Publications by authors named "Naoko Kono"

Objective: The Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol demonstrated that hormone therapy (HT) reduces subclinical atherosclerosis progression in healthy postmenopausal women who initiated HT in proximity to menopause (<6 years) but not in those distant from menopause (≥10 years). This analysis explores the role of serum sex steroid hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in atherosclerosis progression, examining differences based on time since menopause.

Design: Post-trial analysis.

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In 2022-23, several European countries reported paediatric acute liver failure (ALF) with enterovirus infection. In August-November 2024, three neonatal cases of ALF with echovirus 11 (E11) were reported in Tokyo, Japan. All neonates developed irreversible multiple-organ failure and died.

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Objective: To characterize factors that influence the decision to treat suspected pediatric bacterial tracheostomy-associated respiratory infections (bTRAINs; e.g., pneumonia, tracheitis).

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Context: The Early vs Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol (ELITE) showed that hormone therapy (HT) reduced atherosclerosis progression among early but not late postmenopausal women (PMW).

Objective: Determined by time-since-menopause (1) HT effects on lipids and lipoprotein particle subfractions (LPs), (2) associations of estradiol (E2) level with lipids and LPs, (3) associations of lipids and LPs with atherosclerosis progression.

Design: Randomized controlled trial stratified by time-since-menopause.

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Article Synopsis
  • Exanthems are a frequent reason for pediatric emergency visits, particularly in children under 6, but there’s limited data post-vaccination for measles and rubella.
  • A study in Japan from August 2019 to March 2020 classified the causes of exanthems in young children, using both clinical diagnosis and PCR tests for specific pathogens.
  • Results showed that 54% of diagnosed cases were noninfectious or infectious diseases, with notable pathogens identified through PCR, making viral infections the most common underlying causes.
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Objective: While the deleterious associations of surgical menopause after bilateral oophorectomy with cardiovascular disease are documented, less is specifically known concerning subclinical atherosclerosis progression.

Methods: We used data from 590 healthy postmenopausal women randomized to hormone therapy or placebo in the Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol (ELITE), which was conducted from July 2005 to February 2013. Subclinical atherosclerosis progression was measured as annual rate of change in carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) over a median 4.

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Introduction: Study inclusion criteria and recruitment practices limit the generalizability of randomized-controlled trial (RCT) results. Statistical modeling could enhance generalizability of outcomes. To illustrate this, the cognition-depression relationship was assessed with and without adjustment relative to the target population of older women.

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  • The study investigates the recurrent fluorescence (RF) cooling rates of tetracene cations at varying internal energies and storage times using two different ion-beam storage rings: the cryogenic DESIREE in Stockholm and the room temperature Mini-Ring in Lyon.
  • Measured RF cooling rates range from 150 to 1000 seconds for internal energies between 7 to 9.4 eV, showing significantly more efficient cooling compared to smaller polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like anthracene and naphthalene.
  • The complementary characteristics of both rings enable broader measurements of RF rates, with Mini-Ring focusing on faster-decaying hotter ions and DESIREE targeting slower-decaying colder ions, resulting in
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Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among postmenopausal women but standard primary prevention strategies in women are not as effective as in men. By comparison, the Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol (ELITE) study demonstrated that hormone therapy (HT) was associated with significant reduction in atherosclerosis progression in women who were within six years of menopause compared to those who were 10 or more years from menopause. These findings are consistent with other studies showing significant reductions in all-cause mortality and CVD with HT, particularly when initiated in women younger than 60 years of age or within 10 years since menopause.

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Objective: To evaluate the effect of hormone therapy (HT) on arterial wall composition by ultrasound.

Background: The effect of HT on the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis has been well-described using measurements of common carotid artery (CCA) wall thickness. However, it is unknown whether the change in arterial wall anatomic structure is accompanied by an effect of HT on arterial wall composition.

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Objectives: Although carotid artery intima media thickness (CIMT) is a widely used determinant of subclinical atherosclerosis, gray-scale median of the intima-media complex (IM-GSM) of the common carotid artery is a relatively novel measure of echogenicity reflecting composition of the arterial wall. It is important to compare cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor correlates across CIMT and IM-GSM to determine whether these measures reflect distinct aspects of atherosclerosis.

Methods: Baseline information from a completed randomized clinical trial of 643 healthy postmenopausal women without clinically apparent CVD was included in this cross-sectional study.

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  • This study investigates the relationship between repetitive shoulder tasks and the development of shoulder pain among novice dental hygiene (DH) students compared to occupational therapy (OT) students, considering psychological factors like anxiety and depression.
  • Results indicate that DH students experience a significantly higher incidence of shoulder pain (4 times more than OT students), with those in pain also showing greater thickening of the supraspinatus tendon over one year.
  • The study also found that DH students who developed shoulder pain had an increase in anxiety scores, highlighting the interplay between physical discomfort and psychological well-being.
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Background: Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is a severe encephalopathy associated with acute viral infection. While most ANE cases are sporadic, pathogenic variants in the gene RAN binding protein 2 (RANBP2) have been identified as a major cause of familial or recurrent ANE (ANE1). Although sporadic ANE predominantly affects Asian children, ANE1 is very rare in east Asia.

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Background: Described to be antithrombotic and antihypertensive, nattokinase is consumed for putative cardiovascular benefit. However, no large-scale, long-term cardiovascular study has been conducted with nattokinase supplementation.

Objective: To determine the effect of nattokinase on subclinical atherosclerosis progression and atherothrombotic biomarkers.

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Introduction: Allopregnanolone is an endogenous neurosteroid with the potential to be a novel regenerative therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Foundations of mechanistic understanding and well-established preclinical safety efficacy make it a viable candidate.

Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, single and multiple ascending dose trial was conducted.

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  • The study investigates how perylene cations fragment over time, measuring these processes in a cryogenic ion storage ring for up to 2 seconds.
  • A quantitative model of fragmentation is proposed, which considers both fragmentation and radiative cooling, showing good agreement with experimental data, especially when accounting for daughter ions.
  • The research quantifies important optical properties of perylene, determining the strength of specific electronic transitions and how they relate to cooling processes, which are crucial for improving models of astrochemistry.
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Objective: To identify factors associated with serum estradiol (E2) levels among healthy postmenopausal women using hormone therapy (HT).

Methods: This is an unplanned post hoc analysis of data from ELITE (Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol), a randomized controlled trial of 1 mg oral E2 with or without vaginal progesterone in healthy early compared with late (<6 years compared with 10 or more years since menopause) postmenopausal women. We included results from visits when women reported at least 80% compliance with HT.

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Background: Past clinical trials of docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) supplements for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia have used lower doses and have been largely negative. We hypothesized that larger doses of DHA are needed for adequate brain bioavailability and that APOE4 is associated with reduced delivery of DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to the brain before the onset of cognitive impairment.

Methods: 33 individuals were provided with a vitamin B complex (1 mg vitamin B12, 100 mg of vitamin B6 and 800 mcg of folic acid per day) and randomized to 2,152 mg of DHA per day or placebo over 6 months.

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Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) infection occasionally causes severe respiratory infections in children. Potential association between virulence-associated gene alleles and severe clinical outcomes has been suggested; however, frequencies of these alleles in pediatric patients with severe pertussis have not been clarified.

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Background: CMV infection of the fetus or neonate can lead to devastating disease, and there are no effective prevention strategies to date. Vitamin D is a potent immunomodulator, supports antiviral immune responses, and plays an important role in placental immunity.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study to evaluate the impact of low maternal vitamin D on congenital and early postnatal transmission of CMV among HIV-infected, non-breastfeeding women and their HIV exposed but negative infants from an urban HIV clinic.

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Background: Global immune activation and HLA alleles are each associated with the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus .

Methods: We evaluated the relationship between 44 HLA class I and 28 class II alleles and percentages of activated CD8 (CD8+CD38+DR+) and CD4 (CD4+CD38+DR+) T cells in 586 women who were naive to highly active antiretroviral therapy. We used linear generalized estimating equation regression models, adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, HIV load, and hepatitis C virus infection and controlling for multiplicity using a false discovery rate threshold of 0.

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Objective: To examine the association of vitamin D insufficiency and risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected pregnant women.

Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort study evaluating the impact of low maternal vitamin D levels on PIH and perinatal outcomes among HIV-infected pregnant women receiving care at an urban HIV center from 1991 to 2014.

Results: A total of 366 pregnant women were included, of which 11% developed PIH.

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A 12-year-old boy presented with acute neck swelling diagnosed as submandibular sialadenitis secondary to influenza; it resolved quickly with supportive care. Recognition of this as a clinical entity during the influenza season may help guide management.

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