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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: 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).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAllergy Asthma Clin Immunol
December 2024
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBullous 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGan To Kagaku Ryoho
October 2024
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Arch Allergy Immunol
October 2024
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
Catheter Cardiovasc Interv
November 2024
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.
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging
September 2024
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.
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.
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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