Background: This study examined how the frequency of in-person, telephone, text-based communication, and video interactions with non-cohabiting family and friends relates to loneliness among older adults in Japan. Methods: We analyzed data from 6,786 adults aged ≥65 in the 2024 Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS) study. Interaction frequency with non-cohabiting family and friends was categorized into none (reference), monthly, and weekly or more. Loneliness was measured using the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale and dichotomized at ≥4, indicating loneliness; a ≥7 cut-off was used in sensitivity analyses. Logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related factors. Results: For family, significant associations with lower loneliness were observed only at weekly frequencies—in-person (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=0.764, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.664–0.879), text (aOR=0.747, 95% CI 0.659–0.846), and telephone (aOR=0.624, 95% CI 0.543–0.718), whereas for friends, significant associations were observed at monthly frequencies—in-person (aOR=0.621, 95% CI 0.549–0.701), text (aOR=0.881, 95% CI 0.778–0.997), and telephone (aOR=0.734, 95% CI 0.659–0.819). Video calls were associated with lower odds of severe loneliness (score ≥7) in sensitivity analyses—weekly calls with family (aOR=0.736, 95% CI 0.547–0.991) and monthly calls with friends (aOR=0.656, 95% CI 0.470–0.917). Conclusion Interactions with friends show associations with lower levels of loneliness at lower frequencies than family contact. While text and phone calls are broadly associated with reduced loneliness, video calls showed an association specifically with a lower prevalence of severe loneliness, underscoring the potential for tailored communication strategies.

Methods: We analyzed data from 101 patients who underwent spinopelvic surgery involving 202 S2AI screws. Postoperative computed tomography (CT) images were reviewed to identify screw deviations. The reconstructed fluoroscopic views from CT, including the inlet, OI, and IO views, were assessed for their effectiveness in detecting deviations. An experimental study using pelvic bone models simulated scenarios where deviations were undetectable in the inlet view but visible in the OI view. Results: Screw deviations were identified in 12 cases (11.9%) and 13 screws (6.4%), including six screws (3.0%) with anterior deviations and seven screws (3.5%) with posterior deviations. The accurate inlet view detected anterior deviations in three of the five cases analyzed with reconstructed images. However, two cases of anterior deviation were missed due to an insufficient inlet view caused by a 30° caudal tilting angle. In contrast, the OI view successfully identified all cases of both anterior and posterior deviations. In particular, deviations above the arcuate line of the pelvic brim were not detectable in the inlet view. Conclusions The inlet view alone is inadequate for detecting anterior deviations, especially those located above the arcuate line of the pelvis. The OI and IO views demonstrated greater effectiveness in identifying deviations, thereby enhancing the accuracy and safety of S2AI screw placement.

Patients with heart failure often have difficulty in stopping cardiotonic drugs as the disease stage progresses, and long-term hospitalization is a factor that significantly reduces quality of life. To solve this problem, in September 2017, our hospital started an initiative to support overnight stays at home by using a portable precision infusion pump and continuously injecting cardiotonic drugs with the approval of the hospital’s medical ethics committee. Since there are few case reports of similar efforts in Japan, here we describe the use of drugs and the content of the intervention by pharmacists. The drug is administered via a peripherally inserted central venous catheter using an ambulatory precision infusion pump. The pharmacist calculates the drug dose and flow rate required during the at-home period using spreadsheet software, and proposes a prescription to the doctor. In addition, if multiple cardiotonics and diuretics are administered, the presence or absence of compounding changes is confirmed, and the feasibility of mixing should be examined, and then prepared aseptically on a clean bench on the day of administration. We started to administer catecholamine while in the hospital on the day before the stay at home. Then we prepared the catecholamine in a portable precision infusion pump and administered it during stay at home. To date, we have supported 8 cases in stays at home without emergency hospitalization or sudden death due to exacerbation of heart failure.

Methods: A total of 224 consecutive patients with OVFs aged ≥65 years who received treatment within 2 weeks after the occurrence of injury were enrolled. The patients were followed up for 6 months thereafter. The criteria for evaluating the degree of independence were applied to evaluate ADLs. Multivariable analysis with a logistic regression model was performed to evaluate the risk factors for ADL decline. Results: In total, 49/224 patients (21.9%) showed a decline in ADLs. Of these, 23/116 patients (19.8%) in the rest group and 26/108 patients (24.1%) in the no-rest group experienced a decline in ADLs. In the logistic regression analyses, a diffuse low signal on T2- weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (odds ratio, 5.78; 95% confidence interval, 2.09–16.0; p=0.0007) and vertebral instability (odds ratio, 3.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.32–11.4; p=0.0135) were identified as independent factors in the rest and no-rest groups, respectively. Conclusions In patients with acute OVFs, a diffuse low signal on T2-weighted MRI and severe vertebral instability were independently associated with ADL decline in patients treated with and without initial bed rest, respectively.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have expanded therapeutic options for advanced malignancies, offering new hope for conditions once deemed untreatable. However, the advent of ICIs has introduced a spectrum of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV), a rare but significant complication. This case report describes development of LCV after treatment with nivolumab and ipilimumab in a 70-year-old man with malignant melanoma, highlighting the diagnostic and management challenges of such irAEs. Despite extensive investigation, conventional pathology failed to identify the immune complexes typically associated with LCV. The clinical presentation, alongside a detailed medical history and the exclusion of infections, medications, and autoimmune diseases, was crucial in establishing a diagnosis. Ulcer resolution following discontinuation of ICI therapy and initiation of steroids further support the conclusion that LCV was an irAE in this patient. This case underscores the need for vigilant monitoring for irAEs for the variable onset after ICI therapy and the importance of thorough history-taking to guide diagnosis and treatment. With ICIs becoming increasingly prevalent in oncology, the incidence of ICI-induced ulcers like LCV is expected to rise, necessitating heightened awareness and multidisciplinary approaches to patient care.

The case was a 77-year-old man. He had dizziness and dysphagia for 2 years, and underwent detailed screening at the internal medicine department for general malaise and bloody sputum. He was hospitalized for aspiration pneumonia due to dysphagia of unknown origin. This time, he visited a local doctor with palpitations and shortness of breath. Echocardiography indicated a left atrial tumor involving the mitral valve and arrhythmia. Emergency surgery was performed to remove the left atrial myxoma and close the patch at our hospital's cardiovascular surgery department. After the excision, swallowing function was restored, and the patient was diagnosed with postoperative Ortner's syndrome. We report a case where echocardiography was considered important as a detailed investigation of the cause of swallowing dysfunction and dizziness.

In Japan, based on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Pharmacy Vision for Patients” (2015), there has been a growing need to shift from “drug-centered, physical work” to “patient-centered, interpersonal work.” Medication counseling is one of the most important tasks of pharmacists. In the present study, we focused on the questions asked by patients during medication counseling, and statistically analyzed the content of the questions and the patient attributes obtained from the patient medication profile. The study was conducted from 2018 to 2019 on patients who visited two pharmacies. Data from a total of 3,300 patients was collected, of which 859 asked questions during medication counseling, accounting for about 26% of the total. Attributes that significantly influenced the asking of questions included gender, new prescriptions, and who was being instructed, especially for women and parents of infants. In terms of topic, questions about the duration and timing of taking the medication and about the medication itself were common in all departments. In terms of medication effects, there were many questions about topical and central nervous system medications, but there were also questions about non-medication matters such as tests. When providing medication counseling, it is expected that pharmacists will actively provide instructions to resolve patients’ questions based on the characteristics of each pharmacy and on patient demographics, as well as improve the quality of interpersonal services according to the patient’s background.

Parkinson’s disease is often complicated by psychiatric symptoms. Psychiatrists are caught in a dilemma between such symptoms and physical treatment since Parkinson’s disease sometimes shows treatment resistance based on pharmacological treatment-induced dopamine dysfunction. Here, we report on a 64-year-old woman with a 15-year history of Parkinson’s disease with stage IV severity based on the Hoehn and Yahr scale. She was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder with psychotic features. Unfortunately, her treatment course for depression was complicated by neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Because we were concerned about the persistence of her depressive symptoms, the risk of psychotropic drugs causing adverse effects, and progressive disuse syndrome, we administered modified electroconvulsive therapy. Her symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome and depression sufficiently improved after five sessions of modified electroconvulsive therapy. Additionally, the primary motor symptoms of her Parkinson’s disease also markedly improved. The improvement of neuroleptic malignant syndrome and her motor symptoms based on dopamine dysfunction can be explained by electroconvulsive therapy’s effectiveness in activating dopamine neurotransmission. Besides, the marked improvement of her depressive episode with psychotic features was presumed to involve dopamine receptor activation and regulation. Because advanced Parkinson’s disease can sometimes be refractory to treatment based on pharmacological treatment-induced dopamine dysfunction, psychiatrists often have difficulty treating psychiatric symptoms; electroconvulsive therapy may stabilize the dopaminergic system in such cases, presenting a possible non-pharmacologic treatment option for Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is often complicated by psychiatric symptoms. Psychiatrists are caught in a dilemma between such symptoms and physical treatment since Parkinson’s disease sometimes shows treatment resistance based on pharmacological treatment-induced dopamine dysfunction. Here, we report on a 64-year-old woman with a 15-year history of Parkinson’s disease with stage IV severity based on the Hoehn and Yahr scale. She was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder with psychotic features. Unfortunately, her treatment course for depression was complicated by neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Because we were concerned about the persistence of her depressive symptoms, the risk of psychotropic drugs causing adverse effects, and progressive disuse syndrome, we administered modified electroconvulsive therapy. Her symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome and depression sufficiently improved after five sessions of modified electroconvulsive therapy. Additionally, the primary motor symptoms of her Parkinson’s disease also markedly improved. The improvement of neuroleptic malignant syndrome and her motor symptoms based on dopamine dysfunction can be explained by electroconvulsive therapy’s effectiveness in activating dopamine neurotransmission. Besides, the marked improvement of her depressive episode with psychotic features was presumed to involve dopamine receptor activation and regulation. Because advanced Parkinson’s disease can sometimes be refractory to treatment based on pharmacological treatment-induced dopamine dysfunction, psychiatrists often have difficulty treating psychiatric symptoms; electroconvulsive therapy may stabilize the dopaminergic system in such cases, presenting a possible non-pharmacologic treatment option for Parkinson’s disease.