Publications by authors named "Ayumi Niwa"

The mesothelium is a non-adhesive protective surface that lines the serosal cavities and organs within the body. The glycocalyx is a complex structure that coats the outer layer of the mesothelium. However, due to the limitations of conventional fixation techniques, studies on glycans are limited.

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  • A new bacterium from the Silvanigrellaceae family was identified in 2021, found in human blood.
  • The complete genome sequence of this bacterium, named GTC16762, was reported from a patient in Japan.
  • Its genome includes a 3.6-Mb chromosome and three circular plasmids.
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  • This report details the first-known instance of necrotizing fasciitis caused by the bacteria Pigmentibacter ruber.
  • The bacteria were identified using advanced methods like 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, as traditional identification techniques failed.
  • The strain displayed high resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, complicating treatment and indicating a need for more research on its pathogenicity and treatment options.
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  • * The study investigates how galectin-3 behaves in the liver following acute injury caused by a synthetic substance, alpha-galactosylceramide, examining its expression levels over several days after injection.
  • * Results showed that galectin-3 forms specific cell clusters in the liver during the early phase of injury, particularly noticeable on day 2, and its serum levels could serve as an important indicator for early diagnosis of acute liver damage.
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Oxaliplatin, a platinum-based anticancer drug, is associated with peripheral neuropathy (oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy, OIPN), which can lead to worsening of quality of life and treatment interruption. The endothelial glycocalyx, a fragile carbohydrate-rich layer covering the luminal surface of endothelial cells, acts as an endothelial gatekeeper and has been suggested to protect nerves, astrocytes, and other cells from toxins and substances released from the capillary vessels. Mechanisms underlying OIPN and the role of the glycocalyx remain unclear.

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Aim: A20 haploinsufficiency (HA20) is a recently described autoinflammatory disease that manifests symptoms similar to those of Behçet's disease. However, little is known about the involvement of the liver in HA20. Here, we report a case of HA20 complicated by autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).

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Heparan sulfate (HS) is a glycocalyx component present in the extracellular matrix and cell-surface HS proteoglycans (HSPGs). Although HSPGs are known to play functional roles in multiple aspects of tumor development and progression, the effect of HS expression in the tumor stroma on tumor growth in vivo remains unclear. We conditionally deleted Ext1, which encodes a glycosyltransferase essential for the biosynthesis of HS chains, using S100a4-Cre (S100a4-Cre; Ext1f/f) to investigate the role of HS in cancer-associated fibroblasts, which is the main component of the tumor microenvironment.

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Gallbladder carcinosarcoma with osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells is known to be most uncommon form of gallbladder cancer. Owing to its rarity, the pathogenesis of gallbladder carcinosarcoma with osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells is largely unknown. We present a case of carcinosarcoma with osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells in the gallbladder.

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  • Heparan sulfate (HS) is linked to angiogenesis and glioblastoma (GBM), a severe brain tumor, but its specific role in endothelial cells during GBM development is not fully understood.
  • Researchers created a mouse model with an endothelial cell-specific knockout of a gene necessary for HS production to study its effects on GBM.
  • Results showed that these knockout mice had lower HS levels, reduced GBM growth, and improved survival rates, indicating that endothelial cell HS is crucial for GBM progression and angiogenesis.
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  • Brown and beige adipocytes, which express UCP1, can enhance glucose and lipid metabolism, helping combat obesity and related conditions like type 2 diabetes.
  • CREG1 overexpression aids in browning fat tissue and reduces diet-induced obesity in mice, suggesting a potential therapeutic role for obesity management.
  • Administering recombinant CREG1 protein boosts UCP1 expression and improves metabolic health, while Creg1-expressing adenovirus promotes beige adipocyte gene expression, indicating CREG1's effectiveness in promoting beneficial fat tissue changes.
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Background: Implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programmes improve antimicrobial therapies and thus result in better patient outcomes and safety. The impact of prospective audit and feedback (PAF) is likely dependent on how frequently it is conducted, and how quickly after antibiotic prescription it is initiated. To our knowledge, however, no report has yet investigated the impact of an increase in monitoring frequency per day on PAF strategy.

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Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) can accompany advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Recent studies suggest that MPE could contain a heterogeneous subpopulation of cells with stem-like properties, such as tumorigenicity and self-renewal, indicating that they could be the source of metastasis. Although previous studies analyzed the correlation between cancer stem cell (CSC) marker expression and clinical outcomes using lung cancer tissues, investigations regarding the association of MPE with CSC marker expression are limited.

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Intermolecular interaction between hPrP and αS was investigated using high-speed atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and nuclear magnetic resonance. We found that hPrP spontaneously gathered and naturally formed oligomers. Upon addition of monomer αS with a disordered conformation, poly-dispersive property of hPrP was lost, and hetero-dimer formation started quite coherently, and further oligomerization was not observed.

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  • Acute funisitis is an inflammation of the umbilical cord that can cause problems for babies, but there hasn’t been an easy way to detect it.
  • Researchers looked at 261 cases and created a scoring system using a special marker to find inflammation in the umbilical cord.
  • They discovered that severe forms of inflammation were linked to bad outcomes for mothers and babies, and checking three sections of the umbilical cord helped find issues better than just two.
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Evidence regarding intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) as a type of precancerous lesion of cholangiocarcinoma is limited. Moreover, a reproducible in vivo model is lacking, and IPNB pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we use a doxycycline-inducible tetracycline (Tet)-on mice model to control fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) expression, which regulates branching and tubule formation.

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The use of molecular biomarkers for the early detection of heart disease, before their onset of symptoms, is an attractive novel approach. Ideal molecular biomarkers, those that are both sensitive and specific to heart disease, are likely to provide a much earlier diagnosis, thereby providing better treatment outcomes. Galectin-3 is expressed by various immune cells, including mast cells, histiocytes and macrophages, and plays an important role in diverse physiological functions.

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Background: The use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry is gradually spreading among large-scale laboratories; however, this method is impractical for small-scale laboratories. In laboratories without access to these rapid identification methods, problems related to them remain unsolved. In this study, we aimed to develop a rapid and inexpensive method to presumptively identify Enterobacterales using CHROMagar Orientation medium.

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  • The CDKN2A locus has two tumor suppressor genes, p16 and p14, which have different roles in cancer, with p16 linked to poorer outcomes in oral cancer.
  • Research showed that mice lacking p16 had a higher incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) when treated with a carcinogen compared to normal mice.
  • The findings suggest that losing p16 contributes to cancer development, and the expression of the oncogenic protein ΔNp63 may serve as a target for treating OSCC.
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  • Galectin-3 is a special protein that helps cells in our body grow, deal with inflammation, and protect against illnesses.
  • It can be found inside cells or outside in fluids like blood and urine, especially when cells are hurt or inflamed.
  • Scientists study galectin-3 because it can help in finding and predicting the chances of getting some diseases, like heart problems, kidney issues, and more, often before symptoms show up.
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Cancer cells can survive and grow via angiogenesis. An alternative but controversial theory is cancer cells may grow via vasculogenic mimicry (VM), in which the cancer cells themselves construct vessel-like channels that are considered a leading cause of drug resistance. The dynamic functions of the glycocalyx (GCX), a meshwork composed of proteoglycans and glycoproteins that surrounds cell membranes, have been observed in endothelial cells within tumors.

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  • Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumor, known for its fast growth and ability to invade healthy brain tissue, leading to treatment resistance.
  • The invasion patterns of GBM cells, called the "secondary structures of Scherer," include perineuronal and perivascular satellitosis, subpial spread, and invasion along white matter tracts.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind these invasion patterns can help develop new treatment strategies and improve management for patients with recurring and resistant GBM.
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Background: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has the potential to permit early organism identification and optimization of antibiotic therapy. However, MALDI-TOF MS combined with antimicrobial stewardship is available at only a limited number of institutions. Here, we evaluated the clinical impact of implementing MALDI-TOF MS combined with antimicrobial stewardship intervention in patients with bloodstream infections.

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What Is Known And Objective: Implementation of an antifungal stewardship programme is a recognized need. However, there is insufficient information to confirm the impact of antifungal stewardship interventions. Further, few studies have evaluated the clinical effects of an antifungal stewardship intervention using 1-3, β-D-glucan (βDG) testing.

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Galectin-3 is a β-galactoside-binding lectin which is important in cell proliferation and apoptotic regulation. Recently, serum galectin-3 has been shown to have prognostic value as a biomarker in heart failure. Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) can cause severe myocarditis, congestive heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy as well as encephalitis in various animals including mice.

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