Tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) formation is a complication of long-term tracheostomy use. Surgical closure is necessary for a persistent TCF because this can lead to various complications. Herein, we describe our use of an island deltopectoral (DP) flap to treat a large TCF. A 62-year-old male, who had previously undergone supraglottic partial laryngectomy with laser and radiation therapy, presented with a second recurrence of supraglottic cancer. Supracricoid partial laryngectomy and cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) were performed. Afterward, a large TCF measuring about 2.0×2.5 cm developed. The island DP flap facilitated successful TCF closure. There have been no recurrences or complications, and both the reconstruction site and donor site are well-maintained after 25 months of follow-up. The island DP flap can be a useful option for large TCF closure, even for patients who have had previous radiation therapy.

Tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) formation is a complication of long-term tracheostomy use. Surgical closure is necessary for a persistent TCF because this can lead to various complications. Herein, we describe our use of an island deltopectoral (DP) flap to treat a large TCF. A 62-year-old male, who had previously undergone supraglottic partial laryngectomy with laser and radiation therapy, presented with a second recurrence of supraglottic cancer. Supracricoid partial laryngectomy and cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) were performed. Afterward, a large TCF measuring about 2.0×2.5 cm developed. The island DP flap facilitated successful TCF closure. There have been no recurrences or complications, and both the reconstruction site and donor site are well-maintained after 25 months of follow-up. The island DP flap can be a useful option for large TCF closure, even for patients who have had previous radiation therapy.

Tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) formation is a complication of long-term tracheostomy use. Surgical closure is necessary for a persistent TCF because this can lead to various complications. Herein, we describe our use of an island deltopectoral (DP) flap to treat a large TCF. A 62-year-old male, who had previously undergone supraglottic partial laryngectomy with laser and radiation therapy, presented with a second recurrence of supraglottic cancer. Supracricoid partial laryngectomy and cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) were performed. Afterward, a large TCF measuring about 2.0×2.5 cm developed. The island DP flap facilitated successful TCF closure. There have been no recurrences or complications, and both the reconstruction site and donor site are well-maintained after 25 months of follow-up. The island DP flap can be a useful option for large TCF closure, even for patients who have had previous radiation therapy.

Tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) formation is a complication of long-term tracheostomy use. Surgical closure is necessary for a persistent TCF because this can lead to various complications. Herein, we describe our use of an island deltopectoral (DP) flap to treat a large TCF. A 62-year-old male, who had previously undergone supraglottic partial laryngectomy with laser and radiation therapy, presented with a second recurrence of supraglottic cancer. Supracricoid partial laryngectomy and cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) were performed. Afterward, a large TCF measuring about 2.0×2.5 cm developed. The island DP flap facilitated successful TCF closure. There have been no recurrences or complications, and both the reconstruction site and donor site are well-maintained after 25 months of follow-up. The island DP flap can be a useful option for large TCF closure, even for patients who have had previous radiation therapy.

Tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) formation is a complication of long-term tracheostomy use. Surgical closure is necessary for a persistent TCF because this can lead to various complications. Herein, we describe our use of an island deltopectoral (DP) flap to treat a large TCF. A 62-year-old male, who had previously undergone supraglottic partial laryngectomy with laser and radiation therapy, presented with a second recurrence of supraglottic cancer. Supracricoid partial laryngectomy and cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) were performed. Afterward, a large TCF measuring about 2.0×2.5 cm developed. The island DP flap facilitated successful TCF closure. There have been no recurrences or complications, and both the reconstruction site and donor site are well-maintained after 25 months of follow-up. The island DP flap can be a useful option for large TCF closure, even for patients who have had previous radiation therapy.

Objective: We evaluated the efficacy of the newly developed optimized in vitro culture (OIVC) dish for cultivating preimplantation mouse embryos. This dish minimizes the need for mineral oil and incorporates microwells, providing a stable culture environment and enabling independent monitoring of individual embryos. Methods: Mouse pronuclear (PN) zygotes and two-cell-stage embryos were collected at 18 and 46 hours after human chorionic gonadotropin injection, respectively. These were cultured for 120 hours using potassium simplex optimized medium (KSOM) to reach the blastocyst stage. The embryos were randomly allocated into three groups, each cultured in one of three dishes: a 60-mm culture dish, a microdrop dish, and an OIVC dish that we developed. Results: The OIVC dish effectively maintained the osmolarity of the KSOM culture medium over a 5-day period using only 2 mL of mineral oil. This contrasts with the significant osmolarity increase observed in the 60-mm culture dish. Additionally, the OIVC dish exhibited higher blastulation rates from two-cell embryos (100%) relative to the other dish types. Moreover, blastocysts derived from both PN zygotes and two-cell embryos in the OIVC dish group demonstrated significantly elevated mean cell numbers. Conclusion Use of the OIVC dish markedly increased the number of cells in blastocysts derived from the in vitro culture of preimplantation mouse embryos. The capacity of this dish to maintain medium osmolarity with minimal mineral oil usage represents a breakthrough that may advance embryo culture techniques for various mammals, including human in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer programs.

Background and Objectives: De-escalation of dual-antiplatelet therapy through dose reduction of prasugrel improved net adverse clinical events (NACEs) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), mainly through the reduction of bleeding without an increase in ischemic outcomes. Whether the benefits of de-escalation are sustained in highly thrombotic conditions such as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unknown. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of de-escalation therapy in patients with STEMI or non-STsegment elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). Methods: This is a pre-specified subgroup analysis of the HOST-REDUCE-POLYTECH-ACS trial. ACS patients were randomized to prasugrel de-escalation (5 mg daily) or conventional dose (10 mg daily) at 1-month post-percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary endpoint was a NACE, defined as a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, clinically driven revascularization, stroke, and bleeding events of grade ≥2 Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria at 1 year. Results: Among 2,338 patients included in the randomization, 326 patients were diagnosed with STEMI. In patients with NSTE-ACS, the risk of the primary endpoint was significantly reduced with de-escalation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48– 0.89; p=0.006 for de-escalation vs. conventional), mainly driven by a reduced bleeding. However, in those with STEMI, there was no difference in the occurrence of the primary outcome (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.48–2.26; p=0.915; p for interaction=0.271). Conclusions Prasugrel dose de-escalation reduced the rate of NACE and bleeding, without increasing the rate of ischemic events in NSTE-ACS patients but not in STEMI patients.

Purpose: To analyze the changes in subfoveal Haller layer thickness (SFHT), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), and central macular thickness (CMT) after intravitreal aflibercept injection. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 36 diabetic macular edema patients who underwent intravitreal aflibercept injection between December 2016 and June 2021. The SFHT, SFCT, and CMT before and 1 month after the injection were compared using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Results: Mean baseline SFHT, SFCT, and CMT were 214.28 ± 80.00 μm, 307.89 ± 96.30 μm, and 525.64 ± 133.24 μm, which were reduced 1 month after the injection to 199.56 ± 75.76 μm, 290.36 ± 94.63 μm, and 409.72 ± 98.45 μm, respectively (p = 0.001, < 0.001, and < 0.001, respectively). There was a significant correlation between baseline SFHT and 1-month post-injection best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), while thicker subfoveal Haller layers before the injection were associated with better BCVA after the injection (ρ = −0.342; p = 0.041). Conclusions In diabetic macular edema patients, SFHT, SFCT, and CMT decreased significantly over 1 month after the first intravitreal aflibercept injection. Greater SFHT before the injection was a good short-term predictor of BCVA after injection.

Background: and Purpose We aimed to determine 1) the frequency of mammillary body (MB) atrophy in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and hippocampal sclerosis (HS), 2) the clinical significance of MB atrophy, and 3) the association between MB atrophy and volume changes in other subcortical limbic structures. Methods: We enrolled 69 patients with pathologically confirmed TLE with HS, who underwent a standard anterior temporal lobectomy, as well as 40 healthy controls. We used the FreeSurfer deep-learning tool of U-Net to obtain the volumes of the subcortical limbic structures, including the MB, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, septal nuclei, fornix, and nucleus accumbens. MB atrophy was considered to be present when the MB volume was decreased relative to the healthy controls. Results: MB atrophy was present in 18 (26.1%) of the 69 patients with TLE and HS. Among the clinical characteristics, the mean age at seizure onset was higher (25.5 vs. 15.9 years, p= 0.027) and the median duration of epilepsy was shorter (149 vs. 295 months, p=0.003) in patients with than without MB atrophy. The basal forebrain (0.0185% vs. 0.0221%, p=0.004) and septal nuclei (0.0062% vs. 0.0075%, p=0.003) in the ipsilateral hemisphere of HS were smaller in the patients with MB atrophy. Conclusions We observed ipsilateral MB atrophy in about one-quarter of patients with TLE and HS. The severity of subcortical limbic structure abnormalities was greater in patients without MB atrophy. These findings suggest that MB atrophy in TLE with HS is not rare, but it has little clinical significance.