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Background and Objective Although older patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at the high risk of exacerbation that requires treatment with remdesivir, the safety of this medication is unclear in clinical practice, especially among older patients. We aimed to retrospectively evaluate the safety of remdesivir in older patients with COVID-19 who required hospitalization in our institute. Methods We reviewed patients with COVID-19 who were treated with remdesivir at our institute between July 2020 and May 2021. We defined older patients as those aged 80 years or older at admission; all other patients were defined as younger patients. We evaluated the safety of remdesivir by examining the incidence of discontinuation of remdesivir treatment because of adverse events and the incidence of any adverse events. Results A total of 80 patients were included in this study. Compared with younger patients, fewer older patients were treated with remdesivir for more than 5 days: 4 (15.4%) vs 23 (42.6%). Discontinuation of remdesivir because of adverse events occurred in one older patient (3.9%) and four younger patients (7.4%) [p > 0.99]. Remdesivir-induced liver dysfunction was the most frequent adverse event, which occurred in 29 (36.3%) patients. There were no significant differences in the incidence of remdesivir-induced liver dysfunction, renal dysfunction, and fatigue. Conclusions The safety of remdesivir was suggested to be comparable between patients older than 80 years of age and patients younger than 80 years of age. The results of this study may encourage the administration of remdesivir to this older patient group.

Background Cold polypectomy has been increasingly used to remove diminutive colorectal polyps. We evaluated the local recurrence rate of diminutive polyps at the 1-year follow-up after cold forceps polypectomy (CFP). Methods In a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study, patients with diminutive colorectal polyps ( ≤ 5 mm) were treated by CFP using jumbo forceps followed by magnified narrow-band imaging (NBI). Patients were assessed for local recurrence at 1-year follow-up. Risk factors associated with local recurrence were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results Overall, 955 lesions were resected in 471 patients who completed the 1-year follow-up. The endoscopic complete resection rate was 99.4 %. Immediate and delayed bleeding occurred in 0.8 % and 0.2 % of cases, respectively, with no perforations observed. Local recurrence occurred in 2.1 % of cases at the 1-year follow-up. Univariable analyses indicated that polyps > 3 mm (P 3 mm were significantly associated with local recurrence (odds ratio 3.4, P = 0.02). Conclusions CFP with jumbo forceps followed by NBI-magnified observation had a low local recurrence rate and is an acceptable therapeutic option for diminutive colorectal polyps. Although we recommend limiting the use of CFP with jumbo forceps to polyps ≤ 3 mm in size, future comparative studies are needed to make recommendations on cold polypectomy using either forceps or snares as the preferred approach for diminutive polyp resection.

Vonoprazan is a potassium competitive acid blocker used to treat erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with stronger, more stable acid-suppressing effects than proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). This study clarified the usefulness and superiority of vonoprazan administered every second day over PPIs in the maintenance therapy of erosive GERD.This is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, two-period randomized cross-over study. Patients were randomized to either the vonoprazan-lansoprazole (VP-LZ) group, who were given vonoprazan 10 mg for the first 4 weeks and then lansoprazole 15 mg for the next 4 weeks both administered once every second day, or the lansoprazole-vonoprazan (LZ-VP) group, who were treated in reverse. GERD symptoms were compared using symptom diaries, the frequency scale for symptoms of GERD (FSSG), and the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS).We enrolled 122 patients between December 2017 and May 2019. Symptoms were well controlled in vonoprazan administration and lansoprazole administration were 93.6% and 82.1%, respectively, with a significant difference on McNemar's test (P = 0.003). During the second 4 weeks, 94.4% and 76.7% of patients in the VP-LZ and LZ-VP groups, respectively, were well controlled following for ≥ 6 consecutive days a week (P = 0.009). During the first 4 weeks, 96.7% and 80.0% of patients were well controlled with 1 weekly in the VP-LZ and LZ-VP groups, respectively, during the first 4 weeks (P = 0.007). GERD symptoms, assessed via FSSG and GSRS, significantly decreased with vonoprazan administration once every second day.Vonoprazan administered once every second day could be an effective alternative to PPIs in the maintenance treatment of erosive GERD (UMIN000030393).

Highlights • COVID-19-associated rhabdomyolysis is most common in older men with severe disease. • This case of rhabdomyolysis occurred in a young woman with moderate COVID-19. • She practiced daily strength training, which may have increased her risk. • She was treated with intravenous fluid infusion, dexamethasone, and remdesivir., The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is having serious medical, social, and economic impacts worldwide. COVID-19 may lead to a variety of complications, including rhabdomyolysis. Although rhabdomyolysis is a rare complication, it can lead to severe kidney damage. Recent studies suggest that rhabdomyolysis caused by SARS-CoV-2 is more common in middle-aged and older men with severe COVID-19. Herein we report a case of rhabdomyolysis in a young woman with moderate COVID-19. She had a habit of muscle training. She presented with moderate COVID-19 and acute rhabdomyolysis that required a large volume of fluid infusion in addition to dexamethasone and remdesivir. Clinicians should pay attention to the development of rhabdomyolysis in patients with COVID-19, especially those with a habit of strenuous exercise or muscle training, even if they are young and have moderate COVID-19.

In the present study, the usefulness of the resistance-associated variant (RAV) analysis to select direct acting antiviral (DAA) drugs for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype/serotype discrepancy was evaluated. The core-genotype and serotype were determined in the 559 patients recruited in the study. The RAV analysis and NS5B-genotype determination were performed in the eight patients who exhibited a genotype/serotype discrepancy. One of these patients exhibited a core-genotype 1b/serotype 2, and detection by RAV analysis was possible in this patient. The other seven patients demonstrated a core-genotype 2/serotype 1, and detection using the RAV analysis was possible in four of them. The NS5B-genotype was 1b in all patients in whom detection using the RAV analysis was possible and was other than 1b in patients in whom detection using the RAV analysis was impossible. The RAV analysis could detect RNA sequences specific to genotype 1b in the NS5A region. Therefore, in patients with genotype/serotype discrepancy in whom detection using the RAV analysis is possible, the treatment regimens should be selected based on the assumption that HCV with genome that is highly homologous to genotype 1b is present in the NS5A region.

Perfusion CT can diagnose pancreatic necrosis in early stage of severe acute pancreatitis, accurately. However, no study to date has examined whether early diagnosis of pancreatic necrosis is useful in predicting persistent organ failure (POF). We performed a multi-center prospective observational cohort study to investigate whether perfusion CT can predict the development of POF in the early stage of AP, based on early diagnosis of the development of pancreatic necrosis (PN). From 2009 to 2012, we examined patients showing potential early signs of severe AP (n = 78) on admission. Diagnoses for the development of PN were made prospectively by on-site physicians on the admission based on perfusion CT (diagnosis 1). Blinded retrospective reviews were performed by radiologists A and B, having 8 and 13 years of experience as radiologists (diagnosis 2 and 3), respectively. Positive diagnosis for the development of PN were assumed equivalent to positive predictions for the development of POF. We then calculated the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic for POF predictions. Fourteen (17.9%) and 23 patients (29.5%) developed PN and POF, respectively. For diagnoses 1, 2, and 3, AUCs for POF predictions were 74, 68, and 73, respectively. Perfusion CT diagnoses pancreatic necrosis and on that basis predicts the development of POF; http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index-j.htm,UMIN000001926 .

In the case of a cloud-based remote control system that enables users to control cloud-connected devices from anywhere at any time, costs tend to increase in proportion to the number of devices. Most of the costs are derived from a message broker, a key component of the system that keeps connections from devices and relays messages between users and devices. In this paper, we analyze the costs of the message broker under a typical remote-control workload and reveal that keep-alive communication costs account for a non-negligible percentage of the total. Then, we present a novel method to reduce the costs. By using the message broker as an echo back server for NAT timeout measurements initiated from devices, the method allows each device to extend the keep-alive interval adaptively by itself while keeping availability of devices and without customizing the existing message broker. The method also keeps extra resource consumption caused by the measurements under control. Finally, we evaluate our proposal on a public cloud and confirm its cost-effectiveness quantitatively.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally invasive treatment for early gastric cancer. Further efforts are needed to decrease the complications associated with ESD, such as bleeding and perforation. A polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheet (NEOVEIL; Gunze Co., Kyoto, Japan) has the potential to prevent post-ESD bleeding because it covers post-ESD ulcers [1]. The PGA sheet is a soft, non-woven, bioabsorbable fabric that is already used clinically in respiratory and pharyngolaryngeal surgery [2]. However, difficulties are associated with the delivery of PGA sheets to the ulcer floor by endoscopy because the sheet easily sticks to itself under wet conditions. As a result, several strips of the PGA sheet need to be sequentially arranged [3]. We report a new method for PGA sheet placement in the stomach using monofilament sutures (polydioxanone: PDS II; Ethicon US LLC, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA). We have named it “the framing method.” ●" Video1 shows the procedure described here. After ESD has been performed, we measure the diameter of the ulcer (●" Fig.1), cut the sheet into an oval shape of the desired size (●" Fig.2a), and sew the circumference of the sheet with PDS II (●" Fig.2b). The suture thread functions as a “frame” and keeps the sheet flat (●" Fig.2c). After soaking the sheet in fibrinogen solution, artery forceps are inserted through the instrument channel of an endoscope, the sheet is grasped by the forceps, and the endoscope is inserted into the stomach. An overtube (Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Tokyo, Japan) assists the endoscope to pass smoothly through the pharynx. The sheet is dropped into the stomach and positioned on the ulcer floor (●" Fig.3a). An injection of fibrinogen solution and thrombin solution (Beriplast P combi-set; CSL Behring K.K., Tokyo, Japan) promotes the adherence of the sheet to the ulcer floor (●" Fig.3). We successfully covered ulcers with one piece of the sheet in two patients (●" Fig.4). This method is easy, quick, and covers post-ESD ulcers.

A 57 year-old woman was admitted for focal accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in the liver detected by positron emission tomography (PET). A 25- mm hypovascular tumor was detected by computed tomography. Tumor biopsy revealed many atypical cells with positive staining for factor VIII-related-antigen in sinusoids. Right lobectomy was performed and the tumor was diagnosed as epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) pathologically. We demonstrated that FDG-PET was useful for the diagnosis of EHE and making deciding on therapeutic strategy.

The rates of absorption of pure oxygen into aqueous cuprous chloride solutions containing hydrochloric acid were measured at atmospheric pressure and at 15°, 25° and 35°C using a baffled agitated vessel operated batchwise with a flat gas-liquid interface. The experimental results were analyzed by the chemical absorption theory based on the Leveque model. The measured absorption rates were in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.