Publications by authors named "Asahina A"

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

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  • The study aims to analyze the characteristics and treatment of plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) in Japanese children with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), particularly with the introduction of the MEK inhibitor selumetinib.
  • Primary and secondary surveys were conducted across numerous pediatric and dermatology departments in Japan, tracking 49 patients aged 3.3 to 18.8 years with PNs, commonly found on the face, neck, and head.
  • The findings highlight early onset and significant morbidities like cosmetic disfigurement and pain, showing that selumetinib use is linked to these symptoms, stressing the importance of early diagnosis and the need for a multicenter registry to improve management strategies.
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Introduction: is a member of the Gram-positive anaerobic cocci group and constitutes the flora of the skin and other parts of the body. It sometimes colonizes diabetic foot and rarely infects skin or soft tissue of non-immunocompromised patients.

Case Presentation: Here, we report the case of a severe subcutaneous abscess on the back caused by .

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  • Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, and the monoclonal antibody bimekizumab specifically targets interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F, showing promising results over a two-year period.
  • Two clinical trials, BE OPTIMAL and BE COMPLETE, evaluated the safety and efficacy of bimekizumab in patients both new to biologic treatments and those with prior treatment failures.
  • Results revealed that bimekizumab was well tolerated, with no new safety concerns, and patients maintained significant improvements in PsA symptoms throughout the two years of treatment.
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Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, inflammatory articular disease regarded as a specific subtype of psoriasis. Long-term assessment for PsA using ultrasonography has not yet been investigated. The present study was conducted to delineate the changes in articular lesions after the initiation of biologics using ultrasonography, and to provide the evidence of the utility of ultrasonography in long-term follow-up of PsA patients.

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Itch is a protective/defensive function with divalent motivational drives. Itch itself elicits an unpleasant experience, which triggers the urge to scratch, relieving the itchiness. Still, it can also result in dissatisfaction when the scratch is too intense and painful or unsatisfactory due to insufficient scratch effect.

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Introduction: Even though an MEK inhibitor has been recently launched, neurofibroma still negatively affects the well-being of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in restricted access to medical care. The present study was conducted to investigate the real-world settings of patients with NF1 who underwent surgery with or without restricted medical access during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  • - The study investigates the link between dermatophytosis of the feet (DPF) and acral melanoma of the foot (AMF), particularly in patients with diabetes, highlighting that persistent foot inflammation may be linked to cancer development.
  • - A retrospective analysis of 114 Japanese patients found a significantly higher prevalence of DPF in the AMF group (60%) compared to the control group (29.8%), suggesting a strong association between DPF and AMF.
  • - The presence of the hyperkeratotic type of DPF was particularly noted in AMF patients, indicating that this specific form of DPF may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of AMF.
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  • This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of bimekizumab over 52 weeks for patients with active psoriatic arthritis who had not responded well to previous treatments.
  • In the trial, 347 out of 400 patients completed the study, showing a low incidence of severe adverse events, though some mild to moderate cases, like COVID-19 and oral candidiasis, were reported.
  • Bimekizumab demonstrated significant improvements in patient outcomes, with over half of those on the treatment experiencing at least a 50% improvement in symptoms and many achieving complete skin clearance by week 52.
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We report a case of leukemia cutis showing annular erythema during the course of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia. The annular appearance may be developed by immunomodulatory effects of blinatumomab.

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  • Risankizumab and guselkumab are approved treatments for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, showing better results than placebo and the IL-17 inhibitor secukinumab in clinical trials.
  • The OASIS-2 trial tested the efficacy and safety of mirikizumab, an IL-23 p19 inhibitor, against placebo and secukinumab, involving adults with significant psoriasis for at least 6 months.
  • The primary goal was to determine if mirikizumab was more effective than placebo after 16 weeks, measured by improvements in sPGA and PASI scores among participants.
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We encountered an immunocompromised patient with severe respiratory disease immediately after the onset of varicella. Varicella zoster virus infection may be associated with more severe immunosuppressive condition.

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Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) often experience comorbid, irreversible joint destruction, therefore early diagnosis and treatment of PsA are important. The diagnosis requires a comprehensive assessment, which includes an interview, a physical examination, a visual examination of the skin and nails, a blood test, and an imaging test. To clarify how patients with PsA are actually diagnosed and how physicians collaborate among clinical departments, we conducted a web-based questionnaire survey of 500 physicians (dermatologists, rheumatologists, and orthopedists) frequently involved in PsA treatment in Japan.

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Introduction: There remains to be lacking real-world evidence for the treatment of rosacea with a topical sulfur preparation (TSP) or topical metronidazole preparation (TMP) among Japanese patients. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of TSP and TMP on rosacea in Japanese patients in real-world clinical settings.

Methods: This retrospective observational analysis reviewed the medical records of 47 Japanese patients who were treated with TSP or TMP for more than 8 weeks in our clinic.

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Atopic dermatitis itch may cause sleep disturbance and impair quality of life. For patients finding topical therapy difficult to continue, it is important to control itch and reduce scratching. This study developed algorithms to measure nocturnal sleep and scratch, using an actigraph device worn on the back of the hand, and assessed smartphone application feedback to improve adherence with therapy.

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Apalutamide is an antiandrogen used to treat prostate cancer. Although it sometimes induces mild cutaneous adverse events and occasionally severe ones, clinical differences between severe and mild cases remain unclear. To assess the risks in patients experiencing apalutamide-related cutaneous adverse events (ARCAEs), we aimed to characterize severe and mild ARCAEs in terms of onset time and lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) for apalutamide.

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