Internal medicine
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Although metabolic syndrome (MS) is considered to be a predictor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, its value for predicting diabetes beyond the levels of fasting glucose (FG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) remains questionable. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of MS and Japanese MS (JMS) as predictors of diabetes. ⋯ MS and JMS were found to be poor predictors of diabetes in a Japanese health screening population.
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Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory disease that affects the optic nerve and spinal cord. Optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive myelitis associated with systemic autoimmune disease have been recently defined as NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD). In this study, we report the efficacy of intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) therapy for NMOSD. ⋯ This study, despite its retrospective design, demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of IVCY for NMOSD in both the acute and chronic phases of the disease and determined the IVCY dosage for Japanese women with NMOSD. Additionally, this study provided evidence that for NMOSD patients with severe disabilities, IVCY added to IVMP and PP may be a useful therapeutic modality.