White Matter Hyperintensities as a Risk Factor for Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

The occurrence of ischemic stroke in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can cause extended periods of reduced daily activities. However, the risk factors for ischemic stroke in SLE patients are not fully elucidated. Herein, we examined the effect of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on the occurrence of ischemic stroke in SLE patients.

Clinical features of Guillain-Barré syndrome patients with elevated serum creatine kinase levels.

Background: It is not well defined whether Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) patients with elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) levels have characteristic clinical features and are related to the subgroups of GBS.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 51 consecutive patients with GBS, who visited our hospital, and compared clinical, laboratory and electrophysiological findings between patients with and without elevated CK levels.

Results: Of 51 patients, 14 patients (27%) showed an elevation of serum CK levels.

[An autopsy case of nivolumab-induced myasthenia gravis and myositis].

An 84-year-old woman developed blepharoptosis, diplopia, weakness of extremities, and dysphagia with elevation of serum CK levels after treatment with nivolumab against renal cell carcinoma. 3 Hz repetitive stimulation showed waning in the trapezius muscle, leading to the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Laboratory examination showed that anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody was negative.

Clinical characteristics of long-term survival with noninvasive ventilation and factors affecting the transition to invasive ventilation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Introduction: We evaluated post-noninvasive ventilation survival and factors for the transition to tracheostomy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Methods: We analyzed 197 patients using a prospectively collected database with 114 patients since 2000.

Results: Among 114 patients, 59 patients underwent noninvasive ventilation (NIV), which prolonged the total median survival time to 43 months compared with 32 months without treatment.

Mechanism of the decrease in catalytic activity of human cytochrome P450 2C9 polymorphic variants investigated by computational analysis.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is deeply involved in the metabolism of chemicals including pharmaceuticals. Therefore, polymorphisms of this enzyme have been widely studied to avoid unfavorable side effects of drugs in chemotherapy. In this work, we performed computational analysis of the mechanism of the decrease in enzymatic activity for three typical polymorphisms in CYP 2C9 species: *2, *3, and *5.