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This study assessed changes in patients transported to an emergency and critical care center before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan and examined problems that should be addressed in emergency medical care.This single-center retrospective observational study was conducted at a university hospital. The subjects were patients who were transported to a "tertiary emergency department" receiving advanced medical care. With January 16, 2020, as the cutoff date, 4,197 patients who were transported to the hospital from January 16, 2019, to January 15, 2021, were recruited. The patients were classified into nine disease groups using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. The emergency department (ED) visit count in 2020 was compared with that in 2019 using Poisson regression.The number of patients transported to the tertiary ED in 2020 decreased by 7.8% compared with that in 2019. The number of patients transported to the tertiary ED decreased compared with that in the previous year during the period when the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased and showed the opposite trend when the number of confirmed cases decreased. As per diagnostic classification, it decreased for all diagnoses except External causes, and significant decreases were observed in Infectious (47.5%), Non-COVID-19 respiratory (28.4%), and Trauma (25.2%). In External causes, the rate of change for suicide cases alone increased to 43.2%.While the number of confirmed cases increased, the number of tertiary ED patients associated with COVID-19 decreased temporarily. It is necessary to fully consider the burden on medical institutions 1-2 months after the number of infected people peaks. It is also necessary to closely monitor suicides associated with COVID-19 as a factor that will cause changes in emergency medical care in the future.

Leukocyte subtypes can be used to evaluate the severity of ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we examined the relationship between the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and the Mayo endoscopic score (MES) in assessing endoscopic activity in UC. Eighty-nine samples of leukocyte subtypes and biomarkers, including fecal calprotectin (FC), the fecal immunochemical occult blood test (FIT), and C-reactive protein (CRP), from 71 patients with UC were retrospectively investigated, along with the MES. The MES was significantly correlated with the LMR, FC, the FIT, and CRP. There were significant differences in the LMR, FC, the FIT, and CRP between groups with an MES &lt, 1 and &gt, 2 (p = 0.001, p = 0.003, p &lt, 0.001, and p &lt, 0.001, respectively). In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for predicting mucosal healing (MES 0 or 1), the areas under the curve (AUCs) for the LMR, FC, the FIT, and CRP, were 0.712, 0.860, 0.908, and 0.796, respectively. In the analysis of patients without immunomodulators, the correlation of the MES with the LMR and CRP was significant. The LMR can be used to assess endoscopic activity in UC, particularly in patients without immunomodulators.

Background Given the increasing health concerns for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the impact of the pandemic on the anxiety and behavioral changes in Japanese patients with IBD. Methods We analyzed 3032 questionnaires from patients with IBD, aged 16 years or older visiting 30 hospitals and 1 clinic between March 2020 and June 2021. The primary outcome was the score of the anxiety experienced by patients with IBD during the pandemic. Results Participants reported a median age of 44 years; 43.3% of the patients were women. Moreover, 60.6% and 39.4% were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, respectively, with a median disease duration of 10 years. Participants indicated an average of disease-related anxiety score of 5.1 ± 2.5 on a ten-point scale, with a tendency to increase, 1 month after the number of infected persons per population increased. The top three causes for anxiety were the risk of contracting COVID-19 during hospital visits, SARS-CoV-2 infection due to IBD, and infection by IBD medication. Factors associated with anxiety were gender (women), being a homemaker, hospital visit timings, mode of transportation (train), use of immunosuppressive drugs, and nutritional therapy. Most patients continued attending their scheduled hospital visits, taking their medications, experienced the need for a family doctor, and sought guidance and information regarding COVID-19 from primary doctors, television, and Internet news. Conclusions Patients with IBD experienced moderate disease-related anxiety due to the pandemic and should be proactively informed about infectious diseases to relieve their anxiety.

Eosinophilic infiltration is sometimes observed histologically in ulcerative colitis (UC), but the effect of the degree of infiltration on the treatment course for UC is not completely understood. We investigated whether short-term steroid administration in UC patients refractory to maintenance therapy, with high eosinophilic infiltration in the colonic mucosa, contributed to the clinical and endoscopic improvement. Ten patients with endoscopically active and pathologically high eosinophilic infiltration, based on pathological examination using endoscopic biopsy, were examined for the clinical background when starting steroid treatment. The clinical and endoscopic improvement before and after steroid use were assessed prospectively. The average initial steroid dosage and duration of use were 21.0 mg and 102.7 days, respectively. The mean values before and after steroid use of the clinical activity index, the Mayo endoscopic subscore, and the UC endoscopic index of severity were 2.4 and 1.0, 1.8 and 0.7, and 3.9 and 1.1, respectively. All scores improved significantly after steroid use (P = .042, P = .002, P = .002, respectively). Steroids were discontinued in all patients; no patients required steroid re-administration. There may be cases of UC with eosinophilic infiltration into the colonic mucosa and resistance to maintenance treatment, suggesting that short-term steroid administration may contribute to clinical and endoscopic improvements.

Purpose The ulcerative colitis colonoscopic index of severity (UCCIS) evaluates the state of the entire colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis. However, no cut-off values of scores for predicting clinical relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis have been established. This study aimed to determine the cut-off values for predicting clinical relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis. Methods The endoscopic scores (sum of Mayo endoscopic subscores (S-MES) and UCCIS) of 157 patients with ulcerative colitis experiencing clinical remission and their subsequent clinical course were retrospectively reviewed. The optimal cut-off values for predicting relapse and relapse-free rates were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results Forty patients with ulcerative colitis experienced relapse within 24 months. The median UCCIS for these patients at the time of study enrollment was significantly higher than that for patients with clinical remission (P P P = 0.004). Conclusions The data from this study indicate that the USSIC is a more relevant score than the S-MES for predicting the time to relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission.

Background Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is the first-line nonsurgical treatment for severe blunt liver injury in patients, whereas operative management (OM) is recommended for hemodynamically unstable patients. This study investigated the comparative efficacy of TAE in hemodynamically unstable patients who responded to initial infusion therapy. Methods This retrospective study enrolled patients with severe blunt liver injuries, which were of grades III–V according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scale (OIS). Patients who responded to initial infusion therapy underwent computed tomography to determine the treatment plan. A shock index > 1, despite undergoing initial infusion therapy, was defined as hemodynamic instability. We compared the clinical outcomes and mortality rates between patients who received OM and those who underwent TAE. Results Sixty-two patients were included (eight and 54 who underwent OM and TAE, respectively; mean injury severity score, 26.6). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 6% (13% OM vs. 6% TAE, p = 0.50), and the hemodynamic instability was 35% (88% OM vs. 28% TAE, p p = 0.05) and massive blood transfusion (OR, 7.25; p = 0.01); OIS grades IV–V were predictors of complications (OR, 6.61; p Conclusions TAE in hemodynamically unstable patients who responded to initial infusion therapy to some extent has acceptable in-hospital mortality and clinical failure rates. Hemodynamic instability and OIS, but not treatment choice, affected the clinical outcomes.

Background Oral tacrolimus is a therapeutic agent for moderate to severe steroid-dependent or resistant ulcerative colitis (UC), but remission induction is difficult, and it is necessary to treat the patient while considering the next treatment. Aim To examine serum albumin (Alb) level as a prognostic factor for the therapeutic effect of tacrolimus in clinical practice. Methods Forty-seven patients with UC treated with tacrolimus at our institution were divided into remission and failure groups (colectomy or switch to biologics), and the biological data at the start of observation and at weeks 1 and 2 were retrospectively examined. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate analyses were performed using Alb as a prognostic factor in UC treatment. Results During the three months observed, 17 (36.2%) patients failed treatment with tacrolimus. A comparison between the failure and remission groups showed a significant difference only in Alb in week 2, and in the week 2/week 0 Alb ratio, which showed the rate of change in Alb. The cut-off value of the week 2/week 0 Alb ratio that predicted failure was 1, and its area under the curve was 0.751 (95%CI: 0.604-0.898). In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, a week 2/week 0 Alb ratio ≤ 1 had a significantly higher failure rate than that of > 1; Cox proportional hazard regression analysis also showed that a week 2/week 0 Alb ratio ≤ 1 was an independent prognostic factor for failure within 3 mo after the start of tacrolimus treatment. Conclusion A week 2/week 0 Alb ratio ≤ 1 predicts failure within 3 mo of tacrolimus administration for UC. High failure risk exists with week 2 Alb values ≤ 1 on admission.

Background Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP) is one of the most serious complications of ERCP. Various procedures can reduce the incidence of PEP, such as wire-guided cannulation, prophylactic pancreatic stent placement, and pretreatment anal insertion of NSAIDs. Recently, iso-osmolar contrast media (IOCM) have been used for ERCP in several hospitals to reduce the risk of PEP in Japan. However, the effect of IOCM is uncertain because few reports have examined IOCM in relation to PEP. Aim This study aimed to investigate the relationship between contrast media used and the incidence of PEP. Methods This retrospective study included all qualifying patients who had undergone ERCP at Hamamatsu University Hospital between January 2012 and January 2020. This study examined whether there was a difference in the onset of PEP between patients administered IOCM and high osmolar contrast medium (HOCM). Propensity score matching was used to analyze patient characteristics and ERCP procedures. Amidotrizoic acid was used as HOCM and iodixanol as IOCM. Results ERCP was performed on 458 patients, and 830 procedures were conducted. After propensity score matching, 162 patients from the amidotrizoic acid group and 162 patients from the iodixanol group were selected. The incidence of PEP was 10.5% (17) in the amidotrizoic acid group and 9.3% (15) in the iodixanol group (P = 0.71). Changes in serum amylase levels post- and pre-ERCP were 240.6 ± 573.8 U/L and 142.7 ± 382.1 U/L in the amidotrizoic acid and iodixanol groups, respectively (P = 0.072). Conclusion Iodixanol had no prophylactic effect on PEP and clinical outcomes.

The composite films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and cyanoethylsucrose (CR‐U) were prepared and investigated as an electroactive silicone actuator in the air. CR‐U is highly viscose and soluble in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and acetone (ACT). The composites showed a phase‐separation structure, in which the spherical CR‐U dispersed in the PDMS domain. The films from THF had an asymmetric cross‐sectional view, in which CR‐U large sphere dispersed with a thin skin layer of PDMS on one side. On the other hand, the films from ACT had a symmetric cross‐sectional structure, in which CR‐U small sphere dispersed uniformly without a PDMS thin skin layer. By applying DC electric field, the films from THF deformed by expanding the thin skin layer regardless of the electric field polarity. The films from ACT showed almost no deformation. The space‐charge distribution explained deformation behavior.

Vonoprazan (VPZ) inhibits gastric acid secretion more potently than proton pump inhibitors. Recently, attention has been focused on the dual therapy with VPZ and amoxicillin (AMOX) for the eradication of H. pylori. The dual VPZ/AMOX therapy attains the sufficient eradication rate with lowering the risk of adverse events in comparison with the triple therapy and quadruple therapy. Therefore, the dual VPZ/AMOX therapy is considered a useful eradication regimen for H. pylori infection.