Internal medicine
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The following three case reports present the effects of 6-month continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on blood pressure (BP) in severe obstructive sleep apnea patients with resistant hypertension. Case 1 A 58-year-old woman exhibited a decreased 24-hour BP and changes in the nocturnal BP dipping pattern from non-dipper to dipper. ⋯ Case 3 A 78-year-old man with ischemic cardiomyopathy exhibited changes in the nocturnal BP dipping pattern from non-dipper to dipper. These results suggest that 6-month CPAP therapy improves the nocturnal BP dipping status in some patients with obstructive sleep apnea and resistant hypertension.
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To evaluate the effects of six-month liraglutide treatment on body weight, visceral and subcutaneous fat and related markers in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. ⋯ In addition to its glucose-lowering effects, liraglutide exhibits weight loss promotion actions, reducing subcutaneous fat areas in particular. The weight and total fat area reduction properties of liraglutide are likely to be beneficial when this medication is used in combination with other oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin.
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Case Reports
Drug-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura successfully treated with recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin.
A 61-year-old woman with recurrent non-small cell lung cancer presented with thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, neurological abnormalities, renal failure and a fever that appeared during chemotherapy with gemcitabine and bevacizumab. She was diagnosed with drug-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). ⋯ However, after three months, the hypertension was controllable without anti-hypertensive drugs. Twelve months later, the ninth course of vinorelbine was administered safely, preventing the patient's lung cancer from progressing.
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Asthma is a chronic airway disease characterized by reversible airflow limitation with airway wall thickening. Although some studies have reported changes in airway dimensions estimated on chest CT in patients with chronic asthma, little is known about dynamic changes in airway dimensions between acute exacerbations of asthma and recovery. Our case documents significant changes in the bronchial wall, as estimated on serial chest CT scans, over a short-term interval during an exacerbation of asthma.