Publications by authors named "Tomohiro Matsunaga"
Article Synopsis
- The forced oscillation technique (FOT) is a minimally invasive method used to evaluate asthma, but its effectiveness for tracking long-term clinical remission in asthma patients is still uncertain.
- This study analyzed adult asthma patients over 12 months to check if they met clinical remission criteria, including consistent asthma control and no exacerbations.
- Results showed that resistance at 20 Hz (R20) in FOT was significantly linked to clinical remission, suggesting R20 could help predict future asthma exacerbations even when traditional lung function measures appear normal.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers analyzed RNA-seq data from 465 blood samples, uncovering 1169 expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) and 1549 splice QTLs (sQTLs) linked to COVID-19 severity, including immune-related expressions.
- * The study highlights the impact of disease severity on gene expression, identifying specific eQTLs that interact with COVID-19 phenotypes, and provides an extensive resource for understanding gene regulation in response to the virus.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with 2,393 COVID-19 patients and 3,289 controls in Japan, identifying a specific genetic variant (rs60200309-A) on chromosome 5 linked to severe cases in individuals under 65.
- The variant is more common in East Asians and associated with reduced expression of the DOCK2 gene, which was found to be lower in severe COVID-19 cases, particularly in non-classical monocytes.
- Additionally, inhibiting DOCK2 in hamsters worsened pneumonia symptoms, indicating its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target for severe COVID-19.
Purpose: Inhaler therapy is the mainstay of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management. Poor adherence causes disease exacerbation and affects patient mortality. Although the Adherence Starts with Knowledge-20 (ASK-20) questionnaire is a reliable tool for assessing medication adherence, the relationship between the ASK-20 and clinical factors in patients with COPD remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe case involved a man in his forties. While working at the restaurant that the patient runs, the patient experienced a stab-like pain on the left shoulder and developed systemic pruritic eruptions. He was diagnosed with anaphylaxis upon visiting our emergency department.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory illness characterized by airflow limitation and chronic respiratory symptoms with a global prevalence estimated to be more than 10% in 2010 and still on the rise. Furthermore, hypercapnic subject COPD leads to an increased risk of mortality, morbidity, and poor QoL (quality of life) than normocapnic subjects. Series of studies showed the usefulness of the forced oscillation technique (FOT) to measure small airway closure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpontaneous sputum discriminates inflammatory phenotypes in patients with asthma.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol
January 2021
Background: Eosinophils in induced sputum are not only a useful biomarker for diagnosing asthma but are also associated with severe asthma. However, little is known about the association between eosinophils in spontaneous sputum and asthma severity.
Objective: To investigate whether spontaneous sputum eosinophils are related to severe asthma in adult patients with asthma.
Frail patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a higher risk of mortality, mood disorder, and poor quality of life (QOL). There are few intervention studies in frail patients with COPD, and there is a need for an effective therapy. Ninjin'yoeito (NYT) is a Kampo medicine that has been reported to improve fatigue, psychosomatic vulnerability, and respiratory symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmobilized liposome-bound cellulase (ILC) was optimally prepared for the ILC-catalyzed hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose in an external loop airlift bioreactor. The liposomes with mean diameters of 200, 100, and 50 nm were used to prepare three kinds of ILCs, i.e.
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