Effect of continuation of antiplatelet therapy on survival in patients receiving physician home visits.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effects of continued antiplatelet therapy in patients who receive physician home visits. This study aimed to evaluate the association of survival with the continuation of antiplatelet drugs in patients who received physician home visits. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a teaching hospital in Toyota, Japan, from April 2015 to October 2018. All patients who received home visits by physicians from the department of Family Medicine of the hospital were included. The primary outcome was the difference in all-cause mortality between patients who were taking antiplatelet drugs and those who were not. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied, adjusted for the patient's demographic features, activities of daily living, comorbidities, and primary disease requiring home care. RESULTS: A total of 815 patients were included, of whom 61 received antiplatelet drugs (n = 42 for aspirin, n = 17 for clopidogrel, and n = 8 for cilostazol) and 772 received no antiplatelet drugs. The mean age of the patients was 78.3 years, 409 (49.1%) were male, and 314 (37.7%) had end-stage cancer. During a median follow-up period of 120 days (interquartile range, 29-364), 54.3% of the patients died. Compared with patients not taking antiplatelet drugs, patients taking antiplatelet drugs had a better outcome (p <  0.01, log-rank test) and a significantly lower hazard ratio (0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.65; Cox proportional hazards regression). CONCLUSIONS: The continuous prescription of antiplatelet drugs may have beneficial effects on mortality among patients who receive physician home visits.

Cost of physician-led home visit care (Zaitaku care) compared with hospital care at the end of life in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Physician-led home visit care with medical teams (Zaitaku care) has been developed on a national scale to support those who wish to stay at home at the end of life, and promote a system of community-based integrated care in Japan. Medical care at the end of life can be expensive, and is an urgent socioeconomic issue for aging societies. However medical costs of physician-led home visits care have not been well studied. We compared the medical costs of Zaitaku care and hospital care at the end of life in a rapidly aging community in a rural area in Japan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed to compare the total medical costs during patients' final days of life (30 days or less) between Zaitaku care and hospital care from September 2012 to August 2013 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. RESULTS: Thirty four patients died at home under Zaitaku care, and 72 patients died in the hospital during this period. The average daily cost of care during the last 30 days did not differ significantly between the two groups. Although Zaitaku care costs were higher than hospital care costs in the short-term (≦10 days, Zaitaku care $371.2 vs. Hospital care $202.0, p = 0.492), medical costs for Zaitaku care in the long-term care (≧30 days) were less than that of hospital care ($155.8 vs. $187.4, p = 0.055). CONCLUSIONS: Medical costs of Zaitaku care were less compared with hospital care if incorporated early for long term care, but it was high if incorporated late for short term care. For long term care, medical costs for Zaitaku care was 16.7% less than for hospitalization at the end of life. This physician-led home visit care model should be an available option for patients who wish to die at home, and may be beneficial financially over time.

Retrospective analysis of urinary tract infections in long-term care facilities in Japan: Insights from physical examination-based diagnosis.

Objectives: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections are highly prevalent among long-term care facility (LTCF) residents, and are thus important targets for antimicrobial stewardship. Diagnoses of urinary tract infections (UTIs), which are associated with antimicrobial use in these facilities, are not always made by physicians. Past epidemiologic studies have included asymptomatic bacteriuria together with UTIs. The National Healthcare Safety Network has initiated a surveillance program to identify the causative organisms of UTIs in LTCF residents. In Japan, medical care for these residents is provided through in-person physician visits; however, limited related data are available. Therefore, we investigated the organisms causing UTIs and their drug susceptibility among LTCF residents in central Japan, and examined the prevalence of multidrug resistance, its risk factors, and correlations with clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated clinical and urine culture data of LTCF residents with physician-diagnosed UTIs between April 1, 2019, and April 30, 2022. Results: The detection rate of multidrug-resistant organisms was high, with Escherichia coli being the most prevalent. Ceftriaxone was frequently used for initial therapy. The initial antimicrobial agents were significantly less active against MDR pathogens than non-MDR pathogens. Most residents continued to receive the initial agents regardless of culture results. Nonetheless, differences in the therapy duration, relapse and hospitalization rates, and death rate within 28 days between the multidrug-resistant and non-multidrug-resistant groups were not significant. Conclusions: Antimicrobial stewardship is essential for reducing antimicrobial use and selective pressure in LTCFs in Japan; however, more specific data are needed for its effective implementation.

A concomitant case of giant cell arteritis and microscopic polyangiitis with hemoperitoneum by rupture of the gastroepiploic artery.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) mainly involves large-sized arteries, while microscopic polyangiitis (mPA), characterized by pauci-immune necrotizing vasculitis, mainly affects small-sized vessels. We report a very rare concomitant case of GCA diagnosed by temporal artery biopsy and mPA with a high titer of myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia, and suspected rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. The patient died by sudden rupture of the gastroepiploic artery (medium-sized vessel), which may have been triggered by GCA and/or mPA.

＜Editors' Choice＞ Developing online lectures using text mining reduces health workers' anxiety in non-epicenter areas of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is indirectly associated with various mental disorders such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression, and healthcare professionals who treat COVID-19 patients are particularly prone to severe anxiety. However, neither the anxiety of healthcare workers in non-epicenter areas nor the effects of knowledge support have been examined thus far. Participants were 458 staff working at the Toyota Regional Medical Center who completed a preliminary questionnaire of their knowledge and anxiety regarding COVID-19. Based on text mining of the questionnaire responses, participants were offered an online lecture. The effect of the lecture was analyzed using a pre- and post-lecture rating of anxiety and knowledge confidence, and quantitative text mining. The response rates were 45.6% pre- and 62.9% post-lecture. Open-ended responses regarding anxiety and knowledge were classified into seven clusters using a co-occurrence network. Before the lecture, 28.2%, 27.2%, and 20.3% of participants were interested in and anxious about "infection prevention and our hospital's response," "infection and impact on myself, family, and neighbors," and "general knowledge of COVID-19," respectively. As a result of the lecture, Likert-scale ratings for anxiety of COVID-19 decreased significantly and knowledge confidence increased significantly. These changes were confirmed by analyses of open-ended responses about anxiety, lifestyle changes, and knowledge. Positive changes were strongly linked to the topics focused on in the lecture, especially infection prevention. The anxieties about COVID-19 of healthcare workers in non-epicenter areas can be effectively reduced through questionnaire surveys and online lectures using text mining.

Clinical Prognosis of Patients With Mild COVID-19 Treated With Casirivimab/Imdevimab in Japan.

AIM: This study aimed to report clinical courses of patients who had mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), defined as SpO2 of 96 or higher, and treated with/without casirivimab/imdevimab in Japan, where mortality and number of severe patients were very limited compared to other resource-rich countries. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in Toyota Regional Medical Center, Toyota, Japan, from August 31, 2021, to September 27, 2021. We included all patients with COVID-19 who were diagnosed at the hospital's family medicine department. Our primary outcome was admission to the hospital due to COVID-19 and secondary outcome was mortality due to COVID-19. We compared those who received casirivimab/imdevimab and those who did not. RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were included, of whom 30 received casirivimab/imdevimab and 74 did not receive casirivimab/imdevimab. The mean age of the patients was 47.8 ± 15.6 (standard deviation {SD}) years, 57 (54.8%) patients were male. During a median follow-up period of 12 days (interquartile range: 10-16 days), 19 (18.3%) patients were admitted to the hospital and none died. Patients who received casirivimab/imdevimab had similar rate to admission (p = 0.87). The hazard ratio (HR) of admission tended to be lower for those who received casirivimab/imdevimab (HR: 0.76, 95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.23-2.49, p-value = 0.65), but not statistically significant compared to those who did not, after adjusting for age, gender, risk factors, including obesity. CONCLUSIONS:  Our study demonstrated that patients with COVID-19 had similar disease progression rates regardless of casirivimab/imdevimab administration.

Extrapulmonary pneumocystosis in an antiretroviral therapy-naïve, HIV-positive patient.

Pneumocystis jirovecii is a common opportunistic fungal pathogen that commonly affects immunocompromised individuals and can cause P. jirovecii pneumonia. Extrapulmonary P. jirovecii infections are extremely rare. Herein, we present a case of an HIV-positive, antiretroviral therapy-naïve patient who had extrapulmonary pneumocystosis (EPC). He presented with complaints of decreased appetite, abdominal fullness, and weight loss. Computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple low-attenuation masses in the spleen, liver, and both adrenal glands but no pulmonary involvement. A core-needle biopsy of a splenic lesion confirmed the diagnosis of EPC. The patient was initiated on intravenous trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) and CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage of the splenic lesion was performed. Intravenous TMP-SMX therapy was completed in 3 weeks and intravenous pentamidine (250 mg daily) therapy was commenced. Pentamidine was completed after 3 weeks, and antiretroviral treatment (ART) was initiated with dolutegravir 50 mg and Descovy HT (emtricitabine [200 mg] and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate [25 mg]). After starting ART, the patient's clinical condition improved, and the abscesses gradually reduced. TMP-SMX is commonly used to treat EPC; however, there is no standard method of treatment. ART may become the key to EPC treatment in individuals with HIV infection.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 with subarachnoid haemorrhage from the left vertebral arteriovenous fistula: case presentation and literature review.

We present the case of a 47-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) from the left vertebral arteriovenous fistula, along with a review of previous cases. Our patient had a family history of NF1 and presented to the emergency department with a sudden-onset severe headache and neck pain. CT scan showed SAH. CT angiography revealed a left vertebral arteriovenous fistula and an epidural haematoma. She underwent direct surgery and was discharged without neurologic deficits. To our knowledge, this is the first case of SAH caused by perimedullary drainage of a vertebral arteriovenous fistula associated with NF1. In a literature search, we identified 40 cases of vertebral arteriovenous fistula associated with NF1. The majority of vertebral arteriovenous fistulas occurred on the left side and in women. Patients with vertebral arteriovenous fistula typically experience neck pain, radiculopathy, radiculomyelopathy and bruits.

Association Between Antidiarrheal Drug Prescription and Return Visits Among Adult Patients With Acute Diarrhea.

Whether antidiarrheal medications have benefits or demerits when administered to adult patients with diarrhea remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the association between antidiarrheal drug prescription and clinical outcomes in adult patients with acute diarrhea. This retrospective cohort study was conducted by collecting secondary data of patients' health records at St. Luke's International Hospital from April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2016. We included all participants aged 20-59 years who visited the division of general internal medicine or the emergency room in the hospital due to acute diarrheal symptoms. We excluded those who had chronic diarrhea or were immunocompromised (e.g., those with cancer or immunosuppressant usage). Our primary outcome was return visits within two weeks; the secondary outcome was admission to the hospital due to acute diarrhea within two weeks from the first visit. We compared the outcomes between patients with and without antidiarrheal drug prescriptions.  During the study period, a total of 10,246 patients were included, of which 204 (2.0%) were prescribed antidiarrheal drugs. The mean age of the patients was 35.0 (standard deviation: 10.7) years, and 4,130 (40.3%) were men. Patients who were prescribed antidiarrheal drugs were more likely to be prescribed antibiotics (p<0.01). The adjusted odds ratios for return visits among patients with and without antidiarrheal drug prescription were 1.24-1.59, which were not significant. We demonstrated that antidiarrheal drug prescription was not associated with return visits or hospital admission among adult patients with acute diarrhea. This finding suggests that antidiarrheal medications have more benefits than risks in adult patients with acute diarrhea.

Factors associated with the accomplishment of home death among patients receiving physician-led home healthcare.

AIM: To evaluate unique factors associated with home death in older Asian individuals who received physician-led home healthcare. METHODS: We carried out a case-control study at a single hospital in Japan from February 2018 to December 2019. We included patients who had started receiving physician-led home healthcare and died at home as cases, and those receiving the same type of care but died in the hospital as controls. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with home death. RESULTS: A total of 152 patients (mean age 70.3 years [SD 11.2 years]; 86 [56.6%] men) were included, of whom 89 (58.6%) died at home and 63 (41.4%) died in the hospital. Comparing the two groups, the presence of family psychological problems related to care was significantly more common in the hospital death group (home death 49.4%; hospital death 32.3%, P = 0.036). Home death was related to patients aged >85 years compared with patients aged <75 years (adjusted odds ratio 6.47, 95% CI 1.52-27.48) and patients who were in the highest quartile of the number of symptoms (adjusted odds ratio 5.45, 95% CI 1.15-25.95) compared with the lowest. Family members' willingness for the patient to die at home was associated with home death (adjusted odds ratio 7.47, 95% CI 2.13-26.19). CONCLUSIONS: Older age and multiple symptoms were related to accomplishing home death. Patient preference was not associated with the place of death, but family member preference was. These results might reflect family concepts particular to Asia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 525-531.

Transient global amnesia with bilateral hippocampal lesions during the COVID-19 global outbreak.

This manuscript presents a case report of transient global amnesia with bilateral hippocampal lesions which might be triggered by the fear of getting infected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this article is to facilitate the clinicians in understanding that an increasing number of patients with transient global amnesia have been reported during the COVID-19 global outbreak.

Repeated measures of extremely high levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and subsequent all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Extremely high level high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol had been cautioned as risk factor for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. However, both the physician and the patient may underestimate the risk due to the emphasis on "good cholesterol", resulting in passive treatment or adoption of a less healthy lifestyle. The aim of this study is to re-evaluate the association with longitudinal data to account for fluctuations in HDL cholesterol and covariates. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study at a large teaching hospital in Tokyo, Japan, from 2005 to 2016. We included all adults who participated in health check-ups. Outcomes were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. HDL cholesterol was repeatedly measured at each visit and categorized into five groups. The time-varying Cox model was applied to longitudinal analyses. RESULTS: We included a total of 83,100 participants; the mean age was 45.5 (standard deviation:12.4) years; 41,013 (49.4%) were male, and 4475 participants belonged to the extremely high level HDL cholesterol group (>90 mg/dl). During a median follow-up of 1746 (interquartile range:740-3112.5) days, 382 (0.5%) participants died, and 2023 (2.4%) experienced cardiovascular events. Although the extremely high level HDL cholesterol group had significantly lower hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality (HR:0.49, 95%confidence interval(CI):0.26-0.90) and cardiovascular events (HR:0.71, 95%CI:0.54-0.94) compared to the low group (<40 mg/dl), HRs were higher than in the very high level HDL cholesterol group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that extremely high level HDL cholesterol has significantly lower risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events compared to low level, but higher risks compared to very high level, as previously reported.

Alcohol consumption behaviours in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes: time series study.

OBJECTIVES: Earthquakes are a distressing natural phenomenon that can disrupt normal health-related behaviours. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in alcohol consumption behaviours in the immediate aftermath of mild to moderate earthquakes. SETTING: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a large academic hospital in Tokyo, Japan from April 2004 to March 2017. PARTICIPANTS: We included all adult patients presenting with acute alcohol intoxication in the emergency room. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Our outcome was the number of such patients per 24 hours period comparing days with and without earthquake activity. We mainly focused on mild to moderate earthquakes (Shindo scale of less than 3). We conducted a simple generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) analysis, followed by a multivariate GARCH, including year-fixed effects and secular changes in alcohol taxation. Subanalyses were conducted by gender and age group. RESULTS: During the study period, 706 earthquakes were observed with a median Shindo scale of 2 (IQR: 1). During this period, 6395 patients were admitted with acute ethanol intoxication; the mean age was 42.6 (SD: 16.9) years and 4592 (71.8%) patients were male. In univariate analyses, the occurrence of daytime earthquakes was marginally inversely related to the number of acutely intoxicated patients (ß coefficient: -0.19, 95% CI -0.40 to 0.01). This finding remained similar in multivariate analyses after adjustment for covariates. In analyses stratified by gender, the inverse association between daytime earthquakes and alcohol intoxication was only observed among men (p<0.03 for males and p=0.99 for females). In subanalyses by age, older people were less likely to be admitted to the hospital due to acute alcohol intoxication on days with daytime earthquakes (p=0.11), but this was not the case for younger people (p=0.36). CONCLUSION: On days when a mild to moderate daytime earthquake occurred, the number of patients with acute alcohol intoxication was lower compared with days without earthquakes. Even milder forms of potentially catastrophic events appear to influence social behaviour; mild to moderate earthquake activity is associated with the avoidance of excessive alcohol consumption.

Longitudinal relationships between cardiovascular events, risk factors, and time-dependent sleep duration.

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have evaluated the relationships between sleep duration and cardiovascular (CV) events/risk factors, longitudinal associations with time-dependent sleep duration have not been adequately assessed. METHODS: A retrospective, longitudinal study was conducted involving individuals aged 20 years or older that received annual health check-ups at St. Luke's International Hospital from 2005 to 2010. Data collection included self-reported demographic, clinical and health habit information (including sleep duration; < 6, 6-7, 7-8, ≥ 8 h), baseline examinations, and laboratory measures for each year. We conducted mixed effects analyses to examine the associations between non-fatal CV events, risk factors, and time-dependent sleep duration longitudinally. RESULTS: Of the total of 31,830 participants enrolled, 70.1% of participants changed their sleep dura-tion, and 365 participants experienced CV events during follow-up periods. Compared to those reporting 7-8 h of sleep, those reporting less than 6 h of sleep were significantly more likely to experience non-fatal CV events (odds ratio [OR] 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-3.07; p = 0.04), but other groups were not (OR 1.12; 95% CI 0.70-1.77; p = 0.64 for 6-7 h and OR 1.22; 95% CI 0.68-2.23; p = 0.50 for ≥ 8 h). The shortest sleep duration was associated with a higher likelihood of obesity/overweight status (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.32-1.69; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals reporting less than 6 h of sleep were significantly more likely to have non-fatal CV events than those reporting 7-8 h of sleep. For the risk factors, short sleep duration was associ-ated with obesity/overweight status.

Incidence of cardiovascular events in polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis amongst an Asian population: Propensity score matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The hypothesis that patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) or giant cell arteritis (GCA) have a high risk for future cardiovascular diseases has not been adequately tested. The aim of this study is to evaluate this hypothesis in Japan, where the prevalence and severity of PMR and GCA are the lowest. METHODS: A propensity score matched cohort study was conducted at St. Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, from 2003 to 2016. We included all patients who were diagnosed as PMR or GCA cases and matched comparators with a proportion of 1 : 2. Our primary outcome was newly diagnosed cardiovascular disease. The propensity score was calculated using logistic regression with forward stepwise selection in 30 variables. Kaplan-Meier curves were drawn and the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model were performed for survival analyses. Two types of sensitivity analyses were conducted to confirm the results. RESULTS: Among 2461 potential patients, the propensity score identified 504 (168 cases and 336 comparators) patients. During follow up (median 839.5 days), 110 (21.8%) developed cardiovascular diseases. The Kaplan-Meier curves between those with and without PMR or GCA were not significantly different (P = 0.85). The Cox proportional hazard model calculated the hazard ratio (HR) of those with PMR or GCA compared to those without as 0.96 (95% CI: 0.64-1.46). The results from sensitivity analyses were consistent (HR 0.70-1.06). CONCLUSION: Patients with PMR or GCA may not have a higher risk of future cardiovascular diseases among the Japanese population. The sensitivity analyses and sample size calculation supported the results.

Adult-onset Still's disease complicated by autoimmune hepatitis: successful treatment with infliximab.

A 17-year-old woman was previously diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) by liver biopsy. Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) was subsequently diagnosed on the basis of high fever, arthralgia, erythema, leukocytosis (>80% granulocytes), cervical lymph node swelling, splenomegaly, and hyperferritinemia. Her symptoms and liver dysfunction improved with prednisolone of 60 mg daily and subsequently methotrexate was added. However her symptoms and liver dysfunction relapsed when prednisolone was tapered to 20 mg/day. Therefore infliximab was introduced additionally and her symptoms and liver dysfunction subsided. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of AOSD with AIH diagnosed by liver biopsy.