Publications by authors named "Kenshi Higami"

Introduction: Preference for quality of life is important in deciding the treatment strategy for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to assess the effect of omarigliptin on patients' psychological attitudes and responses compared with daily dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4is) by measuring the burden of pharmacotherapy using the Diabetic Treatment Burden Questionnaire (DTBQ).

Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were taking daily DPP-4is were enrolled and randomized to a group that switched to omarigliptin or a group that continued daily DPP4is and were monitored for 12 weeks.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzed data from the ORIGAMI trial to determine if adding methotrexate (MTX) affects the outcomes of abatacept treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who hadn't used biologics before.
  • - A total of 325 patients were split into two groups: those who received abatacept alone (MTX-) and those who received it with MTX (MTX+), and various health indicators were assessed over 52 weeks.
  • - Results showed no significant differences in disease activity or retention rates of abatacept between the two groups after a year, suggesting that using MTX alongside abatacept might not provide extra benefits.
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Objective: We assessed the efficacy and adverse effects of febuxostat in male hyperuricemia patients.

Subjects And Methods: This was a 12-week, multicenter, open-label, uncontrolled study. The enrolled subjects were 89 hyperuricemic male patients (12 overexcretors, 56 normal excretors, and 21 underexcretors).

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  • The study explored the link between specific genetic variations (polymorphisms) in the TNF-α gene and the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 123 patients with early-stage disease.
  • Researchers evaluated patients' lab results and radiological changes over a two-year period, focusing on the effects of different TNFA genotypes and the HLA-DRB1 allele on disease progression.
  • The findings revealed that certain genetic combinations, particularly the U02 variant without the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope, were associated with slower radiological progression in RA patients.
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We examined whether polymorphisms upstream of the TNF-alpha gene (TNFA) were associated with the radiological progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One hundred and twenty-three patients with early RA (disease duration <1 year) were enrolled in a prospective follow-up study. The laboratory findings (ESR, CRP, and RF) were evaluated every 2 months for 2 years.

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We examined associations between human leukocyte antigen DRB1 (HLA-DRB1) shared epitope (SE), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB (RANK), RANK ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and interleukin 17 (IL-17) genotypes with age of disease onset and radiographic progression in Japanese patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). HLA-DRB1 genotypes were evaluated in 123 patients with early RA (98 female, 25 male) within 1 year of symptom onset. In 72 patients, radiographic progression over a 2-year period was evaluated using Larsen's methods, and genotypes of three polymorphic sites in RANK, five sites in RANKL, two sites in OPG, and three sites in IL-17 were determined by direct polymerase chain reaction sequencing.

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