Frequency of laughter and depression onset among older adults: A 6-year longitudinal study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study.

Background: Laughter has been associated with mental and physical health benefits, but longitudinal evidence on whether laughter in daily life protects against depression remain limited. This study aimed to examine whether the frequency of laughter in daily life is associated with the risk of depression onset among older adults.

Methods: We analyzed data from 32,666 adults aged ≥65 years participating in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a three-wave cohort conducted over six-years.

Differences in muscle atrophy between the lower limbs and the accessory respiratory muscles in critically ill patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate muscle atrophy in critically ill patients using ultrasonography. We compared the rectus femoris (a major muscle of the lower limbs) with the sternocleidomastoid (an accessory respiratory muscle).

Methods: Thirty-four patients hospitalized at the Critical Care Medical Center of Kindai University Hospital between January 2022 and March 2023 were enrolled.

Quantitative assessment of placental alpha macroglobulin-1 for predicting impending preterm delivery in asymptomatic women with a short cervix.

Aims: Preterm delivery (PTD) is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Accurate prediction is crucial for optimizing clinical outcomes, particularly in women with a short cervix. Although fetal fibronectin (FFN) is widely used to predict PTD, placental alpha-microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1) has gained attention for its potential to improve predictive accuracy.

Prognosis and Toxicity Stratified by Best Tumor Burden Change in Japanese Patients With Advanced Melanoma Treated With First-Line Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Monotherapy.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly improved outcomes in patients with advanced malignant melanoma (MM). However, more than half of patients receiving anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody monotherapy still fail to respond, with response rates varying by race and melanoma subtype. Additionally, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) remain a major concern.

Effectiveness of Self-Assembling Peptide in Reducing Bleeding After Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

Background And Aims: The newly developed self-assembling peptide (SAP) is expected to exert hemostatic effects on the gastrointestinal tract and promote ulcer healing. However, its efficacy in preventing postprocedural hemorrhage following colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) remains uncertain. This study aimed to determine whether SAP could reduce hematochezia, including delayed bleeding (DB), and prevent its occurrence after colorectal ESD.

A Case of Malignant Melanoma Metastasis in the Ileal Conduit.

Introduction: Tumor development in the ileal conduit is rare. Herein, we present a case of metastatic malignant melanoma occurring within the ileal conduit 17 years after radical cystectomy.

Case Presentation: A 76-year-old Japanese man, with a history of bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy and ileal conduit diversion, presented with gross hematuria.

Virtual reality navigation for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: The development of non-invasive clinical diagnostics is paramount for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neurofibrillary tangles in AD originate from the entorhinal cortex, a cortical memory area that mediates navigation via path integration (PI). Here, we studied correlations between PI errors and levels of a range of AD biomarkers using a 3D virtual reality navigation system to explore PI as a non-invasive surrogate marker for early detection.

A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Survey on the Impact of Congenital Ichthyosis on Lifelong Education and Career.

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of ichthyosis symptoms on the educational achievement and career choices of adults, or the potential future impact on children. A total of 77 respondents completed a questionnaire assessing the degree to which ichthyosis had impacted, or was expected to impact, their education and career. Responses were categorized as "none," "somewhat," or "greatly.

Association between Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitor Use and Prognosis in Underweight Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure.

Background & Aims: It remains unclear whether sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are effective for patients with underweight. This study aimed to elucidate the association between SGLT2 inhibitors use and prognosis in underweight patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and HF.

Methods: This study was a post-hoc analysis of data from the Japanese Registry of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure, a prospective, multicenter, observational, nationwide registry.

How Does the Diagnostic Effectiveness of Transbronchial Needle Aspiration/Transbronchial Biopsy With Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions Differ With and Without a Guide Sheath?

Background: The diagnostic yield of virtual bronchoscopy with radial endobronchial ultrasound (r-EBUS) for peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) remains unsatisfactory because of limited lesion access by biopsy instruments. r-EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) followed by transbronchial biopsy (TBB) (TBNA/TBB) with a guide sheath (GS) potentially increases the PPL diagnostic yield as the needle penetrates the bronchial wall, enabling subsequent forceps biopsy closer to the lesion. However, regarding the application of r-EBUS-guided TBNA/TBB for PPL diagnosis, data on the diagnostic yield of TBNA/TBB with a GS are limited compared with those on TBNA/TBB without a GS.

Extended-Hours Hemodialysis Without Dietary Restrictions Reduces Risk of Vascular Calcification.

Vascular calcification is common in dialysis patients and is severely associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. They have mineral metabolism disorders, which are considered to promote vascular calcification. In addition, hypertension and malnutrition, both prevalent in dialysis patients, are also considered risk factors contributing to vascular calcification.

Delayed Diagnosis of Primary Pulmonary Sarcoma Arising from a Pulmonary Cyst in an Adult: A Case Report.

Primary pulmonary sarcoma is a rare disease and is much less common than lung cancer among tumors arising from pulmonary cysts. We report the case of a female patient who showed multifocal cysts in the left S9-10. Follow-up computed tomography (CT) revealed that the cyst tended to regress, but the solid component of the cyst wall continued to thicken, growing to a 10-cm-diameter tumor.

Grief and Depression Among Bereaved Parents Who Have Lost an Adult Child to Cancer: A National Death Follow-Up Study.

Parents who have lost their children to death often experience high levels of grief and depression. However, studies on the grief and depression experienced by parents who have lost an adult child to cancer are scarce. To clarify the risk and characteristics of grief and depression in parents who have lost an adult child to cancer.

Effect of Preoperative Nutritional Status on Postoperative Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Spinal Tumors: Japan Association of Spine Surgeons with Ambition Multicenter Study.

Study Design: A multicenter prospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of preoperative nutritional status, assessed using the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), on clinical outcomes, including survival prognosis, postoperative complications, hospitalization duration, and functional prognosis, in patients with metastatic spinal tumors undergoing surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Malnutrition is common in patients with cancer and is associated with poor clinical outcomes.

Exosomal ALPPL2 and THBS2 as biomarkers for early detection and disease monitoring of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Lack of reliable biomarkers for early detection and monitoring contributes to the poor prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), as the current clinical marker, CA19-9, lacks adequate specificity and sensitivity.

Methods: Serum concentrations of ALPPL2-positive and THBS2-positive exosomes were measured using an ExoView assay in two cohorts: a cohort of 219 subjects, including non-disease controls and patients with early- or late-stage PDAC, and a longitudinal cohort of 26 patients with advanced PDAC undergoing treatment.

Results: Exosomal ALPPL2 and THBS2 distinguished non-cancer cases from PDAC with high accuracy; area under the curve (AUC) values = 0.

Favorable Response Defined by CA19-9 Reduction After Neoadjuvant Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) for pancreatic cancer has been shown to reduce mortality risk, with carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9 response indicating survival outcomes. The purpose of this study is to clarify the degree of the CA19-9 response after neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) on prognosis.

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective, multicenter, observational study involving 1811 patients with pancreatic cancer scheduled for surgery, patients were stratified on the basis of pretreatment CA19-9 levels into elevated CA19-9 level and CA19-9 within the normal range groups.

Clinical significance of severe proteinuria in preeclampsia: a multicenter study of maternal and neonatal outcomes.

This study aimed to determine the association between proteinuria severity and maternal/neonatal outcomes among preeclamptic women with hypertension with proteinuria. We retrospectively assessed 721 women at 11 institutions. All participants had singleton pregnancies and delivered at ≥22 gestational weeks.

Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes of Open, Laparoscopic, and Robotic Surgery for Pediatric Choledochal Cyst Excision.

Background: Choledochal cyst is treated with extrahepatic bile duct resection and hepaticojejunostomy. Minimally invasive approaches, including laparoscopic surgery (LS) and robotic surgery (RS), offer potential advantages over open surgery (OS), but their impact on perioperative and short-term postoperative outcomes remains unclear.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 201 pediatric patients who underwent OS (n=83), LS (n=89), or RS (n=29).

Factors affecting the success of peripheral pulmonary lesion diagnosis via transbronchial needle aspiration and transbronchial biopsy when the probe is adjacent to the lesion on radial endobronchial ultrasound: a multicenter retrospective observational study.

Background: Radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS)-guided transbronchial biopsy (TBB) is a useful method for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs). However, the diagnostic yield of this method for PPLs is unsatisfactory as the R-EBUS probe is not always located within the lesion. Nevertheless, R-EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) followed by TBB (TBNA/TBB) has the potential to increase the diagnostic yield for lesions with adjacent orientation on R-EBUS.

Good pharmacy practice in community pharmacies in the Lao People's Democratic Republic-a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Community pharmacies play a crucial role as a primary healthcare access point in low- and middle-income countries, including the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) guidelines are the basics to establish minimum standards of community pharmacy practice. This study aimed to assess adherence to the GPP standards of community pharmacies in the Lao PDR and investigate factors associated with poor adherence to the GPP standards.

Predictive factors for the efficacy of radioiodine therapy in patients with Graves' disease.

Objective: The primary treatments for Graves' disease include antithyroid drugs (ATD), thyroidectomy, and iodine-131 (I-131) therapy. This study aimed to identify factors predicting treatment outcomes and the treatment period required to achieve euthyroidism after I-131 administration.

Methods: This study included 109 patients with Graves' disease who underwent I-131 therapy.