Publications by authors named "Kida K"
Background: To evaluate whether sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) enables the uptitration of spironolactone without increasing the risk of hyper- and hypokalemia in patients with heart failure with reduced and mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF and HFmrEF) and moderate/severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) who developed hyperkalemia during treatment with suboptimal spironolactone dose.
Methods: The REGISTA-K is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial that examined the efficacy and safety of SZC in uptitrating spironolactone without the occurrence of hyperkalemia or hypokalemia. A total of 266 patients with HFrEF and HFmrEF and hyperkalemia will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either SZC or placebo after treating hyperkalemia with SZC at 25 sites in Japan.
Background: Cardiovascular disease is a common comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pre-COPD patients, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate whether Galectin-3 (Gal-3) levels correlate with cardiovascular biomarkers and cardiopulmonary function in COPD and pre-COPD patients to assess its potential role as a marker for cardiovascular comorbidity.
Methods: Community-dwelling adults with and without COPD were recruited.
Article Synopsis
- Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an often overlooked cause of heart failure (HF), highlighting the importance of early detection and timely therapy for better patient outcomes.
- A global survey with 1,460 physicians revealed that while many have experience diagnosing CA in patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), systematic screening is not widely practiced, with only 10% conducting routine checks.
- There is significant variability in screening and management strategies for CA, indicating a need for better education and access to disease-modifying therapies within the HF community.
Background: Guideline-directed medical therapy has become an important component of heart failure (HF) therapy, with sacubitril/valsartan as one of the recommended drugs; however, the real-world prognostic implications of sacubitril/valsartan uptitration are unclear.
Methods And Results: Patients with HF newly initiated on sacubitril/valsartan were registered in a retrospective multicenter study (REVIEW-HF). In all, 995 patients were divided into 3 groups according to the maximum dose achieved: high dose, sacubitril/valsartan 400 mg; intermediate dose, sacubitril/valsartan 200-<400 mg; and low dose, sacubitril/valsartan <200 mg.
Article Synopsis
- * A study involving 287 TAVR patients found that those with ESRD-HD are generally younger, more likely to be male, and have higher surgical risks, yet similar aortic valve complex characteristics to non-ESRD-HD patients.
- * At the one-year mark, there were no significant differences in key health outcomes like death or stroke between ESRD-HD and non-ESRD-HD patients, indicating that TAVR is a viable option for
Cancer-associated macrophage-like cells (CAMLs) are rare, gigantic, and atypical circulating cells found exclusively in the peripheral blood of patients with solid cancers. Obesity-induced hypoxia attracts macrophages to the tumor microenvironment, where they contribute to establishing chronic inflammation, leading to cancer progression. We hypothesized that obese patients with advanced breast cancer may have CAML profiles different from those of nonobese patients, and these profiles may correlate with proinflammatory markers or other macrophage-related markers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with heart failure exhibiting low systolic blood pressure (SBP) have a poor prognosis. Sacubitril/valsartan reduces cardiovascular events; however, its use in patients with low SBP has not been fully examined. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the association between baseline SBP and adverse events (AEs) in patients starting sacubitril/valsartan therapy using data from a real-world registry in Japan.
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- Heart failure (HF) is on the rise globally, leading to increased mortality, and effective management requires patients to maintain a low sodium intake and a balanced diet, which can be challenging due to various factors like decreased exercise tolerance and social isolation.
- This study aims to create a self-administered scale called the Self-Administered Eating Behaviors Scale for Heart Failure (SEBS-HF) to assess the eating behaviors of individuals with HF living at home.
- The research will unfold in three phases: identifying factors affecting eating behaviors, validating the preliminary scale through cognitive interviews, and conducting a comprehensive study to evaluate the scale’s reliability and validity using patient data and questionnaires.
Patients with germline pathogenic variants of BRCA1/2 genes have a particular predisposition to develop breast cancer. No clinical test has been developed to accurately and quantitatively evaluate their risk of developing breast cancer. We hypothesized that aberrant cell clonal expansion may be initiated in normal breast tissues without manifesting pathologic changes.
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- This study evaluates global differences in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) through an international survey of 1459 physicians, including both cardiologists and non-cardiologists.
- The survey revealed significant regional variations in HFpEF management, such as differences in natriuretic peptide usage and echocardiographic practices, with cardiologists managing the majority of HFpEF patients.
- The preferred treatment methods varied by region, with sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) being the most favored first-line treatment, though availability of these drugs differs significantly across locations.
Article Synopsis
- The study assessed hospital staff's awareness and understanding of breast awareness (BA), which focuses on early detection, and compared it with traditional breast self-examination (BSE).
- An anonymous survey at St. Luke's International Hospital in Japan showed that 78% of participants were previously unfamiliar with BA, but a large majority (89.1%) expressed interest in early detection practices.
- After exposure to an informational leaflet, 98.4% understood BA concepts, and 93.2% were able to differentiate it from BSE, highlighting the leaflet's effectiveness and the need for increased BA awareness among medical professionals.
A Case of Breast Cancer Recurrence Diagnosed from a Delayed Seroma after Breast Implant Reconstruction.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
September 2024
When a delayed seroma with a low volume is detected more than 1 year after silicone breast implant insertion, aspiration is necessary. However, if the seroma is small and difficult to collect, we may avoid puncturing it, considering the risk of damaging the implant, and the patient may be followed up intensively. Moreover, a delayed seroma is a major symptom of breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).
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- Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is common in acute heart failure (AHF) and impacts patient prognosis, but the changes in TR severity during hospital stays are not well understood.
- A study of 1,079 AHF patients found that over half exhibited improvement in TR severity by discharge, with those maintaining severe TR facing worse outcomes like higher mortality and rehospitalization rates.
- Persistent TR severity after treatment is a significant indicator of poor prognosis, suggesting that ongoing TR may require further treatment in AHF patients upon hospitalization.
Article Synopsis
- Hypochloremia, defined as low chloride levels in the blood, is linked to higher mortality rates in heart failure (HF) patients and was studied to see if it enhances existing prognostic models.
- In a study of 2,496 hospitalized HF patients, those with hypochloremia had a significantly higher 1-year mortality rate (12.6% of patients had hypochloremia, with 15.5% deaths observed).
- Adding hypochloremia to established risk models improved predictive accuracy, suggesting it can provide valuable insights into patient outcomes post-discharge.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess the effects of starting sacubitril/valsartan (Sac/Val) therapy during hospitalization for acute heart failure (AHF) on NT-proBNP levels in Japanese patients.
- It involved a randomized trial with 400 patients, comparing those who switched to Sac/Val versus those who continued standard therapy, measuring changes in NT-proBNP at 4 and 8 weeks.
- Results showed that the Sac/Val group experienced significantly greater reductions in NT-proBNP levels, particularly in patients with lower left ventricular ejection fractions, with no significant safety concerns noted.
Article Synopsis
- A survey was conducted among physicians globally to evaluate the real-world practices for diagnosing and treating heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), highlighting a knowledge gap in clinical implementation.
- 1,460 physicians from 95 countries participated, primarily cardiologists, with most using a 50% ejection fraction cut-off for HFpEF diagnosis; however, only 47.2% utilized formal diagnostic scores.
- The results showed that while natriuretic peptides were commonly used (87.4%), SGLT2 inhibitors led as the preferred first treatment (54.4%), indicating a need for better education on HFpEF management.
Article Synopsis
- Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PrBC) is on the rise, prompting a study to analyze the genetic differences between PrBC and non-Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (non-PrBC) patients.
- Researchers performed gene expression analyses and found that 355 genes were upregulated in luminal-type PrBC, with the CXCL13 gene showing the most significant increase.
- A negative correlation was noted between the expression levels of CXCL13 and the estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) in luminal A-type breast cancer, offering insights into the disease's development during pregnancy.
Article Synopsis
- * A global survey conducted in 2023 revealed that non-cardiologists and cardiologists were less likely than heart failure specialists to utilize certain diagnostic tools and parameters like natriuretic peptides and specific echocardiographic techniques for diagnosing HFpEF.
- * While SGLT2 inhibitors and diuretics were commonly preferred medications across specialties, there was a notable variation in the selected first-choice drug for HFpEF, with heart failure specialists favoring SGLT2 inhibitors more than cardiologists
Article Synopsis
- Anti-HER2 therapies like trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) have improved outcomes for patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, but resistance to these treatments poses a significant challenge without established follow-up therapies.
- The study examined genetic changes in breast cancer patients after anti-HER2 therapy and developed resistant cancer cell lines to explore mechanisms of resistance and identify potential targets to boost the effectiveness of T-DXd.
- It was discovered that resistance might occur due to reduced HER2 expression and increased activity of DNA repair genes, suggesting that targeting DNA repair pathways could enhance the efficacy of T-DXd in resistant cases.
Article Synopsis
- * The volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length products (DLP) for the sitting position were significantly lower (2.7 mGy and 43.4 mGy • cm) than for the other positions (superman at 8.0 mGy/204.7 mGy • cm and supine at 20.0 mGy/584.8 mGy • cm).
- * Observer study scores indicated that the sitting position provided the best median image quality with ratings of 5
Article Synopsis
- A phase II trial tested the effectiveness of pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, as maintenance treatment for patients with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer after initial chemotherapy.
- Out of 43 patients, the study found a 4-month disease control rate of 58.1% and a median progression-free survival of 4.8 months, indicating some success with the treatment.
- The results suggested that patients with higher T-cell clonality at the start of treatment experienced longer progression-free survival, highlighting the potential importance of this biomarker in predicting treatment outcomes.
Introduction: Paratesticular cellular angiofibroma is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor. The optimal management is surgical resection due to the difficulty of preoperative accurate diagnosis.
Case Presentation: A 51-year-old Japanese male visited our hospital complaining of asymptomatic left scrotal swelling.
This study proposes the use of the inversion recovery T-weighted turbo field echo (IR-TTFE) sequence for myocardial T mapping and compares the results obtained with those of the modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) method for accuracy, precision, and reproducibility. A phantom containing seven vials with different T values was imaged, thereby comparing the T measurements between the inversion recovery spin-echo (IR-SE) technique, MOLLI, and the IR-TTFE. The accuracy, precision, and reproducibility of the T-mapping sequences were analyzed in a phantom study.
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