Shonan Oiso Hospital

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) has significantly contributed to reducing the mortality of patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) even in cardiogenic shock and is now the standard of care in most of Japanese institutions. The Task Force on Primary PCI of the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT) proposed an expert consensus document for the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) focusing on procedural aspects of primary PCI in 2018 and updated in 2022 (Ozaki et al. in Cardiovasc Interv Ther 33:178-203, 2018), (Ozaki et al. in Cardiovasc Interv Ther 37:1-34, 2022). Following the publication of the 2023 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes, the CVIT Task Force released another revised version in 2024 (Ozaki et al. in Cardiovasc Interv Ther 39:335-375, 2024). In light of new clinical evidence and technological advances that have emerged since then, the Task Force now proposes an updated expert consensus document for the management of ACS focusing on procedural aspects of primary PCI in 2026 version.

Surgery is the most effective treatment for early-stage lung cancer but imposes a greater physical burden than other therapies. We previously identified socioclinical factors associated with reduced perioperative health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients undergoing anatomical pulmonary resection. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between predictors of HR-QOL and long-term survival. In this prospective study, 87 patients undergoing anatomical pulmonary resection for non-small cell lung cancer at Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, Japan, were evaluated using the Short Form Health Survey 36. Multivariable analyses identified socioclinical factors associated with physical and mental QOL preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. Survival analyses were performed for factors showing differences in multivariable analysis and related trends in univariable analysis of HR-QOL. Preoperatively, lower performance status (PS) and living alone were independently associated with poorer physical QOL (regression coefficient [95% CI]: -10.94 [-14.34--7.54] and -9.86 [-13.89--5.82], respectively; both p < 0.001) and mental QOL (-9.34 [-13.30--5.37] and -10.33 [-15.30--5.35]; both p < 0.001). At 6 months postoperatively, smoking cessation within 1 year, lower PS, and living alone predicted worse physical QOL, while smoking cessation and lower PS predicted worse mental QOL. Lower PS and higher comorbidity burden were also adverse prognostic factors for long-term survival (p < 0.001 and p = 0.015, respectively). Reduced physical activity and greater comorbidity are associated with poorer HR-QOL and survival after lung cancer surgery. These findings highlight the need for careful consideration of surgical indications in patients with these risk factors.

Target lesion calcification is known to influence the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) outcomes. This study aimed to assess the impact of calcium fractures after balloon angioplasty on the PCI results as well as the long-term clinical outcomes. We formed a prospective, multicenter registry that enrolled 268 patients who underwent PCI to lesions with moderate to severe calcification. Balloon dilatation and subsequent drug eluting stent implantation were performed with optical coherence tomography (OCT) guidance in every case. Serial OCT images just before and after balloon angioplasty, and after stent implantation were analyzed at 1-mm intervals by an independent core laboratory. The primary endpoint was the relationship between calcium fracture after balloon angioplasty and stent expansion. The secondary endpoint was target vessel failure (TVF) at 1 year, defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. A total of 242 patients were analyzed. Of these, OCT analysis was performed in 147 patients with a complete OCT data set. Calcium fractures were observed in 28 patients (19%) at the minimal lumen area site. The percent stent expansion was greater in lesions with calcium fracture than those without (99 ± 26% vs. 91 ± 18%, p = 0.039). In 229 patients who underwent clinical follow-up at 1 year, TVF occurred in 23 patients (10.0%). The OCT-guided PCI strategy demonstrated acceptable acute and 1-year clinical outcomes. The presence of calcium fractures after balloon angioplasty may have a potential impact on acute results after DES implantation in calcified lesions.

In recent years, artificial intelligence has been widely used in the field of meteorology. However, it is perhaps less known that AI-based tools have been used for over 30 years in the modeling of pollutant dispersion in the atmosphere.In the early 1990s, Slovenia and other parts of Europe faced significant air pollution problems caused by SO₂ emissions from coal-fired power plants without desulfurization systems. Due to the highly complex terrain, simple physical Gaussian dispersion models were not suitable for reconstructing the dispersion of SO₂ in the atmosphere, while complex numerical Lagrangian particle dispersion models were still in development.Therefore, as early as 1992, we modeled air pollution using a Multilayer Perceptron Artificial Neural Network (MLPANN). We developed the world's first comprehensive method for selecting training samples, features, and the topology of the neural network, enabling the model to learn from measured meteorological variables and pollutant concentrations around the power plant to predict SO₂ concentrations at a selected location in advance.This type of artificial neural network remains the foundation for various derived structures used for machine learning from data even today.In the following decades, we expanded the use of MLPANN to ozone prediction. Researchers from other Slovenian research groups also worked on this topic. Meanwhile, the use of these and similar tools in pollutant dispersion modelling began to grow on a global scale.Together with Brazilian researchers, we successfully applied MLPANN for predicting diffuse solar radiation. In this field, we also managed to develop a spatially transferable model, which is not a common capability for artificial neural network-based models.For the classification of wind fields based on measurements from ground-based meteorological stations, we used a Kohonen neural network.Later, we added another tool called "Gaussian processes" (which, like MLPANN, is a universal approximator) and the tool "decision trees." We expanded the use to point-based forecasting of basic meteorological variables. In recent years, with high computational capabilities available even without supercomputers, we have been using these tools for surrogate models that can represent or predict pollutant concentration fields in the atmosphere, not only for individual points but for entire areas around pollution sources.Other Slovenian groups from Slovenian Meteorological Agency, the Department of Meteorology, and the Faculty of Computer Science have, in recent years, used machine learning for global medium-range forecasts of daily averages of meteorological variables and for post-processing weather forecasts from physical models.In the presentation, we will explain the basic principles of building models based on artificial neural networks in a way that is understandable to laypeople. For experts in the field, we will showcase numerous examples of their application. For the latter group, we hope these examples will inspire others to expand the use of these modern tools even further.

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rising in Japan with its aging population, but there is a lack of epidemiological data on sex differences in CVD, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS), acute heart failure (AHF), and acute aortic disease. This retrospective study analyzed data from 1,349,017 patients (January 2012-December 2020) using the Japanese Registry Of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases database. ACS patients were youngest on average (70.5±12.9 years) and had the lowest female proportion (28.9%). AHF patients had the oldest mean age (79.7±12.0 years) and the highest proportion of females (48.0%). Acute aortic disease had the highest in-hospital mortality (26.1%), followed by AHF (11.5%) and ACS (8.9%). Sex-based mortality differences were notable in acute aortic disease, with higher male mortality in Stanford Type A acute aortic dissection (AAD) with surgery (males: 14.2% vs. females: 10.4%, P<0.001) and similar rates in Type B AAD (males: 6.2% vs. females: 7.9%, P=0.52). Aging was a universal risk factor for in-hospital mortality. Female sex was a risk factor for ACS and acute aortic disease but not for AHF or Types A and B AAD. Sex-based disparities in the CVD-related hospitalization and mortality within the Japanese national population have been highlighted for the first time, indicating the importance of sex-specific strategies in the management and understanding of these conditions.

BackgroundThe mortality rate of novel coronaviral disease (COVID-19) patients undergoing dialysis is considerably higher than that of patients with normal kidney function. As of August 2021, only remdesivir has been approved in Japan as an antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19. However, in cases of kidney failure, remdesivir administration should be considered only if the therapeutic benefits outweigh the risks because of concern about the accumulation of its solubilizing excipient sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin and subsequent renal tubular injury or liver injury. Recently, reports from overseas indicating the safety of the use of remdesivir for COVID-19 patients on dialysis have been gathered.Case presentationFrom June 2021, in our hospital, we started the administration of remdesivir to patients with moderate cases of COVID-19 undergoing hemodialysis, with careful consideration of the dosage and timing. Since then, six out of seven COVID-19 patients on hemodialysis who had received remdesivir have completely recovered. In a patient who died, the initial dose of remdesivir was administered after the case developed into severe COVID-19. All six patients who were able to start receiving remdesivir immediately at the stage of moderate COVID-19 recovered and were discharged without the need for mechanical ventilation. While, two out of four patients before May 2021 who had not been administered remdesivir at admission became severe, transferred to another tertiary hospital, and died. During and after remdesivir administration, no increase in serum transaminase to five times or more of the normal upper limit was observed in any of the cases. There were no other adverse drug reactions, such as infusion reaction, gastrointestinal symptoms, or anemia.ConclusionsWe were able to administer remdesivir to six Japanese patients with moderate COVID-19 on hemodialysis safely. It is expected that the safe use of remdesivir will bring an increase in treatment options for moderate cases of COVID-19 in dialysis patients as well as subsequent improvement in treatment outcomes. However, to confirm the efficacy and safety of such use, further careful observation in more cases is required.

We report a 34-year-old female PARK2 patient presenting with dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD). She noticed difficulty in raising her foot while walking at the age of 24. Her lower limb symptoms were identified as dystonia later, and she was started on Menesit, which resulted in improvement of her symptoms. She was diagnosed as DRD and has been on continuous treatment since then. The specific binding ratio (SBR) of ¹²³I FP-CIT SPECT was significantly lower than those of controls of the same age, but ¹²³I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine myocardial scintigraphy showed a normal heart to mediastinum ratio. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Japanese version, was normal for her age. DRD is an inherited dystonia that typically begins during childhood and may be caused by mutations of the GCH1 (GTP cyclohydrolase), SPR (sepiapterin reductase), or TH (tyrosine hydroxylase) genes. Our patient was diagnosed as PARK2, known as autosomal-recessive juvenile Parkinson’s disease, based on genetic analysis. Although there was no family history of the disease, the decrease in SBR of ¹²³I FP-CIT SPECT enabled us to diagnose PARK2 and to differentiate this from DRD due to other genetic disorders.

Background: The emitted dose (ED) from most dry powder inhalers (DPIs) is almost independent of peak inspiratory flow (PIF) above a certain value, which is specific to the individual DPI. However, the ED of the Turbuhaler® (TBH) increases linearly with PIF increments. This study investigated the powder clearance and clinical utility of TBH performance features by using the photo-reflection method (PRM), a type of laser photometry. Methods: Pulmicort® (PLM) (containing budesonide only) and Symbicort® (SMB) (drugs with lactose particles) were inspired with a ramp-up pattern of several PIF intensities using a vacuum pump. Time trajectories of particle release and PIF were then compared. Results: The particle-release trajectories from both types of DPIs were similar, consisting of a sharp increment phase (∼0.15 seconds) followed by exponential decay. Both onset to the peak of particle-release time and particle-release times were not affected by PIF changes when the PIF was >40 L/min. EDs from both TBHs were linearly related to PIFs, and the slope of the regression equation for SMB was 2.4-fold larger than that of PLM. The peak of the released particles (PKIED) was also linearly related to PIF. A linear relationship was also observed between ED and PKIED in both TBHs, and these regression lines overlapped. Conclusion: EDs from the TBH were dependent on PKIED. Therefore, rapid, initially strong, and deep inhalation should be advised while using the TBH. PRM could measure the fine and small amount of particles released from the TBH.

Abstract Background Although nutritional status is crucial in gait recovery after femoral neck fracture surgery, the relationship between preoperative nutritional status and postoperative outcomes remains unknown. This study examined the effects of preoperative nutritional status on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing femoral neck fracture surgery. Methods Data regarding the joints of 137 patients (29 men, 108 women) who underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fractures at our hospital from January 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively examined. The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), an index of nutritional status, was used to classify patients into two groups: a normal group (GNRI ≥ 92; n = 62) and an undernourished group (GNRI &lt; 92; n = 75). The study endpoints included age at surgery, sex, preoperative waiting period, intraoperative blood loss, surgery time, blood transfusion rate, complication rate, 6-month mortality rate, transfer rate, and percentage of patients unable to walk at discharge or transfer. Results The undernourished group was significantly older at surgery (83.3 ± 6.9 years versus [vs.] 79.6 ± 8.8 years; p &lt; 0.01) and had a higher blood transfusion rate (41.3% [31/75] vs. 12.9% [8/62]; p &lt; 0.01), a longer preoperative waiting period (5.5 ± 5.8 days vs. 3.9 ± 2.6 days; p &lt; 0.05), a higher transfer rate (24% [18/75] vs. 9.7% [6/62]; p &lt; 0.05), a higher complication rate (52% [39/75] vs. 35.5% [22/62]; p &lt; 0.05), and a higher 6-month mortality rate (13.3% [10/75] vs. 0% [0/62]; p &lt; 0.01) than the normal group. The most common complication was pneumonia. Patients in the undernourished group had worse rates of postoperative complications, transfer, and mortality than the normal group. Conclusions A poor nutritional status affects the gait function and systemic condition of patients undergoing femoral neck fracture surgery; therefore, early nutritional interventions may reduce mortality rates and shorten rehabilitation. These results suggest that the GNRI effectively predicts postoperative complications, mortality, and gait function.