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Real-world management of treatment-naïve diabetic macular oedema: 2-year visual outcome focusing on the starting year of intervention from STREAT-DMO study.
Shimura, M, Kitano, S, Muramatsu, D, Fukushima, H, Takamura, Y, Matsumoto, M, Kokado, M, Kogo, J, Sasaki, M, Morizane, Y, et al
The British journal of ophthalmology. 2020;(12):1755-1761
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Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the yearly change of real-world outcomes for best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after 2-year clinical intervention for treatment-naïve diabetic macular oedema (DMO). METHODS Retrospective analysis of aggregated, longitudinal medical records obtained from 27 retina specialised institutions in Japan from Survey of Treatment for DMO database. A total of 2049 treatment-naïve centre involving DMO eyes of which the initial intervention started between 2010 and 2015, and had been followed for 2 years, were eligible. As interventions, antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents, local corticosteroids, macular photocoagulation and vitrectomy were defined. In each eye, baseline and final BCVA, the number of each intervention for 2 years was extracted. Each eye was classified by starting year of interventional treatment. RESULTS Although baseline BCVA did not change by year, 2-year improvement of BCVA had been increased, and reached to +6.5 letters in the latest term. There is little difference among starting year about proportions of eyes which BCVA gained >15 letters, in contrast to those which lost >15 letters were decreased by year. The proportion of eyes receiving anti-VEGF therapy was dramatically increased, while those receiving the other therapies were gradually decreased. The proportion of eyes which maintained socially good vision of BCVA>20/40 has been increased and reached to 59.0% in the latest term. CONCLUSION For recent years, treatment patterns for DMO have been gradually but certainly changed; as a result, better visual gain, suppression of worsened eyes and better final BCVA have been obtained. Anti-VEGF therapy has become the first-line therapy and its injection frequency has been increasing.
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Very Long-Term Treatment with a Lactobacillus Probiotic Preparation, Lactobacillus casei Strain Shirota, Suppresses Weight Loss in the Elderly.
Mutoh, M, Yoshimura, K, Fujii, G, Nakamura, T, Takeshita, T, Wakabayashi, K, Sakai, T, Ishikawa, H
Nutrients. 2020;(6)
Abstract
Weight loss, often observed in the elderly, is associated with increased risks of various diseases. No large and long-term human study has been conducted to demonstrate the health maintenance-related effects of lactic acid bacteria preparations. To reveal the potential benefit of long-term lactic acid, the effects of bacteria-based probiotics for health maintenance were examined. This observational study included the participants from a previous clinical study designed to evaluate the effects of wheat bran biscuits or Lactobacillus preparation, 3 g/day biolactis powder (BLP), in preventing colorectal tumor. The participants were provided an option to continue treatment with BLP on an outpatient basis after completion of the study. The 380 patients who completed the study were contacted and asked to participate in the present study and those who consented were surveyed for cancer incidence, treatment compliance, lifestyle, weight, and other variables. Informed consent was obtained from 237 of the 380 (62.4%) patients. The mean follow-up period was 7913 days (21.7 years). Cancer developed in 24 of 128 (18.8%) patients in the BLP extension group and 24 of 109 (22.0%) patients in the non-BLP extension group (risk ratio 0.88 [95% confidence interval 0.53-1.47]). Although no significant difference was observed, the cumulative cancer incidence rose at a slightly lower rate in the BLP extension group. Both groups showed a significant weight decrease over the course of 20 years, although the decrease in the BLP extension group was only 1.4 kg, compared with 2.8 kg in the non-BLP extension group. Very long-term treatment with a Lactobacillus probiotic preparation suppressed weight loss in the elderly.
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The association between six month intra-dialytic resistance training and muscle strength or physical performance in patients with maintenance hemodialysis: a multicenter retrospective observational study.
Moriyama, Y, Hara, M, Aratani, S, Ishikawa, H, Kono, K, Tamaki, M
BMC nephrology. 2019;(1):172
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reduced muscle strength and physical performance are prevalent in patients of maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), and deleterious changes in these parameters are associated with increased mortality. METHODS This retrospective observational study included 306 patients, who received a 6-month resistance exercise program during hemodialysis, three times per week on an outpatient basis. The training protocol consisted of two sets of 10 repetitions of knee extension, hip abduction, and hip flexion, using an elastic band in a sitting or supine position. Primary outcome measures included muscle strength, measured by percent knee extension muscle power to dry body weight (pKEMP-dBW), and physical performance, measured by short physical performance battery (SPPB). The adjusted mean differences in these variables during the 6 months were estimated using a multivariate linear regression model. RESULTS The mean age with standard deviation was 70 ± 11 years. One hundred and sixty patients (52.3%) were men and the dry weight was 55.6 ± 11.3 kg. Sarcopenia, defined as SPPB ≤8, was present in 21.4% patients. Their hemodialysis adequacy was acceptable, with a Kt/V of 1.65 ± 0.29, and their nutritional status was good, with a normalized protein catabolism rate of 0.89 ± 0.18 g/kg/day. During the 6 months, both pKEMP-dBW and SPPB showed a slight but significant increase with an adjusted mean difference of 2.8 (95% confidence interval 1.3-4.3, p < 0.001) and 0.6 (0.4-0.9, p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Six-month resistance training was associated with improved muscle strength and physical performance in patients with MHD.
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Evaluation of Sensory Dominance Using Binocular Rivalry as Related to Ocular Deviations.
Ito, M, Shimizu, K, Handa, T, Ishikawa, H, Niida, T
The American orthoptic journal. 2015;:67-72
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE To investigate the relationship between sensory dominance and ocular deviations. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-three patients were evaluated with a new device for the measurement of exclusive visibility during binocular rivalry. The patients were consisted of twenty-three with exotropia (XT), twenty with intermittent exotropia [X(T)], twenty with exophoria (XP), respectively. Device is composed of two retinometers, their holders in which angle and position can be adjustable and a PC for data storage and analysis. In each of eyes, exclusive visibility of one stimulus during binocular rivalry was measured for 60 sec, and the strength of ocular dominance was evaluated by the difference of exclusive visibility between dominant and nondominant eye. RESULTS The difference of exclusive visibility time between dominant and nondominant eye were 9.8±3.7 sec in the XT group, 6.1±4.1 sec in the X(T) group and 2.2±1.5 sec in the XP group, respectively. There were significant differences between XT and X(T) (P<0.01) as well as between XT and XP (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The present result indicates that sensory dominance was obviously influenced by ocular deviations since exclusive visibility of dominant eye was prolonged with decreasing the opportunity of normal binocular vision such as XT or X(T).
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Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Newest Vital Sign: a preliminary study.
Kogure, T, Sumitani, M, Suka, M, Ishikawa, H, Odajima, T, Igarashi, A, Kusama, M, Okamoto, M, Sugimori, H, Kawahara, K
PloS one. 2014;(4):e94582
Abstract
Health literacy (HL) refers to the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services, and is thus needed to make appropriate health decisions. The Newest Vital Sign (NVS) is comprised of 6 questions about an ice cream nutrition label and assesses HL numeracy skills. We developed a Japanese version of the NVS (NVS-J) and evaluated the validity and reliability of the NVS-J in patients with chronic pain. The translation of the original NVS into Japanese was achieved as per the published guidelines. An observational study was subsequently performed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the NVS-J in 43 Japanese patients suffering from chronic pain. Factor analysis with promax rotation, using the Kaiser criterion (eigenvalues ≥1.0), and a scree plot revealed that the main component of the NVS-J consists of three determinative factors, and each factor consists of two NVS-J items. The criterion-related validity of the total NVS-J score was significantly correlated with the total score of Ishikawa et al.'s self-rated HL Questionnaire, the clinical global assessment of comprehensive HL level, cognitive function, and the Brinkman index. In addition, Cronbach's coefficient for the total score of the NVS-J was adequate (alpha = 0.72). This study demonstrated that the NVS-J has good validity and reliability. Further, the NVS-J consists of three determinative factors: "basic numeracy ability," "complex numeracy ability," and "serious-minded ability." These three HL abilities comprise a 3-step hierarchical structure. Adequate HL should be promoted in chronic pain patients to enable coping, improve functioning, and increase activities of daily living (ADLs) and quality of life (QOL).