Publications by authors named "Ichikawa Tatsuki"
Introduction: Neonatal ventilators are managed by monitoring the inspiratory gas temperature with a probe placed outside the incubator, although the temperature decreases as the gases passe through the ventilator circuit extension tube and endotracheal tube (ETT). There are no established methods for measuring the internal temperature of the ETT. This bench study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using infrared thermography (IRT) to predict the internal temperature of the ETT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe measured intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) levels, a useful marker of small intestinal mucosal injury, in patients with cirrhosis to determine their relationship with liver function and complications. This cross-sectional study included 71 patients with cirrhosis admitted for treatment of cirrhotic complications or hepatocellular carcinoma (cohort A) and 104 patients with cirrhosis who received direct-acting antiviral therapy for HCV (cohort B). I-FABP levels, measured by ELISA, were evaluated relative to hepatic reserve and compared with non-invasive scoring systems for diagnostic performance in cirrhotic complications.
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- The study aimed to evaluate the impact of pemafibrate (PEM) on patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and hyperlipidemia.
- A retrospective analysis of 43 patients was conducted, assessing clinical factors and liver stiffness using FibroScan before and after 0.5 years of PEM treatment.
- Results showed that while liver stiffness (LS) and other key liver function metrics did not decrease overall, improvements were noted in patients with more significant liver stiffness at baseline, suggesting PEM may be a potential treatment option for MASLD.*
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- The study explored the connection between immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels and chronic liver disease in 478 patients at Nagasaki Harbor Medical Center, highlighting that higher IgA levels were found in patients with more severe conditions, such as Child-Pugh classification B and C and alcoholic liver disease.
- Analysis revealed that factors like high IgG levels, diabetes, and certain liver disease types contribute to elevated IgA levels, suggesting that elevated IgA might indicate increased liver disease severity.
- Results also showed a significant association between IgA levels and visceral fat, particularly in women, reinforcing the role of IgA as a potential marker for liver disease severity amidst rising cases of steatotic liver disease.
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- A new multipoint traction device was developed to improve endoscopic submucosal dissection, and it was tested in both ex vivo and in vivo studies.
- The study found that using this device increased resection speeds significantly compared to traditional methods, and no complications occurred during the procedures.
- The results suggest that this device enhances safety and efficiency in endoscopic submucosal dissection, potentially simplifying the procedure for medical professionals.
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- The study analyzes mortality rates in patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) after receiving interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (IFN-free DAA) therapy, emphasizing the significance of non-liver-related deaths.
- Three cohorts were examined: those without advanced fibrosis or prior hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), those with advanced fibrosis but no prior HCC, and those with a history of HCC after curative treatment.
- Findings indicated that while both non-HCC cohorts had comparable mortality rates to the general population, the cohort with a history of HCC had higher overall mortality, highlighting the need to address non-liver-related health issues in all SVR patients.
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- PIVKA-II is a marker used to diagnose hepatoma (liver cancer) but can also appear in patients without liver issues.
- A study analyzed the relationship between serum PIVKA-II levels and various clinical measurements of bone and muscle health in 441 patients with liver disease.
- Results indicated that high PIVKA-II levels were linked to serious liver disease, abnormal bone health in women, and muscle weakness in men, suggesting that monitoring PIVKA-II might help manage bone and muscle health in these patients.
Introduction: Adjusting immunosuppression to minimal levels post-adult liver transplantation (LT) is critical; however, graft rejection has been reported in LT recipients with normal liver function evaluated by liver biopsy (LBx). Continual protocol liver biopsy (PLB) is performed regularly in LT recipients with normal liver function in some centers; however, its usefulness remains inadequately evaluated. This study aimed to assess retrospectively the usefulness of late PLB after adult LT.
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- - Hepatic osteodystrophy (HOD) is a frequent issue in patients with chronic liver diseases like hepatitis C, leading to osteoporosis and bone density loss.
- - A study involving 78 patients treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) showed that while HCV was successfully treated, the impact on bone metabolic markers and bone density was varied between genders; males had a decrease in undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) while females did not.
- - Overall, DAA treatment appears to improve ucOC levels in male patients and influences vitamin K status, suggesting potential benefits for bone health in individuals with HOD related to chronic liver disease.
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- Accurate body temperature measurement is crucial for premature infants in the NICU, but infrared thermography (IRT) hasn't been widely used due to concerns about its reliability.
- A new calibration method for IRT was developed and tested in an incubator, significantly improving its accuracy, with 93.1% of measurements showing a mean absolute error (MAE) of less than 0.3 °C.
- This method not only enhances accuracy for specific measurements but also allows for continuous monitoring, reducing the risk of skin issues from traditional thermistor attachments.
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- Atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab shows high response rates in treating patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and EOB-MRI imaging may predict treatment outcomes.
- The study involved 68 patients split between lenvatinib and the combination therapy, analyzing the largest HCC lesions using EOB-MRI's hepatobiliary phase for characteristics that could indicate treatment effectiveness.
- Results indicated that while lenvatinib's progression-free survival (PFS) wasn't significantly affected by lesion type, the atezolizumab plus bevacizumab group did show meaningful differences in PFS based on lesion characteristics assessed by EOB-MRI.
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- - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can lead to osteoporosis and loss of bone mineral density (BMD), but treatment with Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) results in less BMD loss compared to another medication, Tenofovir disoproxil.
- - A study involving 87 HBV patients treated with TAF found that after one year, levels of TRACP-5b (a bone metabolism marker) decreased, indicating potential benefits in bone health.
- - The research suggests that switching to TAF may improve BMD in patients previously treated with Entecavir, with TAF possibly helping to prevent fractures due to its effect on bone metabolism.
BACKGROUND Calcification in arteries is sometimes observed in patients undergoing hemodialysis; however, ectopic calcification in other organs is uncommon. In particular, diffuse liver calcification is very rare. We report a case of rapidly developing diffuse liver calcification in a patient undergoing hemodialysis.
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- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as potential biomarkers and therapeutic tools for liver diseases, leading researchers to focus on bile EVs instead of blood EVs, as they are secreted directly from the liver.
- Bile samples from liver transplant recipients with end-stage liver disease showed significantly higher concentrations of EVs, especially in those with hepatocellular carcinoma, compared to normal liver donors.
- High-expression microRNAs (miRNAs) were found to be predominantly elevated in the bile EVs of recipients, with specific miRNAs linked to alcoholic liver disease, suggesting that bile EVs could serve as valuable biomarkers for assessing liver health.
Predictive factor of recurrence after endoscopic papillectomy for ampullary neoplasms.
J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci
July 2021
Background/purpose: Recurrence of ampullary neoplasms after endoscopic papillectomy (EP) has not been well elucidated. This study aimed to clarify the predictive factors for recurrences after EP. We also aimed to investigate the retreatment of the recurrent lesions and their outcomes.
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- A study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the SARC-F questionnaire and calculated body muscle mass (CBMM) for identifying sarcopenia in patients with chronic liver disease.
- The analysis included 482 patients who underwent various assessments, revealing that the cutoff values for sarcopenia were <27.903 for females and <39.731 for males in CBMM and a SARC-F score of ≥4 points.
- The modified SARC-F questionnaire that combined elements from the original SARC-F, CBMM, gender, and age showed improved screening accuracy over both SARC-F and CBMM alone.
Objective The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) level is known to increase following the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection using direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). This study aimed to investigate the changes in the lipid profiles, including small-dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL), in HCV patients treated with DAAs. Patients We retrospectively assessed 67 HCV patients who achieved sustained virological response with DAA administration and were observed for more than 2 years, of whom 32 were on daclatasvir/asunaprevir, 14 were on sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, and 21 were on sofosbuvir/ribavirin.
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- The study investigates the anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity of geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), which previously showed promise against hepatitis C virus.
- Researchers used various HBV-infected cell models to measure the effects of GGA treatment on HBV-related proteins, mRNA, and viral activity.
- The results indicated that GGA reduced the levels of HBV proteins and mRNA by downregulating key promoters and transcription factors, suggesting its potential as a supplementary treatment alongside existing therapies.
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- The study aimed to explore how prepared medical students are for interprofessional learning and their interest in community medicine before implementing community-based interprofessional education.
- Researchers surveyed 2,244 students over three years, using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale and community medicine interest questionnaires, finding a positive correlation between readiness and interest.
- Results showed first-year students had the highest readiness scores, and while interest in community medicine was generally linked to readiness, it was lower in first-year students, suggesting a need to develop interest alongside educational reforms.
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- Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are crucial for assessing the quality of life (QOL) and symptoms in hepatitis C patients, evaluated at the start and three years after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment.
- The study found that improvements in general health perception (GHN) were associated with better sleep quality and increases in muscle mass over three years.
- Results indicate that enhanced muscle volume post-treatment correlates with improved QOL, highlighting that sleep disturbances and other symptoms are interconnected with overall health outcomes.
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- Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by loss of muscle mass in patients with chronic liver disease, can be assessed using inexpensive screening methods like the sarcopenia index (SI) and calculated body muscle mass (CBMM).
- A study evaluated these methods on 303 liver-damaged patients, comparing the results with traditional measures like grip strength and muscle mass determined through CT imaging.
- The findings revealed strong correlations between CBMM, SI, and muscle-related metrics, suggesting that low levels of these indices effectively indicate the presence of sarcopenia, particularly in both men and women.