Effects of 6-month administration of tofogliflozin on cardiac function in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A retrospective study of a patient cohort.

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are frequently hospitalized for heart failure. The ratio of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity to early diastolic mitral annulus velocity (E/e'), measured by echocardiography, is a simple and convenient indicator of diastolic dysfunction. Various large clinical trials have reported that sodium glucose transporter-2 inhibitor therapy reduced cardiovascular events and hospitalizations in heart failure patients.

Procalcitonin, brain natriuretic peptide and albumin as markers to predict prognosis in hospitalized older Japanese patients with a risk of infection.

Aim: Whether serum concentration of procalcitonin (PCT), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and albumin (Alb) have an association with the outcome of hospitalized older patients is unclear. We investigated clinical outcomes and any predictive factors in hospitalized Japanese older patients with a risk of infection.

Methods: In the retrospective study, 820 Japanese patients were followed up for 30 days or until death.

A new predictive tool consolidating CURB-65 with procalcitonin and albumin to assess short-term mortality in hospitalized elderly patients with infectious disease: A retrospective study of a patient cohort.

Background: Hospitalized elderly patients are often at risk of life-threatening infectious diseases such as pneumonia and urinary tract infection, thus diagnostic tools for bacterial infections are demanded. We developed a new predictive tool consolidating modified CURB-65, procalcitonin (PCT) and albumin (Alb).

Method: This is a retrospective study.

Infective endocarditis following tumor necrosis factor-α antagonist therapy for management of psoriatic erythroderma: a case report.

Background: The introduction of biological agents, such as infliximab, which act against tumor necrosis factor-α was a major advance for the treatment of an increasing number of chronic diseases. Tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists represent a major therapeutic advance for the management of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis. Previous studies have reported that the use of tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists increased the risk of opportunistic infections and reactivation of latent bacterial infections.

Effects of vaccination and the new neuraminidase inhibitor, laninamivir, on influenza infection.

Background: Evidence of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in children and elderly adults is limited, although this population has the highest risk for influenza infection.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 4443 participants, aged 3-97 years, who had influenza-kit-positive results during seasons 2007-12, including 2135 with influenza A, 534 with A/H1N1, and 1643 with influenza B. Eligible subjects completed a questionnaire to identify past influenza infection and vaccination history.