Abdominal paracentesis is a standard intervention for symptom relief in patients with ascites; however, there is no established agreement regarding the optimal speed of ascites drainage. This paper presents three cases of rapid manual drainage of ascites (RMDA) conducted during home visits: a 72 year-old male with intractable cirrhosis, a 73 year-old male with malignant ascites secondary to cancer of the pancreatic tail, and a 54 year-old male suffering from malignant ascites due to pancreatic tail cancer with hepatic metastases. Drainage volumes ranged from 1.4 to 3 liters, with procedures taking between 12 to 14 minutes. Post-procedure systolic blood pressures were maintained above 90 mmHg at immediate, 2 (±1) hours, and 24 (±12) hours following the procedure in all cases. No severe adverse events were reported. RMDA may offer a reduced procedural time in the home visit context, lessening patient discomfort and healthcare provider costs. Further studies are needed to evaluate the safety of RMDA in home care settings.

Objective: This study evaluates the potential for automated data linkages between survey items collected during Japanese postmarketing surveillance (PMS) of pharmaceuticals and the medical health data stored in hospital information systems (HIS) by automatically relating the PMS survey items to the structured data (SD) in HIS. This relationship has not been explored previously; therefore, our findings offer fundamental insights for exploring automated data linkages between PMS survey items and medical health data. Methods: The PMS survey items from 107 case report forms (CRFs) currently used at Kagawa University Hospital as of April 1, 2022, were analyzed. The survey items were categorized into major and detailed items based on the CRF units, and the frequency of occurrence for each detailed item was calculated. We considered the SD used in MID-NET®, which is a Japanese national medical information database, as being analogous to the SD used in HIS and determined whether each detailed item had a one-to-one relationship with the SD in HIS. Results: Twelve major items were identified, including a total of 83 detailed items. Among them, 25 items (30%) showed a one-to-one simple relationship with SD in HIS, while 28 items (33%) did not show a relationship. The remaining 30 items (37%) did not show any correspondence to the SD in HIS. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that approximately 60% of the detailed survey items could be collected from SD. However, a physician’s medical judgment was needed for approximately half of the items. These findings will contribute to the realization of automated data linkages between the PMS survey items and the medical health data in HIS, thereby improving the efficiency of information acquisition required for PMS of pharmaceuticals.

Methods: In total, 828 patients (338 males and 490 females; mean age, 65.0 years) who underwent spinal instrumentation surgery from 2013 to 2021 in Kyorin University School of Medicine were retrospectively investigated. Patients were divided into the SSI (group I) and non-SSI (group N) groups. Patient characteristics, comorbidity, laboratory, and surgical factors were investigated. Univariate analysis was performed for each item, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for items with significant differences. Results: Fifteen patients (1.85%) had SSIs. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences between groups I and N in history of steroid use, serum albumin, C-reactive protein, number of fixed vertebrae, and perioperative blood transfusion. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a history of steroid use (odds ratio [OR], 5.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–20.49; p=0.014), serum albumin (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13–0.84; p=0.020), and perioperative blood transfusion (OR, 5.85; 95% CI, 1.46–23.50; p=0.013) were independent risk factors for SSIs. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that preoperative nutritional intervention, appropriate management of anemia, and intraoperative and postoperative bleeding control may decrease the incidence of SSIs. However, this study has several limitations, including its retrospective design, analysis of a few SSI cases, and inclusion of various surgical approaches and disease types. Future studies that address these limitations are desirable.

Methods: In total, 828 patients (338 males and 490 females; mean age, 65.0 years) who underwent spinal instrumentation surgery from 2013 to 2021 in Kyorin University School of Medicine were retrospectively investigated. Patients were divided into the SSI (group I) and non-SSI (group N) groups. Patient characteristics, comorbidity, laboratory, and surgical factors were investigated. Univariate analysis was performed for each item, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for items with significant differences. Results: Fifteen patients (1.85%) had SSIs. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences between groups I and N in history of steroid use, serum albumin, C-reactive protein, number of fixed vertebrae, and perioperative blood transfusion. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a history of steroid use (odds ratio [OR], 5.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–20.49; p=0.014), serum albumin (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13–0.84; p=0.020), and perioperative blood transfusion (OR, 5.85; 95% CI, 1.46–23.50; p=0.013) were independent risk factors for SSIs. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that preoperative nutritional intervention, appropriate management of anemia, and intraoperative and postoperative bleeding control may decrease the incidence of SSIs. However, this study has several limitations, including its retrospective design, analysis of a few SSI cases, and inclusion of various surgical approaches and disease types. Future studies that address these limitations are desirable.

Methods: In total, 828 patients (338 males and 490 females; mean age, 65.0 years) who underwent spinal instrumentation surgery from 2013 to 2021 in Kyorin University School of Medicine were retrospectively investigated. Patients were divided into the SSI (group I) and non-SSI (group N) groups. Patient characteristics, comorbidity, laboratory, and surgical factors were investigated. Univariate analysis was performed for each item, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for items with significant differences. Results: Fifteen patients (1.85%) had SSIs. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences between groups I and N in history of steroid use, serum albumin, C-reactive protein, number of fixed vertebrae, and perioperative blood transfusion. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a history of steroid use (odds ratio [OR], 5.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–20.49; p=0.014), serum albumin (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13–0.84; p=0.020), and perioperative blood transfusion (OR, 5.85; 95% CI, 1.46–23.50; p=0.013) were independent risk factors for SSIs. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that preoperative nutritional intervention, appropriate management of anemia, and intraoperative and postoperative bleeding control may decrease the incidence of SSIs. However, this study has several limitations, including its retrospective design, analysis of a few SSI cases, and inclusion of various surgical approaches and disease types. Future studies that address these limitations are desirable.

Methods: Twenty vertebrae (T12 and L1) from 10 patients with osteoporosis (two males and eight females; mean age, 74.7 years) were obtained to create the 10 FE models. First, a single screw was placed with TT and SEPST/DEPST, and the fixation strength was compared by axial pullout strength (POS) and multidirectional loading tests. Second, two screws were placed on the bilateral pedicles with TT and SEPST/DEPST, and the fixation force of the vertebrae in the constructs in flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and axial rotation was examined. Results: SEPST and DEPST had 140% and 171% higher POS values than TT, respectively, and the DEPST result was statistically significant (p =0.007). The multidirectional fixation strength was significantly higher in DEPST and SEPST than in TT in the cranial, caudal, and medial directions (p <0.05) but not in the lateral direction (p =0.05). The vertebral fracture strength at the lower instrumented vertebra of the DEPST tended to be higher than that of TT. The vertebral motion angles in SEPST and DEPST were significantly smaller in lateral bending (p =0.02) and tended to be smaller in flexion and extension than in TT (p =0.13). Conclusions This study may provide useful information for spine surgeons in deciding whether to choose the SEPS or DEPS technique for augmenting fixation in osteoporotic vertebral fracture surgery.

Clot waveform analysis (CWA) observes changes in transparency in a plasma sample based on clotting tests such as activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT). Evidence indicates that not only an abnormal waveform but also peak times and heights in derivative curves of CWA are useful for the evaluation of hemostatic abnormalities. Modified CWA, including the PT with APTT reagent, dilute PT (small amount of tissue factor [TF]-induced clotting factor IX [FIX] activation; sTF/FIXa), and dilute TT, has been proposed to evaluate physiological or pathological hemostasis. We review routine and modified CWA and their clinical applications. In CWA-sTF/FIXa, elevated peak heights indicate hypercoagulability in patients with cancer or thrombosis, whereas prolonged peak times indicate hypocoagulability in several conditions, including clotting factor deficiency and thrombocytopenia. CWA-dilute TT reflects the thrombin burst, whereas clot-fibrinolysis waveform analysis reflects both hemostasis and fibrinolysis. The relevance and usefulness of CWA-APTT and modified CWA should be further investigated in various diseases.

Background/Aims: The frequency and details of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify characteristics of NAFLD in patients with IBD. Methods: We retrospectively identified and enrolled patients with IBD diagnosed with or without NAFLD by undergoing abdominal computed tomography (CT) at our institution between 2005 and 2020. The primary endpoint was the complication rate of NAFLD in patients with IBD. Secondary endpoints were the clinical characteristics of nonobese patients with IBD and comorbid NAFLD and their association with nutritional and inflammatory parameters. Results: Twenty-one (21.9%) of 96 eligible patients with IBD also had NAFLD. In nonobese patients (defined as patients with a body mass index <25 kg/m2), C-reactive protein (CRP; P<0.001) and alanine aminotransferase (P=0.018) levels were higher and the albumin level (P=0.005) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI; P=0.002) values were lower in patients with NAFLD than in those without NAFLD. The PNI value was positively correlated (P<0.001) and the CRP level was negatively correlated (P=0.001) with the hepatosplenic ratio. However, in the NAFLD combined group, PNI (P<0.05) and CRP values (P<0.001) were improved over time after CT imaging by continuing IBD treatment. Conclusions Worsening nutritional and inflammatory status in IBD patients is associated with complications of NAFLD. Diagnosis of NAFLD in IBD patients using CT imaging might be useful not only for early detection of NAFLD but also in assessing the need for therapeutic intervention for IBD.

Echocardiographic assessment of wall motion is prone to interrater variability because it requires subjective visual evaluation. Echocardiography technicians were divided into 2 groups by years of experience, and their assessments of left ventricular wall motion on previously recorded echocardiograms were scored and compared. Scores did not differ within the more experienced group but differed significantly between technicians in the less experienced group. However, this difference disappeared after 3 months of training. This suggests that training can eliminate discrepancies between technicians, even inexperienced ones, in a relatively short period of time.