Objective: To identify effective strategies to provide high-quality palliative care in settings where palliative care specialists are scarce, particularly in Japan. Methods: A scoping review of literature (in English) was conducted using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) were searched and supplemented with a manual search of relevant journal articles. Results: Nine studies met our inclusion criteria. Four key strategies have emerged: (1) developing a video consultation system to improve the timeliness of care; (2) providing online consultations by specialists to support general practitioners; (3) training nurses to manage the palliative care process; and (4) transferring knowledge and information from experts to non-specialists. Conclusion: Based on these strategies, creating a system tailored to the specific needs and readiness of palliative care in Japan is necessary. The effectiveness of these strategies should be evaluated in future research.

Clinical studies have shown that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans(A.actinomycetemcomitans)is associated with aggressive periodontitis and can potentially trigger or exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis(RA).However,the mechanism is poorly understood.Here,we show that systemic infection with A.actinomycetemcomitans triggers the progression of arthritis in mice anti-collagen antibody-induced arthritis(CAIA)model following IL-1β secretion and cell infiltration in paws in a manner that is dependent on caspase-11-mediated inflammasome activation in macrophages.The administration of polymyxin B(PMB),chloroquine,and anti-CD11b antibody suppressed inflammasome activation in macrophages and arthritis in mice,suggesting that the recognition of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)in the cytosol after bacterial degradation by lysosomes and invasion via CD11b are needed to trigger arthritis following inflammasome activation in macrophages.These data reveal that the inhibition of caspase-11-mediated inflammasome activation potentiates aggravation of RA induced by infection with A.actinomycetemcomitans.This work highlights how RA can be progressed by inflammasome activation as a result of periodontitis-associated bacterial infection and discusses the mechanism of inflammasome activation in response to infection with A.actinomycetemcomitans.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the difficulties faced by physicians in providing palliative care to patients with cancer in facilities without palliative care specialists. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 physicians involved in cancer treatment who were affiliated with facilities having no palliative care specialists such as Diplomate or Board Certification of the Specialty Board of Palliative Medicine of the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The participants had “difficulties in palliative care consultation” because they could not consult with specialists or medical staff at their own facility, when immediate response to cancer symptoms was required. This was partly due to “difficulties in regional cooperation”. In addition, the participants had “difficulties in alleviation of symptoms” for highly complex symptoms of patients with cancer. Behind these difficulties, there was “difficulties in foundation of providing palliative care for individual physicians” including limited time available to the participants. Conclusion: These findings show that there is a necessity to establish a continuous external consultation system for specialists to respond to the immediacy of changes in symptoms and highly complex symptoms.

Objective: In Japan, perioperative prophylaxis of pulmonary embolism (PE) in gynecologic cancer patients with preoperative asymptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not been well established yet. The GOTIC-VTE trial was a prospective, multi-center, single-arm clinical trial to investigate the prevention of postoperative symptomatic PE onset by seamless anticoagulant therapy from the preoperative period to 4 weeks after surgery instead of using intermittent pneumatic compression. Methods: Anticoagulant therapy was started immediately after asymptomatic VTE diagnosis and stopped preoperatively according to the rules of each institution. Unfractionated heparin administration was resumed within 12 hours postoperatively, and this was followed by the switch to low-molecular-weight heparin and subsequently, edoxaban; this cycle was continued for 28 days. Primary outcome was the occurrence of symptomatic PE in 28 days postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of VTE-related events in 28 days and 6 months postoperatively and protocol-related adverse events. Results: Between February 2018 and September 2020, 99 patients were enrolled; of these, 82patients were assessed as the full analysis set, including 58 for ovarian cancer, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer; 21 for endometrial cancer; and 3 for cervical cancer. No symptomatic PE was observed within 28 days postoperatively; two patients had bleeding events (major bleeding and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding) and three had grade 3 adverse events (increased alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, or gamma-glutamyl transferase). Conclusion The multifaceted perioperative management for gynecologic malignancies with asymptomatic VTE effectively prevented postoperative symptomatic PE.Trial Registration: JRCT Identifier: jRCTs031180124

Objective: In Japan, perioperative prophylaxis of pulmonary embolism (PE) in gynecologic cancer patients with preoperative asymptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not been well established yet. The GOTIC-VTE trial was a prospective, multi-center, single-arm clinical trial to investigate the prevention of postoperative symptomatic PE onset by seamless anticoagulant therapy from the preoperative period to 4 weeks after surgery instead of using intermittent pneumatic compression. Methods: Anticoagulant therapy was started immediately after asymptomatic VTE diagnosis and stopped preoperatively according to the rules of each institution. Unfractionated heparin administration was resumed within 12 hours postoperatively, and this was followed by the switch to low-molecular-weight heparin and subsequently, edoxaban; this cycle was continued for 28 days. Primary outcome was the occurrence of symptomatic PE in 28 days postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of VTE-related events in 28 days and 6 months postoperatively and protocol-related adverse events. Results: Between February 2018 and September 2020, 99 patients were enrolled; of these, 82patients were assessed as the full analysis set, including 58 for ovarian cancer, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer; 21 for endometrial cancer; and 3 for cervical cancer. No symptomatic PE was observed within 28 days postoperatively; two patients had bleeding events (major bleeding and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding) and three had grade 3 adverse events (increased alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, or gamma-glutamyl transferase). Conclusion The multifaceted perioperative management for gynecologic malignancies with asymptomatic VTE effectively prevented postoperative symptomatic PE.Trial Registration: JRCT Identifier: jRCTs031180124

Objective: In Japan, perioperative prophylaxis of pulmonary embolism (PE) in gynecologic cancer patients with preoperative asymptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not been well established yet. The GOTIC-VTE trial was a prospective, multi-center, single-arm clinical trial to investigate the prevention of postoperative symptomatic PE onset by seamless anticoagulant therapy from the preoperative period to 4 weeks after surgery instead of using intermittent pneumatic compression. Methods: Anticoagulant therapy was started immediately after asymptomatic VTE diagnosis and stopped preoperatively according to the rules of each institution. Unfractionated heparin administration was resumed within 12 hours postoperatively, and this was followed by the switch to low-molecular-weight heparin and subsequently, edoxaban; this cycle was continued for 28 days. Primary outcome was the occurrence of symptomatic PE in 28 days postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of VTE-related events in 28 days and 6 months postoperatively and protocol-related adverse events. Results: Between February 2018 and September 2020, 99 patients were enrolled; of these, 82patients were assessed as the full analysis set, including 58 for ovarian cancer, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer; 21 for endometrial cancer; and 3 for cervical cancer. No symptomatic PE was observed within 28 days postoperatively; two patients had bleeding events (major bleeding and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding) and three had grade 3 adverse events (increased alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, or gamma-glutamyl transferase). Conclusion The multifaceted perioperative management for gynecologic malignancies with asymptomatic VTE effectively prevented postoperative symptomatic PE.Trial Registration: JRCT Identifier: jRCTs031180124

Background/Aims: The Heart Failure Association (HFA)-PEFF score is recognized as a simple method to diagnose heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between HFA-PEFF scores and cardiovascular outcomes in HFpEF patients. Methods: A total of 502 consecutive HFpEF patients were prospectively observed for up to 1,500 days. Cardiovascular outcomes were compared between two groups of patients, defined by their HFA-PEFF scores: those who scored 2–4 (the intermediate-score group) and those who scored 5–6 group (the high-score group). Overall, 236 cardiovascular events were observed during the follow-up period (median, 1,159 days). Results: Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that there were significant differences in composite cardiovascular events and HF-related events between the intermediate-score group and the high-score group (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that the HFA-PEFF scores significantly predicted future HF-related events (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 2.50; p = 0.014); receiver operating characteristic analysis confirmed this relationship (area under the curve, 0.633; 95% CI, 0.574 to 0.692; p < 0.001). The cutoff HFA-PEFF score for the identification of HF-related events was 4.5. Decision curve analysis revealed that combining the HFA-PEFF score with conventional prognostic factors improved the prediction of HF-related events. Conclusions HFA-PEFF scores may be useful for predicting HF-related events in HFpEF patients.

An 83-year-old man who had undergone aortic arch repair using the elephant trunk technique in addition to abdominal aorta repair required surgical intervention for a pseudoaneurysm at the distal anastomosis of the aortic arch graft. Due to marked adhesion around the aneurysm, aortic cross-clamping was not feasible. Thus, under femoro-femoral partial bypass, the arch prosthesis was endoclamped using an aortic occlusion balloon inserted through the left femoral artery into the aortic arch graft and through the elephant trunk, guided by fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiography. This allowed descending aorta replacement with minimal bleeding. His postoperative course was uneventful. This technique enabled safe and bloodless clamping of the proximal portion of the aortic arch graft.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze patient characteristics of cancer rehabilitation and outcomes at our hospital. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 580 patients, who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital and rehabilitation outcome after therapy were investigated. The relationship between the initial Barthel index and discharge outcomes was investigated, with a special focus on cancer patients with bone metastasis. The Barthel index and performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) before and after rehabilitation were analyzed, and threshold value of home discharge was calculated from a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). General criteria for home discharge from our hospital included independence in performing basic activities of daily living such as bathing, feeding, and toileting or availability of home support from a family member/caregiver. RESULTS: The outcomes after rehabilitation among all the patients were as follows: discharge home 59%, death 13%, and others 27%. Statistical differences were observed between the initial and final values of the Barthel index in patients with bone metastasis, who could be discharged home (p=0.012). ROC analysis of the initial Barthel index for predicting home discharge revealed a threshold value of 60, sensitivity of 0.76, and specificity of 0.72. CONCLUSION: The patients with bone metastasis had a lower rate of home discharge and a higher rate of mortality than all the study patients who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital. It is proposed that at the time of initiation of rehabilitation for patients with bone metastasis, an initial Barthel index lower than 60 might predict a worse outcome than home discharge.
Activities of Daily Living ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Baths ; Humans ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Treatment Outcome

The collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST) identifies effective anticancer drug using resected tumor specimen, enabling tailor-made chemotherapy for a rare tumor. We report a case of the patient with leiomyosarcoma originating in the inferior vena cava, to which CD-DST was applied. This application has not been previously reported to the best of our knowledge. A 61-year-old woman consulted a nearby hospital because of abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed an inferior vena cava tumor. The tumor was resected with the inferior vena cava, which was reconstructed with a 16 mm ePTFE graft. The tumor was diagnosed as leiomyosarcoma histopathologically. CDDP, VP-16, ADR, and VDS were CD-DST showed the tumor to be sensitive. Her postoperative course has been good without recurrence of tumor for 6 months, and the results of CD-DST may be helpful for chemotherapy strategy in case of recurrence.