Effects of Artificial Lung and Roller Pump on Platelet Morphology and Activation During Simulated Extracorporeal Circulation.

Introduction: Prolonged extracorporeal circulation time is known to cause intraoperative and postoperative bleeding, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of artificial lung and roller pump on platelet morphology and activation using a simulated extracorporeal circulatory circuit.

Methods: Blood was drawn from healthy volunteers in the presence of unfractionated heparin as an anticoagulant and recirculated for 180 min at 0.

Simulating the Use of Discontinuous Patterned Hydrogel to Improve Inter-Electrode Resistance on Electrode Arrays.

Background: A novel form of sensory stimulation aiming to treat spasticity has been developed, and a clinical trial is currently underway. This uses an electrode array controlled by a programmable 64-channel stimulator to spatially vary the electrical stimulation over time. However, when a continuous layer of hydrogel interfaces between the array and skin, stimulation spreads, causing lower current densities applied over larger areas of tissue.

Alpha-1-microglobulin profile in patients on maintenance hemodialysis and its removal by blood purification.

Alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M), metabolized in renal tubules, plays an important role as a potent antioxidant in human cells. The majority of A1M is present in the blood in free form and in a bound form with IgA dimers, with the free form thought to have antioxidant capacity. However, the dynamics of A1M in chronic kidney disease patients being susceptible to oxidative stress remain unclear.

GABA, glutamate dynamics and BOLD observed during cognitive processing in psychosis patients with hallucinatory traits.

The perception of a voice in the absence of an external auditory source-an auditory verbal hallucination-is a characteristic symptom of schizophrenia. To better understand this phenomenon requires integration of findings across behavioural, functional, and neurochemical levels. We address this with a locally adapted MEGA-PRESS sequence incorporating interleaved unsuppressed water acquisitions, allowing concurrent assessment of behaviour, blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional changes, Glutamate + Glutamine (Glx), and GABA, synchronised with a cognitive (flanker) task.

Pharmacokinetics of midazolam and hepatic cytochrome P450 3A activity in an in vivo extracorporeal membrane oxygenation rat model.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly being used in intensive care units. However, it can alter drug pharmacokinetics and lead to underexposure associated with treatment failure. The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of ECMO on the pharmacokinetics of midazolam (MDZ).

Efficacy and safety of a novel diamond tip temperature-controlled catheter for left atrial posterior wall isolation under electrogram guidance.

Background: The effectiveness of a novel diamond tip temperature-controlled ablation (DTA) catheter for left atrial posterior wall isolation (LAPWI) remains unclear.

Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of the DTA catheter for LAPWI under electrogram (EGM) guidance.

Methods: This single-center observational study compared the first-pass LAPWI success rate among three groups: DTA with EGM guidance (n = 82), conventional irrigation catheter with EGM guidance (Irri with EGM guidance; n = 92), and Irri without EGM guidance (n = 93), using fixed energy parameters (30 W, 15-20 s).

Three-dimensional analysis of seminiferous tubules and spermatogenesis in the musk shrew, Suncus murinus.

We reconstructed in three dimensions all seminiferous tubules in the testes of 1- and 8-week-old musk shrews (Suncus murinus), a small experimental mammal belonging to the family Soricidae, order Eulipotyphla that preserves the primitive characteristics of mammalian species. Quantitative analyses revealed that the basic structure of seminiferous tubules at 1 week postpartum remained consistent into adulthood. A single dominant seminiferous tubule with extensive branching accounted for more than 90% of the length of all tubules, a feature distinct from that in mice and rats.

Expert consensus on feasibility and application of automatic pain assessment in routine clinical use.

Background: Pain is often difficult to assess, particularly in non-communicative patients. While artificial intelligence (AI)-based objective Automatic Pain Assessment (APA) systems are a promising solution, their clinical implementation raises essential questions, primarily regarding clinician acceptance.

Methods: We conducted a survey-to-consensus investigation on the feasibility and application of APA for clinical use.

A prognostic PET radiomic model for risk stratification in non-small cell lung cancer: integrating radiogenomics and clinical features to predict survival and uncover tumor biology insights.

Purpose: To develop a survival risk score using F-FDG PET radiomic features for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to evaluate its biological basis as a prognostic radiomic signature through radiogenomic analyses.

Methods: We utilized several NSCLC cohort datasets from the Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) for radiomic analysis, where transcriptomics data were available through the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). A total of 945 radiomic features were extracted from the segmented tumors.

Middle cerebral artery aneurysms in older women with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Background And Hypothesis: Sex and age impact on intracranial aneurysms (IAs) in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) remains unclear. We explored IA characteristics in patients with ADPKD using sex- and age-based cross-classification methods.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 586 outpatients with ADPKD who visited the Kidney Centre at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital between July 2003 and July 2019.

Simulation-based infection prevention and control training for medical and healthcare students: a systematic review.

Introduction: Infection prevention and control education has traditionally been conducted in a lecture-based manner, and simulation-based educational strategies have become increasingly prevalent in the field of medical education in recent years. This systematic review aimed to compare the effectiveness of the simulation-based and traditional strategies of infection prevention and control education and to show the differences between these educational approaches. Furthermore, we identified the characteristics of simulation-based strategies for infection prevention and control education.

Retinal Phosphenes Induced by Transorbital Electrical Stimulation: Influence of Light Adaptation, Electrode Montage, and View Direction.

In this study, the perception of phosphenes was used as a surrogate identifier for stimulation sites for use in retinal-degenerative diseases. We aimed to investigate the influence of adaptation, electrode montage, and direction of view on electrically induced phosphenes. We developed a practical methodology to assess non-invasive ocular electrical stimulation, addressing specific areas in the retina.

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.

Cone beam CT dose optimisation: A review and expert consensus by the 2022 ESTRO Physics Workshop IGRT working group.

Image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) using kilovoltage cone-beam CT (CBCT) has become an indispensable tool to ensure the geometric accuracy of radiotherapy treatment delivery. Although significant technical advances have been made in reducing imaging dose, the repeated imaging procedures can still accumulate significant dose to healthy tissues. Despite the widespread use, we still lack clear guidance for optimisation and widely accepted frameworks for evaluating the quality and suitability of CBCT imaging protocols.

The association between shorter disease course and sarcopenia in women with endometriosis: a retrospective analysis of NHANES 1999-2006.

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disorder that is associated with chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and metabolic complications. Sarcopenia, characterized by progressive skeletal muscle loss, predominantly affects older adults. This study explored the incidence and risk factors for sarcopenia in endometriosis patients using the NHANES dataset, which included 373 participants.

Vascular and wound healing outcomes after puncture of small or stenotic inframalleolar arteries in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

Objective: This study evaluated the safety of below-the-ankle distal punctures, including stenotic or small-diameter inframalleolar arteries, on vessel integrity and wound healing in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia and infrapopliteal artery disease.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective, nonrandomized, observational study analyzed 171 limbs from 155 patients (mean age, 76.1 ± 9.

Improving quantitative BOLD-based measures of oxygen extraction fraction using hyperoxia BOLD-derived measures of blood volume.

Purpose: Streamlined quantitative BOLD (sqBOLD) is a refinement of the quantitative BOLD (qBOLD) technique capable of producing noninvasive and quantitative maps of oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in a clinically feasible scan time. However, sqBOLD measurements of OEF have been reported as being systematically lower than expected in healthy brain. Because the qBOLD framework infers OEF from the ratio of the reversible transverse relaxation rate ( ) and deoxygenated blood volume (DBV), this underestimation has been attributed the overestimation of DBV.

Prognostic comparison between implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and amiodarone in cancer patients.

Background: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has been demonstrated to improve survival outcomes compared to amiodarone. However, this effectiveness in cancer patients remains unclear. Given the complexity of cardiovascular management in this population, including cancer stage considerations, we evaluated the relative effectiveness of ICD versus amiodarone in cancer patients.

Pharmacokinetics of Dexmedetomidine in an In Vitro Circuit Model and In Vivo Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Rat Model.

Background And Objectives: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) causes variability in the pharmacokinetics (PK) of drugs. Fluctuations in the PK profile of dexmedetomidine (DEX) might significantly reduce the likelihood of obtaining a therapeutic effect. The study aimed to clarify the effect of ECMO on the PK of DEX.

The Possibility of Plasma Membrane Transporters as Drug Targets in Oral Cancers.

Plasma membrane transporters are increasingly recognized as potential drug targets for oral cancer, particularly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). These transporters play crucial roles in cancer cell metabolism, drug resistance, and the tumor microenvironment, making them attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Among the two main families of plasma membrane transporters, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters have long been known to be involved in drug efflux and contribute to chemoresistance in cancer cells.

Developing and Updating Differential Diagnosis Tables in Emergency Medicine for Potentially Life-Threatening Diseases.

Background: No study has verified whether the published differential diagnosis tables cover all potentially life-threatening diseases observed in real-world clinical practice and updated the tables using real-world data.

Objectives: To create initial differential diagnosis tables based on published resources, and to validate and update the tables using the National Hospital and Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) database as a real-world reference METHODS: We created the initial differential diagnosis tables using published textbooks, UpToDate®, BMJ Best Practice, and databases (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Excerpta Medica Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases) without language restrictions from their inception to September 22, 2022. Then, we extracted chief complaints and diagnosis lists from the NHAMCS database of emergency patients aged ≥16 years between November 2016 and 2019.

Proton beam therapy for mediastinal Hodgkin lymphoma: A prospective study of clinical efficacy and safety.

Background: Proton beam therapy using pencil beam scanning is an advanced radiotherapy technique that utilises proton beams to precisely target tumours. It is known for its enhanced ability in sparing healthy tissue and potentially reducing toxicity. Clinical experience with pencil beam scanning in the treatment of mediastinal Hodgkin lymphoma remains limited.

Development of lower leg edema in the late afternoon may be associated with decreased blood flow in the leg in women in the luteal phase.

ObjectivesLower leg edema is common in the late afternoon even in healthy individuals and could involve venous blood flows. Women appear more likely to develop lower leg edema, possibly due to the menstrual cycle. However, this phenomenon has not been quantitatively investigated using imaging.