Prognostic Awareness and Knowledge of Acute Exacerbation in Patients Dying with Interstitial Lung Disease: A Nationwide Survey.

Rationale: Accurate prognostic awareness (PA) and knowledge of the disease are critical for decision-making regarding treatment options, advance care planning, and end-of-life care. However, they have not been investigated in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of patients with ILD who have accurate PA and/or knowledge of acute exacerbation.

Factors Involved in the Development of Diabetic Kidney Disease in Patients With Slowly Progressive Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction The duration of diabetes mellitus (DM), blood pro-inflammatory markers, and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) activity are known predictors of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression in acute-onset type 1 DM (AT1DM) and type 2 DM. However, predictors of DKD progression in slowly progressive type 1 insulin-dependent DM (SPIDDM) have been less frequently studied. Patients and methods This retrospective cohort study included 60 patients with SPIDDM (definite) (26 men/34 women).

Female sex hormones inversely regulate acute kidney disease susceptibility throughout life.

While epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated kidney-protective effects of estrogen and female sex in adulthood, some epidemiological data showed deterioration of kidney function during puberty when estrogen production increases. However, molecular mechanisms explaining these conflicting phenomena remain unknown. Here, we showed that the pubertal sex hormone surge in female mice increases susceptibility to kidney ischemia reperfusion injury partly via downregulation of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) expression in proximal tubules.

Outcome of donor lymphocyte infusion after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in relapsed myelodysplastic syndrome.

Background Aims: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) improves outcomes for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients, but relapse rates remain high, and postrelapse treatment options are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the factors contributing to the response to donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in relapsed MDS patients post-HSCT.

Methods: This study included 107 patients with relapsed and DLI-treated MDS who underwent their first HSCT between 2002 and 2022 and were registered in the Transplant Registry Unified Program.

Temporal trends in endovascular therapy for acute stroke in the era of modern mechanical thrombectomy: The JR-NET4 study.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine nationwide trends in acute stroke endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) following five pivotal trials in 2015 that established it as the 'standard of care'.

Methods: The Japanese Registry of NeuroEndovascular Therapy 4 was a nationwide retrospective study registering consecutive patients who underwent neurointervention by specialists certified by the Japanese Society for Neuroendovascular Therapy at 166 centers from January 2015 to December 2019. We extracted patients who underwent EVT, and analyzed the annual trends in baseline characteristics, revascularization procedures and outcomes.

Comparing de novo chronic myeloid leukemia in blastic phase with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Background: De novo chronic myeloid leukemia in blastic phase (CML-BP) showing lymphoid immunophenotype mimics Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-positive ALL). Although upfront allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is considered in both diseases, it is not yet clear whether the transplant outcomes are also similar.

Methods: Using a registry database, the transplant outcomes between de novo CML-BP and Ph-positive ALL in negative-minimal residual disease (MRD), positive MRD, and nonremission cohorts were compared, respectively.

Correlation between severity of preoperative low back pain and postoperative outcomes in lumbar disc herniation surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

Background Context: Low back pain (LBP) frequently occurs in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), however the extent to which discectomy ameliorates it and how preoperative LBP influences postoperative outcomes remains unclear.

Purpose: To evaluate the improvement in LBP and its impact on postoperative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

Study Design/setting: Multicenter retrospective observational study.

Myeloid subsets impede the efficacy of anti-PD1 therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer (WJOG10417GTR study).

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common and deadly malignant diseases worldwide. Despite revolutionary advances, the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD1/PDL1 monoclonal antibodies in advanced GC is still low due to the emergence of innate and acquired resistance to treatment. Myeloid cells represent the majority of human immune cells.

Deciphering craniopharyngioma subtypes: Single-cell analysis of tumor microenvironment and immune networks.

Craniopharyngiomas, including adamantinomatous (ACP) and squamous papillary (PCP) types, are challenging to treat because of their proximity to crucial pituitary structures. This study aimed to characterize the cellular composition, tumor tissue diversity, and cell-cell interactions in ACPs and PCPs using single-cell RNA sequencing. Single-cell clustering revealed diverse cell types, further classified into developing epithelial, calcification, and immune response for ACP and developing epithelial, cell cycle, and immune response for PCP, based on gene expression patterns.

Renal involvement in TAFRO syndrome: a review.

Renal involvement in TAFRO syndrome is characterized clinically by general edema with ascites and pleural effusions and a rapidly progressive decline in renal function, with urinary protein levels of usually less than 1 g/day. The histologic features of the kidneys can be described as glomerular microangiopathy characterized by mesangiolysis or mesangial loosening, endothelial cell proliferation, edematous opening in the subendothelial space, and glomerular basement membrane (GBM) doubling due to newly formed basement membrane. Findings such as rupture of the GBM, foot-process effacement or fusion, and epithelial cell loss are rare, and thrombus formation is difficult to identify in the glomerulus.

Direct observation of an exposed blood vessel in a colonic diverticulum using ultrathin endoscopy.

In recent years, cases of diverticular bleeding have become more common. Although identifying the bleeding diverticulum is difficult, it is even more difficult to identify the exposed blood vessels in the bleeding diverticulum. We experienced a case in which we succeeded in directly observing the exposed blood vessels of a sigmoid colon diverticulum using the ultrathin endoscope.

The first case of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus to achieve pathologic complete response after preoperative ipilimumab + nivolumab followed by resection.

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. Surgical resection is common, but there is no consensus on perioperative treatment. Studies have reported the efficacy of programmed cell death-1 inhibitors (e.

BK Virus Nephropathy After Kidney Transplantation and Its Diagnosis Using Urinary Micro RNA.

BK virus-associated nephritis (BKVAN) is an important cause of graft loss in renal transplant recipients B K viremia occurs in up to 30% of renal transplant recipients. Since the discovery of BKV in 1971, effective prophylaxis and treatment have not been established, and it is not uncommon for a transplant kidney to be lost without cure of BKVAN. BK virus infection is reactivated when cellular immunity is suppressed, which is often during the first year after kidney transplantation when cellular immunity is most suppressed.

Factors involved in gastroesophageal varix-related events in patients with hepatitis C virus-related compensated and decompensated cirrhosis after direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Aim: The incidence of and factors involved in gastroesophageal varix-related events in hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis patients, including decompensated cirrhosis, after direct-acting antiviral therapy are unclear.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter study using prospective data from 478 hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis patients treated with direct-acting antiviral therapy from February 2019 to December 2021 at 33 Japanese hospitals. Gastroesophageal varices were classified as F1 (small-caliber), F2 (moderately enlarged), or F3 (markedly enlarged) according to the Japanese criteria.

Kidney lesions and risk of cardiovascular events in biopsy-proven diabetic kidney disease with type 2 diabetes.

Background: This study assessed the association of pathological kidney lesions with cardiovascular events in biopsy-proven diabetic kidney disease (DKD) with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study involved 244 patients with no previous cardiovascular events before biopsy, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 30 mL/min/1.73 m at biopsy (baseline), and ≥ 1 year of observation after biopsy.

Effectiveness of CI as an alternative to ABI for hearing loss in patients with vestibular schwannomas: A multicenter study in Japan.

Objective: NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2) is characterized by bilateral vestibular schwannomas (VS), often causing severe damage to the bilateral auditory function. Auditory brainstem implantation (ABI) provides hearing-impaired patients with an opportunity to reacquire auditory sensation through electrical stimulation of auditory neurons in the cochlear nucleus. However, ABI is not covered by public health insurance in Japan, leading to a large difference in financial burden compared to cochlear implantation (CI).

Surgical outcomes of minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary mycosis complicated with hematopoietic malignancy.

Objective: Patients with hematopoietic malignancies (HM) are often immunocompromised and, therefore, susceptible to developing invasive fungal infections, including pulmonary mycosis. Surgical resection is indicated for localized pulmonary mycosis refractory to antifungal agents. This study investigated the feasibility and outcomes of minimally invasive surgery for pulmonary mycosis patients complicated with HM.

Comparative outcomes of various transplantation platforms, highlighting haploidentical transplants with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide for adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma.

This study retrospectively compared outcomes of various allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) platforms in patients with adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma. Platforms included human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical-related donors using post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCY), HLA-matched related donors (MRD), HLA-matched unrelated donors (MUD) and cord blood transplantation (CBT). Patients who underwent their first allo-HCT between 2016 and 2021 were included.

Cefiderocol susceptibility of 146 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains clinically isolated from blood in two Japanese hospitals over a 10-year period.

Previous reports focusing on cefiderocol susceptibility against Stenotrophomonas maltophilia have included a large number of noninvasive or colonized isolates, and data focusing on invasive S. maltophilia strains are still lacking. We retrospectively investigated the cefiderocol susceptibility of stored S.