Publications by authors named "Amano N"

From the perspective of clinical pediatric endocrinology, progress in molecular biology over the past few decades has improved our understanding of growth physiology. This progress was particularly conspicuous in the early era of Sanger-based sequencing and has continued into the current era of next-generation sequencing. The first half of this review summarizes the current understanding about growth.

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  • Coated microneedles (MNs) face challenges like limited drug capacity, difficulty in skin penetration, and clogging risk, prompting the development of a dissolving bird-bill MN (dBB MN) designed with a vertical groove for better functionality in drug delivery.
  • The study explored the fabrication of dBB MN arrays using various hydrogel compositions, with optimal results at 25% PVP, demonstrating effective skin penetration and controlled dissolution of the needles for drug release.
  • The experiments indicated that insulin-loaded dBB MNs significantly reduced blood glucose levels in diabetic rats, showcasing their potential as a less invasive drug delivery method with high promise for improving treatment access and adherence, especially in low-resource environments.
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  • The study investigates the prevalence and clinical characteristics of monogenic disorders in Japanese patients with 46,XY differences of sex development (DSD).
  • Out of 185 patients, 26% were found to have pathogenic variants in specific genes associated with DSD, with notable differences in proportions based on genital formation.
  • The findings suggest that monogenic disorders are more common in patients exhibiting female-typical genitalia and those with Müllerian derivatives.
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The island of Sri Lanka was part of the South Asian mainland for the majority of the past 115,000 years, and connected most recently during the Last Glacial Maximum via the now submerged Palk Strait. The degree to which rising sea levels shaped past human adaptations from the Pleistocene and into the mid to late Holocene in Sri Lanka has remained unclear, in part because the earliest reliable records of human occupation come from the island's interior, where cave sites have revealed occupation of tropical forest ecosystems extending back to 48 thousand years (ka). The island's earliest known open-air sites are all much younger in date, with ages beginning at 15 ka and extending across the Holocene.

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Mesoridazine and metoclopramide are cationic drugs that are distributed in the human brain despite being substrates of multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1), an efflux transporter expressed at the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We investigated their transport mechanisms at the BBB using hCMEC/D3, a human cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line often used as an in vitro BBB model. The cells exhibited time- and concentration-dependent uptake of mesoridazine and metoclopramide, with K values of 34 and 277 µM, respectively.

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  • Wnt/β-catenin signaling is crucial for developing adrenal glands, and the protein ZNRF3 regulates this pathway by interacting with R-spondin.
  • A deletion in exon 2 of ZNRF3, linked to congenital adrenal hypoplasia in humans, impairs this interaction and affects β-catenin expression.
  • Mice with a similar ZNRF3 deletion exhibit adrenocortical development changes but do not develop congenital adrenal hypoplasia, showing a variation in how this genetic alteration impacts different species.
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Background: Immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) is the standard method for confirming the presence of a monoclonal protein (M-protein) at multiple myeloma (MM) diagnosis. IFE is also essential at assessment of complete response (CR) and stringent CR during treatment. As the CR assessment is influenced by daratumumab and isatuximab, HYDRASHIFT assays were developed.

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  • The review focuses on 21-Hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD), a common form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia caused by genetic variants, highlighting the need for better monitoring and treatment methods.
  • Recent research indicates that measuring the first morning level of pregnanetriol (PT) may provide a more effective way to monitor 21-OHD, showing a significant correlation with other important biomarkers.
  • Overall, while the best monitoring approach is still not definitively established, the use of overnight fasting urine pregnanetriol as a marker for 21-OHD has scientific backing and practical potential in clinical settings.
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The newly excavated rockshelter of Yeghegis-1 in Armenia reflects an occupation of five centuries, as attested by radiocarbon dates from ∼ 4100 to 4000 cal BCE in the lowest layer to ∼ 3600-3500 cal BCE at the top. It is a partially collapsed cave in which pastoralists, we hypothesize, wintered with their herds. The stone tool assemblage is predominantly obsidian (92.

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  • The study explores the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) patches as a regenerative therapy for heart failure, aiming to safely repair damaged heart tissue.
  • Researchers created a clinical-grade hiPSC line and differentiated them into cardiomyocytes, assessing their safety and effectiveness through in vitro and in vivo testing, including a porcine heart model.
  • Results showed that hiPSC-CMs exhibited properties similar to natural heart cells, with no signs of tumor formation or adverse effects, and significantly improved heart function and blood vessel growth, indicating their potential for treating heart failure.
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  • * A study analyzed 59 palaeoecological records and found that while pollen suggests persistent montane forests, other indicators show grassland expansion, leading to the idea that montane forests thrived in uplands, and rainforests were replaced by dry tropical forests in lowlands.
  • * The research indicates that Southeast Asia's ecosystems have shown resilience to environmental changes and that signs of ecological shifts began earlier in the region than previously thought, around 30,000 years ago.
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Context: Adrenal crisis (AC) is a life-threatening complication that occurs during follow-up of patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI). No prospective study has thoroughly investigated AC in children with primary and secondary AI.

Objective: This work aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors for AC in patients with pediatric-onset AI.

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Context: Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is a life-threatening condition characterized by the inability of the adrenal cortex to produce sufficient steroid hormones. E3 ubiquitin protein ligase zinc and ring finger 3 (ZNRF3) is a negative regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. R-spondin 1 (RSPO1) enhances Wnt/β-catenin signaling via binding and removal of ZNRF3 from the cell surface.

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Objectives: (Sub)fossil lorises are rare in Southeast Asia. Their taxonomic relationship with extant populations, and the extent to which their distribution and morphology are influenced by changing environmental conditions, remains poorly understood. This study provides a synthesis of Nycticebus occurrences in Holocene Java.

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Introduction: Although the treatment success of long-term growth hormone therapy (GHT) is dependent on maintaining patients' adherence to treatment, marked variations in adherence levels among children with GHT (eg, 7-71% nonadherence) have been reported. Barriers to or promoters of GHT adherence have been discussed and investigated, and digital health technologies, such as electronic GH injection devices, may have the potential to assess adherence to GHT more accurately. Thus, we conducted a multicenter, retrospective cohort study using GH injection log analysis of an electronic GH device, GROWJECTORL, to qualify adherence and explore the factors influencing adherence.

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A large part of our material culture is made of organic materials, and this was likely the case also during prehistory. Amongst this prehistoric organic material culture are textiles and cordages, taking advantage of the flexibility and resistance of plant fibres. While in very exceptional cases and under very favourable circumstances, fragments of baskets and cords have survived and were discovered in late Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological sites, these objects are generally not preserved, especially in tropical regions.

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Objectives: The role of serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) level in early neonatal period on the diagnosis of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH) remains unclear.

Case Presentation: Two female patients from the first pedigree had an affected mother, and the other female from the second pedigree had an affected father. In all three cases, FGF23 levels were high in cord blood and peripheral blood at day 4-5.

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  • A study was conducted to see if soccer-related public health campaigns affect men more than women, specifically looking at rubella antibody testing at a football event in Japan.
  • The study found that easy access to free testing was the main factor motivating people to get tested, with healthcare professional input and athlete endorsement also being significant.
  • Men were more influenced by celebrity athletes in their decision to get tested compared to women, suggesting that celebrity appeal could be a powerful tool for raising health awareness among male soccer fans.
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Introduction: There are various doses, durations, and strains of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical instillation therapy, but optimal treatment has not yet been established. We retrospectively investigated the efficacy and safety of low-dose BCG therapy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and carcinoma in situ (CIS) in a multicenter study.

Methods: From 1991 to 2019, 323 patients who received BCG therapy to prevent recurrence of NMIBC were analyzed as group A.

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Recent archaeological investigations in Sri Lanka have reported evidence for the exploitation and settlement of tropical rainforests by Homo sapiens since c. 48,000 BP. Information on technological approaches used by human populations in rainforest habitats is restricted to two cave sites, Batadomba-lena and Fa-Hien Lena.

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Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a category of disorders characterized by impaired adrenocortical steroidogenesis. The most frequent disorder of congenital adrenal hyperplasia is 21-hydroxylase deficiency, which is caused by pathogenic variants of and is prevalent between 1 in 18,000 and 20,000 in Japan. The clinical guidelines for 21-hydroxylase deficiency in Japan have been revised twice since a diagnostic handbook in Japan was published in 1989.

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Objective: To assess real-world oncological outcomes between the radical cystectomy (RC) group and non-RC group for early relapse and refractory disease.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 953 patients with recurrent non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who received bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) at 31 affiliated hospitals from 2000 to 2019. Patients with missing data on the timing of failure were excluded and 871 patients remained eligible, of whom 447, 357, and 67 were classified as early relapse/refractory disease, intermediate/late relapse disease, and intolerant disease, respectively.

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