Publications by authors named "Akazawa Y"

Background: Perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) can be classified as having trabecular, inlet, or outlet extension. The surgical approach used in patch closure depends on the which valve of the tricuspid valve to suture around and the avoidance of the specialized conducting system. This retrospective study evaluated the usefulness of the "En face view" method for classifying perimembranous VSD.

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DSG2, encoding desmoglein-2, is one of the causative genes of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. We previously identified a homozygous DSG2 p.Arg119Ter stop-gain variant in a patient with juvenile-onset cardiomyopathy and advanced biventricular heart failure.

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Unlabelled: New cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), such as leadless pacemakers and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICDs), are being used in patients with adult congenital heart disease. The selection of CIEDs often requires careful consideration due to technical challenges posed by a unique heart structure. A 27-year-old man following a surgical tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair developed non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, sick sinus syndrome, and complete atrioventricular block.

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The relationship between post-ablation excessive supraventricular ectopic activity (ESVEA), a new marker for new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF), and late AF recurrence is uncertain. We enrolled 469 patients with AF who underwent initial radiofrequency catheter ablation and 24-h Holter monitoring the day after. Early AF recurrence (n = 57; 12%) and ESVEA (n = 242; 52%) were noted.

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Adolescent and young adult (AYA, 15-39 years old) patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) experience significant psychological distress and place great importance on obtaining information regarding the disease; however, their demands remain unmet. We aimed to investigate clinicopathological and molecular features of PTC in AYA patients and compare them to those of PTC in older patients (≥40 years). This retrospective study enrolled 1,677 patients diagnosed with PTC from January 2018 to December 2022, with 400 AYA patients and 1,277 older adults.

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  • * Instead, an MRI was utilized to assess the PDA, revealing it was aneurysmal and classifying it as type D.
  • * The closure was successfully completed using an Amplatzer Vascular Plug II, and the patient was discharged without any complications.
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Background: Esophageal neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are extremely rare. Published information on their clinical features, pathological findings, and prognosis is lacking. The optimal treatment for esophageal NECs has not yet been determined because they appear extremely malignant histologically and have a poor prognosis.

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The coexistence of v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 () and telomere reverse transcriptase promoter (-p) mutations is considerably associated with aggressiveness and poor prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the association between gross findings and genetic alterations in PTC remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the association between clinicopathologic features, including macroscopic features, and the coexistent and -p mutations in patients with PTC.

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  • This study established normal reference values for global longitudinal strain (GLS) in the left and right ventricles of healthy Japanese fetuses during normal pregnancies.
  • A total of 513 healthy fetuses, between 18 and 40 weeks of gestation, were analyzed using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.
  • The findings revealed mean LV-GLS of -24.3% ± 3.5% and RV-GLS of -23.5% ± 3.7%, showing a decrease in GLS values with advancing gestation, which can help in assessing cardiac functions in fetuses with heart conditions.
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is essential for numerous neuronal functions, including learning and memory. The expression of BDNF is regulated by distinctive transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. The Bdnf gene in mice and rats comprises eight untranslated exons (exons I-VIII) and one exon (exon IX) that contains the pre-proBDNF coding sequence.

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Background: Rifampicin is a strong inducer of the hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) family and is known to interact with many clinical drugs. However, to our knowledge, no case of worsening heart failure (HF) due to the interaction between rifampicin and HF drugs has been reported.

Case Summary: A 32-year-old female, who had undergone intracardiac repair for an incomplete atrioventricular septal defect with dextrocardia and prosthetic valve replacements for right and left atrioventricular valve regurgitation, presented as an outpatient.

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Objectives: We started () screening program of students at Juntendo university in 2020. We report the current status of screening program and the outcomes of screening program.

Methods: The students of the School of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Juntendo University enrolling in the spring of 2020-2022 were recruited for this study.

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  • The study investigates how the right ventricle (RV) of the heart remodels in response to increased pressure over a span of six weeks, focusing on the early changes that could inform treatment timing.
  • Researchers found that within the first week after introducing pressure (using pulmonary artery banding), there was a significant inflammatory response and changes in cellular metabolism that suggested RV stress.
  • The findings imply that detrimental changes in RV function start earlier than previously thought, indicating that interventions to prevent RV remodeling may need to happen sooner than current practices suggest.
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  • This study focused on differentiating between alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) using advanced whole-slide imaging technology on liver specimens from transplant patients.
  • It analyzed samples from 36 ALD patients and 17 MASLD patients, revealing distinct fibrosis patterns where ALD was characterized by thicker collagen and a more uneven distribution compared to the more uniform fibrosis in MASLD.
  • The research demonstrated that a digital analysis approach could accurately diagnose ALD and MASLD, achieving 100% sensitivity and specificity, thus highlighting the benefits of digital pathology in improving liver disease diagnostics beyond traditional methods based on alcohol consumption.
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Background: Several invasive hemodynamic parameters help predict right ventricular failure (RVF) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. However, prediction using non-invasive parameters alone has not been established. The ratio of the diameters of the pulmonary artery (PAD) to those of the ascending aorta (AoD) may indicate past hemodynamic load and cardiac dysfunction.

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  • Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are commonly used for treating hormone receptor-positive postmenopausal breast cancer, but there's concern regarding their potential cardiovascular risks due to estrogen suppression.
  • A study involving 357 breast cancer patients found that nearly 45% had coronary artery calcification (CAC), but the duration of AI treatment did not significantly differ between those with and without CAC.
  • Key risk factors for higher CAC scores included advanced age, lower hemoglobin levels, and higher rates of conditions like hypertension and diabetes, indicating that treatment duration alone isn’t a major concern for CAC severity.
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The DNA damage response protein p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) accumulates and forms foci at double-strand DNA breaks, indicating the extent of DNA instability. However, the potential role of 53BP1 as a molecular biomarker for hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) diagnosis remains unknown. Here, we evaluated the potential of immunofluorescence-based analysis of 53BP1 expression to differentiate the histology of hypopharyngeal neoplasms.

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Autologous oral mucosal epithelial cell sheet (AOMECS) transplantation has recently been applied in human patients to prevent postprocedural stenosis following endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, the long-term safety of AOMECS transplantation remains unclear. We evaluated the long-term outcomes of 10 patients who participated in a clinical trial of AOMECS transplantation after esophageal ESD.

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Introduction: In recent years, the frequency of idiopathic peptic ulcers (IPUs) has increased. However, the clinicopathological characteristics of IPU have not been fully elucidated and treatment methods for recurrent and refractory cases have not yet been established.

Case Presentation: A man in his forties complained of epigastric discomfort.

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Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) stabilizes hemodynamics in an electrical storm leading to cardiogenic shock. However, adverse effects of VA-ECMO are increased left ventricular (LV) afterload and LV end-diastolic pressure due to retrograde blood return. These adverse effects could be ameliorated by LV unloading with Impella insertion.

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We examined the number of patients abandoning cardiac replacement therapy due to the inability to secure a designated caregiver. At Osaka University Hospital Heart Center, when we receive a consultation for a patient with severe heart failure from another hospital, a heart failure team makes a visit to the referring hospital as soon as possible. We retrospectively analyzed this hospital-visit database.

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  • Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important noninvasive biomarkers that help indicate how well cancer treatments are working and can predict patient prognosis, specifically in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing Atezo-Bev therapy.
  • The research involved collecting blood samples from healthy individuals and HCC patients, isolating CTCs using a specific depletion cocktail, and analyzing them for certain cellular markers.
  • Results showed that changes in CTC counts and specific markers (like CD90 and EpCAM) correlated with treatment responses and overall survival, suggesting these markers could help predict outcomes for HCC patients on Atezo-Bev therapy.
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Endoscopic submucosal dissection is a standard treatment for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, submucosal or lymphovascular invasion increases the risk of lymph node metastasis. Although F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) parameters are associated with prognosis in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, the utility of FDG PET/CT in diagnosing superficial esophageal carcinoma remains unclear.

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