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Introduction: A corpus luteal cyst may reportedly be misidentified as an ectopic gestational sac. We report a case of cesarean scar pregnancy mimicking a pseudo-gestational sac, to differentiate between the two entities and diagnose correctly. Case Report: A 42-year-old woman with four previous cesarean sections, at 7 weeks of gestation, was suspected of an unknown site pregnancy. Transvaginal Doppler ultrasonography showed a small cystic structure accompanied by neither a yolk sac nor surrounding marginal flow, adjacent to the uterine scar, and a 16-mm-large low-echo area with a white ring in the left adnexa. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging also demonstrated a small cystic structure without contrast enhancement resembling a pseudo-gestational sac adjacent to the cesarean scar. Moreover, a cystic structure with ring-enhancement beside the left ovary, which mimicked an ectopic gestational sac, was also detected. Given these imaging findings and slightly elevated serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels, ectopic pregnancy in the left fallopian tube could not be ruled out. She underwent laparoscopic surgery and uterine content removal, which resulted in intrauterine miscarriage. The cystic structure partially resected from a marginal area in the ovary appeared to be a luteal cyst. Conclusion: For correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment, the clinical circumstances should be fully considered without excessive reliance on imaging findings.

Autoimmune hematological disorders are rare complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Diagnosis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is challenging, especially after allo-HSCT, because various complications such as graft-versus-host disease, disease relapse, viral infection, thrombotic microangiopathy, and drug side effects can also cause thrombocytopenia. Assessment of reticulated platelets (RP) and plasma thrombopoietin (TPO) levels may be useful to distinguish between ITP and hypoplastic thrombocytopenia. ITP is generally characterized by an increased percentage of RP, and a normal or slightly increased plasma TPO level. We now report three cases of thrombocytopenia after allo-HSCT. RP% was elevated in these patients, as it is in primary ITP. However, in contrast to primary ITP, plasma TPO levels were high in two of three patients. Anti-αIIbβ3 and anti-GPIb/IX-specific direct IgG antibodies were detected as well, suggesting occurrence of immune-mediated platelet destruction in addition to bone marrow suppression in two patients. All three patients were successfully treated with corticosteroids and/or thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs). These results suggest that increased RP% and detection of glycoprotein-specific platelet autoantibodies are useful for the diagnosis of ITP after HSCT.

A 34-year-old man with no medical history presented with fever 4 days after receiving the first dose of mRNA-1273 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. He had no prior clinical evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and was negative for serial polymerase chain reaction testing. Ten days after vaccination, he was referred to our hospital because of no response to antibiotics and the emergence of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and liver dysfunction. Blood tests also showed elevated serum ferritin and plasma soluble interleukin-2 receptors. Serological and PCR testing excluded active infections of cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and hepatitis viruses. Blood culture yielded no growth. Computed tomography revealed mild hepatosplenomegaly and porta hepatis lymphadenopathy but no focus on infection. Bone marrow aspiration demonstrated hemophagocytosis but no infiltrating lymphoma cells. Immediately, 2-mg/kg intravenous methylprednisolone was commenced based on the presumptive diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), leading to the rapid and durable improvement of his symptoms and laboratory data. Later, without other causes triggering hemophagocytosis, and with the close link between vaccination and disease onset, the final diagnosis of vaccination-induced secondary HLH was made. HLH after COVID-19 vaccination, though extremely rare, can occur regardless of the vaccine type. Therefore, clinicians should recognize and deal with this occasionally fatal adverse event.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Background and importance Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and initial shockable rhythm are crucial predictors of survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, the relationship between dispatcher-assisted CPR (DA-CPR) and initial shockable rhythm is not completely elucidated. Objective To examine the association of DA-CPR with initial shockable rhythm and outcomes. Design, setting and participants This nationwide population-based observational study conducted in Japan included 59 688 patients with witnessed OHCA of cardiac origin after excluding those without bystander CPR. Patients were divided into DA-CPR (n = 42 709) and CPR without dispatcher assistance (unassisted CPR, n = 16 979) groups. Outcome measures and analysis The primary outcome measure was initial shockable rhythm, and secondary outcome measures were 1-month survival and neurologically intact survival. A Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for collapse-to-first-rhythm-analysis time and multivariable logistic regression models were used after propensity score (PS) matching to compare the incidence of initial shockable rhythm and outcomes, respectively. Main results Among all patients (mean age 76.7 years), the rates of initial shockable rhythm, 1-month survival and neurologically intact survival were 20.8, 10.7 and 7.0%, respectively. The incidence of initial shockable rhythm in the DA-CPR group (20.4%, 3462/16 979) was significantly higher than that in the unassisted CPR group (18.5%, 3133/16 979) after PS matching (P < 0.0001). However, no significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to the incidence of initial shockable rhythm in the Cox proportional hazards model [adjusted hazard ratio of DA-CPR for initial shockable rhythm compared with unassisted CPR, 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97–1.02, P = 0.56]. No significant differences were observed in the survival rates in the two groups after PS matching [10.8% (1833/16 979) vs. 10.3% (1752/16 979), P = 0.16] and neurologically intact survival rates [7.3% (1233/16 979) vs. 6.8% (1161/16 979), P = 0.13]. The multivariable logistic regression model showed no significant differences between the groups with regard to survival (adjusted odds ratio of DA-CPR compared with unassisted CPR: 1.00; 95% CI, 0.89–1.13, P = 0.97) and neurologically intact survival (adjusted odds ratio: 1.12; 95% CI, 0.98–1.29, P = 0.14). Conclusion DA-CPR after OHCA had the same independent association with the likelihood of initial shockable rhythm and 1-month meaningful outcome as unassisted CPR.

Objective In Japan, immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG), and cyclosporine A (CsA) is the standard of care in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) who are not indicated for stem-cell transplantation, although some patients may experience relapse. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of eltrombopag in combination with rabbit-ATG/CsA in IST-naive patients with non-severe or severe AA in Japan. Methods In this non-randomized, open-label, single-arm, phase II study, rabbit-ATG/CsA and eltrombopag were initiated on Days 1 and 15 (±3 days), respectively, and continued for ≥26 weeks; rabbit-ATG was given for 5 days (Days 1 to 5). The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR) at Week 26. Patients Patients with AA who were IST-naive and ≤70 years old or between 71 and 75 years old based on the recommendation of the investigator were enrolled in Japan. Results Of the 11 enrolled patients, 10 started treatment with eltrombopag. The ORRs at Weeks 26 and 52 were 70.0% and 60.0%, respectively. The ORR at Week 26 was 100% (all 3 patients) in patients with non-severe AA and 57.1% (4/7) in patients with severe AA. Among transfusion-dependent patients, 66.7% (4/6) and 62.5% (5/8) became red blood cell- and platelet-transfusion independent, respectively. The most common adverse events were nausea and headache. No deaths or hematologic malignancies were reported. A cytogenetic abnormality was reported in one patient. Conclusion This study confirmed the clinical benefit of eltrombopag plus rabbit-ATG/CsA in IST-naive patients with non-severe or severe AA in Japan.

The relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) usually involves the bone marrow, with the central nervous system being the most frequent extramedullary site. The relapse of ALL in the female genital organs, particularly the uterus, is markedly rare. We report such a patient who developed relapse in the bone marrow and uterus. The uterine lesion, which presented as abnormal uterine bleeding, consisted of a mass on MRI and proliferation of ALL cells on histology. MRI revealed a heterogeneous high-intensity mass (T2-WI/D-WI) with a diameter of 6.8 cm, a notable decrease in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and mild enhancement by contrast enhancement study. Histological findings of the uterine cervix demonstrated the infiltration of ALL. The patient achieved remission by allogeneic haplo-identical hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, but died of complications of the transplantation. This case suggested that attention should be paid to the uterus as a site of extramedullary relapse. In addition, abnormal uterine bleeding, which is a common sign of hormonal imbalance and hormone replacement therapy after chemotherapy, may be an initial sign of extramedullary recurrence. To confirm uterine relapse as an intractable disease, the accumulation of more cases is required.

We believe that our report and further case reports on T‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia with genetic profile will contribute to the molecular classification of this rare but distinct disease.

A fibroepithelial stromal polyp is a benign soft tissue tumour that can occur in the vagina, vulva and uterine cervix. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings have been reported in patients with vulvar fibroepithelial stromal polyps, not in those with vaginal polyps. We present MRI findings of vaginal fibroepithelial stromal polyp in a postmenopausal female. A 1 to 2 cm firm vaginal mass arising from the left side of the vaginal wall with hypointense signal changes on T1W MRI was identified. A well-defined vaginal mass (1 cm diameter) was detected with inhomogeneous signal intensity on T2W images. However, a major portion had high signal intensity on diffusion-weighted images. A benign vaginal lesion with oedematous changes or myxoid degeneration was suspected. Vaginal resection was performed, and fibroepithelial stromal polyp was pathologically diagnosed. MRI may be a useful non-invasive modality for preoperatively diagnosing vaginal fibroepithelial stromal polyps.

A 23-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of rapidly developing lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed ascites, splenomegaly, and a huge mass that occupied the pouch of Douglas and surrounded her uterus. A markedly elevated white blood cell count of 495×10

Objectives Eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin-receptor agonist, stimulates hematopoiesis in patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AA). Cytomorphologic changes in bone marrow after eltrombopag administration are still unclear. This study examined the effect of eltrombopag on cytomorphologic findings using data from prior phase 2 studies (E1201 and E1202). Methods Microscopic examinations were performed in 31 patients with AA (E1201 [n = 21], E1202 [n = 10]). The relationship between hematologic improvement and morphologic findings was also investigated. Results In 5 patients (E1201 [n = 3], E1202 [n = 2]), the bone marrow blast count increased after initiation of eltrombopag treatment compared with screening values. The blast count was less than 5%, and the increase in bone marrow blasts was transient in all 4 patients who had bone marrow examinations at follow-up. In 8 patients (E1201 [n = 5], E1202 [n = 3]), dysplastic forms of megakaryocytes were found in the bone marrow following treatment initiation. Dysmegakaryopoiesis of 10% or more was found in 3 patients. None of the patients revealed micromegakaryocytes. Ten patients showed an increase in bone marrow blasts and/or dysmegakaryopoiesis following treatment initiation. Nine of 10 patients showed hematologic improvement in 1 or more lineages. Conclusions Dysmegakaryopoiesis without micromegakaryocytes and a transient increase of less than 5% in bone marrow blast count may be signs of hematologic improvement with eltrombopag for patients with AA.

Mixed chimerism (MC) and/or secondary graft failure (SGF) with recipient- or donor-type chimerism is a major obstacle in allogeneic transplantation for aplastic anemia (AA). From a registry database in Japan, patients with AA age >15 years who underwent a first allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation between 2000 and 2014 and achieved engraftment were included in this study. MC that did not require either granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) or transfusion support (group 1), MC (not SGF) that required G-CSF and/or transfusion support (group 2), SGF with MC or complete recipient-type chimerism (group 3), and SGF with complete donor-type chimerism (group 4) developed in 26, 16, 19, and 17 patients, respectively. The overall median duration of follow-up for survivors was 1727 days. The overall survival (OS) was 90.4% at 1 year and 83.5% at 5 years in patients without MC or SGF (n = 340), which was not different from the OS in groups 1 and 2. However, inferior OS was observed in group 3 (1 year, 52.1%; 5 years, 52.1%) and group 4 (1 year, 82.4%; 5 years, 56.3%). In multivariate analyses, the use of fludarabine (Flu) and the absence of irradiation in conditioning were associated with the development of SGF with MC or complete recipient-type chimerism, and the use of Flu in conditioning was associated with SGF with complete donor-type chimerism. In conclusion, the use of Flu may affect the occurrence of SGF with both recipient-type and donor-type chimerism.

Exophiala dermatitidis is a dematiaceous fungus that is increasingly becoming the cause of fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. However, the risk factors and optimal treatment modality for E. dermatitidis infection are unknown to date. Herein, we present a fatal case of E. dermatitidis infection in an adult patient that developed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection. The dematiaceous fungus caused a breakthrough fungemia despite prophylactic administration of micafungin. Although the patient was intensively treated with liposomal-amphotericin B and voriconazole, serum level of beta-D-glucan continuously increased, and the patient eventually died because of cerebral hemorrhage. An autopsy found multiple involvements of the fungal infection at the bilateral lungs, thoracic cavities, diaphragm, and thyroid. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of E. dermatitidis infection involving these tissues as determined via autopsy. This case highlights the importance of attention for Exophiala infection in immunocompromised individuals in those given antifungal therapy with echinocandins.

As asphyxial cardiac arrest is more common than cardiac arrest from a primary cardiac event in paediatric cardiac arrest, effective ventilation is important during paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We aimed to determine optimal dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions for bystanders after paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).We analysed the records of 8172 children who received bystander dispatcher-assisted CPR. Data were obtained from an All-Japan Utstein-style registry from 2005 to 2017. Patients were divided into conventional CPR and compression-only CPR groups. The primary study endpoint was 1-month neurologically intact survival, defined as a Cerebral Performance Category score of 1 or 2 (CPC 1-2).The 1-month CPC 1-2 rate was significantly higher in the dispatcher-assisted conventional CPR group than in the dispatcher-assisted compression-only CPR group (before propensity score matching, 5.7% [175/3077] vs. 3.1% [160/5095], p 0.0001, adjusted odds ratio 2.48, 95% confidence interval 1.19-3.22; after propensity score matching, 6.0% [156/2618] vs. 2.6% [69/2618], p 0.0001, adjusted odds ratio 2.42, 95% confidence interval 1.76-3.32). In most subgroup analyses after matching, dispatcher-assisted conventional CPR had a higher CPC 1-2 rate than dispatcher-assisted compression-only CPR; however, CPC 1-2 rates were similar between the two groups for patients with an initial shockable rhythm, those with total prehospital CPR time ≥ 20 min, those receiving public access defibrillation, advanced airway management, or adrenaline administration.Within the limitations of this retrospective observational study, dispatcher-assisted conventional CPR was preferable to dispatcher-assisted compression-only CPR as optimal CPR instructions for coaching callers to perform bystander CPR.

Aim: Ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest may consist of three time-sensitive phases: electrical, circulatory, and metabolic. However, the time boundaries of these phases are unclear. We aimed to determine the time boundaries of the three-phase model for VF cardiac arrest. Methods: We reviewed 20,741 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases with initial VF and presumed cardiac origin from the All-Japan Utstein-style registry between 2013 and 2017. The study endpoint was 1-month neurologically intact survival. The collapse-to-shock interval was defined as the time from collapse to the first shock delivery by emergency medical service personnel. The patients were divided into the bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR, n = 11,606) and non-bystander CPR (n = 9135) groups. Results: In the bystander CPR group, the collapse-to-shock times that were associated with increased adjusted 1-month neurologically intact survival, compared with those in the non-bystander CPR group, ranged from 7 min (42.9% [244/4999] vs. 26.0% [119/458], adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.44–2.63; P 17 min onward.

Aim: Trends in neurologically intact survival after paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to determine trends in 1-month neurologically intact survival after paediatric OHCA over time. Methods: We reviewed the data of 5461 children (aged < 18 years) who experienced bystander-witnessed OHCA and were included in the nationwide Japanese registry from 2005 to 2017. Patients were divided into three groups according to study period: 2005–2010, 2011–2015, and 2016–2017. We analysed the trends in 1-month neurologically intact survival rates over time. Results: The risk-adjusted odds of 1-month neurologically intact survival (odds ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.41–2.44) were significantly improved by 2016–2017 compared with baseline. Similar improvements in 1-month neurologically intact survival rates were observed with both standard bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with rescue breaths and chest compression-only bystander CPR (P for trend < 0.05 and < 0.001, respectively). In the subgroup analyses by aetiology, the 1-month neurologically intact survival rate in patients with OHCA of non-traumatic origin significantly increased from 11.8%–15.1% to 19.7% (P for trend < 0.001) but not in those with OHCA of traumatic origin (from 4.9% to 3.4% to 4.1%; P for trend = 0.29). Conclusion: The 1-month neurologically intact survival rate significantly increased from 2005 to 2017 in Japanese children with bystander-witnessed OHCA, regardless of bystander CPR type; This increase was noted in patients with OHCA of non-traumatic origin but not in those with OHCA of traumatic origin.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a life-threatening complication of transplantation. In addition to reactivation of Epstein–Barr virus in immunocompromised patients, impaired tumor immunity is suggested to be a risk factor for PTLD. However, it remains unclear whether immune suppressive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) correlate with the occurrence or prognosis of PTLD. We analyzed TILs in 26 patients with PTLD to elucidate the clinicopathological significance of the expression of PD-1 and FoxP3, which are associated with exhausted T-cells and regulatory T-cells (Tregs), respectively. Numbers of PD-1+ TILs in the PTLD specimens were significantly higher in patients who developed PTLD early after transplantation (P = 0.0040), while numbers of FoxP3+ TILs were not (P = 0.184). There was no difference in overall response rate regardless of the expression of PD-1 or FoxP3. FoxP3high patients tended to have a shorter time to progression compared with FoxP3low patients, especially in the case of FoxP3high patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-subtype PTLD (P = 0.011), while PD-1high patients did not. These results suggest that T-cell exhaustion may be mainly associated with PTLD development, while immune suppression by Tregs may be dominant in enhanced progression of PTLD following disease occurrence.

Background/Introduction Shockable rhythm after cardiac arrest is highly expected after early initiation of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) owing to increased coronary perfusion. However, the relationship between bystander CPR and initial shockable rhythm in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains unclear. We hypothesized that chest-compression-only CPR (CC-CPR) before emergency medical service (EMS) arrival has an equivalent effect on the likelihood of initial shockable rhythm to the standard CPR (chest compression plus rescue breathing [S-CPR]). Purpose We aimed to examine the rate of initial shockable rhythm and 1-month outcomes in patients who received bystander CPR after OHCA. Methods The study included 59,688 patients (age, ≥18 years) who received bystander CPR after an OHCA with a presumed cardiac origin witnessed by a layperson in a prospectively recorded Japanese nationwide Utstein-style database from 2013 to 2017. Patients who received public-access defibrillation before arrival of the EMS personnel were excluded. The patients were divided into CC-CPR (n=51,520) and S-CPR (n=8168) groups according to the type of bystander CPR received. The primary end point was initial shockable rhythm recorded by the EMS personnel just after arrival at the site. The secondary end point was the 1-month outcomes (survival and neurologically intact survival) after OHCA. In the statistical analyses, a Cox proportional hazards model was applied to reflect the different bystander CPR durations before/after propensity score (PS) matching. Results The crude rate of the initial shockable rhythm in the CC-CPR group (21.3%, 10,946/51,520) was significantly higher than that in the S-CPR group (17.6%, 1441/8168, p Conclusions Compared with S-CPR, the CC-CPR before EMS arrival had an equivalent multivariable-adjusted association with the likelihood of initial shockable rhythm in the patients with OHCA due to presumed cardiac causes that was witnessed by a layperson. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Background Guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) recommend using the universal termination-of-resuscitation (TOR) rule to identify out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients eligible for field termination of resuscitation, thus avoiding medically futile transportation to the hospital. However, in Japan, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are forbidden from terminating CPR in the field and transport almost all patients with OHCA to hospitals. We aimed to develop and validate a novel TOR rule to identify patients eligible for field termination of CPR. Methods We analyzed 540,478 patients with OHCA from 2011 to 2015 using a Japanese registry. Main outcome measures were specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of the newly developed TOR rule in predicting 1-month mortality after OHCA. Results Recursive partitioning analysis in the development group (n = 434,208) showed that EMS personnel could consider TOR if patients with OHCA met all of the following five criteria: (1) initial asystole, (2) arrest unwitnessed by a bystander, (3) age ≥81 years, (4) no bystander-administered CPR or automated external defibrillator use before EMS arrival, and (5) no return of spontaneous circulation after EMS-initiated CPR for 14 min. For patients meeting these criteria, specificity and PPV for predicting 1-month mortality were 99.2% [95% confidence interval (CI), 99.0–99.3%] and 99.7% (95% CI, 99.6–99.7%), respectively, for the development group and were 99.5% (95% CI, 99.3–99.7%) and 99.8% (95% CI, 99.7–99.9%), respectively, for the validation group. Implementation of this novel rule would reduce patient transports to hospitals by 10.6% in the development group and 10.4% in the validation group. Conclusions Having both high specificity and PPV of >99% for predicting 1-month mortality, our developed TOR rule may be applied in the field for Japanese patients with OHCA who meet all five criteria. Prospective validation studies and establishment of prehospital EMS protocol are required before implementing this rule.

It remains unclear how specific innovations in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) attained over the past decades have contributed to improvement in transplantation outcomes. To address this question, we conducted a registry-based study of adults with acute myeloid leukemia in first or second complete remission who underwent allogeneic HCT between 1994 and 2013 from a sibling (N = 1600) or unrelated (N = 2113) donor matched at the antigen level for HLA-A, -B, and -DR. Preliminary analysis led us to focus on comparisons between the 1994–2006 and 2007–2013 periods. Significant improvement in survival was observed in the later cohort compared to the earlier cohort for unrelated HCT (P = 0.004), but not for related HCT (P = 0.767). The improvement in unrelated HCT was solely due to diminished non-relapse mortality (P = 0.001), while incidence of relapse did not change over time (P = 0.934). The percentage of patients receiving transplants from 8/8-matched unrelated donors was significantly higher in the later cohort (P

The quality of acute aortic syndrome (AAS) assessment by emergency medical service (EMS) and the incidence and prehospital factors associated with 1-month survival remain unclear.We retrospectively analyzed the data collected for 94,468 patients with non-traumatic medical emergency excluding out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the period of 2011-2014.Of these transported by EMS, 22,075 had any of the AAS-related symptoms, and 330 had an EMS-assessed risk for AAS; of these, 195 received an in-hospital AAS diagnosis. Of the remaining 21,745 patients without EMS-assessed risk, 166 were diagnosed with AAS. Therefore, the sensitivity and specificity of our EMS-risk assessment for AAS was 54.0% (195/361) and 99.4% (21,579/21,714), respectively. EMS assessed the risk less frequently when patients were elderly and presented with dyspnea and syncope/faintness. Sign of upper extremity ischemia was rarely detected (6.9%) and absence of this sign was associated with lack of EMS-assessed risk. The calculation of modified aortic dissection detection risk score revealed that rigorous assessment based on this score may increase the EMS sensitivity for AAS. The 1-month survival rate was significantly higher in patients admitted to core hospitals with surgical teams for AAS than in those admitted to all other hospitals [87.5% (210/240) vs 69.4% (84/121); P0.01]. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that Stanford type A, Glasgow coma scale ≤14, and admission to core hospitals providing emergency cardiovascular surgery were associated with 1-month survival.Improvement of AAS survival is likely to be affected by rapid admission to appropriate hospitals providing cardiovascular surgery.

Introduction: Placenta previa (PP) is one of the most significant risk factors for adherent placenta (AP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of a novel scoring system for predicting AP in pregnant women with PP. Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled 175 women with PP. The placenta previa with adherent placenta score (PPAP score) is composed of 2 categories: (1) past history of cesarean section (CS), surgical abortion, and/or uterine surgery; and (2) ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging findings. Each category is graded as 0, 1, 2, or 4 points, yielding a total score between 0 and 24. When women with PP had PPAP score ≥8, they were considered to be at a high risk for AP and received placement of preoperative internal iliac artery occlusion balloon catheters. If they were found to have AP during CS, they underwent hysterectomy or placenta removal using advanced bipolar with balloon catheter occlusion. The predictive accuracy of PPAP score was evaluated. Results: In total, 23 of the 175 women with PP were diagnosed as having AP, histopathologically or clinically. Twenty-one of 24 women with PPAP score ≥8 had AP, whereas two of 151 women with PPAP score

The purpose of this study was to clarify whether a gait analysis using an accelerometer could estimate gait independence. Eighty-six stroke patients and 21 healthy control subjects participated in this study. Stroke patients were identified as dependent or independent based on their gait ability. The acceleration of the trunk and bilateral thigh was measured using three wireless sensors during walking. The root mean square, gait regularity, and symmetry were calculated from the acceleration to estimate gait quality. ANCOVA showed that gait regularity of the trunk and bilateral thigh were significantly lowest in the dependent group, regardless of gait velocity. A logistic regression analysis showed that the regularity and root mean square of the anteroposterior acceleration of the unaffected thigh were the key factors for estimating gait independence. This study suggests that an acceleration-based gait analysis facilities gait independence estimation, and is a useful tool during the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

Background The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) has been reported as a sensitive prognostic marker for gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether the GPS is equally applicable to patients with early-stage and advanced-stage gastric cancers. Methods Patients (n = 544) who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2007 and 2015 were retrospectively studied. GPSs of 2, 1, and 0 were allocated to patients with both an elevated C-reactive protein level (> 1.0 mg/dL) and hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 mg/dL), patients with only one of these abnormalities, and patients with neither abnormality, respectively. The prognostic factors relevant to patients with early-stage (pStage I, n = 304) and advanced-stage (pStage II, III, and IV, n = 240) gastric cancer were analyzed through univariate and multivariate analyses. Results In the early-stage group, only the serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 level (P = 0.037) was a significant prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis; the GPS was not significant (P = 0.095). In the advanced-stage group, an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of 3 or 4 (P = 0.032), elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P = 0.043) and CA19-9 (P = 0.045) levels, a GPS 1 - 2 (P = 0.017), and type 4 tumor (P = 0.020) correlated significantly with worse overall survival. Conclusions GPS is a simple and useful prognostic score for patients with advanced-stage, but is not applicable to early-stage patients.

Although white esophagus is an extremely rare disease, careful diagnosis and intensive treatment are required because of a relationship with black esophagus. Further case accumulation including duodenal and jejunum lesion is needed.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the validity of gastric cancer surgery in elderly patients. Methods: A total of 544 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer were divided into an elderly group (age ≥75 years, n = 171) and a control group (age n = 373). The clinicopathological data of the patients were reviewed. Results: The overall morbidity rate (26.3 vs. 16.1%, p = 0.005) and the incidence rate of anastomotic leakage (6.4 vs. 1.6%, p = 0.003) were significantly higher in the elderly group. The proportion of patients who had severe complications (≥grade IIIa) was relatively higher in the elderly group (10.5 vs. 5.7%); however, the difference was not significant (p = 0.074). A stage-matched survival analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups (stage I: p = 0.978; stage II: p = 0.964; stage III: p = 0.199). For the pathological stages II and III, the overall survival of the patients in the elderly group who received adjuvant chemotherapy for >3 months was significantly better than that of the patients who received it for ≤3 months or did not receive it (p = 0.023). Conclusions: An aggressive treatment strategy should be adopted in selected elderly patients with gastric cancer.