Postpartum thyroid function following LT4 treatment from infertility treatment to delivery in women with subclinical hypothyroidism or high-normal TSH: a retrospective study.

Background: Levothyroxine (LT4) therapy is commonly initiated in women undergoing infertility treatment who have high-normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (HN) or subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). However, there are no clear postpartum management guidelines for these patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 155 women (56 with HN, 99 with SCH) who initiated LT4 therapy during infertility treatment, discontinued it immediately after delivery, and underwent TSH measurement within 6 months postpartum.

Selective visceral perfusion in thoracoabdominal aortic surgery: optimal flow rate in a porcine model.

To determine the optimal perfusion volume for the celiac artery (CA) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) in a porcine model. Fifteen Yorkshire pigs (46.7 ± 5.

Effects of antenatal magnesium sulfate administration on parathyroid hormone secretion in preterm infants.

Background: Antenatal magnesium sulfate (MgSO) administration has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on calcium metabolism in preterm infants. However, its effects on parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion in infants remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of antenatal MgSO on parathyroid function in preterm infants.

Midterm results of aneurysmorrhaphy for enlargement after endovascular aneurysm repair.

Objective: Although endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is a standard treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms, postprocedural aneurysm expansion caused by types II and V endoleaks (ELs) remains challenging. Aortic graft replacement is a definitive solution, but is associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially in elderly patients. Aneurysmorrhaphy has emerged as a less invasive alternative.

A nation-wide survey of myocardial protection in cardiovascular surgery.

Objective: A nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted by the Research and Education Committee of the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery to investigate current practices of myocardial protection using cardioplegia (CP) in cardiovascular surgery, with the aim of developing a recommendation statement on CP.

Methods: The survey was sent to 521 facilities and focused on adult cardiac surgery (ACS), aortic surgery (AS), and pediatric cardiac surgery (PCS). The response rate was 86.

Successful treatment of patent ductus arteriosus and severe pulmonary hypertension using sildenafil and beraprost sodium in two dogs.

Two dogs with patent ductus arteriosus and severe pulmonary hypertension were presented to our veterinary teaching hospital. In both dogs, sildenafil was initiated to treat pulmonary hypertension, and surgery was supposed to be scheduled after dose titration. Although no obvious improvement in pulmonary hypertension was observed, no dog had polycythaemia or an increased haematocrit level.

Increased L-type calcium current causes action potential prolongation in Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome and is a drug target.

Background: loss of function variants are thought to cause type 1 long QT syndrome by reducing . However, we have recently reported that pharmacologic block of in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) produced minimal increases in action potential duration at 90% repolarization (APD), while genetic loss of markedly prolonged APD. We sought here to define mechanisms underlying APD prolongation by genetic loss of .

A high-performance extracellular field potential analyzer for iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) have emerged as a pivotal model for research. Specialized devices can generate Extracellular Field Potential (EFP) measurements from these cells, analogous to the ventricular complex of the electrocardiogram. However, electrophysiological analysis can be complex and requires specialized expertise, posing a barrier to broader adoption in non-specialized labs.

EFP Analyzer: A fast, accurate, and easy-to-teach program for analyzing Extracellular Field Potentials from iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

Rationale: Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) are an emerging model for determining drug effects and modeling disease. Specialized devices can generate Extracellular Field Potential (EFP) measurements from these cells, analogous to the ventricular complex of the electrocardiogram.

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop an easy-to-use, easy-to-teach, reproducible software tool to measure EFPs.

Characteristics of longitudinal changes in quality of life and associated factors in patients post cardiac and thoracic aortic surgery: insights from a prospective cohort study.

Background: Although quality of life (QOL) is an outcome of postoperative cardiac rehabilitation (CR), its course and related factors from postoperative hospitalization to the post-discharge period have not been adequately investigated. Additionally, the EuroQol-5Dimension-5Level (EQ-5D-5L) index score has not been characterized over the same period. We aimed to characterize QOL changes assessed by the EQ-5D-5L, over the period from hospitalization to 1 year post-discharge, in patients post-cardiac and thoracic aortic surgery, and investigate the factors associated with these temporal changes.

Multiplexed Assays of Variant Effect and Automated Patch Clamping Improve -LQTS Variant Classification and Cardiac Event Risk Stratification.

Background: Long QT syndrome is a lethal arrhythmia syndrome, frequently caused by rare loss-of-function variants in the potassium channel encoded by . Variant classification is difficult, often because of lack of functional data. Moreover, variant-based risk stratification is also complicated by heterogenous clinical data and incomplete penetrance.

Aortic Replacement for a Crawford II Thoracoabdominal Aneurysm With a Right-Sided Descending Aorta: A Case Report.

A 53-year-old woman was diagnosed with a Crawford II thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm involving the right-sided descending aorta. The patient underwent aortic replacement via a thoracoabdominal approach. The right-sided descending thoracic aortic aneurysm was excluded.

Genetic and clinical study of in Japanese Parkinson's disease.

Background: Biallelic variants in , which encodes protein-nucleic acid deglycase DJ-1, can cause early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD). Although many patients with variants have been identified from European and Middle Eastern ethnic groups, there have been no reports in the Japanese population.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and clinical features of patients with PD harboring variants in Japan.

Detection of elusive DNA copy-number variations in hereditary disease and cancer through the use of noncoding and off-target sequencing reads.

Copy-number variants (CNVs) play a substantial role in the molecular pathogenesis of hereditary disease and cancer, as well as in normal human interindividual variation. However, they are still rather difficult to identify in mainstream sequencing projects, especially involving exome sequencing, because they often occur in DNA regions that are not targeted for analysis. To overcome this problem, we developed OFF-PEAK, a user-friendly CNV detection tool that builds on a denoising approach and the use of "off-target" DNA reads, which are usually discarded by sequencing pipelines.

Disease-specific variant interpretation highlighted the genetic findings in 2325 Japanese patients with retinitis pigmentosa and allied diseases.

Background: As gene-specific therapy for inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) advances, unified variant interpretation across institutes is becoming increasingly important. This study aims to update the genetic findings of 86 retinitis pigmentosa (RP)-related genes in a large number of Japanese patients with RP by applying the standardised variant interpretation guidelines for Japanese patients with IRD (J-IRD-VI guidelines) built upon the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology rules, and assess the contribution of these genes in RP-allied diseases.

Methods: We assessed 2325 probands with RP (n=2155, including n=1204 sequenced previously with the same sequencing panel) and allied diseases (n=170, newly analysed), including Usher syndrome, Leber congenital amaurosis and cone-rod dystrophy (CRD).

The electrophysiologic effects of KCNQ1 extend beyond expression of IKs: evidence from genetic and pharmacologic block.

Aims: While variants in KCNQ1 are the commonest cause of the congenital long QT syndrome, we and others find only a small IKs in cardiomyocytes from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) or human ventricular myocytes.

Methods And Results: We studied population control iPSC-CMs and iPSC-CMs from a patient with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen (JLN) syndrome due to compound heterozygous loss-of-function (LOF) KCNQ1 variants. We compared the effects of pharmacologic IKs block to those of genetic KCNQ1 ablation, using JLN cells, cells homozygous for the KCNQ1 LOF allele G643S, or siRNAs reducing KCNQ1 expression.

Multifocal Ectopic Purkinje Premature Contractions due to neutralization of an negative charge: structural insights into the gating pore hypothesis.

Background: We identified a novel variant, E171Q, in a neonate with very frequent ectopy and reduced ejection fraction which normalized after arrhythmia suppression by flecainide. This clinical picture is consistent with multifocal ectopic Purkinje-related premature contractions (MEPPC). Most previous reports of MEPPC have implicated variants such as R222Q that neutralize positive charges in the S4 voltage sensor helix of the channel protein Na1.

Multiplexed Assays of Variant Effect and Automated Patch-clamping Improve -LQTS Variant Classification and Cardiac Event Risk Stratification.

Background: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a lethal arrhythmia syndrome, frequently caused by rare loss-of-function variants in the potassium channel encoded by . Variant classification is difficult, often owing to lack of functional data. Moreover, variant-based risk stratification is also complicated by heterogenous clinical data and incomplete penetrance.

Single intratracheal administration toxicity study on safety of vapor inhalation of electrolyzed reduced water in rats.

The effects of acute intratracheal administration of electrolyzed reduced water (ERW; alkaline electrolyzed water) were investigated in rats. In this study, no deaths or near-deaths were recorded in either group, namely those treated with ERW or purified water (maximum doses of 900 mg/kg). The main symptoms observed in the rats were decreased spontaneous movements and abnormal breath sounds, which were considered to be transient symptoms caused by intratracheal administration.

Generic selection criteria for safety and patient benefit [Ⅻ]: Comparing the physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties of brand-name and generic tulobuterol tape.

Physicochemical properties (drug release, peel strength, adhesion, and stiffness) of Hokunalin Tape (Hokunalin) and 13 generic transdermal bronchodilator patches containing tulobuterol were characterized and evaluated for comparison. Drug-release studies evaluating sustained release behavior demonstrated better performance by the drug Hokunalin, than the generics MED, YP, Sawai, and Teikoku. Hokunalin yield a 16.