Internal medicine
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Skin lesions in X-linked Alport syndrome (XLAS) are rarely observed. Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is caused by autoantibodies against BP180, also called α1 (XVII) chain, in the basement membrane zone (BMZ). ⋯ Oral prednisolone improved his symptoms gradually. Abundant tense blisters on the palms and soles might suggest an important role of the α5 (IV) chain in the integrity of BMZ.
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Case Reports
Mid-ventricular Obstructive Cardiomyopathy after Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report.
A 93-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital for lightheadedness. She had had Takotsubo cardiomyopathy for seven years. ⋯ The patient was therefore diagnosed with mid-ventricular obstructive cardiomyopathy with a large apical aneurysm and paradoxical flow. The present case suggests that Takotsubo cardiomyopathy may become mid-ventricular obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy without change in its structure.
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Observational Study
A Comparison of Clinical Presentations in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Caused by Different Omicron variants in Japan: A Retrospective Study.
Objective We evaluated the clinical differences in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients between the sixth wave with the Omicron BA.1/BA.2 dominant variant (from January to April 2022) and seventh wave with the Omicron BA.5 dominant variant (from July to August 2022). Methods This retrospective, single-center, observational study included COVID-19 patients admitted to our institution in the sixth wave (sixth-wave group) and the seventh wave (seventh-wave group). Inter-group comparisons of clinical presentations, the prognosis, and proportion of nosocomial infections were performed. ⋯ Pneumonia from COVID-19 was significantly more severe in the sixth-wave group than in the seventh-wave group. Conclusion COVID-19 patients in the seventh wave are at a lower risk of pneumonia than those in the sixth wave. However, even in the seventh wave, patients with underlying diseases have a risk of death because of the exacerbation of underlying diseases triggered by COVID-19.