Publications by authors named "Asako M"

Several studies suggest that hearing loss results in changes in the balance between inhibition and excitation in the inferior colliculus (IC). The IC is an integral nucleus within the auditory brainstem. The majority of ascending pathways from the lateral lemniscus (LL), superior olivary complex (SOC), and cochlear nucleus (CN) synapse in the IC before projecting to the thalamus and cortex.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Topical nasal steroids can shrink hypertrophic adenoids and alleviate related symptoms, but their exact mechanism is not fully understood, prompting this study.* -
  • Histological analysis of adenoids and tonsils from 32 pediatric patients showed that adenoids had higher eosinophil infiltration and greater expression of glucocorticoid receptors and certain interleukins compared to tonsils.* -
  • Findings suggest that inflammation in the adenoids, indicated by eosinophils and specific interleukin expressions, may contribute to adenoid hypertrophy, highlighting possible targets for treatment.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The MERIT study was a 52-week Phase III clinical trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of mepolizumab for treating patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in Japan, Russia, and China.
  • Mepolizumab significantly improved nasal obstruction scores in patients compared to placebo, with some improvement seen in nasal polyp scores, and had a manageable safety profile with few serious adverse events.
  • The findings suggest that mepolizumab is an effective treatment option for patients suffering from CRSwNP/ECRS in these regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study reported two cases of acute life-threatening hemorrhage after Le Fort I osteotomy. In both cases, computed tomography and angiography revealed damage to the descending palatine artery, which was successfully treated by angiographic embolization. Although massive hemorrhage after Le Fort I osteotomy is rare, acute hemorrhage from the postoperative area may occur.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Eosinophilic airway inflammation, complicated by bronchial asthma and eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS), is difficult to treat. The disease may become refractory when eosinophilic mucin associated with eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) and autoantibodies fills in the paranasal sinus and small airway. This study investigated the functional role of an anti-EPX antibody in eosinophilic mucin of ECRS in eosinophilic airway inflammation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

IgE plasma cell neoplasm is the rarest subtype of plasma cell neoplasms and is known for its poor prognosis and high incidence of t(11;14). However, t(11;14) has been classified as a standard-risk rather than high-risk cytogenetic abnormality in multiple myeloma. We have been unable to explain the discrepancy that the hallmark of IgE plasma cell neoplasm with a poor prognosis is a standard-risk cytogenetic abnormality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (CAEBV) infection can lead to severe health issues like hemophagocytic syndrome and lymphoma, primarily due to the uncontrolled growth of infected T or NK cells.* -
  • The case of a 33-year-old man illustrates the challenges in diagnosing Hydroa vacciniforme (HV), where he experienced facial rashes for three years without a clear diagnosis until reevaluation linked his symptoms to CAEBV.* -
  • The study emphasizes the importance of correlating clinical signs to specific EBV tests, urging hematologists to be aware of skin conditions associated with EBV, such as HV and hypersensitivity to mosquito bites.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The status of dupilumab self-injection at home is not well understood. We therefore aimed to identify the barriers to adherence to dupilumab self-injection.

Patients And Methods: This non-interventional open-label study was conducted between March 2021 and July 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is characterized by leukemic blasts that express markers of multiple lineages. Compared with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), MPAL is considered to have a poor treatment outcome. We report a case of MPAL T/myeloid not otherwise specified that was initially presented as multilineage lymphoblastic lymphoma and subsequently developed into leukemic MPAL.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) is an immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic reaction caused when patients with pollen allergy ingest food having cross-reactivity with pollen. To date, no effective treatment method for this has been established. Here we report the case of a patient with PFAS who experienced lip edema, causing difficulties in treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) is a refractory airway disease accompanied by eosinophilic inflammation, the mechanisms of which are unknown. We recently found that CCL4/MIP-1β-a specific ligand for CCR5 receptors-was implicated in eosinophil recruitment into the inflammatory site and was substantially released from activated eosinophils. Moreover, it was found in nasal polyps from patients with ECRS, primarily in epithelial cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Practical Guideline for the Management of Allergic Rhinitis, the fist guideline for allergic rhinitis in Japan, was prepared after a symposium held by the Japanese Society of Allergology in 1993. The current 9th edition was published in 2020 and is widely used today. The most recent collection of evidence from the literature was supplemented to the revised guideline to incorporate evidence-based medicine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Eosinophilic airway inflammatory diseases, like bronchial asthma and eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS), are linked to type 2 inflammation, where CCL4 plays a key role in recruiting and activating inflammatory cells, including eosinophils.
  • The study explored the mechanisms of CCL4 production in bronchial epithelial cells when exposed to eosinophils and identified that CCL4 expression was enhanced by factors like TSLP and TLR signaling.
  • Findings suggest that CCL4 levels in serum and nasal polyps may serve as a potential biomarker for type 2 airway inflammation, particularly in severe cases of ECRS and asthma, and that treatments like dupilumab can
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Primary cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (PCACC) is extremely rare, and although distant metastasis has been reported, to date, there are no reports regarding metastasis to the nasal septum. We report a rare case of PCACC that metastasized to the nasal septum 17 years after the first surgery in a 59-year-old woman. She initially presented with a mass under the skin of her left mammary papilla.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inverted papilloma is the most common benign tumor of the paranasal sinuses with the possibility of malignant transformation. On the one hand, adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignant neoplasm that arises from the secretory glands. Sinonasal ACC accounts for 10%-25% of all head and neck ACC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS), which is a subgroup of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, is characterized by eosinophilic airway inflammation extending across both the upper and lower airways. Some severe cases are refractory even after endoscopic sinus surgery, likely because of local steroid insensitivity. Although real-life studies indicate that treatment with omalizumab for severe allergic asthma improves the outcome of coexistent ECRS, the underlying mechanisms of omalizumab in eosinophilic airway inflammation have not been fully elucidated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A previously healthy 49-year-old Japanese woman presented with cervical lymph node swelling and tenderness. Lymph node biopsy revealed reactive lymphadenitis without granulomas. No malignant cells were found, and no acid-fast positive bacilli were identified by Ziehl-Neelsen staining.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We herein report a patient with a high bleeding tendency as a result of acquired factor V inhibitor and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The administration of prednisolone increased the platelet count, but a fatal bleeding event occurred before platelet levels had sufficiently increased. Factor V is stored in not only plasma but also platelets, and platelet-derived factor V might play a local hemostatic role.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The human monoclonal antibody dupilumab blocks interleukin (IL)-4 andIL-13, key and central drivers of type 2 inflammation. Dupilumab, on background mometasone furoate nasal spray (MFNS), improved outcomes in the phase III SINUS-52 study (NCT02898454) in patients with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). This posthoc analysis of SINUS-52 examined whether eosinophilic status of CRSwNP was a predictor of dupilumab efficacy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Japanese cedar pollinosis is an endemic disease affecting a large proportion of Japan's population. Five seasons have passed since sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for Japanese cedar pollinosis was included in the public insurance coverage in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the clinical effects of long-term SLIT for Japanese cedar pollinosis on upper respiratory symptoms primarily represented by nasal symptoms and inflammation of the respiratory tract in the 2019 season, in which considerable amount of cedar pollen was dispersed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Eosinophils not only play a critical role in the pathogenesis of eosinophil-associated diseases, but they also have multiple important biological functions, including the maintenance of homeostasis, host defense against infections, immune regulation through canonical Th1/Th2 balance modulation, and anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic activities. Recent studies have elucidated some emerging roles of eosinophils in steady-state conditions; for example, eosinophils contribute to adipose tissue metabolism and metabolic health through alternatively activated macrophages and the maintenance of plasma cells in intestinal tissue and bone marrow. Moreover, eosinophils exert tissue damage through eosinophil-derived cytotoxic mediators that are involved in eosinophilic airway inflammation, leading to diseases including asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps characterized by fibrin deposition through excessive response by eosinophils-induced.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives/hypothesis: Dupilumab, which blocks the shared receptor component for interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, reduced polyp size, sinus opacification, and symptom severity, and was well tolerated in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in the SINUS-52 study (NCT02898454). We assessed dupilumab in patients enrolled at Japanese centers.

Methods: Patients on a background of mometasone furoate nasal spray, received dupilumab 300 mg every 2 weeks (q2w) for 52 weeks (Arm A); dupilumab 300 mg q2w for 24 weeks, followed by every 4 weeks (q4w) for 28 weeks (Arm B); or placebo (Arm C).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF