Publications by authors named "Ishigami M"

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults living in the community experienced reduced physical activity (PA) and heightened loneliness, particularly those with less frequent outings-a key factor of social frailty. Promoting PA may foster social participation, increase outings, and reduce loneliness. This study investigates the effects of a multi-component intervention on PA and loneliness in socially frail older adults.

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Objectives: To identify the diagnostic criteria for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) related to liver fibrosis and to characterize patients with cryptogenic steatotic liver disease (SLD) (non-MASLD) among those previously diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 511 patients diagnosed with NAFLD via liver biopsy, and the prevalence of MASLD was assessed based on the diagnostic criteria. Patients were divided into those who met the MASLD criteria and those who did not, and the characteristics of advanced fibrosis and associated cardiometabolic factors were evaluated.

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Dental caries and periodontal disease are typical oral diseases frequently observed in patients with renal diseases. Tooth loss is an outcome of dental caries and periodontal disease, and the number of existing teeth is an indicator of oral health status. However, the association between the number of existing teeth and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) has not been investigated in detail.

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  • The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) across different genotypes (GTs) in a global, real-world context, focusing particularly on GT3 and GT6.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 15,849 chronic hepatitis C patients across Asia, North America, and Europe over a seven-year period, noting demographic factors such as age, sex, and prior treatment history.
  • Results showed a high sustained virological response (SVR12) rate of 96.9% overall, with variances by genotype, highlighting that independent factors like advanced age, cirrhosis, and previous treatment failures affected treatment outcomes, while being
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Owing to the unique anatomical features, the endovascular repair for Kommerell diverticulum poses a surgical challenge. An 80-year-old, asymptomatic female with Kommerell diverticulum and associated right-sided aortic arch underwent an endovascular repair, consisting of an aortic arch endografting with a proximal extension, axillo-axillary crossover bypass, and right subclavian parallel endografting. An additional stent was promptly placed retrogradely at the right carotid artery origin as the completion aortography revealed an ostial occlusion.

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  • Oral antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is effective and well-tolerated, but real-world data on how well patients are evaluated and treated is limited, prompting this study.
  • In a cross-sectional analysis of 12,566 adult patients from 25 centers across 9 countries, it was found that 73.3% received adequate evaluation, with only 32.6% of those deemed treatment-eligible actually starting antiviral therapy.
  • Factors influencing evaluation and treatment included gender, with females more likely to be evaluated but less likely to start treatment, and geographical differences, particularly among Asian patients from Western regions showing lower rates of evaluation and treatment.
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The combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab has become the first-line treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, no studies have reported on specific intestinal microbiota associated with the efficacy of atezolizumab and bevacizumab. In this study, we analyzed fecal samples collected before treatment to investigate the relationship between the intestinal microbiome and the efficacy of atezolizumab and bevacizumab.

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Background And Aim: The benefits of entecavir (ETV) versus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in reducing the development of chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related hepatocellular carcinoma remain controversial. Whether mortality rates differ between patients with CHB treated with ETV and those treated with TDF is unclear.

Methods: A total of 2542 patients with CHB treated with either ETV or TDF were recruited from a multinational cohort.

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A 59-year-old Japanese woman presented with hyperferritinemia. We decided against iron removal treatment because there were no symptoms or signs of iron-induced organ damage. A follow-up study revealed a gradual increase in transferrin saturation.

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  • The study investigates the effects of antiviral treatment on long-term outcomes in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after they undergo surgical resection.
  • It included 1,906 participants across 12 international sites, revealing that only 47% received antiviral therapy during a mean follow-up of 5 years, with variable rates of treatment success between HBV (57%) and HCV (35%).
  • Results showed that antiviral therapy initiated close to diagnosis is significantly linked to better survival rates, highlighting a gap in treatment utilization despite its benefits.
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  • Racial and ethnic disparities exist in hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment and survival rates for related liver cancer, with Black patients facing the worst outcomes.
  • In a study of 6,069 patients, treatment rates for direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) were significantly lower for Black individuals (18.7%) compared to other racial groups, impacting their survival rates.
  • The study concluded that although DAA treatment rates were low overall, achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) eliminated racial disparities, highlighting the need for better early diagnosis and access to HCV treatment for all patients.
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  • * Patients undergoing endoscopic resection for stomach tumors were randomly assigned to take either 1-kestose or a placebo while on a potassium-competitive acid blocker for 8 weeks.
  • * Results showed significant dysbiosis in the placebo group, while the 1-kestose group maintained microbiome diversity, suggesting that 1-kestose may help prevent dysbiosis linked to potassium-competitive acid blockers.
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Background: Antitumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibodies have improved the outcome of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); but half of patients remain unresponsive to treatment. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene polymorphism is associated with resistance to anti-TNF-α antibodies, but therapies targeting IL-18 have not been clinically applied. Only the mature protein is biologically active, and we aimed to investigate whether specific inhibition of mature IL-18 using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against a neoepitope of caspase-cleaved mature IL-18 could be an innovative treatment for IBD.

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Background: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) requires delivery quality assurance (DQA) to ensure treatment accuracy and safety. Irradiation techniques such as helical tomotherapy (HT) have become increasingly complex, rendering conventional verification methods insufficient. This study aims to develop a novel DQA system to simultaneously verify dose distribution and multi-leaf collimator (MLC) opening during HT.

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  • * The study involved 31 patients treated with UST, with clinical remission rates improving from 9.7% at 2 weeks to 64.5% at 48 weeks; however, 38.7% of patients discontinued treatment, primarily due to primary failure.
  • * High baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were identified as a significant risk factor for discontinuation of UST, highlighting the need for clinicians to consider CRP when making treatment decisions for UC patients.
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  • - Elevated serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels are linked to higher mortality rates in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving nucleotide/nucleoside analog treatments, showing significant increases in GGT measurements before and six months after treatment.
  • - A study analyzing 2,843 CHB patients found that factors such as cirrhosis, age, and pretreatment GGT levels are strong predictors of both all-cause and liver-related mortality, with cirrhosis having the highest hazard ratio.
  • - The link between pretreatment GGT levels and mortality remains consistent regardless of alcohol use history, and there is a noticeable dose-dependent association with different percentiles of GGT indicating increased mortality risk
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The family of transition-metal dipnictides has been of theoretical and experimental interest because this family hosts topological states and extremely large magnetoresistance (MR). Recently,TaAs2, a member of this family, has been predicted to support a topological crystalline insulating state. Here, by using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we reveal both closed and open pockets in the metallic Fermi surface (FS) and linearly dispersive bands on the (2‾01) surface, along with the presence of extreme MR observed from magneto-transport measurements.

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  • The study investigates the risk of needing treatment for varices (enlarged veins) in children with biliary atresia (BA), a serious liver condition that can occur in newborns or infants.
  • Using advanced imaging techniques, researchers assessed liver and spleen stiffness in 53 BA patients to determine the likelihood of requiring endoscopic treatments for varices.
  • A new combined diagnostic method involving liver stiffness, spleen stiffness, and a lab test drastically lowered the chance of missing varices needing treatment to just 5%, improving patient care and monitoring.
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Background & Aims: It is unclear if there may be sex differences in response to nucleos(t)ide analogs including virologic response (VR), biochemical response (BR), complete response (CR), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among hepatitis B patients. We compared nucleos(t)ide analog treatment outcomes by sex.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 3388 treatment-naïve adult hepatitis B patients (1250 female, 2138 male) from the Real-World Evidence from the Global Alliance for the Study of Hepatitis B Virus consortium who initiated therapy with either entecavir or tenofovir from 22 sites (Argentina, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States).

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Background: Elevated bile acid levels have been associated with liver tumors in fatty liver. Ileal bile acid transporter inhibitors may inhibit bile acid absorption in the distal ileum and increase bile acid levels in the colon, potentially decreasing the serum and hepatic bile acid levels. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these factors on liver tumor.

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  • Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding can occur when the source of bleeding is unknown, even after procedures like balloon-assisted endoscopy; Dieulafoy's lesion in the small bowel is often suspected as the cause.
  • A retrospective study analyzed 38 patients diagnosed with Dieulafoy's lesion through double-balloon endoscopy, focusing on their clinical characteristics and whether bleeding could be predicted before the procedure.
  • The median age of patients was 72, with a high comorbidity rate; most lesions were found in the upper jejunum and lower ileum, with a 21% rebleeding rate after endoscopic treatment, and multiple episodes of hematochezia linked to the likelihood of receiving multiple diagnoses.
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Background And Aims: Both fibrosis status and body weight are important for assessing prognosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to identify population clusters for specific clinical outcomes based on fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index and body mass index (BMI) using an unsupervised machine learning method.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter study of 1335 biopsy-proven NAFLD patients from Japan.

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Importance: The diagnostic performance of the fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fibrosis score (NFS) for advanced fibrosis in lean patients with NAFLD is limited.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the FIB-4 and NFS in lean individuals with NAFLD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This diagnostic study included adults with biopsy-proven NAFLD from 6 referral centers in Asia from 1995 to 2019.

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Introduction: Although patients with haemophilia are known to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at a lower age than patients without, there are few reports on the clinical course and prognosis of HCC.

Aim: We aimed to investigate the clinical course and prognosis of patients with HCC and haemophilia.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with haemophilia, who were initially diagnosed with HCC between 2003 and 2021, were included.

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Background: Proteinuria is a common adverse event in systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, whether the presence of pretreatment proteinuria affects the clinical course is still unclear.

Method: From 2011 to 2022, 321 patients with unresectable HCC who were treated with systemic therapy as first-line treatment were enrolled in this study.

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