Int J Cardiol 2017 Aug 10. Epub 2017 Aug 10.

Bristol Heart Institute, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Electronic address:

Background: Coronary artery aneurysms resulting from unrecognised or untreated Kawasaki Disease (KD) have thrombotic and stenotic potential leading to myocardial infarction. We aimed to characterise the prevalence and outcomes of patients presenting to a UK-based adult tertiary cardiology service with angiographic evidence of aneurysm or ectasia.

Methods: Retrospective review was undertaken of reports and original coronary angiograms in all patients under 50years old undergoing coronary angiography between 2011 and 2015. Read More

Nephron 2017 Aug 18. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

Department of Internal Medicine IV, Teikyo University School of medicine, University Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan.

Background/aims: Although microangiopathic hemolysis (MAH) is a well-known complication of malignant phase hypertension (MPH), only less data on whether MAH in MPH predicts renal outcome exist. Therefore, we evaluated whether MAH was associated with the renal outcome in patients with MPH.

Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective, cohort study. Read More

PLoS One 2017 17;12(8):e0182687. Epub 2017 Aug 17.

Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri.

Statin therapy is regarded as an effective medication to reduce cardiovascular events in patients at higher risk for future incidence of coronary artery disease. However, very few studies have been conducted to examine its implementation in non-Western real-world practice. In this study, we sought to describe statin prescription patterns in relation to patient characteristics in a Japanese multicenter percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) registry as a foundation for quality improvement. Read More

Pediatr Res 2017 Aug 17. Epub 2017 Aug 17.

Department of Pediatrics, Niigata City General Hospital, Niigata City, Japan.

Pediatric Research accepted article preview online, 17 August 2017. doi:10.1038/pr. Read More

Clin Exp Immunol 2017 Aug 16. Epub 2017 Aug 16.

Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.

To investigate the clinical significance of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFR) II/I ratio as an indicator of the diagnosis of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) complicating systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (s-JIA), we measured the serum sTNFRI and II levels in 117 patients with s-JIA, including 29 patients with MAS, 15 with Epstein-Barr virus-induced hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBVHLH), 15 with Kawasaki disease (KD), and 28 healthy controls (HCs). We determined their correlation with measurements of disease activity and severity. Furthermore, we measured serum IL-18 levels in patients with EBVHLH and compared these in levels in patients with MAS. Read More

J Clin Oncol 2015 Oct;33(28_suppl):142

NHO Shikoku Cancer Center, Matsuyama, Japan.

142 Background: Prognosis of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been dramatically improved by trastuzumab (Tmab). More recently, newer anti-HER2 agents such as lapatinib, pertuzumab and T-DM1 have prolonged survival. Despite the efficacy of these drugs, most patients develop progressive disease during or after treatment, and alternative anti-HER2 agents plus chemotherapies are required in subsequent lines of treatment. Read More

J Clin Oncol 2012 Feb;30(5_suppl):452

Department of Urology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan; Depatment of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan.

452 Background: In Japan, the 3-tiered system compared with the size of nuclei of normal tubule cell was adopted as the histologic criteria for tumor grading of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in "General Rule for Clinical and Pathological Studies on Renal Cell Carcinoma". Fuhrman grading system is first adopted in the 4th edition (April, 2011). We evaluated the impact of these pathological features on RCC survival and recurrence in Japanese patients. Read More

J Clin Oncol 2013 Jun;31(18_suppl):LBA4024

Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

LBA4024 Background: 5-weekly S-1 plus cisplatin (SP5: S-1 80-120 mg/body/day on D1-21, cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) on D8, every 5 weeks) has become a standard first-line chemotherapy for AGC in Japan based on the SPIRITS trial (Lancet Oncol. 2008;9:215). To strengthen the low-dose intensity of cisplatin in this SP5 for greater efficacy, a 3-weekly S-1 plus cisplatin (SP3: S-1 80 mg/m(2)/day on D1-14, cisplatin 60 mg/m(2)on D1, every 3 weeks) has been developed in Korea (Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. Read More

Can Fam Physician 2017 Aug;63(8):607-609

Question A 7-year-old child in my office was recently discharged from the hospital after receiving intravenous immunoglobulin for Kawasaki disease. Should I continue treatment with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and if so, what is the appropriate dose? Answer The role of ASA for Kawasaki disease during the acute febrile phase has recently been called into question. According to several studies, ASA might reduce the duration of fever but it does not appear to directly reduce the incidence of coronary artery complications. Read More

Mod Rheumatol 2017 Aug 14:1-7. Epub 2017 Aug 14.

a Department of Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases , Kitasato University School of Medicine , Sagamihara , Kanagawa , Japan.

Objectives: To compare the effects of certolizumab pegol (CZP) and infliximab (IFX) on human monocytes.

Methods: Highly purified monocytes from healthy donors were cultured with CZP, IFX, control IgG1, or polyethylene glycol (PEG) at pharmacological attainable concentrations in culture medium with 10% autologous normal human serum (NHS) or with fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 24 h, after which the supernatants were replaced by fresh culture medium containing LPS. After additional 24 h of incubation, the supernatants were assayed for TNF-α and IL-6. Read More

Glob Pediatr Health 2017 26;4:2333794X17721368. Epub 2017 Jul 26.

National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

Circ J 2017 Aug 11. Epub 2017 Aug 11.

Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, Shin-Koga Hospital.

Cardiol Young 2017 Aug 14:1-11. Epub 2017 Aug 14.

3Key Laboratory of Functional Protein Research of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes,Institute of Life and Health Engineering,College of Life Science and Technology,Jinan University,Guangzhou 510632,Guangdong,China.

Background: Kawasaki disease, which is characterised by systemic vasculitides accompanied by acute fever, is regularly treated by intravenous immunoglobulin to avoid lesion formation in the coronary artery; however, the mechanism of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy is unclear. Hence, we aimed to analyse the global expression profile of serum exosomal proteins before and after administering intravenous immunoglobulin.

Methods: Two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify the differentially expressed proteome of serum exosomes in patients with Kawasaki disease before and after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Read More

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2017 Aug 8. Epub 2017 Aug 8.

Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Keio University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Some patients with severe asthma also have fungal sensitization and are considered to have severe asthma with fungal sensitization. However, there is limited information on the clinical features of SAFS.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of severe asthma with fungal sensitization. Read More

Clin Imaging 2017 Aug 3;47:1-3. Epub 2017 Aug 3.

NewYork-Presbyterian - Weill Cornell Medical Center, Department of Medicine/Pulmonary and Critical Care, United States.

Kawasaki disease is an acute, self-limited, febrile vasculitis typically seen in early childhood. Pulmonary involvement is uncommon and is not part of the conventional diagnostic criteria. We add to the literature a unique case of a 22year-old male with Kawasaki disease and pulmonary involvement. Read More

J Med Chem 2017 Aug 10. Epub 2017 Aug 10.

Phosphodiesterase (PDE) 2A inhibitors have emerged as a novel mechanism with potential therapeutic option to ameliorate cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease through upregulation of cyclic nucleotides in the brain, and thereby achieve potentiation of cyclic nucleotide signaling pathways. This article details the expedited optimization of our recently disclosed pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine lead compound 4b, leading to the discovery of clinical candidate 36 (TAK-915), which demonstrates an appropriate combination of potency, PDE selectivity, and favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, including brain penetration. Successful identification of 36 was realized through application of structure-based drug design (SBDD) to further improve potency and PDE selectivity, coupled with prospective design focused on physicochemical properties to deliver brain penetration. Read More

Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2017 20;12:2101-2109. Epub 2017 Jul 20.

Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.

Purpose: Four-dimensional dynamic-ventilation CT imaging demonstrates continuous movement of the lung. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between interlobar synchrony in lung density and spirometric values in COPD patients and smokers, by measuring the continuous changes in lung density during respiration on the dynamic-ventilation CT.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-two smokers, including ten with COPD, underwent dynamic-ventilation CT during free breathing. Read More

Kyobu Geka 2017 Jul;70(8):673-677

Department of Chest Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.

Postoperative bronchopleural fistula( BPF) is a life-threatening complication requiring immediate and proper treatments. Now days, the main method for closure of the bronchial stump after lung resection is mechanical stapling because of prevailing of commonly performed video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The frequencies of BPF seem to be decreased compared with the age of manual sutures under open thoracotomy, probably due to improvement of the stapling instruments. Read More

Oncol Lett 2017 Aug 31;14(2):1621-1627. Epub 2017 May 31.

Department of Digestive Surgery, Nara Hospital, Kindai University School of Medicine, Ikoma, Nara 630-0293, Japan.

Predictors of survival in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer (GC) who received tegafur/gimeracil/oteracil (S-1) adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) subsequent to gastrectomy were examined. Additionally, the association between dose intensity of S-1 and survival rate was investigated. A total of 62 patients with stage II/III gastric cancer were retrospectively evaluated, each of whom had received a curative D2 gastrectomy and S-1 ACT. Read More

Oncol Lett 2017 Aug 8;14(2):1615-1620. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0192, Japan.

The immune microenvironment of primary tumors has been reported to be one of the factors influencing the prognosis of patients with cancer. The tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cell (Treg) count has previously been revealed to be positively correlated with intratumoral cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) expression, and was also associated with poor survival among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In addition, the urinary levels of a prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) metabolite (PGE-M) were used as a biomarker in clinical trials of the Cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib. Read More

Pediatr Int 2017 Aug 7. Epub 2017 Aug 7.

Department of Pediatrics, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.

Biopsychosoc Med 2017 3;11:21. Epub 2017 Aug 3.

Department of Psychosomatic Dentistry, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8549 Japan.

Background: Atypical odontalgia (AO) is a disease characterized by continuous pain affecting the teeth or tooth sockets after extraction in the absence of any identifiable cause on clinical or radiographic examination. Antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, are reported to be effective in the treatment of AO; however, their efficacy varies depending on the case. In this article, we report three types of AO and discuss its heterogeneity and management. Read More

Pediatr Rheumatol Online J 2017 Aug 7;15(1):60. Epub 2017 Aug 7.

Departments of Pediatrics, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 64 Daeheung-ro, Jung-gu, Daejeon, 34943, Republic of Korea.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) becomes one of the common diseases in Korea. Changes in clinical features and laboratory findings of KD were evaluated over a period of 10 years.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of KD patients and compared the clinical and laboratory features of two KD patient groups: those admitted from 2000 to 2004 (group A, 284 cases) and those admitted from 2010 to 2014 (group B, 331 cases). Read More

Intern Med 2017 Aug 1;56(16):2217-2221. Epub 2017 Aug 1.

Department of General Medicine, Shonan Fujisawa Tokushukai Hospital, Japan.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute, self-limited vasculitis of unknown etiology that occurs predominantly in young children (≤5 years of age). We herein report the case of an 18-year-old Japanese man with a history of incomplete KD during infancy; later, despite an initial diagnosis of retropharyngeal abscess, he was ultimately diagnosed with retropharyngeal edema associated with recurrent KD. Adult-onset or recurrent KD is an uncommon event, and retropharyngeal edema is a rare manifestation of this disease. Read More

Pancreatology 2017 Jul 27. Epub 2017 Jul 27.

Department of Digestive Surgery, Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.

Objectives: We compared the clinical outcomes of proton beam radiotherapy (PBRT) and those of conventional chemoradiotherapy via hyper-fractionated acceleration radiotherapy (HART) after induction chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC).

Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients with LAPC received induction chemotherapy comprising gemcitabine and S-1 before radiotherapy. Of these, 15 and 10 were enrolled in the HART and PBRT groups, respectively. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2017 Aug 3;2017. Epub 2017 Aug 3.

Department of Rheumatology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan.

Multiple myeloma has been reported to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). POEMS syndrome is a rare variant of multiple myeloma and is characterised by polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin changes. We report the case of a 67-year-old patient with RA who developed numbness and tingling in both legs due to polyneuropathy. Read More

Med Clin (Barc) 2017 Jul 31. Epub 2017 Jul 31.

Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valladolid, España.

BMC Neurol 2017 Aug 3;17(1):148. Epub 2017 Aug 3.

Department of Anesthesiology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.

Background: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has recently been reported to be effective for truncal postural abnormalities such as camptocormia and Pisa syndrome in Parkinson's disease. In this case report, we describe a case of a woman with Parkinson's disease in whom SCS was effective for painful camptocormia with Pisa syndrome.

Case Presentation: A 65-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of painful camptocormia. Read More

PLoS One 2017 3;12(8):e0181009. Epub 2017 Aug 3.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.

Background: The klotho gene was identified as an "aging-suppressor" gene that accelerates arterial calcification when disrupted. Serum and vascular klotho levels are reduced in patients with chronic kidney disease, and the reduced levels are associated with arterial calcification. Intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an n-3 fatty acid, reduces the risk of fatal coronary artery disease. Read More

Clin Exp Nephrol 2017 Aug 2. Epub 2017 Aug 2.

Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.

Background: Current status and clinical significance of interventional nephrology has not been reported from Japan.

Methods: Questionnaires were mailed twice to the directors of all 534 Japanese certificated nephrology training institutions in 2014. The main questions were current performance, categorized annual procedure volume and managers of peritoneal dialysis (PD) access, vascular access (VA) surgery, endovascular intervention, and kidney biopsy. Read More

Intern Med 2017 1;56(15):1987-1992. Epub 2017 Aug 1.

Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kawasaki Medical School, Japan.

Werner syndrome is a rare genetic disease characterized by progeria, diabetes mellitus, cataracts and various types of malignancy. However, there are few reports showing adrenal cortex cancer in subjects with Werner syndrome. We herein report an extremely rare case of Werner syndrome accompanied by adrenal cortex cancer. Read More

Yakugaku Zasshi 2017 ;137(8):1035-1040

Department of Public Health, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University.

 It is important to ingest just proportions of minerals to prevent disease, but these minerals are also secreted into the hair. Meanwhile, the number of hay fever patients in Japan is increasing, causing an increase in national medical expenses. In this study, we investigated the relationship between hay fever and mineral concentrations in hair to obtain findings on the risk of developing pollen allergies. Read More

J Virol 2017 Aug 2. Epub 2017 Aug 2.

Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and Infectious Disease, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan

Recombination events induce significant genetic changes, and this process can result in virus genetic diversity or in the generation of novel pathogenicity. We discovered a new recombinant feline leukemia virus (FeLV) gag gene harboring an unrelated insertion, termed the "X-region", which was derived from FcERV-gamma4, a feline endogenous gammaretrovirus. The identified FcERV-gamma4 proviruses have lost their coding capability, but some can express their viral RNA in feline tissues. Read More

J Arrhythm 2017 Aug 17;33(4):310-317. Epub 2017 May 17.

The Cardiovascular Institute, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: The therapeutic goals of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are to reduce symptoms and prevent severe complications associated with AF. This study compared the efficacy of flecainide versus pilsicainide in reducing the frequency of AF and improving quality of life (QOL) in symptomatic paroxysmal AF patients without structural heart disease.

Methods: The Atrial Fibrillation and Quality Of Life (AF-QOL) study was a prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label crossover study that compared flecainide and pilsicainide as antiarrhythmic drug therapy. Read More

Korean Circ J 2017 Jul 27;47(4):516-522. Epub 2017 Jul 27.

Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Background And Objectives: Some patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) develop large coronary aneurysms and subsequent coronary stenosis or obstruction, leading to ischemic heart disease. This study examined the long-term outcomes of patients with KD complicated by large coronary aneurysms.

Subjects And Methods: The medical records of 71 patients (53 men and 18 women) diagnosed with large coronary aneurysms (diameter ≥6 mm) between December 1986 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed from our institutional database. Read More

Korean Circ J 2017 Jul 20;47(4):444-445. Epub 2017 Jul 20.

Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Br J Ophthalmol 2017 Aug 1. Epub 2017 Aug 1.

Department of Ophthalmology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.

Background/aims: Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a severe blinding condition. We investigated whether retinal metabolism, measured by retinal oximetry, may predict PDR activity after panretinal laser photocoagulation (PRP).

Methods: We performed a prospective, interventional, clinical study of patients with treatment-naive PDR. Read More

Kardiologiia 2017 May;57(5):76-84

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.

Background: Kawasaki disease is an acute systemic vasculitis of childhood with possible coronary artery involvement which can cause acute coronary syndrome in children and young adults.

Purpose: to study clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with Kawasaki disease with giant coronary aneurysms, to assess long-term prognosis in these patients.

Material And Methods: In 2003-2015 262 children with Kawasaki disease were examined in the University Children Hospital of the I. Read More

Endoscopy 2017 Jul 31. Epub 2017 Jul 31.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.

J Endovasc Ther 2017 Jul 1:1526602817722996. Epub 2017 Jul 1.

7 Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Saiseikai Central Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Purpose: To evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance during endovascular treatment (EVT) of subclavian artery disease.

Methods: The multicenter SCALLOP registry (SubClavian Artery disease treated with endovascuLar therapy; muLticenter retrOsPective registry) was interrogated to identify 542 patients who underwent successful EVT for SCAD between January 2003 and December 2012. Lesions were classified according to the use of IVUS guidance: 177 patients (mean age 68. Read More

Pediatr Res 2017 Jul 28. Epub 2017 Jul 28.

Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California.

Background: Genetic variation in calcium signaling pathways is associated with Kawasaki disease (KD) susceptibility and coronary artery aneurysms (CAA). Expression quantitative trait locus analysis for KD-associated variants in calcium/sodium channel gene solute carrier family 8 member 1 (SLC8A1) revealed an effect on expression of urotensin 2 (UTS2). We speculated that UTS2 is influenced by genetic variation in SLC8A1 and contributes to disease pathogenesis. Read More

J Med Ultrason (2001) 2017 Jul 27. Epub 2017 Jul 27.

Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, Tokushima, Japan.

Initial gastrointestinal symptoms might confuse the clinical pictures of some patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) and delay diagnosis and treatment, especially when the patient does not fulfill sufficient diagnostic criteria for KD. Here, we present the case of a 4-year-old boy with KD who complained of severe left abdominal pain and fever alone for the first 6 days. Abdominal ultrasonography showed severe wall thickening localized to the sigmoid colon, and these findings were confirmed by computed tomography and colonoscopy. Read More

Heart 2017 Jul 27. Epub 2017 Jul 27.

Divisions of Cardiovascular Medicine and Pediatric Cardiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, USA.

Kawasaki disease is the most common childhood vasculitis in the USA and the most common cause of acquired cardiac disease in children in developed countries. Since the vast majority of Kawasaki disease initially presents at <5 years of age, many adult cardiologists are unfamiliar with the pathophysiology of this disease. This vasculitis has a predilection for coronary arteries with a high complication rate across the lifespan for those with medium to large coronary artery aneurysms. Read More

Nihon Rinsho Meneki Gakkai Kaishi 2017 ;40(3):190-195

Department of Postgraduate Education and Training, National Center for Child Health and Development.

  Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis in infants. In KD, encephalopathy is rarely (0.1%) associated, however, clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) has previously been reported in some pediatric patients. Read More

ASAIO J 2017 Jul 25. Epub 2017 Jul 25.

From the *Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and †Division of Cardiology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

We report a case of HeartWare ventricular assist device (HVAD) implant as a Bridge-to-Transplant in the smallest and the youngest known patient, a 32-month-old boy (body surface area of 0.66 m2) with known Kawasaki disease and giant coronary artery aneurysms. The disease course was complicated by coronary thromboembolism resulting in acute myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation, and cardiac arrest. Read More

Am J Ind Med 2017 Sep 26;60(9):831-838. Epub 2017 Jul 26.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Kawasaki, Japan.

The carcinogenicity of short tremolite fibers in human has not been cleared and has been argued hitherto. A lung cancer patient had worked at a gabbro quarry. Particles isolated from the excised lung parenchyma of the patient were measured for asbestos bodies (ABs) and asbestos fibers (AFs). Read More

J Endovasc Ther 2017 Aug;24(4):504-515

1 Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan.

Purpose: To investigate outcomes of contemporary endovascular therapy and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings in thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) patients.

Methods: Between April 2007 and January 2016, 20 patients (mean age 45±8 years; 16 men) underwent endovascular therapy for TAO-related lesions in 25 consecutive limbs. Subjects exhibited a broad array of clinical symptoms, including critical limb ischemia (n=15) and claudication (10) in the lower (n=20) and upper (n=5) limbs. Read More

Congenit Heart Dis 2017 Jul 25. Epub 2017 Jul 25.

Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Introduction: In 2012, the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) Adult Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology Council established a program to develop quality metrics to guide ambulatory practices for pediatric cardiology. The council chose five areas on which to focus their efforts; chest pain, Kawasaki Disease, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries after arterial switch, and infection prevention. Here, we sought to describe the process, evaluation, and results of the Infection Prevention Committee's metric design process. Read More

Surg Case Rep 2017 Dec 24;3(1):83. Epub 2017 Jul 24.

Department of Breast Oncology and Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan.

Background: Cowden syndrome is characterized by multiple hamartomas in various tissues, including the skin, brain, breast, thyroid, mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal tract, and is reported to increase the risk of malignant disease.

Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 52-year-old woman in whom a tumor was diagnosed in the left cerebellar hemisphere and treated by surgical resection. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) mutation in exon 8 insertion was found in the brain tumor tissue and leukocytes. Read More

Clin Exp Nephrol 2017 Jul 24. Epub 2017 Jul 24.

Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Ten-oudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.

Background: Epidemiology and outcomes of Japanese patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD)-an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 45 ml/min/1.73 m(2)-has remained largely unexamined.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide survey to determine the distribution of Japanese CKD patients, and are conducting a cohort study of these patients. Read More