The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
-
Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
Case ReportsUstekinumab as the First Biological Agent for Crohn's Disease in a 10-Year-Old Girl.
Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease is associated with growth failure due to chronic inflammation, nutrient disorder, and the side effects of drugs, such as corticosteroids. Biological agents are therapeutic drugs that significantly improve the prognosis of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The effectiveness of ustekinumab has been reported in the management of adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease. ⋯ She achieved clinical and endoscopic remission based on the weighted Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index, fecal calprotectin, and colonoscopy findings at week 75. This patient developed no adverse events, such as infusion reaction or susceptibility to infection over the 75 weeks. The use of ustekinumab as the first biological agent may be an effective and safe treatment for pediatric Crohn's disease.
-
Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
Observational StudyCharacteristics of Emergency Neurological Patients Who Were Transported by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services in Tochigi, Japan.
In Japan, reports on the association of individual characteristics, and geographical distance and time with clinical outcomes for neurological emergencies involving helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) are scarce. Using Tochigi HEMS data (2010-2018), we assessed the characteristics of 1,170 emergency neurological patients (e.g., stroke, neurotrauma, and seizure) at the base hospital, which covered 58% of all HEMS patients in the prefecture. After initial treatment in the emergency room, emergency physicians confirmed the clinical outcomes of each patient compared to those at the incident sites (recovery/non-recovery). ⋯ The incidence of stroke (aOR = 11.8, 95% CI 6.86-20.3) and neurotrauma (aOR = 4.86, 95% CI 2.78-8.51) independently predicted a poor prognosis. However, no significant association was observed with the distance from the base hospital. Therefore, in the Tochigi prefecture, geographical disparities may not affect the short-term prognosis of patients with neurological emergencies who were transported by HEMS.
-
Diamond-Blackfan anemia is a congenital bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by red blood cell (RBC) aplasia with varied malformations in infants. Elevated activity of adenosine deaminase (ADA) has been considered as a useful biomarker of Diamond-Blackfan anemia, and ADA assay has been shown to be more sensitive than genetic diagnosis. Approximately, 80% of the examined patients showed elevated ADA activity, whereas genetic tests of ribosome subunit genes identified mutations in approximately 60% of the patients. ⋯ Statistical analysis revealed that both data exhibited high similarity, upregulation in the hexokinase and pentose-phosphate pathway, and downregulation in glycolytic enzymes such as phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase, in the RBCs obtained from the subjects with Diamond-Blackfan anemia. The only discrepancy between enzyme activity and proteome data was observed in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), as increased G6PD activity showed no relation with the significant elevation in protein levels. These results suggest that our enzymatic activity data of Diamond-Blackfan anemia are universal and that the enzymatic activation of G6PD via a hitherto-unveiled mechanism is another metabolic feature of RBCs of Diamond-Blackfan anemia.
-
Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
Association between Premenstrual Symptoms and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms by COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study with Japanese High School Students.
COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented global pandemic. Premenstrual symptoms include mood-related, behavioral, and physical symptoms that are limited to the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Psychosocial stress is a risk factor for premenstrual symptoms. ⋯ Compared with 2019, PTSS groups had more severe symptoms for all symptoms except 'physical symptoms' and 'decreased social activity', and non-PTSS groups only exhibited improvements in the 'decreased social activity'. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the IES-R score was a significant exacerbation factor of the total PSQ score, along with age and menstrual pain. This study revealed the association between pandemic-associated PTSS and the severity of premenstrual symptoms.
-
Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Sep 2021
Clinical Course of Ulcerative Colitis Associated with an Age at Diagnosis: A Recent Japanese Database Survey.
The onset age of ulcerative colitis has been increasing in several countries. Furthermore, the number of elderly patients with ulcerative colitis has been increasing in an aging society. We investigated the incidence of ulcerative colitis patients in Japan using a large-scale health insurance claims database to survey the ulcerative colitis incidence ratio and the clinical characteristics in late-onset ulcerative colitis patients. ⋯ All treatments except colectomy were most frequent in the 0-19 age group; however, colectomy was most frequent in 60-75 age group. The clinical course of ulcerative colitis that developed in adults did not differ significantly in terms of medical treatment within 12 months from the onset; meanwhile, the surgery rate was high in elderly patients. It is necessary to pay close attention to future trends regarding the aging of the onset age and the treatment, especially for late-onset ulcerative colitis patients.