The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
ReviewCoagulation, Protease-Activated Receptors, and Diabetic Kidney Disease: Lessons from eNOS-Deficient Mice.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) dysfunction is known to exacerbate the progression and prognosis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). One of the mechanisms through which this is achieved is that low eNOS levels are associated with hypercoagulability, which promotes kidney injury. ⋯ Furthermore, pharmaceutical inhibition or genetic deletion of coagulation factors or PARs ameliorated inflammation in DKD in mice lacking eNOS. In this review, we summarize the relationship between eNOS, coagulation, and PARs and propose a novel therapeutic option for the management of patients with DKD.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
The Expression of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 2 Messenger RNA-Binding Protein 3 in Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and Langerhans Cell Sarcoma.
Langerhans cell neoplasms, which include Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Langerhans cell sarcoma, are tumors that originate from dendritic cells. Langerhans cell sarcoma is defined as a high-grade neoplasm with overtly malignant cytological features and the Langerhans cell-like phenotype, and generally has a poorer prognosis and more aggressive phenotype than Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Insulin-like growth factor 2 messenger RNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3 or IMP3) is an oncofetal protein that is expressed in various cancer types; its expression is often associated with a poor prognosis and aggressive phenotype. ⋯ All 4 patients with Langerhans cell sarcoma (100%) and 6 of 22 pediatric (age < 18 years) patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (27.3%) had positive results for IGF2BP3; however, 16 of 22 pediatric patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (72.7%) and all 15 adult (age ≥ 18 years) patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (100%) had a negative result. Among patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, IGF2BP3 expression was independent of sex, location, prognosis, and BRAF V600E staining results. Taken together, these results indicate that IGF2BP3 expression may be a helpful marker for distinguishing Langerhans cell sarcoma from Langerhans cell histiocytosis in adult patients.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy: Report on the First 124 Consecutive Patients Treated at Home.
North Italy emerged as an epicenter of COVID-19 in the Western world. The majority of studies of patients with COVID-19 have focused on hospitalized patients, and data on early outpatient treatment are limited. This research retrospectively examines consecutive symptomatic adults who did not present to a hospital but who experience laboratory confirmed (nasopharyngeal swabs) or probable COVID-19 infection. ⋯ Only mild side effects were reported. Early home treatment of COVID-19 patients resulted in a low hospitalization rate with no deaths, with the limitations of the small sample size and that it was conducted within a single geographic area. We believe that this model may be easily reproduced in both cities and rural areas around the world to treat COVID-19 infection.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialPretreatment with Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate May Improve Success Rates of Helicobacter pylori Eradication: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled and Open-Label Study.
Effective Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication is a major public health concern; however, eradication failure rates with the standard triple therapy remain high. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness and tolerability of ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC) pretreatment before standard triple therapy for H. pylori eradication. A prospective, randomized, controlled, and open-label clinical trial was conducted from June to December 2019. ⋯ Tolerability was excellent in both groups, recorded as 97.9% and 100% in the pretreatment and standard treatment groups, respectively. Compared with the standard triple regimen, RBC pretreatment for 2 weeks may achieve higher H. pylori eradication rates, with excellent safety and tolerability. However, this study necessitates further validation as it was discontinued early owing to the N-nitrosodimethylamine issues of ranitidine.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
Knowledge, Experience, and Perceptions of Generic Drugs among Middle-Aged Adults and their Willingness-to-Pay: A Nationwide Online Survey in Japan.
Promoting generic drugs can reduce the financial burden on patients and improve healthcare finances. The insurers have been conducting promotional efforts, such as direct-mail campaigns, but little is known about the public's perception of generic drugs and effective message strategies for promotion. In 2018, we conducted a web-based survey of middle-aged Japanese men and women that investigated: (i) their perceptions of generic drugs, (ii) the association between perceptions and willingness-to-pay for brand-name drugs relative to generic drugs, and (iii) potentially effective forms of information provision to alter individuals' perceptions. ⋯ While willingness-to-pay was dispersed among respondents, two factors were associated with small willingness-to-pay: (a) perceiving generic drugs as having the same level of efficacy and safety as brand-name drugs and (b) perceiving that promoting the use of generic drugs is important for controlling medical expenditures. Moreover, presenting potential savings over five years by choosing generic drugs was a potentially effective tool for altering perceptions, relative to showing monthly savings. Our findings suggest that certain parts of the population still have high willingness-to-pay for brand-name drugs, and strategic communication to alter perception could be effective in promoting the use of generic drugs among those who are price-inelastic.