To investigate the association between preoperative extracellular water–to–total body water ratio (ECW/TBW) and time to walking independence among female patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). This retrospective cohort study included female patients who underwent primary THA between January and December 2022. Preoperative ECW/TBW was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis and dichotomized at 0.400. The primary outcome was time to walking independence within 14 postoperative days. Cox proportional hazards models assessed the association between ECW/TBW and walking independence, adjusting for age, comorbidities, nutritional status, skeletal muscle mass index, non-operated knee extensor strength, walking pain, and maximum walking speed. Model performance was evaluated using likelihood ratio tests, Harrell’s C-index, and time-dependent area under the curve (AUC). Among 142 patients, 118 (83.1
To evaluate the impact of a law amendment that reduced the eye lens dose limit on the use of personal dosimeters among radiation workers in medical settings. A repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted at medical institutions across three periods: before the law amendment (control) and during the promulgation and implementation periods. Surveyors (radiological technologists) at each participating medical institution recorded dosimeter-wearing status among radiation workers. Data were collected via mail or email and analysed. The observed workers included physicians, nurses, and radiological technologists. The surveys were collected from 1194 workers in the control period, 1374 in the promulgation period, and 1194 in the implementation period, totalling 3762 workers. Post-law amendment, the overall wearing rate of primary personal dosimeters significantly increased from 64.6
Minamata disease, officially recognized in 1956, is a well-known food poisoning event that was caused by the consumption of fish and seafood contaminated with methylmercury. Although patients with congenital Minamata disease (CMD) with severe neurological impairments after birth are widely recognized, few studies have examined the effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure among residents, which is likely at lower levels than in CMD patients. We aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal methylmercury exposure and subsequent neurological and neurocognitive outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional study during 2024-2025 among 51 individuals aged approximately 70 years, 27 residents from an existing cohort established in 1970 in Minamata and 24 age-matched individuals who had lived in less-exposed regions. We performed a battery of neurological and neurocognitive tests in both groups and compared the results using multiple linear regression analyses. We also examined the association between intelligence scores obtained in 1970, and intelligence scores obtained in the present investigation, only among exposed participants. We found that exposed individuals had unfavorable neurological and neurocognitive test scores, in comparison with less-exposed controls. Scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Japanese Edition were 5.91 points lower (95% confidence interval: 3.09 to 8.73) for exposed residents than for the less-exposed group. Moreover, intelligence scores evaluated during exposed participants' adolescence were correlated with their neurocognitive scores in adulthood. Our findings showed that prenatal methylmercury exposure affected subsequent neurological and neurocognitive functions, including among individuals with lower exposure than in CMD patients, and even approximately 70 years after the initial exposure.
Introduction Familial occurrence of non-progressive cystic lung lesions in siblings carrying the same germline DICER1 pathogenic variant is extremely rare, particularly when somatic RNase IIIb hotspot mutations are identified in resected lesions. Case presentation Three male siblings from one family were evaluated. Case 1, the youngest, developed acute respiratory distress after umbilicoplasty at 13 months of age. Chest CT showed a large multilocular cystic lesion occupying the left hemithorax with mediastinal shift. Left upper lobectomy was performed, and histopathology demonstrated CPAM type 4 without blastemal or rhabdomyoblastic components. Case 2, the eldest, had an asymptomatic left upper lobe cystic lesion detected on chest radiography at 4 months of age. At 12 years, CT showed a 6.5 × 4.5 cm septated cystic lesion in the lingular segment. Segmentectomy was performed, and histopathology also demonstrated CPAM type 4 without malignant features. Case 3, the middle sibling, was asymptomatic. Surveillance CT at 7 years, after identification of the familial DICER1 pathogenic variant, revealed small bilateral cystic lung lesions. He was managed conservatively, and the lesions remained stable without progression at 13 years. All three carried the same germline DICER1 frameshift variant, c.3630delC (p.Val1211Cysfs*28), inherited from their father. Somatic DICER1 RNase IIIb hotspot mutations, p.D1709G and p.D1810N, were identified in the resected lesions of Cases 1 and 2, respectively. Conclusion Pulmonary cystic lesions associated with DICER1 alterations may show variable clinical behavior. Molecular testing may help characterize such lesions and inform surveillance and familial risk assessment.
ABSTRACT Objectives To examine sexual behavior, erectile function, and sexual satisfaction among middle‐aged Japanese men using nationwide survey data. Methods This secondary analysis used data from a 2023 nationwide online survey of male sexual dysfunction in Japan. Men aged 45–64 years were included. Sexual behavior was assessed by frequencies of sexual intercourse and masturbation. Erectile function was assessed using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and Erection Hardness Score (EHS), with ED defined as EHS ≤ 2. Sexual satisfaction was assessed using the overall satisfaction domain of the International Index of Erectile Function. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with ED. Results Overall, 2314 men were analyzed (mean age, 53.8 ± 5.6 years). Sexual intercourse was infrequent: 48.1% reported intercourse less than once per year and 35.1% within the past 6 months, whereas 45.9% reported masturbation once or twice weekly. ED prevalence differed substantially by assessment method: 82.1% according to SHIM versus 26.9% according to EHS. Men with EHS‐defined ED had significantly lower overall sexual satisfaction scores than those without ED ( p < 0.001), although satisfaction scores substantially overlapped. Older age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, mental illness, and sleep apnea syndrome were independently associated with ED. Conclusions Among middle‐aged Japanese men, the prevalence of ED varied substantially according to the assessment method, while EHS‐defined ED was associated with lower overall sexual satisfaction despite substantial overlap in satisfaction scores. These findings support considering both erectile function and subjective sexual satisfaction when assessing sexual health.
