Effectiveness of digital health interventions for telemedicine/telehealth for managing blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials or observational studies that compare digital health interventions (DHIs) for telemedicine/telehealth versus usual care for managing blood pressure (BP) in adults. We searched PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, and IchuShi-Web, and used a random-effects meta-analysis of the weighted mean difference (MD) between the comparison groups to pool data from the included studies. The outcome included the pooled MD of office BP from baseline to each follow-up period.

External quality control survey on identification of microorganisms using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry（ MALDI-TOF MS） is a bacterial typing tool that was approved as a medical device in 2011. However, external accuracy control examination of bacterial typing using mass spectrometry is still only performed on a small scale. In this study, E.

Green Nails, Red Alert: An Unusual Exit site infection Presentation.

Green nail syndrome is an infectious nail disorder caused most commonly by . We report a rare case of peritoneal dialysis (PD) exit site infection (ESI) accompanied by -associated green nail syndrome. The patient was treated with oral and topical antibiotics without the need for PD catheter removal.

The Association of Smoking and Hyperuricemia with Renal Arteriolosclerosis in IgA Nephropathy.

The combination effects of smoking (SMK) and hyperuricemia (HU) on renal arteriolosclerosis in patients with IgA nephropathy remain unknown. We examined the cross-sectional association between smoking (current or former) and renal arteriolar hyalinosis and wall thickening with or without HU [uric acid (UA) level ≥ 7 and ≥5 mg/dL in men and women] in 87 patients with IgA nephropathy who underwent renal biopsy. Arteriolar hyalinosis and wall thickening were assessed by the semiquantitative grading of arterioles.

Laparoscopic resection of a metastatic myxoid liposarcoma in the mesentery of the small intestine: a case report.

Background: Myxoid liposarcoma (MLS), with its risk factors, tends to spread to the lungs and extraperitoneally, with intraperitoneal metastases occurring rarely. We present an unusual case of a myxoid liposarcoma that metastasized to the abdominal organs.

Case Presentation: A 60-year-old female patient was referred to our hospital for the evaluation of a right upper limb tumor that had been growing for 7 years.

Achievement rate of target blood pressure in patients with hypertension treated by hypertension specialists and non-specialists in a real-world setting.

Hypertension remains a major global healthcare issue. Considering that most Japanese patients with hypertension are managed by general practitioners, hypertension specialists should be involved in actual clinical practice. We investigated the blood pressure (BP), guidelines recommended for achievement rate of the target BP, and clinical variables of patients with hypertension treated by hypertension specialists and those treated by non-specialists in a real-world setting.

Examination of Conditions for External Quality Control in Identification of Microorganisms using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was approved for medical use in 2011 and is currently used as a rapid, accurate and lowcost technique for bacterial identification. External quality control for medical analysis is monitored using tests of the Japanese Association of Medical Technologists and Prefectural Association of Clinical Laboratory Technologists and through user surveys of reagent and equipment manufacturers. However, external quality control of bacterial typing using MS is not performed.

Patterns of recurrence after low-dose postoperative radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Postoperative chemoradiotherapy is recommended for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with positive margins or extracapsular extension at high risk of recurrence. However, high-dose radiotherapy in the head and neck region often causes severe acute and late radiation-related adversities. In our institution, the radiation dose has been relatively lower than that used in Western countries to reduce radiation-related toxicities.

Salt and potassium intake evaluated with spot urine and brief questionnaires in combination with blood pressure control status in hypertensive outpatients in a real-world setting.

Reducing salt and increasing potassium intake are recommended lifestyle modifications for patients with hypertension. The estimated 24-h urinary salt excretion value from spot urine using Tanaka's formula and the salt check-sheet scores, questionnaire-based scores of salt intake, are practical indices of daily salt intake. However, few studies have evaluated salt intake with these methods in hypertensive outpatients.

Examination of conditions for regular internal quality control in identification of microorganisms using MALDI-TOF MS.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was approved for medical use in 2011, and is currently used as a rapid, accurate and low-cost technique for bacterial identification. Microbiological testing and internal accuracy control in Japan are mainly implemented in accordance with the standards of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). However, few facilities perform internal accuracy control of bacterial identification by MALDI-TOF MS.

Comparison of species, virulence genes and clones of Aeromonas isolates from clinical specimens and well water in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

Aims: To reveal the sources of Aeromonas infection in Okinawa Prefecture of Japan, the species, virulence genes and clones of strains isolated from clinical specimens and well water were compared.

Methods And Results: The properties of both isolates were investigated by sequencing of rpoD, detection of 10 virulence genes using PCR and genotyping with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. In all, 68 clinical and 146 well water strains of Aeromonas were isolated and the main species were A.

Effect of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Blockade on Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Function: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.

Although numerous studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of pharmacological therapy for arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, which are predictors/therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases, only a few overall quantitative evaluations of MRAs (mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) exist. We searched PubMed and Cochrane CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) for randomized trials evaluating MRA effects on arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) or augmentation index and endothelial function measured by flow-mediated dilation. Data from the included trials were pooled by using random-effects meta-analysis of the weighted mean difference (MD) between the comparator groups.

Emergence of clinical isolates of and from Japan harbouring an acquired gene encoding a carbapenemase VIM-2.

and , belonging to the phylogenetic group, are occasionally isolated from clinical samples, partly because they are often misidentified as in clinical laboratories. There are five reports describing carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates of these species. Carbapenem-resistant strains of and were isolated from stool samples.

A case of oral cancer with preoperative transcatheter aortic valve implantation for aortic stenosis: A case report.

Aortic valve stenosis [or aortic stenosis, (AS)] is a risk factor in non-cardiac surgery. Guidelines from the European Heart Association recommended that AS treatment should be applied prior to non-cardiac surgery. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a method of minimally invasive AS treatment.

Thymoma appearing 9 years after the resection of squamous cell carcinoma of the lip: A case report of triple primary tumors and literature review.

The occurrence of second primary tumor (SPT)following malignancy treatment is common. In patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer, SPTs principally occur in the H&N region, lungs or esophagus. Therefore, patient follow-up after cancer treatment is important in order to detect recurrence, metastasis and new primary tumors.

Pseudomonas asiatica sp. nov., isolated from hospitalized patients in Japan and Myanmar.

A novel Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterial strain, RYU5, was isolated from a stool sample of an inpatient at a hospital in Okinawa, Japan. The optimal growth temperature of RYU5 was 30 °C. Phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of housekeeping genes, including the 16S rRNA, rpoB, rpoD and gyrB genes, showed that RYU5 was a member of the Pseudomonas putida group and was located close to Pseudomonas monteilii and P.

Amplified Association Between Blood Pressure and Albuminuria in Overweight Patients With Biopsy-Proven Hypertensive Nephrosclerosis.

Background: An overweight person is at high risk for hypertensive renal damage. The effect of weight on the association between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and albuminuria remains unknown in patients with histologically diagnosed hypertensive nephrosclerosis.

Methods: A total of 97 patients with biopsy-confirmed hypertensive nephrosclerosis were recruited from 13 centers throughout Japan.

Outcomes after up-front surgery and metronomic neoadjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 or UFT for early tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Our aim was to investigate the disease-free survival in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma receiving metronomic neoadjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil prodrugs (UFT or S-1) plus bleomycin compared with those who had up-front surgery retrospectively.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 108 patients with stages I to II tongue squamous cell carcinoma who had undergone surgery were divided into the "surgery group" or "neoadjuvant chemotherapy group."

Results: A total of 41 patients received up-front surgery; 67 received metronomic neoadjuvant chemotherapy with UFT plus bleomycin (39) or S-1 plus bleomycin (28).

Emergence of a carbapenem-resistant and colistin-heteroresistant Enterobacter cloacae clinical isolate in Japan.

A carbapenem-resistant and colistin-heteroresistant clinical isolate of Enterobacter cloacae was obtained from an inpatient in Okinawa, Japan. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of both imipenem and meropenem were 32 μg/mL. The isolate showed heteroresistance to colistin using the Etest method and resistance to colistin using the broth microdilution method.

Triple primary cancer of the head and neck, skin and prostate: A case report and literature review.

Second primary cancer (SPC) is an important prognostic factor for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC); therefore, the association between the prognosis and development of SPC has been well-reported. The use of 2-[F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is valuable to examine cancer stage, evaluate treatment responses and investigate suspected relapses or metastases. In the present study, the case of a male patient who was diagnosed with three primary cancer types, including well to moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the mandible, axillary cutaneous poorly differentiated SCC and prostate adenocarcinoma, was described.