Publications by authors named "Toshiyuki Koya"
Article Synopsis
- Researchers are investigating the use of biologics to achieve clinical remission (CR) for patients with severe asthma, integrating CT scans and blood biomarkers to enhance criteria for remission and predict long-term disease stability.
- A multicenter study in Japan will follow patients starting biologic treatment for 3 years, assessing various health metrics and patient feedback at multiple time points to compare CR rates and identify factors linked to sustained disease stability.
- The study aims to refine CR criteria and improve understanding of structural and biological remission for better management of severe asthma, with ethical approval secured and trial registered.
Article Synopsis
- Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) shows promise as an allergen immunotherapy method, particularly in treating allergic airway inflammation.
- The study found that SLIT applied prophylactically (before allergen exposure) was more effective than therapeutically (after exposure), providing longer-lasting immune tolerance.
- Analysis through single-cell RNA sequencing indicated a greater expansion of induced T regulatory cells in the prophylactic model, suggesting that preventive SLIT may be more effective in offering protection against allergens.
Article Synopsis
- Aspergillus-specific antibodies are used to diagnose allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), but tests for these were not commonly used in Japan.
- A study evaluated 64 patients with suspected ABPA and CPA using two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to measure serum Aspergillus IgG levels.
- Results showed that both the Bordier and Bio-Rad kits had high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing CPA and ABPA, making them good alternatives to the discontinued precipitin test in clinical settings in Japan.
Article Synopsis
- - Dysfunctional breathing (DB) is a commonly overlooked issue in asthma patients in Japan, prompting a study to understand its clinical characteristics through a questionnaire survey conducted in three regions (Niigata, Kumamoto, and Tokyo) between September and November 2021.
- - The survey involved 2,087 asthma patients, with 217 classified as having DB based on their Nijmegen questionnaire scores; significant differences emerged between DB and non-DB groups concerning factors like sex, disease duration, asthma control, and mental health.
- - Results indicated that asthma patients with DB often experienced symptoms of depression and had poorly controlled asthma, highlighting a need for larger studies to further explore these findings and potential interventions.
Article Synopsis
- * After starting treatment with oral prednisolone and tacrolimus, she developed a severe headache and was found to have posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) based on brain imaging.
- * Tacrolimus was stopped, and mycophenolate mofetil was introduced, leading to a positive outcome, suggesting it as an alternative for treating anti-MDA-5-positive interstitial lung disease when calcineurin inhibitors are unsuitable.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the connection between iron metabolism and infectious diseases, particularly in adult patients with bloodstream infections, to improve diagnosis and treatment amid rising antibiotic resistance.
- It analyzed blood samples from 48 patients, noting that during acute infections, levels of hepcidin and lipocalin-2 (LCN2) surged, while iron levels dropped significantly in 95.8% of cases.
- Findings revealed that elevated hepcidin contributes to low iron availability, potentially hindering pathogens' ability to acquire iron, while LCN2 also plays a role in blocking this process during the acute phase of sepsis.
Variation of respiratory and pulse events in multiple system atrophy.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord
October 2023
Introduction: A study is eagerly awaited that will reveal the unknown mechanisms of multiple system atrophy (MSA), in which the risk of sudden death is the greatest during sleep. The blunted pulse response to nocturnal respiratory events suggests an abnormal cardiac response to a sleep-related breathing disorder. Patients with MSA have a lower pulse event index (PEI), despite a greater hypoxic burden and a similar frequency of respiratory events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Treatment patterns and patient characteristics are not well elucidated among Japanese patients with severe uncontrolled asthma who currently have various treatment options, including biologics. We analyzed baseline characteristics of patients who did/did not initiate biologic treatment in PROSPECT, a 24-month observational study.
Patients And Methods: Patients with severe uncontrolled asthma were prospectively enrolled at 34 sites in Japan from December 2019 to September 2021.
Effect of Benralizumab on Mucus Plugs in Severe Eosinophilic Asthma.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol
August 2023
Article Synopsis
- Mucus plugs are linked to airway obstruction in severe asthma, and the study investigates the impact of benralizumab, an anti-interleukin-5 receptor antibody, on these plugs using CT imaging.
- In a study involving 12 asthma patients, researchers found that the number of mucus plugs significantly decreased after 4 months of benralizumab treatment, correlating with improved asthma symptoms and lung function.
- The results indicate that benralizumab might enhance respiratory health and quality of life in severe eosinophilic asthma patients by effectively reducing mucus plugs and related eosinophil levels.
Background: Chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) comorbidities. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease is higher in patients with OSA than the general population, and renal function decline is well correlated with renal tubular injury. However, little is known about the impact of OSA-induced chronic IH on the renal tubules.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNasal breathing disorders are associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome and influence the availability of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. However, information is scarce about the impact of nasal resistance assessed by rhinomanometry on CPAP therapy. This study aimed to examine the relationship between CPAP adherence and nasal resistance evaluated by rhinomanometry, and to identify clinical findings that can affect adherence to CPAP therapy for patients with OSA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Benralizumab is an antibody treatment for severe asthma that aims to improve symptoms and reduce flare-ups by targeting interleukin-5 receptors.
- A study on 11 patients revealed that those treated with benralizumab experienced significant improvements in asthma control, quality of life, and reduced exacerbations.
- CT imaging showed decreased airway wall thickness and increased total airway count, suggesting benralizumab effectively reduces airway obstruction and enhances lung ventilation.
Introduction: This study aimed to examine the factors associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia and the time of onset of CMV antigenemia among patients with rheumatic diseases.
Methods: A single-center, retrospective, observational study was conducted in our institution from January 2009 to December 2017. This study included patients with rheumatic diseases who had at least one CMV antigen measurement.
Prognostic significance of procalcitonin in small cell lung cancer.
Transl Lung Cancer Res
January 2022
Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a serological marker whose utility has been established in infectious disease areas. Although serum calcitonin is a prognostic predictor in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma, the clinical usefulness of PCT remains unclear in lung cancer patients.
Methods: As a discovery cohort, we retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) who received first-line chemotherapy at our institution, and PCT blood levels were measured.
Lymphodepleting cytotoxic regimens enhance the antitumor effects of adoptively transferred effector and naïve T cells. Although the mechanisms of antitumor immunity augmentation by lymphodepletion have been intensively investigated, the effects of lymphodepletion followed by T cell transfer on immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment remain unclear. The current study demonstrated that the expression of immune checkpoint molecules on transferred donor CD4 and CD8 T cells was significantly decreased in lymphodepleted tumor-bearing mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Psychological disorders, such as depression, are markedly prevalent in patients with airway diseases. In this study, we assessed the effect of treatment with dupilumab, an IL-4 receptor α chain antibody, on depressive symptoms in a cohort of patients with asthma with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS).
Methods: The study participants, diagnosed with asthma and ECRS, were assessed for symptoms and quality of life (QOL) scores for asthma and ECRS and medications.
Objectives: Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been shown to improve overall survival (OS) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, ICIs sometimes cause various types of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which lead to the interruption of ICI treatment. This study aims to evaluate the clinical significance of the continuation of ICIs in NSCLC patients with irAEs and to assess the safety and efficacy of the readministration of ICIs after their discontinuation due to irAEs.
Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with advanced NSCLC who were treated with first- to third-line anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) therapy from January 2016 through October 2017 at multiple institutions belonging to the Niigata Lung Cancer Treatment Group.
Article Synopsis
- Different (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) measurement kits have unique methods and cut-off values, and there's a need to compare their effectiveness in diagnosing invasive fungal infections (IFIs).
- The study evaluated BDG levels from clinical samples using five different kits, including a new ecologically friendly Wako-Eu kit.
- The results revealed that while most kits had high specificity and similar performance, the Wako and Wako-Eu kits had fewer false positives, making them preferable for positive predictive value in diagnosing IFIs.
Background: Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ICIs may cause interstitial lung disease (ILD), which results in treatment discontinuation and is sometimes fatal. Despite the high incidence of ICI-related ILD, there are few cancer treatment options for patients. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of subsequent systemic cancer therapy in NSCLC patients with ICI-related ILD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A 70-year-old man with a history of asthma and chronic sinusitis presented with severe symptoms including fever, limb numbness, blood in urine, and gastrointestinal bleeding, alongside abnormal blood results indicating eosinophilia and elevated IgG4 levels.
- Diagnostic procedures showed significant airway lesions and inflammation, leading to a diagnosis of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), and the patient was initially treated with steroids, which improved his condition.
- However, after 18 months, the patient's symptoms and eosinophil levels worsened, prompting treatment with an anti-IL-5 antibody (mepolizumab), which successfully normalized his blood results and alleviated symptoms, highlighting the
An outbreak of serotype 19A pneumococcal pneumonia in a relief facility in Japan.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
December 2022
An outbreak of serotype 19A occurred among the residents of a relief facility. Pneumonia developed in 5 of 99 residents (attack rate, 5.1%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 31-year-old woman who was clinically diagnosed with Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) in childhood was admitted with complaints of dyspnea. She had hypercapnic respiratory failure accompanied by nocturnal hypoventilation. Computed tomography revealed systemic muscle atrophy and superior mesenteric artery syndrome; however, the bilateral lung fields were normal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe herein report the case of a 20 year-old-man who developed bronchiolitis obliterans after living-donor renal transplantation. The patient presented with dyspnea on exertion and wheezing two years after renal transplantation, and spirometry showed an obstructive pattern. Surgical lung biopsy revealed subepithelial fibrosis that constricted and obstructed the intrabronchiolar space.
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