Comparison among random forest, logistic regression, and existing clinical risk scores for predicting outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation: A report from the J-RHYTHM registry.

Background: Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a promising tool for risk stratification. However, few studies have applied ML to risk assessment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Hypothesis: We aimed to compare the performance of random forest (RF), logistic regression (LR), and conventional risk schemes in predicting the outcomes of AF.

Catheter Ablation Energy Sources and Myocardial Injury and Coagulation Biomarkers During Uninterrupted Periprocedural Edoxaban Use - A Subanalysis of KYU-RABLE.

Background: The effects of catheter ablation (CA) energy sources on myocardial injury and coagulation biomarkers among Japanese non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients receiving uninterrupted periprocedural edoxaban are unclear. This KYU-RABLE exploratory subanalysis compared the effects of CA using radiofrequency energy vs. cryoballoon on: (1) myocardial injury; and (2) plasma edoxaban and coagulation biomarker concentrations measured before and after CA.

Diastolic Cardiac Function Improvement by Liraglutide Is Mainly Body Weight Reduction Dependent but Independently Contributes to B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Reduction in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Objectives: A single-arm prospective study was conducted among Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes having preserved ejection fraction. The aim was to investigate (1) whether liraglutide therapy could improve B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and diastolic cardiac function assessed by the -wave to ' ratio (/') using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), and (2) whether /' contributed to BNP improvement independent of bodyweight reduction (UMIN000005565).

Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 40% without heart failure symptoms were enrolled, and daily injection with liraglutide (0.

Reduced Hippocampal Subfield Volume in Schizophrenia and Clinical High-Risk State for Psychosis.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in schizophrenia demonstrated volume reduction in hippocampal subfields divided on the basis of specific cytoarchitecture and function. However, it remains unclear whether this abnormality exists prior to the onset of psychosis and differs across illness stages. MRI (3 T) scans were obtained from 77 patients with schizophrenia, including 24 recent-onset and 40 chronic patients, 51 individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) (of whom 5 subsequently developed psychosis within the follow-up period), and 87 healthy controls.

Stroke Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: International Expert Panel Review.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has placed a tremendous strain on healthcare services. This study, prepared by a large international panel of stroke experts, assesses the rapidly growing research and personal experience with COVID-19 stroke and offers recommendations for stroke management in this challenging new setting: modifications needed for prehospital emergency rescue and hyperacute care; inpatient intensive or stroke units; posthospitalization rehabilitation; follow-up including at-risk family and community; and multispecialty departmental developments in the allied professions.

Summary: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 uses spike proteins binding to tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-2 receptors, most often through the respiratory system by virus inhalation and thence to other susceptible organ systems, leading to COVID-19.

Anomalous brain gyrification patterns in major psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and transdiagnostic integration.

Anomalous patterns of brain gyrification have been reported in major psychiatric disorders, presumably reflecting their neurodevelopmental pathology. However, previous reports presented conflicting results of patients having hyper-, hypo-, or normal gyrification patterns and lacking in transdiagnostic consideration. In this article, we systematically review previous magnetic resonance imaging studies of brain gyrification in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder at varying illness stages, highlighting the gyral pattern trajectory for each disorder.

Changes in plasma concentrations of edoxaban and coagulation biomarkers according to thromboembolic risk and atrial fibrillation type in patients undergoing catheter ablation: Subanalysis of KYU-RABLE.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) can be associated with a risk of thromboembolism and bleeding. We recently demonstrated that uninterrupted edoxaban with one dose delayed on the CA procedural day is associated with a low risk of periprocedural complications. Previous reports have indicated that some specific subgroups of patients undergoing CA have an increased risk of bleeding and thromboembolic complications.

High prevalence of fragmented QRS on electrocardiography in Japanese patients with diabetes irrespective of metabolic syndrome.

Aims/introduction: Fragmented QRS (fQRS) on electrocardiography is a marker of myocardial fibrosis and myocardial scar formation. This study aimed to clarify the relationship of fQRS with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Japanese patients.

Materials And Methods: Approximately 702 individuals who had a routine health checkup at the Hokuriku Health Service Association (Toyama, Japan) in October 2014 were enrolled and categorized into one of the following four groups based on MetS and diabetes mellitus status: with diabetes mellitus (+) MetS+ (164 participants); diabetes mellitus+ without MetS (Mets-; 103 participants); diabetes mellitus- MetS+ (133 participants); and diabetes mellitus- MetS- (302 participants).

Structural MRI Study of the Planum Temporale in Individuals With an At-Risk Mental State Using Labeled Cortical Distance Mapping.

Recent studies have demonstrated brain structural changes that predate or accompany the onset of frank psychosis, such as schizophrenia, among individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS). The planum temporale (PT) is a brain region involved in language processing. In schizophrenia patients, gray matter volume reduction and lack of normal asymmetry (left > right) of PT have repeatedly been reported.

Rare single-nucleotide DAB1 variants and their contribution to Schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder susceptibility.

Disabled 1 (DAB1) is an intracellular adaptor protein in the Reelin signaling pathway and plays an essential role in correct neuronal migration and layer formation in the developing brain. DAB1 has been repeatedly reported to be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in genetic, animal, and postmortem studies. Recently, increasing attention has been given to rare single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) found by deep sequencing of candidate genes.

Rare genetic variants in the gene encoding histone lysine demethylase 4C (KDM4C) and their contributions to susceptibility to schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder.

Dysregulation of epigenetic processes involving histone methylation induces neurodevelopmental impairments and has been implicated in schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Variants in the gene encoding lysine demethylase 4C (KDM4C) have been suggested to confer a risk for such disorders. However, rare genetic variants in KDM4C have not been fully evaluated, and the functional impact of the variants has not been studied using patient-derived cells.

Support vector machine-based classification of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using structural magnetic resonance imaging from two independent sites.

Structural brain alterations have been repeatedly reported in schizophrenia; however, the pathophysiology of its alterations remains unclear. Multivariate pattern recognition analysis such as support vector machines can classify patients and healthy controls by detecting subtle and spatially distributed patterns of structural alterations. We aimed to use a support vector machine to distinguish patients with schizophrenia from control participants on the basis of structural magnetic resonance imaging data and delineate the patterns of structural alterations that significantly contributed to the classification performance.

From population to neuron: exploring common mediators for metabolic problems and mental illnesses.

Major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP) frequently accompany metabolic conditions, but their relationship is still unclear, in particular at the mechanistic level. We implemented an approach of "from population to neuron", combining population-based epidemiological analysis with neurobiological experiments using cell and animal models based on a hypothesis built from the epidemiological study. We characterized high-quality population data, olfactory neuronal cells biopsied from patients with SZ or BP, and healthy subjects, as well as mice genetically modified for insulin signaling.

Gray Matter Changes in the Insular Cortex During the Course of the Schizophrenia Spectrum.

Progressive gray matter reductions in the insular cortex have been reported in the early phases of schizophrenia (Sz); however, the trajectory of these reductions during the course of the illness currently remains unclear. Furthermore, it has not yet been established whether patients with schizotypal (SzTypal) features exhibit progressive changes in the insular cortex. This follow-up magnetic resonance imaging study examined volume changes in the short and long insular cortices (mean inter-scan interval = 2.

Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire in Japanese patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: Heart failure is a worldwide health problem that significantly affects patients' physical function and health state. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is a disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure commonly used for the assessment of health states of patients with heart failure. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the KCCQ.

Thalamic and striato-pallidal volumes in schizophrenia patients and individuals at risk for psychosis: A multi-atlas segmentation study.

Despite previous neuroimaging studies demonstrating morphological abnormalities of the thalamus and other subcortical structures in patients with schizophrenia, the potential role of the thalamus and its subdivisions in the pathophysiology of this illness remains elusive. It is also unclear whether similar changes of these structures occur in individuals at high risk for psychosis. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging was employed with the Multiple Automatically Generated Templates (MAGeT) brain segmentation algorithm to determine volumes of the thalamic subdivisions, the striatum (caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens), and the globus pallidus in 62 patients with schizophrenia, 38 individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) [4 of whom (10.

The health effects of work-family conflict in men and women Japanese civil servants: a longitudinal study.

High level of work-family conflict (WFC) is an important risk factor for stress-related health outcomes. However, many studies are cross-sectional studies. In this study, we aimed to clarify how changes in WFC levels over a period 5 yr can affect workers' mental and physical health, and to clarify whether there are gender differences of them.