Creating a Classification Module to Analysis the Usage of Mobile Health Apps

With an ageing society becoming a major issue for many countries, health-related concerns are growing and mobile health applications (MHAs) are rapidly gaining users. The applications available range from those that promote exercise to maintain health, those that help to manage physical condition by recording weight and activity, and those that allow users to consult doctors and pharmacists. On the other hand, there are still many mobile users who do not use MHAs. In this case study from Japan, the range of diverse MHAs were classified into five categories by K-means clustering analysis and the results of a questionnaire on the use of MHAs were analyzed using a scientific approach to find out which types of users mainly use these applications. Based on the results of this analysis, a classifier was created using a Random Forest algorithm to extract MHAs that meet the needs of users based on their attributes and thoughts. With this Random Forest classification model, this paper recommends appropriate models for potential users who are not yet using MHAs

Use of the Laryngeal Mask Airway in Combination with Regional Anesthesia Facilitates Induction and Emergence from General Anesthesia in Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is selected as an alternative to the endotracheal tube (ETT) when rapid recovery from general anesthesia is considered. However, the clinical significance of this airway for abdominal surgery is unclear. Thus, we evaluated whether the LMA, in combination with regional anesthesia, facilitates the induction of and emergence from general anesthesia in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Anesthesia-controlled time in a ETT/Epidural Anesthesia (EA) group [n = 11; general anesthesia, combined with epidural anesthesia, was maintained by sevoflurane (< 3%) supplemented with a fixed rate of propofol (3 mg/kg/h) under controlled ventilation using the ETT] was compared with that in a LMA/Combined Spinal-Epidural Anesthesia (CSEA) group [n = 10; in combination with spinalepidural anesthesia, general anesthesia was maintained as the same protocol as the ETT/EA under spontaneous ventilation using the LMA]. Time for airway placement in the LMA/CSEA group was significantly shorter than that in the ETT/EA group. Intervals from the end of surgery until the removal of the airway or the decision to exit the operating room in the LMA/CSEA group were shorter than those in the ETT/EA group. No practical sign of aspiration pneunomia and/or atelectasis was found in patients in either group. Under the circumstance of regional anesthesia being requested for post-surgical pain management, we concluded that the LMA facilitated the emergence from as well as the induction of anesthesia without any practical complication when used for patients in colorectal surgery

Liver-specific γ-glutamyl carboxylase-deficient mice display bleeding diathesis and short life span

Liver-Specific γ-Glutamyl Carboxylase-Deficient Mice Display Bleeding Diathesis and Short Life Span. Azuma K, Tsukui T, Ikeda K, Shiba S, Nakagawa K, et al. PLOS ONE. 2014. 9(2) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.008864

A Metastatic Jejunal Tumor from Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung Found in an Intestinal Perforation

An 85-year-old male with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, who was diagnosed about 10 years prior to his current presentation, suddenly complained of abdominal pain and underwent an abdominal computed tomography scan, which revealed free air and massive ascites. He was admitted to our hospital for acute peritonitis and emergency surgery was performed. During the surgical procedure, a perforation of the jejunum was diagnosed and repaired. He was diagnosed to have a metastatic tumor originating from a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. He improved and was transferred to the former hospital on the 27th postoperative day. Jejunal metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the lung is rare, and the prognosis of peritonitis due to a perforated intestinal metastasis from lung cancer is poor. There have been 10 reports of jejunal metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung reported in Japan between 2000 and 2011. Therefore, when patients with advanced lung cancer present with acute abdomen, it is necessary to keep in mind the possibility of a gastrointestinal metastatic tumor

Duodenocolic Fistula Originating from Ascending Colon Cancer in the Blind Loop

We herein present the case of a 68-year-old male with a duodenocolic fistula originating from ascending colon cancer in the blind loop, which was resected by a right hemicolectomy with pancreaticoduodenectomy. The present case achieved 14 months of disease-free survival after the operation. There have been reported, in the literature in Japanese and English, a total of 26 cases including the present one that have undergone a right hemicolectomy with pancreaticoduodenectomy for right-sided colon cancer with duodenocolic fistulae. The survival periods in these cases ranged from 5 months to 12 years after the operation. Thirteen patients survived for over 1 year. A right hemicolectomy with pancreaticoduodenectomy for locally advanced right-sided colon cancers with duodenal invasion could be expected to yield long-term survival if peritoneal and distant metastases are not present

Pregnane X receptor knockout mice display aging-dependent wearing of articular cartilage.

Steroid and xenobiotic receptor (SXR) and its murine ortholog, pregnane X receptor (PXR), are nuclear receptors that are expressed at high levels in the liver and the intestine where they function as xenobiotic sensors that induce expression of genes involved in detoxification and drug excretion. Recent evidence showed that SXR and PXR are also expressed in bone tissue where they mediate bone metabolism. Here we report that systemic deletion of PXR results in aging-dependent wearing of articular cartilage of knee joints. Histomorphometrical analysis showed remarkable reduction of width and an enlarged gap between femoral and tibial articular cartilage in PXR knockout mice. We hypothesized that genes induced by SXR in chondrocytes have a protective effect on articular cartilage and identified Fam20a (family with sequence similarity 20a) as an SXR-dependent gene induced by the known SXR ligands, rifampicin and vitamin K2. Lastly, we demonstrated the biological significance of Fam20a expression in chondrocytes by evaluating osteoarthritis-related gene expression of primary articular chondrocytes. Consistent with epidemiological findings, our results indicate that SXR/PXR protects against aging-dependent wearing of articular cartilage and that ligands for SXR/PXR have potential role in preventing osteoarthritis caused by aging

EBAG9-deficient mice display decreased bone mineral density with suppressed autophagy

Summary: Estrogen receptor-binding fragment associated antigen 9 (EBAG9) exerts tumor-promoting effects by inducing immune escape. We focused on the physiological functions of EBAG9 by investigating the bone phenotypes of Ebag9-knockout mice. Female Ebag9-knockout mice have fragile bones with lower bone mineral density (BMD) compared with wild-type mice. Histomorphometric analyses demonstrated that lower BMD was mainly caused by decreased bone formation. Serum bone turnover markers showed that enhanced bone resorption also contributed to this phenotype. We revealed that EBAG9 promoted autophagy in both osteoblastic and osteoclastic lineages. In addition, the knockdown of Tm9sf1, a gene encoding a protein that functionally interacts with EBAG9, suppressed autophagy and osteoblastic differentiation of the murine preosteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. Finally, overexpression of TM9SF1 rescued the suppression of autophagy caused by the silencing of Ebag9. These results suggest that EBAG9 plays a physiological role in bone maintenance by promoting autophagy together with its interactor TM9SF1