Publications by authors named "Mizukami T"

Unlabelled: The concept of genome-microbiome interactions, in which the microenvironment determined by host genetic polymorphisms regulates the local microbiota, is important in the pathogenesis of human disease. In otolaryngology, the resident bacterial microbiota is reportedly altered in non-infectious ear diseases, such as otitis media pearls and exudative otitis media. We hypothesized that a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 11 () gene, which determines earwax properties, regulates the ear canal microbiota.

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Introduction: Previous studies have examined the predictive accuracy of plasma amyloid beta (Aβ) biomarkers in clinical cohorts. However, their accuracy for predicting amyloid-positive patients in community-based cohorts is unclear. This study aimed to determine the predictive accuracy of Aβ precursor protein 669-711/Aβ1-42, Aβ1-40/1-42 and their composite biomarkers for brain amyloid deposition or the clinical progression in community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

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The basic requirements for the development of radiopharmaceuticals for radionuclide therapy of tumors include marked tumor-specific accumulation and long-term intratumoral retention. We have previously reported an indium-111 (In)-labeled thermoresponsive polymer (polyoxazoline (POZ)) that is soluble at body temperature with rapid clearance from normal tissues but self-aggregates in the tumor upon tumor heating treatment. POZ accumulated in the tumor via self-aggregation under hyperthermic conditions and was retained after stopping heat exposure.

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Background: Oral food challenge (OFC) is the gold standard for diagnosing food allergies (FAs) but carries the risk of anaphylactic reaction. Stepwise OFC, starting with a low dose of allergen and progressing to medium and full doses, is effective in determining a tolerable dose. We retrospectively evaluated the results of a stepwise OFC for hen's egg (HE) to demonstrate its safety and efficacy.

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Background The detection of in-stent restenosis (ISR) with coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is challenging, but CT perfusion (CTP) has demonstrated improved diagnostic accuracy over CCTA in patients with stents. However, there are limited data on the performance of dynamic CTP, which allows noninvasive adjudication of regional myocardial blood flow. Purpose To compare the diagnostic performance of regadenoson-stress dynamic CTP with that of CCTA, using fractional flow reserve (FFR) and the index of microvascular resistance (IMR) as reference standards for epicardial coronary circulation and coronary microcirculation, respectively.

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Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by subepidermal blister formation, primarily affecting elderly individuals. While BP has been associated with malignancies, the exact nature of this relationship remains unclear. We report the case of a 72-year-old man who presented with pruritic cutaneous lesions, including tense vesicles and bullae and was diagnosed with BP.

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Background: The angiography-derived non-hyperemic pressure ratio (angioNHPR) is a novel index of NHPR based on artificial intelligence (AI) that does not require pressure wires. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of angioNHPR for detecting hemodynamically relevant coronary artery disease.

Methods And Results: In this retrospective single-center study, angioNHPR was assessed using the invasive NHPR as the reference standard.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study evaluated how image enhancement techniques impact the reliability of diagnosing dry eye conditions using a portable device called the Smart Eye Camera (SEC).
  • - Analysis of video recordings from 46 patients revealed that certain levels of enhancement led to better consistency in assessments, particularly for corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) and tear break-up time (TBUT).
  • - While moderate enhancement improved diagnostic accuracy, excessive enhancement negatively affected the reliability of other assessments, suggesting the need for careful calibration of image processing.
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The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a retrovirus, integrates into host DNA and causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) in some individuals. Two types of defective proviruses, Type 1 and Type 2, are often observed in ATL cells. Here, we developed a 3-plex digital PCR (dPCR) method to detect HTLV-1 proviral deletions by comparing the ratios of copy numbers quantified using specific primer-probes for the LTR, pol, and pX regions.

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The widespread adoption of smartphones due to advances in information and communication technology(ICT)has enabled the use of software for data collection in clinical trials. In March 2021, revisions to the"Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Biological Research Involving Human Subjects"expanded the methods for obtaining consent using electronic means, further broadening the approaches to conducting clinical trials. However, nutrition impact symptoms in cancer patients remain inadequately defined.

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Introduction: Cow's milk (CM) is one of the most common food allergens in Japan. The oral food challenge (OFC) of CM is important for the definite diagnosis of children with CM allergy, and it is recommended to be actively and safely performed in individuals with low CM-sIgE levels. This study aimed to investigate the safety of low-dose CM-OFC in individuals with low CM-sIgE levels and discuss the prognostic factors and appropriate approaches for assessing the starting doses of CM-OFC in these individuals.

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Introduction: Stepwise oral food challenge (OFC) tests begin with low doses of allergens and progress to full doses. We previously reported the safety and efficacy of stepwise OFC for reintroducing hen eggs. In this study, we discuss its application for cow's milk (CM) allergy.

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  • Elderly patients often face feeding and swallowing issues, leading to the use of the simple suspension method where tablets are dissolved in warm water for tube administration without crushing.
  • A study using verapamil revealed that drug release was faster from crushed tablets than from the simple suspension or intact tablets, indicating significant differences in dissolution profiles.
  • While both crushing and simple suspension methods can safely help patients with dysphagia, they may also increase the risk of side effects, so it's advisable to avoid altering medications before giving them.
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  • Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) offers 3D views of coronary artery disease but struggles to show intricate details within the vessel wall, whereas intravascular imaging provides better resolution but lacks 3D context.
  • The proposed framework aims to improve the matching between CCTA and intravascular images by identifying the best virtual catheter path to align the two image types accurately.
  • Tested on a group of 40 patients, this new method significantly enhances alignment accuracy for bifurcation points, streamlining the process for larger clinical studies and paving the way for machine learning applications in image registration.
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Background: Continuous intracoronary thermodilution with saline allows for the accurate measurement of volumetric blood flow (Q) and absolute microvascular resistance (R). However, this requires repositioning of the temperature sensor by the operator to measure the entry temperature of the saline infusate, denoted as T.

Aims: We evaluated whether Ti could be predicted based on known parameters without compromising the accuracy of calculated Q.

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  • The review discusses the pullback pressure gradient (PPG) as a new metric for evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD) and its role in improving clinical decisions related to percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs).
  • Recent studies show a strong link between PPG values and post-PCI outcomes, indicating that higher PPG correlates with better patient results and helps identify at-risk plaque types.
  • PPG has the potential to become a standard tool in CAD management, guiding treatment plans and enhancing patient care, though further research is needed to establish specific thresholds and optimize its use.
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Background: Angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (virtual FFR) has shown excellent diagnostic performance compared with wire-based FFR. However, virtual FFR pullback curves have not been validated yet.

Objectives: To validate the accuracy of virtual FFR pullback curves compared to wire-based FFR pullbacks and to assess their clinical utility using patient-reported outcomes.

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  • * Subcutaneous Sweet's syndrome (SSS) is a rare variant presenting as tender nodules resembling EN and can complicate diagnosis due to similar symptoms like fever and elevated inflammatory markers.
  • * In a specific case study, a patient had a painful thigh lesion with distinctive histopathological features that indicated SSS rather than EN despite the similarities between the two conditions.
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  • The study investigates vulnerable plaque in significant coronary lesions, associating it with prognostic importance beyond just physical function.
  • Conducted across 5 countries, it involved 95 patients with specific pressure-related measurements, identifying features that predict vulnerable plaques.
  • Results showed a significant link between vulnerable plaque presence and pressure gradient (PPG) and fractional flow reserve (FFR), indicating these measures may help predict plaque vulnerability in low-FFR lesions.
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Background: Approximately one-half of the patients with angina and nonobstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCA) have evidence of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD).

Objectives: This study aims to characterize patients with ANOCA by measuring their minimal microvascular resistance and to examine the pattern of vascular remodeling associated with these measurements.

Methods: The authors prospectively included patients with ANOCA undergoing continuous thermodilution assessment.

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Purpose: In this study, we aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) and intravitreal faricimab (IVF) injections on the blood flow of retinal vessels in the peripapillary region and optic nerve head (ONH) in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME) using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG).

Patients And Methods: This study included 20 eyes of 18 patients treated with IVA and 15 eyes of 11 patients treated with IVF for DME. The mean blur rate (MBR) of the ONH and retinal artery and vein of the peripapillary region were measured using LSFG at baseline and 1 month after injection.

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  • Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a serious neurodegenerative disease that can cause symptoms like vocal cord paralysis (VCP), Parkinsonism, and other issues.
  • COVID-19 has been linked to neurological problems and can worsen VCP even in patients without prior neurological conditions.
  • The text discusses two MSA patients whose VCP worsened after COVID-19, necessitating emergency tracheostomies, highlighting the importance of preventing COVID-19 in these patients and monitoring for any deterioration.
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Aims: Left atrial (LA) volume index (LAVI) in chronic heart failure (HF) predicts cardiovascular outcomes. However, the association between LAVI reduction during acute decompensated HF (ADHF) and its prognostic potential is limited. We hypothesized that LA reverse remodelling (LARR) after ADHF therapy would be associated with better clinical outcomes.

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