Publications by authors named "Yoshihiro Matsukawa"
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) by assessing myocardial fibrosis using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI).
- It involved 52 women aged around 55, where 19% showed signs of myocardial fibrosis, even without any cardiac symptoms.
- The findings indicate a link between abnormal cMRI results and severe salivary gland involvement in pSS patients, suggesting potential underlying heart issues despite the absence of symptoms.
Objectives: Minodronic acid hydrate, an oral bisphosphonate, has a greater inhibitory effect on bone resorption than do other approved drugs; however, this has been studied only in patients with primary osteoporosis. Here, we administered minodronic acid hydrate to patients with steroid-induced osteoporosis who have been treated with steroids for rheumatoid arthritis or other collagen diseases, and the efficacy and safety of minodronic acid hydrate were prospectively investigated.
Methods: Twenty-five patients treated in our rheumatology clinic received minodronic acid hydrate 1 mg/day.
We report a 68-years-old woman with systemic sclerosis and interstitial pneumonia (IP). She had developed subacute progressively encephalopathy and dementia while treated with oral cyclophosphamide and prednisolone. She admitted to our hospital because of syncope.
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- - Elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) tend to have worse outcomes than younger patients even with aggressive chemotherapy.
- - A study treated 10 higher-risk MDS patients and 12 AML patients over 65 with an oral therapy using cytarabine ocfosfate and etoposide, achieving response rates of 60% and 41.7% respectively.
- - Although survival rates between MDS and AML patients were similar, responsive patients had significantly longer median survival (790 days) compared to nonresponsive patients (174 days), suggesting the therapy is promising for older higher-risk MDS patients.
Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with adalimumab.
Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective, case-control study to compare RA patients treated with adalimumab with and without PCP. Data from 17 RA patients who were diagnosed with PCP and from 89 RA patients who did not develop PCP during adalimumab treatment were collected.
Two women with rheumatoid arthritis who had experienced miscarriages became pregnant while they were under etanercept treatment. One stopped etanercept after 3 weeks with increased doses of prednisolone, and the other restarted etanercept at a half doses 3 months later. They delivered a healthy baby at full term, and no problems in both expecting mothers and babies were observed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo evaluate the influence of Helicobacter pylori and sex difference on peripheral platelet counts, dyspeptic patients without immunohaematologic disorders were evaluated. H. pylori infection was verified with the rapid urease test and serum anti-H.
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- * A study evaluated the efficacy of oral itraconazole solution (ITCZ-OS) in preventing fungal infections among 39 immunosuppressed patients, with 18 receiving the treatment and 21 not.
- * The results showed that none in the prophylactic group developed infections, while 33% of the non-prophylactic group did, indicating ITCZ-OS may be a beneficial preventative measure for these patients without significant toxicity issues.
Increases in Nonspecific Immunoglobulin E and Eosinophils after H. pylori Eradication.
Case Rep Gastroenterol
February 2010
Helicobacter pylori infection has been reported to be inversely associated with allergic disorders. We by chance experienced a patient with atrophic gastritis who presented marked elevations of both nonspecific serum immunoglobulin E and eosinophil counts after H. pylori eradication.
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- Helicobacter pylori eradication is being used as a primary treatment for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), showing long-term effectiveness, while it appears to decrease platelet counts in non-ITP patients after therapy.
- A study evaluated the platelet changes in 294 patients with Helicobacter infections who underwent eradication therapy, showing that platelet counts significantly decreased over a period of up to 3 years.
- The findings indicate a notable difference in how Helicobacter pylori affects platelet regulation in ITP versus non-ITP patients, suggesting different biological mechanisms at play.
Background: Precise mechanism of developing neuropathic arthropathy known as Charcot's joint is not fully understood.
Case Report: A 55-year-old Japanese woman with neurofibromatosis-1 complained of right gonalgia in December 2001. Physical examination revealed a huge tumor in the right lower leg without signs of inflammation.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how q-EEG changes in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with IFN-alpha relate to the severity of their liver condition as assessed by biopsies.
- A total of 102 patients had their EEGs monitored before, during, and after treatment, revealing that more severe liver damage correlates with more noticeable EEG alterations.
- The findings suggest that EEG changes should be closely monitored during treatment, especially in patients with significant liver pathology.
Article Synopsis
- Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) experience various neuropsychiatric symptoms, but existing diagnostic methods are not standardized.
- The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) proposed a new set of terms to classify neuropsychiatric lupus syndromes based on the DSM-4 guidelines to improve diagnosis and research.
- An Ad Hoc Committee reviewed 108 cases and identified 19 distinct neuropsychiatric syndromes, categorizing them into peripheral and central nervous system lupus, with specific emphasis on neurologic and psychiatric aspects.
Article Synopsis
- * A gastroduodenoscopic examination revealed white substances and granules in her stomach, but no pylorus stenosis was found.
- * The study highlights that delayed-release medications like lansoprazole may not achieve therapeutic levels quickly in elderly patients with slow gastrointestinal movement, emphasizing the importance of considering bioavailability when prescribing.
Article Synopsis
- - The study assessed the vulnerability of the central nervous system in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients through exploratory eye movement analysis and random number generation (RNG).
- - Nineteen nonpsychotic SLE patients underwent both tests more than a month after onset, revealing that their eye movement scores were similar to those of healthy individuals, while patients with a neuropsychiatric history had higher RNG scores.
- - Results indicated that exploratory eye movement analysis and RNG evaluate different aspects of brain function, highlighting the varied nature of CNS vulnerability in SLE patients.
Article Synopsis
- Discrepant results have been observed in the effects of Helicobacter pylori eradication on patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, particularly in those experiencing dyspepsia.
- Patients diagnosed with gastritis and gastric ulcer underwent a specific eradication therapy, which included multiple antibiotics and an acid reducer over a period of eight weeks, followed by an extended treatment.
- The study found that platelet counts decreased significantly in patients with both gastritis and gastric ulcer post-treatment, suggesting that eradicating Helicobacter pylori may influence conditions related to idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Article Synopsis
- - The study involves five hemodialysis patients who had anemia and low white blood cell counts, which improved after addressing their copper deficiency.
- - After correcting the deficiency, the patients needed lower doses of erythropoietin to maintain their target hematocrit levels, with three of them completely stopping rHuEPO treatment.
- - The findings suggest that copper deficiency plays a significant role in causing anemia that doesn't respond to erythropoietin in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Objective: To examine whether Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) is involved in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), we administered tetracycline antibiotics to subjects with CFS, and followed changes in clinical symptoms, PCR findings, and C. burnetii antibody titers.
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