for the Japan Thyroid Association Background: Thyroid storm (TS) is life threatening. Its incidence is poorly defined, few series are available, and population-based diagnostic criteria have not been established. We surveyed TS in Japan, defined its characteristics, and formulated diagnostic criteria, FINAL-CRITERIA1 and FINAL-CRITERIA2, for two grades of TS, TS1, and TS2 respectively. Methods: We first developed diagnostic criteria based on 99 patients in the literature and 7 of our patients (LIT-CRITERIA1 for TS1 and LIT-CRITERIA2 for TS2). Thyrotoxicosis was a prerequisite for TS1 and TS2 as well as for combinations of the central nervous system manifestations, fever, tachycardia, congestive heart failure (CHF), and gastrointestinal (GI)/hepatic disturbances. We then conducted initial and follow-up surveys from 2004 through 2008, targeting all hospitals in Japan, with an eight-layered random extraction selection process to obtain and verify information on patients who met LIT-CRITERIA1 and LIT-CRITERIA2. Results: We identified 282 patients with TS1 and 74 patients with TS2. Based on these data and information from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan, we estimated the incidence of TS in hospitalized patients in Japan to be 0.20 per 100,000 per year. Serum-free thyroxine and free triiodothyroine concentrations were similar among patients with TS in the literature, Japanese patients with TS1 or TS2, and a group of patients with thyrotoxicosis without TS (Tox-NoTS). The mortality rate was 11.0% in TS1, 9.5% in TS2, and 0% in Tox-NoTS patients. Multiple organ failure was the most common cause of death in TS1 and TS2, followed by CHF, respiratory failure, arrhythmia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, GI perforation, hypoxic brain syndrome, and sepsis. Glasgow Coma Scale results and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were associated with irreversible damages in 22 survivors. The only change in our final diagnostic criteria for TS as compared with our initial criteria related to serum bilirubin concentration > 3 mg/dL. Conclusions: TS is still a life-threatening disorder with more than 10% mortality in Japan. We present newly formulated diagnostic criteria for TS and clarify its clinical features, prognosis, and incidence based on nationwide surveys in Japan. This information will help diagnose TS and in understanding the factors contributing to mortality and irreversible complications. 1 The First Department of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan. 2 Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. 3 Department of Medicine 2, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. 4 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan. 5 Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. 6 Department of Clinical and Molecular Endocrinology, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. 7 Division of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinolog...

Objective: In cancer patients, the balance between neutrophil (N) and lymphocyte (L) cell counts fluctuates with advancing disease. The objective of our study was to determine the prognostic implications of the N/L ratio in the peripheral blood of gastric cancer patients. Methods: Study participants were identified from a prospective cohort of patients with advanced gastric cancer in Japan (n = 1,220). Results: The median baseline N/L was 2.58 (range, 0.63–12.7). Univariate analysis revealed that patients with an N/L ≧2.5 (n = 644) had a significantly poorer prognosis than those with an N/L <2.5 (n = 576; log rank test, p = 0.019 × 10^–12). The median survival times for these two groups were 239 (95% confidence interval, CI, 217–251 days) and 363 days (95% CI, 334–406 days), respectively, while the 1-year survival rates were 30 (95% CI, 26–34%) and 50% (95% CI, 45–54%), respectively. A multivariate Cox model established a significant relationship between the N/L ratio and survival (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.32–1.75; p = 0.077 × 10^–8). Conclusions: These results suggest that the N/L ratio is an independent prognostic factor in advanced gastric cancer. Measurement of this ratio may serve as a clinically accessible and useful biomarker for patient survival.

Injection of human CECs supplemented with a ROCK inhibitor was followed by an increase in CEC density after 24 weeks in 11 persons with bullous keratopathy. (Funded by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development and others; UMIN number, UMIN000012534 .).

We examined the impact of pretreatment neutrophil count on survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 388 chemo-naïve patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC from a randomised controlled trial were evaluated. The effects of pretreatment peripheral blood neutrophil, lymphocyte and monocyte counts and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio on survival were examined using the proportional hazards regression model to estimate hazard ratios after adjustment for covariates. The optimal cut-off value was determined by proportional hazards regression analysis with the minimum P-value approach and shrinkage procedure. After adjustment for prognostic factors, the pretreatment elevated neutrophil count was statistically significantly associated with short overall (P=0.0008) and progression-free survival (P=0.024), whereas no association was found between prognosis and lymphocyte or monocyte count. The cut-off value selected for neutrophil count was 4500 mm(-3) (corrected hazard ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09-2.54). The median survival time was 19.3 months (95%CI, 16.5-21.4) for the low-neutrophil group (4500 mm(-3), n=204) and was 10.2 months (95%CI, 8.0-12.3) for the high-neutrophil group (4500 mm(-3), n=184). We confirmed that pretreatment elevated neutrophil count is an independent prognostic factor in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving modern chemotherapy. Neutrophil count is easily measured at low cost, and it may be a useful indicator of patient prognosis.

Pulmonary resection for patients with lung cancer with interstitial lung diseases may provoke acute exacerbation at a substantially high rate and has high associated mortality. Surgical procedures that proved to be a risk factor for acute exacerbation should be chosen cautiously for these high-risk patients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the success rate of cold snare polypectomy (CSP) for complete resection of 4–9 mm colorectal adenomatous polyps compared with that of hot snare polypectomy (HSP).DesignA prospective, multicentre, randomised controlled, parallel, non-inferiority trial conducted in 12 Japanese endoscopy units. Endoscopically diagnosed sessile adenomatous polyps, 4–9 mm in size, were randomly assigned to the CSP or HSP group. After complete removal of the polyp using the allocated technique, biopsy specimens from the resection margin after polypectomy were obtained. The primary endpoint was the complete resection rate, defined as no evidence of adenomatous tissue in the biopsied specimens, among all pathologically confirmed adenomatous polyps.ResultsA total of 796 eligible polyps were detected in 538 of 912 patients screened for eligibility between September 2015 and August 2016. The complete resection rate for CSP was 98.2% compared with 97.4% for HSP. The non-inferiority of CSP for complete resection compared with HSP was confirmed by the +0.8% (90% CI −1.0 to 2.7) complete resection rate (non-inferiority p<0.0001). Postoperative bleeding requiring endoscopic haemostasis occurred only in the HSP group (0.5%, 2 of 402 polyps).ConclusionsThe complete resection rate for CSP is not inferior to that for HSP. CSP can be one of the standard techniques for 4–9 mm colorectal polyps. (Study registration: UMIN000018328)

ABO-incompatible (ABO-IThe 5-year patient survival rate was 85% in infants and 52% in adults. The major causes of death were infection and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Multivariate analysis showed that age group, preoperative condition, antibody titer, and infection significantly affected survival. Age group, antibody titer, and local infusion treatment significantly affected the incidence of AMR. Patient survival rates were significantly higher and the incidence of AMR was significantly lower in adult patients after 2000 (3 year-survival rate, 29%, 56%, and 61%; incidence of AMR, 47%, 27%, and 16%, through

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