The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Feb 2021
Age-Specific Determinants of Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity among Male Japanese Workers.
Prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a public health challenge. Arterial stiffness is an index that indicates the risk of developing CVD. The lifestyle habits of working generations vary greatly with age; however, no study has examined the age-specific determinants of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an index of arterial stiffness. ⋯ Total physical activity was inversely associated with baPWV in the two age groups of 45-54 and 55-64 years. In conclusion, hemodynamics significantly affected baPWV across all ages, while smoking index, total physical activity, body mass index, and skeletal muscle index affected baPWV depending on the age group. Thus, age-related strategies should be established for alleviating baPWV increase.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Feb 2021
Incidence and Relapse Triggers of Childhood Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome between 2006 and 2016: A Population-Based Study in Fukushima, Japan.
Childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (NS) is defined by proteinuria and hypoproteinemia. The incidence of childhood idiopathic NS varies with age, race, residential areas, and social conditions. In Japan, its incidence was estimated to be 6.49 cases/100,000 children. ⋯ Of 507 total relapses in 115 NS children, common triggers of relapses were steroid discontinuation or reduction and infection. The average annual incidence of childhood NS based on the Fukushima population was lower than previously reported in Japan, and the annual incidence has changed over an 11-year period. These changes may be affected by social or environmental factors, including mental stress associated with lifestyle changes after the disaster.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Feb 2021
Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Based on RT-PCR Swab Tests at a Drive-Through Outpatient Clinic for COVID-19 Screening in Japan.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, we conducted drive-through nasopharyngeal swab testing for COVID-19 in Sendai city, Japan, since April 2020. All tested individuals were judged in advance by public health centers for the necessity of undergoing the test with possible contact history and/or symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. In this study, to identify the predictors of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity for more efficient and evidenced selection of suspected individuals, we enrolled 3,540 consecutive individuals, tested in the first 7 months of the testing program, with data regarding to the history of close contact with COVID-19 patients, including those involved in cluster outbreaks. ⋯ In the univariate and multivariate analyses, history of close contact with COVID-19 patients, higher age, cough symptoms, and non-native ethnicity were predictors for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity. However, the significance of age and foreign nationality disappeared or declined upon excluding the foreign students from the aforementioned largest cluster outbreak. In conclusion, a history of close contact with COVID-19 patients and the presence of cough symptoms are significant predictors of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Feb 2021
Case ReportsHemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Associated with Disseminated Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection in a Patient with Mesenteric Panniculitis.
Mesenteric panniculitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by non-specific inflammation of the adipose tissue in the mesentery. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a life-threating disease associated with aberrant macrophage overactivation, in which infections can be a leading cause in immunocompromised hosts. Here, we report a rare case of mesenteric panniculitis and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis complicated by disseminated Mycobacterium intracellulare. ⋯ Fever and pancytopenia improved in response to anti-mycobacterial chemotherapy. The present case suggests that mesenteric panniculitis could be complicated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis caused by immunosuppressive therapy-associated infections as well as underlying disease activity. In conclusion, the possibility of disseminated nontuberculous mycobacteria infection with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis should be considered if unexplained fever or hematological dyscrasia were presented in patients of mesenteric panniculitis.