Background & Aims: The clinical significance of blood culture testing in end-of-life patients has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate its utilization in patients with palliative care involvement and to examine its association with blood culture positivity, antimicrobial use, and survival within 30 days before death.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study included hospitalized patients who underwent blood culture testing between October 2023 and September 2025. Positivity rates were compared by palliative care team involvement. Patients tested within 30 days before death were further analyzed for positivity, antimicrobial use, and survival.

Results: A total of 18,222 blood culture sets were performed. Positivity rates were 14.2％ in the palliative care group and 13.0％ in the non-palliative group, with no significant difference (p＝0.506). Among end-of-life patients, the positivity rate was 23.9％. Antimicrobials were administered in 78％ of episodes and discontinued in 65％ of episodes in the negative group. Survival did not differ significantly (p＝0.485).

Conclusions: Blood culture positivity was observed in end-of-life patients, and negative results were associated with discontinuation of antimicrobial therapy. Blood culture testing may contribute to appropriate antimicrobial use and clinical decision-making in end-of-life care.

　　Establishing exercise habits and improving diet are essential for preventing lifestyle-related diseases, including hypertension, and preventing frailty. However, it is difficult to establish exercise habits among the general public without certain educational activities. From June 2025 to December 2025, educational statements were published in a local newspaper, and practical lectures linked to the publication were held approximately once a month, with a nonstrenuous mountain hiking as part of the program. The content included recommendations for nonstrenuous hiking for beginners and suggestions for improving eating habits. Thirteen people participated in the practical training session. By actually measuring blood pressure during exercise, participants were able to understand the effects of exercise on blood pressure. While it is difficult to achieve substantial results from a single training session, educational lectures and on-site exercise were considered to be effective for safely establishing exercise habits while managing blood pressure.

Background & Aims: Cold sensitivity (hiesho) is predominantly observed in women and is associated with impaired peripheral circulation and reduced quality of life. This study examined the effects of auricular massage as a self-care practice in women with sensitivity to cold.

Methods: The participants were 20 women with cold sensitivity. Auricular massage did not require stimulation of specific auricular points; instead, participants massaged the entire ear. They performed a self-administered auricular massage for approximately 5 minutes while watching an instructional video. Skin and core temperatures, skin blood flow, blood pressure, pulse rate, subjective sensation of warmth, and Profile of Mood States 2 (POMS 2) scores were measured before and after the intervention. The study was approved by the Gunma University Ethics Committee for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects (HS2023-049).

Results: Post-auricular massage, skin temperature significantly increased (p＝.002), and participants reported greater warmth in their hands and ears. Negative mood states assessed using POMS 2 also improved significantly (p＝.012).

Conclusion: Comprehensive auricular stimulation through self-administered massage may improve physiological and psychological stress responses in women with cold sensitivity. This noninvasive, simple, and convenient technique can be performed independently and may serve as a self-care nursing intervention in clinical settings.

The patient was a 40-year-old woman who had been undergoing irregular cervical cancer screenings at our clinic since she was 21 years old. At the age of 34, she was found to have a (Negative for Intraepithelial Lesion or Malignancy) NILM cytology result and was positive for (human papilloma virus) HPV type 16 during a city-run cervical cancer screening program, and was followed up at our clinic. Due to the HPV type 16 positivity, her cytology results repeatedly showed NILM, but she continued to be followed up with cytology tests. Approximately six years after the initial diagnosis, at the age of 40, an increase in dysplasia was observed, progressing to (High-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion) HSIL. This case suggests that even if cytology is normal, a positive HPV type 16 result should warrant observation.

　　Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) in the presence of celiac axis stenosis (CAS) caused by median arcuate ligament (MAL) compression carries a substantial risk of hepatic ischemia when complex hepatic arterial variations coexist. An 80-year-old man with markedly elevated CA19-9 (4,237 U/mL) was found to have a distal bile duct tumor. Three-dimensional CT angiography demonstrated approximately 60% CAS (type B) and a rare large-caliber posterior right hepatic artery (posterior RHA) arising entirely from the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) and forming a short common channel with the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery. Subtotal stomach-preserving PD was performed via an arterial-first approach. Two-level intraoperative color Doppler ultrasonography during staged GDA clamping established that the posterior RHA was the sole supply to the right posterior lobe and that preserved forward flow was hemodynamically adequate, enabling PD without MAL release. Histopathology confirmed pT1N0M0, Stage I distal bile duct adenocarcinoma (R0). Postoperative liver enzyme elevation resolved by day 7; the patient was discharged on day 28 and remains recurrence-free at three years. By utilizing preoperative vascular mapping and two-level intraoperative Doppler assessment, we successfully performed PD without requiring MAL release. A posterior RHA forming a common channel with the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery simultaneously constitutes a devascularization hazard and a critical collateral conduit; its identification and preservation are essential.

Objective: Since 2010, syphilis incidence has resurged in Japan. During much of the twentieth century, however, popular magazines served as an important source of medical and health information for the general public. This study collected and analyzed syphilis-related articles published in Japanese popular magazines after the identification of Treponema pallidum as the causative agent of syphilis in 1905 and examined changes in their content and roles over time.

Methods: Using the National Diet Library Search, the Showa-kan Digital Archive, the online magazine bookstore Fujisan.co.jp, library holdings, and commercially available general-interest magazines, we collected 121 syphilis-related articles published since 1910. The articles were classified into ten thematic categories, and the involvement of healthcare professionals in authorship, supervision, or collaboration was investigated. Relationships between article content, syphilis epidemiology, and the social context of each period were also examined.

Results: Forty-one articles were identified during 1912-1935, 63 during 1947-2001, and 17 during 2016-2024. No relevant articles were found during the wartime period (1936-1946) or the period of low syphilis incidence (2002-2015). Prewar articles frequently addressed general medical knowledge, congenital and maternal syphilis, and advanced disease, often with healthcare professional involvement. Postwar articles mainly focused on historical, literary, and feature topics, whereas recent articles predominantly warned of the resurgence of syphilis.

Discussion: The role of popular magazines in communicating information about syphilis has changed across historical periods. While prewar and postwar magazines primarily provided medical knowledge and public health education, recent publications have mainly served to raise awareness of increasing infections. These changes appear to reflect shifts in the information environment associated with the spread of the internet.