Journal of Nippon Medical School最新文献

Background: We aimed to investigate the contribution of the palatopharyngeal muscle (PP) as a speech muscle in adjusting the velar position.

Methods: X-ray kinematic analysis of the position of the palatopharyngeal arch and an electromyographic study of the PP during speech were performed in two healthy volunteers.

Results: X-ray kinematic analysis revealed that the palatopharyngeal arch was positioned lower during the production of the low-back vowel /a/. However, no significant differences were observed between the vowels included in the nasal sounds during nasal sound productions. The electromyographic study showed higher PP activity during nasal sound productions. However, no significant differences were observed in muscle activity during the productions of five vowels or the same vowels included in the nasal sounds. During the production of two consecutive phonemes involving voiceless bilabial plosive consonants and nasal sounds, the PP activity demonstrated synchronous coordination with the levator veli palatini muscle activity. This activity was higher during the production of the low-back vowel /a/ included in the voiceless bilabial plosive consonant. It was also higher during the production of voiceless bilabial plosive sounds than during the production of voiced bilabial plosive sounds.

Conclusions: When the distance between the origin and arrest of the PP is achieved through the velar elevation, the tonic condition and muscle strength of the PP are enhanced. When the scaffold below the PP is stabilized by the contractions of the glossopharyngeal part of the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle during the production of the low-back vowel, the PP likely contributes to regulation of the velar position.

Background: Several effective treatment modalities against metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) are available; however, an unmet clinical need persists for mCRPC treatment because resistance to these therapies is inevitable. This study aimed to evaluate the status of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and its impact on subsequent treatments for patients with mCRPC at our hospital.

Methods: Between December 2020 and August 2023, we assessed 41 patients with mCRPC who underwent CGP testing at the Nippon Medical School Hospital. The testing comprised FoundationOne^® CDx for 30 patients and FoundationOne^® Liquid CDx for 11 patients, following the procedures outlined by the Japanese Urological Association.

Results: CGP testing was successfully conducted in 40 out of 41 patients (97.6%), which resulted in the identification of 140 actionable genomic alterations. The most common alteration was TP53 in 12 patients (30.0%). Twenty-three patients (57.5%) with druggable gene alterations were identified; 21 were recommended for clinical trials, four for patient-proposed healthcare services, and six for insurance-covered drugs. Consequently, genotype-matched therapy with insurance-covered drugs was administered to five patients (12.5%) with a BRCA2 mutation. Notably, none of the patients underwent clinical or prospective trials based on patient-suggested medical services.

Conclusions: Our results offer insights into the real-world application of CGP testing for patients with mCRPC at a cooperative hospital for cancer genomic medicine in Japan. Thus, urologists require a comprehensive understanding of the current status of CGP testing to enhance mCRPC management.

This review examines associations of nutrients and dietary preferences with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), miscarriage, and infertility. Research articles, reviews, and meta-analyses of RPL and infertility that focused on nutrition, meals, and lifestyle were reviewed, and associations of nutrients and dietary preferences with pregnancy are discussed in relation to recent research findings. Studies related to RPL were given the highest priority, followed by those dealing with miscarriage and infertility. Multivitamin supplements-even when lacking folic acid or vitamin A-reduced total fetal loss. High-dose folic acid supplementation before conception reduced the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. A meta-analysis revealed a strong association of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency with miscarriage. Another meta-analysis revealed that seafood and dairy products reduced the risk of miscarriage, whereas a caffeine intake of 300 mg/day or more was associated with miscarriage. A balanced diet that included nutrients with antioxidant properties helped prevent miscarriage, whereas a diet that included processed foods and nutrients with proinflammatory effects increased the risk of miscarriage. Associations of nutrients with RPL warrant further research.

Background: Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) is a life-threatening emergency. Abdominal thrusts are recommended as first aid, but the success rate for this technique is unclear. Using information from a large database of emergency medical services (EMS) data in the United States, we evaluated the success rate of abdominal thrusts and identified patient characteristics that were associated with the success of the technique.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) to ascertain the success of abdominal thrusts in patients with FBAO from nearly 14,000 EMS agencies. Success was defined by positive evaluations on subjective and objective EMS criteria.

Results: Analysis of 1,947 cases yielded a 46.6% success rate for abdominal thrusts in removing obstructions. The age distribution was bimodal, with peaks during infancy and old age. June had the highest incidence of FBAO. Incidents were most frequent during lunch and dinner times, and most cases occurred in private residences. The first-time success rate was 41.5%, and a lower level of impaired consciousness was associated with lower success rates. A lower incidence of cardiac arrest was noted in successful cases. The success rate was high (60.2%) for children (age ≤15 years), with differences in demographic characteristics and a lower rate of impaired consciousness and cardiac arrests, as compared with unsuccessful interventions in the same age group.

Conclusions: Our study showed a 46.6% success rate for abdominal thrusts in patients with FBAO. The success group had a lower proportion of impaired consciousness and cardiopulmonary arrest than the failure group. Future studies should attempt to identify the most effective maneuvers for clearing airway obstruction.

Symptoms of catatonia include silence, motionlessness, and postural retention. Although it is important to detect and treat catatonia early, before it becomes severe, postoperative cases have inherent risks that hinder diagnosis and treatment. A 60-year-old man with schizophrenia underwent endoscopic/thoracoscopic esophagectomy and was extubated in the operating room. In the intensive care unit (ICU), he had stiffness in the neck, ankles, and knees, catalepsy during passive knee flexion, mild disturbance of consciousness, mild creatine kinase elevation, and respiratory depression. Intravenous diazepam was administered for diagnosis, and the patient's rapid improvement indicated catatonia. He was intubated and started on lorazepam; tapering produced no recurrence of symptoms. The patient was extubated and transferred to the general ward on postoperative Day 2. Because this patient was extubated in the operating room and was managed postoperatively in the ICU with a full-time doctor, his symptoms were easily recognized and early diagnosis was possible. Thus, we were able to administer drug therapy quickly and adequately and perform forward management that accounted for postoperative risks, thereby achieving a favorable outcome.

We report a rare case of choledochal cyst with acute cholangitis that was diagnosed at 37 weeks' gestation and treated by laparoscopic choledochal resection and biliary reconstruction after delivery. A 31-year-old Japanese primigravida at 37 weeks' gestation presented with right upper quadrant pain. The patient was diagnosed as having acute cholangitis due to a type-Ia choledochal cyst, according to the Todani classification, with pancreaticobiliary maljunction. Acute cholangitis improved with conservative treatment, the fetus was delivered by Cesarean section at 38 weeks' gestation, and the patient was treated by laparoscopic choledochal cyst excision and biliary reconstruction at 47 days postpartum. Total operation time was 579 minutes and intraoperative body fluid loss was 100 mL. The patient is now healthy with normal liver function 7 years after the operation. To ensure good outcomes for the mother and fetus, treatment decisions for choledochal cyst diagnosed during pregnancy must be carefully considered.

A variety of autoimmune disorders are associated with an increased risk of thrombosis. Previous studies have suggested combined therapy of heparin and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) as the replacement fluid is beneficial in some cases of acute flare-up of autoimmune diseases complicated by thrombotic events. Nevertheless, it remains unknown whether clinicians do more harm than good by exposing patients to a "thrombotic storm" through simultaneous administration of heparin and the clotting factors in the FFP during TPE. A variety of data are currently available on therapeutic interventions for autoimmune diseases complicated with acute thrombosis; however, there is limited evidence on the exact efficacy of each individual approach and combinations of these measures. Herein, we report a case of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) to highlight the difficulty of therapeutic decision-making when complicated interactions occur between heparin and TPE. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a patient diagnosed with CAPS successfully treated with a novel therapeutic strategy of escalating the heparin dosage when performing TPE by monitoring the partial prothrombin time to reduce the risk of the progression of thrombosis.

Background: This study used finite element analysis (FEA) to investigate the effect of varus and valgus angle on the lateral compartment in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA).

Methods: One patient who underwent UKA was enrolled as the subject. Thirteen working conditions of the femoral prosthesis were simulated at varus and valgus angles of 0°, 2°, 4°, 6°, 8°, 10°, and 12°. A load of 1,000 N was applied downward along the mechanical axis of the femur, and the highest stress values on the surface of the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus, and tibial lateral plateau cartilage in each model were recorded. The six highest points were used to calculate the mean value.

Results: The highest stress values on the surface of the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus, and tibial lateral plateau cartilage increased with an increase in the femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle. As compared with the standard position of the femoral prosthesis, there was no significant difference in the surface stress values of the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus and tibial lateral plateau cartilage when the femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle was less than 4° (p > 0.05). In addition, the stress magnitude on the polyethylene liner, cancellous bone under the tibial prosthesis, cartilage of femur lateral condyle, lateral meniscus, and tibial lateral plateau cartilage significantly increased when the femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle was greater than 4° (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The optimal femoral prosthesis varus/valgus angle in UKA was less than 4°.

Background: Febuxostat is recommended for treatment of severe hyperuricemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We previously reported a significant positive correlation between fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA) and estimated excretion of uric acid (eEUA) in patients receiving febuxostat and proposed that the addition of uricosuric agents could further decrease serum uric acid (sUA) levels by enhancing FEUA and eEUA in patients treated with febuxostat.

Methods: This retrospective study included 34 patients with CKD who were categorized into three groups (G3-G5) according to their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The effects on sUA, FEUA, and eEUA of adding dotinurad (0.5 mg/day) to febuxostat (10 mg/day) were evaluated in these patients. Specifically, we examined changes in sUA, FEUA, and eEUA in each group after the addition of dotinurad.

Results: Dotinurad significantly increased FEUA in all groups and notably decreased sUA in groups G3 and G4 but not in group G5. There was no significant change in eEUA in any group. Dotinurad maintained the significant positive correlation between FEUA and eEUA in patients receiving febuxostat.

Conclusions: This study is the first to show the effect of combining dotinurad with febuxostat in lowering sUA levels in G3 and G4 patients. Additional research is required in order to clarify the pharmacological mechanisms of dotinurad in patients with CKD.

Pyogenic sacroiliitis is rare and difficult to diagnose because of its deep location and the absence of definitive clinical signs. Delayed diagnosis can result in complications such as abscess or sequestration formation, prolonged sepsis, and chronic joint deformity. MRI is a well-known, noninvasive imaging technique with a high sensitivity and specificity for osteomyelitis diagnosis. Here, we present the MRI findings for pyogenic sacroiliitis, 3 days after symptom onset, in an 11-year-old girl and confirm its value in early diagnosis of pediatric pyogenic sacroiliitis.