Publications by authors named "Sahara T"

Objective: To evaluate the morphology of the crista fenestra (CF) using three-dimensional reconstruction based on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and to examine the influence of CF height on the insertion approach used for CI632/532 implants.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

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Background: Several effective treatment modalities against metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) are available; however, an unmet clinical need persists for mCRPC treatment because resistance to these therapies is inevitable. This study aimed to evaluate the status of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and its impact on subsequent treatments for patients with mCRPC at our hospital.

Methods: Between December 2020 and August 2023, we assessed 41 patients with mCRPC who underwent CGP testing at the Nippon Medical School Hospital.

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Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are a highly conserved family of transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases with multiple roles in the regulation of key cellular processes. Specific FGFR mutations have been observed in several types of cancers, including gastric carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Dose escalation data of 24 Japanese patients with solid tumors treated with Tasurgratinib (previously known as E7090), a potent, selective FGFR1-3 inhibitor, was reported in a phase I, first-in-human, single-center study.

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  • A female patient experienced multiple intestinal perforations in her thirties and, after being evaluated at age 52, was diagnosed with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) due to her family history of related conditions.
  • Following her diagnosis, she developed severe vascular issues, including external iliac artery dissection, along with lung complications that were identified via a CT scan.
  • The patient also suffered from a rare type of pulmonary disease (MAC), which was treated successfully with antibiotics, leading to improvement in her respiratory symptoms.
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  • A machine learning model was developed to differentiate between individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cognitively normal (CN) individuals by analyzing their spoken responses to specific questions.
  • *Participants aged 50 and above were evaluated using standard clinical assessments, while a research app recorded their answers during neuropsychological tasks.
  • *The resulting model showed promising results, effectively classifying MCI and CN with a 75% accuracy rate, suggesting potential for future applications in smartphone tools and services for easier MCI detection.*
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In 2020, the Japan Community Healthcare Organization (JCHO) Hoshigaoka Medical Center started providing information to community pharmacies about patients admitted to the acute care ward using discharge medication summaries (the summaries). We conducted an online self-recording survey of 149 pharmacies belonging to the Hirakata City Pharmacists Association to clarify the usability of the summaries, any related issues, and to further discuss future collaboration between hospitals and pharmacies. 46 pharmacies have received the summaries in the past, of which 44 pharmacies answered that they have utilized the summaries with patient instruction and prescription queries of doctors.

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  • The study focuses on the enzyme α-1,2-l-fucosidase (AfcA) produced by Aspergillus oryzae, which plays a crucial role in breaking down xyloglucan in plant cell walls.
  • AfcA is activated when xyloglucan oligosaccharides are present and specifically targets certain fucopyranosyl residues in the xyloglucan structure.
  • The research highlights the collaborative function of AfcA with other enzymes in effectively degrading fucosylated xyloglucan, suggesting a complex enzymatic mechanism in Aspergillus oryzae.
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Background: Cathepsin D (CatD) is a lysosomal protease that degrades both the amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and the microtubule-associated protein, tau, which accumulate pathognomonically in Alzheimer disease (AD), but few studies have examined the role of CatD in the development of Aβ pathology and tauopathy in vivo.

Methods: CatD knockout (KO) mice were crossed to human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) transgenic mice, and amyloid burden was quantified by ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Tauopathy in CatD-KO mice, as initially suggested by Gallyas silver staining, was further characterized by extensive IHC and biochemical analyses.

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  • - The study focuses on Traveler's diarrhea (TD), a global health issue, by analyzing cases of TD in patients returning to Japan from abroad to identify the responsible organisms by travel region.
  • - Data was collected from 919 patients diagnosed with TD between 2017 and 2022, revealing that 20% had identifiable pathogens, mainly diarrheagenic bacteria, with the most common being Vibrio species (64%).
  • - A specific C-reactive protein level (2.2 mg/dL) was found to help predict bacterial TD, potentially helping to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use when stool samples aren't available.
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  • Cathepsin D (CatD) plays a crucial role in the degradation of amyloid-β and tau proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but its specific effects on these pathologies in living organisms have been minimally studied.
  • In a study where CatD was removed from mice that express human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP), researchers found that the absence of CatD led to significant increases in intracellular amyloid-β aggregates and remarkable tauopathy, beginning as early as three weeks of age.
  • Experiments indicated that blocking CatD activity hinders tau degradation, suggesting that CatD is essential for managing the levels of these proteins and could be crucial for understanding Alzheimer’s disease progression.
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  • Japan has maintained a rabies-free status for over 50 years, yet some travelers have reported rabies exposure abroad; this study aimed to analyze animal encounters among these travelers.
  • The study reviewed data from the Japanese Registry for Infectious Diseases from Abroad (J-RIDA) for travelers between October 2017 and October 2019, focusing on the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and types of animals involved in incidents.
  • Findings revealed that a majority of travelers were exposed to animals in rabies-risk countries, with most injuries linked to dogs, cats, and monkeys; the study emphasizes the need for better pre-travel consultations and awareness about rabies risks.
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Adsorption is regarded as an efficient method to eliminate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from an aqueous solution. In the present investigation, an adsorbent based on rice husks (RHs) was successfully prepared by phosphoric acid (PA) activation and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment, and it was used to adsorb perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from water. The electrodes employed in the experiment were planar type.

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We sequenced the draft genome of thraustochytrid strain 12B. This strain shows a high production of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid. The draft genome sequence of approximately 65 Mbp will provide insights into metabolic engineering to improve the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the microorganism.

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Mitochondrial DNA mutations such as A3243G or A1555G are widely reported to cause hearing loss, but few reports exist on the A8296G mutation, which can also cause hearing loss. This report presents the case of a patient with the A8296G mutation and severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) that progressed over two decades. The patient had no history of diabetes, but did have a family history of SNHL in her father and maternal grandmother.

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Background: Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a rare disorder with poor prognosis, owing to associated vascular complications. However, the most prevalent arterial problems in patients with vEDS are not well known.

Methods: We retrospectively examined 20 consecutive patients diagnosed with vEDS and examined their clinical events, image findings, and therapies.

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  • The study focused on COVID-19 infection rates in individuals evacuated from Wuhan, China to Japan, finding 12 out of 14 returnees tested positive for the virus.
  • Interestingly, most returnees adhered to IPC measures like wearing masks and practicing hand hygiene, but asymptomatic cases were present among them.
  • The research suggests that stricter IPC protocols and enforced social distancing during the evacuation might have helped lower infection rates in later flights compared to earlier ones.
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Background: Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is used to screen for fetal chromosomal abnormalities, such as fetal aneuploidy, and has been offered at our hospital since 2013. We analyzed data from our center to determine if NIPT screenees could be given more-accurate information on NIPT outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included 819 pregnant women who requested NIPT at Nippon Medical School Hospital from November 2013 to October 2021.

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The ability to degrade exogenous compounds is acquired by adaptive processes of microorganisms when they are exposed to compounds that are foreign to their existing enzyme systems. Previously, we reported that simultaneous point mutations and mobile genetic elements cause the evolution and optimization of the degradation systems for aromatic compounds. In the present study, we propose another element with this role-tandem repeats.

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Background: COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), and prophylactic anticoagulation is recommended for the prevention of VTE in COVID-19 patients. We encountered a patient with COVID-19 who developed iliopsoas hematoma (IPH) that was likely caused by prophylactic anticoagulation against VTE; we report the case here because IPH is an important risk in rehabilitation treatment.

Case: The patient was a 73-year-old man with severe COVID-19 who received anticoagulation therapy from the time of admission (day 0).

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Background: In cholesteatoma, the prognosis of tympanoplasty has been well discussed in terms of hearing outcomes and residual or recurrent lesions. Postoperative dizziness and vertigo are major complications of tympanoplasty; however, few reports are available.

Aims/objectives: We investigated each condition of cholesteatoma postoperative vestibular risk using the STAM system and staging published by EAONO/JOS, as well as findings on bony destruction.

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  • Lutein is an important carotenoid used for plant photosynthesis and human health, particularly in preventing eye diseases.
  • Research on engineering the biosynthesis pathway for microbial production of lutein has been limited due to the complexity of the required genes from plants.
  • This study successfully integrated key carotenoid biosynthesis genes into the JM101 (DE3) strain, achieving a lutein yield of 11 mg/l, laying groundwork for future large-scale production using microorganisms.
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Violaxanthin is biosynthesized from zeaxanthin with zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP) by way of antheraxanthin only in photosynthetic eukaryotes including higher plants and involved in the xanthophyll cycle to eliminate excessive light energy. Violaxanthin and antheraxanthin have commercially been unavailable, in contrast to commercial production of other carotenoids contained in higher plants, e.g.

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Background: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is an inherited disorder that causes connective tissue fragility. The vascular type of EDS (vEDS) caused by defective collagen type III production accounts for 5%-10% of all EDS cases. Patients can develop gastrointestinal or arterial ruptures, which cause poor prognosis.

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