Complications of permanent makeup procedures for the eyebrow and eyeline.

Japan is one of the few countries that consider the application of permanent makeup a medical procedure, and only doctors and nurses are allowed to perform this procedure. Studies on the safety and esthetic outcomes of permanent makeup procedures are not available, although there are studies that report allergies and other complications associated with permanent makeup. Thus, we aimed to study the complications and esthetic outcomes of permanent makeup.

Diabetes is associated with greater leg pain and worse patient-reported outcomes at 1 year after lumbar spine surgery.

Although patients with diabetes reportedly have more back pain and worse patient-reported outcomes than those without diabetes after lumbar spine surgery, the impact of diabetes on postoperative recovery in pain or numbness in other regions is not well characterized. In this study, the authors aimed to elucidate the impact of diabetes on postoperative recovery in pain/numbness in four areas (back, buttock, leg, and sole) after lumbar spine surgery. The authors retrospectively reviewed 993 patients (152 with diabetes and 841 without) who underwent decompression and/or fixation within three levels of the lumbar spine at eight hospitals during April 2017-June 2018.

How significant is the assessment of the DSM-5 'anxious distress' specifier in patients with major depressive disorder without comorbid anxiety disorders in the continuation/maintenance phase?

Objective: Anxious distress (ANXD), which is common in major depressive disorder (MDD), is associated with poor outcomes. We investigated clinical characteristics of MDD patients with the DSM-5 ANXD specifier and only mild residual symptoms without comorbid anxiety disorders in the continuation/maintenance phase.

Methods: We recruited 110 outpatients with MDD without comorbid anxiety disorders.

A Case of Suspected Radiation Recall Pneumonitis After a COVID-19 Infection.

We present the case of a 78-year-old woman who received definitive radiation therapy for small cell lung cancer three and a half years ago. She was asymptomatic when she tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). She then developed a rapid decline in respiratory status on day seven.

Patients' poor performance status is an independent risk factor for urosepsis induced by kidney and ureteral stones.

This study was aimed to identify the risk factors for urosepsis caused by kidney and ureteral stones. One hundred and nine patients who had kidney or ureteral stones and who were treated with trans-ureteral lithotripsy (TUL) at our institution from 2016 to 2020 were included. We investigated the risk factors for urosepsis caused by kidney or ureteral stones that occurred prior to TUL.

Minimum clinically important change for outcome scores among patients aged 75 or over undergoing lumbar spine surgery.

Purpose: To elucidate the minimum clinically important change (MCIC) of the physical component summary (PCS) of the Short Form-12, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EuroQOL-5 dimensions (EQ-5D), and the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) in patients aged ≥ 75 years undergoing lumbar spine surgery.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients aged ≥ 75 years with degenerative lumbar spine disease who underwent lumbar spine decompression or fusion surgery within three levels between April 2017 and June 2018. We also evaluated patients aged < 75 years in the same period as reference.

Pretreatment PSA levels affects the completion rate of Ra-223 treatment.

The aim of this study was to review our initial experience of using radium 223 (Ra-223) for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and to evaluate whether pretreatment PSA levels correlate with completion of Ra-223 treatment. In addition, we examined change ratios of PSA, ALP and BAP after the third administration to evaluate the correlation of these change ratios with completion of the subsequent Ra-223 treatment. Forty patients were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Prevalence and associated factors of orphan symptoms in advanced cancer patients: a multicenter observational study.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of myoclonus, sweating, pruritus, hiccup, and vesical and rectal tenesmus, and to explore associated factors in patients with advanced cancer.

Methods: This multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted in 23 inpatient hospices/palliative care units in Japan from January to December 2017. The prevalence and characteristics of each symptom were assessed on admission and in the 3 days before death.

Use of a Head-Tilting Baseplate During Tomotherapy to Shorten the Irradiation Time and Protect the Hippocampus and Lens in Hippocampal Sparing-Whole Brain Radiotherapy.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to comparatively examine the possibility of reducing the exposure dose to organs at risk, such as the hippocampus and lens, and improving the dose distribution of the planned target volume with and without the use of a head-tilting base plate in hippocampal-sparing whole-brain radiotherapy using tomotherapy.

Methods: Five paired images of planned head computed tomography without and with tilt were analyzed. The hippocampus and planning target volume were contoured according to the RTOG 0933 contouring atlas protocol.

Tracheal stenosis due to cervicothoracic hyperlordosis in patients with cerebral palsy treated with posterior spinal fusion: a report of the first two cases.

Background: Spinal deformity is frequently identified in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). As it progresses, tracheal stenosis often develops due to compression between the innominate artery and anteriorly deviated vertebrae at the apex of the cervicothoracic hyperlordosis. However, the treatment strategy for tracheal stenosis complicated by spinal deformity in patients with CP remains unknown.

Radiotherapy Planning System to Measure Tumor Doubling Time in Cervical Cancer.

Tumor doubling time is an important clinical parameter, but it is rarely reported in cervical cancer. We encountered a case in which the tumor doubling time could be measured using a radiotherapy planning device. A woman in her 40s was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage IB1 (squamous cell carcinoma) and refused treatment.

Lateral Heel Pain Caused by Impingement of Hypertrophic Peroneal Tubercle and Os Peroneum.

Hypertrophic peroneal tubercle (HPT) is an overgrowth of the peroneal tubercle located on the lateral aspect of the hindfoot, which could cause tenosynovitis of the peroneus longus tendon. Os peroneum (OP) is an accessory ossicle that exists in the peroneus longus tendon at the lateral aspect of the calcaneocuboid joint. Both HPT and OP can cause lateral foot pain and occasionally require surgical treatment.

Postpartum Stanford type B aortic dissection in a woman with Loeys-Dietz syndrome who underwent a prophylactic aortic root replacement before conception: A case report.

Objective: Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is associated with a higher risk of aortic dissections (ADs) during pregnancy and postpartum. However, there is limited evidence about the perinatal management of LDS patients who have undergone prophylactic aortic root replacements (ARRs) before conception.

Case Report: We present the case of a 28-year-old nulliparous pregnant woman with LDS with a pathogenic variant within exon 5 of TGFBR2 (c.

Higher doses of methotrexate associated with discontinuation of oral glucocorticoids after initiation of biological DMARDs: A retrospective observational study based on data from a Japanese multicenter registry study.

Objective: Glucocorticoids are important drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. We recommend glucocorticoid discontinuation as soon as possible given the associated side-effects, but many patients continue to take oral glucocorticoids long-term. The present study aimed to explore factors associated with glucocorticoid discontinuation at 52 weeks after initiating biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs).

Cell Therapy for Chronic TBI: Interim Analysis of the Randomized Controlled STEMTRA Trial.

Objective: To determine whether chronic motor deficits secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be improved by implantation of allogeneic modified bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (SB623).

Methods: This 6-month interim analysis of the 1-year double-blind, randomized, surgical sham-controlled, phase 2 Stem Cell Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury (STEMTRA) trial (NCT02416492) evaluated safety and efficacy of the stereotactic intracranial implantation of SB623 in patients with stable chronic motor deficits secondary to TBI. Patients in this multicenter trial (n = 63) underwent randomization in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to 2.

In-Stent Restenosis of Carotid and Vertebral Arteries Treated by Angioplasty Using a Cutting Balloon: A Case Report.

Objective: We treated a patient with internal carotid artery and vertebral artery ostium in-stent restenosis (ISR) treated by cutting balloon (CB) angioplasty.

Case Presentation: A 79-year-old man developed dizziness and right homonymous upper quadrantanopia. On arrival, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed acute-stage brain infarction.

Microendoscopic Posterior Decompression for Treating Thoracic Myelopathy Caused by Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum: Case Series.

Ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) is a relatively common cause of thoracic myelopathy. Surgical treatment is recommended for patients with myelopathy. Generally, open posterior decompression, with or without fusion, is selected to treat OLF.

Predictors for clinical effectiveness of baricitinib in rheumatoid arthritis patients in routine clinical practice: data from a Japanese multicenter registry.

This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effectiveness and safety profiles of baricitinib and explore factors associated with improved short-term effectiveness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical settings. A total of 113 consecutive RA patients who had been treated with baricitinib were registered in a Japanese multicenter registry and followed for at least 24 weeks. Mean age was 66.

Residual lumbar curvature that developed during adolescence accelerates intervertebral disc degeneration in adulthood.

Purpose: To elucidate the influence of spinal deformity in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) on lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration in adulthood using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: A total of 102 patients (8 men, 94 women; mean age, 31.4 years) who had developed idiopathic scoliosis at the age of 10-18 years and underwent preoperative lumbar spine MRI at the age of ≥ 20 were included in the study.

Validity of the Japanese core outcome measures index (COMI)-neck for cervical spine surgery: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Core Outcome Measures Index-Neck (COMI-Neck) in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery.

Methods: A total of 177 patients undergoing cervical spine surgery for spinal disorders from April to December 2017 were enrolled. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) included EuroQOL, Neck Disability Index, and treatment satisfaction.

A retrospective analysis of the relationship between anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody and the effectiveness of abatacept in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of abatacept (ABA) by anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACPA) status on disease activity as well as radiographic progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical settings. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from a multicenter registry. Data from a total of 553 consecutive RA patients treated with intravenous ABA were included.

A Survey on the Safety of and Patient Satisfaction After Nipple-Areola Tattooing.

Background: Nipple-areolar tattooing is well accepted as part of breast reconstruction, but the clinical data on its safety and patient satisfaction after the procedure are insufficient. We aimed to evaluate the complications of and patient satisfaction after nipple-areola tattooing in Japanese post-mastectomy breast reconstruction patients.

Methods: Patients who visited our center after undergoing nipple-areola tattooing from January 2017 to March 2020 were given an unmarked questionnaire with questions about complications related to their nipple-areola tattoo.