Battery Longevity in Modern Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy-Defibrillators.

Background: Battery longevity in high-voltage devices (HVDs), specifically implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-Ds), is critical for reducing the frequency of generator replacements, minimizing procedural risks, and enhancing patient outcomes. Despite technological advancements, significant variability in battery performance remains among the major manufacturers. This study aimed to evaluate the battery longevity among ICDs and CRT-Ds from the major manufacturers implanted at a single institution and identify the factors influencing battery depletion.

Neuropeptide Y drives ventricular arrhythmogenesis in chronic ischemic heart failure via calcium mishandling.

Background: Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in chronic ischemic heart failure (HF) are associated with high mortality and often refractory to beta-blocker treatment, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic targets.

Objective: This study investigates the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY), a neurotransmitter released during sympathoexcitation, in the pathogenesis of VAs associated with ischemic chronic HF following myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: Using a mouse model of ischemic chronic HF after coronary ligation, we employed biochemical, electrophysiological, and calcium ion (Ca) imaging analyses to investigate the proarrhythmic mechanisms of NPY.

Intrathoracic Omental Hernia Repaired by Laparoscopy: A Case Report.

Intrathoracic omental hernia (ITOH) is a rare disease with only 17 previously reported cases. ITOH is a hiatal hernia in which the hernia content is only greater omentum, but the cause of the onset is unknown. There have been reports of ITOH requiring emergency surgery due to intussusception during follow-up, and surgery is recommended even if the patient is asymptomatic.

Efficacy of nodal dissection for locoregional gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma: a multicenter retrospective observational study.

Background: Gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy for which no standard treatment has been established for locoregional disease. This multicenter retrospective study aimed to evaluate the prognostic relevance and therapeutic efficacy of lymph node dissection in this setting.

Methods: A total of 118 patients with gastric NEC or mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) who underwent gastrectomy with lymph node dissection were analyzed.

Structural Changes in the Retinal Chromophore and Ion-Conducting Pathway of an Anion Channelrhodopsin ACR1.

anion-conducting channelrhodopsin 1 (ACR1) is a light-gated anion channel and is widely used as a representative optogenetic tool for neuronal silencing. However, its gating mechanism is unclear due to the lack of insight into its structural changes and kinetics. Here, we measured the structural changes in the retinal chromophore of ACR1 throughout its photocycle using time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Survival benefit of primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator/cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator: Analysis of the Japan cardiac device treatment registry and Japanese cardiac registry of heart failure in cardiology.

Background: Evidence supporting the benefit from primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)/cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator (CRT-D) for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is scarce in real-world settings.

Methods: We analyzed propensity score matched cohorts of patients eligible for Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT) from Japan cardiac device treatment registry (JCDTR) and Japanese Cardiac Registry of Heart Failure in Cardiology (JCARE-CARD). The former served as the defibrillator therapy group and the latter as the conventional therapy group.

Serum Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide as a Novel Biomarker for Low-Voltage Areas in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Low-voltage areas in the left atrium predict atrial fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation and are associated with adverse outcomes like death, heart failure, and stroke. Detecting low-voltage areas (LVAs) typically requires invasive procedures, highlighting the need for a simple, minimally invasive marker. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide released during parasympathetic stimulation, affects electrophysiological remodeling in atrial fibrillation.

Spontaneous Resolution of a Pseudoaneurysm at the Anastomosis Site of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft: A Case Report.

Pseudoaneurysms at the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) anastomosis site are rare. Here, we report a rare case of spontaneous resolution of a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomosis site developed soon after CABG. A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of chest pain with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

High mean corpuscular volume as a predictor of esophageal cancer: A cohort study based on the Japanese Shizuoka Kokuho Database.

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is known to increase with alcohol and tobacco consumption, and is therefore a potential predictive marker for esophageal cancer onset. However, this potential has not previously been examined using a large database. This study aims to clarify whether MCV is a predictor of esophageal cancer onset using health checkup data from a comprehensive health insurance claims database of a major administrative district in Japan.

Inappropriate Shocks in Brugada Syndrome Patients With a Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.

Background: This study aimed to compare inappropriate shock (IAS) rates between subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) and transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) in Brugada syndrome (BrS) patients and identify risk factors for IAS in S-ICD use.

Methods: We enrolled consecutive patients with BrS who underwent ICD implantation between 2013 and 2023. Data on clinical characteristics, S-ICD screening test data, and IAS occurrence were retrospectively analyzed.

Evaluation of urinary vanin-1 for the early prediction of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Purpose: Cisplatin (CDDP) induces acute kidney injury (AKI) as a side effect during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Urinary vanin-1 excretion may increase during CDDP treatment. We investigated whether urinary vanin-1 is an early biomarker for CDDP-induced AKI.

Development and validation of a predictive model for in-hospital mortality from perioperative bacteremia in gastrointestinal surgery.

Purpose: Prognostic scores require fluctuating values, such as respiratory rate, which are unsuitable for retrospective auditing. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for in-hospital mortality associated with gastrointestinal surgery for retrospective auditing.

Methods: Data from patients with bacteremia related to gastrointestinal surgery performed at Shizuoka General Hospital between July 2006 and December 2021 were extracted from a prospectively maintained database.

Effect of empagliflozin on ventricular arrhythmias in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator: the EMPA-ICD trial.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure and cardiovascular death with type 2 diabetes; however, their effect on arrhythmias is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of empagliflozin on ventricular arrhythmias in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A total of 150 patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (ICD/CRT-D) were randomized to once-daily empagliflozin or placebo for 24 weeks.

Doublet chemotherapy, triplet chemotherapy, or doublet chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced oesophageal cancer (JCOG1109 NExT): a randomised, controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial.

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the prognosis remains poor and more intensive neoadjuvant treatment might be needed to improve patient outcomes. We therefore aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant doublet chemotherapy, triplet chemotherapy, and doublet chemotherapy plus radiotherapy in patients with previously untreated locally advanced OSCC.

Systemic inflammation score as a predictor of death within one year after esophagectomy.

Background: After radical resection for esophageal cancer, death within 1 year of surgery can occur due both to recurrence and to other diseases, even after postoperative complications have been overcome. This study identified risk factors for early death within 1 year of esophagectomy for reasons other than death in hospital in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal cancer or esophagogastric junction cancer.

Methods: We reviewed 366 patients who underwent esophagectomy without adjuvant treatment between January 2009 and July 2022 for thoracic esophageal cancer or esophagogastric junction cancer.