Publications by authors named "Kyoko Ito"
Objectives: We aimed to determine the compliance, safety, and acceptance of colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) and small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) in an out-of-clinic setting remotely supported by medical staff.
Methods: We enrolled 30 examinees (24 with CCE and six with SBCE) who had not undergone CE at six gastroenterological centers. All examinees were provided with instructions on equipment and bowel preparations.
We investigated the cost-effectiveness of treating iron deficiency anemia (IDA) with ferric citrate hydrate (FC) in Japan. We employed four treatment strategies: switching from sodium ferrous citrate (SF) to FC at (1) 500 mg (approximately 120 mg of iron) per day or (2) 1000 mg (approximately 240 mg of iron) per day in patients with SF-induced nausea/vomiting, or starting treatment with FC at (3) 500 mg/day or (4) 1000 mg/day. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of these strategies compared with SF 100 mg (100 mg of iron) per day.
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- * A 2022 survey revealed that while many view gene-edited foods as unnatural, some consumers appreciate their benefits, highlighting a complex relationship between acceptance and concerns about artificiality.
- * The study emphasizes the importance of understanding not just the vocal opinions in surveys, but also the views of those who feel indifferent or choose not to express their thoughts, indicating a deeper societal complexity that needs more exploration.
Although it has been established that patients with chronic kidney disease and iron deficiency, as indicated by a transferrin saturation of < 20%, are at increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events, the optimal management of such patients has not yet been determined. In this post hoc subgroup analysis, we aimed to clarify the effect of ferric citrate hydrate on transferrin saturation in patients with chronic kidney disease and low transferrin saturation (< 20%) undergoing hemodialysis. To accomplish this, we extracted the relevant data on a subset of patients drawn from two previous studies: the ASTRIO study (A Study examining the contribution to Renal anemia treatment with ferric citrate hydrate, Iron-based Oral phosphate binder, UMIN000019176) and a post-marketing surveillance study.
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- Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in hemodialysis patients can indicate a higher risk of mortality, with traditional measurements in Japan (JSCC method) yielding significantly higher ALP values than the more sensitive IFCC method.
- A study comparing ALP levels before and after switching from JSCC to IFCC showed that patients with blood types B and O consistently had higher ALP readings, regardless of the method used.
- The highest ALP tertile was linked to greater all-cause mortality risk, but this association weakened when liver function and inflammation markers were considered, suggesting that elevated ALP levels should be interpreted cautiously, especially in certain patient subgroups.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to see if daily intake of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) alongside exercise could enhance muscle strength, agility, and power in healthy young adults over four weeks.
- - Twenty participants were randomly assigned to either an MFGM supplement or a placebo while they underwent training, and performance tests were conducted before and after the trial.
- - Results showed that while MFGM did not significantly affect muscle strength, it led to improved vertical jump power compared to the placebo, suggesting potential benefits, but more research with a larger group is recommended for stronger conclusions.
Background: Patients with iron deficiency anemia are treated with iron preparations, but gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting occur frequently. These symptoms may negatively affect the quality of life and work productivity in patients with iron deficiency anemia. This study assessed the impact of nausea and vomiting on the quality of life and work productivity of patients taking iron preparations for heavy menstrual bleeding or anemia.
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- - The study explored the connection between microRNA levels in serum extracellular vesicles and the regression of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieved a sustained virological response through direct-acting antiviral therapy.
- - It involved analyzing a group of CHC patients, classifying them based on their levels of Mac-2-binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi), and specifically investigating miRNAs after treatment.
- - The findings identified miR-223-3p as a significant predictor for liver fibrosis regression, showing that higher levels at 24 weeks post-treatment were linked to improved outcomes.
The bone marrow adjusts blood cell production to meet physiological demands in response to insults. The spatial organization of normal and stress responses are unknown owing to the lack of methods to visualize most steps of blood production. Here we develop strategies to image multipotent haematopoiesis, erythropoiesis and lymphopoiesis in mice.
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- Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is crucial for the self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), with a significant role in their cellular metabolism.
- HSCs contain the highest levels of mitochondrial NADPH, which is necessary for maintaining their fate and homeostasis, primarily by supporting cholesterol synthesis.
- Disrupting FAO affects the distribution of mitochondrial NADPH in daughter cells during HSC division, demonstrating that the FAO-NADPH-cholesterol pathway is essential for the formation of extracellular vesicles, which in turn is vital for HSC self-renewal and overall blood cell production.
Purpose: To examine the variability in glaucoma screening using fundus images among physicians, including non-ophthalmologists.
Patients And Methods: Sixty-nine eyes from 69 patients, including 25 eyes with glaucoma, were included from the Jikei University Hospital from July 2019 to December 2022. Fundus images were captured using TRC-NW8 (Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), and were interpreted by 10 non-ophthalmologists, 10 non-specialist ophthalmologists, and 9 specialists for diagnostic accuracy.
Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) increases levels of C-terminal fibroblast growth factor 23 (cFGF23) and platelet count (PLT), each of which is associated with cardiovascular events. Therefore, we hypothesized that iron replacement with ferric citrate hydrate (FC) would decrease cFGF23 levels and PLT in patients with IDA.
Methods: In a randomized, open-label, multicenter, 24-week clinical trial, patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) and non-CKD complicated by IDA (8.
Prcis: The analysis of intraocular pressure (IOP) by day of the week using the mega database showed a periodic weekly pattern with the highest value on Monday.
Purpose: To evaluate IOP by the day of the week.
Patients And Methods: Annual health checkup examinees between April 2014 and March 2015 were cross-sectionally evaluated.
Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). CAC might contain calcium oxalate, and a high serum oxalate (S) concentration is associated with cardiovascular mortality in dialysis patients. We assessed the associations between S and CAC or CVD events in Japanese hemodialysis patients.
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- The study aimed to develop an estimation equation to predict EQ-5D-5L utility scores for patients on iron supplements due to heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) or anemia, while also checking if nausea/vomiting impacted these scores.
- A cross-sectional survey of 385 patients collected data on their EQ-5D-5L scores, with various predictive models evaluated to determine which factors significantly influenced the quality of life metrics.
- Results indicated that patients with nausea/vomiting had significantly lower utility scores (0.67) compared to those without (0.84), confirming that nausea/vomiting is a key factor negatively affecting health-related quality of life for this population.
Article Synopsis
- Dialysis patients face a significant daily pill burden, particularly due to phosphate binders (PBs), and the impact of this burden on mortality risk is uncertain.
- A study analyzed data from 513 chronic hemodialysis patients over 7 years, revealing that a higher proportion of PBs in their overall medication was linked to better survival rates.
- However, the observed survival advantage diminished when accounting for nutritional factors, suggesting that better nutrition might contribute to the relationship between PB usage and lower mortality risk.
Article Synopsis
- TET2 is a protein that helps control gene expression by removing DNA methylation and interacting with chromatin regulatory complexes, playing key roles in blood cell development, especially in hematologic cancers.* -
- Research found that young bone marrow with TET2 mutations led to myeloid disorders, while the knockout versions caused both lymphoid and myeloid diseases initially, shifting mainly to myeloid disorders as the cells aged.* -
- The study reveals that TET2's functions vary with age, significantly impacting gene regulation in blood cells and highlighting the importance of both its catalytic and noncatalytic roles in blood diseases.*
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted to determine the reference range for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) among healthy individuals in an urban area of Japan, as previous standard measurements have been lacking.
- Using a new liquid chromatography method to test serum samples, the researchers ensured accuracy and reproducibility of the results by comparing them to commercial assays.
- The findings showed that a staggering 98% of the 5,518 participants had inadequate vitamin D levels, suggesting lifestyle factors like limited outdoor activity and dietary choices contribute to this deficiency.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) specifically infects human hepatocytes and increases the risks of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Currently, nucleic acid analogs are the main therapeutics for chronic hepatitis caused by HBV infection. Although nucleic acid analogs can eliminate HBV DNA by inhibiting HBV reverse transcriptase, they cannot lead to negative conversion of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Protein supplementation augments muscle strength gain during resistance training. Although some studies focus on the dose-response relationship of total protein intake to muscle mass or strength, the detailed dose-response relationship between total protein intake and muscle strength increase is yet to be clarified, especially in the absence of resistance training.
Objective: We aimed to assess the detailed dose-response relationship between protein supplementation and muscle strength, with and without resistance training.
Article Synopsis
- A large analysis of intraocular pressure (IOP) across different ages revealed a clear trend of decreasing IOP with increasing age.
- The study involved over 655,000 participants and utilized a range of health metrics to assess the relationship between age and IOP, finding a consistent negative correlation especially strong in younger (<40) and older (≥70) age groups.
- The results suggest that on average, IOP decreases by about 3 mmHg over a person's lifetime, with a more significant decline observed at the extremes of age.
Background: Ferric citrate hydrate (FC), an oral iron product is approved as iron preparation for iron deficiency anemia and phosphate binder for chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated whether gastric acid secretion inhibitors (GASI) influenced on iron absorption and phosphate-lowering effects of FC.
Methods: Two phase 3 studies of FC for treatment of hyperphosphatemia in CKD patients (non-dialysis-dependent, 12 weeks, and hemodialysis, 52 weeks), were retrospectively analyzed.