Publications by authors named "Ayako Okuhama"

Nationally representative data on sexual health and behaviors in Japan are scarce. We conducted an online survey, including questions about a range of topics related to sexual behaviors and outcomes. The sample, including 8000 men and women aged 20-49 years in Japan, was stratified by sex and weighted with respect to age, marital status, and region of residence to reflect the population of Japan.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

is a gram-negative coccobacillus that is a part of the normal flora in the human upper airway and sometimes causes infective endocarditis. We present a case of a 68-year-old Japanese man who had vascular graft infection caused by 4 years after surgery for chronic aortic dissection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that improves clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients after five days of treatment and can accelerate recovery by 31%.
  • A case study of a 63-year-old man with severe COVID-19 on ECMO revealed a specific treatment regimen with remdesivir over ten days, including a loading dose and daily maintenance doses.
  • The pharmacokinetic analysis found normal serum creatinine levels and measured remdesivir and its metabolite GS-441524 at different times post-administration, indicating that monitoring these plasma concentrations is important for patients on ECMO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to establish simpler criteria for triaging COVID-19 patients by examining the relationship between COVID-19 severity and the presence of fatty liver using CT scans at a large hospital during the early pandemic.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 222 COVID-19 patients, categorizing their condition as severe or non-severe based on official guidelines, and noted varying levels of fatty liver in the participants.
  • Results indicated that the presence of fatty liver, along with age, was significantly linked to severe COVID-19 cases, suggesting that CT scans could be useful in quick patient triage in emergency situations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cytopenia is a common complication in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Identifying the cause is demanding because of the wide range of possible diagnoses. We herein report an HIV-infected patient with disseminated cryptococcosis involving multiple organs including the blood, brain, lungs, and bone marrow, who developed progressive pancytopenia after initiation of anti-fungal treatment with liposomal amphotericin-B (L-AMB) and flucytosine (5FC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread around the world. In addition to community-acquired infections, nosocomial infections are also a major social concern. The likelihood of environmental contamination and transmission of the virus based on disease severity is unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and radiological findings of COVID-19 patients with "silent hypoxia," who had no dyspnea on admission even though their oximetry saturation was less than 94%. This retrospective cohort study included all COVID-19 patients (n = 270) at a large tertiary care hospital between January 31 and August 31, 2020. Clinical and radiological characteristics of patients who met our criteria of "silent hypoxia", which included those who reported no dyspnea even though oximetry saturation was <94%, were extracted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne illness caused by a virus, previously known as SFTSV.
  • - A case study reports a patient experiencing various symptoms like fatigue, hair loss, and insomnia during recovery from SFTS, suggesting similarities with symptoms in other viral hemorrhagic fevers.
  • - The findings indicate that ongoing monitoring of SFTS patients during the recovery phase may be crucial due to the potential for persistent symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the increase in COVID-19 cases globally, the number of cases in Japan has been relatively low, and an explosive surge in the prevalence has not occurred. In March 2020, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan recommended the original criteria for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, although there was a lack of evidence for appropriate targets for COVID-19 testing. This study aimed to evaluate the COVID-19 positive ratio and pre-screening criteria in Tokyo immediately after the insurance-covered SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing became available in Japan.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The Chinese government enforced lockdowns in Hubei Province due to COVID-19, prompting the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) to coordinate evacuation charter flights for Japanese citizens, successfully handling the majority of returnees (95.7%).
  • - A total of five charter flights were organized, involving 107 doctors, 115 nurses, and other support staff, who implemented strict health precautions including airborne and contact precautions to minimize infection risk during the evacuation.
  • - After the triage at NCGM, 48 individuals were hospitalized, with a higher COVID-19 positivity rate (8.3%) among those triaged compared to others, emphasizing the need for a structured response for future similar situations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective In fever clinics screening coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there could be patients with life-threatening diseases that physicians should not overlook. We exploratorily investigated the final diagnosis among non-COVID-19 hospitalized patients who visited the fever clinic. Methods This was a retrospective, observational, and single-centered study conducted in the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM), Tokyo, Japan.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Subjects: Early detection of coronavirus disease 2019 in patients likely to develop severe manifestations enables appropriate interventions, including rapid ICU admission. This study was conducted to determine whether noninvasive urine biomarkers can predict the clinical severity of coronavirus disease 2019.

Interventions: Not applicable.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We report detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in hemodialysis effluent from a patient in Japan with coronavirus disease and prolonged inflammation. Healthcare workers should observe strict standard and contact precautions and use appropriate personal protective equipment when handling hemodialysis circuitry from patients with diagnosed coronavirus disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF