An Adult Case of Unicommissural Unicuspid Aortic Valve Diagnosed Based on the Intraoperative Findings.

We herein report an adult case of unicommissural unicuspid aortic valve (UAV). A 59-year-old man, who was noted to have a cardiac murmur at 31 years of age, was admitted to our hospital due to acute heart failure. Severe calcification in the aortic valve with severe low-flow/low-gradient aortic stenosis and moderate aortic regurgitation was observed and thought to be the cause of heart failure, however, the etiology of aortic valve dysfunction was not clear.

Solitary Pulmonary Capillary Hemangioma of Adult Cases: Clinicopathologic Characteristics as an Unrecognized Entity.

Solitary pulmonary capillary hemangioma (SPCH) is a rare disease, first described about autopsy cases in 2000 and about surgically resected cases in 2006. To date, only 9 surgically resected cases have been published in English. Here, we report 7 original cases with surgery (median age, 54 y; 4 females, 2 never-smokers).

Ultrasound-assisted prompted voiding for management of urinary incontinence of nursing home residents: Efficacy and feasibility.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and feasibility of ultrasound-assisted prompted voiding for the management of urinary incontinence in nursing homes.

Methods: Nursing home residents who had received prompted voiding care for urinary incontinence were enrolled. The voided urinary volume and residual urinary volume were initially measured for a few days.

Deficient RNA-editing enzyme ADAR2 in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient with a FUS(P525L) mutation.

Mutations in the fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene can cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and FUS gene mutations have been reported in sporadic ALS patients with basophilic cytoplasmic inclusions. Deficiency of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 2 (ADAR2), an enzyme that specifically catalyzes GluA2 Q/R site-editing, has been reported in considerable proportions of spinal motor neurons of the majority of sporadic ALS patients. We describe the relationship between GluA2 Q/R site-editing efficiency and FUS-positive inclusions in a patient with FUS(P525L).

Reliability of cardiac output measurements using LiDCOrapid™ and FloTrac/Vigileo™ across broad ranges of cardiac output values.

Knowing a patient's cardiac output (CO) could contribute to a safe, optimized hemodynamic control during surgery. Precise CO measurements can serve as a guide for resuscitation therapy, catecholamine use, differential diagnosis, and intervention during a hemodynamic crisis. Despite its invasiveness and intermittent nature, the thermodilution technique via a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) remains the clinical gold standard for CO measurements.

Aggressive TAFRO syndrome with reversible cardiomyopathy successfully treated with combination chemotherapy.

TAFRO (thrombocytopenia, anasarca, myelofibrosis, renal dysfunction, and organomegaly) syndrome is an atypical manifestation of Castleman's disease. However, the mechanism underlying this very rare syndrome remains unknown, and there is no established standard treatment. Here we report cases of two young females with TAFRO syndrome who showed similar clinical courses.

Prognostic significance of serum neuron-specific enolase in small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Purpose: Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCCB) is known for its aggressive clinical features and poor prognosis. No prognostic factor has been established so far. The aim of this study was to assess the significance of possible prognostic factors, including serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE), an established biomarker for small cell lung carcinoma.

Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Associated with Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.

A 78-year-old woman with a history of bronchial asthma presented with distal dominant sensory disturbance and weakness in the upper and lower extremities. A biopsy of the left peroneus brevis muscle showed active vasculitis with inflammation extending into muscle fascicles and fibrinoid necrosis of the vessel wall, consistent with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). Despite her decreased serum osmolarity, her serum antidiuretic hormone level was not reduced, consistent with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH).

Sleep Apnea and Circadian Extracellular Fluid Change as Independent Factors for Nocturnal Polyuria.

Purpose: We investigated the relationships among nocturnal polyuria, sleep apnea and body fluid volume to elucidate the pathophysiology of nocturia in sleep apnea syndrome.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 104 consecutive patients who underwent polysomnography for suspected sleep apnea syndrome. Self-assessed symptom questionnaires were administered to evaluate sleep disorder and lower urinary tract symptoms, including nocturia.

Lateral Knee Pain after Outside-in Anatomic Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using the TightRope RT.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) TightRope RT (TR) was recently introduced as a novel cortical suspension device for ACL reconstruction. It has an adjustable graft loop that gives the surgeon some advantages during ACL reconstruction. We report three patients who required removal of the TR after an outside-in anatomical ACL reconstruction because of lateral knee pain.

Hypertrophic Pachymeningitis as a Potential Cause of Headache Associated with Temporal Arteritis.

We herein describe a rare case of temporal arteritis associated with hypertrophic pachymeningitis. An 81-year-old man presented with a right temporal headache that had persisted for one month. A right superficial temporal artery biopsy revealed intimal hypertrophy with increased elastic fibers, consistent with temporal arteritis.

Oral tofacitinib efficacy, safety and tolerability in Japanese patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study.

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor that is being investigated for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Japanese patients aged 20 years or more with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis were double-blindly randomized 1:1 to tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg b.i.

Necrotizing arteritis occurring in an intralobar pulmonary sequestration of a patient without systemic vasculitis syndrome.

Necrotizing arteritis is a complex lesion of pulmonary hypertension, as are plexiform lesions, and is classically recognized as grade 6 in the Heath and Edwards grading scheme for hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease. The vascular changes observed in intralobar pulmonary sequestration have been reported to be similar to those observed in pulmonary hypertension, such as plexiform lesions. However, necrotizing arteritis occurring in an intralobar sequestration of a patient without systemic vasculitis syndrome has never been reported to our knowledge.

Endothelial cell injury in acute and chronic glomerular lesions in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Endothelial cell injury may contribute to the progression of various glomerular diseases. In the present study, we examined glomerular capillary injury in acute and chronic glomerular lesions in patients with Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). We selected renal biopsy samples of IgAN (n = 200), and glomerular capillary injury in the acute and chronic glomerular lesions was assessed using immunohistochemistry for CD34 and electron microscopy.

Damage to Olfactory Progenitor Cells Is Involved in Cigarette Smoke-Induced Olfactory Dysfunction in Mice.

Exposure to cigarette smoke is a major cause of olfactory dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms by which cigarette smoke interferes with the highly regenerative olfactory nerve system remain unclear. To investigate whether cigarette smoke induces olfactory dysfunction by disrupting cell proliferation and cell survival in the olfactory epithelium (OE), we developed a mouse model of smoking that involved intranasal administration of a cigarette smoke solution (CSS).

[Improvement of the Convenience of White Petrolatum].

White petrolatum is frequently used as an oleaginous base, but has a drawback of poor usability. In this trial, white petrolatum was prepared at a lower melting point to improve its usability. Characteristic pharmaceutical values such as melting point, yield, and consistency were compared between a conventional product and ophthalmic white petrolatum.

Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentration reflects severity of coronary artery disease in patients without heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is recognized as a useful biomarker for acute kidney injury. Recently, elevated NGAL levels were reported in patients with heart failure and cardiac events, but the association between serum NGAL and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been investigated adequately. This study aimed to evaluate the association between serum NGAL concentration and CAD severity in patients without heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Fixed Combination of Travoprost and Timolol Maleate Reduces Intraocular Pressure in Japanese Patients with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension: A Prospective Multicenter Open-Label Study.

Introduction: The efficacy of lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) and safety of switching to travoprost/timolol fixed combination ophthalmic solution (Duotrav(®), Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, normal tension glaucoma or ocular hypertension undergoing prostaglandin analog (PGA) monotherapy was investigated.

Methods: Patients treated with travoprost, latanoprost, tafluprost, or bimatoprost for ≥3 months and requiring additional medication were switched to Duotrav without washout.

Effect of Ezetimibe on LDL-C Lowering and Atherogenic Lipoprotein Profiles in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Poorly Controlled by Statins.

Background: There exists a subpopulation of T2DM in whom first-line doses of statin are insufficient for optimally reducing LDL-C, representing a major risk of CVD. The RESEARCH study focuses on LDL-C reduction in this population along with modifications of the lipid profiles leading to residual risks.

Methods: Lipid changes were assessed in a randomized, multicenter, 12-week, open-label study comparing a high-potency statin (10mg of atorvastatin or 1mg of pitavastatin) plus ezetimibe (EAT: n = 53) with a double dose of statin (20mg of atorvastatin or 2mg of pitavastatin) (DST: n = 56) in DM subjects who had failed to achieve the optimal LDL-C targets.

A case of penetration of the intestinal wall by a soft-shelled turtle bone successfully removed with double-balloon endoscopy.

A 62-year-old male was admitted to our hospital due to left lower abdominal pain. Three days before admission, he ate seafood in a Japanese restaurant. Two days before admission, he suffered from intermittent left lower abdominal pain.

Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin predicts major adverse cardiovascular events after cardiac care unit discharge.

Background: Emerging acute kidney injury biomarkers, including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), have a high potential for predicting worsening renal function. Acute exacerbation of renal dysfunction has a great impact on the outcomes of cardiovascular patients in critical conditions. This study aimed to evaluate whether plasma NGAL can predict the mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) after discharge from the cardiac care unit (CCU).