Publications by authors named "Futamura A"

Rationale: Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) M2-positive myositis can lead to severe respiratory failure. Traditional immunotherapies sometimes fail to address respiratory failure. Herein, this CARE-compliant case report described a patient with AMA-M2-positive myositis who recovered from ventilation with tracheostomy owing to immunotherapy-resistant respiratory failure to spontaneous breathing after modified lung volume recruitment (mLVR) therapy.

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Objectives: Patients with terminal cancer tend to have an increased frequency of a variety of clinical symptoms, including anorexia, at 1 month of life expectancy. This study examined clinical symptoms affecting anorexia in patients with terminal cancer.

Methods: Of 1068 patients with terminal cancer who died and were discharged from our hospital between April 2014 and March 2016, we included 471 patients whose clinical symptoms could be subjectively assessed within 4 weeks before death.

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  • - This study investigated how effective nutrition support teams (NST) are in preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in healthcare facilities.
  • - Researchers analyzed CLABSI rates from 47 facilities between 2019 and 2021, noting significant differences before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with lower rates found in facilities with NST support.
  • - Results showed that although CLABSI rates increased during the pandemic for both groups, the NST group consistently had lower infection rates, highlighting their effectiveness in infection prevention.
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  • Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) can be life-threatening, and this study aimed to identify factors contributing to mortality in these patients, with a focus on nutritional aspects.
  • The study analyzed data from 453 in-patients diagnosed with CRBSI across 33 hospitals between January 2019 and December 2021, utilizing logistic regression to determine mortality risk factors.
  • Key findings indicated that factors like Candida presence in blood cultures, earlier CRBSI onset after catheter insertion, concurrent infections, low serum albumin, and high C-reactive protein levels increased mortality risk, while using a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) decreased it.
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  • Autoimmune encephalitis is a rapidly progressive brain disease; the GABA receptor subtype has unique symptoms that make diagnosis difficult, especially when typical signs are missing.
  • A 59-year-old man's case illustrates that cerebellar symptoms like gait disturbances occurred without cognitive decline, and initial tests were inconclusive, delaying effective treatment.
  • Successful treatment with immunosuppressive therapies led to improvement, emphasizing the need for awareness of autoimmune causes in cases with normal imaging results and highlighting how early intervention can positively affect patient outcomes.
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  • The study investigates the impacts of dietary interventions on cancer survivors regarding their survival, health-related quality of life (QOL), and nutrition.
  • Eight randomized controlled trials were analyzed to assess the effectiveness of these interventions in improving clinical measures and dietary habits among adult cancer survivors.
  • While some studies reported enhancements in QOL and dietary habits, the results indicated no positive effects for cancer survivors experiencing undernutrition, suggesting that more standardized and targeted research is needed.
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Objectives: Antiemetics have been widely recommended for treating opioid-induced nausea and vomiting (OINV). According to a previous study, the use of prophylactic prochlorperazine at the initiation of treatment with oral oxycodone was ineffective in preventing OINV. This study examined whether prochlorperazine injection prevents OINV and induces drowsiness in patients with end-stage cancer (a different patient population from the previous study).

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Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is a secreted zinc-dependent endopeptidase that degrades the extracellular matrix and basement membrane of neurons, and then contributes to synaptic plasticity by remodeling the extracellular matrix. Inhibition of MMP-9 activity has therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases such as fragile X syndrome. This paper reports the molecular design, synthesis, and in vitro studies of novel indole derivatives as inhibitors of proMMP-9 activation.

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Objectives: Patients with cancer, especially those with lung cancer, are at high risk of developing thrombosis. Intralipos infusion 20% is contraindicated for thrombosis, and there is no consensus on whether it can be safely used in cases of advanced cancer. We conducted a retrospective observational study to elucidate the impact of fat emulsion administration on blood coagulation in patients with terminal lung cancer.

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  • - The study investigates how cerebral white matter lesions (WML) and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) are related to cognitive decline in early-stage cognitive impairment (ESCI) using path analysis.
  • - Eighty-three patients with memory loss were assessed through various tests, including brain imaging and cognition evaluations, revealing significant correlations between WML, rCBF, and cognitive scores (MMSE).
  • - Findings indicate complex interrelationships among WML and rCBF that affect cognitive function, highlighting the need for further research to understand these mechanisms better.
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Objective: Tolvaptan, a vasopressin V receptor antagonist, is an oral diuretic. Patients with terminal cancer develop marked fluid retention, and oral diuretics other than tolvaptan have been used as treatments without clear therapeutic effects. Herein, we aimed to study the efficacy and safety of tolvaptan in patients with terminal cancer.

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Background: In Japan, only two medications of immediate-release levodopa with distinct ratios of decarboxylase inhibitor (DCI), namely levodopa/benserazide 100/25 mg and levodopa/carbidopa 100/10 mg, are available for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). The relationship between the difference in the DCI to levodopa ratio and the development of motor complications in long-term administration of levodopa is unknown.

Purpose: We assessed the duration from initiation of levodopa/DCI to the emergence of motor fluctuations in patients with PD treated with levodopa/benserazide and levodopa/carbidopa.

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A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) buoy system for early tsunami warnings has been developed for more than 20 years. The first GNSS buoy system using a real-time kinematic algorithm (RTK) was implemented in the Nationwide Ocean Wave information network for Ports and HArbourS (NOWPHAS) wave monitoring system in Japan in 2008. The records of NOWPHAS were used to update the tsunami alert by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), owing to the tsunami generated by the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake (Mw9.

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Objectives: We have observed white turbidity when a midazolam injection is administered from a lateral tube during the administration of a peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN) solution. The aim of the current study was to determine how to avoid compound changes when co-administering a midazolam injection and a PPN solution.

Methods: Midazolam solutions were prepared by diluting a midazolam injection with a 5% glucose intravenous infusion.

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  • Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is frequently misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease (AD) because both conditions show similar symptoms and brain imaging results like enlarged ventricles and white matter lesions (WMLs).
  • This study involved 12 iNPH patients, 20 AD patients, and 10 cognitively normal individuals to analyze the patterns and amounts of WMLs, using advanced MRI techniques and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker tests.
  • Results indicated that iNPH had significantly larger deep WML volumes compared to AD, which suggests differing underlying mechanisms, like impaired fluid and amyloid clearance, could be responsible for the conditions’ distinct characteristics.
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  • Marcel Proust, known for his masterpiece "In Search of Lost Time," interacted frequently with neurologists while seeking treatment for his asthma.
  • This literary work is highly regarded in French literature and has been analyzed extensively from various perspectives.
  • The article emphasizes the connection between Proust's ideas and the early concepts of neurology related to memory and time.
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  • Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects memory related to events, making it hard for patients to recall details of when, where, who, and what occurred.
  • Traditional diagnostic tests for memory rely on verbal interaction, which can be problematic due to the verbal deficiencies seen in AD patients.
  • A study using eye tracking showed that despite their verbal limitations, AD patients demonstrated anticipatory looking at video content, suggesting their event memory capabilities are better than commonly believed.
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  • There is a pressing need for blood biomarkers to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the potential role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is being investigated.
  • A study analyzed serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from various groups, including normal controls and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD, to determine the association between BDNF and AD severity.
  • Results showed lower serum BDNF levels in MCI patients compared to normal controls, indicating that decreased BDNF could serve as a promising blood biomarker for early detection of AD, which is important for timely intervention.
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  • Dementia and cognitive impairment are major health concerns, with a studied link between vitamin B and cognitive decline, particularly in women.
  • The study analyzed data from 188 patients to explore how vitamin B1 and B12 levels relate to dementia, using cognitive tests and blood tests.
  • Results showed that lower vitamin levels were significantly associated with higher odds of dementia in women, while no significant association was found in men, indicating the need for further research on vitamin levels and dementia progression.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) impairs various cognitive functions, including time perception. Dysfunctional time perception in PD is poorly understood, and no study has investigated the rehabilitation of time perception in patients with PD. We aimed to induce the recovery of time perception in PD patients and investigated the potential relationship between recovery and cognitive functions/domains other than time perception.

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  • Toxic amyloid-β (Aβ) proteins are key players in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), with higher levels of toxic Aβ42 conformers found in patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment.
  • The study aimed to assess the levels of toxic Aβ42 and its relation to the progression of AD by comparing different patient groups and healthy controls.
  • Findings indicated that while the overall toxic Aβ level wasn’t significantly different among groups, its increased ratio to Aβ42 in AD patients correlated with higher levels of tau protein and lower cognitive function, suggesting a link between toxic Aβ and neuronal impairment in AD.
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We compared 'CIScore' determined by quantitative single photon emission computed tomography studies of the cingulate island sign to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in Lewy body disease (LBD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) to assess its usefulness and pathological background. Among the 16 each age-matched LBD and AD patients, the CIScore differed significantly but was not correlated with CSF biomarkers. In LBD, hippocampal atrophy significantly correlated with Clinical Dementia Rating and CSF p-tau and t-tau levels.

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We report a case of a 65-year-old patient with hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and hyperuricemia, who showed an improvement in lifestyle-induced metabolic syndrome on the administration of 7.5 g of Kangen-karyu extract per day for 6 months. The levels of serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides were decreased.

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Numbsense is a phenomenon, wherein patients can correctly respond to somatosensory stimuli at a higher rate than expected by chance, but cannot perceive the same stimuli consciously. Previously, numbsense has been reported in tactile localization of stimuli on the patient's own body. Here, we describe a patient with numbsense that involved touched objects.

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