Publications by authors named "Yoshiko Kichikawa"
Article Synopsis
- A clinical trial investigated the use of inhaled granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), specifically sargramostim, as a treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia in hospitalized patients, comparing its effects against a placebo.
- The study involved 75 patients and measured improvements over 5 days, finding no significant difference in overall recovery or oxygenation levels between the sargramostim and placebo groups, except for the serum marker CCL17.
- However, lower doses of concurrent corticosteroids appeared to enhance the benefits of sargramostim, suggesting it may be more effective with controlled steroid use, while adverse events were similar between both treatment groups.
Nelfinavir, an orally administered inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus protease, inhibits the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) . We conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of nelfinavir in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We included unvaccinated asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic adult patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection within 3 days before enrollment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Aspiration pneumonia is becoming a common syndrome in the elderly in aging societies such as Japan. Although a number of tools have been validated for prediction of mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia, none have been established for aspiration pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to access the correlations of the A-DROP, CURB-65 and SMART-COP scores at the emergency visit with the 30-day mortality risk in patients with aspiration pneumonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In vitro drug screening studies have indicated that camostat mesilate (FOY-305) may prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection into human airway epithelial cells. This study was conducted to investigate whether camostat mesilate is an effective treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19).
Methods: This was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study.
Article Synopsis
- Essential oils, extracted from plants, are popularly used in aromatherapy but can cause skin allergies and irritation.
- A case study involves a Japanese woman who developed symptoms like cough, dyspnea, and fever after using essential oils for two weeks.
- She was diagnosed with acute eosinophilic pneumonia due to inhaling the oil, and her condition improved after receiving steroid treatment, highlighting a rare but serious risk of aromatherapy.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of a novel test kit that could theoretically detect all serogroups of Legionella pneumophila for diagnosing Legionella pneumonia, in comparison with existing kits.
Methods: This study was conducted in 16 hospitals in Japan from April 2016 to December 2018. Three urinary antigen test kits were used: the novel kit (LAC-116), BinaxNOW Legionella (Binax), and Q-line Kyokutou Legionella (Q-line).
Purpose: In a substantial population of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), expression and activation of EGF receptor (EGFR) have been reported and is regarded as a novel molecular target. A growing body of evidence has shown the signaling crosstalk between EGFR and integrins in cellular migration and invasion. NEDD9 is an integrin signaling adaptor protein composed of multiple domains serving as substrate for a variety of tyrosine kinases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The value of measuring procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the value of PCT as a marker for microbial etiology and a predictor of outcome in CAP patients.
Methods: A single-center observational study was conducted with CAP patients.
Background: Recent studies suggested that administration of corticosteroids may improve clinical outcomes in patients with severe pneumonia.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of corticosteroids as an adjunctive therapy in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospitalization.
Design And Setting: An open label, prospective, randomized control study was conducted from September 2003 to February 2004 in a community general hospital in Japan.
A 28-year-old man complaining of cough and fever was hospitalized because of bilateral diffuse granular lung shadows. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis was diagnosed based on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB). Since antigen avoidance alone was not effective, steroid pulse therapy was started, and his symptoms and chest X-ray findings improved.
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