Acute acalculous cholecystitis complicated by infectious mononucleosis caused by cytomegalovirus.

Key Clinical Message: When seeing patients who present with atypical lymphocytes and abdominal pain without accompanying symptoms of pharyngitis or lymphadenopathy, acalculous cholecystitis caused by CMV infection should be considered as a differential diagnosis. Abstract: A teenage man presented with a fever and epigastric pain. The patient tested positive for cytomegalovirus IgG and IgM. Abdominal ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced CT revealed hepatosplenomegaly and gallbladder wall thickening. MRI did not identify gallstones or tumorous lesions. He was diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis and acalculous cholecystitis caused by cytomegalovirus.

Potential Indicators of Intestinal Necrosis in Portal Venous Gas: A Case Report of an 82-Year-Old Woman on Long-Term Hemodialysis with Ascites and Pneumatosis Coli.

BACKGROUND Several factors have been reported as possible predictors of intestinal necrosis in patients with portal venous gas (PVG). We describe potential indicators of intestinal necrosis in PVG identified by contrasting 3 episodes of PVG in a patient on hemodialysis against previously verified factors. CASE REPORT An 82-year-old woman undergoing hemodialysis was admitted to our hospital thrice for acute abdominal pain. On first admission, she was alert, with a body temperature of 36.3°C, blood pressure (BP) of 125/53 mmHg, pulse rate of 60/min, respiratory rate of 18/min, and 100% oxygen saturation on room air. Computed tomography (CT) revealed PVG, intestinal distension, poor bowel wall enhancement, bubble-like pneumatosis in the intestinal wall, and minimal ascites. PVG caused by intestinal ischemia was diagnosed, and she recovered after bowel rest and hydration. Three months later, she had a second episode of abdominal pain. BP was 115/56 mmHg. CT revealed PVG and a slight accumulation of ascites, without pneumatosis in the intestinal wall. She again recovered after conservative measures. Ten months later, the patient experienced a third episode of abdominal pain, with BP of 107/52 mmHg. CT imaging indicated PVG, considerable ascites, and linear pneumatosis of the intestinal walls. Despite receiving conservative treatment, the patient died. CONCLUSIONS A large accumulation of ascites and linear pneumatosis in the intestinal walls could be potential indicators of intestinal necrosis in patients with PVG caused by intestinal ischemia. As previously reported, hypotension was further confirmed to be a reliable predictor of intestinal necrosis.

The Administration of Lemborexant at Admission is Not Associated with Inpatient Falls: A Multicenter Retrospective Observational Study.

Purpose: There has been no large-scale investigation into the association between the use of lemborexant, suvorexant, and ramelteon and falls in a large population. This study, serving as a pilot investigation, was aimed at examining the relationship between inpatient falls and various prescribed hypnotic medications at admission. Patients and Methods: This study was a sub-analysis of a multicenter retrospective observational study conducted over a period of 3 years. The target population comprised patients aged 20 years or above admitted to eight hospitals, including chronic care, acute care, and tertiary hospitals. We extracted data on the types of hypnotic medications prescribed at admission, including lemborexant, suvorexant, ramelteon, benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, and other hypnotics; the occurrence of inpatient falls during the hospital stay; and patients' background information. To determine the outcome of inpatient falls, items with low collinearity were selected and included as covariates in a forced-entry binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Overall, 150,278 patients were included in the analysis, among whom 3,458 experienced falls. The median age of the entire cohort was 70 years, with men constituting 53.1%. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the prescription of lemborexant, suvorexant, and ramelteon at admission was not significantly associated with inpatient falls. Conclusion: The administration of lemborexant, suvorexant, and ramelteon at admission may not be associated with inpatient falls.

Effects of a 60-Minute Lecture About Diagnostic Errors for Medical Students: A Single-Center Interventional Study.

INTRODUCTION: The danger of diagnostic errors exists in daily medical practice, and doctors are required to avoid such errors as much as possible. Although various factors, including cognitive, system-related, and patient-related factors, are involved in the occurrence of diagnostic errors, the percentage of doctors with insufficient medical knowledge among those factors is extremely low. Therefore, lectures on diagnostic errors might also be useful for medical students without experience working as doctors. This study investigated whether a 60-minute lecture on diagnostic errors would enable Japanese medical students to consider the factors involved in diagnostic errors and how their perceptions of diagnostic errors change. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This single-center interventional study was conducted in October 2022 among fourth-year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, Saga University. A questionnaire survey was conducted before and immediately after the lecture to investigate changes in the perceptions of medical students regarding diagnostic errors. One mock case question was given on an exam the day after the lecture, and the number of responses to cognitive biases and system-related and patient-related factors involved in diagnostic errors were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 83 students were analyzed. After the lecture, medical students were significantly more aware of the existence of the concept of diagnostic error, the importance of learning about it, their willingness to continue learning about it, and their perception that learning about diagnostic errors improves their clinical skills. They were also significantly less likely to feel blame or shame over diagnostic errors. The mean numbers of responses per student for cognitive bias, system-related factors, and patient-related factors were 1.9, 3.4, and 0.9, respectively. The mean number of responses per student for all factors was 5.6. CONCLUSION: A 60-minute lecture on diagnostic errors among medical students is beneficial because it significantly changes their perception of diagnostic errors. The results of the present study also suggest that lectures may enable Japanese medical students to consider the factors involved in diagnostic errors.

Validation and Improvement of the Saga Fall Risk Model: A Multicenter Retrospective Observational Study.

Purpose: We conducted a pilot study in an acute care hospital and developed the Saga Fall Risk Model 2 (SFRM2), a fall prediction model comprising eight items: Bedriddenness rank, age, sex, emergency admission, admission to the neurosurgery department, history of falls, independence of eating, and use of hypnotics. The external validation results from the two hospitals showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of SFRM2 may be lower in other facilities. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of SFRM2 using data from eight hospitals, including chronic care hospitals, and adjust the coefficients to improve the accuracy of SFRM2 and validate it. Patients and Methods: This study included all patients aged ≥20 years admitted to eight hospitals, including chronic care, acute care, and tertiary hospitals, from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2021. In-hospital falls were used as the outcome, and the AUC and shrinkage coefficient of SFRM2 were calculated. Additionally, SFRM2.1, which was modified from the coefficients of SFRM2 using logistic regression with the eight items comprising SFRM2, was developed using two-thirds of the data randomly selected from the entire population, and its accuracy was validated using the remaining one-third portion of the data. Results: Of the 124,521 inpatients analyzed, 2,986 (2.4%) experienced falls during hospitalization. The median age of all inpatients was 71 years, and 53.2% were men. The AUC of SFRM2 was 0.687 (95% confidence interval [CI]:0.678-0.697), and the shrinkage coefficient was 0.996. SFRM2.1 was created using 81,790 patients, and its accuracy was validated using the remaining 42,731 patients. The AUC of SFRM2.1 was 0.745 (95% CI: 0.731-0.758). Conclusion: SFRM2 showed good accuracy in predicting falls even on validating in diverse populations with significantly different backgrounds. Furthermore, the accuracy can be improved by adjusting the coefficients while keeping the model's parameters fixed.

How Do We Establish the Utility and Evidence of General Medicine in Japan?

Hospital Medicine in the United States has achieved significant progress in the accumulation of evidence. This development has influenced the increasing societal demand for General Medicine in Japan. Generalists in Japan actively engage in a wide range of interdisciplinary clinical practices, education, and management. Furthermore, Generalists have also contributed to advances in research. However, there is limited evidence regarding the benefits of General Medicine in Japan in all these areas, with most of the evidence derived from single-center studies. In Japan, the roles of Generalists are diverse, and the comprehensive definition of General Medicine makes it difficult to clearly delineate its scope. This results in an inadequate accumulation of evidence regarding the benefits of General Medicine, potentially making it less attractive to the public and younger physicians. Therefore, it is necessary to categorize General Medicine and collect clear evidence regarding its benefits.

Educational strategies related to information science and technology for medical students: General medicine physicians' perspective.

The Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education in Japan was revised in 2022. It aimed to reflect changes in the nature of medical care, including the advancement of medical technology through the use of information science and technology and artificial intelligence in the Society 5.0 era. We summarize recommendations for good practice regarding learning strategies from the perspective of general medicine.

Recurrent Transient Hypoxemia in a Schizophrenic Patient Caused by Upper Airway Foreign Body Obstruction by Watermelon.

A woman in her 70s with schizophrenia experienced repeated episodes of limb tremors and hypoxemia. Even after admission, the same symptoms continued while in a supine position. However, her condition rapidly improved with bag valve mask ventilation. Although computed tomography suggested aspiration pneumonia, she had a strong cough reflex while performing bronchoscopy, and no residues were observed in the trachea. Following the bronchoscopy examination, the patient was prompted by a nurse and subsequently expelled a mass of watermelon from her oral cavity, which was identified as a watermelon eaten during breakfast on the day. She was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, and treatment with 2 g/day of cefotiam was initiated. The inflammatory response had improved, and she was transferred to another hospital for adjustment of psychiatric medications on the 10th day of admission. A study indicated that 77% of emergency medical staff experienced misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of patients with mental illnesses. In the present case, various biases and system factors were found to be involved in the diagnostic error. It is crucial to recognize the potential for diagnostic errors in managing patients with schizophrenia given the various biases that may come into play. Furthermore, patients with schizophrenia are at high risk of upper airway foreign body obstruction because of dysphagia or drug-induced effects. When transient hypoxemia is observed, a prompt assessment of the visible intraoral region and, if necessary, evaluation of the entire upper airway through imaging studies should be considered.

Polybacterial Iliopsoas Muscle Abscess as an Indication for Early Diagnosis of Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND Crohn disease (CD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel disease characterized by penetrations or fistulae in the gastrointestinal tract and abscesses in the surrounding tissues. Diagnosis of CD is difficult with an iliopsoas muscle abscess (IMA) as an initial presentation. CASE REPORT A 22-year-old Japanese man had right hip pain 17 days prior to admission. Because of worsening pain, he was admitted to our hospital. Physical examination revealed limitation of his right hip motion and a positive right psoas sign. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a large right IMA. Continuous drainage, which revealed polymicrobial pus, with intravenous administration of antibiotics dramatically decreased the size of the IMA. The drainage tube was removed on hospitalization day 9 because barium enema and contrast radiography of the abscess through the drainage tube showed no fistula. However, on day 19 of hospitalization, the IMA was redetected by abdominal CT. Continuous abscess drainage was resumed, and the third contrast radiograph of the abscess revealed contrast medium flow into the small intestine. Colonoscopy detected stenoses and circumferential ulceration of the terminal ileum. Histopathological examination of the ileum biopsy showed histocyte aggregation with lymphocyte or plasmacyte infiltration of the lamina propria, compatible with a CD diagnosis. Laparoscopic ileocecal resection was performed on day 64 of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS Penetration of the intestinal tract caused by CD should be suspected in a patient with a polymicrobial IMA. It is essential to identify the fistula and subsequently perform surgical resection of the affected intestinal area.

Acute abdominal pain due to atypical bilateral adrenal infarction in acute myeloid leukemia with alterations related to myelodysplasia: A case report.

Key Clinical Message: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can cause acute abdomen following adrenal insufficiency or adrenal infarction. Therefore, when diffusely enlarged adrenal glands and adrenal insufficiency of unknown cause are seen in a patient presenting with acute abdomen, adrenal infarction due to AML, or other hematologic diseases should be ruled out. Abstract: A 49-year-old man developed acute abdominal pain following adrenal insufficiency and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with myelodysplasia-related changes. Because AML can cause acute abdominal pain due to adrenal infarction following adrenal insufficiency, a patient with these conditions should be ruled out adrenal infarction due to AML or other hematologic diseases.

Helicobacter cinaedi Infection Presenting with Myalgia and Cellulitis.

BACKGROUND Helicobacter cinaedi is a rare bacterium, accounting for only 0.2% of the positive isolates in blood cultures. Previous reports note that patients with H. cinaedi infection often have underlying diseases. H. cinaedi infection is diagnosed by blood culture. However, because of the slow growth of this bacterium in blood culture, the diagnosis can be missed. CASE REPORT A 78-year-old man gradually developed erythema and pain in his left arm, then left shoulder and both lower legs. The patient presented to our hospital on day 17. He was afebrile, but the examination was remarkable for tenderness in both gastrocnemius muscles and erythema from the distal left lower leg to the ankle. We suspected pyomyositis and cellulitis and started oral administration of amoxicillin-clavulanate. On day 22, H. cinaedi was detected in blood cultures. Based on these findings, we diagnosed pyogenic myositis and cellulitis caused by H. cinaedi bacteremia. On day 24, antibiotic therapy was changed to intravenous ampicillin, and symptoms improved. Additional examination did not reveal any underlying immunodeficiency disorder, such as malignancy or HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS H. cinaedi infection can occur in healthy patients. Myalgia can be caused by pyogenic myositis because of bacteremia. In cases of myalgia or cellulitis of unknown etiology, blood cultures can be useful when bacteremia is suspected; blood samples should be monitored over an extended period.

Listeria meningitis diagnosed by blood culture with fever, neurological symptoms, and no meningeal irritation signs.

Key Clinical Message: Listeria can cause neurological symptoms in immunocompromised and older patients. Additionally, it is impossible to rule out meningitis by the absence of typical meningeal irritation signs. Therefore, patients with fever and neurological impairments should be rapidly examined for blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures to rule out Listeria meningitis. Abstract: A woman in her 90s developed fever, dysarthria, and transient disturbance of consciousness. Physical examination revealed no meningeal irritation signs. Listeria monocytogenes were detected in her blood culture the following day. Because of an increased number of cells in cerebrospinal fluid, she was diagnosed with Listeria meningitis.

A Simple and Accurate Model for Predicting Fall Injuries in Hospitalized Patients: Insights from a Retrospective Observational Study in Japan.

BACKGROUND While several predictive models for falls have been reported such as we reported in 2020, those for fall "injury" have been unreported. This study was designed to develop a model to predict fall injuries in adult inpatients using simple predictors available immediately after hospitalization. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study. We enrolled inpatients aged ≥20 years admitted to an acute care hospital from April 2012 to March 2018. The variables routinely obtained in clinical practice were compared between the patients with fall injury and the patients without fall itself or fall injury. Multivariable analysis was performed using covariables available on admission. A predictive model was constructed using only variables showing significant association in prior multivariable analysis. RESULTS During hospitalization of 17 062 patients, 646 (3.8%) had falls and 113 (0.7%) had fall injuries. Multivariable analysis showed 6 variables that were significantly associated with fall injuries during hospitalization: age (P=0.001), sex (P=0.001), emergency transport (P<0.001), medical referral letter (P=0.041), history of falls (P=0.012), and abnormal bedriddenness ranks (all P≤0.001). The area under the curve of this predictive model was 0.794 and the shrinkage coefficient was 0.955 using the same data set given above. CONCLUSIONS We developed a predictive model for fall injuries during hospitalization using 6 predictors, including bedriddenness ranks from official Activities of Daily Living indicators in Japan, which were all easily available on admission. The model showed good discrimination by internal validation and promises to be a useful tool to assess the risk of fall injuries.

Contributions of Japanese Hospitalists During the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Need for Infectious Disease Crisis Management Education for Hospitalists: An Online Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Hospitalists in Japan have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, contributions of Japanese hospitalists during the COVID-19 pandemic and hospitalists' awareness of crisis management education remain unclear. Material and Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey to investigate the role of Japanese hospitalists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was conducted using email and Google Forms targeting the chairpersons of facilities certified by the Japanese Society of Hospital General Medicine (JSHGM). Members of the academic committee of the JSHGM and several hospitals conducted a narrative review and determined the questions for the survey in a discussion. Results: We conducted descriptive statistics based on the responses of 97 hospitals that agreed to participate in this survey. In total, 91.8% of general medicine departments in the included hospitals were involved in the medical care of COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, in 73.2% of hospitals, hospitalists were involved in infection control for COVID-19 inside or outside the hospital. Our survey revealed that Japanese hospitalists were responsible for COVID-19 treatment in over 60% of hospitals and contributed to hospital management, infection control, and vaccination. In total, 79.4% of hospitals answered that "training of personnel who can provide practical care for emerging infectious diseases is necessary", 78.4% indicated that "the establishment of an infection control system in advance to prepare emerging infectious diseases in the hospital is necessary", and 74.2% stated that "the establishment of an educational system for responding to emerging infectious diseases is necessary.". Conclusion: In conclusion, during the pandemic, in addition to inpatient care, Japanese hospitalists provided outpatient care for COVID-19, which is the role of primary care physicians in other countries. Furthermore, Japanese hospitalists who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic expressed the need for personnel development and education to prepare for future emerging infectious disease pandemics.

Educational strategies for general medicine education in accordance with the model core curriculum for medical education in Japan.

In Japan, the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education, which is the National Model COre CUrriculum for Undergraduate Medical Education, was first published in 2001 and has since been revised to meet the needs of an aged society and the global standardization of medical education. A new quality and ability "Generalism," which is a comprehensive attitude toward patients, has been added to this revision of the model core curriculum. In this letter, we propose an educational strategy for generalism.

The Milestones of Clinical Research for Young Generalist Physicians: Conducting and Publishing Studies.

Clinical physicians have the potential to contribute to the progress of medicine and healthcare through research based on their diagnostic and treatment practices and supported by their educational background. However, in the field of general medicine in Japan, publication of such research in international journals may be limited by challenges in English proficiency and the lack of opportunities to focus on specific research themes amidst the diverse range of diseases treated in clinical practice. Furthermore, novice researchers without prior research experience may lack a comprehensive understanding of the overall research process, including study design and article publication. To address these challenges, we developed a set of 22 milestones that highlight the necessary skills required to conduct and successfully publish clinical research. This guideline will enable novice researchers to identify and address individual barriers to undertaking a research project. These milestones are categorized into five parts: 1) preparing to undertake research; 2) conducting clinical research; 3) writing the article; 4) submitting and achieving acceptance for publication; and 5) advanced skills. For each part, we provide detailed recommendations on the specific steps and methods involved. By working through these 22 milestones, novice researchers can objectively assess their own level of achievement as researchers and continuously clarify the next step of each round of research. Through this set of milestones, we aim to increase the quality and quantity of research publications in general medicine in academic journals, ideally enhancing the overall research process and advancing the field of medicine and healthcare overall.

Evaluation of a Previously Developed Predictive Model for Infective Endocarditis in 320 Patients Presenting with Fever at 4 Centers in Japan Between January 2018 and December 2020.

BACKGROUND In our previous single-center study, we developed an infective endocarditis (IE) prediction model among patients with undiagnosed fever (UF) based on 5 factors that can be obtained on admission: ambulance transfer, presence of cardiac murmur or pleural effusion, blood neutrophil percentage, and platelet count. The present study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the prediction model for IE in 320 patients presenting with fever at 4 university hospitals in Japan from January 2018 to December 2020. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients aged ≥20 years admitted to 4 hospitals with I-330 (IE) or R-50-9 (UF) according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-10 were enrolled. More than 2 physicians at each hospital reviewed the patient diagnoses using the modified Duke criteria, allocating "definite IE" to IE group (n=119) and "non-definite IE" to UF group (n=201). Five factors on admission were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. The discriminative ability and calibration of the model were evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) and the shrinkage coefficient, respectively. RESULTS A total of 320 patients were enrolled. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were as follows: ambulance transfer 1.81 (0.91-3.55); cardiac murmur 13.13 (6.69-27.36); pleural effusion 2.34 (0.62-2.42); blood neutrophil percentage 1.09 (1.06-1.14); and platelet count 0.96 (0.93-0.99). The AUC was 0.783 (0.732-0.834) with a shrinkage coefficient of 0.961. CONCLUSIONS The IE prediction model is useful to estimate the probability of IE immediately after admission for fever in patients aged ≥20 years.

Clinical Clerkships in General Medicine Enable Students to Acquire Basic Medical Competencies and Experience in Community-Based Integrated Care: A Descriptive Questionnaire-Based Study.

Background No previous research has targeted educators regarding educational practice and the achievements of students in terms of the learning objectives of clinical clerkships in university general medicine departments of Japan. We aimed to clarify the characteristics of clinical clerkships in Japanese general medicine departments using a questionnaire administered to chairpersons of university general medicine departments. Methods This was a descriptive questionnaire-based study using Google Forms (Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA). We asked the chairpersons of general medicine departments in Japanese universities the following questions, with responses given on a 5-point Likert scale: Question 1: How well are primary symptoms in the national model core curriculum for undergraduate medical education taught in clinical clerkships in university general medicine departments? Question 2: How successfully can students achieve the learning objectives of the national model core curriculum for undergraduate medical education through clinical clerkships in general medicine departments of university hospitals? Question 3: How successfully can students achieve the learning objectives of the national model core curriculum for undergraduate medical education through clinical clerkships in other community clinics or hospitals? The results of the questionnaire responses are described as mean±standard deviation. Results Of the 71 Japanese universities with general medicine departments, 43 were included in the analysis. For Question 1, the symptoms and pathophysiologies with a mean score of 4 points or higher were fever, general malaise, anorexia, weight loss or gain, edema, abdominal pain, lymphadenopathy, and headache. All those symptoms require basic medical competencies. For Questions 2 and 3, the intramural clinical clerkship of general medicine departments had a higher mean score than the extramural clinical clerkship for diagnostic reasoning that emphasizes medical history and physical examination and a comprehensive approach to patients with multiple health problems. In contrast, the extramural clinical clerkship, in which medical students can build experience with community-integrated care, had a mean score of 3 points or higher for all items. Conclusions The clinical clerkship in general medicine departments of Japanese universities provides students with chances to acquire clinical competencies regarding primary symptoms and pathophysiologies. Additionally, the extramural clinical clerkship provides experience in community-based integrated care, including home medical care, collaboration, health and welfare, and long-term care.