Publications by authors named "Kazutaka Yoshizawa"

Mycobacterium tilburgii, a nonculturable mycobacterium, is an important nontuberculous mycobacterium that occasionally causes serious infections in patients with cellular immune deficiencies. Due to its nonculturable nature, information about its drug susceptibility is not available, and data about its clinical response to antimycobacterial treatment remains insufficient. Here, we report a case of a patient who presented with neck swelling and was finally diagnosed with cervical abscess caused by M.

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A previously healthy 49-year-old Japanese woman presented with cervical lymph node swelling and tenderness. Lymph node biopsy revealed reactive lymphadenitis without granulomas. No malignant cells were found, and no acid-fast positive bacilli were identified by Ziehl-Neelsen staining.

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Background: Good's syndrome (GS) is characterized by immunodeficiency, and can lead to severe infection, which is the most significant complication. Although Mycobacterium rarely causes infection in patients with GS, disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection frequently occurs in GS patients that are also positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or anti-interferon (IFN)-γ autoantibodies. Here, we report a rare case of GS with NTM without HIV or IFN-γ autoantibodies.

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Introduction/objectives: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant cause of mortality among patients with dermatomyositis (DM) or polymyositis (PM). There are two subtypes of PM and DM often complicated with ILD: those with anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (anti-ARS) antibodies and those with anti-MDA-5-associated amyopathic DM (ADM). Our aim is to clarify the inflammatory and immunological differences between the disorders.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the role of interferon-γ-neutralizing autoantibodies (IFNγ-Ab) in patients with disseminated non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections and the effectiveness of immune-suppressive therapies in managing these conditions.
  • Researchers analyzed the changes in IFNγ-Ab levels in 13 Japanese patients over time, discovering that these antibody levels fluctuated and correlated with disease progression and treatment response.
  • Results indicated that even after treatment improved the patients' conditions, their sera retained the ability to neutralize IFN-γ, suggesting that antibody titers could serve as a useful biomarker for monitoring disease status.
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  • - Recent findings show that inhaling granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) may effectively treat mild to moderate autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP), prompting the need for accurate measurement of GM-CSF autoantibodies (GMAb) to determine treatment eligibility.
  • - A new high-performance GMAb testing kit was developed, significantly minimizing nonspecific binding in tests and demonstrating perfect predictive ability in distinguishing aPAP patients from healthy individuals with a specific cutoff value.
  • - Validation of the testing kit showed impressive results with 97.6% specificity and 100% sensitivity in a larger sample group, confirming its effectiveness for diagnosing aPAP and differentiating it from other lung conditions
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Background: Adherence Starts with Knowledge-12 (ASK-12) is a useful indicator of drug adherence. In this study, we analyzed patient background including social and psychological factors in a low-adherence group of patients with asthma defined using ASK-12.

Methods: From a questionnaire survey for patients with asthma from the Niigata Prefecture, Japan, conducted in the fall of 2016, we enrolled patients who answered all ASK-12 items and underwent a measured respiratory function test within 1 year.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to identify risk factors for asthma exacerbations by surveying patients in Niigata Prefecture and their doctors.
  • Researchers gathered data through questionnaires in 2014 and 2015, revealing significant differences in demographics, treatment history, and smoking status between those who experienced exacerbations and those who did not.
  • The results indicated that patients with a history of exacerbations, especially nonsmoking females, should be a focus for prevention strategies and better treatment approaches in asthma care.
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  • A study investigated the presence of interferon-γ neutralizing autoantibodies (nIFNγ-autoAbs) in Japanese patients with disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections, finding a high prevalence in immunocompetent individuals.
  • Out of 50 patients with disseminated NTM, 81% of immunocompetent patients had elevated nIFNγ-autoAb levels compared to only 7.7% in immunodeficient patients, indicating a potential link between these autoantibodies and infection risk.
  • The findings suggest that diagnosing disseminated NTM requires heightened awareness and that measuring nIFNγ-autoAb levels can aid in diagnosis; long
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An 88-year-old woman presented with fever and acute posterior neck pain. A CT scan revealed calcification of the transverse ligament and crown-like calcification around the odontoid process. According to the clinical and radiological findings, she was diagnosed with crowned dens syndrome (CDS).

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