The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · May 2022
Case ReportsTransient Type 3 Renal Tubular Acidosis during Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome.
Type 3 renal tubular acidosis is a pathological condition characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of distal renal tubular acidosis, which causes urinary acidification disorders, and proximal renal tubular acidosis, which causes impaired reabsorption of bicarbonate ions. Type 3 renal tubular acidosis is considered rare. A 5-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital because of frequent vomiting, poor vitality, and fever. ⋯ Severe metabolic acidosis was observed in this patient because of both normal anion gap metabolic acidosis due to type 3 renal tubular acidosis and anion gap metabolic acidosis due to cyclic vomiting syndrome. Although type 3 tubular acidosis is rare, the resultant metabolic acidosis worsens when combined with a disease that causes metabolic acidosis. Type 3 tubular acidosis should be ruled out when severe metabolic acidosis is present.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · May 2022
Perinatal Care Preparedness in Kochi Prefecture for When a Nankai Trough Earthquake Occurs: Action Plans and Disaster Liaisons for Pediatrics and Perinatal Medicine.
A Nankai Trough earthquake is highly likely to occur in near future, and perinatal medical resources and care in Kochi Prefecture may be insufficient after such an event. Therefore, we evaluated the medical and public health measures needed to prepare for caring for pregnant women in Kochi Prefecture in the aftermath of such an earthquake and the potential action plans for the prefecture. We estimated that immediately after an earthquake, approximately 30 pregnant women will require urgent medical treatment, most of whom will be in the prefectural capital, Kochi City, and perinatal medical care in Kochi City may be insufficient. ⋯ A DLPPM will be allocated also within the Disaster Medical Response Headquarters of Kochi Prefecture and be responsible for overseeing perinatal care in the whole of Kochi Prefecture. Our study shows that estimating the number of affected pregnant women and requirement for perinatal medical care is an effective way to prepare realistic disaster measures and to enable a specific plan to be formulated for effective allocation and management of DLPPMs. We believe that our system can serve as a model in perinatal disaster medicine.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · May 2022
Serological Screening of Immunoglobulin G against SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid and Spike Protein before and after Two Vaccine Doses among Healthcare Workers in Japan.
This study sought to evaluate the effects of two vaccine doses and the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers. We measured immunoglobulin G antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and spike protein among healthcare workers at Gunma University Hospital. In March 2021, prior to BNT-162b2 vaccination, two of 771 participants were seropositive for nucleocapsid and spike protein, whereas 768 were seronegative. ⋯ No sex differences were observed in the antibody titers within each age group. BNT-162b2 vaccination thus induced seroconversion in an age-dependent manner. Serological screening could further establish the likelihood of subclinical SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · May 2022
Disturbance of Gastrointestinal Cancers Diagnoses by the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Depopulated Area of Japan: A Population-Based Study in Akita Prefecture.
Disruption of cancer screening programs and diagnoses of gastrointestinal cancers by the COVID-19 pandemic has been reported; however, little attention has been paid to the situation in depopulated areas with low infection rates. Akita Prefecture is one of the most depopulated areas of Japan and has the lowest COVID-19 infection rate per capita; at the same time, the prefecture has been top-ranked for mortality due to gastrointestinal cancer for years. In this population-based study in Akita Prefecture, we investigated the occurrence of gastrointestinal cancers and the number of cancer screening procedures over the five-year period of 2016-2020, employing a database from the collaborative Akita Prefecture hospital-based registration system of cancers. ⋯ Under the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cancer screening was uniformly suspended throughout Japan. Accordingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially disrupted the cancer screening system, leading to delays in diagnoses of gastrointestinal cancer, even in depopulated areas (Akita Prefecture) of Japan with a low prevalence of infection. Suspension of cancer screening procedures during an infectious disease pandemic should be thoroughly considered for each region based on the cancer incidence and infection status in that area.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · May 2022
Increased PD-L1 Expression in Acquired Cisplatin-Resistant Lung Cancer Cells via Mir-181a.
Cancer immunotherapy has dramatically improved the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In tumor cells, programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), also known as cluster of differentiation 274 (CD274), is a key target for cancer immunotherapy. Cisplatin (CDDP), a first-class NSCLC treatment drug, reportedly induces PD-L1 expression, and regulates cancer immunity. ⋯ Moreover, the CDDP-induced ATM-mir-181a-c-FOS pathway repressed PD-L1 expression in A549 cells, while A549R cells blocked this negative regulatory mechanism to further increase PD-L1 expression. Exogenous mir-181a in LL/2 cells could repress the intratumoral exhausted T cells, and increase the T cells function, and repress the tumor growth. Increased PD-L1 expression in acquired cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells is dependent on mir-181a in NSCLC.