Outcomes of pediatric obesity-related lifestyle disease screenings in Kumamoto.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is an important issue causing both health hazards and socioeconomic loss to those affected. Kumamoto City regularly performs obesity-related lifestyle disease screenings for fourth grade children with obesity, including physical examinations, blood tests, and special examination referrals. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of the screenings conducted from 2011 to 2020. METHODS: The percentage of overweight was calculated using data from the Lifestyle Disease Screening Board of Kumamoto City from 2011 to 2020. The percentage of overweight, abdominal circumference, blood pressure, and laboratory test outcomes of the Secondary Lifestyle Disease Test were evaluated. RESULTS: The proportion of children with obesity in grades 1-4 in Kumamoto was higher than the national average, while that in grades 5-6 was lower than the national average. Among the fourth graders screened, 6521 were eligible for the Secondary Lifestyle Disease Tests, of which 3291 children underwent the test. In the testing, 22.3% of the boys and 29.1% of the girls were nonobese. Moreover, 25.9% of the boys and 19.2% of the girls, including nonobese children, required further examination and intervention. Notably, 62.1% of the boys and 46.2% of the girls who were nonobese and required special examination had a waist circumference of ≥75 cm or waist-to-height ratios of ≥0.5. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity-related lifestyle disease screenings contributed to preventing obesity progression. Abdominal circumference measurements may be useful in determining nonobese children at a risk of lifestyle diseases.

Comparison between the Effects of Loxoprofen and Acetaminophen on Postoperative Pain Following Radical Prostatectomy: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications are associated with renal impairment. However, there is little information on whether these medications affect postoperative renal function compared with acetaminophen. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of acetaminophen and loxoprofen, used as postoperative analgesic, effect on postoperative analgesia using propensity score matching analysis. We retrospectively enrolled 328 patients treated with loxoprofen or acetaminophen after open radical prostatectomy between October 2017 and February 2020. We analyzed postoperative pain intensity, the incidence rate of acute kidney injury, drug-induced liver injury, and rate of elevation in serum creatinine after open radical prostatectomy. Eighty-one matched pairs of patients treated with loxoprofen or acetaminophen were selected using propensity score matching analysis. The postoperative numerical rating scale was significantly higher in the acetaminophen group than in the loxoprofen group on postoperative day 5. The use of patient-controlled anesthesia and rescue analgesics was significantly higher in the acetaminophen group than in the loxoprofen group. The loxoprofen group had a significantly higher postoperative increase in serum creatinine than the acetaminophen group on postoperative days 5 and 8. The incidence of acute kidney injury was 4.9% in the loxoprofen group and 0% in the acetaminophen group, while the incidence of drug-induced liver injury was 0% in both groups. Acetaminophen appears to be safer than loxoprofen in terms of effects on renal function. Nevertheless, the number of acetaminophen doses and the dose per dose may need to be increased for patients with significant postoperative pain.

[CLINICAL STUDY OF SEQUENTIAL THERAPY WITH ABIRATERONE AND ENZALUTAMIDE FOLLOWING DOCETAXEL THERAPY FOR CASTRATION-RESISTANT PROSTATE CANCER].

(Purpose) This study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sequential therapy with two novel drugs, abiraterone and enzalutamide after docetaxel (DOC) therapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). (Material and methods) Twenty-one patients were identified received sequential therapy with abiraterone and enzalutamide after DOC therapy at our institution. We investigated PSA response (decrease of 50% or more) to prior administered drug as primary endpoint, and overall survival rate and occurrence of adverse events as secondary endpoint. (Results) There were 12 patients in the group preliminarily administered enzalutamide (Group E) and 9 patients in the group preliminarily administered abiraterone (Group A). The novel drugs were administered immediately following DOC therapy in nearly all cases. Of the 9 patients in Group A, only one patient (11%) and of the 12 patients in Group E, only one patient (9%) achieved PSA decrease of 50% or more, thus resulting in a poor response rate. There was not significantly difference in both groups. The overall survival rates of Group A and E were not significantly difference. There were three adverse events which required change drug. Those were two cases (appetite loss and general fatigue) on enzalutamide and one case (edema) on abiraterone. (Conclusion) This study suggested that sequential therapy with abiraterone and enzalutamide after DOC therapy had poor clinical benefit regardless of the order of administration of both drugs.

Extracapsular extension of prostate cancer: diagnostic value of combined multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and isovoxel 3-dimensional T2-weighted imaging at 1.5 T.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess whether adding isovoxel 3-dimensional T2-weighted imaging (volume isotropic T2-weighted acquisition [VISTA]) to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) improves the ability to diagnose the extracapsular extension (ECE) of prostate cancer. METHODS: Two radiologists independently evaluated ECE on images acquired with mp-MRI only (method A) and mp-MRI plus VISTA (method B) in 50 men who had undergone prostatectomy. We also compared the signal-to-noise ratio of the tumor on T2WI and VISTA scans. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were higher with method B. For both readers, specificity, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of method B were significantly higher than those of method A (reader 1: P = 0.028, 0.025, and 0.006; reader 2: P = 0.017, 0.0071, and 0.018). The signal-to-noise ratio was significantly higher on T2-weighted imaging than VISTA images (9.21 [SD, 2.46] vs 7.30 [SD, 1.87], P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of VISTA to mp-MRI improves the diagnostic value for ECE significantly.

Triage of low-risk prostate cancer patients with PSA levels 10 ng/ml or less: comparison of apparent diffusion coefficient value and transrectal ultrasound-guided target biopsy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to identify low-risk prostate cancer on the basis of the D'Amico clinical risk score in patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels 10 ng/mL or less who had undergone radical prostatectomy by comparing apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided target biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the preliminary study, we used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and determined the cutoff ADC to identify prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 6 or less for 117 patients. In the primary study, we assessed the combination of routine MRI (T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging) plus the cutoff ADC value ("method A") to identify low-risk prostate cancer for another 89 patients. Their diagnostic value was compared with that of routine MRI combined with the Gleason score obtained from TRUS-guided target biopsies ("method B"). RESULTS: The preliminary study showed that a mean ADC of 1.04 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s was the best cutoff. In the primary study, accuracy was statistically higher with method A for each reader (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: In patients with PSA levels 10 ng/mL or less, the combination of MRI findings plus the cutoff ADC is significantly more accurate for the identification of low-risk prostate cancer than is the combination of MRI followed by TRUS-guided target biopsy.

[Clinical study of long-term docetaxel based chemotherapy treatment for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer].

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term continuous administration of docetaxel (DOC), over survival rate, PSA level and adverse effects were analyzed, retrospectively. We also compared the results of long-term treatment group and short-term treatment group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study reported that 14 cases of long-term continuous administration of DOC consisting of 11 or more cycles among 51 patients of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treated with DOC from October 2008 to September 2013 at our institution, retrospectively. Nineteen patients who had treated with DOC 10 or less cycles were defined as short-term dose group, and both groups were compared. DOC was administered every 3 to 4 weeks at 60 to 70 mg/m2, and was treated with prednisolone at 10 mg/day as a general. RESULTS: The median number of treatment cycles was 15. Thirteen cases showed a decrease in PSA levels and 10 cases showed a decrease in PSA levels of 50% or more, the 1-year survival rate of long-term dose and short-term dose group were 100% and 16%. Adverse effects of grade 3 or lower consisted of leukocytopenia in 85% and thrombocytopenia in 28%, however, grade 4 or higher were not observed in long-term dose group. In multivariable analysis of parameters, long-term treatment was related to PSA levels at start of treatment and ALP levels. CONCLUSION: Forty-two percent of patients who have CRPC at our institution undergo long-term DOC based chemotherapy treatment It may be suggested that long-term DOC based chemotherapy for some cases contribute to extend survival time with no serious adverse events.

Ultra-high-b-value diffusion-weighted MR imaging for the detection of prostate cancer: evaluation in 201 cases with histopathological correlation.

PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (DWI) for prostate cancer detection, using different b-values. METHODS: A total of 201 patients who underwent MR imaging before total prostatectomy were evaluated. MR images were independently assessed by three radiologists. Three combinations of sequences were separately evaluated, as follows: group 1 [T2-weighted images (T2WI) alone], group 2 (T2WI and DWI with a b-value of 1,000 s/mm2), group 3 (T2WI and DWI with a b-value of 2,000 s/mm2). Whole-mount-section histopathological examination was the reference standard. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) and diagnostic performance parameters were determined. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC for the detection of prostate cancer were as follows: 52.2%, 80.7%, and 0.694 in group 1; 61.2%, 82.6%, and 0.755 in group 2; 73.2%, 89.7%, and 0.842 in group 3. Group 3 achieved the highest diagnostic performance, followed by group 2 (P<0.05). In the transition zone, the specificity was lower (P<0.001) for group 2 (82.2%) than for group 1 (86.2%). CONCLUSION: The addition of diffusion-weighted images with a b-value of 2,000 s/mm2 to T2WI can improve the diagnostic performance of MR imaging in prostate cancer detection.

[Evaluation of immediate androgen deprivation adjuvant therapy in patients with lymph node positive prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy].

PURPOSE: We assessed the outcome after radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for lymph node positive prostate cancer retrospectively. Furthermore, we compared the efficacy of immediate androgen deprivation adjuvant therapy in node positive patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We investigated 62 patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy and have been found to have lymph node positive prostate cancer at our facility between January 1992 and January 2008. We researched the clinical stages, the pathological stages and Gleason scores for pathological pN1 + prostate cancer, retrospectively. The serum PSA levels were followed up every 6 months, and we considered that biochemical progression was PSA >0.4 ng/ml. We classified the groups treated with or without immediate androgen deprivation adjuvant therapy, the biochemical progression free survival and cause specific survival were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the statistical significance was determined by the log rank test. RESULTS: The rate of lymph node positive patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy was 7.1%. The rate of 8 or greater in Gleason score of all the lymph node positive patients was 68.3%. The 5-year prostate cancer specific survival and 5-year biochemical progression free survival rates were 90.3 and 67.4% of all the patients. The biochemical progression free survival rate of the group of patients who have received immediate androgen deprivation therapy after radical prostatectomy was significantly higher than that of the group of patients who have not received immediately androgen deprivation therapy. CONCLUSION: It may be suggested that early androgen deprivation adjuvant therapy benefits patients with nodal metastases who have undergone radical prostatectomy and lymphadenectomy, compared with those who received deferred treatment, although in a retrospective nonrandomized study.

Characterization of electroencephalography signals for estimating saliency features in videos.

Understanding the functions of the visual system has been one of the major targets in neuroscience for many years. However, the relation between spontaneous brain activities and visual saliency in natural stimuli has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we developed an optimized machine learning-based decoding model to explore the possible relationships between the electroencephalography (EEG) characteristics and visual saliency. The optimal features were extracted from the EEG signals and saliency map which was computed according to an unsupervised saliency model (Tavakoli and Laaksonen, 2017). Subsequently, various unsupervised feature selection/extraction techniques were examined using different supervised regression models. The robustness of the presented model was fully verified by means of ten-fold or nested cross validation procedure, and promising results were achieved in the reconstruction of saliency features based on the selected EEG characteristics. Through the successful demonstration of using EEG characteristics to predict the real-time saliency distribution in natural videos, we suggest the feasibility of quantifying visual content through measuring brain activities (EEG signals) in real environments, which would facilitate the understanding of cortical involvement in the processing of natural visual stimuli and application developments motivated by human visual processing.

[Clinical study of bladder tamponade resulting from clots of blood].

PURPOSE: There were many case reports about bladder tamponade resulting from clots of blood. However, there were few reports about the clinical study that result from collecting cases of bladder tamponade. Thus, we performed a retrospective study about bladder tamponade resulting from clots of blood that we had managed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We investigated 20 patients who had bladder tamponade and were consulted at our facility between October 2002 and September 2005. We researched causes of the bleeding, characteristics of the patients, the laboratory data of coagulation system and treatments of our experience in managing patients. There were 17 males and 3 females. The average age of the patients was 74.0 years old. RESULTS: 8 cases took anticoagulant drugs, 6 cases had medical history of cerebral infarction or cardiac infarction, 4 cases took anticholinergic drugs and 9 cases had benign prostate hypertrophy or urethral stricture. Bleeding was due to bladder tumor in 9, prostate cancer in 1, radiation cystitis in 3, chronic cystitis in 1, malignant lymphoma in 1, idiopathic causes in 3 and unknown causes in 2 cases. Except 1 case, in all cases, evacuation of the clots was the first procedure followed by saline irrigation. This initial line of treatment was able to control the hemorrhage in 40% of the patients. For the remaining cases, transurethral coagulation and resection of bladder tumor were used as the second line treatment, and furthermore, radical cystectomy was performed in 1 case. Surgical treatments were required in 12 cases. Blood transfusion was required in 4 cases. CONCLUSION: According to progress aging society, the amounts of taken anticoagulant drugs and the patients who had lower urinary tract dysfunction may increase. It may be suggested that the cases of bladder tamponade resulting from clots of blood without bladder tumor or radiation cystitis tend to increase.

Isotonic hyponatremia and cerebrospinal fluid sodium during and after transurethral resection of the prostate.

We examined the effects on the central nervous system of hyponatremia during transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Initially, a prospective study was done on 165 consecutively treated patients undergoing TURP, to evaluate symptoms related to the serum osmolality. There were ten patients with hyponatremia below 120 mEq·L-1, and in whom the serum sodium decreased to 111.9±6.4 mEq·L-1 (mean±SD) postoperatively, the measured serum osmolality remained near normal. The calculated osmolality decreased to 237.4±11.9 mOsm·kg-1 and the estimated osmolar gap was 33.5±10.4 mOsm·kg-1 due to absorption of the irrigating sorbitol. Neurological symptoms were mild and complications such as seizures or loss of consciousness nerver occurred. There were five other patients with hyponatremia (serum sodium 118.0±6.7 mEq·L-1) from whom lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected before and after TURP through a single puncture. CSF sodium did not decrease throughout 1.5 h after TURP, and there was a CSF-to-serum sodium gradient. Our study shows that in cases of acute dilution hyponatremia during and after TURP, symptoms are mild because the serum osmolality remains near normal and CSF sodium does not decrease despite severe postoperative hyponatremia.

Clinical utility of the normalized apparent diffusion coefficient for preoperative evaluation of the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Normalization of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) may overcome ADC variability attributable to different patient and/or technical factors. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of ADC and the normalized ADC (nADC) for differentiating between prostate cancer with a Gleason score (GS) = 6 and GS > 6 and to identify an optimum reference for nADC calculations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study population comprised 58 patients who underwent diffusion-weighted MRI followed by radical prostatectomy. The nADC of the prostate cancer was calculated as ADC (cancer)/ADC (reference) by using the obturator internus muscle, urine in the bladder, and a 20-ml saline bottle placed on the groin as references. We performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to identify the optimum reference for nADC calculations. RESULTS: To differentiate between GS = 6 and GS > 6 prostate cancer, the area under the ROC curve of the nADC obtained with a saline bottle as reference was best (0.85) and significantly better than the area under the ADC ROC curve (0.71). CONCLUSIONS: nADC is superior to ADC for estimating the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. It is a noninvasive technique that aids in the selection of appropriate treatments.

Usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging in the localization of prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Advances in high-precision radiation therapy techniques for patients with prostate cancer permit selective escalation of the radiation dose delivered to the dominant intraprostatic lesion and improve the therapeutic ratio. We evaluated the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for dominant intraprostatic lesion assessment. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study population consisted of 23 patients with early prostate cancer. Before undergoing total prostatectomy, they were evaluated by means of magnetic resonance imaging, including DWI. T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) with and without DWI were retrospectively assessed by six independent observers. Imaging findings were compared with pathologic results from whole prostate specimens on a lesion-by-lesion basis. RESULTS: Pathologic study identified 43 lesions in 23 patients. On magnetic resonance imaging, the six observers correctly identified 11-22 of 43 lesions (sensitivity, 26-51%) on T2WI alone and 20-31 (sensitivity, 47-72%) on T2WI plus DWI. Positive predictive values were 42-73% on T2WI alone and 58-80% on T2WI plus DWI. For all observers, detection was higher on combined T2WI and DWI than on T2WI alone. CONCLUSION: Because the addition of DWI to T2WI improves the detectability of prostate cancer, DWI may offer a promising new approach for radiation therapy planning.