Higher hemoglobin levels using darbepoetin alfa and kidney outcomes in advanced chronic kidney disease without diabetes: a prespecified secondary analysis of the PREDICT trial.

Background: In the primary analysis of the PREDICT trial, a higher hemoglobin target (11-13 g/dl) with darbepoetin alfa did not improve renal outcomes compared with a lower hemoglobin target (9-11 g/dl) in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) without diabetes. Prespecified secondary analyses were performed to further study the effects of targeting higher hemoglobin levels on renal outcomes.

Methods: Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 8-20 ml/min/1.

Oxygen Extraction Based on Inspiratory and Expiratory Gas Analysis Identifies Ventilatory Inefficiency in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

In contrast to cardiovascular disease, low rather than high ventilatory inefficiency, evaluated by the minute ventilation-carbon dioxide output (-)-slope, has been recognized as being related to greater disease severity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To better care for patients with cardiopulmonary disease, understanding the physiological correlation between ventilatory inefficiency and exercise limitation is necessary, but remains inadequate. Given that oxygen uptake () evaluated by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) depends on both the ventilatory capability and oxygen extraction, i.

Correcting anemia and native vitamin D supplementation in kidney transplant recipients: a multicenter, 2 × 2 factorial, open-label, randomized clinical trial.

Anemia and vitamin D deficiency are associated with allograft failure, and hence, are potential therapeutic targets among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). We conducted a multicenter, two-by-two factorial, open-label, randomized clinical trial to examine the effects of anemia correction and vitamin D supplementation on 2-year change in eGFR among KTRs (CANDLE-KIT). We enrolled 153 patients with anemia and >1-year history of transplantation across 23 facilities in Japan, and randomly assigned them to either a high or low hemoglobin target (>12.

Comparative genomic analysis of Mycobacterium intracellulare: implications for clinical taxonomic classification in pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex disease.

Background: Mycobacterium intracellulare is a representative etiological agent of emerging pulmonary M. avium-intracellulare complex disease in the industrialized countries worldwide. The recent genome sequencing of clinical strains isolated from pulmonary M.

Correction to: Reply to the letter: N-Butyl Cyanoacrylate-Lipiodol Mixture for Endovascular Purpose: Polymerization Kinetics Differences Between In Vitro and In Vivo Experiments.

We would like to correct one of the references that was listed incorrectly in our article.

Effect of cholecalciferol on serum hepcidin and parameters of anaemia and CKD-MBD among haemodialysis patients: a randomized clinical trial.

In this multicentre double-blind randomized clinical trial, we investigated the effects of oral cholecalciferol supplementation on serum hepcidin and parameters related to anaemia and CKD-MBD among haemodialysis patients. Participants were assigned in a 2:2:1:1 ratio to either (1) thrice-weekly 3,000-IU cholecalciferol, (2) once-monthly cholecalciferol (equivalent to 9,000 IU/week), (3) thrice-weekly placebo, or (4) once-monthly placebo. We also examined the effect modifications by selected single nucleotide polymorphisms in vitamin D-related genes.

Serum phosphate levels modify the impact of parathyroid hormone levels on renal outcomes in kidney transplant recipients.

Separate assessment of mineral bone disorder (MBD) parameters including calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) predict renal outcomes in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), with conflicting results. To date, data simultaneously evaluating these parameters and interwoven relations on renal outcomes are scarce. We conducted a prospective long-term follow-up cohort study included 263 KTRs with grafts functioning at least 1 year after transplantation.

Darbepoetin Alfa in Patients with Advanced CKD without Diabetes: Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Background And Objectives: Large, randomized, controlled trials targeting higher hemoglobin level with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents for Western patients with CKD showed harm. However, the effect of anemia correction using erythropoiesis-stimulating agents may differ between CKD subpopulations. The Prevention of ESKD by Darbepoetin Alfa in CKD Patients with Non-diabetic Kidney Disease study, a multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group study, aimed to examine the effect of targeting hemoglobin levels of 11-13 g/dl using darbepoetin alfa with reference to a low-hemoglobin target of 9-11 g/dl on kidney outcome in patients with advanced CKD without diabetes in Japan.

Is the Cessation of Blood Flow Faster than the Polymerization of an n-Butyl Cyanoacrylate-Lipiodol Mixture? An In Vitro Phantom Study.

Purpose: To compare the polymerization time of n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) and lipiodol mixture in a static model and a pulsating flow model simulating embolization procedure of small caliber arteries.

Materials And Methods: The polymerization time of NBCA-lipiodol mixture was measured by the morphological changes of a glue droplet in a petri dish. For the flow model, we used a 2-mm-inner-diameter polyvinyl alcohol tube connected to a pulsation pump.

Clinical Effects Of Acupuncture On The Pathophysiological Mechanism Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease During Exercise.

Purpose: Pharmacological therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation are useful for exertional dyspnoea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, several patients have no meaningful improvements. Although acupuncture significantly improves exercise intolerance and dyspnoea, the pathophysiological mechanism of these effects is unknown; therefore, we evaluated this mechanism using cardiopulmonary exercise testing in a single-arm, open experimental study.

Patients And Methods: Sixteen patients with COPD underwent acupuncture once a week for 12 weeks.

Low erythropoietin levels predict faster renal function decline in diabetic patients with anemia: a prospective cohort study.

Elevated erythropoietin (EPO) levels have been reported to predict poor survival in various populations including diabetic patients. However, data regarding its impact on renal outcomes are scarce. We conducted a single-center, prospective cohort study of 339 type 2 diabetic patients with anemia.

A phase II, open-label clinical trial on the combination therapy with medium-chain triglycerides and ghrelin in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of activated ghrelin with dietary octanoic acids or medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) administration to underweight patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Eleven severe and very severe COPD patients received a 5-day treatment with edible MCT. Sequentially, 10 patients received a 3-week combination treatment with MCT and intravenous acyl ghrelin.

Serum antibody profiles in individuals with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

One-third of the world's humans has latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), representing a large pool of potentially active TB. Recent LTBI carries a higher risk of disease progression than remote LTBI. Recent studies suggest important roles of antibodies in TB pathology, prompting us to investigate serum antibody profiles in a cohort with LTBI.

Kanagawa Investigation of the Total Check-up Data from the National database (KITCHEN): protocol for data-driven population-based repeated cross-sectional and 6-year cohort studies.

Introduction: The unmitigated incidence of cardiometabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, has gained attention in Japan. 'Big data' can be useful to clarify conflicting observations obtained from studies with small samples and about rare conditions that are often neglected. We epidemiologically address these issues using data from health check-ups conducted in Kanagawa Prefecture, the prefecture with the second largest population in Japan, in the Kanagawa Investigation of the Total Check-up Data from the National Database (KITCHEN).