Publications by authors named "A Kurashima"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the epidemiological trends and clinical relevance of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Japan from 2017 to 2021, using advanced mass spectrometry for accurate identification.
- A significant increase in NTM pulmonary infection (NTM-PI) cases was noted, particularly with M. abscessus species, which accounted for 10.6% of these cases; the clinical relevance of common NTM species ranged from 57 to 72%.
- Key findings include that M. shinjukuense had the highest clinical relevance at 100%, while several other NTM species showed lower relevance, underscoring the importance of using scatter plots for better
Article Synopsis
- - This study investigates the effects of Clofazimine (CFZ) on patients with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare and Mycobacterium abscessus pulmonary diseases, focusing on identifying the optimal dosage by analyzing CFZ concentration in relation to safety and treatment outcomes.
- - Findings reveal that patients with moderate-to-severe pigmentation due to CFZ treatment had significantly higher drug concentrations, and a CFZ level of 1 mg/L was linked to a notable prolongation of the QTc interval.
- - The results indicate that while culture conversion occurred in a substantial number of patients, factors like previous surgery were more strongly associated with successful treatment outcomes than CFZ concentration alone.
Background: Although international nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) guidelines highlight symptom presence at diagnosis, the clinical characteristics of asymptomatic Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary infection (MAC-PI) patients remain understudied. We clarified the clinical characteristics and course of asymptomatic MAC-PI patients.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 200 consecutive patients with MAC-PIs and adequate available data who newly met the microbiological and radiological criteria for NTM-PD at Fukujuji Hospital from January 2018 to June 2020.
Background: Bacterial coinfections are observed in 19-66% of patients with Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) during the entire duration of the disease. The impact of bacterial coinfection at diagnosis on the clinical course of MAC-PD has not been reported.
Methods: Among 558 patients diagnosed with MAC-PD between January 2016 and December 2020, 218 patients who underwent sputum culture tests twice or more within one year before and after diagnosis were included.
Background: The ability to predict secondary cardiovascular events could improve health of patients undergoing statin treatment. Circulating ANGPTL8 (angiopoietin-like protein 8) levels, which positively correlate with proatherosclerotic lipid profiles, activate the pivotal proatherosclerotic factor ANGPTL3. Here, we assessed potential association between circulating ANGPTL8 levels and risk of secondary cardiovascular events in statin-treated patients.
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