Publications by authors named "Yutaka Kato"

We investigated whether magnetic resonance imaging can visualize the distribution in the vitreous cavity via eye drops of ophthalmic solutions, gadolinium-based contrast agent, and O-water, and to clarify the usefulness of ultra-heavily T2-weighted sequences in the research of intraocular distribution. Five different solutions (V-ROHTO, TRAVATANZ, gadobutrol, HO, and saline) were administered to excised pig eye specimens. The samples were scanned using T1 mapping, T2 mapping, 3D T2-weighted (echo times (TE): 500, 3200, and 4500 ms), a half-Fourier single-shot turbo-spin echo sequence (HASTE; TE: 440 and 3000 ms), and 3D-real inversion-recovery before eye drops administration.

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Aims: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a brain disorder characterized by psychotic symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. Recently, irregularities in sharp-wave ripples (SPW-Rs) have been reported in SZ. As SPW-Rs play a critical role in memory, their irregularities can cause psychotic symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in patients with SZ.

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Purpose: To assess the changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) after intravitreal aflibercept injections in Japanese patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) complicated by glaucoma.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 27 eyes of 25 Japanese patients diagnosed with nAMD complicated by glaucoma.

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Background: Currently, the standard curative treatment for ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) is radiofrequency catheter ablation. However, when the VT circuit is deep in the myocardium, the catheter may not be delivered, and a new, minimally invasive treatment using different energies is desired.

Methods: This is a protocol paper for a feasibility study designed to provide stereotactic radiotherapy for refractory VT not cured by catheter ablation after at least one catheter ablation.

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Achaete-scute family bHLH transcription factor 2 (ASCL2) is highly expressed in hepatoblastoma (HB) tissues, but its role remains unclear. Thus, biological changes in the HB cell line HepG2 in response to induced ASCL2 expression were assessed. ASCL2 expression was induced in HepG2 cells using the Tet-On 3G system, which includes doxycycline.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sixty-seven patients, primarily older women, were examined to study complement activation products (CAPs) in tear fluid related to dry eye (DE) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
  • Patients were categorized into four groups based on the presence or absence of DE and MGD, showing varying levels of the CAPs C3a and C5a in their tear samples.
  • Findings indicated that higher concentrations of C3a and C5a were found in groups with either DE or MGD, suggesting a link between the innate immune system and the development of these conditions in older patients.
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Prostatic urethra identification is crucial in prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to reduce the risk of urinary toxicity. Although computed tomography (CT) with a catheter is commonly employed, it is invasive, and catheter placement may displace the urethral position, resulting in possible planning inaccuracies. However, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can overcome these weaknesses.

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This study presents two cases of tumors in contact with the inferior vena cava during radiotherapy, and introduces a clinically useful technique for identifying tumor boundaries adjacent to blood vessels by adjusting the position of the field-of-view (FOV) to enhance the inflow effect in magnetic resonance imaging. We named this technique "Shifting-FOV." This method consists of three steps: (1) remove the upper and lower saturation pulses outside the FOV, (2) align the FOV to position the lower edge of the imaging slab as close to the tumor as possible, and (3) manually adjust the table position to locate the tumor at the center of the magnetic field.

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Purpose: In order to prevent magnetic materials from being brought into the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination room, many facilities have metal detectors, etc., but there are various types of equipment with different performance and characteristics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate each detector in actual clinical practice.

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Purpose: Due to technological advancements, surgical invasiveness has been reduced. However, cataract surgery has been implicated in causing postoperative inflammation, including dry eye syndrome. The innate immune system may be involved in postoperative inflammation, and complement activation could potentially play a crucial role in defense against pathogens, homeostasis, and wound healing.

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Neuroblastoma (NB) is a neural crest-derived malignant tumor which is diagnosed during infancy in approximately 40% of cases; spontaneous regressions are observed, but there are varying degrees of severity. Treatment is indicated if an infant's condition is at risk of deterioration. Herein, we report the case of a 42-day-old boy who presented with hepatomegaly and was diagnosed with stage MS NB.

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The patient, a 56-year-old lady, also exhibited numerous lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, hyperleukocytosis (167,200/µl, aberrant lymphocytes 91.5%), and fever. A lymph node biopsy revealed follicular lymphoma (FL), grade 1.

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Purpose: We examined the effect of ranibizumab with or without laser photocoagulation on retinal sensitivity in eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion.

Methods: Prospective randomized control study. Thirty patients with branch retinal vein occlusion received intravitreal injection of ranibizumab in a monthly pro re nata regimen.

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We evaluated the inner ear distribution of O-labeled saline administered to the human tympanic cavity. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed after intratympanic administration in five healthy volunteers and one patient with cochlear endolymphatic hydrops. In all volunteers, O-labeled water permeated the cochlear basal turn and vestibule at 30 min and disappeared gradually within 2-4 h.

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Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a common and morbid complication of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). Because DIC with STSS progresses rapidly, prompt and proper care is critical. The present report describes the case of a 10-year-old boy who survived STSS with DIC without sequelae after treatment with combination anticoagulant therapy of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rhTM) and danaparoid.

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Purpose: To investigate the association of risk alleles in complement factor H (CFH) and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) with complement activation products in the aqueous humor in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) including polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP), and pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV).

Design: Prospective, comparative, observational study.

Participants: Treatment-naïve patients with nAMD and cataract patients as controls.

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We created three types of vessel models: vessel volume, surface, and line models from swept-source optical coherence tomography images and tested experimentally calculated three-dimensional (3D) biomarkers. The choroidal volume (CVolume), surface area (VSurface), and vessel length-associated index (VLI) were measured. The calculated 3D parameters were the mean choroidal thickness, choroidal vascularity index (CVI), vessel length density index (VLDI), vessel length to the stromal (VL-S) ratio, surface-to-volume ratio (S-V ratio), and vessel diameter index (VDI).

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now essential in stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) planning for brain tumors because of its excellence in soft-tissue contrast and high spatial resolution. However, MRI distortion is sometimes difficult to recognize, and it may cause large misalignments in radiotherapy planning. In this case report, we will show how much difference in the dose distribution of SRT can be made by using MRI without distortion correction.

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Purpose: To determine whether T2-contrast enhancement techniques can be used to diagnose endolymphatic hydrops, we compared fluid signal artifacts with and without T2-contrast enhancement techniques in 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3D-FLAIR).

Methods: We prepared a custom-made phantom consisting of eight tubes half-filled with saline. Images were obtained using four 3D-FLAIR: without T2-contrast enhancement (Normal), with non-selective T2-inversion recovery (T2-IR), and two with non-selective T2 preparation IR (T2-prep).

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Aims: Schizophrenia (SZ) is characterized by psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairment, and is hypothesized to be a 'dysconnection' syndrome due to abnormal neural network formation. Although numerous studies have helped elucidate the pathophysiology of SZ, many aspects of the mechanism underlying psychotic symptoms remain unknown. This study used graph theory analysis to evaluate the characteristics of the resting-state network (RSN) in terms of microscale and macroscale indices, and to identify candidates as potential biomarkers of SZ.

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We propose two methods to evaluate system-related distortion in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation therapy treatment planning (RTP) and demonstrate the importance of three-dimensional (3D) distortion correction (DC) by quantitatively measuring the distortion magnitude. First, a small pin phantom was scanned at multiple positions using an external laser guide for accurate phantom placement and combined into one image encompassing a large area. Direct plane images were used for evaluating in-plane distortion and multiplanar reconstruction images for through-plane distortion with no DC, two-dimensional (2D) DC, and 3D DC.

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Ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced (UF-DCE) MRI is a new approach to capture kinetic information in the very early post-contrast period with high temporal resolution while keeping reasonable spatial resolution. The detailed timing and shape of the upslope in the time-intensity curve are analyzed. New kinetic parameters obtained from UF-DCE MRI are useful in differentiating malignant from benign lesions and in evaluating prognostic markers of the breast cancers.

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Purpose: Gold fiducial markers are used to guide liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and are hard to detect by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this study, the parameters of the three-dimensional T1-weighted turbo gradient-echo (3D T1W-GRE) sequence were optimized for gold marker detection without degrading tumor delineation.

Methods: Custom-made phantoms mimicking tumor and normal liver parenchyma were prepared and embedded with a gold marker.

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Objective: Superior petrosal sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (SPS-DAVF) is a rare subtype of intracranial DAVF that sometimes leads to hemorrhagic symptoms following deep venous drainage. Here we report the case of SPS-DAVF with retrograde venous reflux to the cerebellar vein. Preoperative contrast-enhanced MRI was a decisive factor in a safe and effective treatment.

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