Imaging using diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background signal suppression for methotrexate-associated lymphoproliferative disorder: A case report.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving immunosuppressive therapy including methotrexate (MTX), are at risk of developing lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD). Herein, we report the case of a 61-year-old man who has been treated with MTX and sulfasalazine for seropositive RA since the age of 52. He underwent diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background signal suppression (DWIBS), which revealed high-intensity lesions in the affected lymph nodes of the cervical, clavicular, and axillary regions.

Practical and statistical aspects of subgroup analyses in surgical neuro-oncology: A comprehensive review from the PIONEER Consortium.

Subgroup analyses are essential to generate new hypotheses or to estimate treatment effects in clinically meaningful subgroups of patients. They play an important role in taking the next step towards personalized surgical treatment for brain tumor patients. However, subgroup analyses must be used with consideration and care because they have significant potential risks.

Clonal hematopoiesis-related mutant ASXL1 promotes atherosclerosis in mice via dysregulated innate immunity.

Certain somatic mutations provide a fitness advantage to hematopoietic stem cells and lead to clonal expansion of mutant blood cells, known as clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Among the most common CH mutations, ASXL1 mutations pose the highest risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), yet the mechanisms by which they contribute to CVDs are unclear. Here we show that hematopoietic cells harboring C-terminally truncated ASXL1 mutant (ASXL1-MT) accelerate the development of atherosclerosis in Ldlr mice.

Noninvasive Skin Autofluorescence of Advanced Glycation End Products in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

Objective: To clarify the association between skin autofluorescence of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and clinical outcomes and pain in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).

Methods: Consecutive patients with DCM were prospectively enrolled. AGEs assessed by skin autofluorescence (the AGE score) were examined at the middle fingertip in eligible patients.

CNS B cell infiltration in tumefactive anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease.

Background: Few studies have examined B cells among patients with anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), including brain pathology.

Objective: To describe cases of tumefactive MOGAD with B-cell dominant central nervous system (CNS) infiltration.

Methods: In this study, we reviewed three cases with clinical and brain histopathological features with tumefactive MOGAD.

Responders and non-responders to romosozumab treatment.

Introduction: Romosozumab is an anti-sclerostin antibody drug with potent bone formation-promoting and bone resorption-inhibiting properties. It enhances bone mineral density and has a novel effect in preventing fractures. However, there have been reports of non-responders to romosozumab.

A case of gastric/duodenal diffuse large B cell lymphoma observed during the administration of tacrolimus/azathioprine for dermatomyositis.

The patient was diagnosed with amyopathic dermatomyositis complicated with interstitial pneumonia (IP) at age 35. She had been treated with prednisolone and maintained on tacrolimus (TAC) + azathioprine (AZA). Eight years later, she experienced epigastric pain, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) led to a diagnosis of duodenal ulcer.

Mechanism of exacerbation of traumatic brain injury under warfarin anticoagulation in male mice.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is exacerbated in patients on antithrombotic medications, with warfarin leading to increased bleeding in some cases. However, the extent to which this bleeding increases lethality and its long-term effects remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the exacerbation of TBI by warfarin treatment and comprehensively evaluate the impact of TBI on the anticoagulant effects of warfarin.

Effectiveness of benralizumab in the Tokyo Asthma Study (TOAST): A real-world prospective interventional trial.

Background: Biologics are integral in the management of severe asthma. As the effectiveness of the anti-IL-5 receptor antibody benralizumab in Japan remains elusive, this study aimed to assess its real-world effectiveness in Japanese patients with severe asthma.

Methods: This prospective, interventional, single-arm clinical trial was conducted across ten facilities in Japan between September 2020 and July 2022.

Effects of initial peritoneal dialysis prescription on clinical outcomes in Japanese peritoneal dialysis patients: a cohort study.

Effects of the initial peritoneal dialysis (PD) prescription on clinical outcomes are unknown in Japan. We conducted a cohort study using data from Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study. The patients were divided into two groups by the volume of the initial PD prescription (≤ 4 L/day or > 4 L/day).

Clinical expert consensus document on bailout algorithms for complications in percutaneous coronary intervention from the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics.

The efficacy and safety of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease has been established, and approximately 250,000 PCI procedures are performed annually in Japan. However, various complications including life-threatening complications can occur during PCI. Although several bailout procedures have been proposed to address complications during PCI, it is critically important for operators to manage each complication in real catheter rooms with confidence even in emergent situations.

Analysis of Methylation of Tumor-suppressive miRNAs and Mutations in Pancreatic Juice.

Background/aim: We previously reported the usefulness of detecting aberrant methylation in tumor suppressive microRNAs (miRNAs) in bile and plasma to discriminate pancreaticobiliary cancers from benign pancreaticobiliary diseases. This study analyzed the methylation of miRNAs in pancreatic juice to identify those specific to pancreatic cancer (PC).

Patients And Methods: Pancreatic juice was collected from 20 patients with PC, including eight with intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma (IPMC), two with low grade-pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (LG-PanIN), 32 with LG-intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), and seven with benign pancreatic lesions.

Saddle-shaped rotating knee prosthesis outperforms low contact stress knee: A short-term retrospective comparative study.

Purpose: This retrospective comparative study aimed to compare the native patellar alignment and clinical outcomes of the Rotating Concave-Convex (ROCC) knee, which features a saddle-shaped rotating platform (RP) insert and a deep trochlea, versus the low contact stress (LCS) knee, which has favourable long-term outcomes and features an anatomically shaped trochlea and a cruciate-sacrificing RP insert. We hypothesized that the deeper trochlea of the ROCC would further stabilize the native patella, resulting in superior clinical outcomes compared to LCS-RP.

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent patellar-nonresurfacing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using ROCC or LCS-RP were retrospectively reviewed.

A Multicenter Retrospective Study on Adjuvant S-1 Chemotherapy Versus Observation Following Major Hepatectomy for Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: The prognosis of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) is poor even after curative resection, highlighting the need for effective adjuvant chemotherapy. The efficacy of adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy following major hepatectomy for PHC is unclear, and thus the aim of this study was to elucidate this.

Methods: Consecutive patients with PHC who underwent major hepatectomy (hemihepatectomy or trisectionectomy extending to segment 1 with extrahepatic bile duct resection) at three high-volume centers in Japan from 2007 to 2020 were retrospectively evaluated.

Dermoscopic Examination of Tinea Nigra on the Plantar Foot Unveils a Parallel Ridge Pattern Mimicking Acral-Lentiginous Melanoma.

A man in his thirties patient visited his previous physician with the chief complaint of a pigmented macule on the sole of his left foot that had steadily grown over the past two years. A dermoscopic examination of the lesion showed a parallel ridge pattern (PRP); therefore, acral-lentiginous melanoma (ALM) was suspected, and the patient was referred to our hospital for a more detailed examination. On closer inspection, PRP had a well-defined and irregular border with no variation in color, which is atypical for ALM which is characterized by asymmetrical structure and variation in colors.

Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Spinal Surgery: Patient-Centered Care and Social Contribution.

Background: In recent years, achieving a sustainable society has become an international challenge. The medical field is also being called upon to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, awareness of the SDGs in Japan is low, and relevant efforts in the healthcare sector are particularly lagging behind.