Publications by authors named "Hiroyuki Kumazoe"

Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease is an inherited prion disease characterized by dementia, cerebellar ataxia, and painful sensory disturbances. GSS is pathologically defined by the presence of amyloid plaques comprised of prion protein predominantly localized in the cerebral cortex, cerebellar cortex, and basal ganglia, resulting from mutations in the prion protein gene. This study investigated five cases of GSS P102L [GSS caused by a leucine (L) substitution of proline (P) at position 102 of the prion protein gene] with L-dopa-resistant extrapyramidal symptoms and reduced dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography (DAT-SPECT) uptake.

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  • A study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using a 0.3 T MRI system for mapping macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) to quantify myelin content in brain tissue, traditionally challenging due to long imaging times and low signal quality.
  • Researchers compared MPF measurements obtained from both 0.3 T and 3.0 T MRI systems, using a specific imaging protocol to calculate MPF maps from protein phantoms and healthy individuals.
  • The results indicated a strong correlation between MPF values across different magnetic strengths, with only minor differences, demonstrating that 0.3 T MRI can effectively assess myelin levels in neural tissue.
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  • The study investigates the role of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) markers KL-6, SP-A, and SP-D in predicting the prognosis of chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia (CFIP).
  • By analyzing 39 patients with CFIP, researchers categorized them into rapidly progressing or slowly progressing groups based on their yearly decline in lung function.
  • Results indicated that specific BALF marker levels and ratios were significantly lower in the rapidly progressing group, highlighting their potential utility in diagnosing and predicting disease progression in CFIP patients.
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We analyzed the X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of carbon 1s states in graphene and oxygen-intercalated graphene grown on SiC(0001) using Bayesian spectroscopy. To realize highly accurate spectral decomposition of the XPS spectra, we proposed a framework for discovering physical constraints from the absence of prior quantified physical knowledge, in which we designed the prior probabilities based on the found constraints and the physically required conditions. This suppresses the exchange of peak components during replica exchange Monte Carlo iterations and makes possible to decompose XPS in the case where a reliable structure model or a presumable number of components is not known.

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  • This study explores the potential of monocyte distribution width (MDW) as a biomarker for detecting COVID-19, highlighting the challenges in current testing methods.
  • It involved a retrospective analysis of 80 COVID-19 patients compared to 232 non-COVID-19 patients to evaluate the effectiveness of MDW in distinguishing between the two groups.
  • Findings suggest that an MDW cut-off value of 21.3 could serve as a reliable screening test, with a sensitivity of 81.3% and specificity of 78.2%, particularly in patients presenting with fever.
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  • Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) negatively impacts the prognosis of miliary tuberculosis (MTB), and the role of steroid pulse therapy in these cases was investigated.
  • A study analyzed 13 patients with MTB and ARDS from medical records, revealing that those receiving steroid pulse therapy had better survival rates than those who did not.
  • The results indicated that steroid pulse therapy significantly improves short-term survival in patients with MTB complicated by ARDS, presenting it as a strong prognostic factor.
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Background: A male worker with indium-tin oxide (ITO)-induced pneumoconiosis underwent bilateral lung transplantation (LT).

Methods: Post-LT histopathological investigations of the isolated lungs and hilar lymph nodes were performed and indium concentration in serum (In-S) and serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) were tracked for 122 weeks.

Results: He has attained the ultimate treatment goal of > 2-year survival.

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Background: Quantitative evaluation of degeneration of the substantia nigra (SN) is important for early, pre-symptomatic diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Accordingly, a clinically feasible imaging and quantification technique are needed.

Purpose: To investigate the value of the SN in healthy individuals from phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) images and to clarify its correlation with the SN characteristics on neuromelanin (NM) images to identify an imaging biomarker for early diagnosis of PD.

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  • Organic polymers are flexible and cost-effective dielectric materials but struggle with breakdown under high electric fields, unlike inorganic materials.
  • Dielectric breakdown in polymers is poorly understood, particularly the mechanisms that lead to it, contrasting with the known processes in inorganic dielectrics.
  • The study utilizes quantum molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how high electric fields affect hot carrier behavior and chemical damage in polyethylene, revealing a critical transition that could help predict polymers with higher breakdown fields.
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  • 2D semiconductors, particularly black phosphorus, show promise for high-performance infrared photodetectors but face challenges in scalability and air stability.
  • Researchers have developed air-stable 2D tellurene nanoflakes that exhibit excellent photodetection capabilities, with high hole mobilities and significant responsivity across various wavelengths.
  • The tellurene photodetector demonstrates exceptional performance, including high gains and a large bandwidth, making it a strong candidate for future infrared applications.
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Dielectric polymers are widely used in electronics and energy technologies, but their performance is severely limited by the electrical breakdown under a high electric field. Dielectric breakdown is commonly understood as an avalanche of processes such as carrier multiplication and defect generation that are triggered by field-accelerated hot electrons and holes. However, how these processes are initiated remains elusive.

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Background And Purpose: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) complication has long been considered a factor associated with poor prognosis in patients with miliary tuberculosis. However, few reports exist on the prognostic factors of miliary tuberculosis including those complicating ARDS.

Subjects And Methods: We retrospectively examined prognoses and other clinical information obtained from medical records of a total of 68 patients diagnosed with miliary tuberculosis.

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Atomically thin layers of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) semiconductors exhibit outstanding electronic and optical properties, with numerous applications such as valleytronics. While unusually rapid and efficient transfer of photoexcitation energy to atomic vibrations was found in recent experiments, its electronic origin remains unknown. Here, we study the lattice dynamics induced by electronic excitation in a model TMDC monolayer, MoSe, using nonadiabatic quantum molecular dynamics simulations.

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Structural and electronic changes induced by optical excitation is a promising technique for functionalization of 2D crystals. Characterizing the effect of excited electronic states on the in-plane covalent bonding network as well as the relatively weaker out-of-plane dispersion interactions is necessary to tune photo-response in these highly anisotropic crystal structures. In-plane atom dynamics was measured using pump-probe experiments and characterized using ab initio simulations, but the effect of electronic excitation on weak out-of-plane van der Waals bonds is less well-studied.

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  • * This study introduces a novel growth strategy using chemical vapor deposition to create monolayer 2D alloys of Re-doped MoSe, enabling tunable structural phase variations.
  • * The observed phase transitions align with theoretical predictions, revealing new electronic phases and opportunities to explore phenomena like magnetism, expanding potential applications.
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  • This study investigates the prognostic value of serum KL-6 levels in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by analyzing medical records of 66 untreated patients.
  • Findings indicate that patients with rising KL-6 levels experienced a significant decline in lung function (measured by FVC) compared to those with stable levels, suggesting the potential of KL-6 as an indicator of disease progression.
  • Overall, serial measurements of KL-6 may help clinicians predict patient outcomes in IPF, with higher initial and increasing KL-6 levels correlating with poorer survival rates.
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Objectives: To report the occurrence of an advanced case of indium lung disease with severely progressive emphysema in an indium-exposed worker.

Case Report: A healthy 42-year-old male smoker was employed to primarily grind indium-tin oxide (ITO) target plates, exposing him to indium for 9 years (1998-2008). In 2004, an epidemiological study was conducted on indium-exposed workers at the factory in which he worked.

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Objectives: This study compared the prediction of postoperative exercise capacity by employing lung perfusion scintigraphy images obtained with single photon emission computed tomography together with computed tomography (SPECT/CT) versus the common method of counting subsegments (SC method).

Methods: In 18 patients scheduled for lobectomy, predicted postoperative maximum oxygen uptake per kilogram body weight ([Formula: see text]) was calculated by the SPECT/CT and SC methods. Correlations were examined between the [Formula: see text] predicted by SPECT/CT or the SC method, and the actual [Formula: see text] measured at 2 weeks (mean 15.

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Objective: This study aimed to examine the nutritional status and nutrient intake of patients with MAC lung disease with a focus on visceral fat area.

Patients And Methods: Among 116 patients of our hospital with nontuberculous mycobacteriosis who were registered between May 2010 and August 2011, 103 patients with MAC lung disease were included in this study. In all patients, nutritional status and nutrient intake were prospectively examined.

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Objective: This study examined the clinical significance of intra-alveolar fibrin deposition (IAFD) in transbronchial lung biopsy specimens obtained from patients with organizing pneumonia.

Methods: Pathological reports of transbronchial lung biopsies performed between 2004 and 2012 were reviewed to identify cases of intra-alveolar organization with or without fibrin deposition. Clinical charts, computed tomography images, and transbronchial lung biopsy specimens from these cases were examined retrospectively.

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Background: Nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) is a relatively new condition that was recently defined by the Japanese Respiratory Society. Previous reports and guidelines have not thoroughly investigated the adverse prognostic factors and validity of the selection criteria for NHCAP. The purpose of this research was to clarify the adverse prognostic factors of NHCAP and investigate the validity of the selection criteria with respect to patient deaths.

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We herein report two cases of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE), whose histological patterns of lung pathology could not be categorized into any subset of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias(IIPs). Case 1 was a 62-year-old man, who presented with dyspnea on exertion and cough. Case 2 was a 51-year-old man with a dry cough.

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  • A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with nodular bronchiectatic Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease, showing specific lung abnormalities on a chest CT.
  • The imaging revealed multiple small nodules and branching patterns in both lungs along with thickening of the bronchial walls.
  • A lung biopsy showed some epithelioid granulomas, but widespread follicular bronchiolitis, suggesting it can also be a key feature in nodular bronchiectatic MAC disease.
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The skeleton is the most common site for distant metastasis in patients with cancer. To detect bone metastasis and evaluate the efficacy of treatment, we usually use bone scintigraphy and check serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP). However, such evaluation is sometimes difficult due to flare phenomenon.

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