Purpose: Owing to the contribution of many research groups globally, vitrification has proven to be an effective alternative to slow freezing for preserving the fertility in prepubertal female cancer patients. The bibliometric analysis of scientific publications was carried out to explore the impact among research institutions, researchers, journals, and to identify the keywords in ovarian tissue cryopreservation by vitrification.

Methods: The key phrase “ovarian tissue vitrification” was searched on Web of Science to collect scientific articles published between 2000 and 2020. Then a citation analysis was conducted by CiteSpace 5.7.R5 software to analyze the publication trends and create citation graphs.

Results: The bibliometric analysis comprised a total of 653 papers. The number of articles on this topic has increased over the years. The collaborations and impacts of European countries and the United States are higher. Correspondingly, the research institutions are concentrated in Europe and the United States. The top three keywords were follicle, survival, and chemotherapy.

Conclusion: Research on ovarian tissue vitrification has developed rapidly since 2000, with active collaboration between developed countries such as Europe and the United States. Japan is the only Asian country in the top 5 countries contributing to ovarian tissue vitrification research. The effect of ovarian tissue vitrification on follicle, survival, and chemotherapy may constitute a future research direction.

Aim: It is often difficult to identify etiology of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. This study aimed to detect OHCA patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) by Agatston score and modified clinical thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score (mc-T score).

Methods: A total of 414 patients with clear etiology from 2,614 OHCA were enrolled in this study. We divided these patients into two groups: OHCA patients by ACS (coronary definite group, n=82) and OHCA patients by other causes (non-coronary group, n=332). Agatston and mc-T scores were measured in these patients. Comparison between the two groups was performed to evaluate associations between these scores and with or without ACS.

Results: Agatston and mc-T scores were significantly higher in the coronary definite group than in the non-coronary group and were independent predictors of ACS in multivariate analysis. Either Agatston score ≥ 17.95 or mc-T score ≥ 2 revealed 89% of sensitivity to detect the coronary definite group which would allow for a relatively reliable screening of ACS. Regarding patients discharged from hospital due to death, both Agatston score ≥ 166.1 and mc-T score ≥ 2 revealed 98.3% of the specificity, which would allow for a relatively reliable inclusion of ACS.

Conclusion: Agatston and mc-T scores seemed to be useful methods for ruling in and out ACS in OHCA patients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate histological findings at the puncture site on the pancreatic surface by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and to consider the potential and clinicopathological significances for microscopic needle tract seeding (NTS) on the pancreatic side. We evaluated 21 cases of pancreatic body or tail cancer for which both EUS-FNA and surgical resection had been performed. A single bleeding spot with shrinkage on the pancreatic anterior surface near the targeted tumor was regarded as the puncture site. The majority of cases showed flat shape and granulation tissue formation. Cancer cell clusters were present in 10 cases (48%), of which 7 cases were considered to potentially have microscopic NTS. There were no significant differences in clinicopathological and prognostic factors between the 7 NTS-positive and 14 NTS-negative cases. This study showed that microscopic NTS on the pancreatic side is not uncommon, although it may not indicate a significant increased risk of local recurrence or dissemination that directly affects the prognosis of patients.

Nucleic-acid amplification test (NAT), routinely used for diagnosing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is associated with false negative results. Alternatively, serological tests detect antibodies produced against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19. Here, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of a single quantum dot immunoassay and three lateral flow immunoassays for COVID-19. We also assessed differences in the antibody positivity rates between patients receiving and not receiving ventilator support and between those treated and not treated with antiviral agents and/or corticosteroids. Test accuracy was estimated by measuring the sensitivity and specificity using receiver operating characteristic curves, along with NAT; sensitivity of NAT was 68.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 46.5-85.1%). IgM and IgG serological test sensitivities varied from 20.0% (95% CI: 6.83-40.7%) to 100% (95% CI: 86.3-100%) and from 84% (95% CI: 63.9-95.5%) to 100% (95% CI: 86.3-100%), respectively. The nucleocapsid protein-based serological test sensitivity was up to 100% for IgM and IgG. Serological test positivity rates were higher in patients receiving ventilator support and treatment than in patients not receiving ventilator support and treatment; the positivity rates were significantly higher for IgM than for IgG with the quantum dot immunoassay (Mokobio Biotechnology; 58.3% vs. 15.5%, P＜0.05) and one of the lateral flow immunoassays (Kurabo: 83.3% vs. 30.8%, P＜0.05). Thus, accuracy of serological tests varied depending on the test kit used; nonetheless, some serological test kits might be helpful as a complementary tool in COVID-19 diagnosis. And quantitative assessment of IgM levels may be useful in predicting the severity of the disease and in determining the course of treatment.

A previously healthy, 1-year-old Japanese boy presenting with subcutaneous purpura and mucosal bleeding was admitted to our hospital. Blood cell count revealed thrombocytopenia, prompting a diagnosis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) for further investigation. However, coagulation tests showed prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and a cross-mixing test indicated an inhibitor pattern consisting of lupus anticoagulant (LA). His platelet count improved five days after immunoglobulin administration, and prolonged APTT recovered to normal range within one month. No thrombocytopenia or coagulation abnormalities were observed thereafter. ITP is characterized by isolated immunological thrombocytopenia, which can be triggered by various situations. Almost all patients with ITP typically show normal blood coagulation. Herein, we present a case of pediatric ITP with prolonged APTT due to the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies with LA activity, which was suggested to be produced by immunological events, such as a measles-rubella vaccination and/or upper respiratory infection. A cross-mixing test is an effective laboratory method for the differential diagnosis of patients with prolonged APTT.