A 45-year-old man with no history developed pain and paralysis in his left lower extremity. When he visited his previous physician, CT was performed, which showed Stanford type A aortic dissection with an aberrant right subclavian artery and Kommerell's diverticulum and narrowing of the true lumen of the left common iliac artery. He was accompanied by lower limb symptoms. He was then rushed to our hospital for emergency surgery. The operation was planned and performed in two stages. A median sternotomy was conducted, and cardiopulmonary bypass using the right common femoral artery, left axillary artery, and right atrium was initiated. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and antegrade selective cerebral perfusion were performed. The tear's entry was located in the distal arch of the aorta. The aortic arch was transected between the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries. We inserted an open stent graft to cover the diverticulated origin of the right subclavian artery. The left subclavian artery was reconstructed using a fenestration technique. The ascending aorta, aortic arch, and right and left common carotid arteries were reconstructed using a 4-branch prosthesis graft. The right subclavian artery was reconstructed through the thoracic cavity. On the day after the surgery, we performed percutaneous embolization of the right subclavian artery distal to the Kommerell's diverticulum. Postoperative CT showed no endoleakage or blood flow to the Kommerell's diverticulum. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful.

Background: A review committee for unapproved and off-label drugs with high medical needs determined that the indication of fibrinogen concentrate for cardiovascular surgery would be publicly acceptable in 2021. However, the Japanese Society of Cardiovascular Surgery is required the conduct of several surveys demonstrating that fibrinogen concentrate can be used properly in medical settings. A questionnaire concerning the use of fibrinogen concentrate in cardiovascular surgery was one such required survey. Methods: A questionnaire concerning the use of fibrinogen concentrate was conducted in December 2021 at 551 certified training facilities of the Japanese Board of Cardiovascular Surgery, and responses were received from 375 facilities (68%). Results: Fibrinogen concentrate was used in 98 centers (26%). Aortic surgery (thoracic/thoracoabdominal) (50%) and cardiac redo surgery (24%) were eligible common surgeries requiring fibrinogen concentrate, and the intraoperative measurement of fibrinogen levels was performed in 77% of centers. The triggers for the use of fibrinogen concentrate were a fibrinogen level <150 mg/dl in 30%, <100 mg/dl in 20% and massive bleeding tendency in 40%. Of note, only 39 facilities (10%) were able to prepare cryoprecipitate in-hospital, and 34 centers (9%) used it for cardiovascular surgery. One hundred and seven centers (29%) planned to apply for facility accreditation for the use of fibrinogen concentrate, and 40 facilities (10%) answered that they would decide based on the situation. The expected number of annual cases in which fibrinogen concentrate would be used for cardiovascular surgery reached 4,860 cases: <10 cases in 52 centers, 10-19 cases in 50 centers, 20-49 cases in 31 centers, 50-99 cases in 12 centers and ≥100 cases in 2 centers. Conclusion: We conducted a questionnaire on the use of fibrinogen concentrate. Intraoperative fibrinogen level measurement was performed at approximately 80% of institutions, and the annual number of cases likely to use fibrinogen concentrate was predicted to reach about 5,000 cases. However, only 10% of centers used cryoprecipitates prepared in-hospital.

The Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery launched the clinical practice guidelines for the management of biliary tract cancers (cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, and ampullary cancer) in 2007, then published the 2nd version in 2014. In this 3rd version, clinical questions (CQs) were proposed on six topics. The recommendation, grade for recommendation, and statement for each CQ were discussed and finalized by an evidence-based approach. Recommendations were graded as grade 1 (strong) or grade 2 (weak) according to the concepts of the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation system. The 31 CQs covered the six topics: (1) prophylactic treatment, (2) diagnosis, (3) biliary drainage, (4) surgical treatment, (5) chemotherapy, and (6) radiation therapy. In the 31 CQs, 14 recommendations were rated strong and 14 recommendations weak. The remaining three CQs had no recommendation. Each CQ includes a statement of how the recommendations were graded. This latest guideline provides recommendations for important clinical aspects based on evidence. Future collaboration with the cancer registry will be key for assessing the guidelines and establishing new evidence.

Purpose : The current status of treatment for thoracic/thoracoabdominal aortic diseases in Japan was analyzed. Methods : Using the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database (JCVSD), the number of cases, operative mortality and major morbidities (stroke, renal failure, pneumonia, paraplegia) of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery in 2017 and 2018 were analyzed by surgical site (root-ascending, arch, descending, thoracoabdominal aorta), surgical procedure and age group. Results : The total number of cases was approximately 40,000 and aortic dissection and non-dissection were almost the same. The number of cases was highest in the 70s, and in the elderly, the rates of root replacement (particularly valve-sparing operation) in the root-ascending aorta and open-chest surgery (prosthetic graft replacement, OAR ; open stent graft, Open SG) in the arch, descending and thoracoabdominal aorta were lower. The outcome by procedure showed the lowest mortality and morbidity rate of valve-sparing in the root-ascending region, and lower mortality and morbidity (cerebral infarction, renal failure, and pneumonia) in non-open-chest procedures (TEVAR with/without branch reconstruction) than those in open-chest procedures in the arch, descending and thoracoabdominal regions. Unlike other complications, the incidence of paraplegia in the arch was lower in OAR than in non-open-chest procedures. With regards to age, the operative mortality in patients aged 80 or older was significantly higher than those under 80 for all surgical procedures in the root-ascending, arch and descending regions. Conclusions : Thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery in Japan was most often performed in elderly patients in their 70s with an overall good mortality rate of 5.3%. Mortality and postoperative morbidity in patients aged 80 or older were still high. Further improvement of surgical results is required.

Background : Thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic diseases are treated using operative procedures like open aortic repair (OAR), thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) or even hybrid aortic repair (HAR), a combination of OAR and TEVAR. The surgical approach to aortic repair is evolving over the decades. The purpose of this study was to examine the current trends in treatment. Methods : We extracted the nationwide data of aortic repair procedures performed between 2015 and 2016 from the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database (JCVSD). In addition to estimating the number of cases, we also classified the cases based on various criteria such as operative mortality, associated major morbidities (e.g. stroke, spinal cord insufficiency, renal failure), disease pathology (e.g. acute dissection, chronic dissection, ruptured aneurysm, unruptured aneurysm), site of operative repair (e.g. aortic root, ascending aorta, aortic root to arch, aortic arch, descending aorta, thoracoabdominal aorta) and the preferred surgical approach (i.e. OAR, HAR or TEVAR). Results : The total number of cases studied was 35,427, with an overall operative mortality rate of 7.3%. Among the 3 procedures, 64% of patients were treated with OAR. In comparison to the data in our previous report (also derived from the JCVSD in 2013 and 2014), the total number of cases and numbers of OAR, HAR, and TEVAR have increased by 17.0%, 2.4%, 126.1% and 34.9%, respectively. While the overall stroke rates following aortic arch surgical repair with HAR, OAR, and TEVAR were 10.1%, 8.4%, and 7.3% respectively. OAR was found to have the lowest stroke rate when limited to cases presenting with a non-dissected/unruptured aorta. The incidence rates of paraplegia following descending/thoracoabdominal aortic surgical repair using HAR, OAR, and TEVAR were 6.3%/10.4%, 4.3%/8.9% and 3.4%/4.6%, respectively. TEVAR was found to be associated with the lowest incidence of postoperative renal failure. Conclusions The number of operated thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic diseases has increased, though the rate of operations using an OAR approach has decreased. While TEVAR showed the lowest mortality and morbidity rates, OAR demonstrated the lowest postoperative stroke rate for non-dissecting aortic arch aneurysms.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although daclatasvir with asunaprevir was approved in Japan for interferon ineligible or intolerant patients, patients aged ≥75 years were excluded in the phase III trial. The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this therapy for elderly patients aged ≥75 years and to clarify whether an extremely high sustained virological response (SVR) rate can be achieved, even in a real-world setting when patients with resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) to nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) inhibitors or prior simeprevir failure are excluded. METHODS: Daclatasvir (60 mg) and asunaprevir (100 mg) were orally administered daily for 24 weeks. Patients without pre-existing NS5A RASs and simeprevir failure were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: Overall, 110 patients were treated. The median age was 73 years old. The SVR rates of total patients, those aged ≥75 years, and those aged < 75 years were 97% (107/110), 98% (46/47), and 97% (61/63), respectively. The treatment of two patients (2%) was discontinued because of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Daclatasvir with asunaprevir was a safe treatment, even in patients aged ≥75 years. When patients without pre-existing NS5A RASs and prior simeprevir failure were selected, an extremely high SVR rate could be achieved irrespective of age.
Aged ; Hepacivirus ; Humans ; Interferons ; Japan ; Simeprevir

Background : Although open aortic repair (OAR) is still considered to be a standard treatment for thoracic aortic diseases, recently the indication of thoracic endovascular treatment (TEVAR) /hybrid aortic repair (HAR) is expanding. The purpose of this study is to review the current status of treatment of thoracic aortic diseases. Methods : The data concerning surgery for diseases in thoracic/thoracoabdominal aorta in 2013 and 2014 are extracted from the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database (JCVSD). The number of cases and operative mortality are evaluated for pathology (acute dissection, chronic dissection, ruptured aneurysm, un-ruptured aneurysm), treatment modality (OAR, HAR, TEVAR), JapanSCORE (＜5%, 5 to 10%, 10 to 15%, 15%≦) and their combination. Results : The total number of cases included in this study was 30,271 and the overall operative mortality was 5.9%. Among 3 types of treatment, 73.2% of patients underwent OAR (root, 98.3% ; ascending, 97.4% ; root to arch, 95.5% ; arch, 81.7% ; descending, 34.2% ; thoracoabdominal, 64.4%). Although the rate of OAR was in negative correlation with JapanSCORE (JS) in treatment for thoracoabdominal region (JS＜5%, 80.4% ; 5%≦JS＜10%, 67.6% ; 10%≦JS＜15%, 58.8% ; 15%≦JS, 55.7%), such relation was not observed in other regions. The operative mortality of OAR was well reflected by JS (JS＜5%, 2.1% ; 5%≦JS＜10%, 5.5% ; 10%≦JS＜15%, 10.2% ; 15%≦JS, 20.3%), however, those of TEVAR/HAR was less than the range of JS. Conclusions : The distribution of treatment differs depending on site of diseases and is not much influenced by JS. It has become clear that JapanSCORE is a reliable tool for estimating operative mortality in OAR. However, the observed operative mortality was lower than JS in TEVAR/HAR and a new risk score for TEVAR/HAR should be established.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of simeprevir-based triple therapy with reduced doses of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin for interferon (IFN) ineligible patients, such as elderly and/or cirrhotic patients, and to elucidate the factors contributing to a sustained virologic response (SVR). METHODS: One hundred IFN ineligible patients infected with genotype 1b hepatitis C virus (HCV) were treated. Simeprevir (100 mg) was given orally together with reduced doses of PEG-IFN-α 2a (90 μg), and ribavirin (200 mg less than the recommended dose). RESULTS: The patients’ median age was 70 years, and 70 patients were cirrhotic. Three patients (3%) discontinued treatment due to adverse events. The SVR rate was 64%. Factors that significantly contributed to the SVR included the γ-glutamyl transferase and α-fetoprotein levels, interleukin-28B (IL28B) polymorphism status, and the level and reduction of HCV RNA at weeks 2 and 4. The multivariate analysis showed that the IL28B polymorphism status was the only independent factor that predicted the SVR, with a positive predictive value of 77%. CONCLUSIONS: Simeprevir-based triple therapy with reduced doses of PEG-IFN and ribavirin was safe and effective for IFN ineligible patients infected with genotype 1b HCV. IL28B polymorphism status was a useful predictor of the SVR.
Aged ; Genotype* ; Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Interferons* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Ribavirin* ; RNA ; Simeprevir ; Transferases

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury often occurs as a result of knee valgus collapse during landing or pivoting in sports activity. Previous studies reported that the risk of ACL injuries was reduced by jump and balance training, and those training can be effective as the prevention program for the ACL injuries. But those studies often focused on only adult athletes, and there are few studies focused on junior athletes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the pattern of landing movement in junior athletes, and to verify the effect of the prevention program. One-hundred and ten junior basketball players (boys; 61, girls;49, age ranging 12 to 15) were subjected in this study. We measured the knee flexion, valgus angles and jump height during continuous vertical jump. After measuring, they executed a prevention program for 12 weeks. The motion pattern of the knee during jump test were compaired between before and after prevention program. Female athletes showed greater knee valgus angle at initial landing phase and grater maximum knee valgus angle than those of males. As a result of the prevention program, maximum knee valgus angle was significantly decreased in female athletes. The greater angle of knee valgus in female may increase the risk of ACL injuries. Present study suggests that the prevention program is useful for reducing the risk of ACL injury. Increment of jump height in male players after this program might be considered that this training program has also an effect of performance improvement.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between a number of variables and the smokingbehavior of students at 2 medical and 4 nursing schools. Multivariate analysis was applied to clarify theassociation between the Brinkman index and 12 other independent variables.
The study population consisted of 1, 207 medical and 682 nursing students in Japan.
1) 35.4% of medical students (1-6th grades), 12.5% of nursing students and 28.7% of medical students (1-3rd grades) smoked. Medical students in the 5th or 6th grade smoked more frequently than the otherstudents.
2) Smokers in medical school and those giving up smoking in nursing school had more knowledge aboutsmoking and its physical effects than the others.
3) Multiple regression analysis showed that the coefficients of determination for the Brinkman indiceswere 0.197 in medical school (1-6th grades), 0.055 in nursing school and 0.106 in medical schools (1-3rd grades). The main independent variables were age, sex and maternal smoking history.