著者

Seiichi Mokuyasu Risa Oshitanai Toru Morioka Yuki Saito Yasuhiro Suzuki

出版者

Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine

雑誌

Laboratory Medicine International (ISSN:24368660)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, no.3, pp.50-59, 2023 (Released:2023-12-29)

参考文献数

30

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Background: Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and neutrophil lymphocyte rate (NLR) as immune system and inflammatory markers have been suggested as prognostic factors in eribulin treatment. However, the respective cut-off values have not been determined. Hence, we investigated the relationship between overall survival (OS) and baseline ALC (bALC) and baseline NLR (bNLR) in eribulin-treated patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer (BC) by using 2 types of cut-off values for each. Methods: Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the association of bALC and bNLR with OS among 114 female patients with HER2-negative BC treated with eribulin. Results: The OS of patients with HER2-negative BC was compared based on bALC (cut-off value: 1,200/μL and 1,500/μL) and bNLR (cut-off values: 2 and 3). A significant difference was observed in median OS between patients with bALC of ≥ 1,200/μL and those with bALC of < 1,200/μL (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.596 [0.395, 0.889], p = 0.014). For bNLR (cut-off value: 2), the median OS was significantly higher in patients with a bNLR of < 2 than in those with a bNLR of ≥ 2 (HR: 0.629 [0.406, 0.974], p = 0.038). Conclusions: Patients with HER2-negative BC with a bALC of ≥ 1,200/μL showed a longer OS than patients with a bALC of < 1,200/μL, thus suggesting that survival prediction using bALC was effective for eribulin-treated patients with recurrent HER2-negative BC. It should be noted that the optimal cut-off value for ALC may change depending on the target patient group.

著者

Shingo Tanaka Noboru Ohba Kiyoshi Abe Yuka Tamoto Kenji Yasui Chihiro Kobayashi Nagomi Saito Koji Miyanishi Satoshi Takahashi Junji Kato

出版者

Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine

雑誌

Laboratory Medicine International (ISSN:24368660)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, no.3, pp.42-49, 2023 (Released:2023-12-29)

参考文献数

24

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Aims: Attenuation imaging (ATI) is a new ultrasonography method of evaluating hepatic steatosis. Attenuation coefficients (ACs) in the region of interest are measured using two-dimensional ultrasonography. ATI also displays the coefficient of determination (R2) as an index of AC reliability. This study aimed to elucidate R2 values in patients who underwent ATI in clinical practice and to determine factors that influence R2 values. Methods: This study included 749 patients who underwent ATI to evaluate hepatic steatosis at a single center. All abdominal ultrasound examinations were performed by one of the five experienced ultrasonographers. The AC and R2 values were measured five times, and the median values were calculated. Multivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors affecting R2 values. Results: One hundred and nine (15%) patients showed R2 values of < 0.80, of which 108 had non-fatty liver. Further, the R2 value was strongly correlated with AC (correlation coefficient = 0.842). Uncomplicated diabetes (Odds ratio [OR], 2.68) and AC (< 0.60 dB/cm/MHz; OR, 72.76) were identified as independent factors associated with low R2 values (< 0.80). Conclusion: ATI in patients with non-fatty liver showed low R2 values. Worldwide standardization of the ATI measurement method is urgently needed for consistent results.

著者

Jeong Hui Kim Ryosuke Kikuchi Atsuo Suzuki Rika Watarai Kaori Goto Yui Okumura Tadashi Matsushita

出版者

Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine

雑誌

Laboratory Medicine International (ISSN:24368660)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, no.3, pp.60-66, 2023 (Released:2023-12-29)

参考文献数

24

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The immune system produces antibodies following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. However, we lack comprehensive information about the humoral responses after infection and vaccination, which are similar but might differ in type or amount of produced antibodies. Therefore, we compared different types and amounts of antibodies produced by the immune system in response to infection versus those produced by BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccines. Our findings indicated that naturally infected individuals had 14-fold higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (anti-S) and 41-fold higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain of the viral spike protein (anti-RBD) IgM titers than SARS-CoV-2-naïve vaccinees. Remarkably, naturally infected individuals maintained high levels of IgM antibody titers up to six weeks after symptom onset. A significantly rapid increase in anti-S IgG titers in primary infection was observed, eventually reaching a level similar to that in people who had third booster vaccination. This study revealed the characteristics of the target antigen and immunoglobulin isotypes after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination.

著者

Maiko Osaka Tomonori Kishino Tsuyoshi Urata Yoko Ida Hideaki Mori Naohiro Kawamura Toshiaki Tanaka Shohei Shibasaki Masayuki Yotsukura Takashi Watanabe Hiroaki Ohnishi

出版者

Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine

雑誌

Laboratory Medicine International (ISSN:24368660)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, no.2, pp.30-38, 2023 (Released:2023-09-27)

参考文献数

33

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Introduction: Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) often demonstrate liver injury, as reflected by an elevated serum level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT). This study examined whether the presence of liver injury could be predicted based on findings from conventional sonography. Methods: Subjects were 81 adult female NAFLD patients (mean age, 62 ± 14 years). Defining liver injury as ALT levels >30 IU/L, sonographic findings were compared between patients with and without liver injury. In turn, ALT levels and liver size (defined as the sum of the length of the right lobe [R1+R2] and left lobe [L1+L2] were compared among the three classical grades of fatty liver by sonography. Results: Grade 3 fatty liver, deep attenuation, and hepatomegaly demonstrated relatively high odds ratios for the presence of liver injury. Median L1+L2 and R1+R2+L1+L2 were significantly longer in patients with liver injury (164 mm [interquartile range, 149–178 mm] and 289 mm [267–314 mm]) than in those without (147 mm [130–156 mm] and 260 mm [247–281 mm], respectively; p <0.001 each). ALT levels, L1+L2, and R1+R2+L1+L2 increased with increasing fatty liver grade. Conclusion: The present study suggests that grade 3 fatty liver, deep attenuation and/or hepatomegaly allow easy, non-invasive prediction of the presence of liver injury in elderly women with NAFLD using conventional sonography.