Publications by authors named "Toshitaka Maeno"

BACKGROUND Most Fusobacterium necrophorum infections originate in the head and neck region. Infections originating from sites other than the head and neck are rare but are more common in older than in younger adults and have a higher mortality rate than that of infections originating from the head and neck region. CASE REPORT We present the case of a previously healthy 16-year-old female patient who developed bacteremia and pleural effusions with a burn ulcer on the lower leg but had no abnormality in the head and neck region.

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  • The study aimed to investigate variations in clinical features and B cell epitope profiles among anti-MDA5+ dermatomyositis patients from Japan and North America.
  • Using ELISA methods, researchers analyzed antibody responses in a Japanese cohort and compared those findings to an independent cohort from North America, focusing on specific MDA5 antibody subfragments.
  • Results showed distinct antibody recognition patterns between the two groups, with Japanese patients having a higher prevalence of interstitial lung disease and a significant association between certain antibody levels and rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease.
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Background: Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP) is a diffuse lung disease that causes abnormal accumulation of lipoproteins in the alveoli; however, its pathogenesis remains unclear. Recently, APAP cases have been reported during the course of dermatomyositis. The combination of these two diseases may be coincidental; however, it may have been overlooked because differentiating APAP from a flare-up of interstitial pneumonia associated with dermatomyositis is challenging.

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Background: The antifibrotic agents pirfenidone and nintedanib have been shown to be effective in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, discontinuation of antifibrotic drugs is a major clinical concern because of the lack of alternative treatment options. Therefore, we identified factors that may be useful for predicting the termination of antifibrotic agents.

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Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) provides molecular information on tumor heterogeneity. The prognostic usefulness of ctDNA after first-line epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are limited. Therefore, the present study evaluated ctDNA during osimertinib administration as a second-line or more setting to identify the relationship between EGFR mutation levels and outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

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  • Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a type of systemic vasculitis that damages small to medium-sized blood vessels and can harm various organs due to high eosinophil levels.
  • Recent treatment guidelines for active non-severe EGPA have included the use of the anti-interleukin-5 antibody mepolizumab, but its effectiveness for severe cases isn't clearly established.
  • In a case study, a patient with EGPA and a serious complication (small intestine perforation) was treated successfully with steroids, immunoglobulin therapy, and mepolizumab, leading to remission, suggesting mepolizumab could be beneficial for severe EGPA cases.
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  • * It has recently been approved in Japan for treating unresectable thymic carcinoma, although there's limited real-world evidence of its effectiveness.
  • * A case study showed that a patient with chemotherapy-resistant thymic carcinoma had a strong, 17-month response to a modified dosing schedule of lenvatinib, indicating that strategic dosing can improve outcomes.
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Introduction: Patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and idiopathic interstitial lung diseases (IIPs) are positive for myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA. MPO-ANCA-positive vasculitis mainly comprises microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and unclassifiable vasculitis. These diseases are frequently complicated by interstitial lung disease (ILD).

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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors are standard therapeutic agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with major EGFR mutations such as exon 19 deletions and a L858R mutation, whereas treatment strategies for cases with uncommon EGFR mutations remain to be fully established. Here, we report a long-term (≥20 years from initial diagnosis) NSCLC survivor carrying EGFR L858R and L747V mutations. The patient received gefitinib monotherapy, systemic chemotherapy/chemoimmunotherapy, and local consolidative therapies for oligometastatic lesions, and responded to afatinib rechallenge with a progression-free survival of 12 months.

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  • * 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.
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  • 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.
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Diseases caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection in the lungs are increasing worldwide. The recurrence rate of MAC-pulmonary disease (PD) has been reported to be as high as 25-45%. A significant percentage of recurrences occurs because of reinfection with a new genotype from the environment.

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  • - The study investigates the relationship between sarcoidosis and tumor development, analyzing data from 312 cases of sarcoidosis and noting 25 patients who were diagnosed with malignant tumors after their sarcoidosis diagnosis.
  • - Analysts found that some markers related to sarcoidosis activity, such as serum angiotensin I-converting enzyme levels and mediastinal lymph node size, decreased at the time of malignant tumor diagnosis, suggesting a potential link between decreasing sarcoidosis activity and tumor development.
  • - Patients with a history of malignant tumors tended to be older and exhibited less severe cases of sarcoidosis, indicating that prior tumors may impact the progression and treatment of the disease, particularly regarding the use of corticosteroid therapy.
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  • - Sarcoidosis, a disease causing granuloma formation in various organs like the lungs, is diagnosed mainly through clinicopathologic findings with traditional markers being ACE and sIL-2R, though new specific markers are needed.
  • - This study found that serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels are elevated in sarcoidosis patients and correlate positively with ACE and sIL-2R levels, with the best diagnostic sensitivity achieved when combining NSE with these traditional markers.
  • - Elevated serum NSE not only differentiates sarcoidosis from small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and other benign conditions but also reflects disease activity and treatment response, showing potential as a marker for diagnosis and monitoring of sarcoidosis.
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  • Obesity is linked to worse outcomes in patients with anti-ARS antibody-related interstitial lung disease (ILD), as it affects lung function and increases disease relapse rates.
  • A study involving 58 patients found that obese individuals had lower lung diffusing capacity and higher fat deposits compared to nonobese patients.
  • The research highlights the importance of measuring chest fat using CT scans to predict ILD relapses, particularly noting that higher levels of certain fat types correlate with increased disease severity.
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Introduction: This study aimed to assess the utility of quantitative high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) for determining the clinical course of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease (MDA5 ILD).

Method: This study retrospectively analyzed the data of 34 patients with MDA5 ILD to determine the association between the clinical findings and extent of ILD via quantitative CT analysis at baseline and short-term follow-up. Quantified HRCT scores were evaluated as the lung severity score (LSS), percentage of opacity, and percentage of high opacity.

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  • * A study compared the treatment continuity of two antifibrotic drugs, pirfenidone and nintedanib, in 261 IPF patients, concluding that although both groups had similar overall treatment discontinuation rates, nintedanib was linked to a higher discontinuation rate due to adverse events within the first year (76% vs. 37%).
  • * The findings suggest that while both drugs have their challenges, better management of side effects in nintedanib can lead to longer treatment durations, helping to prevent disease worsening
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Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a risk factor both for the development and treatment failure of lung cancer. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the outcome of carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) in 124 patients with clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), of whom 26 (21%) had radiological signs of pre-existing ILD. ILD was diagnosed retrospectively by a pulmonologist based on critical review of CT-scans.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic since its discovery in December 2019, and as the disease continues to evolve, varying complications associated with it continue to arise. In this regard, computed tomography has played an extremely important role in the diagnosis and evaluation of COVID-19 pneumonia and its complications. We encountered a case of a male patient with neurofibromatosis (type I) who developed concurrent pneumothorax and pleural effusion during his recovery period from severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

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Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis (AAV) occurs in elderly people, and patients with anti-myeloperoxidase autoantibodies (MPO-ANCA)-positive AAV are often complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD). This study aimed to evaluate the age-related clinical features of elderly patients with MPO-ANCA-positive AAV-ILD. This study retrospectively investigated 63 patients with MPO-ANCA-positive AAV-ILD, all of whom were 65 years or older at diagnosis.

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Lipid-rich macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions are thought to be derived from myeloid and vascular smooth muscle cells. A series of studies with genetic and pharmacological inhibition of fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and FABP5 and bone marrow transplant experiments with FABP4/5 deficient cells in mice have demonstrated that these play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. However, it is still uncertain about the differential cell-type specificity and distribution between FABP4- and FABP5-expressing cells in early- and late-stage atherosclerotic lesions.

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A 67-year-old man with stage IV B lung adenocarcinoma was treated with pembrolizumab. The patient was admitted to the hospital because of influenza on the day of the second cycle of pembrolizumab treatment. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and was treated with antiviral drugs and steroids.

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Although a variety of existing drugs are being tested for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), no efficacious treatment has been found so far, particularly for severe cases. We report successful recovery in an elderly patient with severe pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Despite administration of multiple antiviral drugs, including lopinavir/ritonavir, chloroquine, and favipiravir, the patient's condition did not improve.

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  • Cigarette smoke increases the modification of surfactant protein D (SP-D) through acrolein, impairing its role in the lung's innate immune response.* -
  • Researchers found aldehyde-modified SP-D in mice lungs after one week of cigarette smoke exposure, impacting its structure and function.* -
  • The study indicates that structural changes in SP-D lead to reduced ability to fight bacteria and activate immune cells, suggesting cigarette smoke compromises lung immunity.*
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