Publications by authors named "Higo H"

Honey bee viruses are serious pathogens that can cause poor colony health and productivity. We analyzed a multi-year longitudinal dataset of abundances of nine honey bee viruses (deformed wing virus A, deformed wing virus B, black queen cell virus, sacbrood virus, Lake Sinai virus, Kashmir bee virus, acute bee paralysis virus, chronic bee paralysis virus, and Israeli acute paralysis virus) in colonies located across Canada to describe broad trends in virus intensity and occurrence among regions and years. We also tested climatic variables (temperature, wind speed, and precipitation) as predictors in an effort to understand possible drivers underlying seasonal patterns in viral prevalence.

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There are cases of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) that do not meet the diagnostic criteria for connective tissue disease but have clinical features suggestive of autoimmune process. Interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) was recently proposed as a research concept for these patients. Although several prospective studies on IPAF have been conducted, its clinical significance in cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) remains unclear.

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Recent declines in the health of honey bee colonies used for crop pollination pose a considerable threat to global food security. Foraging by honey bee workers represents the primary route of exposure to a plethora of toxins and pathogens known to affect bee health, but it remains unclear how foraging preferences impact colony-level patterns of stressor exposure. Resolving this knowledge gap is crucial for enhancing the health of honey bees and the agricultural systems that rely on them for pollination.

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A 56-year-old woman who received CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy for refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma developed severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and was treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in April 2022. However, she experienced persistent fatigue and cough and fever in June. Computed tomography revealed bilateral ground-glass opacities (GGO), and the patient was treated with corticosteroids for organizing pneumonia after COVID-19.

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A 55-year-old man presented to our hospital with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). He was registered with the Japan Organ Transplant Network the following year due to disease progression. Treatment with clarithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampicin for complications of Mycobacterium avium pulmonary disease was initiated, but sputum conversion could not be achieved.

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A 50-year-old man was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by the environment of his bar owing to worsening symptoms, laboratory test results, and computed tomography images after an environmental inhalation challenge test. His hypersensitivity pneumonitis exacerbated despite receiving prednisolone 20 mg/day. The patient underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from a human leukocyte antigen-matched unrelated donor for myelodysplastic syndrome.

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Highbush blueberry pollination depends on managed honey bees (Apis mellifera) L. for adequate fruit sets; however, beekeepers have raised concerns about the poor health of colonies after pollinating this crop. Postulated causes include agrochemical exposure, nutritional deficits, and interactions with parasites and pathogens, particularly Melisococcus plutonius [(ex.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined predictive factors for asthma exacerbation in severe asthma patients enrolled in the Okayama Severe Asthma Research Program over a one-year period.
  • A total of 85 patients, mostly older adults, were analyzed, with many requiring advanced treatments according to GINA guidelines and over half treated with biologics.
  • Key findings indicated that past exacerbation, low asthma control test scores, low lung function measures, and high IL-10 levels were significant predictors of future asthma exacerbation events.
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The concurrent incidence of lung cancer and tuberculosis is expected to escalate due to the projected growth in the older population. Combination therapy with osimertinib and antituberculosis drugs has not been well-established. We report a case of successful treatment involving the concomitant administration of osimertinib and antituberculosis drugs in an older patient, an 89-year-old female, diagnosed with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis.

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Honey bees play a major role in crop pollination but have experienced declining health throughout most of the globe. Despite decades of research on key honey bee stressors (e.g.

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Nuclear protein of the testis carcinoma (NUTC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy. We herein report a case of NUTC in the lung characterized by a bronchial lesion and elevated alpha-fetoprotein levels. A 35-year-old Japanese man presented to our institution with suspected advanced lung cancer based on a histological examination.

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Objective: Long-term steroid use increases the risk of developing Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP), but there are limited reports on the relation of long-term steroid and PcP mortality.

Methods: Retrospective multicenter study to identify risk factors for PcP mortality, including average steroid dose before the first visit for PcP in non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-PcP patients. We generated receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for 90-day all-cause mortality and the mean daily steroid dose per unit body weight in the preceding 10 to 90 days in 10-day increments.

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British Columbia beekeepers, like many beekeepers around the world, are currently facing declines in honey bee health and high overwinter colony losses. To better understand the economics and the cycle of yearly colony loss and replacement of this critical agricultural industry, we collected and analyzed survey data on beekeeping costs and returns. Forty British Columbia beekeepers provided details about revenue sources, variable costs, capital costs, and investments.

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Article Synopsis
  • * About 100 days into treatment, he developed confusion, a high fever, and showed signs of liver and kidney dysfunction, eventually experiencing severe convulsions that led to an intensive care unit admission.
  • * He was diagnosed with cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, but his condition was managed with immunosuppressive drugs, allowing him to be discharged despite the rarity of successful outcomes in such cases during immunotherapy.
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  • Dupilumab is an antibody that targets specific signals in the body, and studies show it works well for severe asthma, but not much research has been done on switching to it from other treatments.* -
  • A study tracked 27 patients who switched to dupilumab from other biologics and found significant improvements in lung function and overall asthma control, with a 77.8% treatment response rate.* -
  • The study also noted improvements in chronic sinus conditions for most patients, with some experiencing temporary increases in eosinophil levels, but they were still able to continue treatment without symptoms.*
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Article Synopsis
  • - A 59-year-old woman was diagnosed with a rare infection using mass spectrometry on bronchioalveolar lavage fluid.
  • - Treatment was initiated with clarithromycin, rifampicin, and ethambutol after drug susceptibility testing, leading to improvement in lung opacities.
  • - Unlike most previous cases that used standard treatment, this regimen might offer a new therapeutic option for nontuberculous infections.
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The honey bee is responsible for pollination of a large proportion of crop plants, but the health of honey bee populations has been challenged by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Mite infestation is the main cause of colony losses during the winter months, which causes significant economic challenges in apiculture. Treatments have been developed to control the spread of varroa.

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Fibrosis of the lung can occur in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, collagen vascular diseases, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, among other diseases. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, vascular epithelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor contribute to the pathophysiology of fibrosis. TGF-β and other cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-23, activate type-17 immunity, which is involved in pulmonary fibrosis.

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Non-infectious pulmonary complications (NIPCs) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are associated with poor outcomes. It is important to maximize the effectiveness of primary treatment because secondary treatment has not been established. We analyzed data from 393 patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT during a 10-year period.

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Background And Aim: Acute exacerbation (AE) of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal condition with no established treatment. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a unique therapy with both anti-inflammatory and anti-infective effects. Therefore, we hypothesized that IVIG may have a positive effect on AE of interstitial pneumonia.

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Article Synopsis
  • * After the second treatment, he developed fever and fatigue, with lab tests revealing heart damage and a biopsy confirming myocarditis as an immune-related adverse event.
  • * Despite receiving high-dose corticosteroids, his condition deteriorated rapidly, resulting in his death five days later, highlighting the need for effective treatment options for severe myocarditis arising from cancer immunotherapy.
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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the most frequently mutated driver oncogene in nonsmoking-related, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR-mutant NSCLC has a noninflamed tumor microenvironment (TME), with low infiltration by CD8+ T cells and, thus, immune-checkpoint inhibitors, such as antiprogrammed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1), have weak antitumor effects. Here, we showed that CD8+ T-cell responses were induced by an EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in syngeneic Egfr-mutant NSCLC tumors, which was further pronounced by the sequential dual blockade of PD-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2).

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Tepotinib, the novel MET-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, shows an antitumor effect for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring MET exon 14 skipping mutation. In January 2022, the AmoyDx® Pan Lung Cancer polymerase chain reaction Panel (AmoyDx® panel), which had a shorter turnaround time than the conventional test, was launched in Japan as a tepotinib companion test. We report a patient with an advanced MET-mutant NSCLC promptly diagnosed using the AmoyDx® panel and successfully treated with tepotinib.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Chest scans revealed significant bleeding in her right upper lobe, but the precise cause was unclear.
  • * After performing a procedure called bronchial artery embolization (BAE) and using an Endobronchial Watanabe Spigot (EWS), the treatment effectively controlled her massive hemoptysis, particularly after she had previously undergone lobectomy to avoid breathing issues.
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Background: Tyrosine kinase activation plays an important role in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we analyzed the expression of 612 kinase-coding and cancer-related genes using next-generation sequencing to identify potential therapeutic targets for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Methods: Thirteen samples from five patients with IPF (Cases 1-5) and eight samples from four patients without IPF (control) were included in this study.

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