Publications by authors named "Fujikawa R"

Ribosome arrest peptides (RAPs) such as the SecM arrest peptide (SecM AP: FSTPVWISQAQGIRAGP) and WPPP with consecutive Pro residues are known to induce translational stalling in . We demonstrate that the translation-enhancing SKIK peptide tag, which consists of four amino acid residues Ser-Lys-Ile-Lys, effectively alleviates translational arrest caused by WPPP. Moreover, the proximity between SKIK and WPPP significantly influences the extent of this alleviation, observed in both PURE cell-free protein synthesis and in vivo protein production systems, resulting in a substantial increase in the yield of proteins containing such RAPs.

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Objective: To evaluate hemostatic efficacy, complications, and subsequent pregnancy outcomes in women with placenta previa who underwent combined vertical compression sutures in the lower uterine segment and intrauterine balloon tamponade (Hot-Dog method) to achieve hemostasis after cesarean section.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data for 117 women with singleton pregnancy diagnosed with placenta previa who underwent cesarean section between 29 and 38 weeks' gestation. Treatments were as follows: (1) conventional-intravenous oxytocin administration after placental detachment and suturing of bleeding points at the detachment site as needed (conventional group) (n = 47).

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Recent studies have highlighted the potential involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and microglia, a major source of ROS, in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In our study, we explored how the second-generation antipsychotic risperidone (RIS) affects ROS regulation and microglial activation in the hippocampus using a mouse ketamine (KET) model of schizophrenia. KET administration resulted in schizophrenia-like behaviors in male C57BL/6J mice, such as impaired prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response and hyper-locomotion.

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CD11c-positive (CD11c) microglia have attracted considerable attention because of their potential implications in central nervous system (CNS) development, homeostasis, and disease. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of the proportion of CD11c microglia in individual CNS regions are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the proportion of CD11c microglia in six CNS regions (forebrain, olfactory bulb, diencephalon/midbrain, cerebellum, pons/medulla, and spinal cord) from the developmental to adult stages by flow cytometry and immunohistochemical analyses using a CD11c reporter transgenic mouse line, Itgax-Venus.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a hypermnesic condition that develops in a subset of individuals following exposure to severe trauma. PTSD symptoms are debilitating, and include increased anxiety, abnormal threat generalization, and impaired extinction. In developing treatment strategies for PTSD, preclinical studies in rodents have largely focused on interventions that target post-encoding memory processes such as reconsolidation and extinction.

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Background/aim: There have been many studies on skeletal muscle depletion before surgery, and skeletal muscle depletion is a known risk factor for poor prognosis. However, reports on the association between changes in skeletal muscle mass and prognosis after surgery for pancreatic cancer are very few.

Patients And Methods: The data of 137 patients who underwent pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer between 2005 and 2022 were reviewed.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzed the effects of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis on performance status, treatment responses, and survival rates in lung adenocarcinoma patients with common EGFR mutations following surgical resection.
  • - Out of 4181 patients, 78 experienced CNS metastasis, which was more common in those receiving conventional adjuvant chemotherapy; however, this treatment showed no significant benefits in relapse-free survival or overall survival post-relapse.
  • - The findings suggest that CNS metastasis doesn't noticeably impact performance status or alter treatment efficacy with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, indicating a need for more studies on managing CNS metastasis in the context of adjuvant TKI therapies.
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Neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by spheroid (swollen axon) formation in the nervous system. In the present study, we focused on a newly established autosomal recessive mutant strain of F344-/ rats with hind limb gait abnormalities and ataxia from a young age. Histopathologically, a number of axonal spheroids were observed throughout the central nervous system, including the spinal cord (mainly in the dorsal cord), brain stem, and cerebellum in F344-/ rats.

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Reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH) of the liver is extremely rare. Despite advancements in diagnostic imaging technology, it is still difficult to distinguish from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, we present a case of hepatic RLH mimicking HCC that was postoperatively diagnosed using several imaging modalities.

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Understanding the principles of cell migration necessitates measurements of the forces generated by cells. In traction force microscopy (TFM), fluorescent beads are placed on a substrate's surface and the substrate strain caused by the cell traction force is observed as displacement of the beads. Mathematical analysis can estimate traction force from bead displacement.

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Improving the damage tolerance and reliability of ceramic artificial bone materials, such as sintered bodies of hydroxyapatite (HAp), that remain for long periods of time is of utmost importance. However, the intrinsic brittleness and low damage tolerance of ceramics make this challenging. This paper reports the synthesis of highly damage tolerant calcium phosphate-based materials with a bioinspired design for novel artificial bones.

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Introduction: Several factors have been reported to be associated with the etiology of cryptorchidism; however, clear evidence regarding the risk factors for cryptorchidism is elusive. In the present study, we evaluated the clinical characteristics of cryptorchidism using the common neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) database of the National Hospital Organization and explored one of possible factors associated with the development of cryptorchidism.

Methods: A total of 7882 male neonates were included in this study.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, but therapeutic strategies to slow down AD pathology and symptoms have not yet been successful. While attention has been focused on neurodegeneration in AD pathogenesis, recent decades have provided evidence of the importance of microglia, and resident immune cells in the central nervous system. In addition, new technologies, including single-cell RNA sequencing, have revealed heterogeneous cell states of microglia in AD.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tirabrutinib is a selective inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) used for treating blood cancers, and its effectiveness was studied using various advanced techniques to understand its anti-tumor mechanisms.
  • The drug's selectivity was confirmed through several assays, demonstrating it primarily targets B-cells and shows less off-target activity compared to other BTK inhibitors like ibrutinib.
  • In laboratory models, tirabrutinib demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in tumor growth by modulating key signaling pathways (such as ERK and AKT) and decreasing the expression of the IRF4 gene in ABC-DLBCL cells.
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Unlabelled: In clinical psychiatric cases, the placement of a nasogastric tube is occasionally considered. If a patient who presents with mania or other psychiatric conditions refuses to take drugs, they are administered via the nasogastric tube. The tablet is crushed, suspended, passed via the nasogastric line, and reaches the stomach directly.

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Recent studies have indicated that some individuals are less affected by stress, and such individuals are called resilient. This study aimed to determine whether the specific phenotype of microglia might be involved in resilience using the social defeat stress paradigm. Male C57BL/6J (B6) mice were attacked by aggressive male ICR mice for five consecutive days.

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Background: Learning to cycle is an important milestone for children, but the popularity of cycling and the environmental factors that promote the development and practice of this foundational movement skill vary among cultures and across time. This present study aimed to investigate if country of residence and the generation in which a person was born influence the age at which people learn to cycle.

Methods: Data were collected through an online survey between November 2019 and December 2020.

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Introduction: The new grading system proposed by the Pathology Committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer in 2020 was based on the combination of the histologically predominant subtype and high-grade component. Because the predominant subtypes are associated with characteristic subsets, unique subsets can be identified by this grading system.

Methods: We analyzed the clinicopathologic, genotypic, and prognostic features of a cohort of 781 consecutive patients with invasive nonmucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung.

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Enarodustat, a newly developed hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, is used in clinical practice in Japan. Several clinical studies showed that enarodustat corrected and maintained hemoglobin (Hb) levels by stimulating endogenous erythropoietin production and improving iron utilization in anemic patients with chronic kidney disease, regardless of whether they were on dialysis. In addition, Phase III comparative studies demonstrated that enarodustat was noninferior to darbepoetin alfa in controlling Hb levels.

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Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is caused by a mutation in the transthyretin (TTR) gene. In addition, deposition of wild-type TTR can cause senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA). To date, we have produced several transgenic mouse models for FAP and SSA by introducing TTR genes with different promoters or mutations.

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Microglia, resident immune cells in the brain, are shown to mediate the crosstalk between psychological stress and depression. Interestingly, increasing evidence indicates that sex hormones, particularly estrogen, are involved in the regulation of immune system. In this study, we aimed to understand the potential effects of chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) and genistein (GEN), an estrogenic compound of the plant origin, on neuron-microglia interactions in the mouse hippocampus.

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To establish functional networks, neurons must migrate to their appropriate destinations and then extend axons toward their target cells. These processes depend on the advances of growth cones that located at the tips of neurites. Axonal growth cones generate driving forces by sensing their local microenvironment and modulating cytoskeletal dynamics and actin-adhesion coupling (clutch coupling).

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Introduction And Importance: Preoperative localization of non-palpable lung nodules plays an important role in video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Although percutaneous computed tomography (CT)-guided hook wire marking has become widely accepted, it is accompanied by rare but fatal complications such as air embolisms. We herein report a case of a submillimeter pulmonary nodule successfully localized by a mobile CT scan with a navigation system.

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Impairments of parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic neurons (PV neurons) and specialized extracellular structures called perineuronal nets (PNNs) have been found in schizophrenic patients. In this study, we examined potential alterations in four subclasses of PV neurons colocalized with PNNs in the hippocampus of a mouse ketamine model for schizophrenia. Because biosynthesis of human natural killer-1 (HNK-1) is shown to be associated with the risk of schizophrenia, here we used mouse monoclonal Cat-315 antibody, which recognizes HNK-1 glycans on PNNs.

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