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Background: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) of the pleura are usually benign. We present a case of SFT of the pleura which grew rapidly after slow long-term progression., Case Presentation: A 78-year-old man was referred to our hospital for left-sided back pain and shortness of breath. He was found to have a left mediastinal mass at 15 years of age. He remained asymptomatic for 60 years, and chest computed tomography (CT) during treatment of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis revealed that the mediastinal tumor was 8.0 cm in diameter. The size remained unchanged for 3 years but increased to 15.0 cm over the next 5 years. As the left main pulmonary artery was compressed by the mass, there were concerns regarding the worsening of haemodynamics and exacerbation of symptoms of respiratory distress. A sixth-rib intercostal thoracotomy with a posterolateral incision was performed to remove the large tumor. Perioperative steroid administration (methylprednisolone 125 mg/day) and positive pressure ventilation were administered to prevent re-expansion of the pulmonary oedema. The patient was discharged following an uneventful course. The tumor was pathologically diagnosed as an SFT with no malignant findings., Conclusion: SFTs require surgical intervention because of their potential for rapid growth., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Written Informed consent was obtained from the patient. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Hypertension is a risk factor for bleeding events and is included in the HAS-BLED (Hypertension, Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile INR, Elderly, Drugs/Alcohol concomitantly)score. However, the effects of blood pressure (BP) and changes in BP on bleeding events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain poorly understood. This study is aimed to investigate the relationship between systolic BP (SBP) changes during hospitalisation and bleeding events in patients undergoing PCI., Methods: From the Clinical Deep Data Accumulation System database, a multicentre database encompassing seven tertiary medical hospitals in Japan that includes data for patient characteristics, medications, laboratory tests, physiological tests, cardiac catheterisation and PCI treatment, data for 6351 patients undergoing PCI between April 2013 and March 2019 were obtained. The study population was categorised into three groups based on the changes in SBP during hospitalisation: (1) elevated BP (≥20 mm Hg), (2) no change (≥-20 to <20 mm Hg) and (3) decreased BP (<-20 mm Hg) groups. The primary outcome was a 3-year major bleeding event defined as moderate or severe bleeding according to the Global Use of Streptokinase and t-PA for Occluded Coronary Arteries bleeding criteria., Results: The elevated BP group exhibited significantly lower SBP at admission and higher SBP at discharge (p<0.001). Multivariable Cox hazard regression models showed that elevated BP was associated with a high risk of bleeding events (HR: 1.885; 95% CI, 1.294 to 2.748). The multivariable logistic regression model identified female sex, chronic coronary syndrome, peripheral artery disease and chronic kidney disease as independent factors associated with elevated BP., Conclusions: These findings suggest that BP management is essential to prevent bleeding events after PCI., Competing Interests: Competing interests: No., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Aims: To investigate the association between triglyceride levels and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in primary and secondary prevention cohorts., Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with a nationwide health insurance claims database, which included approximately 3.8 million participants with medical checkups between January 2005 and August 2020 in Japan. The participants were classified into primary prevention (n=3,415,522) and secondary prevention (n=29,806) cohorts based on cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease history. Each participant was categorized as having very low (triglyceride ＜50 mg/dL), low normal (50-99), high normal (100-149), or hypertriglyceridemia (≥ 150). The primary prevention cohort was further stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups according to atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases risk. Outcome was MACE, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), unstable angina, ischemic stroke, and cardiac death., Results: Over a mean follow-up of 3.25 years, 0.3% and 2.6% MACE occurred in primary and secondary prevention, respectively. Hypertriglyceridemia was associated with high risk of MACE in the primary prevention, but not in the secondary prevention. A significant interaction was observed between prevention categories and the association of TG levels with MACE in those with TG ＜150 mg/dL and ischemic stroke in those with TG ≥ 150 mg/dL. The population-attributable fraction for hypertriglyceridemia in primary prevention was 4.1% for MACE. In primary prevention, lower risks of AMI were observed in the lower TG category compared to the current threshold., Conclusions: This study suggests distinct triglyceride thresholds for MACE risk in primary and secondary prevention cohorts, requiring further prospective validation for clinical implementation.

Background: The concepts of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) are now widely accepted. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are the first-line medication for coronary spastic angina (coronary spastic angina: CSA/vasospastic angina: VSA), while β-blockers sometimes do not improve CSA/VSA. However, β-blockers are essential for managing symptoms of coronary microvascular dysfunction and considered vital for treating heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)., Case Summary: We present the case of an 83-year-old female admitted with shortness of breath persisting for over 1 year and worsening ejection fraction (EF) from 65% to 32%. On admission, she experienced chest pain at rest despite finding no significant stenosis on coronary angiography. Several days later, we performed functional coronary angiography (FCA), revealing diffuse epicardial coronary spasm upon injecting acetylcholine. The coronary flow reserve was 4.4 (≧2.0), and the microvascular resistance index was 20 (<25). We diagnosed the patient with a myocardial injury event induced by CSA/VSA and initiated dihydropyridine CCBs. A few months later, her chest pain resolved; the HF symptoms improved (NYHA: from Ⅲ to Ⅱ), accompanied by a reduction in B-type natriuretic peptide levels (from 4561.2 to 75.4 pg/mL) and EF improvement (from 32.0% to 62.6%)., Discussion: We managed a patient with HFrEF and MINOCA. Although CCBs are not routinely recommended for HFrEF, we added dihydropyridine CCBs to treat CSA/VSA based on comprehensive diagnostic procedures. This approach sedated chest pain and may have contributed to her EF improvement. Detailed examinations and tailored treatment strategies might be helpful for HF treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: Periostin (POSTN) is a type of matrix protein that functions by binding to other matrix proteins, cell surface receptors, or other molecules, such as cytokines and proteases. POSTN has four major splicing variants (PN1-4), which are primarily expressed in fibroblasts and cancer. We have reported that we should inhibit pathological POSTN (PN1-3), but not physiological POSTN (PN4). In particular, pathological POSTN with exon 17 is present in both stroma and cancer, but it is unclear whether the stroma or cancer pathological POSTN should be suppressed., Methods and Results: We transplanted 4T1 cells (breast cancer) secreting POSTN with exon 17 into 17KO mice lacking POSTN exon 17 to suppress stromal POSTN with exon 17. The results show that 17KO mice had smaller primary tumors and fewer metastases. Furthermore, to suppress cancer POSTN with exon 17, 4T1 cells transfected with POSTN exon 17 skipping oligo or control oligo were transplanted from the tail vein into the lungs. The results show that POSTN exon 17 skipping oligo significantly suppressed lung metastasis., Conclusions: These findings suggest that it is important to suppress POSTN exon 17 in both stroma and cancer. Antibody targeting POSTN exon 17 may be a therapeutic candidate for breast cancer.

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) occurs frequently in the oral cavity, and because of its high proliferative and metastatic potential, it is necessary to develop a novel treatment for it. We have reported the importance of the inhibition of the periostin (POSTN) pathological splicing variant, including exon 21 (PN1-2), in various malignancies, but its influence is unclear in tongue cancer. In this study, we investigated the potential of POSTN exon 21-specific neutralizing antibody (PN21-Ab) as a novel treatment for TSCC. Human PN2 was transfected into the human TSCC (HSC-3) and cultured under stress, and PN2 was found to increase cell viability. PN2 induced chemotherapy resistance in HSC-3 via the phosphorylation of the cell survival signal Akt. In tissues from human TSCC and primary tumors of an HSC-3 xenograft model, PN1-2 was expressed in the tumor stroma, mainly from fibroblasts. The intensity of PN1-2 mRNA expression was positively correlated with malignancy. In the HSC-3 xenograft model, CDDP and PN21-Ab promoted CDPP's inhibition of tumor growth. These results suggest that POSTN exon 21 may be a biomarker for tongue cancer and that PN21-Ab may be a novel treatment for chemotherapy-resistant tongue cancer. The treatment points towards important innovations for TSCC, but many more studies are needed to extrapolate the results.

Background: Cancer is a known prognostic factor in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but few risk assessments of cancer development after ACS have been established., Methods and results: Of the 573 consecutive ACS admissions between January 2015 and March 2018 in Nobeoka City, Japan, 552 were analyzed. Prevalent cancer was defined as a treatment history of cancer, and incident cancer as post-discharge cancer incidence. The primary endpoint was post-discharge cancer incidence, and the secondary endpoint was all-cause death during follow-up. All-cause death occurred in 9 (23.1%) patients with prevalent cancer, and in 17 (3.5%) without cancer. In the multivariable analysis, prevalent cancer was associated with all-cause death. To develop the prediction model for cancer incidence, 21 patients with incident cancer and 492 without cancer were analyzed. We compared the performance of D-dimer with that of the prediction model, which added age (≥65 years), smoking history, and high red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio (RAR) to D-dimer. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristics curves of D-dimer and the prediction model were 0.619 (95% confidence interval: 0.512-0.725) and 0.774 (0.676-0.873), respectively. Decision curve analysis showed superior net benefits of the prediction model., Conclusions: By adding elderly, smoking, and high RAR to D-dimer to the prediction model it became clinically useful for predicting cancer incidence after ACS.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between heart failure (HF) severity measured based on brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and future bleeding events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Background: The Academic Research Consortium for High Bleeding Risk presents a bleeding risk assessment for antithrombotic therapy in patients after PCI. HF is a risk factor for bleeding in Japanese patients., Methods: Using an electronic medical record-based database with seven tertiary hospitals in Japan, this retrospective study included 7160 patients who underwent PCI between April 2014 and March 2020 and who completed a 3-year follow-up and were divided into three groups: no HF, HF with high BNP level and HF with low BNP level. The primary outcome was bleeding events according to the Global Use of Streptokinase and t-PA for Occluded Coronary Arteries classification of moderate and severe bleeding. The secondary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Furthermore, thrombogenicity was measured using the Total Thrombus-Formation Analysis System (T-TAS) in 536 consecutive patients undergoing PCI between August 2013 and March 2017 at Kumamoto University Hospital., Results: Multivariate Cox regression showed that HF with high BNP level was significantly associated with bleeding events, MACE and all-cause death. In the T-TAS measurement, the thrombogenicity was lower in patients with HF with high BNP levels than in those without HF and with HF with low BNP levels., Conclusions: HF with high BNP level is associated with future bleeding events, suggesting that bleeding risk might differ depending on HF severity., Competing Interests: Competing interests: TM received research grants from Amgen and honoraria from Abbott Medical and Bayer. TK received scholarship funds from Abbott Medical. YI received honoraria from Daiichi Sankyo and Toa Eiyo. KKario received research grants and honoraria from Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho. AK received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Sumitomo Pharma. YMizuno received research grants and consulting fees from Bayer. KT received research grants from PPD-Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories and Alexion Pharmaceuticals; and scholarship funds from Abbott Medical, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, ITI, Ono Pharmaceutical, Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Takeda Pharmaceutical; affiliation with the endowed department from Abbott Medical, Boston Scientific, Cardinal Health, Fides-ONE, Fukuda Denshi, GM Medical, ITI, Japan Lifeline, Kaneka Medix, Medical Appliance, Medtronic, Nipro and Terumo and honoraria from Abbott Medical, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Daiichi Sankyo, Medtronic, Kowa, Novartis Pharma, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Pfizer and Janssen Pharmaceutical. HS reports stock or stock options in Precision. HF received consulting fees from Mehergen Group Holdings; and honoraria from Novartis Pharma and Otsuka Pharmaceutical. RN received honoraria from Kowa, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Tanabe-Mitsubishi Pharmaceutical and Boehringer-Ingelheim. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Model-image registration methods are commonly used in research to measure three-dimensional joint kinematics from single-plane and bi-plane x-ray images. These methods have the potential to be beneficial if used clinically, but current techniques are too slow or expensive to be clinically practical. One technical element of these methods for measuring natural bone motion is the use of digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs). DRRs can be very expensive to compute, or require expensive and fast computer hardware. In this technical development, a numerically efficient Siddon-Jacobs algorithm for computing DRRs was implemented on a consumer-grade graphics card using a programming language for parallel architectures. Compared to traditional voxel projection algorithms with a central-processing-unit-only implementation, the parallel computation implementation on the graphics card provided speedups of 650-1546 times faster rendering, while retaining equivalent performance for joint kinematics measurements. The use of consumer grade graphics hardware may contribute to making model-image registration measurements of joint kinematics practical for clinical use., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) often leads to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and death before hospital arrival., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in AAD incidence by sex., Methods: A population-based study in a city with 121,180 residents was conducted using postmortem computed tomography data to identify patients with AAD who died before hospital arrival in 2008-2020. The incidence rate ratio and odds ratio were estimated using Poisson regression and univariable logistic regression, respectively., Results: A total of 266 patients with incident AAD were enrolled: 84 patients with OHCA, 137 women [n = 137], and 164 patients with type A AAD. The crude and age-adjusted incidence of AAD was 16.2 and 14.3/100,000 person-years, respectively. The incidence of AAD was comparable by sex (men, 16.7/100,000 person-years; women, 15.7/100,000 person-years; incidence rate ratio: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.74-1.20; P  = 0.64). Compared with men with AAD, women with AAD were older (77 ± 11 years vs 70 ± 14 years; P  < 0.001), and a higher proportion had type A AAD (76% vs 47%; P  < 0.001). Women with AAD had higher prehospital mortality than men with AAD (37% vs 21%; P  = 0.004; OR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.30-3.87; P  = 0.004). Among 1,373 patients with OHCA, the proportion of women with AAD was significantly higher than the proportion of men with AAD (11% vs 3.9%; P  < 0.001; OR: 2.90; 95% CI: 1.86-4.53; P  < 0.001). AAD was most common in women aged 60 to 69 years (16.4%)., Conclusions: Women had a higher incidence of AAD presenting as prehospital death than men., Competing Interests: This work was supported in part by the 10.13039/100007449Takeda Science Foundation, the 10.13039/100015639Japan Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and 10.13039/501100001691JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 22K16077. The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can assess calcium thickness, a key factor for predicting good stent expansion; however, it underestimates coronary calcium severity due to its penetration limitation. This study aimed to evaluate computed tomography (CT) and OCT images to assess calcification. We investigated 25 left anterior descending arteries of 25 patients, using coronary CT and OCT, and assessed their calcification. Of the 25 vessels, 1811 pairs of CT and OCT cross-sectional images were co-registered. Of the 1811 cross-sectional CT images, calcification was not detectable in 256 (14.1%) of the corresponding OCT images due to limited penetration. In the 1555 OCT calcium-detectable images, the maximum calcium thickness was not detectable in 763 (49.1%) images compared to the CT images. In CT images of slices corresponding to undetected calcium in OCT images, the angle, thickness, and maximum density of calcium were significantly smaller compared to slices corresponding to detected calcium in OCT. Calcium with an undetectable maximum thickness in the corresponding OCT image had a significantly greater calcium angle, thickness, and density than calcium with a detectable maximum thickness. There was an excellent correlation between CT and OCT with respect to calcium angle ( R= 0.82, P < 0.001). The calcium thickness on the OCT image had a stronger correlation with the maximum density on the corresponding CT image (R = 0.73, P < 0.001) than with the calcium thickness on the CT image (R = 0.61, P < 0.001). Cross-sectional CT imaging allows for pre-procedural assessment of calcium morphology and severity and could complement the lack of information on calcium severity in OCT-guided percutaneous coronary intervention., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background: Heart failure (HF) is associated with a high bleeding risk after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Additionally, major bleeding events increase the risk of subsequent major adverse cardiac events (MACE). However, whether brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and major bleeding events following PCI are associated with MACE and all-cause death remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the impact of HF severity or bleeding on subsequent MACE and all-cause death., Methods: The Clinical Deep Data Accumulation System (CLIDAS), a multicenter database involving seven hospitals in Japan, was developed to collect data from electronic medical records. This retrospective analysis included 7160 patients who underwent PCI between April 2014 and March 2020 and completed a three-year follow-up. Patients were divided according to the presence of HF with high BNP (HFhBNP) (>100 pg/ml) and major bleeding events within 30 days post-PCI (30-day bleeding): HFhBNP with bleeding (n = 14), HFhBNP without bleeding (n = 370), non-HFhBNP with bleeding (n = 74), and non-HFhBNP without bleeding (n = 6702)., Results: In patients without 30-day bleeding, HFhBNP was a risk factor for MACE (hazard ratio, 2.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.56-3.07) and all-cause death (hazard ratio, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.60-2.23). Among HFhBNP patients, MACE incidence was higher in patients with 30-day bleeding than in those without bleeding, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.075). The incidence of all-cause death was higher in patients with bleeding (p = 0.001)., Conclusions: HF with high BNP and bleeding events in the early stage after PCI might be associated with subsequent MACE and all-cause death., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Signs of suicidal depression often go undetected in primary care settings. This study explored predictive factors for depression with suicidal ideation (DSI) among middle-aged primary care patients at 6 months after an initial clinic visit. New patients aged 35-64 years were recruited from internal medicine clinics in Japan. Baseline characteristics were elicited using self-administered and physician questionnaires. DSI was evaluated using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Profile of Mood States at enrollment and 6 months later. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios for DSI. Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios for associated factors were calculated. Among 387 patients, 13 (3.4%) were assessed as having DSI at 6 months. Adjusted for sex, age, and related factors, significant odds ratios for DSI were observed for "fatigue on waking ≥1/month" (7.90, 95% confidence intervals: 1.06-58.7), "fatigue on waking ≥1/week" (6.79, 1.02-45.1), "poor sleep status" (8.19, 1.05-63.8), and "relationship problems in the workplace" (4.24, 1.00-17.9). Fatigue on waking, sleep status, and workplace relationship problems may help predict DSI in primary care. Because the sample size in this investigation was small, further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm our findings.

Purpose: Intraoperative control of air leaks is important for preventing prolonged air leaks after surgery. The usefulness of suturing free pericardial fat pads (FPFPs) as pledgets for repairing air leaks was investigated., Methods: A total of 111 patients who underwent anatomical lung resection and required suture repair for intraoperative air leaks were retrospectively reviewed. Mattress sutures were performed using polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets (PGA group; n = 60) in the early period (April 2014 to March 2018) and FPFPs (FPFP group; n = 51) in the late period (April 2018 to March 2021) as pledgets., Results: More patients had a history of smoking in the FPFP group than in the PGA group. The duration of air leakage was significantly shorter (mean 1.2 vs. 3.5 days, p = 0.002) and prolonged air leakage (> 5 days) was less frequently observed (23.3% vs. 5.9%, p = 0.016) in the FPFP group than in the PGA group. The FPFP group had fewer cases requiring pleurodesis and with recurrent air leaks than in the PGA group. In one case in the FPFP group, fat necrosis with fibrosis and fibrous adhesion to the visceral pleura was found on a pathological examination., Conclusion: Parenchymal repair using FPFPs as pledgets can reduce prolonged air leaks after surgery., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.)

Objectives: The study aimed to elucidate target cup orientation and stem anteversions to avoid impingement between the liner and stem neck even at hip rotation with adduction during the deeply flexed posture. Methods: A computer simulation analysis was performed on 32 total hip arthroplasty patients applying patient-specific orientation of the components and in vivo hip kinematics obtained from three-dimensional analysis of the squatting motion. The anterior/posterior liner-to-neck distance and impingement were evaluated based on a virtual change in internal/external rotation (0°-60°) and adduction/abduction (0°-20°) at actual maximum flexion/extension during squatting. Cutoff values of cup orientations, stem anteversion, and combined anteversion to avoid liner-to-neck impingements were determined. Results: The anterior liner-to-neck distance decreased as internal rotation or adduction increased, and the posterior liner-to-neck distance decreased as external rotation or adduction increased. Negative correlations were found between anterior/posterior liner-to-neck distances at maximum flexion/extension and internal/external rotation. Anterior/posterior liner-to-neck impingements were observed in 6/18 hips (18/56%) at 45° internal/external rotation with 20° adduction. The range of target cup anteversion, stem anteversion, and combined anteversion to avoid both anterior and posterior liner-to-neck impingements during squatting were 15°-18°, 19°-34°, and 41°-56°, respectively. Conclusion: Simulated hip rotations caused prosthetic impingement during squatting. Surgeons could gain valuable insights into target cup orientations and stem anteversion based on postoperative simulations during the deeply flexed posture., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Harada, Hamai, Ikebe, Hara, Higaki, Gondo, Kawahara, Shiomoto, Harada and Nakashima.)

Background: Rhabdomyolysis is the collapse of damaged skeletal muscle and the leakage of muscle-cell contents, such as electrolytes, myoglobin, and other sarcoplasmic proteins, into the circulation. The glomeruli filtered these products, leading to acute kidney injury (AKI) through several mechanisms, such as intratubular obstruction secondary to protein precipitation. The prognosis is highly mutable and depends on the underlying complications and etiologies. New therapeutic plans to reduce AKI are now needed. Up to now, several cellular pathways, with the nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-kB), as well as the proinflammatory effects on epithelial and tubular epithelial cells, have been recognized as the major pathway for the initiation of the matrix-producing cells in AKI. Recently, it has been mentioned that periostin (POSTN), an extracellular matrix protein, is involved in the development of inflammation through the modulation of the NF-kB pathway. However, how POSTN develops the inflammation protection in AKI by rhabdomyolysis is uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the role of POSTN in a rhabdomyolysis mice model of AKI induced by an intramuscular injection of 50% glycerol., Methods: In vivo, we performed an intramuscular injection of 50% glycerol (5 mg/kg body weight) to make rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI. We examined the expression level of POSTN through the progression of AKI after glycerol intramuscular injection for C57BL/6J wildtype (WT) mice. We sacrificed mice at 72 h after glycerol injection. We made periostin-null mice to examine the role of POSTN in acute renal failure. The role of periostin was further examined through in vitro methods. The development of renal inflammation is linked with the NF-kB pathway. To examine the POSTN function, we administrated hemin (100 μM) on NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells, and the following signaling pathways were examined., Results: The expression of periostin was highly increased, peaking at about 72 h after glycerol injection. The expression of inflammation-associated mRNAs such as monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) and IL-6, and tubular injury score in H-E staining were more reduced in POSTN-null mice than WT mice at 72 h after glycerol injection., Conclusion: POSTN was highly expressed in the kidney through rhabdomyolysis and was a positive regulator of AKI. Targeting POSTN might propose a new therapeutic strategy against the development of acute renal failure.

Background: Neural tumors at the thoracic apex require a careful surgical technique because of the presence of vascular and neural structures and minimally invasive surgery can be challenging for these tumors, especially large tumor in obese patients. We report a case of a large apical schwannoma that treated with RATS in an obese patient., Case Presentation: An obese, diabetic, 36-year-old obese man with a body mass index of 34.7 presented with a 5.0-cm mediastinal mass in the left thoracic apex diagnosed via chest computed tomography. The magnetic resonance images suggested a schwannoma. Surgery was scheduled after glycemic control. Robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) was performed with in the right lateral position, and tumor was dissected from the surrounding tissue without severe nerve injury using bipolar forceps. The pathological diagnosis was benign schwannoma. The patient had an uneventful clinical course and was discharged on postoperative day 3., Conclusion: RATS may be a useful approach in the narrow space of the thoracic cavity in obese patients., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: An increasing number of elderly patients with impaired immunity, malnutrition and comorbidities are considered surgical candidates. This study aimed to clarify the predictive factors and prognostic impact of postoperative pulmonary complications in elderly patients with lung cancer., Methods: This retrospective study included 188 patients (≥75 years) who underwent complete anatomical lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer between 2005 and 2019. Postoperative pulmonary complications graded ≥II in the Clavien-Dindo classification, occurring within 30-day post-surgery were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses and Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyse predictors and prognostic impact of complications., Results: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed in 154 patients (81.9%). The 90-day mortality rate was 0.5%. Postoperative pulmonary complications including air leak, pneumonia, sputum retention, atelectasis, bronchopleural fistula and empyema occurred in 29 patients (15.4%). A lower prognostic nutritional index (<45) and longer operative time were independent predictive factors of pulmonary complications, with 33.3% of patients experiencing both factors. Following a median follow-up of 48 months, the 5-year overall and relapse-free survival rates were significantly worse in patients with pulmonary complications than in those without them (54.4% vs 81.5% and 41.2% vs 74.9%). Pulmonary complications were significantly associated with worse overall and relapse-free survival [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.97 (1.01-3.66), P = 0.047 and 2.35 (1.28-4.12), P = 0.007, respectively] along with pathologic stage and carcinoembryonic antigen levels., Conclusions: Postoperative pulmonary complications are associated with a lower prognostic nutritional index and prolonged operative time; the complications are independent adverse prognostic factors in elderly patients., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.)

Background: The in vivo kinematic benefit of an asymmetrical polyethylene insert is still unknown in comparison with that of a symmetrical insert with the same femoral component design. The purpose of this study was to analyze the kinematic differences between symmetrical and asymmetrical polyethylene inserts and to detect the kinematic benefit in the asymmetrical polyethylene insert. The hypotheses are that greater axial rotation and more posterior rollback are observed in the asymmetrical polyethylene insert., Methods: The patients were randomly allocated to the following two groups: total knee arthroplasty with a symmetrical insert and with an asymmetrical insert. In vivo knee kinematics was analyzed in asymmetrical (17 knees) and symmetrical (16 knees) inserts using an image matching technique. The symmetrical polyethylene insert had the same geometry on both sides, whereas the asymmetrical polyethylene insert had a flat surface on the postero-lateral side. The anterior/posterior position and axial rotation were compared between the two polyethylene inserts., Results: The femoral component was significantly positioned posteriorly at 70° (p = 0.016) and 80° (p = 0.040) of knee flexion and externally rotated at 80° of knee flexion (p = 0.040) in the asymmetrical polyethylene insert as compared to the position of the symmetrical polyethylene insert. Femoral rollback and axial rotation from full extension to maximum flexion were greater in the asymmetrical polyethylene insert, although the difference was not significant., Conclusions: In the asymmetrical polyethylene insert, slight kinematic benefit with greater axial rotation and more posterior rollback was observed in comparison with the symmetrical polyethylene insert. Further research should be required whether the kinematic benefit of an asymmetrical polyethylene insert will lead to better patient satisfaction and function., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. K. Nishitani, Prof. S. Matsuda, and S. Nakamura reports research grant from Kyocera outside the submitted work. Prof. H. Ito reports grants from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Co., Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, UCB Japan Co. Ltd, AYUMI Pharmaceutical Co., Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp, Nagahama City, Shiga, Japan, and Toyooka City, Hyogo, Japan, outside the submitted work., (Copyright © 2021 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mid-flexion instability is the one of the reasons for patient dissatisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purposes of this study were to evaluate in vivo knee kinematics and clinical outcomes using a novel TKA design with a gradual femoral radius component and s-curve post-cam, which are intended to prevent the instability initiated by sudden reductions in the femoral radius observed with conventional components., Methods: We used radiographic-based, image-matching techniques to analyze femorotibial anteroposterior translation, axial rotation, and anterior/posterior cam-post contact during two dynamic movements, squatting and stair climbing, in 20 knees that had undergone posterior-stabilized fixed-bearing TKA with an improved sagittal profiles of the femoral component and post-cam mechanism. We also evaluated patient-reported outcomes assessed by the 2011 Knee Society Score (KSS 2011)., Results: Squatting and stair climbing produced a similar trend in anteroposterior translation and a relatively small standard deviation at mid-flexion. Although the rotation angles varied widely during squatting and stair climbing, the femoral component was consistently externally rotated. Anterior/posterior cam-post contact during squatting and stair climbing were observed in 0/17 knees and 0/0 knees, respectively. The "Symptoms", "Satisfaction", and "Functional activities" subscales of the KSS 2011 were significantly (P < 0.05) improved postoperatively compared to preoperatively ("Symptoms", 10 to 21; "Satisfaction", 15 to 26; "Functional activities", 25 to 71)., Conclusion: A gradual femoral radius component with an s-curve post-cam provided stable kinematics and favorable clinical results during squatting and stair climbing at 1 year after surgery., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Hamai reports personal fees from Kyocera Medical, outside the submitted work. Dr. Okazaki reports personal fees from Smith & Nephew, personal fees from Zimmer Biomet, outside the submitted work. Other authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publication of this article., (Copyright © 2021 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Squatting is an important function for many daily activities, but has not been well documented after total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study investigated the participation rate of squatting and in vivo kinematics during squatting., Methods: A survey questionnaire about squatting was mailed to patients who underwent primary THA and 328 patients returned acceptable responses. Additionally, 32 hips were evaluated for dynamic 3-dimensional kinematics of squatting using density-based image-matching techniques. Multivariate analyses were applied to determine which factors were associated with anterior liner-to-neck distance at maximum hip flexion., Results: Patients who could easily squat significantly increased this ability postoperatively (23.5% vs 46%, P < .01). In 29.5% of the patients there was still no ability to squat after THA; the main reason was anxiety of dislocation (34.2%). Kinematic analysis revealed that maximum hip flexion averaged 80.7° ± 12.3° with 12.8° ± 10.7° of posterior pelvic tilt and 9.7 ± 3.0 mm of anterior liner-to-neck distance. Neither liner-to-neck, bone-to-bone, nor bone-to-implant contact was observed in any of the hips. Larger hip flexion and smaller cup anteversion were negatively associated with the anterior liner-to-neck distance at maximum hip flexion (P < .05)., Conclusion: Postoperatively, approximately 70% of patients squatted easily or with support. Anxiety of dislocation made patients avoid squatting after THA. In vivo squatting kinematics suggest no danger of impingement or subsequent dislocation, but excessively large hip flexion and small cup anteversion remain as risks., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has a higher resolution than intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and enables a more precise evaluation of calcium severity. We investigated the impact of the imaging method (OCT versus IVUS) on stent expansion during intravascular imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in calcified lesions. In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, 145 lesions with moderate to severe calcification were divided into four groups: 40 IVUS-guided rotational atherectomy (RA), 38 IVUS-guided non-RA, 35 OCT-guided RA, and 32 OCT-guided non-RA. Lesions without pre-procedural intravascular imaging were excluded. OCT-guided RA was associated with greater stent expansion at the target calcium compared with IVUS-guided RA (median 88.0%, interquartile range [78.0-96.0] vs. 76.5% [71.0-84.3], P = 0.008). Furthermore, stent expansion in OCT-guided non-RA was similar to OCT-guided RA. OCT-guided RA used a larger burr compared to IVUS-guided RA (1.75 mm [1.50-2.0] vs. 1.50 mm [1.50-1.75], P = 0.004). In OCT-guided RA, the median minimum calcium thickness was significantly reduced from 800 (640-980) µm to 550 (350-680) µm (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of ischemia driven target lesion revascularization between the four groups (P = 0.37). By determining the indication and endpoint of lesion modification by RA based on the thickness of calcium, OCT-guided PCI was associated with significantly greater stent expansion compared with IVUS-guided PCI., (© 2021. Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics.)

Background After total hip arthroplasty, dislocation can occur when a patient unexpectedly assumes internal/external limb positions, even during chair-rising, which is a frequently activity of daily life. Therefore, determining the target cup position to avoid impingement in unexpected limb positions using in vivo data of daily life activities is critical. Methods A computer simulation was performed on 21 total hip arthroplasty patients using patient-specific component placements and hip kinematics obtained during chair-rising analysis using image-matching techniques. The liner-to-neck distance and impingement were evaluated by simulating the change in internal/external rotation angle at maximum hip flexion/extension from 0 to 90°. The cutoff values of cup anteversion and combined anteversion at 60° of internal/external rotation were determined. Findings The anterior/posterior liner-to-neck distances were negatively correlated with internal/external rotation angles (r = -0.82 and -0.78, respectively) and decreased by 1.7 and 1.8 mm for every 15° increase, respectively. Three cases (14%) of anterior/posterior impingement were observed at 60° of internal/external rotation angle, respectively. The cutoff values for cup anteversion and combined anteversion to avoid impingement at 60° of internal/external rotation angle were 12°-25°/38°-62°, respectively. The stem anteversion, adjustable by cup anteversion to meet both the target cup anteversion and combined anteversion, was 13°-50°. Interpretation Simulated unintentional internal or external hip rotation, even during chair-rising, caused impingement and posed a dislocation risk. If the stem anteversion is excessively small or large in meeting the target combined anteversion, adjustments to stem anteversion could be recommended in addition to adjustments in cup anteversion., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a basic clinical index that determines the heart failure (HF) treatment strategy. We aimed to evaluate the association between hospitalization costs for HF patient and LVEF in an advanced aging society in a region in Japan. Methods and Results: Consecutive HF patients admitted to Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital between January 2015 and March 2018 were included in the study. The 346 HF patients (mean age 78 years) were divided into 2 groups: HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; LVEF <40%; n=129) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF; LVEF ≥40%; n=217). Median hospitalization costs (in 2017 US dollars) were higher in the HFrEF than HFpEF group, but the difference was not statistically significant ($7,128 vs. $6,580; P=0.189). However, in older adults (age ≥75 years; n=252), median hospitalization costs were significantly higher in the HFrEF than HFpEF group ($7,240 vs. $6,471; P=0.014), and LVEF was an independent factor of hospitalization costs (β=-0.0301, P=0.006). Median hospitalization costs were significantly lower in the older than younger HFpEF group ($6,471 vs. $7,250; P=0.011), but there was no significant difference in costs between the older and younger HFrEF groups ($7,240 vs. $6,760; P=0.351). Conclusions: The relationship between LVEF and hospitalization costs became more pronounced with age, and LVEF was a negative independent factor for hospitalization costs in the older population., Competing Interests: Y.M. is a member of Circulation Reports’ Editorial Team. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022, THE JAPANESE CIRCULATION SOCIETY.)

The successful reduction of a nasomaxillary fracture was performed using a three-dimensional printed model. A 16-year-old boy was struck in the left orbit by a baseball; subsequently, he was diagnosed with the nasal bone fracture at a hospital, and was referred to the authors' department. A left nasomaxillary fracture and nasal bone fracture were diagnosed by computed tomography. Standard triangulated language data for the mirror image of the frontal process of the right maxilla were obtained from digital imaging and communications in medicine data for preparing a three-dimensional printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene model. On postinjury day 13, the frontal process fracture was reduced via transconjunctival and intraoral approaches. After the reduction of the fracture, an absorbable plate fitting to the shape of three-dimensional printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene model was molded, and the maxillary frontal process and infraorbital rim were reduced and fixed with an absorbable plate and screws. Postoperative computed tomography demonstrated a favorable reduction. The intraoperative use of the 3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene model was helpful in the nasomaxillary fracture reduction and fixation., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this article., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Background: This study aimed to calculate incidence rates (IR) of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), unstable angina (UAP), and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in Nobeoka city, Japan., Methods and results: This was an observational study based on a city-wide comprehensive registration between 2015 and 2017 in Nobeoka city, Japan, using 2 databases: all patients with cardiogenic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Nobeoka city and hospitalized ACS patients from Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital in which all ACS patients in Nobeoka city were hospitalized except for possible rare cases of patients highly unlikely to be hospitalized elsewhere. The IRs of ACS based on the population size of Nobeoka city (125,000 persons), and their age-adjusted IRs by using the direct method and the 2015 model population of Japan were calculated. There were 260 eligible patients hospitalized with first-onset ACS (age [SD]=71.1 [12.4], 34.2% women) and 107 eligible SCD patients. Crude IRs of hospitalized ACS and SCD patients, and hospitalized AMI and SCD patients, respectively, were 130.2 (183.3 for men, 85.6 for women) and 107.5 (148.4 for men, 73.2 for women) per 100,000. Crude IRs of hospitalized ACS, AMI, and UAP patients, respectively, were 92.3 (132.8 for men, 58.1 for women), 69.6 (97.9 for men, 45.7 for women), and 22.7 (35.0 for men, 12.4 for women) per 100,000., Conclusions: The calculated IRs can be useful in building a health strategy for treating ACS.

Background: No studies have directly evaluated kinematic changes during squatting before and after bicruciate-stabilized total knee arthroplasty (BCS-TKA) with the dual cam-post mechanism and asymmetric surfaces. This study investigated the effect of BCS-TKA on changes to pre- and postoperative skeletal knee kinematics, to identify factors associated with postoperative skeletal kinematic parameters., Methods: Seventeen knees in 17 patients were prospectively recruited before primary TKA for advanced medial knee osteoarthritis. Subjects underwent BCS-TKA and were evaluated more than 1 year postoperatively. In vivo dynamic skeletal knee kinematics were evaluated using periodic radiographic images collected during squatting to quantify the tibiofemoral functional extension/flexion angle, anteroposterior (AP) translation, and axial rotation angle using image-matching techniques. Rotational alignments of femoral and tibial components were measured postoperatively using computed tomography images., Results: The pre- and postoperative tibiofemoral functional extension/flexion angles during squatting were 12.2° ± 6.7°/100.1° ± 16.8° and 9.6° ± 8.6°/109.4° ± 16.8°, respectively, with a significant difference in flexion angle (p < .05). Total AP translation was significantly larger postoperatively than preoperatively (10.8 mm ± 3.7 mm vs. 14.4 mm ± 4.2 mm, respectively; p < .05). The pre- and postoperative total rotation angles were 6.6° ± 3.0° and 6.4° ± 3.7°, respectively, indicating no significant difference. The pre- and postoperative tibiofemoral functional flexion angles were significantly associated with each other (p = .0434, r = .49). The postoperative total rotation angle was significantly smaller when the total component rotational mismatch angle between the femoral and tibial components was above 5° vs. below 5° (4.6° ± 2.7° vs. 8.3° ± 3.9°, respectively; p < .05)., Conclusions: BCS-TKA significantly increased the tibiofemoral functional flexion angles, with larger AP translation postoperatively. Both preoperative skeletal kinematics and surgical techniques affected the skeletal kinematics of the replaced knee. A total component rotational mismatch angle greater than 5° significantly decreased postoperative total knee rotation during squatting., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Aims: Optimal pharmacological treatment for chronic heart failure has been established. However, treatments that can improve the prognosis of acute heart failure (AHF) are controversial. Although intravenous diuretics may be one optimal treatment option, little evidence has shown the effect of early administration of diuretics on clinical outcomes in patients with AHF. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between door-to-furosemide (D2F) time, improved oxygenation, and in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized for AHF., Methods and Results: We screened 494 patients hospitalized for AHF in Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital. AHF patients who were treated with intravenous furosemide within 24 h of arrival at the hospital were included in this study. D2F time was defined as the time from patient arrival at the hospital to the first intravenous dose of furosemide. The early administration group was defined as those with D2F time ≤60 min, whereas the non-early group was defined as those with D2F time >60 min. The primary outcome was the rate of improved oxygenation at Day 1. The secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and cardiac death. There were 219 patients treated with the first intravenous dose of furosemide within 24 h analysed after the exclusion of 275 patients. The median D2F time was 55 min (interquartile range: 30-120 min) in the final cohort. The early administration group included 121 patients (55.3%). The rate of improved oxygenation was higher in the early group than the non-early group [median 16.7% (interquartile range: 0.0-40.0) vs. 0.0% (0.0-20.6), respectively, P < 0.001]. During the study period, there were six patients (5.0%) with in-hospital mortality in the early group and nine patients (9.2%) in the non-early group (P = 0.218). Cardiac death was observed less frequently in the early group than in the non-early group, but without statistical significance (3.3% and 9.2%, respectively) (P = 0.067). The univariable logistic regression analyses showed that early administration of furosemide was associated with improved oxygenation [odds ratio (OR): 2.26; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31-3.91; P = 0.004], but not with in-hospital mortality (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.18-1.50; P = 0.225) or cardiac death (OR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.10-1.13; P = 0.079). In multivariable analyses adjusted for risk score or relevant variables, early administration of furosemide was consistently associated with improvement of oxygenation., Conclusions: The present study showed that in AHF patients, the early administration of furosemide was associated with improved oxygenation., (© 2021 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: Measurement of the coronary artery calcification score using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is a useful noninvasive test for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. However, whether pre-intervention assessment of the target vessel coronary artery calcification (TV-CAC) score is associated with stent expansion failure and future target lesion revascularization (TLR), remains unknown. This study aimed to determine the association between the TV-CAC score measured by MDCT and stent expansion rate in patients who underwent IVUS-guided PCI for stable angina., Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study including 135 consecutive patients (186 target lesions) who underwent MDCT and were scheduled for the first PCI. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the median value of the TV-CAC score. The primary outcome was the stent expansion rate measured by IVUS after stent implantation. The secondary outcome was TLR within 1 year., Results: Stent expansion rate was associated with the TV-CAC score (p < 0.001). According to the ROC curve analysis, the TV-CAC score had the largest area under the curve (AUC) for the stent expansion area of 0.90 (AUC = 0.893, p < 0.001). The TV-CAC score was a positive predictor for stent expansion rate of <90% (odds ratio: 7.54, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis showed that stent under-expansion was a mediator of the association between high TV-CAC and TLR., Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that pre-intervention assessment of TV-CAC using MDCT is a predictor of stent expansion. The TV-CAC score might predict the complexity and help in the PCI operative strategy., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A 75-year-old man with diabetes mellitus showed elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level at his regular visit. Computed tomography scan showed a lung tumor in his left lower lobe and systemic lymphadenopathy including abdominal lymph nodes. The patient was diagnosed as primary pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma with systemic lymph node metastasis. Thereafter, unexpected steroid pulse therapy for accidental acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia rapidly shrank lymphadenopathy. At this time, we also found elevated serum immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) level (385 mg/dL). Considering these findings, we doubted the lymph nodes metastases at the initial staging, and then corrected cancer-staging (C-staging) from inferior vena cava (IVC) to inferior abdomen (IA). In addition, during the steroid tapering, sudden onset and uncontrollable left pneumothorax required surgical approach. Curative-intent left lower lobectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed for the lung cancer. Pathological findings revealed coexistence of adenosquamous carcinoma and infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells in the resected mediastinal lymph node. We detected 384 IgG4-positive cells per high power field. IgG4/IgG-positive cell ratio was 54%. Based on these findings, the diagnosis of IgG4-related disease with primary adenosquamous carcinoma (p-stage IIIA) was confirmed. The patient died 24 days after surgery because of another acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia. Our case alerts oncologists to IgG4-related disease as a possible underlying comorbidity which may confuse pretreatment clinical stage., Competing Interests: None to declare., (Copyright 2021, Ikebe et al.)