Prognostic Impact of Aortic Valve Area in Conservatively Managed Patients With Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background Data are scarce on the role of aortic valve area (AVA) to identify those patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are at high risk of adverse events. We sought to explore the prognostic impact of AVA in asymptomatic patients with severe AS in a large observational database. Methods and Results Among 3815 consecutive patients with severe AS enrolled in the CURRENT AS (Contemporary Outcomes After Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis) registry, the present study included 1309 conservatively managed asymptomatic patients with left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50%.

Age- and Body Size-Adjusted Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Dimension in a Japanese Hospital-Based Population.

Background: Using the normal values for the East Asian population, we evaluated age- and body size-adjusted left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) and its prognostic impact in a hospital-based population in Japan.

Methods and results: We retrospectively analyzed data obtained from 4,444 consecutive patients who had undergone both transthoracic echocardiography and electrocardiography at Kitano Hospital in 2013. Those who presented with a history of previous episodes of myocardial infarction and severe or moderate valvular disease or with low ejection fraction (<50%) were excluded from the analysis.

Duplication and deletion upstream of in autosomal dominant adult-onset leukodystrophy.

Objective: To characterize the genetic and clinical features of patients with autosomal dominant adult-onset demyelinating leukodystrophy (ADLD) carrying duplication and deletion upstream of lamin B1 ().

Methods: Ninety-three patients with adult-onset leukoencephalopathy of unknown etiology were genetically analyzed for copy numbers of and its upstream genes. We examined expression by reverse transcription-qPCR using total RNA extracted from peripheral leukocytes.

Influence of baseline anemia on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with venous thromboembolism: from the COMMAND VTE registry.

The influence of anemia on the long-term clinical outcomes has not been fully evaluated in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE). We evaluated the influence of anemia among 3012 patients in the COMMAND VTE Registry with a median follow-up period of 1219 days. The outcomes measures were ISTH major bleeding, recurrent VTE and all-cause death.

"Switched" metabolic acidosis in mitochondrial diabetes mellitus.

A patient with mitochondrial diabetes mellitus developed diabetic ketoacidosis. During insulin treatment, although diabetic ketoacidosis improved, lactic acidosis unexpectedly worsened. This clinical course, named "switched metabolic acidosis," could reflect the unique pathophysiology of the mitochondrial disorder.

Open-Label Randomized Trial Comparing Oral Anticoagulation With and Without Single Antiplatelet Therapy in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Stable Coronary Artery Disease Beyond 1 Year After Coronary Stent Implantation.

Background: Despite recommendations in the guidelines and consensus documents, there has been no randomized controlled trial evaluating oral anticoagulation (OAC) alone without antiplatelet therapy (APT) in patients with atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease beyond 1 year after coronary stenting.

Methods: This study was a prospective, multicenter, open-label, noninferiority trial comparing OAC alone to combined OAC and single APT among patients with atrial fibrillation beyond 1 year after stenting in a 1:1 randomization fashion. The primary end point was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or systemic embolism.

Altered immunogenicity of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in elderly patients with diabetes who revealed lower responses to concomitant administration of BIKEN varicella zoster vaccine: Results of post hoc analysis of a randomized double-blind trial.

Aims: This double-blind randomized controlled study of 52 elderly patients with diabetes assessed cell-mediated immunity and safety of BIKEN varicella-zoster vaccine (BVZV). Cellular and humoral responses to VZV at 3 months after BVZV and 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPSV23) vaccination elicited poor results. Post-hoc analyses assessed the effects of immunogenicity of PPSV23.

B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the prognostic impact of the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS), who were not referred for aortic valve replacement (AVR).

Methods: We used data from a Japanese multicentre registry, the Contemporary outcomes after sURgery and medical tREatmeNT in patients with severe Aortic Stenosis Registry, which enrolled 3815 consecutive patients with severe AS. Of those, 387 asymptomatic patients who were not referred for AVR without left ventricular dysfunction and very severe AS were subdivided into four groups based on their BNP levels (BNP<100 pg/mL, n=201; 100≤BNP<200 pg/mL, n=94; 200≤BNP<300 pg/mL, n=42 and BNP>300 pg/mL, n=50).

Pseudoprogression in Previously Treated Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Who Received Nivolumab Monotherapy.

Introduction: Nivolumab is effective in the treatment of previously treated patients with advanced NSCLC. However, its radiological evaluation is challenging because of atypical patterns of response such as pseudoprogression. We examined the characteristics and outcomes of previously treated patients with NSCLC who were treated with nivolumab and experienced development of pseudoprogression.

Influence of Baseline Platelet Count on Outcomes in Patients With Venous Thromboembolism (from the COMMAND VTE Registry).

The influence of thrombocytopenia on the long-term clinical outcomes has not been thoroughly evaluated in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE). This study sought to elucidate association of baseline thrombocytopenia with bleeding, recurrent VTE, and mortality risk. We evaluated the influence of baseline thrombocytopenia among 3,012 patients whose baseline platelet counts were available in the COMMAND VTE Registry in Japan with a median follow-up period of 1,219 days.

Risk factors for post-thrombotic syndrome in patients with deep vein thrombosis: from the COMMAND VTE registry.

Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is the most common chronic complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Identifying high-risk patients for the development of PTS might be useful for its prevention. The COMMAND VTE Registry is a multicenter registry that enrolled 3027 consecutive patients with acute symptomatic venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) in Japan between January 2010 and August 2014.

Validation of simplified PESI score for identification of low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism: From the COMMAND VTE Registry.

Background: The simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI) score has been reported to be useful in predicting 30-day mortality for patients with pulmonary embolism, which helps the identification of low-risk patients for early hospital discharge or home treatment. However, therapeutic decision-making should also be based on the risks of adverse events other than mortality.

Methods: The COMMAND VTE Registry is a multicentre registry enrolling consecutive patients with acute symptomatic venous thromboembolism in Japan between January 2010 and August 2014, and the current study population consisted of 1715 patients with pulmonary embolism.

Impact of left ventricular concentricity on long-term mortality in a hospital-based population in Japan.

Background: The prognostic impact of relative wall thickness (RWT), ventricular concentricity, is controversial.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data obtained from 4444 consecutive patients who had undergone both transthoracic echocardiography and electrocardiography at our hospital in 2013. Those who presented with a history of previous episodes of myocardial infarctions and severe or moderate valvular disease were excluded from the analysis.

Pharmaceutical stability of colloidal saccharated iron oxide injection in normal saline.

Background: Colloidal saccharated iron oxide injection is used for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with a poor oral intake. Because of the poor stability of the colloid particle, there have been concerns regarding its compatibility with various injections in clinical practice. To assess the stability of colloidal saccharated iron oxide in normal saline as a diluent, pharmaceutical stability analyses were conducted using various concentrations of glucose and sodium chloride (NaCl).

Sudden-onset C8 Radiculopathy due to a Plexiform Schwannoma of the Cervical Nerve Root.

Plexiform schwannoma is a rare variant of schwannomas and usually presents with chronic symptoms. We herein report a case of cervical nerve plexiform schwannoma that presented with unusually sudden severe left radiculopathy of the eighth cervical nerve after physical exercise. Coronal short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a multinodular tumor along the eighth cervical nerve.

Analysis of detailed clinical characteristics of spinal subdural hematoma following lumbar decompression surgery.

Background: Only a few reports have described symptomatic patients with postoperative spinal subdural hematoma (SSH) for which further surgery may have been required. No report has focused on the detailed clinical characteristics of postoperative SSH, including asymptomatic cases, in a case series. The reasons for this may be that SSH is an implicitly recognized rare entity, and there is no established consensus regarding the significance of performing postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for all cases and the time at which to perform it.

Asymptomatic versus Symptomatic Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis.

It is unknown how much different are the clinical outcomes between asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). In the CURRENT AS registry enrolling 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS, we compared the long-term outcomes between 1808 asymptomatic and 1215 symptomatic patients (exertional dyspnea: N = 813, syncope: N = 136, and angina: N = 266) without heart failure (HF) hospitalization. Symptomatic patients had greater AS severity, and more depressed left ventricular function than asymptomatic patients without much difference in other baseline characteristics.

Association between atrial fibrillation, atrial enlargement, and left ventricular geometric remodeling.

This study investigated the relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF) and left ventricular (LV) geometric patterns in a hospital-based population in Japan. We retrospectively analyzed 4444 patients who had undergone simultaneous scheduled transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and electrocardiography during 2013. A total of 430 patients who had findings of previous myocardial infarctions (n = 419) and without the data on body surface area (n = 11) were excluded from the study.

Efficacy and safety of nivolumab in previously treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Nivolumab has been shown to be effective and safe in previously treated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known regarding its performance in real-world (i.e.