Publications by authors named "Fusako Sera"

Unlabelled: New cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), such as leadless pacemakers and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICDs), are being used in patients with adult congenital heart disease. The selection of CIEDs often requires careful consideration due to technical challenges posed by a unique heart structure. A 27-year-old man following a surgical tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair developed non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, sick sinus syndrome, and complete atrioventricular block.

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Background: Several invasive hemodynamic parameters help predict right ventricular failure (RVF) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. However, prediction using non-invasive parameters alone has not been established. The ratio of the diameters of the pulmonary artery (PAD) to those of the ascending aorta (AoD) may indicate past hemodynamic load and cardiac dysfunction.

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We examined the number of patients abandoning cardiac replacement therapy due to the inability to secure a designated caregiver. At Osaka University Hospital Heart Center, when we receive a consultation for a patient with severe heart failure from another hospital, a heart failure team makes a visit to the referring hospital as soon as possible. We retrospectively analyzed this hospital-visit database.

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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a significant challenge in cardiology, necessitating advancements in treatment strategies. This study explores the safety and efficacy of transitioning patients from beraprost to selexipag, a novel selective prostacyclin receptor agonist, within a Japanese cohort. Employing a multicenter, open-label, prospective design, 25 PAH patients inadequately managed on beraprost were switched to selexipag.

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Introduction: Heterogeneous distribution in myocardial perfusion images (MPI) obtained by scintigraphy is often observed in cardiac diseases with normal myocardial perfusion. However, quantitative assessments of such heterogeneity have not been established. We hypothesized that the heterogeneity in MPI can be quantitatively evaluated through histogram analysis, calculating the standard deviation (SD), the 95% bandwidth (BW95%), and entropy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) shows varied clinical outcomes that are not always predictable by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), prompting the study of longitudinal strain (LS) patterns for better insights.
  • The study involved 139 DCM patients with LVEF ≤ 35%, assessing LS distribution through a bull's eye map and relative apical LS index (RapLSI), to determine its relationship with cardiac events and changes in LVEF.
  • Results indicated that patients with impaired apical LS patterns faced more cardiac events and showed less improvement in heart function compared to those with different LS patterns, highlighting the importance of LS distribution in predicting patient outcomes in DCM.
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The MYH7 R453 variant has been identified in inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is associated with sudden death and a poor prognosis. The detailed clinical course of HCM with the MYH7 R453 variant, from a preserved to a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, has not been reported. We identified the MYH7 R453C and R453H variants in three patients who progressively developed advanced heart failure requiring circulatory support and summarized the clinical course and echocardiographic parameters of these patients over the years.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers discovered a variant of the Hspa8 chaperone in model mice that significantly improved lifespan, motor function, and neuromuscular health in SMA-affected mice.
  • The study revealed that Hspa8 influences SMN2 splicing and promotes a crucial chaperone complex formation for synaptic stability, shedding light on the mechanisms behind motor neuron degeneration in SMA.
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Phospholamban p.Arg14del is reported to cause hereditary cardiomyopathy with malignant ventricular tachycardia (VT) and advanced heart failure. However, the clinical courses of Japanese cardiomyopathy patients with phospholamban p.

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Aims: The prognostic significance of renal function variability has not been fully elucidated in heart failure (HF). This multicentre, prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of visit-to-visit variability in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for predicting patients' outcomes in a real-world HF population.

Methods: A total of 564 patients who had survived HF hospitalization were randomly assigned with a 2:1 ratio to derivation and validation cohorts, and they were then followed after discharge.

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Aims: In previous randomized controlled trials, the use of tolvaptan (TLV) at a fixed dose of 30 mg/day for 1 year did not provide renal benefits in patients with heart failure (HF). This retrospective, cohort study examined the renoprotective effects of long-term, flexible-dose, and lower-dose TLV use.

Methods And Results: Tolvaptan users were defined as patients receiving TLV for at least 180 consecutive days or those who continued it until death, any cardiac events, or renal replacement therapy even if it was taken for <180 days.

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BACKGROUND Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), including polycythemia vera (PV), are associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and malignant lymphomas. Although the underlying mechanisms have not been completely clarified, it has been suggested that the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) mutation, which is frequently identified in PV, can be involved in the development and/or progression of these distinct diseases in patients with MPNs. However, no reports have described the coexistence of PH and malignant lymphoma in patients with MPNs.

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Objective: Technetium-99 m sestamibi (Tc-MIBI) scintigraphy can identify non-viable left ventricular (LV) myocardium. However, the optimal cut-off value and the details of decreased Tc-MIBI uptake of the non-viable LV myocardium in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) have not been well established. This study aimed to evaluate the decrease in Tc-MIBI uptake in each segment and in the whole LV myocardium, and to determine cut-off values for identifying non-viable LV myocardium in DCM patients.

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Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory autoimmune disorder characterized by fever, skin rash, and arthralgia. Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) rarely occurs with AOSD and has not been reported in the absence of typical symptoms of AOSD. A 33-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with dyspnoea on exertion.

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Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a widely recommended evidence-based intervention for patients with cardiovascular disease. However, the participation rate in CR has been reported to be low globally, mainly due to barriers in access to the CR center. We evaluated the feasibility and safety of a new remote real-time monitoring system for supervising home-based CR among elderly patients with heart failure (HF).

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Heart failure is a major cause of death with an increasing population of elderly individuals. Several studies have demonstrated the involvement of soluble alpha-Klotho (sαKl) in various diseases. However, the correlation between sαKl and heart failure remains to be understood.

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We evaluated the cardiac function recovery following skeletal myoblast cell-sheet transplantation and the long-term outcomes after applying this treatment in 23 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. We defined patients as "responders" when their left ventricular ejection fraction remained unchanged or improved at 6 months after treatment. At 6 months, 16 (69.

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A 49-year-old woman was admitted with suspicion of acute myocarditis. On the next day after admission, her serum troponin I level continued to rise, indicating progression of myocardial damage. Moreover, her symptoms persisted, and left ventricular ejection fraction did not improve.

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Background: We describe our original left ventricular assist device (LVAD) speed ramp and volume loading test designed to evaluate native heart function under continuous-flow LVAD support.

Methods and results: LVAD speed was decreased in 4 stages from the patient's optimal speed to the minimum setting for each device. Under minimal LVAD support, patients were subjected to saline loading (body weight [kg]×10 mL in 15 min).

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Currently in Japan, a left ventricular assist device powered by an abdominal driveline is the only type of left ventricular assist device available. The driveline is vulnerable to infection secondary to inappropriate fixation and the traditional Japanese custom of bathing is prohibited in patients with an abdominal driveline. The Jarvik 2000 with postauricular cable is a left ventricular assist device in which the driveline exits the body behind the ear (postauricular) instead of exiting through an abdominal site.

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