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Encephalopathy is a rare side effect of cephalosporin treatment. We herein present a case of encephalopathy induced by ceftriaxone, a third-generation cephalosporin, in a patient with renal failure. An 86-year-old woman on maintenance hemodialysis received ceftriaxone for Helicobacter cinaedi bacteremia. Her mental status deteriorated during antibiotic treatment, and an electroencephalogram revealed triphasic waves predominantly in the frontal area. Her consciousness improved after the discontinuation of the antibiotic due to the suspicion of ceftriaxone-induced encephalopathy. This is the first reported case of encephalopathy associated with high plasma and cerebrospinal fluid ceftriaxone concentrations, and provides significant evidence for a causal relationship between the administration of ceftriaxone and the onset of encephalopathy.

Introduction Accumulating evidence suggests that a large hospital volume (HV) is associated with favorable outcomes in various diseases or surgical procedures. The aim of this study is to clarify the correlation of HV and dialysis case volume (DCV) with in-hospital death in patients on maintenance dialysis. Methods The study cohort was derived from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, a national inpatient database in Japan, from 2012 to 2014. We included 382,689 admissions of maintenance dialysis patients over the age of 20 years in the analysis. HV was defined as the mean number of daily hospitalized patients, and DCV was defined as the mean number of annually hospitalized patients on maintenance dialysis. The primary outcome was in-hospital all-cause mortality, evaluated using multivariable logistic regression models across the respective quartiles of HV and DCV. Results The mean age of participants was 69 ± 12 years; 94% were receiving hemodialysis, and 21,182 patients (5.5%) died after hospitalization. In unadjusted models, larger HV and DCV were both associated with lower in-hospital mortality. However, this association remained significant only for DCV after adjustment for potential confounders, with multivariable-adjusted odds ratios of 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79–0.85), 0.76 (95% CI, 0.73–0.80), and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.65–0.72) for DCV 249 to 432, 433 to 713, and ≥714 (vs. ≤ 248) admissions per year, respectively. Multivariable subgroup analyses determined that this association was independent of age, sex, dialysis modality, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and emergency admission. Conclusion Selective admission to hospitals with a large DCV may improve outcomes of dialysis patients.

Rationale Infection is a major trigger or pathogenic origin in a substantial proportion of glomerulonephritis (GN) patients, typically manifesting infection-related GN (IRGN). Various microorganisms, infection sites, and clinical and histopathological features are involved in IRGN. Once an infectious origin is identified and successfully eradicated, nephrotic syndrome or kidney dysfunction is spontaneously resolved. However, if patients are asymptomatic and the origin is undetermined, the diagnosis and treatment of GN is challenging. This case presentation reported on an IRGN case manifesting steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome associated with asymptomatic sinusitis as a pathogenic origin. Patient concerns A 68-year-old male presented with severe kidney dysfunction and edema in both extremities. Diagnosis The patient was clinically diagnosed with hypocomplementemic nephrotic syndrome and kidney dysfunction and histopathologically with diffuse proliferative GN and a focal pattern of membranoproliferative GN. The findings suggested that idiopathic membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type I was more likely than IRGN, given a critical lack of apparent infection. Interventions Combined intravenous methylprednisolone, oral prednisolone, and cyclosporin did not improve the patient's condition. Thus, IRGN associated with inapparent infectious origin was suspected. Repeated thorough and careful examinations including CT scan showed sinusitis in his left maxillary sinus. Moreover, reanalysis of kidney specimen revealed positive nephritis-associated plasmin receptor in glomeruli, a typical finding for IRGN, supporting a pathogenic significance of his sinusitis. Medical treatment was initiated with 200 mg oral clarithromycin daily. Outcomes Oral clarithromycin gradually improved proteinuria and hypocomplementemia and resulted in nephrotic syndrome remission in parallel with opacification resolution of sinuses shown on CT. Lessons This case presentation showed that asymptomatic sinusitis is potentially a pathogenic IRGN origin. A gold standard therapy for idiopathic GN, corticosteroid could be damaging in uncontrolled or underdiagnosed infection. In asymptomatic patients, a thorough screening of infectious diseases, including sinusitis, together with a renal histological evaluation of glomerular nephritis-associated plasmin receptor deposition is also essential in treating a wide spectrum of GN.

A method for the facile synthesis of ethene-bridged terthiophenes (EBTTs) in two steps has been developed. The first step is a double Sonogashira coupling between 3',4'-dibromo-2,2':5',2″-terthiophene and terminal alkynes to give dialkynylated terthiophenes, and the second step is a cyclization reaction to afford EBTTs. The fundamental physical properties of EBTTs were also studied.

In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), low body mass index (BMI) is associated with high mortality. This relationship in emergently hospitalized CKD patients is unknown. We investigated the association between obesity and short-term mortality in emergently admitted patients with dialysis-independent CKD (DI-CKD) with and without infection. This retrospective cohort study examined Diagnosis Procedure Combination data of 26103 emergently hospitalized DI-CKD patients. Patients were divided into 8 groups according to their BMI and the presence of infectious diseases. The primary outcome was in-hospital death within 100 days. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for baseline characteristics showed that low BMI was associated with the outcome both in infected and in non-infected patients (reference group as non-infected and medium BMI [24-26 kg/m2] group): infected and the lowest BMI (≤20 kg/m2) group, hazard ratio (HR) 1.82 (95% confidence interval 1.51, 2.19); non-infected and the lowest BMI group, 1.39 (1.16, 1.67). When patients were stratified according to presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), patients with DM showed that low BMI was associated with the outcome both in infected and in non-infected patients, whereas in non-DM patients, this relationship was attenuated in the non-infected group. For emergently hospitalized CKD patients with infection, high BMI was associated with lower mortality irrespective of the DM status. For non-infected patients, the effects of obesity for in-hospital mortality were modified by the DM status.

A method for the facile synthesis of ethene-bridged terthiophenes (EBTTs) in two steps has been developed. The first step is a double Sonogashira coupling between 3′,4′-dibromo-2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophene and terminal alkynes to give dialkynylated terthiophenes, and the second step is a cyclization reaction to afford EBTTs. The fundamental physical properties of EBTTs were also studied.

Introduction Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, frequently accompanies chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study was to clarify the prevalence and the risk factors for sarcopenia among patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD), focusing on the use of drugs. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis on a cohort of 260 patients with NDD-CKD in a university hospital, recruited between June 2016 and March 2017. We extracted data on patient gender, age, cause of chronic kidney disease, use of drugs, and comorbidities that could potentially affect the prevalence of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the association of each factor on the prevalence of sarcopenia. Results 25.0% of our study subjects had sarcopenia. Multivariable analysis revealed that an increased risk of sarcopenia was significantly associated with age, male gender, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, and loop diuretic use (odds ratio, 4.59: 95% confidence interval, 1.81-11.61: P-value 0.001). Conclusions In our cohort, the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with NDD-CKD was high, and diuretics use, particularly loop diuretic use, was suggested to be a risk factor of sarcopenia. Although loop diuretics are commonly used in patients with CKD, careful consideration of the risk of sarcopenia may be necessary.

Background Although lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and higher proteinuria are high risks for mortality and kidney outcomes, the prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with normal-range proteinuria remains unclear. Methods In this prospective cohort study, 1138 newly visiting stage G2–G5 CKD patients were stratified into normal-range and abnormal-range proteinuria groups. Study endpoints were CKD progression (>50% eGFR loss or initiation of dialysis), cardiovascular events, and all-cause death. Results In total, 927 patients who were followed for >6 months were included in the analysis. The mean age was 67 years, and 70.2% were male. During a median follow-up of 35 months, CKD progression, cardiovascular events, and mortality were observed in 223, 110, and 55 patients, respectively. Patients with normal-range proteinuria had a significantly lower risk for CKD progression (hazard ratio, 0.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.10–0.38) than those with abnormal-proteinuria by multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis. We also analyzed patients with normal-range proteinuria (n = 351). Nephrosclerosis was the most frequent cause of CKD among all patients with normal-range proteinuria (59.7%). During a median follow-up of 36 months, CKD progression, cardiovascular events, and mortality were observed in 10, 28, and 18 patients, respectively. The Kaplan–Meyer analysis demonstrated that the risks of CKD progression and cardiovascular events were not significantly different among CKD stages, whereas the risk of death was significantly higher in patients with advanced-stage CKD. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that the risk of three endpoints did not significantly differ among CKD stages. Conclusion Newly visiting CKD patients with normal-range proteinuria, who tend to be overlooked during health checkups did not exhibit a decrease in kidney function even in advanced CKD stages under specialized nephrology care.

Vitamin D analogs have generally been recommended for treatment of mineral bone disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the association between this treatment and CKD progression has not yet been established. We designed a post hoc propensity score-matched cohort analysis derived from 3-year follow-up data of a prospective cohort. Adult participants with pre-dialysis CKD stages 4–5 who had newly been prescribed active vitamin D analogs during the observation period were eligible as matched cases. Then, matched controls were extracted from participants who had never been prescribed active vitamin D analogs. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage renal disease or a 50 % reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). A Cox proportional hazards model evaluated the association between the use of vitamin D analogs and the primary outcome. We enrolled 240 patients (males, 65 %). The number of matched cases and controls was 30 and 210, respectively. The primary outcome was observed in 94 patients, whereas 25 patients died. The mean ± standard deviation age and eGFR were 69 ± 12 years and 17 ± 5.7 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively. In a Cox proportional hazard model, the use of vitamin D analogs was independently associated with a lower risk of the primary outcome (crude hazard ratio 0.41; 95 % confidence interval 0.19, 0.89; adjusted hazard ratio 0.38; 95 % confidence interval 0.17, 0.88). The use of vitamin D analogs is independently associated with the preservation of renal function in patients with pre-dialysis CKD stages 4–5.

Long-term efficacy of lanthanum carbonate on hyperphosphatemia was examined in multicenter dialysis patients. Outcome and efficacy after 2 years was investigated in 101 patients who had undergone lanthanum carbonate administration. Thirty-three cases dropped out by the 2-year point; patients undergoing at least 2 years of administration totaled 68. Reasons for dropping out were as follows: improvement of hyperphosphatemia, nine cases; changing hospitals, seven cases; medical complications, five cases; digestive symptoms, four cases; poor compliance, four cases; parathyroidectomy, two cases; death, two cases. The mean dosage was increased from initial daily dosage of 744 mg to 1266 mg after 1 year, and to 1246 mg after 2 years. Serum phosphate concentration decreased significantly from the initial 6.15 mg to 5.57 mg/dL after 1 year, and to 5.45 mg/dL after 2 years. Although a lowering trend was observed in corrected calcium levels, the difference was not significant. Parathyroid hormone was unchanged. Achievement rate of Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy (JSDT) management target values for both phosphorus and calcium improved from 32.7% to 50.0% after 1 year, and to 56.5% after 2 years. Lanthanum carbonate is useful as a therapeutic tool for hyperphosphatemia over long durations.

Pitting corrosion on the bottom plates of cargo oil tanks (COT) in very large crude carriers (VLCC) is very serious problem. Each tank may suffer up to 1,000 pits, with some reaching a depth of as much as 10 mm. As a result, the workload of repairing such pitting corrosions in periodical dock inspection is extremely heavy. Many studies have already been conducted to clarify the mechanism of pitting corrosion, but it has yet to be fully understood. We have clarified the pitting corrosion mechanism through onboard research on some VLCCs and various corrosion tests, in addition to the findings obtained by previous studies. Based on our understanding of the mechanism, we developed a corrosion test method to simulate the corrosive environment within the pits. Furthermore, we developed a new corrosion resistant steel (CRS) with trace amounts of alloying elements. The corrosion rate for CRS is less than one-fifth of conventional steels. Due to its very low alloy content, the weldability and mechanical properties of CRS remain similar to conventional steels. This CRS has already been applied to several VLCCs and we have examined its corrosion resistance through onboard investigations of the two VLCCs. One was for all its uncoated COT bottom plates, which were built of CRS, at the first docking (after 2.5 years). No pits deeper than 4 mm were found in the bottom plates of any COTs. Also, only about twenty pits of 2∼4-mm depth were found. The other was for the bottom plates of six unpainted COTs built of CRS at her first and second dockings (after 2.3 and 5 years). At five years, tens of pits deeper than 4 mm were found in all, but the pit count was much lower than that of VLCCs constructed of conventional steel. Thus, the good corrosion resistance of CRS was confirmed. In addition, it was also revealed through onboard research during a dock inspection that pit growth halted on VLCCs with more than five years service. SOLAS II-1 Cargo Oil Tank Corrosion Protection, which adopts the test method developed by us as the qualification test for bottom plates, comes into effect in 2013. In addition, CRS has already been certified by Class NK as corrosion resistant steel for COT bottom plates. CRS is set to play its part in the safe navigation of oil tankers. Furthermore, CRS does not require a protective coating of paint, which also benefits the global environment by reducing the use of volatile organic compounds.

2-Butenamides and 2-buten-4-olides are formed by the reaction of phenyl or 4-chlorophenyl-substituted olefins with α-cyanoacetamide in the presence of manganese(III) acetate. On the other hand, aryl substituted olefins having electron-donating groups are oxidized under similar reaction conditions to give 1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-ones and 3-ethenyl-2-pyrrolidones. All these reactions also produce glycols or ketones which are given by the direct oxidation of these olefins with manganese(III) acetate. The question whether an intermediate carbocation in the oxidation process cyclized on an oxygen or a nitrogen atom can be explained by the hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) concept. A possible mechanism for the formation of 2-butenamides and 2-buten-4-olides is proposed.