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Purpose: To highlight spontaneous resolution or improvement of myopic retinoschisis (MR) in actively surveilled patients. Methods: Case series of five patients diagnosed with MR who did not undergo pars plana vitrectomy and were carefully monitored by a single retina specialist. Ocular and medical history were reviewed, and clinical characteristics including visual acuity and the status of the MR were monitored with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) at each clinic visit. Results: Five patients were identified to have MR without vitreomacular traction, or macular hole formation. Two patients exhibited spontaneous and complete resolution of MR without surgical intervention over an average observation time of 52.5 months. In these cases, a clinical posterior vitreous detachment was documented preceding the resolution of MR over an average time of 26.5 months. Snellen best-corrected visual acuity in these patients improved (Case 1 from 20/50 to 20/40, Case 2 from 20/30 to 20/25). The remaining three patients were monitored for an average of 52 months and showed improvement of MR via OCT imaging. Snellen best-corrected visual acuity either remained stable or improved from baseline (Case 3 stable at 20/30, Case 4 improved from 20/40 to 20/30, and Case 5 stable at 20/20). Conclusion: These findings suggest that conservative management of MR with observation can be considered especially in patients with challenging comorbidities (such as monocular status), and with a clinically identified posterior vitreous detachment without vitreomacular traction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hemodynamic changes after balloon pulmonary artery angioplasty (BPA) in a unified state without oxygen administration in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) remains undetermined. This study aimed to clarify the delayed changes in the hemodynamics after BPA in patients with CTEPH. We analyzed 73 consecutive patients with CTEPH who underwent BPA between July 2014 and December 2022. We extracted and evaluated hemodynamic data of the right heart catheter without oxygen administration immediately before and after the first BPA; and immediately before the second BPA, as the "post-delayed changes" after BPA. BPA significantly improved the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP, mmHg) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR, dyn-s/cm5) from 36 (32–43) mmHg and 449 (312–627) dyn-s/cm5 before the first BPA to 28 (23–32) mmHg and 275 (217–366) dyn-s/cm5 immediately after BPA, and further significantly improved the values to 23 (20–28) mmHg and 225 (175–301) dyn-s/cm5 post-delayed changes after BPA, respectively. Improvement observed on account of delayed changes was observed both with and without pulmonary hypertension drugs. The delayed changes were observed during a period of 5–180 days, which did not correlate with the changes in mPAP and PVR. Hemodynamic improvement owing to BPA was observed immediately after BPA; however, further improvement was observed as a result of delayed changes. mPAP improved by 3.4 ± 5.2 mmHg and PVR by 53 (10–99) dyn-s/cm5 as delayed improvement. mPAP and PVR showed delayed improved by approximately 10% of their values before BPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the transition between streets and houses, in-between spaces represent unique and important residential components in East Asia, which reflect the spontaneous spatial improvement awareness of users in traditional districts and the state of public-private relations. To fill a gap in prior research regarding in-between spaces after spontaneous spatial improvement in traditional districts, this study considered 97 houses on Jiazhi Street and evaluated the two expressions of spontaneous spatial improvement of in-between spaces by quantifying modification indicators and encroachment using field surveys and area statistical methods. The research examined the correlation between various modifications and encroachment using multiple regression analysis and evaluated the characteristics of spontaneous spatial improvement by users based on multi-group relationships. The results offer a new perspective for observing the changes in residential environments in the context of urbanization, thus providing a basis for developing renewal strategies for traditional districts in China.

To evaluate prevalence and prognosis of postoperative coronal imbalance (CIB) and factors related to its onset and spontaneous improvement in patients with Lenke 5C adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who underwent selective thoracolumbar-lumbar fusion. We measured radiographic parameters and evaluated clinical outcomes using the Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire in patients with Lenke 5C adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and a minimum 2-year follow-up. CIB was defined as >2 cm distance between C7 plumb line and central sacral vertical line. We compared parameters between patients with CIB (CIB group) and without CIB (coronal balanced group). Inclusion criteria were met by 29 patients (mean age at surgery:17.0 years; average follow-up period: 45.6 months). CIB was found in 10 patients 1 week after surgery (34.5%); this decreased to 6.9% at final follow-up. Comparative analysis indicated significant values as follows: age at surgery (17.5 years vs. 14.7 years, P = 0.005), lumbosacral curve (5.9° vs. 11.2°, P = 0.02), and L5 tilt (−3.6° vs. −8.1°, P = 0.02) in bending film. Greater changes of lowest instrumented vertebra disc angle, which means scoliotic angles between LIV and LIV+1, were significantly associated with spontaneous improvement of CIB (P = 0.04). Clinical outcomes were comparable between the coronal balanced and CIB groups. Although CIB was frequently detected in the early postoperative period after selective thoracolumbar-lumbar fusion, it mostly corrected spontaneously. Relatively younger age at surgery and less flexible lumbosacral curve may be related to postoperative CIB, and greater changes of LIV disc angle may be associated with spontaneous improvement of CIB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We report a child with anti-HMGCR myopathy and long-lasting spontaneous improvement. • Anti-HMGCR myopathy could present a wane and wax evolution in some patients. • A spontaneous remission in anti-HMGCR myopathy could affect therapy assessment. Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy with antibodies against 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase is a subgroup of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies mainly described in adults and requiring long term immunomodulatory therapy for remission. Pediatric patients have been reported as small series or sporadic cases. We report an eight-year-old girl with anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase myopathy, presenting with subacute proximal limb weakness, high creatine kinase and a muscle biopsy displaying necrotizing pattern, initially diagnosed as limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, but subsequently negative genetic testing. A noteworthy spontaneous improvement in her weakness suggested the possibility of an acquired autoimmune myopathy, confirmed by positive testing of anti-HMGCR antibodies titers. After four years of follow-up, she maintains normal strength with high levels of anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase antibody. This patient shows that spontaneous fluctuations and spontaneous long-lasting symptomatic remission can occur in patients with anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase myopathy. Some patients could present a wane and wax clinical course, an important aspect when assessing response to therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: A retrospective study.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between pelvic incidence (PI) and lumbar lordosis (LL) mismatch and knee flexion during standing in patients with lumbar degenerative diseases and to examine the effects of surgical correction of the PI-LL mismatch on knee flexion.Summary Of Background Data: Only several studies focused on knee flexion as a compensatory mechanism of the PI-LL mismatch. Little information is currently available on the effects of lumbar correction on knee flexion in patients with the PI-LL mismatch.Methods: A group of patients with lumbar degenerative diseases were divided into PI-LL match group (PI-LL ≤ 10°) and PI-LL mismatch group (PI-LL > 10°). A series of radiographic parameters and knee flexion angle (KFA) were compared between the two groups. The PI-LL mismatch group was further subdivided into operative and nonoperative group. The changes in KFA with PI-LL were examined.Results: The PI-LL mismatch group exhibited significantly greater sagittal vertical axis (SVA), pelvic tilt (PT) and KFA, and smaller LL, thoracic kyphosis (TK), and sacral slope than the PI-LL match group. PI-LL, LL, PI, SVA, and PT were significantly correlated with KFA in the PI-LL mismatch group. From baseline to 6-month follow-up, all variables were significantly different in the operative group with the exception of PI, although there was no significant difference in any variable in the nonoperative group. The magnitude of surgical correction in the PI-LL mismatch was significantly correlated with the degree of spontaneous changes in KFA, PT, and TK.Conclusion: The PI-LL mismatch would contribute to compensatory knee flexion during standing in patients with lumbar degenerative disease. Surgical correction of the PI-LL mismatch could lead to a spontaneous improvement of compensatory knee flexion. The degree of improvement in knee flexion depends in part on the amount of correction in the PI-LL mismatch.Level Of Evidence: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous improvement (SI) occurs more frequently in children with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (cITP) than in adults. It is generally accepted that, with the exception of splenectomy, conventional medical approaches for cITP do not change the natural course of the disease. Previous studies on pediatric cITP have reported prognostic factors associated with SI; however, it is important to know when such improvement occurs to enable optimal treatment strategies for cITP. Here, we report results of retrospective analysis of 56 consecutive pediatric patients with cITP at our institution. The median follow-up period after ITP diagnosis was 67 months (11-185 months). Of the 44 patients without splenectomy, 17 achieved SI at a median age of 8.5 years (2.3-16.5 years). The estimated incidence of SI was 24.6 ± 6.0 % at 36 months. In 16 of the 17 patients with SI, the recovery was achieved within 18 months from diagnosis, or at an age of less than 10 years, whereas among the 24 who did not achieve spontaneous improvement both at 'an age of 10 years or more' and at '18 months or more from ITP diagnosis', only one recovered spontaneously. A treatment decision tree, including the indication for splenectomy, should be considered based on this watershed point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: It is unknown to what degree spontaneous improvement accounts for the large placebo response observed in antidepressant trials for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study was to estimate the spontaneous improvement observed in treatment-seeking individuals with acute MDD by determining the symptom change in depressed patients assigned to wait-list controls in psychotherapy studies. Method: The databases PubMed and PsycINFO were searched to identify randomized, prospective studies randomizing outpatients to psychotherapy or a wait-list control condition for the treatment of acute MDD. Standardized effect sizes calculated from each identified study were aggregated in a meta-analysis to obtain a summary statistic for the change in depression scores during participation in a wait-list control. Results: Ten trials enrolling 340 participants in wait-list control conditions were identified. The estimated effect size for the change in depression scores during wait-list control was 0.505 (95% CI 0.271–0.739, p < 0.001), representing an average improvement of 4 points on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Discussion: Depressed patients acutely experience improvement even without treatment, but spontaneous improvement is unlikely to account for the magnitude of placebo response typically observed in antidepressant trials. These findings must be interpreted in light of the small number wait-list control participants available for analysis as well as certain methodological heterogeneity in the psychotherapy studies analyzed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article describes a case of spontaneous improvement of rod visual function in a 59-year-old male patient with melanoma-associated retinopathy syndrome, with a corresponding subjective improvement in night vision and a reduction in photopsias. Electroretinography (ERG) and dark-adapted psychophysical thresholds were performed on the patient during his visits in an ophthalmology clinic over a period of seven years.

In patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) of different aetiologies, a variable frequency of improvement in the left ventricular (LV) systolic function has been reported, while in patients with a ‘classic’ idiopathic DCM, the frequency of improvement is still under debate, and clinical and haemodynamic predictors of recovery of the LV function are needed. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of improvement in the LV systolic function in idiopathic DCM and to identify predictors of reversibility of the impaired LV contractility. A sample of 98 consecutive patients with idiopathic DCM was retrospectively evaluated. Echocardiographic and Doppler measurements were directly taken from the routine echo-report. LV systolic function was assessed semiquantitatively using a score index (SFSI). According to the improvement in the LV systolic function, the patients were divided into group 1 patients with improvement, and group 2 patients without improvement. During a follow-up of at least 12 months, 19 patients (19%) showed an improvement, with a significant increase in the mean SFSI; all these group 1 patients survived without heart transplant; in group 2, 18 patients (23%) died and 3 (4%) received a heart transplant. Patients in group 1 had a significantly shorter duration of symptoms (P = 0.0045), a younger age (P = 0.006), a shorter DtE (P = 0.04), a lower SFSI (P < 0.01), a worse NYHA class (P < 0.001) and more frequently had a history of hypertension (P < 0.0001). The same variables were significant predictors of improvement at the univariate analysis. At the multivariate logistic regression analysis, a shorter duration of symptoms (P = 0.02), a history of hypertension (P = 0.003), and a worse NYHA class (P = 0.01) were independent predictors of improvement. A relatively large percentage of patients with an idiopathic DCM will have a marked improvement in the LV systolic function. This is more likely to happen in the presence of a short duration of symptoms and a history of hypertension. After an improvement, the prognosis is excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We report herein a case of laryngeal sarcoidosis that was refractory to systemic corticosteroids, but that improved spontaneously. A 49-year-old woman complained of dysphagia and hoarseness with accompanying edematous swellings of both arytenoid regions. She was referred to our hospital after systemic corticosteroid therapy failed to achieve any improvement. Laryngoscopy showed marked edema of the epiglottis and both arytenoid regions. The flow-volume curve on spirometry showed flattening of the expiratory flows. Histopathological examination of the arytenoid region showed non-caseating epithelioid granulomas, and laryngeal sarcoidosis was diagnosed with the result of BAL study. She was observed without treatment as symptoms were mild. Although edema of the left arytenoid region seemed to be somewhat worsened after 6 months, she continued to be followed closely because of improvements in the flow-volume curve and increasing peak expiratory flow. By 1 year after onset, symptoms and epiglottal swelling had spontaneously improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, epileptic seizures become more serious following infections. However, transient and permanent improvement of epileptic seizures has been observed following acute viral infections, without a recent change in anti-epileptic therapy. Questionnaires were sent to 73 institutions, throughout Japan, where pediatric neurologists care for children with epilepsy to characterize this phenomenon through clinician survey. Completed surveys were received from 11 institutions, and 21 cases were selected for the study. The age of the patients were 6 months to 17 years. The West syndrome or epilepsy subsequent to West syndrome cases were 16 out of 21. Two cases of symptomatic generalized epilepsy and one case each of symptomatic partial epilepsy, continuous spike-waves of slow sleep and severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy were also reported. These seizures disappeared within 2 weeks subsequent to viral infections such as, exanthema subitum, rotavirus colitis, measles and mumps. The disappearance of intractable epileptic seizures following acute viral infections might be related to the inflammatory processes or the increased levels of antibodies after viral infections. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]