Publications by authors named "Fukunaga A"

Background/Aims: To evaluate invasive treatment outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients aged over 90 years. Materials and methods: Twenty-six patients were included. Information on backgrounds, course of treatment, outcomes, and changes in Child-Pugh (CP) score and performance status (PS), as well as a comparison of treatment-related complications and 2-year survival after treatment, were retrospectively examined and compared with 311 patients aged under 90 years who were matched under the same conditions.

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Dyneins are huge motor protein complexes that are essential for cell motility, cell division, and intracellular transport. Dyneins are classified into three major subfamilies, namely cytoplasmic, intraflagellar-transport (IFT), and ciliary dyneins, based on their intracellular localization and functions. Recently, several near-atomic resolution structures have been reported for cytoplasmic/IFT dyneins.

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Objectives: Treatment interruptions in disaster victims are concerning, owing to an increase in natural disasters and the growing elderly population with chronic conditions. This study examined the temporal trends in treatment interruptions among victims of 2 recent major heavy rain disasters in Japan: West Japan heavy rain in 2018 and Kumamoto heavy rain in 2020.

Methods: Data for this study were derived from the national standardized medical data collection system called the "Japan Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters.

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Whether house dust mite (HDM) sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is effective for the skin symptoms of adult atopic dermatitis (AD) is unclear. HDM SLIT was added to conventional AD treatment for 10 HDM-sensitized AD patients with rhinitis for 2 years. Seven out of ten enrolled patients completed the study.

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  • Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) shows a good response to omalizumab (OMA), but patients who don't respond well need a closer look at their long-term prognosis and treatment options.
  • A study analyzed 48 patients who received three doses of OMA and tracked their progress over 12 months, finding that 28 had a good prognosis, while 20 had a less favorable outcome.
  • Key factors linked to better outcomes included shorter CSU duration, presence of angioedema, low IgE levels pre-treatment, increased eosinophils after treatment, and higher urticaria control test scores; using immunosuppressants also predicted a better prognosis, while corticosteroids had a negative impact.
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Purpose This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between early-stage weight loss (WL) during hospitalization after pancreatic surgery and prognosis and investigate risk factors affecting WL. Methods We included 68 patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who underwent radical surgery. The %WL value was calculated based on the percentage of body weight at discharge compared with the body weight at admission.

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  • The study examined whether a standard dose of bilastine (20 mg) is as effective as a double dose of second-generation H1-antihistamines for treating patients with refractory chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).
  • Conducted as a phase IV, multicenter trial, it involved 128 patients and measured treatment efficacy through the mean total symptom score (TSS) after 5-7 days of administration.
  • Results showed that bilastine was non-inferior in effectiveness to double-dose H1AH and had a similar safety profile, with no serious adverse effects reported in either treatment group.
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  • In Japan, a study was conducted on the safety and efficacy of ligelizumab, an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, for treating chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in patients who weren't responding well to H1-antihistamines.
  • The study, which included 66 adult participants, showed that while 80.3% experienced mild to moderate side effects, there were no severe adverse events or anaphylaxis, and only 6.1% stopped treatment due to side effects.
  • Significant improvements were noted: UAS7 scores improved quickly by Week 4 and continued to improve by Week 52, with 50% of patients achieving no symptoms, and a notable increase in quality of life
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A new restorer of fertility gene, Rfs, of Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in radish encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein that binds to 15 nucleotides in mRNA of the CMS gene, orf138. Nucleotide substitutions in both Rfs and orf138 determine effectiveness and specificity of restoration. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in plants caused by the expression of abnormal mitochondrial genes results from impaired pollen production.

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BACKGROUND Reversed intestinal malrotation is an extremely rare disease, with an incidence of 1 in 250 000. In Japan, application of robotic-assisted colorectal cancer surgery is expected to increase. There are no reports of robot-assisted surgery for cecal cancer with reversed intestinal malrotation.

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Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) in a mouse model with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and to examine the effects of tranilast on TRPV2 and fibrosis-related cytokines.

Materials And Methods: C57BL/6N mice were fed a Gubra-Amylin NASH (GAN) diet for 20 weeks to induce NASH. The tranilast groups received oral administration of tranilast at doses of 300, 400 and 500 mg/kg/day, five days per week for 20 weeks, in addition to the GAN diet.

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  • Rainfall-induced floods accounted for 70% of disasters in Japan between 1985-2018, leading to various health issues, highlighting the need for better health data collection during such events.
  • In response to the Kumamoto Heavy Rain 2020, Emergency Medical Teams utilized J-SPEED to report daily patient data, allowing for a detailed analysis of health problems encountered.
  • Analysis of 816 consultations showed that the elderly were the most affected demographic, with common health issues including treatment interruption, hypertension, and stress symptoms, demonstrating shifts in the nature of health problems throughout the disaster response phases.*
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Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), characterized by the recurrence of pruritic hives and/or angioedema for >6 weeks with no identifiable trigger, has a negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The objective of this web-based cross-sectional study was to evaluate disease control, disease burden, and treatment satisfaction in Japanese adults with CSU using the Urticaria Control Test (UCT), HRQoL outcomes, and the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication-9 items (TSQM-9). In total, 529 adults were included in the analysis (59.

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  • Angioedema (AE) is a condition characterized by localized swelling in the skin or mucous membranes and can be hereditary or acquired, making its classification complex due to various underlying mechanisms and taxonomies.
  • The DANCE initiative, involving 91 experts from 35 countries, aimed to create a unified consensus on the definition, acronyms, and classification of AE through an extensive online discussion and voting process over 16 months.
  • The resulting DANCE classification introduces five types of AE, standardizes terminology, and is designed to enhance research and patient care while complementing existing clinical guidelines without replacing them.
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Background: Fish are rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D, which can promote testosterone synthesis and secretion. However, some contaminants present in fish may disrupt testosterone production.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between fish intake (total, fatty, and lean fish) and serum testosterone levels in older males.

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  • * Both patients experienced painful oral ulcers and other complications requiring hospitalization, after ruling out other possible causes.
  • * Treatment included stopping chemotherapy and administering prednisolone, which improved the mucositis, but one patient faced a cancer recurrence after stopping chemotherapy, while the other patient was lost to follow-up.
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Objective: Given the population-level variation in stature, a universal cut-off for waist circumference (WC) may not be appropriate for some populations. We compared the performance of WC and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) to detect the clustering of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in rural Vietnam.

Methods: We obtained data from a baseline survey of the Khanh Hoa Cardiovascular Study comprising 2942 middle-aged residents (40-60 years).

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  • Solar urticaria (SU) is a rare skin condition characterized by sensitivity to sunlight, often resistant to standard treatments, and its impact on patients' quality of life (QOL) has not been thoroughly studied.
  • In a study of 29 Japanese SU patients, H1 antihistamines were effective for 75.8% of individuals, while UVA hardening therapy showed an 88.9% success rate, indicating some therapies can help improve symptoms.
  • Overall, 90% of surveyed patients reported improvements since the onset of SU, with a mean Dermatology Life Quality Index score of 7.4, suggesting that while patients experience challenges, many see improvements over time.
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Patients with eczema with a systemic metal allergy, such as nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and tin (Sn), should pay attention to symptomatic exacerbation by excessive metal intake in food. However, dietary intervention for systemic metal allergy can be difficult. In this study, we evaluated the effect of dietary intervention by a registered dietitian on clinical symptoms in patients with a systemic metal allergy.

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The literature on green tea consumption and glucose metabolism has reported conflicting findings. This cross-sectional study examined the association of green tea consumption with abnormal glucose metabolism among 3000 rural residents aged 40-60 years in Khánh Hòa province in Vietnam. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of green tea consumption (0, < 200, 200-< 400, 400-< 600 or ≥ 600 ml/d) with prediabetes and diabetes (based on the American Diabetes Association criteria).

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Lanadelumab, a recombinant human anti-kallikrein monoclonal antibody, is recommended as the first-line option for long-term prophylaxis (LTP) in hereditary angioedema (HAE). However, the efficacy of lanadelumab and its effects on the quality of life (QoL) in Japanese HAE patients using real-world data have not been reported. Herein, we report the outcomes of five HAE patients who were treated with lanadelumab at two Japanese institutions.

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Background: Several studies have examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and the proportion of untreated hypertension, but have produced conflicting findings. In addition, no study has been conducted to determine sex differences in the association between SES and untreated hypertension. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine whether the associations between SES and the proportion of untreated hypertension differed by sex in Vietnam.

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