Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation for treating acute asthmatic attacks in three pregnant women with dyspnea and hypoxemia.

In our case reports, we mentioned about the utility of NPPV therapy in addition to standard pharmacologic therapy for acute asthma exacerbations in pregnant women with dyspnea and hypoxemia compared with that of oxygen therapy alone. Careful patient selection and clinicians' NPPV experience are crucial in optimizing patient outcomes.

Production of RBC autoantibody mimicking anti-D specificity following transfusion in a patient with weak D Type 15.

Background: Weak D-type RBCs have fewer D epitopes, but it remains unclear whether individuals with certain types of weak D produce alloanti-D directed at D epitopes absent from the RBCs, and whether it is an alloantibody or an autoantibody. We report the first case of a patient with a weak D Type 15 who produced autoantibodies mimicking alloanti-D.

Case Report: A 52-year-old Japanese male with weak D developed anti-D 3 months after transfusion of D-negative and -positive RBCs, and the antibody persisted for 24 months with a consistently negative direct antiglobulin test.

Comparison of inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression in different airway portions and association with nitric oxide parameters from patients with asthma.

Background: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentration (FeNO) is widely used to support diagnosis and monitoring of bronchial asthma (BA). Tsoukias and George proposed a two-compartment model (2CM) for assessing the alveolar concentration of NO, referred to as CANO(2CM), while Condorelli et al proposed a model based on the trumpet shape of the airway tree and axial diffusion (TMAD), referred to as CANO(TMAD). In addition, Högman et al proposed non-linear model, referred to as CANO(non-linear).

Adiposity and risk of decline in glomerular filtration rate: meta-analysis of individual participant data in a global consortium.

Objective: To evaluate the associations between adiposity measures (body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio) with decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and with all cause mortality.

Design: Individual participant data meta-analysis.

Setting: Cohorts from 40 countries with data collected between 1970 and 2017.

Incremental Prognostic Value of Platelet Count in Patients With Acute Heart Failure - A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Acute heart failure (AHF) triggers platelet aggregation and platelet markers are associated with the severity of AHF. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of platelet count (PLT) in patients with AHF.

Methods and results: This single-center retrospective observational study analyzed 425 consecutive patients with AHF.

Kidney transplantation for treatment of end-stage kidney disease after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: case series and literature review.

Background: The safety of kidney transplantation (KT) for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for haematological disease has not been investigated thoroughly.

Methods: In this retrospective multicentre study, we investigated the clinical courses of six ESKD patients that received KT after HSCT for various haematological diseases. Data for six such patients were obtained from three institutions in our consortium.

Dialysate Calcium Concentration below 3.0 mEq/L Is Not Associated with Improved Outcomes in the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study.

Background: Abnormal chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) markers have been associated with adverse outcomes in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Dialysate calcium concentration (D-Ca) likely influences serum calcium and phosphorus levels. Optimal D-Ca level remains unclear.

Effect of Influenza Vaccine in Patients With Kidney Transplant.

Background: Among infectious diseases, influenza is the most common cause of infection in Japan and worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the effect of influenza vaccination in kidney transplantation (KTx) recipients.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the records of 98 participants who underwent KTx at our institution between March 2009 and May 2016.

Effect of Perioperative Blood Transfusions in Renal Transplant Patients.

Background: In patients eligible for organ transplantation, the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines specifically recommend avoiding red blood cell transfusions (RBCT) when possible to minimize the risk of allosensitization.

Objective: To assess the effect of perioperative RBCT on outcomes in living-related kidney transplantation (LRKT) recipients.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed 97 patients who underwent LRKT and whose data were evaluable at our institution between March 2009 and May 2016.

Usefulness of Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume to Predict Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation After Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation.

Although increasing evidence suggests that epicardial adipose tissue volume (EATV) is associated with post-ablation atrial fibrillation (AF), ranges of EATV predictive of post-ablation recurrence of AF remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated: (1) relationships between EATV and characteristics of AF, (2) impact of EATV on recurrent AF after radiofrequency ablation; , and (3) cut-off point for recurrent AF using a receiver operating characteristic curve. In 218 consecutive symptomatic patients undergoing who underwent ablation for AF (143 paroxysmal AF; 78 persistent AF), the EATV index (EATVI: EATV/body surface area, mL/m) was measured using 320-row multidetector computed tomography.

Low fasting plasma glucose level as a predictor of new-onset diabetes mellitus on a large cohort from a Japanese general population.

Although fasting plasma glucose levels <70 mg/dL are associated with a high incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), whether there is any risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus owing to fasting plasma glucose at this range has not been clarified. We measured the odds ratio (OR) of new-onset diabetes mellitus relative to fasting plasma glucose levels at various ranges in a nation-wide Japanese population with and without CVD history. Of 186,749 participants without diabetes in 2008, 171,408 had no history of CVD, while 15,341 did.

The prognostic impact of a concentric left ventricular structure evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: A retrospective study.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) wall thickening relative to the LV radius, known as a concentric LV structure, is a mechanism that compensates for pressure overload and is related to the risk of cardiovascular events and heart failure. The prognostic value of a concentric LV structure, however, has not been examined in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods: This single-center, observational, retrospective, cohort study analyzed 385 consecutive patients hospitalized due to ADHF.

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guideline for acute kidney injury 2016.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome which has a broad range of etiologic factors depending on different clinical settings. Because AKI has significant impacts on prognosis in any clinical settings, early detection and intervention are necessary to improve the outcomes of AKI patients. This clinical guideline for AKI was developed by a multidisciplinary approach with nephrology, intensive care medicine, blood purification, and pediatrics.

Salt Intake and All-Cause Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: Although some clinical practice guidelines regarding hemodialysis recommend salt restriction, few studies have examined the association between salt intake and clinical outcomes in hemodialysis patients. This study aimed to clarify the association between salt intake and mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was based on the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy renal data registry database (2008) and included 88,115 adult patients who had received hemodialysis for at least 2 years.

The Japanese clinical practice guideline for acute kidney injury 2016.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome which has a broad range of etiologic factors depending on different clinical settings. Because AKI has significant impacts on prognosis in any clinical settings, early detection and intervention is necessary to improve the outcomes of AKI patients. This clinical guideline for AKI was developed by a multidisciplinary approach with nephrology, intensive care medicine, blood purification, and pediatrics.

Dipstick proteinuria and all-cause mortality among the general population.

Background: Dipstick proteinuria, but not albuminuria, is used for general health screening in Japan. How the results of dipstick proteinuria tests correlate with mortality and, however, is not known.

Methods: Subjects were participants of the 2008 Tokutei-Kenshin (Specific Health Check and Guidance program) in six districts in Japan.

Effect of the Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume on the Prevalence of Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Although increasing evidence suggests that epicardial adipose tissue volume (EATV) is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), it is controversial whether there is a dose-response relationship of increasing EATV along the continuum of AF. We evaluated the effect of the EATV on the prevalence of paroxysmal AF (PAF) and persistent AF (PeAF) and the relationships with cardiac structure and functional remodeling.

Methods and results: Subjects who underwent multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography because of symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease were divided into sinus rhythm (SR) (n=112), PAF (n=133), and PeAF (n=71) groups.

Minimal Shortening of Leukocyte Telomere Length Across Age Groups in a Cross-Sectional Study for Carriers of a Longevity-Associated FOXO3 Allele.

FOXO3 is one of the most prominent genes demonstrating a consistently reproducible genetic association with human longevity. The mechanisms by which these individual gene variants confer greater organismal lifespan are not well understood. We assessed the effect of longevity-associated FOXO3 alleles on age-related leukocyte telomere dynamics in a cross-sectional study comprised of samples from 121 healthy Okinawan-Japanese donors aged 21-95 years.

Effect of plasma exchange on in-hospital mortality in patients with pulmonary hemorrhage secondary to antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis: A propensity-matched analysis using a nationwide administrative database.

Background: Secondary pulmonary hemorrhage increases the risk of mortality in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV); plasma exchange therapy may improve outcomes in these patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the effect of plasma exchange therapy on short-term prognoses in patients with pulmonary hemorrhage secondary to AAV.

Methods: This study utilized the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, which is a nationwide inpatient database in Japan.

Surface electromyographic evaluation of the neuromuscular activation of the inspiratory muscles during progressively increased inspiratory flow under inspiratory-resistive loading.

This study aimed to evaluate neuromuscular activation in the scalene and sternocleidomastoid muscles using surface electromyography (EMG) during progressively increased inspiratory flow, produced by increasing the respiratory rate under inspiratory-resistive loading using a mask ventilator. Moreover, we attempted to identify the EMG inflection point (EMG) on the graph, at which the root mean square (RMS) of the EMG signal values of the inspiratory muscles against the inspiratory flow velocity acceleration abruptly increases, similarly to the EMG anaerobic threshold (EMG) reported during incremental-resistive loading in other skeletal muscles. We measured neuromuscular activation of healthy male subjects and found that the inspiratory flow velocity increased by approximately 1.

Effect of pioglitazone on cardiometabolic profiles and safety in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing percutaneous coronary artery intervention: a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial.

Pioglitazone has superior antiatherosclerotic effects compared with other classes of antidiabetic agents, and there is substantial evidence that pioglitazone improves cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. However, there is also a potential risk of worsening heart failure (HF). Therefore, it is clinically important to determine whether pioglitazone is safe in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who require treatment for secondary prevention of CV disease, since they have an intrinsically higher risk of HF.

Effect of Anagliptin and Sitagliptin on Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Dyslipidemia and Cardiovascular Risk: Rationale and Study Design of the REASON Trial.

Background: Reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is important for patients with a high risk for atherosclerotic events, such as patients with diabetes and other risk factors. Anagliptin was reported to reduce LDL-C for 12 weeks in phase III trials regardless of the use of statins, but it is uncertain whether this effect is common to other dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors.

Methods: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial was conducted to confirm the superiority of anagliptin to sitagliptin in terms of the primary endpoint of reduction of LDL-C for 52 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic vascular lesions, as well as the non-inferiority of anagliptin to sitagliptin in terms of change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

Significance of Hyperuricemia among Community-Based Screening Participants.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Early detection and management of risk factors of incidence and progression of CKD are necessary. We have been studying these risk factors among community-based screening participants in Okinawa, Japan.