Current status of waitlist mortality and transplant probability for adult candidates with chronic end-stage liver disease for deceased donor liver transplantation under the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score-based allocation policy in Japan.

Background: In Japan's deceased-donor liver transplantation (DDLT), a new allocation policy based on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, including the exceptional MELD system (Ex-MELD), which periodically assigns additional points to the basal MELD score, was implemented in May 2019. We assessed the current state of this system for adult candidates with chronic end-stage liver disease.

Methods: Adult candidates (≥ 18 years) registered in the Japan Organ Transplant Network for DDLT as Status 2 cases (including chronic end-stage liver disease patients) between May 2019 and April 2023 were evaluated.

Effect of Galcanezumab on PHQ-9 and GAD-7 in Patients with Migraine: A Real-world Study in Japan.

Objective Patients with migraine are at increased risk of developing psychiatric comorbidities, particularly depression and anxiety. Recently, anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibodies (CGRP mAbs) have been suggested to be effective not only for migraine but also for comorbid depression. However, their effectiveness in depression and anxiety remains inconclusive, particularly in Asian populations.

Diagnosis and symptom assessment in telepsychiatry vs. face-to-face settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: Telepsychiatry is increasingly integral to psychiatric practice. However, few reviews have examined the concordance between assessments conducted in telepsychiatric and face-to-face settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the agreement between telepsychiatric and face-to-face settings in the diagnosis and symptom assessment of various psychiatric disorders.

Impact of long COVID on the health-related quality of life of Japanese patients: A prospective nationwide cohort study.

Background: Various prolonged systemic symptoms, forming the long coronavirus disease (COVID), have been observed in patients who have recovered from the acute phase of COVID-19. Although previous studies have reported that COVID-19 impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL), the associations of long COVID symptoms and clinical characteristics with HRQoL remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify these associations using nationwide Japanese epidemiological data.

Clinical Impact of Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended for treating resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); however, its appropriate use in patients with resectable PDAC remains debatable.

Objective: This study aimed to identify independent poor prognostic factors and evaluate the clinical significance of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with resectable PDAC.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients diagnosed with resectable PDAC at our institute between January 2003 and December 2022.

Efficacy and Safety of Switching between Anti-CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies: A Detailed Monthly and Long-term Follow-up Study and Literature Review.

Objective Switching from one anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibody (CGRP mAb) to another can be beneficial for treating patients with migraine who do not respond well to the first CGRP mAb. However, detailed and long-term follow-up reports of both efficacy and safety remain insufficient. We conducted a case-series analysis of patients with migraine who switched from galcanezumab to erenumab, both belonging to the class of CGRP mAbs.

Development of a quantitative assessment for abnormal flexor synergy index in patients with stroke: a validity and responsiveness study.

Background: Arm-lifting movements (shoulder flexion) are essential for upper extremity rehabilitation after a stroke. Abnormal flexor synergy (elbow flexion) is frequently observed during shoulder flexion, impeding functional improvement. However, no quantitative method exists for assessing abnormal flexor synergy.

Effectiveness of sequential bilateral repetitive transcranial stimulation versus bilateral theta burst stimulation for patients with treatment-resistant depression (BEAT-D): A randomized non-inferiority clinical trial.

Background: Bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (BL-rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is effective for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Owing to a shorter treatment time, bilateral theta burst stimulation (BL-TBS) can be more efficient protocol. The non-inferiority of BL-TBS to BL-rTMS was established in late-life TRD; however, this has not been determined in adults of other age groups.

[Interictal burden of migraine and its evaluations: a literature review].

We conducted a targeted literature review on patient burden during the interictal period of migraine. The results of the literature review revealed that: (1) migraine-associated burden persists into the interictal period and is not confined to the headache episodes themselves; (2) anxiety over the possible recurrence of headache episodes is a factor that reduces daily activities and quality of life (QOL); and (3) prophylactic treatment with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antibody drugs may reduce the burden during the interictal period. From these findings, it is considered important in migraine treatment to identify the unmet needs of patients, including the burden during the interictal period, and to select an appropriate treatment method based on the burden experienced by individual patients.

Effectiveness of benralizumab in the Tokyo Asthma Study (TOAST): A real-world prospective interventional trial.

Background: Biologics are integral in the management of severe asthma. As the effectiveness of the anti-IL-5 receptor antibody benralizumab in Japan remains elusive, this study aimed to assess its real-world effectiveness in Japanese patients with severe asthma.

Methods: This prospective, interventional, single-arm clinical trial was conducted across ten facilities in Japan between September 2020 and July 2022.

The Effectiveness of Heat-Killed K15 in Preventing Respiratory Tract Infections in Preterm Infants: A Pilot Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Background: Preterm infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have a risk of severe viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Researchers have recently reported the potential use of postbiotics to decrease RTIs in young children. However, the safety and efficacy of postbiotics for preventing RTIs in preterm infants is not yet established.

Prehospital endotracheal intubation for traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and improved neurological outcomes.

Background: Patients with traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (t-OHCA) require on-scene airway management to maintain tissue oxygenation. However, the benefits of prehospital endotracheal intubation remain unclear, particularly regarding neurological outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between prehospital intubation and favourable neurological outcomes in patients with t-OHCA.

Effect of multi-strain bifidobacteria supplementation on intestinal microbiota development in low birth weight neonates: a randomized controlled trial.

Single-strain species are commonly used as probiotics with low birth weight neonates. However, the effectiveness and safety of multi-strain supplementation are not well known. Thirty-six neonates weighing less than 2,000 g (558-1,943 g) at birth and admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit were randomly assigned to receive a single strain or triple strains of with lactulose enterally for 4 weeks from birth.

The prebiotic effect of 1-kestose in low-birth-weight neonates taking bifidobacteria: a pilot randomized trial in comparison with lactulose.

Probiotics such as bifidobacteria have been given to low-birth-weight neonates (LBWNs) at risk for a disrupted gut microbiota leading to the development of serious diseases such necrotizing enterocolitis. Recently prebiotics such as lactulose are used together with bifidobacteria as synbiotics. However, faster and more powerful bifidobacteria growth is desired for better LBWN outcomes.

Effects of passive smoking on cortical spreading depolarization in male and female mice.

Background: Patients with migraine are typically advised to avoid passive smoking because it may aggravate headaches and other health conditions. However, there is insufficient high-quality evidence on the association between passive smoking and migraine, which warrants further investigation using animal models. Therefore, using a mouse model, we examined the effect of passive smoking on susceptibility to cortical spreading depolarization (CSD), the biological basis of migraine with aura.

Molecular diagnosis for detecting KRAS mutation in peritoneal washing fluid of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Positive peritoneal washing cytology is an indicator of poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); however, its sensitivity is relatively low. This study evaluated the performance of peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-directed PCR clamping as a molecular-based peritoneal washing cytology for sensitive detection of KRAS mutation in PDAC. Intraoperative peritoneal washing fluid (IPWF) obtained from patients with PDAC who underwent surgery was analyzed.

Sweat lactate sensor for detecting anaerobic threshold in heart failure: a prospective clinical trial (LacS-001).

A simple method for determining the anaerobic threshold in patients with heart failure (HF) is needed. This prospective clinical trial (LacS-001) aimed to investigate the safety of a sweat lactate-monitoring sensor and the correlation between lactate threshold in sweat (sLT) and ventilatory threshold (VT). To this end, we recruited 50 patients with HF and New York Heart Association functional classification I-II (mean age: 63.

Real-world Efficacy of Erenumab on Migraine-associated Symptoms and Patient-reported Satisfaction Levels: A Retrospective Study in Japan.

Objective In randomized clinical trials and real-world studies, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including erenumab, have demonstrated efficacy for migraine prevention. However, there have been no real-world studies focusing on erenumab in East Asia that investigated its efficacy on migraine-associated symptoms and patient-reported satisfaction levels. Methods This single-center, observational, retrospective, real-world study examined patients who received at least three doses of erenumab at Keio University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, between December 2021 and March 2023 as their first CGRP mAb treatment in a real-world setting.