Osaka City Medical Journal

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be involved in multiple diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive disease in which alveolar apoptosis may play a role. We hypothesized that miRNAs are associated with the response to injury. induced by high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a cytokine crucial for the development of COPD, and studied the potential link between HMGB1 and miRNAs. Materials and Methods: A549 cells were stimulated with recombinant HMGB1...

Background: Tolvaptan is an orally administered selective vasopressin 2 receptor antagonist that promotes aquaresis. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tolvaptan on management of systemic fluid balance after cardiovascular surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass. . Methods: Sixty-four patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass in our hospital were enrolled for this prospective, randomized study. These patients were divided into three groups: tolvaptan 15 mg+furosemide 20 mg (TH group), tolvaptan 7...

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have varied comorbidities. With regard to comorbidity, there has been increasing interest in bipolar disorder (BP) in children. However, the prevalence of BP with ASD has varied because of the methodological differences used. Therefore the adequate criteria for determining BP in children are still debated. The purpose of this study is to identify reliable prevalence of BP and to evaluate a variety of subclinical BP symptoms in children with ASD...

Background Cardioembolic stroke (CE) is usually associated with a larger ischemic area leading to higher morbidity and mortality rates. No biomarkers for CE are available, which causes difficulty in differential diagnosis of CE from other subtypes of acute ischemic stroke. Methods: We prospectively evaluated consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke to identify biomarkers that could distinguish between CE and other subtypes of acute ischemic stroke. Etiological diagnoses were identified according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) 111 classification using clinical examinations, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cardiac evaluations, and other tests...

BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental disease with a high mortality rate, and progresses to a serious state, even in males; however the characteristics of male AN patients, including the sex ratio in Japan and the consultation behavior, have not yet been clarified. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of Japanese male AN patients, with the aim of achieving early interventions. METHODS: A total of 2015 AN patients, 60 males and 1955 females, were extracted from 4606 eating disorder patients who consulted Osaka City University Hospital for 34...

Background: Although sex hormones are thought to play an important role in the carcinogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in never-smokers, the causative mechanism remains unknown. Passive smoking (PS) is common among East Asian women and has been suggested to be a potential cause of the disease. Methods: We systematically evaluated the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), the prevalence of PS, and genetic mutations using tumor samples from a prospectively registered cohort of never-smokers with lung cancer...

Background: Mitochondrial myopathy, Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, Stroke-like episodes/Leigh overlap syndrome (MELAS) is caused by defects in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It is still largely unknown how these mitochondrial respiratory chain defects affect cellular metabolisms and lead to variable clinical phenotypes. Here, we analyzed metabolic signatures in a cellular model of MELAS/ Leigh overlap syndrome using untargeted gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS)...

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients frequently show depressive symptoms, yet the pathological background remains unclear. The voxel-based specific regional analysis system for AD (VSRAD) allows quantification of atrophy in the medial temporal structures. We measured the degree of parahippocampal atrophy in AD patients using VSRAD, and investigated the association between imaging analysis results and the severity of depressive symptoms. Methods Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted in 39 AD outpatients, and all MRI data were analyzed using VSRAD...

Background Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a marker that reflects the overall stiffness of the aorta, femoral artery, and tibial artery. Several previous reports have shown the usefulness of CAVI for coronary artery disease (CAD) presence and severity. According to coronary angiography (CAG) and intracoronary imaging such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), coronary plaque burden and morphology as predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were previously evaluated. The aim of our study was to assess the correlation between CAVI value and Gensini's score for the coronary plaque burden as well as CAVI value and plaque morphology by using OCT...

Background Although night shift is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the underlying mechanisms have not been understood. Nocturnal blood pressure (BP) and increased BP variability are associated with CVD. However, little is known regarding the impact of night shift on nocturnal BP variables. Methods The study population consisted of 30 healthy female medical shift workers (mean age, 28±6 years) with flexible blood vessels (mean cardio-ankle vascular index, 5.8±0.9). Nocturnal BP variables were measured after day and night shifts using a home BP monitoring device...

Background In Japan, four neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are currently prescribed to patients with influenza A and B. To know the backgrounds and clinical courses of patients with influenza who were treated with NAIs is important in the selection of appropriate medications. Methods We conducted a multicenter observational study in Osaka with postcard questionnaires. Patients who were prescribed NAIs were provided postcard questionnaires containing questions on their backgrounds, body temperatures, and durations of other influenza symptoms...

Background Delirium is the most frequent psychiatric syndrome in patients with advanced cancer, but its management is complicated by its multifactorial pathology. In this study, we investigated the association of the clinical subtypes, possible etiologies, and reversibility of delirium in patients having cancer with risperidone monotherapy. Methods This study included 16 inpatients with advanced cancer who were consecutively referred to psychiatric consultation service or palliative care team and were diagnosed with delirium by a psychiatrist...

Background This study evaluated the clinical significance of perioperative levels of plasma blood coagulation factor XlII in patients undergoing pulmonary resection. Methods The study involved 27 patients with ≥2day prolonged air leakage after pulmonary resection. The 27 pulmonary resection procedures comprised 25 lobectomies, 1 segmentectomy, and 1 partial resection. The preoperative and 5-day postoperative blood coagulation factor XIII levels were measured. Results Perioperative changes in the blood coagulation factor XlII levels showed no significant correlation with the preoperative hemoglobin Aic levels...

Background To effectively detect surgical patients carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a pediatric ward, we investigated who should be tested through bacteriological surveillance on admission. Methods In 1124 patients, bacteriological examination of throat swabs and stool samples was performed within 48 hours after admission. The relations between carrier rate (CR) of MRSA and a history of hospitalization, neurological disorder (ND), and age group were retrospectively investigated...

A 63-year-old Japanese woman with a history of pemphigus was referred to us for abnormal findings of dynamic abdominal CT where three aneurysms of splenic artery and pancreaticoduodenal artery, celiac axis compression, and gall stone. Superior mesenteric artery supplied hepatic arterial flow via pancreaticoduodenal artery. Avoiding transarterial embolization to prompt arterial ischemia of liver/pancreas head/duodenum, she laparotomically underwent cholecystectomy, splenectomy, transection of median arcurate ligament, and ligation of splenic and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery all at once...

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT)-guided needle biopsy is a well-established and dependable procedure for the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions. Some tissue biopsy samples have loose cohesion and disintegrate into tiny pieces before formalin fixation. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between the fresh macroscopic appearance of samples obtained using CT-guided needle biopsy and the clinicopathological features of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A total of 111 patients who underwent CT-guided lung needle biopsy at Osaka City University Hospital between May 2009 and May 2013 were enrolled...

BACKGROUND: Aggression in the workplace is increasingly recognized as a serious problem, but there are few studies about worker aggression toward outsiders in the workplace. We investigated the association between aggression and occupational stress among teachers. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 1583 teachers, principals, and vice-principals. Aggression was measured using the Japanese version of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ). The survey respondents were classified into tertiles according to the BAQ score...

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been intensively investigated in regenerative medicine. Among the different types of MSCs, adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ASCs) can be obtained with relatively less invasive techniques. Since ASC administration is a candidate strategy for the treatment of refractory diseases including pulmonary fibrosis, we investigated whether intratracheal injection of ASCs had therapeutic potential against bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung injury in rats...

BACKGROUND: Non-psychotic delusions are reported to be associated with depression and anxiety. When these delusions occur in high-functioning pervasive developmental disorder (HFPDD) children, they are often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and have consequently been studied less. This study has three goals: to investigate the prevalence of non-psychotic delusions in HFPDD children, to test the hypothesis that HFPDD children are more likely to have non-psychotic delusions than non-HFPDD children, and to test the hypothesis that non-psychotic delusions are associated with depression and anxiety...

BACKGROUND: Pediatricians sometimes see patients with severe aseptic meningitis and prolonged fever or severe headache, or both. This condition generally has a good prognosis and is usually treated with supportive therapy. However, there is neither guideline nor consensus for the treatment of patients with severe aseptic meningitis. Here, we investigated the relationship between disease severity and biomarkers. METHODS: The subjects were 32 children aged 0 to 14 years, 23 of whom had aseptic meningitis and 9 of whom were meningitis-free controls...