Publications by authors named "K Kusaka"
Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the performance of the optic disc-macula distance to disc-diameter ratio (DM/DD) in qualitative and quantitative assessment of optic disc size.
Methods: In 300 apparently normal eyes, we determined the correlation between DM/DD and the planimetric disc area (DA) and evaluated the performance of DM/DD in discriminating between small and large discs. The ability of DM/DD to predict the actual DA was validated in a separate cohort of 200 eyes.
Objectives: Some patients with sarcoidosis achieve spontaneous remission, whereas others repeatedly experience relapse. We examined differences in the clinical course of active sarcoidosis according to peripheral blood immunophenotypes before treatment.
Methods: This retrospective study compared peripheral blood immunophenotypes between patients with active sarcoidosis (n=28) and healthy control subjects (n=10).
Article Synopsis
- The study explores how analyzing immune cell types (immunophenotyping) in over 500 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can improve treatment responses to new therapies known as b/tsDMARDs.
- Patients were grouped into five categories based on their immune profiles, resulting in distinct responses to treatments, with one group (expected) achieving significantly better remission rates than another (non-expected).
- The research highlights the importance of personalized treatment approaches and suggests that stratifying RA patients by their immune characteristics can lead to more effective therapy outcomes.
New diagnostic criteria and current issues for pulmonary hypertension.
Respir Investig
November 2024
In 2022, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) proposed new diagnostic criteria for pulmonary hypertension (PH). These criteria include significant changes to the definitions of pulmonary hemodynamic indices. Specifically, the threshold for mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) has been lowered from ≥25 mmHg to >20 mmHg, and the threshold for pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) has been adjusted from ≥3 Wood units (WU) to >2 WU.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunoglobulin G4-related disease is mainly treated with glucocorticoids. In many cases, this disease is resistant to glucocorticoids, and their toxicity can be a problem. We encountered a patient with immunoglobulin G4-related disease affecting multiple organs (such as the skin, lung, and lacrimal gland), who had comorbidities, including atopic dermatitis and diabetes.
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