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• Low humoral immune response to the BNT162b2 vaccine against COVID-19 in nursing home residents undergoing hemodialysis: a case–control observational study

  Mineaki Kitamura, Takahiro Takazono, Kazuko Yamamoto, Takashi Harada, Satoshi Funakoshi, Hiroshi Mukae, Tomoya Nishino

  Renal Replacement Therapy ( Springer Science and Business Media LLC )  8 ( 1 ) 8 - 8   2022.12 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  Abstract Background Patients on hemodialysis (HD) face a high mortality risk from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and they are therefore prioritized for vaccination. However, the efficacy of vaccination in this vulnerable population has not been confirmed. Although age is negatively correlated with serum immunoglobulin (Ig) levels, humoral responses to vaccination in elderly patients undergoing HD have not been investigated. To address this issue, we evaluated the anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies in nursing home residents on HD after BNT162b2 vaccine administration. Methods Patients on HD from a nursing home and care workers (controls) receiving two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine between April and May 2021 were enrolled in this study. Those with a prior history of COVID-19 were excluded. Anti-spike protein antibodies were measured with the Elecsys (Roche) immunoassay system. Results The study included 26 nursing home residents (41% male; median age, 86 years) and 184 care workers (28% male; median age, 45 years). The median HD vintage was 51 months. After two doses of BNT162b2, 73% of the nursing home residents and 99.5% of the control group developed sufficient anti-spike protein antibodies (> 29 U/mL) to neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Three weeks after the second dose, median IgG titers of the residents and care workers were 83 [interquartile range (IQR) 17–511] and 1365 (IQR 847–2245) U/mL, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions The humoral response to BNT162b2 among elderly HD patients was relatively low; therefore, the optimal vaccination strategy for this population should be studied further to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks in healthcare facilities.

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• Evaluation of a Triage Checklist for Mild COVID-19 Outpatients in Predicting Subsequent Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalization during the Isolation Period: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

  Yasuhiro Tanaka, Kazuko Yamamoto, Shimpei Morimoto, Takeshi Nabeshima, Kayoko Matsushima, Hiroshi Ishimoto, Nobuyuki Ashizawa, Tatsuro Hirayama, Kazuaki Takeda, Hiroshi Gyotoku, Naoki Iwanaga, Shinnosuke Takemoto, Susumu Fukahori, Takahiro Takazono, Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Takashi Kido, Noriho Sakamoto, Naoki Hosogaya, Shogo Akabame, Takashi Sugimoto, Hirotomo Yamanashi, Kosuke Matsui, Mai Izumida, Ayumi Fujita, Masato Tashiro, Takeshi Tanaka, Koya Ariyoshi, Akitsugu Furumoto, Kouichi Morita, Koichi Izumikawa, Katsunori Yanagihara, Hiroshi Mukae

  Journal of Clinical Medicine ( MDPI AG )  11 ( 18 ) 5444 - 5444   2022.09 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  Managing mild illness in COVID-19 and predicting progression to severe disease are concerning issues. Here, we investigated the outcomes of Japanese patients with mild COVID-19, and identified triage risk factors for further hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits at a single tertiary hospital. A triage checklist with 30 factors was used. Patients recommended for isolation were followed up for 10 days for subsequent ED visits or hospital admission. Overall, 338 patients (median age, 44.0; 45% women) visited the clinic 5.0 days (median) after symptom onset. Thirty-six patients were immediately hospitalized following triage; others were isolated. In total, 72 non-hospitalized patients visited the ED during their isolation, and 30 were hospitalized after evaluation for oxygen desaturation. The median ED visit and hospitalization durations after symptom onset were 5.0 and 8.0 days, respectively. The checklist factors associated with hospitalization during isolation were age > 50 years, body mass index > 25 kg/m2, hypertension, tachycardia with pulse rate > 100/min or blood pressure > 135 mmHg at triage, and >3-day delay in hospital visit after symptom onset. No patients died. Altogether, 80% of patients with mild COVID-19 could be safely isolated at home. Age, BMI, underlying hypertension, date after symptom onset, tachycardia, and systolic blood pressure at triage might be related to later hospitalization.

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• Efficacy of <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> strain plasma (LC-Plasma) in easing symptoms in patients with mild COVID-19: protocol for an exploratory, multicentre, double-blinded, randomised controlled trial (PLATEAU study)

  Kazuko Yamamoto, Naoki Hosogaya, Tsuyoshi Inoue, Kenta Jounai, Ryohei Tsuji, Daisuke Fujiwara, Katsunori Yanagihara, Koichi Izumikawa, Hiroshi Mukae

  BMJ Open ( BMJ )  12 ( 9 ) e061172 - e061172   2022.09 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major concern worldwide; however, easily accessible treatment options for patients with mild COVID-19 remain limited. Since the oral intake of Lactococcus lactis strain plasma (LC-Plasma) enhances both the innate and acquired immune systems through the activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), we hypothesised that the oral intake of LC-Plasma could aid the relief or prevention of symptoms in patients with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19. Methods and analysis This is an exploratory, multicentre, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. This study was initiated in December 2021 and concludes in April 2023. The planned number of enrolled subjects is 100 (50 subjects×2 groups); subject enrolment will be conducted until October 2022. Patients with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 will be enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to group A (oral intake of LC-Plasma-containing capsule, 200 mg/day, for 14 days) or group B (oral intake of placebo capsule, for 14 days). The primary endpoint is the change in subjective symptoms measured by the severity score. Secondary endpoints include SARS-CoV-2 viral loads, biomarkers for pDC activation, serum SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies, serum cytokines, interferon and interferon-inducible antiviral effectors and the proportion of subjects with emergency room visits to medical institutions or who are hospitalised. Ethics and dissemination The study protocol was approved by the Clinical Research Review Board of Nagasaki University, in accordance with the Clinical Trials Act of Japan. The study will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, the Clinical Trials Act, and other current legal regulations in Japan. Written informed consent will be obtained from all the participants. The results of this study will be reported in journal publications. Trial registration number Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (registration number: jRCTs071210097).

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• Clinical Differentiation of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome from Japanese Spotted Fever

  Nana Nakada, Kazuko Yamamoto, Moe Tanaka, Hiroki Ashizawa, Masataka Yoshida, Asuka Umemura, Yuichi Fukuda, Shungo Katoh, Makoto Sumiyoshi, Satoshi Mihara, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Yuya Ito, Nobuyuki Ashizawa, Kazuaki Takeda, Shotaro Ide, Naoki Iwanaga, Takahiro Takazono, Masato Tashiro, Takeshi Tanaka, Seiko Nakamichi, Konosuke Morimoto, Koya Ariyoshi, Kouichi Morita, Shintaro Kurihara, Katsunori Yanagihara, Akitsugu Furumoto, Koichi Izumikawa, Hiroshi Mukae

  Viruses ( MDPI AG )  14 ( 8 ) 1807 - 1807   2022.08 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) and Japanese spotted fever (JSF; a spotted fever group rickettsiosis) are tick-borne zoonoses that are becoming a significant public health threat in Japan and East Asia. Strategies for treatment and infection control differ between the two; therefore, initial differential diagnosis is important. We aimed to compare the clinical characteristics of SFTS and JSF based on symptomology, physical examination, laboratory data, and radiography findings at admission. This retrospective study included patients with SFTS and JSF treated at five hospitals in Nagasaki Prefecture, western Japan, between 2013 and 2020. Data from 23 patients with SFTS and 38 patients with JSF were examined for differentiating factors and were divided by 7:3 into a training cohort and a validation cohort. Decision tree analysis revealed leukopenia (white blood cell [WBC] &lt; 4000/μL) and altered mental status as the best differentiating factors (AUC 1.000) with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Using only physical examination factors, absence of skin rash and altered mental status resulted in the best differentiating factors with AUC 0.871, 71.4% sensitivity, and 90.0% specificity. When treating patients with suspected tick-borne infection, WBC &lt; 4000/µL, absence of skin rash, and altered mental status are very useful to differentiate SFTS from JSF.

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• A Case of Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis That Progressed From a Single-system to a Multisystem Form Despite Smoking Cessation: A Case Report.

  Hiroshi Ishimoto, Noriho Sakamoto, Mutsumi Ozasa, Takeharu Katoh, Hidehiro Itonaga, Makoto Wataya, Daisuke Takao, Atsuko Hara, Takashi Kido, Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Kazuko Yamamoto, Yasushi Obase, Yuji Ishimatsu, Yasushi Miyazaki, Hiroshi Mukae

  Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan)   62 ( 6 ) 877 - 880   2022.08 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

  Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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  A 36-year-old Japanese man presented with cavities and nodular shadows in the lower lobes of his lungs and osteolytic lesions in the thoracic spine. He was diagnosed with multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). Three years earlier, he had been noted to have small cavities and granular lesions noted in the upper lobes of his lungs, which later improved with smoking cessation. It was likely that his single-system pulmonary LCH (PLCH) progressed to multisystem LCH despite smoking cessation. Relapse or progression may occur in cases where PLCH lesions improve after smoking cessation. Thus, close follow-up is vital.

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Books 【 display / non-display 】

Books 【 display / non-display 】

• Race, rights, and national security : law and the Japanese American incarceration

  Yamamoto Eric K., Bannai Lorraine J., Chon Margaret ( Part: Single Author )

  Wolters Kluwer  2021

• Pulmonary Disease Series: Clinical relevance of genetic factors in pulmonary diseases.

  山本和子, 迎 寛 ( Part: Allotment Writing ,  Mycobacterial infection: TB and NTM- what are the roles of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of mycobacterial infection? )

  Springer  2018.06

• In the shadow of Korematsu : democratic liberties and national security

  Yamamoto Eric K. ( Part: Single Author )

  Oxford University Press  2018

• Universal themes of Bose-Einstein condensation

  Proukakis Nick, Snoke D. W., Littlewood P. B ( Part: Single Author )

  Cambridge University Press  2017

• Propriety, shame, and the state in post-Fukushima Japan

  Yamamoto Hammering Klaus K. ( Part: Single Author )

  [ProQuest]  2016

Other Papers 【 display / non-display 】

Other Papers 【 display / non-display 】

• Aspergillus fumigatus臨床分離株の抗真菌薬感受性の経年推移とその臨床的解釈

  高園 貴弘, 伊藤 裕也, 田代 将人, 西條 知見, 山本 和子, 今村 圭文, 宮崎 泰可, 泉川 公一, 柳原 克紀, 迎 寛

  日本化学療法学会雑誌 ( (公社)日本化学療法学会 )  67 ( 2 ) 244 - 245   2019.03

   

• アンケート調査結果から見える終末期肺炎診療に対する本人,家族,主治医の認識の違い

  高園 貴弘, 今村 圭文, 西條 知見, 山本 和子, 宮崎 泰可, 迎 寛

  日本呼吸器学会誌 ( (一社)日本呼吸器学会 )  8 ( 増刊 ) 234 - 234   2019.03

   

• アスペルギルス気道感染に伴う血清中サイトカインの検討

  伊藤 裕也, 高園 貴弘, 田代 将人, 西條 知見, 山本 和子, 今村 圭文, 宮崎 泰可, 河野 哲也, 福島 千鶴, 尾長谷 靖, 柳原 克紀, 泉川 公一, 迎 寛

  日本呼吸器学会誌 ( (一社)日本呼吸器学会 )  8 ( 増刊 ) 174 - 174   2019.03

   

• Aspergillus fumigatus臨床分離株の抗真菌薬感受性の経年推移とその臨床的解釈

  高園 貴弘, 伊藤 裕也, 田代 将人, 西條 知見, 山本 和子, 今村 圭文, 宮崎 泰可, 泉川 公一, 柳原 克紀, 迎 寛

  日本化学療法学会雑誌 ( (公社)日本化学療法学会 )  67 ( 2 ) 244 - 245   2019.03

   

• Candida glabrataにおける新規多剤耐性機序の解明

  島村 真太郎, 宮崎 泰可, 永吉 洋介, 中山 浩伸, 田代 将人, 高園 貴弘, 西條 知見, 山本 和子, 今村 圭文, 泉川 公一, 柳原 克紀, 河野 茂, 迎 寛

  Medical Mycology Journal ( (一社)日本医真菌学会 )  59 ( Suppl.1 ) 85 - 85   2018.08

   

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Presentations 【 display / non-display 】

Presentations 【 display / non-display 】

• Immunological response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

  Kazuko Yamamoto, Tomohiro Koga, Kunihiro Ichinose, Remi Sumiyoshi, Shota Kurushima, Toshimasa Shimizu, Toru Michitsuji, Yoshika Tsuji, Shinya Nishihata, Naoki Iwamoto, Masataka Umeda, Tomoki Origuchi, Mami Tamai, Akimoto Okada, Masako Furuyama, Kunihiko Umekita, Yuya Fujita, Kiyoshi Migita, Atsushi Kawakami, Hiroshi Mukae

  第66回日本リウマチ学会・学術集会  2022.04  -  2022.04 

• A national survey of non-invasive respiratory management in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure using COVIREGI-JP database

  2022.04  -  2022.04 

• Relationship between the Opacity Variance of Streptococcus pneumoniae Colonies and the Clinical Features of Adult Pneumococcal Pneumonia

  Kazuko Yamamoto

  The 3rd Asian Pneumococcal Symposium  2021.12  -  2021.12 

• Pneumonia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: impact of microbial airway colonisation.

  Kazuko Yamamoto, Tomohiro Koga, Atsushi Kawakami, Hiroshi Mukae

  第64回日本リウマチ学会総会・学術集会  2020.08  -  2020.09 

• Visualization & Quantification of droplet & aerosol dispersion under oxygen delivery Modes

  Kazuko Yamamoto

  Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Webinar  1900.01  -  1900.01 

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Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 【 display / non-display 】

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 【 display / non-display 】

• Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(C)

  Project Year: 2021.04  -  2024.03 

  Direct: 3,300,000 (YEN)  Overheads: 4,290,000 (YEN)  Total: 990,000 (YEN)

Social Activity 【 display / non-display 】

Social Activity 【 display / non-display 】

• 2018.10

  　

  　

• Study Abroad!

  Japan Global Medical Career Support 

  2015.02