Causative diseases of bloody sputum and hemoptysis in respiratory clinics in Japan.

Background: No previous studies have compared respiratory clinics and respiratory specialized facilities regarding causative diseases for bloody sputum and hemoptysis in Japan.

Methods: We retrospectively compared causative diseases for bloody sputum and hemoptysis between 3 respiratory clinics (clinic group) and 7 departments of respiratory medicine at hospitals (hospital group) in Japan.

Results: We collected data from 231 patients (median age, 51 years; age range, 24-96 years; 109 men (47.

Updates on Breast Reconstruction: Surgical Techniques, Challenges, and Future Directions.

The increasing global incidence of breast cancer underscores the significance of breast reconstruction in enhancing patients' quality of life. Breast reconstruction primarily falls into two categories: implant-based techniques and autologous tissue transfers. In this study, we present a comprehensive review of various aspects of implant-based reconstruction, including different types of implants, surgical techniques, and their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Effects of Pemafibrate on LDL-C and Related Lipid Markers in Patients with MASLD: A Sub-Analysis of the PEMA-FL Study.

Aim: In the PEMA-FL study in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), pemafibrate was shown to significantly decrease low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms of pemafibrate-induced LDL-C reduction in patients with MASLD by conducting an additional sub-analysis of the PEMA-FL study.

Methods: The PEMA-FL study randomized 118 patients with MASLD to receive pemafibrate or placebo for 72 weeks.

Successful treatment of low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome-related anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease with daprodustat: A report of two cases.

Anemia is a major clinical manifestation seen in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Treatment options for anemia in low-risk MDS are limited. Especially, oral medication which is uniformly effective for anemia in low-risk MDS is required.

Hyperenhancement of LA Wall by Three-Dimensional High-Resolution Late Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI and Recurrence of AF After Catheter Ablation.

: This study investigated the relationship between LA (LA) enhancement on three-dimensional (3D) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) MRI and recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with AF (AF). : A total of one hundred patients with AF (mean age: 68 ± 9 years, 50% with paroxysmal AF) were included in this study. Each patient underwent a high-resolution 3D LGE MRI prior to catheter ablation, allowing for detailed imaging of the LA wall.

A simple method for estimating time-irreversible nucleotide substitution rates in the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the current worldwide pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome. The change of nucleotide composition of the SARS-CoV-2 genome is crucial for understanding the spread and transmission dynamics of the virus because viral nucleotide sequences are essential in identifying viral strains. Recent studies have shown that cytosine (C) to uracil (U) substitutions are overrepresented in SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences.

The health-economic impact of urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio testing for chronic kidney disease in Japanese non-diabetic patients.

Background: The objective of this analysis was to estimate the clinical and economic impact of undertaking urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) testing alongside regular estimated glomerular filtration rate testing for chronic kidney disease in non-diabetic Japanese patients versus no testing and versus urine protein-creatinine ratio (UPCR) testing.

Methods: An economic model, taking a Japanese healthcare perspective, estimated the health-economic impact of UACR testing over a lifetime time horizon. Outcomes reported were additional costs, clinical benefits measured, such as prevented dialyses and cardiovascular events, quality-adjusted life years gained, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios.

Accuracy of type IV collagen 7S versus Enhanced Liver Fibrosis score for diagnosing fibrosis in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Background: Various noninvasive tests can be used to identify high-risk groups of patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease/steatohepatitis (MASLD). In this study, we compared the diagnostic performance of serum type 4 collagen 7S (COL4-7S) and the Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) score for detecting fibrosis in patients with MASLD.

Methods: Among 1368 patients with MASLD who underwent liver biopsy, 794 with values for both serum COL4-7S and the ELF score were enrolled in this multicenter study.

Methionine restriction inhibits pancreatic cancer proliferation while suppressing JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Background: Methionine restriction (MR) has been demonstrated to exhibit anti-tumor effects in various types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer (PC). However, the detailed mechanism induced by MR remains still unclear. This study aims to reveal the underlying mechanism of MR on PC by proteomic analysis.

Amoebic colitis insufficient to metronidazole monotherapy.

Amoebic colitis is a parasitic gastrointestinal disease caused by Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica). In Japan, metronidazole (MNZ) monotherapy is often used and most cases are effective.

Cancer and disease profiles for PTEN pathogenic variants in Japanese population.

A germline alteration in the PTEN gene causes a spectrum of disorders conceptualized as PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), which show high risk of tumor development and a highly variable and complex phenotype. The diagnosis of PHTS is established in a proband by identification of a heterozygous germline PTEN pathogenic variant on molecular genetic testing. In this study, to understand more PTEN-associated clinical phenotype and PHTS in a Japanese population, we extracted 128 germline PTEN rare variants from 113,535 adult Japanese registered in Biobank Japan (BBJ), and categorized 29 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in 30 individuals (0.

Dissecting regional variability in Pyrazinamide prescribing practices for tuberculosis treatment in Japan.

Objectives: To investigate regional variations in pyrazinamide (PZA) prescribing across Japan's 47 prefectures and associated influential factors.

Methods: This study utilized the Standardized Claim Ratio (SCR) for PZA from Japan's National Database of Health Insurance Claims in 2018. Pearson's correlation coefficients assessed relationships between SCR and tuberculosis (TB) incidence, patient characteristics (age, liver disease), and healthcare resources (specialists, TB beds).

Utility of Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer as an excellent biomarker for the prediction of liver fibrosis, activity, and hepatocellular carcinoma onset: an expert review.

Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) is a liver fibrosis biomarker that originated in Japan and has been covered by health insurance for 10 years. M2BPGi is useful not only for liver fibrosis stage prediction but also for assessment of the degree of liver inflammation and prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma development. The usefulness of M2BPGi for assessing disease progression in patients with various chronic liver diseases has been demonstrated over the past decade in a large number of patients.

Dynamic changes of abnormal muscle response during decompression procedures in double compression-type hemifacial spasm.

Background: Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a neurovascular movement caused by vascular compression of the facial nerve in its root exit zone (REZ). Cases of HFS caused by double compression (DC) in both REZ and the cisternal portion (CP) have been sporadically reported. The nature of DC-type HFS is still not fully understood.

Head-to-head comparison among FAST, MAST, and multiparametric MRI-based new score in diagnosing at-risk MASH.

Objectives: New scores were developed to identify at-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) using multiparametric MRI (mpMRI).

Materials And Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 176 patients with suspected or diagnosed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) paired with an MR scan, vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE), and liver biopsy. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), proton density fat fraction (PDFF), and mpMRI-based corrected T1 (cT1) were combined to develop a one-step strategy, named MPcT (MRE + PDFF + cT1, combined score), and a two-step strategy-MRE-based LSM followed by PDFF with cT1 (M-PcT, paired score) for diagnosing at-risk MASH.

Be familiar with benign pediatric head and neck lesions! Image interpretation guides to overcome your weakness.

Pediatric head and neck lesions include three main categories: congenital, inflammatory, and neoplastic. It is important for management to understand the imaging features. The purpose of this pictorial review is to demonstrate the imaging features of benign head and neck lesions of pediatric patients.

A case of complete remission by cabozantinib as an end-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cabozantinib is a multi-kinase inhibitor targeting multiple tyrosine kinases. It improves overall survival and progression-free survival in patients previously treated with sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to the placebo in the phase 3 CELESTIAL trial. A 71-year-old man presented to our hospital for treatment of HCC with chronic hepatitis C.