Publications by authors named "Oku K"

SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated cervical carcinoma is an extremely rare and aggressive malignancy, and effective treatment options are lacking. We experienced a rare case involving a patient with SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated cervical carcinoma who was successfully managed in the long term. A woman in her 40s presented with a chief complaint of abnormal vaginal bleeding.

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Sprint performance plays a crucial role in various sports. Short sprints vary depending on the size of the court/playing field and on competitive characteristics, but are common in many sports. Although the relationship between age and muscle strength has been explored in short sprints, there is limited understanding of how various physical factors interact, particularly concerning differences in the acceleration phase.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study investigated how well deep squatting tests can predict medial elbow injuries in elementary school baseball players, focusing on 254 participants from preseason medical checkups.
  • - Results showed that players who were injured had a significantly lower success rate in deep squatting tests, with the backward squat being the best predictor of elbow injuries.
  • - The study concluded that deep squatting tests can be an effective field test for assessing lower extremity flexibility and predicting the risk of elbow injuries in young athletes.
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[Purpose] This study investigated differences in the convergence mode of post-step sway between young and older adults using a step-down task to identify fall causes in older adults and assess consecutive postural adjustments. [Participants and Methods] This study included 15 young and 15 older adults (nine females and six males in each group). The participants stepped down from a standing position to a force platform 10 cm lower and maintained a one-leg standing position.

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Objective: This systematic scoping review assess the effect of cyclophosphamide (CY) administration during childhood on ovarian function in patients with juvenile-onset connective tissue diseases.

Methods: A MEDLINE database search was conducted using terms related to CY, juvenile-onset connective tissue diseases, and ovarian function. Studies were included if they met specific criteria.

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The purpose of this study was to devise a tilt sensation measurement method to evaluate ankle proprioception and to examine its reliability. It was also used to determine the relationship among tilt sensation abilities, physical development, and lower limb injuries in junior athletes. In this study, a step platform created tilt angles.

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In this report, we demonstrate that high-capacity hybrid supercapacitors can be realized by utilizing iron azaphthalocyanine (FeAzPc-4N) adsorbed activated carbons (ACs) as an electrode due to the combination of the electric double layer of activated carbon surfaces and redox reactions of FeAzPc-4N molecules. By increasing the mixing ratio of FeAzPc-4N with ACs, a maximum capacity of 907 F/g is achieved, also enabling rapid charging and discharging at 20 A/g. The revelation of the capacitor electrode's durability through 20 000 cycles of charging and discharging is realized, and the capacitor cell had sufficient output power to illuminate LEDs.

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Introduction: Quantifying soft tissue dynamics during joint motion is important for the valid assessment and development of effective therapeutic interventions for the soft tissues. This study aimed to examine the immediate effect of thermotherapy on gliding of the iliotibial band (ITB), including the subcutaneous tissue, and vastus lateralis (VL) muscle during passive knee joint motion.

Methods: Ten participants (age, 20.

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Immunoglobulin (Ig) G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterised by elevated serum IgG4, IgG4+ cell infiltration, storiform fibrosis, and obliterative phlebitis. While IgG4-RD can affect various organs, gastrointestinal tract involvement is less common. Here, we report a 70-year-old female with IgG4-RD complicated with diffuse and chronic gastrointestinal inflammation, which led to small intestinal perforation.

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Background: Facial skin tightening with wrinkle/fine line reduction is a highly demanded procedure in the aesthetic field. Although there are studies focused on the types of energy sources, the total amount of thermal energy, and the affected depth, there have been no reports examining the relationship between the shape of thermal energy and the directivity of skin tightening. We have developed a specific method to apply thermal energy to the dermis in continuous parallel lines, resembling a thread, perpendicular to the Relaxed Skin Tension Lines (RSTL) for vectorized collagen contraction using synchronous ultrasound parallel beam technology.

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Estimating the action capability is vital for humans to move their bodies successfully. Researchers have proposed reachability as an overestimation of motor abilities by judging unreachable distances as reachable. The existing literature has mainly investigated the sagittal direction, but multi-directional reachability is unexplored.

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We report a 60-year-old male with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) complicated with atopic dermatitis (AD). The patient was initially treated with prednisolone, cyclosporine A, and mepolizumab (MEPO). Due to worsening skin symptoms after prednisolone tapering, dupilumab (DUP) was added as an adjunctive therapy for AD confirmed by skin biopsy.

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Efficient body movement is required in our daily lives, as it facilitates responding to the external environment and producing movements in various directions and distances. While numerous studies have reported on goal-directed movements in the frontal direction during gait initiation, there is limited research on the efficient movement of the lower limbs in multiple directions and distances. Therefore, we aimed to examine changes in the kinematics of lower-limb reaching movements to determine skilled motor ability in terms of direction and distance.

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Objectives: We investigated the effect of belimumab (BEL) on achieving low disease activity (LDA) and remission as an additive molecular-targeting agent to standard of care (SoC) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Clinical information was retrospectively collected from patients with SLE who received BEL additive to SoC (BEL + SoC), and from patients treated with SoC alone as a control arm. Disease activity was measured by SLE-disease activity score (SLE-DAS).

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Objectives: The aim is to evaluate the treatment and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) according to the time of onset and dominant strain in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Methods: This study analysed a nationwide COVID-19 registry of Japanese patients with rheumatic diseases compiled between June 2020 and December 2022. The primary endpoints of the study were hypoxaemia incidence and mortality.

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Objective: The European League Against Rheumatism recommends that the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus should be stable before pregnancy because complications and disease flares increase if pregnancy occurs while disease activity is high. However, some patients have ongoing serological activity even after treatment. Herein, we investigated how physicians decide on the acceptability of pregnancy in patients showing only serological activity.

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Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a thrombocytopenic condition induced by autoimmune mechanisms and includes secondary ITP with underlying diseases such as connective tissue diseases (CTD). In recent years, it has been elucidated that the subsets of the ITP are associated with complement abnormalities but much remains unclear. To perform a literature review and identify the characteristics of complement abnormalities in ITP.

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In vitro vascular wall bilayer models for drug testing and disease modeling must emulate the physical and biological properties of healthy vascular tissue and its endothelial barrier function. Both endothelial cell (EC)-vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) interaction across the internal elastic lamina (IEL) and blood vessel stiffness impact endothelial barrier integrity. Polymeric porous track-etched membranes (TEM) typically represent the IEL in laboratory vascular bilayer models.

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Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) are a group of drugs with a different mechanism of action from biologics and are most rapidly uptaken in the rheumatology field. JAK is a protein kinase activated in the cytoplasm by multiple cytokines and hormones involved in inflammatory pathology. The expression of JAK has been observed in various diseases, indicating the utility of JAK inhibitors in a wide variety of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interleukin-6 (IL-6) and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who exhibit neuropsychiatric symptoms resembling neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).
  • - Researchers analyzed data from twelve SLE patients with brainstem and spinal cord lesions, finding that treatment significantly decreased CSF IL-6 levels and identified correlations between IL-6 and specific autoantibodies such as anti-dsDNA and anti-Smith.
  • - The findings suggest that CSF IL-6 could serve as a potential biomarker for monitoring neurological symptoms in S
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Article Synopsis
  • The case report focuses on using musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging to assess and improve knee stiffness in a patient after total knee arthroplasty.
  • An 82-year-old woman was treated for limited knee flexion affecting her daily activities, and ultrasound helped identify the issue as decreased tissue movement in the suprapatellar pouch.
  • After ultrasound-guided passive manipulation, her knee flexion increased and she regained the ability to climb stairs, showing significant improvement in mobility and daily functions.
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Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by multiorgan dysfunction. Neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) occurs in 30-40% of lupus patients and is the most severe presentation of SLE, frequently resulting in limitation of daily life. Recent studies have shown that microglia, tissue-resident macrophages in the central nervous system, are involved in the pathogenesis of NPSLE.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is reportedly safe and effective. The histologic features of post-COVID-19 vaccination myocarditis are unknown. We present a case of a 77-year-old Japanese woman diagnosed with eosinophilic myocarditis using endomyocardial biopsy, 7 days after the second dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine.

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Objectives: The incidence and prognosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rheumatic disease vary among ethnicities and regions. COVID-19 outcomes in rheumatic disease patients remain unclear, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. This study aimed to clarify the demographic and clinical factors that may influence COVID-19 prognosis in rheumatic disease patients.

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