Publications by authors named "Yutaka Ito"

A 74-year-old woman had a lacunar infarction in the brainstem and was admitted to Takeda General Hospital for treatment. She had significant sequelae and was discharged with a Modified Rankin Scale 0. Imaging follow-up was conducted every year after discharge on an outpatient basis.

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Sensitization to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) enterotoxins (SEs) A (SEA) and B (SEB) is associated with the pathogenesis of several chronic airway diseases, including asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis, but its role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. This cohort study aimed to investigate the impact of sensitization to SEs on total IgE levels, and capsaicin cough reflex sensitivity (C-CS) in COPD.

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Background/aim: Nestin, an intermediate filament protein expressed in stem/progenitor cells of the developing central nervous system, is involved in the progression and poor prognosis of various malignancies. Difficulties in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) tissue biopsy reduce the accuracy of immunohistochemistry analyses; therefore, evaluating nestin in blood samples is preferred in clinical practice. This study examined the clinical significance of plasma nestin levels in SCLC.

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The adaptor protein human GRB2 plays crucial roles in mediating signal transduction from cell membrane receptors to RAS and its downstream proteins by recruiting SOS1. Recent studies have revealed that GRB2 also serves as a scaffold for liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) with SOS1 and transmembrane receptors, which is thought to regulate the magnitude of cell signalling pathways. In this study, we employed solution NMR spectroscopy to investigate the interactions of the full-length GRB2 with proline-rich motifs (PRMs) derived from ten potential GRB2-binding sites in SOS1, as well as a peptide from a phosphorylation site of EGFR.

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There have been no reports of the coexistence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). The first case of ABPA with comorbid GPA that developed exophthalmos is reported. A 69-year-old man was referred to our hospital for exophthalmos, fever, anorexia and weight loss.

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Deprotonation or suppression of the pa of the amino group of a lysine sidechain is a widely recognized phenomenon whereby the sidechain amino group transiently can act as a nucleophile at the active site of enzymatic reactions. However, a deprotonated lysine and its molecular interactions have not been directly experimentally detected. Here, we demonstrate a deprotonated lysine stably serving as an "acceptor" in a H-bond between the photosensor protein RcaE and its chromophore.

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  • A 76-year-old man had numbness in his left hand for 6 months, especially in the fourth and fifth fingers.
  • Doctors found a big bump on his left elbow, which turned out to be a giant cyst pressing on a nerve.
  • After surgery to remove the cyst, his numbness improved a lot the very next day!
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The etiology of sellar xanthogranuloma (SXG) remains unclear,1-5 and the surgical strategy for treating SXG is debatable. In this study, we present the surgical case of a symptomatic SXG associated with Rathke cleft cyst. The intraoperative decision to prevent postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and secure the drainage route is discussed.

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  • This study focused on patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to investigate the links between sarcopenia (muscle loss) and malnutrition over a year.
  • Researchers evaluated 64 outpatients, determining sarcopenia using specific criteria and nutritional status through serum markers.
  • Findings revealed that lower serum transthyretin levels and other factors predicted negative outcomes like hospitalizations or deaths, highlighting the importance of these measurements in managing IPF patients.
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  • A study found that pertussis (whooping cough) infection is more common in adults with asthma (36%) compared to those with chronic cough who do not have asthma (10%).
  • Asthmatic patients with pertussis had a higher rate of newly diagnosed asthma (74.4%) than those without the infection (50%).
  • Additionally, asthmatics with pertussis reported worse cough-related quality of life and higher symptoms related to acid reflux compared to those without pertussis.
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We report a case of a 69-year-old woman with pleural mesothelioma presenting in the posterior mediastinum with a maximum diameter of 25 cm. She had a chronic cough and a pleural effusion was noted on chest X-ray. The examination of the effusion showed high hyaluronic acid levels, and mesothelioma was suspected.

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Background: Dupilumab exerts clinical effects, including improved sinus opacification, olfactory function, and quality of life, in patients with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs). Meanwhile, only a few studies have reported its effects on nasal airway resistance and olfactory function, particularly in the Japanese population. Predictors of response remain unclear.

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The downstream receptor kinase (Drk), a homologue of human GRB2, participates in the signal transduction from the extracellular to the intracellular environment. Drk receives signals through the interaction of its Src homology 2 (SH2) domain with the phosphorylated tyrosine residue in the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Here, we present the solution NMR structure of the SH2 domain of Drk (Drk-SH2), which was determined in the presence of a phosphotyrosine (pY)-containing peptide derived from a receptor tyrosine kinase, Sevenless (Sev).

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Background: Neuronal dysfunction is implicated in the pathophysiology of asthma and functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the relationship between these diseases remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the clinical implications of comorbid FD in asthma and to explore the unified pathway between asthma and FD by focusing on airway neuronal dysfunction.

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  • Certain cyanobacteria can switch their light absorption between green and red, a process known as complementary chromatic acclimation.
  • This mechanism is controlled by a photosensor that toggles between two states, green-absorbing (Pg) and red-absorbing (Pr), based on light exposure.
  • The research explains the structural changes in the bilin chromophore during this switch, revealing how it affects light absorption and contributes to the diversity of the phytochrome superfamily.
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Purpose: Each institution or physician has to decide on an individual basis whether to continue or discontinue antiplatelet (AP) therapy before spinal surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine if perioperative AP continuation is safe during single-level microsurgical decompression (MSD) for treating lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and lumbar disc hernia (LDH) without selection bias.

Methods: Patients who underwent single-level MSD for LSS and LDH between April 2018 to December 2022 at our institute were included in this retrospective study.

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Background: No comprehensive analysis of the pulmonary sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan based on respiratory function tests and chest computed tomography (CT) has been reported. We evaluated post-COVID-19 conditions, especially focusing on pulmonary sequelae assessed by pulmonary function tests and chest CT.

Methods: For this prospective cohort study, we enrolled 1069 patients who presented pneumonia at the time of admission in 55 hospitals from February 2020 to September 2021.

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  • Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is a key precursor for forming aragonite crystals in shells, and the study aimed to identify proteins that bind to ACC in the shell's inner aragonite layer.
  • The analysis found that paramyosin, a major protein in the adductor muscle, strongly associates with ACC and is part of the myostracum, which helps structure the shell.
  • Notably, purified paramyosin promotes calcium carbonate accumulation and influences the formation of aragonite crystal prisms, with specific findings showing that a Glu-rich region of paramyosin binds ACC more effectively than an Asp-rich region.
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Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a well-established and definitive treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). However, complex vascular geometry and numerous offending vessels make it difficult to perform nerve decompression in certain cases. The trigeminocerebellar artery (TCA) is a unique branch of the basilar artery.

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  • Dupilumab significantly improved symptoms and measures of airway mucus hypersecretion and airway dimensions in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma over a 48-week treatment period.
  • The study included 28 adults and utilized assessments like the CASA-Q and CT scans to evaluate clinical effects.
  • Results indicated that 64% of patients showed noticeable improvement, highlighting dupilumab's effectiveness in managing asthma symptoms and airway inflammation.
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Background: Patients with acute vertebral compression fractures (aVCFs) are frequently transferred to an emergency department by ambulance. The most useful imaging modality is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); however, which patients should be prioritized for MRI evaluation may be unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma D-dimer levels as a biomarker for aVCFs.

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Objective: Whether the use of a balloon or stent in vertebroplasty for vertebral fractures, such as balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) or vertebral body stenting (VBS), actually contributes to the restoration of postoperative vertebral height is unclear. The aim of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP), BKP, and VBS in the correction of collapsed vertebrae in patients with painful vertebral fractures.

Methods: The cases studied involved 34 vertebrae in 28 patients treated with PVP, 43 vertebrae in 38 patients treated with BKP, and 20 vertebrae in 20 patients treated with VBS at Izinkai Takeda General Hospital.

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Tarlov cysts (TCs) rarely cause clinical symptoms, such as leg pain, buttock pain, and bladder/bowel dysfunction. Surgery is considered when these symptoms persist despite medical treatments. Among several surgical procedures, microsurgical wrapping (MSW) is a relatively novel, simple technique with few complications, including cerebrospinal fluid leakage.

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