Population health and regional variations of disease burden in Japan, 1990–2015:a systematic subnational analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

BackgroundJapan has entered the era of super-ageing and advanced health transition, which is increasingly putting pressure on the sustainability of its health system. The level and pace of this health transition might vary across regions within Japan and concern is growing about increasing regional variations in disease burden. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) provides a comprehensive, comparable framework. We used data from GBD 2015 with the aim to quantify the burden of disease and injuries, and to attribute risk factors in Japan at a subnational, prefecture-level.MethodsWe used data from GBD 2015 for 315 causes and 79 risk factors of death, disease, and injury incidence and prevalence to measure the burden of diseases and injuries in Japan and in the 47 Japanese prefectures from 1990 to 2015. We extracted data from GBD 2015 to assess mortality, causes of death, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), life expectancy, and healthy life expectancy (HALE) in Japan and its 47 prefectures. We split extracted data by prefecture and applied GBD methods to generate estimates of burden, and attributable burden due to known risk factors. We examined the prefecture-level relationships of common health system inputs (eg, health expenditure and workforces) to the GBD outputs in 2015 to address underlying determinants of regional health variations.FindingsLife expectancy at birth in Japan increased by 4·2 years from 79·0 years (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 79·0 to 79·0) to 83·2 years (83·1 to 83·2) between 1990 and 2015. However, the gaps between prefectures with the lowest and highest life expectancies and HALE have widened, from 2·5 to 3·1 years and from 2·3 to 2·7 years, respectively, from 1990 to 2015. Although overall age-standardised death rates decreased by 29·0% (28·7 to 29·3) from 1990 to 2015, the rates of mortality decline in this period substantially varied across the prefectures, ranging from -32·4% (-34·8 to -30·0) to -22·0% (-20·4 to -20·1). During the same time period, the rate of age-standardised DALYs was reduced overall by 19·8% (17·9 to 22·0). The reduction in rates of age-standardised YLDs was very small by 3·5% (2·6 to 4·3). The pace of reduction in mortality and DALYs in many leading causes has largely levelled off since 2005. Known risk factors accounted for 34·5% (32·4 to 36·9) of DALYs; the two leading behavioural risk factors were unhealthy diets and tobacco smoking in 2015. The common health system inputs were not associated with age-standardised death and DALY rates in 2015.InterpretationJapan has been successful overall in reducing mortality and disability from most major diseases. However, progress has slowed down and health variations between prefectures is growing. In view of the limited association between the prefecture-level health system inputs and health outcomes, the potential sources of regional variations, including subnational health system performance, urgently need assessment.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Japan Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, AXA CR Fixed Income Fund and AXA Research Fund

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Endoscopic hematoma evacuation following emergent burr hole surgery for acute subdural hematoma in critical conditions: Technical note

Background: Acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) is generally managed by large craniotomy with extended operating time and high relative blood loss. Recently, minimally invasive endoscopic hematoma evacuation of ASDH has been successfully demonstrated; however, non-elderly patients, moderate or massive cerebral contusion, and enlarging hematoma are generally not accepted as indications for endoscopic surgery. Clinical presentation: We report our experience with two ASDH patients with impending herniation successfully evacuated via an endoscopic surgery following emergent burr hole craniostomy. Case 1: A 70-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of severe head trauma. Neurological examination demonstrated a fixed, dilated right pupil and a CT scan showed ASDH. The entire procedure was completed in approximately 2.5 h. He was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. Case 2: A 51-year-old comatose woman was transferred to our hospital after a motor vehicle accident. Radiological examination revealed ASDH and severe multiple trauma. Acute traumatic coagulopathy was confirmed by laboratory tests. The entire procedure was completed in approximately 1.5 h. Almost complete evacuation of the hematoma was achieved. Conclusion: If intracranial pressure becomes sufficiently low after emergent burr hole craniostomy, endoscopic hematoma evacuation of ASDH may be a safe and effective method even in critically injured patients. Keywords: Acute subdural hematoma, Burr hole surgery, Endoscopic evacuation, Minimally invasive surgery, Intracranial pressure, Acute traumatic coagulopath

Detecting Restenosis after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Using Exercise-Stress Electrocardiogram Findings Including QT Dispersion

Despite the advent of drug-eluting stents in Japan, bare metal stents or conventional balloon angioplasty are still indicated in some patients needing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and in patients with acute coronary syndrome if these patients develop side effects while taking ticlopidine. In such patients, restenosis is a problem that is difficult to diagnose. To investigate the comparative diagnostic accuracy of the exercise-stress electrocardiogram (ECG) for detecting restenosis after PCI, we measured conventional ST-segment changes and QT dispersion during exercise-stress testing in 173 patients with elective PCI (63 ± 10 years old). Exercise-stress testing was performed 3 to 6 months after successful PCI, and restenosis was confirmed by follow-up coronary angiogram. There were 98 patients with a prior myocardial infarction (prior MI group and 76 patients with no prior myocardial infarction (no MI group). Restenosis was found in 45 patients (46% in the prior MI group and 26 patients (34%) in the no MI group. Conventional ST-segment depression (>1:0 mm, J 60 ms indicating exercise-induced myocardial ischemia had a sensitivity of around 50% and a specificity of around 70% for diagnosing restenosis in both groups. In the prior MI group, QT dispersion was increased by exercise-stress testing in both patients with and without restenosis, whereas in the no MI group, QT dispersion increased only in patients with restenosis. With a cut-off value of >60 ms, QT dispersion had a sensitivity of 54% and a specificity of 68% for detecting restenosis in the no MI group; these values were comparable to those seen with conventional ST-segment changes. In conclusion, due to its low cost, exercise-stress ECG remains useful for diagnosing restenosis following PCI if the clinician understands its limited sensitivity and specificity. The presence of a prior MI must be considered when QT dispersion during exercise-stress testing is used for detecting restenosis

Left Atrial Tachycardia After Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Atrial Fibrillation

Left atrial tachycardia (AT) has been reported to occur after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). We treated 3 patients who developed AT of different mechanisms following PVI. In case 1, focal AT originating at the ostium of the left superior PV was demonstrated and focal radiofrequency ablation was performed at the breakthrough point at the ostium of the left superior PV terminated the AT. In case 2, AT was shown to be counterclockwise macroreentrant AT around the left inferior PV through the conduction gap of the left sided posterior wall for which linear ablation was performed between left superior and inferior PVs. Focal ablation at the conduction gap terminated the AT. In case 3, a macroreentrant AT propagating around the mitral annulus was demonstrated and linear ablation between left inferior pulmonary vein and mitral annulus (mitral isthmus) terminated the AT

Identifying the Origin of Right and Left Ectopic Atrial Beats Triggering Atrial Fibrillation before Atrial Transseptal Procedure

Atrial premature depolarizations (APDs) triggering atrial fibrillation (AF) originate from mainly the pulmonary veins (PVs), but, in some cases, atrial ectopic beats (AEBs) triggering AF originate from the right atrium (RA) or the superior vena cava. Accurate identification of the origin of APDs in the PVs by means of RA and coronary sinus mapping is difficult. Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the origin of AEBs triggering AF before transseptal catheterization. Electrode catheters were placed in the posteroseptal RA (PSRA), right pulmonary artery (RPA), left pulmonary artery (LPA), and esophagus in 10 patients with paroxysmal AF. We analyzed endocardial electrograms from the PSRA, RPA and LPA, and epicardial electrograms from the esophagus. The origin of the AEBs in the PVs was determined before PV ablation by mapping 4 PVs simultaneously. Four AEBs originated from the left superior PV (LSPV), 2 from the left inferior PV (LIPV), 4 from the right superior PV (RSPV), 2 from the RA or superior vena cava. In AEBs originating from the RA, the PSRA activation was the earliest and it proceeded in a cranial to caudal direction. In AEBs originating from the RUPV, RPA was the earliest. The esophageal activation sequence was in a cranial to caudal direction. In AEBs from the LSPV, LPA was the earliest and the esophageal activation sequence proceeded in a cranial to caudal direction. In AEDs from LIPV, LPA was the earliest, and the esophageal activation sequence was nearly simultaneous. Atrial activation sequences from the PSRA, RPA, LPA, and esophageal catheters can accurately identify the location of the initiating foci of AF before a transseptal procedure

Catheter Ablation for Three Focal Atrial Tachycardias in a Patient with Prior Fontan Surgery for Tricuspid Atresia

A 28-year-old woman who had undergone Fontan surgery for tricuspid atresia at 6 years of age was admitted to Nihon University Hospital due to syncope. Supraventricular tachycardia at 141 beats/min was induced with isoproterenol infusion during a tilt table test. The patient showed atresia of the right atrial orifice of the coronary sinus with persistent drainage into the left superior vena cava. Electrophysiological study was performed. Atrial tachycardia (AT) was induced by rapid atrial pacing. The AT originated in the lower lateral right atrium and electroanatomical mapping showed a focal origin. After successful ablation of the AT, two additional ATs were induced. These ATs were also shown to be of focal origin and were successfully ablated without recurrence during follow-up

Long-term Prognosis for Non-ischemic Heart Disease Patients with Premature Ventricular Contraction and Non-sustained Ventricular Tachycardia

There are few long-term reports of patients with frequent PVCs in the absence of ischemic heart disease. In 86 patients without ischemic heart disease, who had 1000 or more PVCs in 24-hour Holter ECG, the number of PVCs during 24-hours Holter ECG and echocardiographic parameters were followed at least 1 year (66.5 ± 39.7 months). PVC was significantly reduced in the patients with or without underlying diseases (UD). The reduction rate in the number of PVCs was prominent in patients with UD. PVC was significantly reduced in patients under medication, but not in patients without medication. In the comparison between the initial and follow up observation using Wilcoxon's rank test, the number of PVC was significantly reduced (P < 0.05), and EF was also improved (P < 0.05) in angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) group, and in β-blocker group. In Ca-antagonist group and antiarrhythmic drug group, the number of PVCs was also significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed significantly higher incidence (60% or more with PVC reduction) in ACEI/ARB group. These results suggest that the administration of ACEI/ARB may contribute to the reduction of PVC in non-ischemic heart disease cases with multiple PVC