficient evidence regarding the performance of EUS-TD for POPF.