Publications by authors named "Kazuhiro Furuhashi"

Serum presepsin levels are elevated during sepsis and are widely employed in clinical practice. However, the association between urinary presepsin and kidney diseases remains elusive. Given that monocytes/macrophages, primary presepsin producers, are closely associated with the pathophysiology of nephritis, we explored the potential of urinary presepsin as a kidney disease biomarker.

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  • Alpha blockers (ABs) are commonly given to patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who often deal with high blood pressure, but the link between ABs and fracture risk is unclear, prompting this study.
  • The research analyzed a large cohort from a Japanese medical database, focusing on patients newly prescribed either ABs for hypertension or non-AB antihypertensive medications, with separate analyses for males and females.
  • The findings showed that while males had no increased fracture risk with AB use, females using ABs for voiding dysfunction exhibited a significant rise in fracture risk compared to those on antihypertensive ABs.
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  • * His kidney function deteriorated significantly, leading to symptoms like hematuria, proteinuria, and low eGFR, prompting hemodialysis and immunosuppressive therapy.
  • * Although his condition initially improved, a catheter infection complicated his recovery, and he became dependent on regular hemodialysis, highlighting the need for further investigation and monitoring in similar patients post-vaccination.
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Identifying specific markers of adipose stem and progenitor cells (ASPCs) in vivo is crucial for understanding the biology of white adipose tissues (WAT). PDGFRα-positive perivascular stromal cells represent the best candidates for ASPCs. This cell lineage differentiates into myofibroblasts that contribute to the impairment of WAT function.

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Background: Kidney and life outcomes remain unsatisfactory in patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). Appropriate treatment intensity must be provided to the appropriate patients. To identify severe cases early, we investigated the factors related to kidney and life outcomes.

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  • - A 65-year-old man with a history of kidney transplant was admitted to the ICU due to a severe bacterial infection and tested positive for COVID-19, but showed improvement and was moved to the general ward after three days.
  • - On the fourth day, he developed abdominal pain, and a mass was detected in his abdomen.
  • - By the fifth day, imaging revealed a rare and extensive rectus sheath hematoma caused by bleeding from a small artery; treatment involved stopping anticoagulation and performing arterial embolization, highlighting the risk for such conditions in transplant patients on blood thinners.
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Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have received considerable attention as ideal biomarkers for kidney diseases. Most reports have focused on urinary EVs, that are mainly derived from the cells in the urinary tract. However, the detection and the application of kidney-derived EVs in plasma remains uncertain.

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Background: Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC), a novel drug used for treating hyperkalaemia, is effective in reducing serum potassium levels. The effects of potassium adsorbents on the mortality and hyperkalaemia-associated hospitalisation rates remain unclear. We aimed to examine how mortality and hyperkalaemia-associated hospitalisation rates vary with usage of various potassium adsorbents.

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  • Patients who are immunosuppressed, like kidney transplant recipients, typically have lower antibody responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations, but responses improve with more doses.
  • In a study of Japanese kidney transplant patients, antibody positivity rates increased to 75.0% after the fourth dose and 81.5% after the fifth dose.
  • Those who developed antibodies after their fourth vaccination had higher body mass index and better kidney function, suggesting that further doses are beneficial for improving immunity against COVID-19.
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  • * After 10 days, he experienced resurgence of fever and a cough, ultimately requiring hospitalization 27 days after symptom onset due to worsening respiratory issues.
  • * Hospital treatment included steroid therapy and other medications; he improved and was discharged after 14 days, indicating his respiratory issues were likely due to pneumonia linked to his immune response post-COVID-19.
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Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are stromal cells in the pancreas that play an important role in pancreatic pathology. In chronic pancreatitis (CP) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), PSCs are known to get activated to form myofibroblasts or cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that promote stromal fibroinflammatory reactions. However, previous studies on PSCs were mainly based on the findings obtained using ex vivo expanded PSCs, with few studies that addressed the significance of in situ tissue-resident PSCs using animal models.

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Introduction: Simple plasma exchange (PE) with fresh-frozen plasma replacement allows antibody removal for ABO-incompatible living donor kidney transplantation, but is associated with a high incidence of allergic reactions. We developed, implemented, and evaluated a protocol for safe preoperative PE.

Methods: The protocol comprised pretreatment (125 mg methylprednisolone infusion, 400 mg acetaminophen and 30 mg diphenhydramine orally) with a replacement fluid rate < 20 mL/min.

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Introduction: Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have a poorer prognosis than those without PAD. PAD complications worsen the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially those on maintenance dialysis. Although low-density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL-A) is expected to be effective in treating severe PAD, there are no large-scale reports on the prognosis of patients undergoing LDL-A.

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  • - A 16-year-old girl developed a fever after her second COVID-19 vaccine and showed abnormal kidney function, indicated by proteinuria and microscopic hematuria.
  • - A kidney biopsy revealed significant abnormalities, including fibrocellular crescents and deposits of monoclonal IgG1-κ, leading to a diagnosis of proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal immunoglobulin deposits (PGNMID).
  • - The treatment for PGNMID is not well-defined, but in this case, the combination of rituximab and prednisolone effectively reduced the girl’s protein levels over time.
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Background: The treatment of membranous nephropathy involves a combination of conservative approaches, steroids, and immunosuppressive agents. Infection is an adverse effect of these treatments and its incidence is a critical issue for patients with membranous nephropathy, as many of them are older adults. However, the incidence of infections remains unclear; hence, this study investigated this issue using data from a large Japanese clinical claims database.

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Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is a common pathological manifestation of chronic kidney diseases. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tubular epithelial cells is considered a major cause of RIF. Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are reportedly involved in various pathophysiological processes, the roles and underlying molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in the progression of RIF are poorly understood.

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Post-renal-transplant patients have a relatively low antibody-acquisition rate following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccination. In this study, antibody titers were measured 5−6 months and 3 weeks to 3 months after the second and third SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccinations, respectively. Post-renal-transplant patients visiting our hospital who had received three SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine doses were included in the study.

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Background: Combinatorial gene regulation by multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) is widespread and closely spaced target sites often act cooperatively to achieve stronger repression ("neighborhood" miRNA cotargeting). While miRNA cotarget sites are suggested to be more conserved and implicated in developmental control, the pathological significance of miRNA cotargeting remains elusive.

Results: Here, we report the pathogenic impacts of combinatorial miRNA regulation on inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

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Background: Amidst the climate crisis, a key goal of the medical sector is to reduce its large carbon footprint. Although the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic greatly impacted the medical sector, its influence on carbon footprints remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the carbon footprint of a university hospital with a medical research centre over the past 10 years.

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Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) have shown therapeutic potentials against refractory diseases. However, the detailed therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report the therapeutic actions of human ASCs in nephritis, focusing on cellular dynamics and multi-organ networks.

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Background: The incidence of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is reported to be markedly high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, it is extremely important to know whether SAS affects prognosis in patients with CKD. Further, it is imperative to understand the prognostic impact of home continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which is one of the most common treatments for SAS.

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Introduction: Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is a disease that presents with urinary symptoms such as glomerular hematuria and urinary protein positivity, with predominant deposition of IgA in the mesangial region of the glomerulus. Corticosteroids are mainly used for treatment; however, infection is a serious adverse event, and evidence regarding therapeutic efficacy is insufficient, thus new treatments are strongly desired. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) contribute to the amelioration of inflammation and recovery of organ function in inflammatory environments by converting the character of leukocytes from inflammatory to anti-inflammatory and inducing the proliferation and differentiation of organ component cells, respectively.

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Immunocompromised patients, especially those who undergo kidney transplantation, have lower antibody levels following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. The situation of transplant treatment, such as transplant source and immunosuppressive drugs, is different in Japan than that in other countries. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify whether antibody acquisition rates differ between Japan and other countries.

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