Guideline from Japanese Society of Echocardiography : 2018 focused update incorporated into Guidance for the Management and Maintenance of Echocardiography Equipment

Echocardiography plays a pivotal role as an imaging modality in the modern cardiology practice. Information derived from echocardiography is definitely helpful for a patient care. The Japanese Society of Echocardiography has promoted echocardiography for a routine clinical and research use. One of the missions of the Society is to provide information that is useful for high-quality examinations. To ensure it, we believe equipment in good conditions and a comfortable environment are important for both a patient and an examiner. Thus, the Committee for Guideline Writing, the Japanese Society of Echocardiography published brief guidance for the routine use of echocardiography equipment in 2015. Recently, the importance of international standardization has been emphasized in the medical laboratories. Accordingly, the committee has revised and updated our guidance for the routine use of echocardiography equipment

Efficacy and safety of cold forceps polypectomy utilizing the jumbo cup: a prospective study

Background/Aims There are few prospective studies on cold forceps polypectomy (CFP) using jumbo cup forceps. Therefore, we examined patients with diminutive polyps (5 mm or smaller) treated with CFP using jumbo cup forceps to achieve an adenoma-free colon and also assessed the safety of the procedure and the recurrence rate of missed or residual polyp after CFP by performing follow-up colonoscopy 1 year later. Methods We included patients with up to 5 adenomas removed at initial colonoscopy and analyzed data from a total of 361 patients with 573 adenomas. One-year follow-up colonoscopy was performed in 165 patients, at which 251 lesions were confirmed. Results The one-bite resection rate with CFP was highest for lesions 3 mm or smaller and decreased significantly with increasing lesion size. Post-procedural hemorrhage was observed in 1 of 573 lesions (0.17%). No perforation was noted. The definite recurrence rate was 0.8% (2/251 lesions). The probable recurrence rate, which was defined as recurrence in the same colorectal segment, was 17%. Adenoma-free colon was achieved in 55% of patients at initial resection. Multivariate analysis revealed that achievement of an adenoma-free colon was significantly associated with number of adenomas and years of endoscopic experience. Conclusions CFP using jumbo biopsy forceps was safe and showed a high one-bite resection rate for diminutive lesions of 3 mm or smaller. The low definite recurrence rate confirms the reliability of CFP using jumbo biopsy forceps. Number of adenomas and years of endoscopic experience were key factors in achieving an adenoma-free colon

Risk Factors for Bleeding After Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Gastric Cancer in Elderly Patients Older Than 80 Years in Japan.

Introduction:As the aging of people in a society advances, the number of elderly patients older than 80 years in Japan with gastric cancer continues to increase. Although delayed ulcer bleeding is a major adverse event after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), little is known about characteristic risk factors for bleeding in elderly patients undergoing ESD. This study aimed to evaluate risk factors for delayed bleeding after ESD for gastric cancer in elderly patients older than 80 years.Methods:We retrospectively evaluated the incidence of delayed bleeding after ESD in 10,320 patients with early-stage gastric cancer resected by ESD between November 2013 and January 2016 at 33 Japanese institutions and investigated risk factors for delayed bleeding in elderly patients older than 80 years.Results:The incidence of delayed bleeding in elderly patients older than 80 years was 5.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6%-6.9%, 95/1,675), which was significantly higher than that in nonelderly (older than 20 years and younger than 80 years) patients (4.5%, 4.1%-5.0%, 393/8,645). Predictive factors for ESD-associated bleeding differed between nonelderly and elderly patients. On multivariate analysis of predictive factors at the time of treatment, risk factors in elderly patients were hemodialysis (odds ratio: 4.591, 95% CI: 2.056-10.248, P < 0.001) and warfarin use (odds ratio: 4.783, 95% CI: 1.689-13.540, P = 0.003).Discussion:This multicenter study found that the incidence of delayed bleeding after ESD in Japanese patients older than 80 years was high, especially in patients receiving hemodialysis and taking warfarin. Management of ESD to prevent delayed bleeding requires particular care in patients older than 80 years

Measurement-based modeling of Internet round-trip time dynamics using system identification

Abstract. Understanding the end-to-end packet delay dynamics of the Internet is of crucial importance since it directly affects the QoS (Quality of Services) of various applications, and it enables us to design an efficient congestion control mechanism. In our previous studies, we have measured round-trip time of the Internet, and have modeled its dynamics by the ARX (Auto-Regressive eXogenous) model using system identification. As input and output data for the ARX model, we have used the packet inter-departure time from a source host and the corresponding round-trip time variation measured by the source host. In the current paper, for improving the model accuracy, we instead use the packet transmission rate from the source host and the average round-trip time measured by the source host. Using input and output data measured in working LAN and WAN environments, we model the round-trip time dynamics by determining coefficients of the ARX model using system identification. Through numerical examples, we show that in LAN environment, the round-trip time dynamics can be accurately modeled by the ARX model. We also show that in WAN environment, the round-trip time dynamics can be accurately modeled when the bottleneck link is shared by a small number of users.

Effect of Antibiotic Susceptibility and CYP3A4/5 and CYP2C19 Genotype on the Outcome of Vonoprazan-Containing Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapy

Background: Helicobacter pylori eradication containing the potassium-competitive acid blocker, vonoprazan, achieves a higher eradication rate than therapy with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Because vonoprazan is mainly metabolized by CYP3A4/5, CYP genotype may affect the eradication rate. We investigated the influence of antibiotic susceptibility and CYP3A4/5 and CYP2C19 genotypes on the eradication rates. Methods: A total of 307 Japanese who were genotyped for CYP3A4 *1/*22, CYP3A5 *1/*3 and CYP2C19 *1/*2/*3/*17, and investigated for susceptibility to antimicrobial agents, received vonoprazan-containing regimens: (1) With amoxicillin and clarithromycin as the first-line treatment; (2) with amoxicillin and metronidazole as the second-line treatment; or (3) with amoxicillin and sitafloxacin as the third-line treatment. Results: The eradication rate was 84.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 78.9&ndash;89.1%) using first-line, 92.6% (95% CI: 82.1&ndash;97.9%) using second-line and 87.5% (95% CI: 73.1&ndash;95.8%) using third-line treatment. Infection with clarithromycin-resistant strains was a predictive factor for failed eradication (odds ratio: 5.788, 95% CI: 1.916&ndash;17.485, p = 0.002) in multivariate analysis. No significant differences were observed in the eradication rate of regimens among CYP3A4, CYP3A5 and CYP2C19 genotypes. Conclusions: Genotyping for CYP3A4 *1/*22, CYP3A5 *1/*3 and CYP2C19 *1/*2/*3/*17 before vonoprazan-containing eradication treatment may not be useful for predicting clinical outcomes

Clarithromycin Versus Metronidazole in First-Line Helicobacter Pylori Triple Eradication Therapy Based on Resistance to Antimicrobial Agents: Meta-Analysis

Background: International treatment guidelines for Helicobacter pylori infection recommend a proton pump inhibitor (PPI)/amoxicillin/clarithromycin (CAM) regimen (PAC) or PPI/amoxicillin/metronidazole (MNZ) regimen (PAM) as first-line therapy based on culture and sensitivity testing. As incidence rates of antimicrobial agent-resistant strains are changing year by year, it is important to reevaluate the efficacy of eradication regimens. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PAC and PAM based on different locations categorized by the reported incidence of CAM- and MNZ-resistant strains. Methods: Randomized control trials (RCTs) comparing eradication rates between PAC and PAM first-line treatment up to December 2018 were included. We divided RCTs into four groups based on resistance to CAM (&lt; 15% or &ge; 15%) and MNZ (&lt; 15% or &ge; 15%). Results: A total of 27 studies (4825 patients) were included. Overall eradication rates between PAC and PAM were similar (74.8% and 72.5%, relative risk (RR): 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91&ndash;1.39, P = 0.27) in the intention-to-treat analysis. In areas with low MNZ- and high CAM-resistance rates, PAM had a significantly higher eradication rate than PAC (92.5% vs. 70.8%, RR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.13&ndash;0.68). In areas with high MNZ- and low CAM-resistance rates, the eradication rate with PAC was only 72.9%. Conclusions: Overall eradication rates with PAC and PAM were equivalent worldwide. In low MNZ-resistance areas, PAM may be recommended as first-line therapy. However, the efficacy of PAC may be insufficient, irrespective of susceptibility to CAM