Internal medicine
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Objective Cortisol-producing adenoma (CPA) is a major subtype of functional adrenal tumors. CPAs are generally treated with adrenalectomy; however, it is difficult to predict the ideal duration of glucocorticoid replacement after resection. This study explored pre-operative factors predictive of glucocorticoid replacement therapy duration after CPA resection. ⋯ In multiple regression analyses, the midnight serum cortisol level and presence of lumbar compression fracture were significantly correlated with the replacement therapy duration after adjusting for other parameters. Conclusion Our results suggest that high midnight serum cortisol levels, which cause persistent suppression of the HPA axis, contribute to a delay in HPA axis recovery. Lumbar compression fracture is an important symptom that reflects the severity and persistence of cortisol secretion.
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Objective Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that is associated with malnutrition. Sarcopenia is a malnutrition condition characterized by skeletal muscle loss that impairs the physical function. We investigated the clinical characteristics of patients with CD with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity (sarcopenic-o). ⋯ Conclusion Sarcopenia and sarcopenic-o are relatively common conditions among patients with CD. Sarcopenia can be predicted using the clinical parameters of BMI and CDAI. Sarcopenic-o can be a severe form of sarcopenia.
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Objective Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) have been widely used as a treatment for heart failure. However, they have only been approved for the treatment of hypertension in a limited number of countries. We investigated the effect of ARNIs on arterial stiffness using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in patients with hypertension to reveal the mechanism underlying cardiovascular interaction. ⋯ Forty-eight of the 50 patients (96%) were switched from angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) due to inadequate antihypertensive control. Results The systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, and CAVI were significantly decreased by ARNI administration (systolic BP: 145 [135, 162] to 131 [123, 143] mmHg [p=0.000]; diastolic BP: 92 [78, 100] to 82 [74, 89] mmHg [p=0.000]; and CAVI: 9.9 [9.1, 10.5] to 9.5 [8.8, 10.2] mmHg [p=0.005], respectively). Conclusion Hypertension treatment with ARNIs may improve not only the blood pressure but also the CAVI, reducing the afterload on the heart.