The degree of exercise-induced oxygen desaturation and outcomes following antifibrotic drug therapy in asymptomatic patients with fibrosing interstitial lung disease (FILD) remain unclear. We compared clinical data, incidence of annual FILD progression, overall survival, and tolerability after initiating nintedanib between 58 patients with dyspnea and 18 patients without. Annual FILD progression was defined as >10% decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC), >15% decrease in diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (D), developing acute exacerbations, or FILD-related death within 1 year of starting nintedanib.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRemote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has attracted considerable attention as a brain protection strategy, although its impact remains unclear. Hypothermia is the most effective strategy in experimental transient cerebral ischemia. Therefore, we compared the efficacy of RIC, hypothermia, and no treatment on cerebral ischemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCongenital syphilis (CS) is a mother-to-child infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, transmitted through the placenta. In Japan, the number of syphilis cases has recently increased, accompanied by an increase in CS cases. Thus, automated methods for serum antibodies with serial values, without a 2× dilution sequence, have been widely used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The factors contributing to the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain unclear. Although the presence of immune complexes (ICs), formed between antibodies and their antigens, has been linked to COVID-19 severity, their role requires further investigation, and the antigens within these ICs are yet to be characterized.
Method: Here, a C1q enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay and immune complexome analysis were used to determine IC concentrations and characterize IC antigens, respectively, in the sera of 64 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, enrolled at seven participating centers in 2020.