This study aimed to clarify the efficacy and safety of treatment escalation by initiating therapeutic agents in serologically active clinically quiescent (SACQ) patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We retrospectively evaluated SACQ patients with SLE for ≥ 180 days, with the introduction of a therapeutic agent for SLE defined as exposure. The efficacy endpoints included the time to flare and time to remission, whereas the safety endpoint was the incidence of adverse events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: An association between poor oral health and cognitive decline has been reported. Most of these studies have considered the number of teeth as a criterion, only a few studies have analyzed the relationship between occlusal status and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Objective: To elucidate whether posterior occlusal contact is associated with AD, focusing on the Eichner classification, among an older population aged 65 years or older in Japan.
Renin-angiotensin system inhibitors have been shown to prevent cancer metastasis in experimental models, but there are limited data in clinical studies. We aimed to explore whether renin-angiotensin system inhibitors administered during the period of cancer resection can influence the subsequent development of metastasis by analyzing multiple individual types of primary cancers. A total of 4927 patients who had undergone resection of primary cancers at Kyushu University Hospital from 2009 to 2014 were enrolled and categorized into 3 groups based on the use of antihypertensive drugs: renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, other drugs, and none.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, TKI-related chronic renal toxicity has been reported, particularly in patients with hypertension. We assessed whether incidental use of specific types of antihypertensive drugs, including renin-aldosterone-angiotensin system inhibitors (RAASis), affects the change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) during TKI treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to show geographical differences in esophageal cancer mortality in Japan and reveal an association of esophageal cancer mortality with municipal socioeconomic deprivation level. Esophageal cancer mortality data in the Vital Statistics from 2013 to 2017 for each municipality and corresponding population data were analyzed. The deprivation level was derived from the municipal socioeconomic variables by principal component analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Chemotherapy, including bendamustine, usually causes lymphocytopaenia and hypogammaglobulinaemia as side effects in patients with haematological malignancies. Therefore, the possibility has been considered that these immunological adverse events induced by bendamustine may lead to infectious diseases. However, lymphocytopaenia and/or hypogammaglobulinaemia have not yet been shown to have a statistically significant association with infection in cancer patients who receive bendamustine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn recent years, the prescription trends of benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRAs) have not been investigated in Japan despite the publication of guidelines that promote cautious use of BZRAs. The prescription trend of BZRAs was assessed using the electronic healthcare records data of a University Hospital in Japan. The data from April 2009 to March 2021 were used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We retrospectively analyzed patients with untreated aggressive adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma who received the modified EPOCH (mEPOCH) regimen.
Patients And Methods: Patients received up to 6 mEPOCH cycles. Etoposide (50 mg/m/day), doxorubicin (10 mg/m/day), and vincristine (0.
Purpose: Although several genetic factors may play a role in leisure-time exercise behavior, there is currently no evidence of a significant genomewide association, and candidate gene replication studies have produced inconsistent results.
Methods: We conducted a two-stage genomewide association study and candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) association study on leisure-time exercise behavior using 13,980 discovery samples from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) study, and 2036 replication samples from the Hospital-based Epidemiologic Research Program at Aichi Cancer Center-2 study. Leisure-time physical activity was measured using a self-administered questionnaire that inquired about the type, frequency and duration of exercise.
Objectives: To identify the determinant of patients' perspectives of quality of life (QOL) and working status out of analysis-derived components underlying a set of assessment measures of the status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods: From the NinJa database in Japan (2012-2014), 1455 RA patients with DAS28 > 3.2 were recruited.
Background: Although beneficial associations have been reported between moderate alcohol intake and the serum lipid profile, it is unclear whether polymorphisms in alcohol-metabolizing enzymes can modify these associations. Here, we assessed the effects of ADH1B His48Arg (rs1229984), ALDH2 Glu504Lys (rs671), and their combination on these associations. Furthermore, we examined if the findings for ALDH2 could be replicated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Recent observational studies have suggested a positive association of white rice and protective associations of green tea and coffee with the risk of diabetes. However, none have examined the interaction between these dietary factors on the risk of diabetes. We prospectively investigated the effect modification of green tea and coffee on the association between rice and incident diabetes in elderly Japanese men and women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Inflammation is closely involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, and cigarette smoking acts as potent inducer of inflammation. We therefore investigated interactions between inflammation-related gene polymorphisms and cigarette smoking on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the Japanese general population.
Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data collected from 2619 Japanese (1274 males and 1345 females) 40-69Â years of age who participated in baseline survey of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study (2005-2008).
Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels are lower in Japanese compared with Western subjects. Since it is uncertain whether hsCRP is a potent predictor of mortality at low CRP concentrations, the present study examined associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a large population of Japanese.
Materials And Methods: Subjects were 4,737 men and 6,343 women aged 49-76 years participating in the baseline survey of an ongoing cohort study of lifestyle-related diseases between February 2004 and July 2006.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess 5-year changes in physical function and factors associated with improvement among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily clinical practice, focusing on the effect of treatments, including biologic agents, in the early stage of disease course.
Methods: The National Database of Rheumatic Diseases by iR-net in Japan (NinJa) was searched for patients with disease duration ≤ 2 years and modified health assessment questionnaire (mHAQ) > 0 between 2004 and 2007, so that 510 patients were included in the final analysis. Multivariate-logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of 5-year mHAQ disability score improvement.
Hyperuricaemia is an undisputed and highly predictive biomarker for cardiovascular risk. SLC17A1, expressed in the liver and kidneys, harbours potent candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms that decrease uric acid levels. Therefore, we examined SLC17A1 polymorphisms (rs1165196, rs1179086, and rs3757131), which might suppress cardiovascular risk factors and that are involved in liver functioning, via a large-scale pooled analysis of the Japanese general population in a cross-sectional study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProgrammed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is expressed on both select diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) tumor cells and on tumor-infiltrating nonmalignant cells. The programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 pathway inhibits host antitumor responses; however, little is known about how this pathway functions in the tumor microenvironment. The aim of this study was to determine the clinicopathological impact of PD-L1(+) DLBCL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obesity are known risk factors for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is often found in patients with endocrine disorders, such as thyroid dysfunction and hypopituitarism. To clarify the relationship of endocrine disease with GERD, we investigated the symptoms of GERD in patients with various endocrine diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A considerable interest has been drawn to potential protective effects of bilirubin against oxidative stress-related diseases. Smoking is known to be associated with lower concentrations of serum bilirubin, but other behavioral correlates of serum bilirubin have not been well studied. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the associations of behavioral and clinical factors with serum total bilirubin in Japanese men and women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cancer. Serum concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein is a good biomarker of chronic low-grade inflammation. Few studies have evaluated relative importance of behavioral and clinical covariates of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in Japanese population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the case of a 31-year-old woman who developed adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) with a high level of serum interleukin (IL)-18. Although treated with high dose steroids, she suffered repeated remissions and her condition deteriorated. After we administered oral cyclosporine A (CsA), 200 mg/d, monitoring C2 and trough levels, her symptoms improved significantly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report a 29-year-old woman with a 2.5 year history of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) who developed idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) and thrombocytopenia as a result of hypersplenism. She had recurrent esophagogastric variceal rupture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), including symptoms, blood chemistry and immunological findings.
Patients And Methods: We retrospectively investigated the records of 11 patients (six female and five male) with CSS admitted to our hospital from September 2003 to October 2009.
Results: Eight patients had preceding symptoms including bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis.
A 58-year-old woman was diagnosed with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) based on the symptoms of bronchial asthma, eosinophilia, mononeuritis multiplex and histological examination of the right sural nerve. Prior to treatment, the serum interleukin (IL)-5 level was high, and rearrangement of the T cell receptor (TCR) gene was identified. This is the first report of TCR gene rearrangement in a patient with CSS.
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