Publications by authors named "Migita K"

BACKGROUND We previously reported that the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and donor age are risk factors for small-for-size syndrome in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) involving small grafts. Since April 2021, we have performed splenectomy as a portal inflow modulation in LDLT using small grafts according to the presence of risk factors. In this study, we evaluated the validity of our splenectomy strategies for optimizing graft outcomes.

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Background: Liver transplantation is an important treatment option for liver cirrhosis in patients with HIV/HCV coinfection. In Japan, the limited number of deceased donors may force the selection of living donor liver transplantation. Appropriate graft selection is the key to success.

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BACKGROUND Recipient hepatic arteries are generally used for arterial reconstructions in living donor liver transplantation. When the hepatic arteries are not feasible, the right gastroepiploic artery is one of the options for arterial reconstructions. In this study, we evaluate the feasibility of using the right gastroepiploic artery and report the analyzed retrospective patient outcomes.

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A 70-year-old man was admitted to a local hospital with epigastric pain and diagnosed with type-2 gastric cancer. Contrast-enhanced CT scan showed metastases in S3 and S8 of the liver, and the tumor was classified as type cT4aN2H1, cStage ⅣB. Nivolumab monotherapy was initiated after failure of treatment with S-1 plus oxaliplatin and ramucirumab.

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Rationale: Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation targeting the aortic wall. Since many patients are resistant to steroid treatment, multiple immunosuppressants or interleukin-6 (IL-6) suppression therapy have served as treatment alternatives. However, there are very few reports on the effectiveness of biologics against inflammatory cytokines upstream of IL-6.

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Myositis-specific autoantibodies play an important role on the disease phenotype of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Anti-signal recognition particle (SRP) antibody-positive patients with IIMs may present with severe myopathy and highly elevated serum creatine kinase levels. These patients are often resistant to immunosuppressive therapy, but there is no established treatment strategy.

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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Gastroesophageal reflux disease is prevented by infection and is a predisposing factor for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the prevalence of infection in RA patients with ILD has not been sufficiently investigated.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on chemically induced liver progenitors (CLiP) derived from steatotic livers in miniature pigs to assess their potential for future liver disease treatment.
  • CLiP from steatotic livers showed a higher ability to proliferate compared to those from healthy livers, but only the normal group demonstrated mature liver cell functionality after re-differentiation.
  • Despite the lower production of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the disease group, the overall findings suggest that CLiP from steatotic livers could be a viable option for cell therapy in liver disease patients.
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It is difficult to distinguish idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) from immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD). A 47-year-old man was diagnosed with venous thrombosis in the right lower extremity. Multiple lymphadenopathies and splenomegaly were incidentally detected.

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A common complication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is interstitial lung disease (ILD). Antibodies (Abs) to anti-aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase (ARS) are linked to ILD in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). There have been limited studies of anti-ARS Abs in RA.

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Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most prevalent hereditary autoinflammatory disease and is caused by the MEFV gene. In patients carrying MEFV exon 10 variants, FMF usually develops at an early age. A 76-year-old Japanese man presented with a periodic fever lasting 2-3 days, chest pain, and abdominal pain.

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Background: CD200, a negative regulator of T cells as well as a marker for cancer stem cells, represents a significant prognostic factor and potential therapeutic target in certain cancers. However, its clinical significance remains unknown in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: CD200 was assessed in 220 resected PDAC patients who underwent surgery with or without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT).

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This study aimed to identify biomarkers to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and to predict disease phenotypes. In total, 49 patients diagnosed with AOSD and 200 patients with common diseases (controls) were included in the analysis. The levels of 69 cytokines were analyzed using a multi-suspension cytokine array.

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Article Synopsis
  • CEACAM1 is an adhesion molecule important in the immune response, mainly found on neutrophils from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and this study aimed to explore how Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) affect its expression.
  • Researchers used neutrophils from healthy subjects and stimulated them with cytokines like TNF-α and GM-CSF, analyzing CEACAM1 expression and protein phosphorylation using flow cytometry and western blot techniques.
  • The results showed that JAKi, especially baricitinib, significantly inhibited GM-CSF-induced CEACAM1 expression in neutrophils, suggesting that JAKi can modulate immune responses by affecting key adhesion molecules in neutrophils.
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  • The study aimed to collect real-world data on VEXAS syndrome, focusing on disease activity, treatments, remission rates, and adverse events over a prospective period.
  • Researchers enrolled suspected patients in Japan, utilizing a new disease activity measure (VEXASCAF) and recorded various health metrics, including UBA1 gene variant analysis.
  • Out of 55 patients, 30 were found to have pathogenic UBA1 variants, with limited remission reported, frequent adverse events including deaths and infections, and a need for high-dose glucocorticoids to manage symptoms.
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Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TJ-100 TSUMURA Daikenchuto (DKT) Extract Granules in preventing post-hepatectomy digestive symptoms and the effects on small intestinal mucosal atrophy.

Methods: Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the DKT therapy and usual care groups in a 1:1 ratio. The DKT therapy group was administered DKT for 14 days after surgery or until the day of discharge if the patient left the hospital before 14 days, and the usual care group did not receive DKT.

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Background: Patients undergoing liver transplantation are in a state of coagulopathy before surgery because of liver failure. Intraoperative hemorrhage, massive transfusions, and post-reperfusion syndrome further contribute to coagulopathy, acidosis, and hypothermia. In such situations, temporary cessation of surgery with open abdominal management and resuscitation in the intensive care unit (ICU), which is commonly used as a damage control strategy in trauma care, may be effective.

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Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is sometimes complicated by interstitial lung disease (ILD) with a poor prognosis. A single nucleotide variant (SNV) in MUC5B was associated with ILD in European RA patients. However, associations of this SNV were not found in Japanese RA patients, because its frequency in Japanese populations is very low.

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  • The study investigates serum caspase-1 levels as a potential inflammatory biomarker in patients with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), comparing it with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls (HCs).
  • Findings show that AOSD patients have significantly higher serum caspase-1 levels than RA patients and HCs, with strong correlations between caspase-1 levels and AOSD disease activity, alongside key inflammatory cytokines.
  • The results suggest that caspase-1 could serve as a valuable biomarker for diagnosing and monitoring AOSD, indicating its role in the disease's inflammatory processes through inflammasome activation.
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  • Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are common treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but patients with certain risk factors may experience more side effects, like serious cardiovascular issues and infections.
  • This study evaluated 184 RA patients who started JAKi treatment to analyze drug retention rates and the impact of adverse effects on patient outcomes.
  • Results showed that higher RA disease activity and the use of pan-JAK inhibitors were linked to lower drug retention rates, with many patients stopping treatment due to ineffectiveness or adverse effects.
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  • Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is often linked to autoimmune diseases, and this study specifically looks at patients with PBC and CREST syndrome (PBC-CREST) to analyze their long-term outcomes compared to those with PBC alone.
  • The research involved 302 patients over several decades, revealing that PBC-CREST patients had significantly better liver transplant-free survival rates and lower risks of liver-related death compared to PBC-alone patients.
  • Moreover, the study's findings support the idea that having CREST syndrome serves as a protective factor against developing cirrhosis in PBC patients.
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  • This study examined the clinical features, outcomes, and risk factors associated with flares in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using data from newly diagnosed patients at Fukushima Medical University Hospital over a period of 11 years.
  • Out of 387 SLE patients, 83 were newly diagnosed, with 29 experiencing flares; it was found that the flare group had similar characteristics to the no-flare group, except for the frequency of anti-SS-A antibodies and the observation period.
  • The results indicated that anti-SS-A positivity may increase the risk of SLE flares, while using combination immunosuppressive therapy and hydroxychloroquine may improve flare-free survival in patients.
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This study aimed to compare the incidence rates (IRs) of infections, including herpes zoster (HZ), in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) or interleukin-6 inhibitors (IL-6is). We retrospectively analyzed 444 RA patients treated using IL-6is ( = 283) or JAKis ( = 161). After adjusting for clinical characteristic imbalances by propensity score matching (PSM), we compared the IRs of infections including HZ between the JAKi and IL-6i groups.

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  • Anti-MDA5 antibody-positive clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a form of dermatomyositis that primarily features skin symptoms and severe lung disease without significant muscle inflammation.
  • Joint issues can arise in these patients, but effective treatment methods, particularly involving ultrasound, are not well established.
  • This report discusses an 85-year-old man with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive CADM who experienced improved joint inflammation after receiving medium-dose corticosteroid treatment, confirmed by ultrasound.
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