Prevention of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy After Emergency Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With a Single Bolus Administration of High-Concentrate Sodium Bicarbonate - Rationale and Design of a Single-Arm Study Compared With Historical Controls.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is clinically important because of its poor prognosis. The incidence of CIN is higher in emergency than elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) because there is no established method to prevent CIN. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether bolus administration of a concentrated solution of sodium bicarbonate can prevent CIN in patients undergoing emergency PCI.

Family caregivers' experience with healthcare and social care professionals and their participation in health checkups: A cross sectional study in Japan.

Background: For family caregivers, who are generally regarded as a vulnerable population, having regular checkups is a desirable health behavior. This study examined family caregivers' habit of having regular checkups prior to becoming involved with professionals who care for patients, and whether they had had recent checkups. We then examined the association between family caregivers' experience with professionals and their participation in checkups after adjusting for the past habit.

Diagnostic performance of microscopic stool examination in infection performed by different medical specialties.

Background: Microscopic examination of stool samples can contribute to the early diagnosis of gastroenteritis. However, it is unclear whether the diagnostic performance is reliable when performed by physicians.

Methods: This prospective study included fresh stool samples collected from patients with gastroenteritis between August 2018 and March 2020.

Cutaneous angiosarcoma treated with taxane-based chemoradiotherapy: A multicenter study of 90 Japanese cases.

Cutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) is rare and most previous studies of CAS have been small case series, and randomized, phase II studies of CAS are limited. Since treatment options for CAS are controversial, and because only paclitaxel should be recommended based on high-level evidence, it is important to evaluate the efficacy of another taxane-derived agents, docetaxel, in real-world practice. The efficacy and safety profiles of chemoradiotherapy using taxane-based agents, docetaxel and paclitaxel, were retrospectively examined in the maintenance setting in 90 Japanese CAS patients, including 35 docetaxel-treated cases and 55 paclitaxel-treated cases.

Aneuploidy and sex concordance rate between cell-free DNA analysis from spent culture media of preimplantation embryo and DNA from whole embryo with respect to different morphological grading.

Purpose: The aneuploidy and sex concordance between cell-free DNA in spent culture media (SCM) and DNA from whole embryo with respect to different morphological grading were examined to evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (niPGT-A).

Methods: A total of 46 pairs of embryos and corresponding SCM were divided into two groups based on the morphological grade. DNA was extracted from 22 and 24 pairs of low- and high-grade embryos, respectively, and respective SCM followed by chromosomal analysis using next-generation sequencing.

Coffee and Green Tea Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among People With and Without Hypertension.

Background This study was conducted to examine the impacts of coffee and green tea consumption on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among people with severe hypertension. Methods and Results In the JACC (Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk), 18 609 participants (6574 men and 12 035 women) aged 40 to 79 years at baseline who completed a lifestyle, diet, and medical history questionnaire, and health examinations, were followed up until 2009. We classified the participants into four blood pressure (BP) categories: optimal and normal BP, high-normal BP, grade 1 hypertension, and grade 2-3 hypertension.

Rheology of Naturally Deformed Antigorite Serpentinite: Strain and Strain-Rate Dependence at Mantle-Wedge Conditions.

Antigorite serpentinite is expected to occur in parts of subduction plate boundaries, and may suppress earthquake slip, but the dominant deformation mechanisms and resultant rheology of antigorite are unclear. An exhumed plate boundary shear zone exposed near Nagasaki, Japan, contains antigorite deformed at 474°C ± 30°C. Observations indicate that a foliation defined by (001) crystal facets developed during plate-boundary shear.

Episodes of Early Pleistocene West Antarctic Ice Sheet Retreat Recorded by Iceberg Alley Sediments.

Ice loss in the Southern Hemisphere has been greatest over the past 30 years in West Antarctica. The high sensitivity of this region to climate change has motivated geologists to examine marine sedimentary records for evidence of past episodes of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) instability. Sediments accumulating in the Scotia Sea are useful to examine for this purpose because they receive iceberg-rafted debris (IBRD) sourced from the Pacific- and Atlantic-facing sectors of West Antarctica.

Design of Mid-Q Response: A prospective, randomized trial of adaptive cardiac resynchronization therapy in Asian patients.

Aims: The aim of the Mid-Q Response study is to test the hypothesis that adaptive preferential left ventricular-only pacing with the AdaptivCRT algorithm has superior clinical outcomes compared to conventional cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in heart failure (HF) patients with moderately wide QRS duration (≥120 ms and <150 ms), left bundle branch block (LBBB), and normal atrioventricular (AV) conduction (PR interval ≤200 ms).

Methods: This prospective, multi-center, randomized, controlled, clinical study is being conducted at approximately 60 centers in Asia. Following enrollment and baseline assessment, eligible patients are implanted with a CRT system equipped with the AdaptivCRT algorithm and are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to have AdaptivCRT ON (Adaptive Bi-V and LV pacing) or AdaptivCRT OFF (Nonadaptive CRT).

The Japanese lead extraction registry (J-LEX): Annual report 2020.

The Japanese Heart Rhythm Society established a nationwide, mandatory, multi-center, prospective, observational registry of transvenous lead extraction (TLE) named the Japanese lead extraction registry (J-LEX) in 2018. We have published the first annual report of J-LEX with 661 cases from 42 hospitals. The second annual report of J-LEX in 2020 enrolled increased numbers of 785 cases from 75 hospitals.

Relationship between Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure score and clinical symptoms in patients with major psychiatric disorders and healthy individuals.

Aim: We compared the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM) scores between diagnostic groups and examined the relationship between IPSM scores and clinical variables.

Methods: This study included 166 patients with schizophrenia, 47 patients with bipolar disorder (BD) Ⅰ, 110 patients with BD Ⅱ, 380 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 558 healthy individuals. Symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Young Mania Rating Scale, 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-21), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Frailty and social participation in older citizens in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: This study examined the frailty status of older individuals in Japan at 1 year after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic based on involvement in social activities before and during the pandemic.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed citizens aged 65 and 84 who did not require long-term care in January 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 3000 citizens in Kitaibaraki City, Japan.

Cognitive and physical benefits of a game-like dual-task exercise among the oldest nursing home residents in Japan.

Introduction: Dual-task (DT) exercise can act as a substitute, which can help improve both physical and cognitive functions. Thus, this study investigated the effects of a game-like cognitive DT exercise called "Synapsology" (SYNAP) among the oldest residents of a nursing home.

Methods: Participants (aged 85-97 years) were assigned to the intervention group (n = 12) and the control group (n = 12).

Japanese Lead EXtraction (J-LEX) registry: Annual report 2019.

Along with the incremental cases of cardiac implantable electronic devices implantation or upgrade, the lead-related complications are also in rise year after year. The most common and serious lead-related complication is infection that needs a transvenous lead extraction (TLE) as the first-line therapy. TLE is also performed for abandoned leads in case of lead failure or device upgrade, and for lead-related trouble such as pain, vessel stenosis or occlusion, too many leads, tricuspid valve regurgitation, and difficulty of radiation therapy.

The possible effects of the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guidelines 2017 on the practice of fertility preservation in female cancer patients in Japan.

Purpose: In 2017, the first guidelines for fertility preservation in cancer patients were published in Japan. However, the impact of the guidelines remains unknown. Therefore, the authors conducted a nationwide survey on cryopreservation procedures in the period from shortly before to after publication of the guidelines (2016-2019) and compared the results with our previous survey (2011-2015).

Evaluation of changes in prescription among Japanese elderly patients before and after transition to home care.

Background: Most patients receiving home care have multimorbidity and tend to be prescribed multiple drugs with the complicated regimen. Family physicians (FPs) are responsible for patients' prescriptions after transition to home care. This study aimed to assess changes in medication regimen complexity and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) made by FPs before and after transition to home care.

The Japanese Catheter Ablation Registry (J-AB): Annual report in 2019.

The Japanese Catheter Ablation (J-AB) registry, started in August 2017, is a voluntary, nationwide, multicenter, prospective, observational registry, performed by the Japanese Heart Rhythm Society (JHRS) in collaboration with the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center using a Research Electronic Data Capture system. The purpose of this registry is to collect the details of target arrhythmias, the ablation procedures, including the type of target arrhythmias, outcomes, and acute complications in the real-world settings. During the year of 2019, we have collected a total of 80 795 procedures (mean age of 65.

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2020 (J-SSCG 2020).

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2020 (J-SSCG 2020), a Japanese-specific set of clinical practice guidelines for sepsis and septic shock created as revised from J-SSCG 2016 jointly by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, was first released in September 2020 and published in February 2021. An English-language version of these guidelines was created based on the contents of the original Japanese-language version. The purpose of this guideline is to assist medical staff in making appropriate decisions to improve the prognosis of patients undergoing treatment for sepsis and septic shock.