Kumamoto University

About: Kumamoto University is a education organization based out in Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cancer & Population. The organization has 19602 authors who have published 35513 publications receiving 901260 citations. The organization is also known as: Kumamoto Daigaku.

An Asian variant of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma: clinical, pathological and cytogenetic approaches to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma associated with haemophagocytic syndrome

Abstract: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with haemophagocytic syndrome (BCL-HS) has been reported mainly in Asia and is regarded as a distinct variant of intravascular lymphoma (IVL). However, it is unclear whether all cases of BCL-HS fall within the framework of IVL and available clinical information is limited. We analysed 25 cases with BCL-HS, including 11 autopsied cases (median, 66 years; male-female ratio, 1.1:1). The patients presented with fever, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, haemophagocytosis, bone marrow invasion, respiratory disturbance and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, but usually lacked lymphadenopathy, mass formation, neurological abnormalities and skin lesions. The clinical course was aggressive with a median survival of 7 months. The morphological findings were uniform: large lymphoid cells infiltrated vessels and/or sinusoids of the liver, marrow, lung, kidney and other organs. They were positive for CD19, CD20, CD79a and HLA-DR, but negative for CD10, CD23 and CD30. CD5 was positive in five out of 17 cases. Our critical review indicates that BCL-HS is the equivalent of the Asian variant of IVL.

Japanese Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes 2019

Abstract: The current guideline represents the 6th edition of the “Japanese Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes” which has been revised every three years since its first appearance in 2004 to promote evidence-based, rational, efficient and consistent clinical practice in diabetes. Of note, dramatic progress has been made in recent years in diabetes research and clinical practice, which includes approval of antidiabetic agents with novel mechanisms of action along with the publication of clinical trial results with these drugs, and novel diagnostic and therapeutic devices, such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and sensoraugmented pumps (SAP). Again, results from large-scale clinical trials in Japan, such as J-DOIT 1 to 3 and JDCP studies, have recently been reported. Further, in the last three years, new guidelines for lipid and blood pressure control have been released in a timely fashion from the Japan Atherosclerosis Society and the Japanese Society of Hypertension. Therefore, the current guideline has been compiled to include not only relevant advances in clinical practice but novel findings and new lines of evidence that have been made available to date. While the current guideline has been organized along similar lines to those of the preceding 2016 edition and using the same clinical questions (CQs) and questions (Qs) format, each CQ or Q has been closely reviewed for revision and further CQs or Qs have been added as appropriate to further promote the use of the guidelines in clinical practice. Readers are, therefore, referred to the “Methods of developing the ‘Japanese Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes 2019’” for a detailed account of the guideline development processes involved to make effective use of the current guideline. It is hoped that the guideline will prove a helpful guide to evidence-based medicine (EBM) in clinical settings thereby This article is based on the “Japanese Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes 2019” (ISBN:978-4-524-24148-4), which was published in Japanese by Nankodo Co., Ltd. (© The Japan Diabetes Society (JDS), 2019) and has been jointly published in Journal of Diabetes Investigation (the official journal of the Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes: https ://doi.org/10.1111/ jdi.13306 ) and Diabetology International (the official English journal of JDS).

Prognostic value of circulating KL-6 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Abstract: Objective: Circulating levels of KL-6, a high MW glycoprotein (MUC1 mucin), are elevated in a majority of patients with a number of interstitial lung diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, KL-6 levels vary from patient to patient. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the serum KL-6 level at the time of diagnosis predicts prognosis in IPF. Methods: The relationship between clinical variables and prognosis in 27 patients with IPF were analysed retrospectively. The diagnosis was made by histological examination (n = 16) or on clinical findings including high-resolution CT scanning (n = 11). All patients were followed up for at least 3 years. Variables such as age, FVC%, PaO2 at rest, initial LDH level, C-reactive protein and KL-6 were used for analysis. Results: At the cut-off level determined by receiver operating characteristic curves, LDH and KL-6 showed a significant correlation with the patient's prognosis by univariate analysis. However, multivariate analysis revealed that only KL-6 was a predictor of prognosis. The patients were categorized by their serum KL-6 levels (as above or below the cut-off level of 1000 U/mL) and their survival estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. The difference in median survival between the two groups was significant. The median survival of patients with low KL-6 was more than 36 months, whereas that of patients with high KL-6 was only 18 months. Conclusion: These results suggest that initial evaluation of serum KL-6 level can predict survival in patients with IPF.

Diffusion-weighted imaging of metastatic brain tumors: comparison with histologic type and tumor cellularity

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: On diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), metastatic tumors of the brain may exhibit different signal intensities (SI) depending on their histology and cellularity. The purpose of our study was to verify the hypotheses (1) that SI on DWI predict the histology of metastases and (2) that apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values reflect tumor cellularity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We assessed conventional MR images, DWI, and ADC maps of 26 metastatic brain lesions from 26 patients, 13 of whom underwent surgery after the MR examination. Two radiologists performed qualitative assessment by consensus of the SI on DWI in areas corresponding to their enhancing portions. We measured the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) on T2-weighted images and normalized ADC (nADC) values, and compared them with tumor cellularity. RESULTS: The mean SI on DWI and the CNR on T2-weighted images were significantly lower in well differentiated than in poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas and lesions other than adenocarcinoma. The mean nADC value was significantly higher in well differentiated than poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas and lesions other than adenocarcinoma. All 3 small-cell carcinomas and 1 large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma exhibited high SI on DWI. The nADC value showed a significant inverse correlation with tumor cellularity. There was no significant correlation between the CNR and tumor cellularity. CONCLUSION: The SI on DWI may predict the histology of metastases; well differentiated adenocarcinomas tended to be hypointense, and small- and large-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas showed hyperintensity. Their ADC values reflect tumor cellularity.

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl residues in foodstuffs and human tissues from china: status of contamination, historical trend, and human dietary exposure.

Abstract: Concentrations of persistent organochlorine pesticides such as DDTs, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), chlordane compounds (CHLs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), were determined in a wide variety of foodstuffs and human tissues collected from Shanghai and its vicinity in China in 2000-2001. Among the organochlorines analyzed, DDT and its metabolites were prominent compounds in most of the foodstuffs. In particular, mussels contained noticeable residues of DDTs (34,000 ng/g lipid weight), which are one to three orders greater than those reported levels in bivalves from other Asian countries. Concentrations of HCHs, CHLs, HCB, and PCBs in foodstuffs were generally low, suggesting small amounts of inputs into the environment. Temporal trends examined by comparing the results of previous studies of organochlorine levels in Chinese foodstuffs in 1970s and 1992 revealed a greater amounts of declines of DDTs and HCHs residues and the average daily intakes during the past 30 years. In contrast, very high concentrations of DDTs and HCHs were detected in human tissues from Shanghai, with the maximum values as high as 19,000 ng/g lipid weight (mean: 7,600 ng/g) and 17,000 ng/g (mean: 7,400 ng/g), respectively. Considering that foodstuffs are a main source of human exposure to contaminants, the greater concentrations of DDTs and HCHs in Chinese people might be due to past extensive usage of these compounds as agricultural pesticides. Continuous monitoring and epidemiological studies of organochlorine pesticides in humans are warranted in China. To our knowledge, this is the first report to present the residue levels of persistent organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in human tissues of China.