Publications by authors named "Igarashi R"

Article Synopsis
  • Multiple myeloma (MM) is currently incurable, but natural killer (NK) cells show potential as a treatment option due to their role in targeting tumor cells.
  • NK cells vary in their characteristics (like surface markers) and effectiveness, with certain subsets being linked to better patient outcomes, especially in relation to disease stages.
  • Current MM treatments can influence NK cell behavior, suggesting that combining NK cell enhancements with existing therapies may improve overall treatment effectiveness.
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Quantum sensing using the fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) nitrogen-vacancy center enables physical/chemical measurements of the microenvironment, although application of such measurements in living mammals poses significant challenges due to the unknown biodistribution and toxicity of FNDs, the limited penetration of visible light for quantum state manipulation/measurement, and interference from physiological motion. Here, we describe a microenvironmental thermometry technique using FNDs in rat mammary epithelium, an important model for mammary gland biology and breast cancer research. FNDs were injected directly into the mammary gland.

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Background: The impact of parent-childbearing age on child development at 36 months of age is controversial.

Aims: We used data from a large cohort study with multiple imputation and mediation analyses of variables.

Methods And Procedures: A total of 72,606 parent-child pairs from the Japan Environment and Children's Study were included in the study.

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NK cell therapeutics have gained significant attention as a potential cancer treatment. Towards therapeutic use, NK cells need to be activated and expanded to attain high potency and large quantities for an effective dosage. This is typically done by ex vivo stimulation with cytokines to enhance functionality or expansion for 10-14 days to increase both their activity and quantity.

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Article Synopsis
  • * To improve their ability to sense various physicochemical signals, grafting hydrophilic polymers like poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) on NDs has been explored, particularly to minimize protein adsorption.
  • * This study investigates the relationship between grafting conditions (like pH and molecular weight), crowding of PEG on NDs, and their effectiveness in preventing protein adsorption, demonstrating significant improvement in reduce lung accumulation after intravenous injection in mice.
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Purpose: To evaluate the surgical outcomes of intrascleral intraocular lens (IOL) fixation using ab interno trabeculotomy (LOT) in patients with exfoliation glaucoma with lens subluxation.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Twenty eyes of 18 patients with exfoliation glaucoma and lens or IOL subluxations were included.

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Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes of the innate immune system. A key feature of NK cells is their ability to recognize a wide range of cells in distress, particularly tumour cells and cells infected with viruses. They combine both direct effector functions against their cellular targets and participate in the generation, shaping and maintenance of a multicellular immune response.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Axitinib is an oral medication used to treat renal cell carcinoma (RCC) but can cause severe side effects, leading to dose adjustments or discontinuation in patients, which emphasizes the need for better biomarkers to evaluate its effectiveness and adverse events (AEs).
  • - The study investigated 80 metastatic RCC patients, analyzing their genetic variants, specifically single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three genes (ACE, NOS3, AT1R) that are related to how axitinib works on blood vessels.
  • - Results indicated that patients with the ACE deletion allele experienced more hand-foot syndrome and worsened kidney function, while those with the NOS3 G allele had higher rates of proteinuria and multiple AEs
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We propose a fast quality of transmission (QoT) estimation method based on cascaded artificial neural networks (ANNs) for intensity modulation-direct detection (IMDD) systems. The proposed method can calculate the bit error rate of three-span 36 km transmission within 0.7 seconds while taking account of the deterministic waveform distortion caused by the chromatic dispersion and self-phase modulation (SPM).

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The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a phenomenon, in which epithelial cells acquire a mesenchymal cell phenotype. It is important during wound healing; however, chronic inflammation leads to excessive EMT and causes tissue barrier dysfunction with hyperplasia. EMT is induced by several cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13.

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Purpose: We report a new bleb lining technique with Tenon's patch graft for late-onset leakage from large ischemic bleb with severe conjunctival scarring and impractical conjunctival mobilization after trabeculectomy.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: This study includes six cases with late-onset leakage from large ischemic blebs.

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate how various parameters are related to microvasculature dropout (MvD) area measured using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). We measured the area of MvD in 55 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Using OCTA, MvD area and peripapillary choroidal atrophy (PPA) area were assessed in a 4.

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Background: Although nivolumab plus ipilimumab is the standard treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), its efficacy and safety in older patients remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of nivolumab plus ipilimumab for metastatic RCC in patients aged ≥ 75 years.

Methods: We enrolled 120 patients with metastatic RCC treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab from August 2015 to January 2023.

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This study investigated the influence of asymmetric corneal hysteresis (CH) on asymmetric visual field impairment between right and left eyes in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) without a history of intraocular surgery. CH, corneal resistance factor (CRF), and corneal compensated intraocular pressure (IOPcc) were measured using the Ocular Response Analyzer. Differences between the eyes (right eye-left eye: DIF) and CH-based and in target parameters (higher CH eye-lower CH eye: DIF) were calculated in the same patient.

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V116 is an investigational 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) to address the burden of residual adult pneumococcal disease after the introduction of pediatric PCVs into national immunization programs (NIPs) and includes serotypes highly prevalent in adult invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). This Phase I study assessed the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of V116 in Japanese adults. Participants ≥20 years of age were randomized to receive a single dose of V116 or 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) at day 1.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This phase III study assessed the safety and immune response of the V114 vaccine, which targets 15 types of pneumococcal bacteria, in Japanese infants compared to the existing PCV13 vaccine.
  • - Healthy infants received three doses of either V114 or PCV13, and researchers closely monitored adverse events and immune response levels after vaccinations at certain intervals.
  • - Results showed V114 was well tolerated and produced comparable immune responses to the 13 shared serotypes found in PCV13, with significantly better responses for two additional serotypes, 22F and 33F.
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Objectives: The WHO has recognized the importance of multidisciplinary education and recommended its promotion worldwide. In our medical school, students experience practical nursing training in their first year to promote multidisciplinary education. Herein, we clarified the learning experiences of medical students during a practical nursing training for enhancing multidisciplinary collaborative education.

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Nanodiamonds containing fluorescent Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers are the smallest single particles, of which a magnetic resonance spectrum can be recorded at room temperature using optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR). By recording spectral shift or changes in relaxation rates, various physical and chemical quantities can be measured such as the magnetic field, orientation, temperature, radical concentration, pH or even NMR. This turns NV-nanodiamonds into nanoscale quantum sensors, which can be read out by a sensitive fluorescence microscope equipped with an additional magnetic resonance upgrade.

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Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the attitudes, behaviors, and learning experiences of first-year medical students participating in a nursing practice training aimed at enhancing their professionalism.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among first-year medical students after their nursing practical training to understand their learning experiences. Descriptive statistics was performed for each questionnaire item.

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Introduction: Wire-guided cannulation (WGC) during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a selective biliary cannulation technique aimed at improving the successful selective biliary cannulation rate and reducing the rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) incidence. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of angled-tip guidewires (AGW) vs. straight-tip guidewires (SGW) for biliary cannulation via WGC by a trainee.

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5 nanometer sized detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) are studied as potential single-particle labels for distance measurements in biomolecules. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in the crystal lattice can be addressed through their fluorescence and optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of a single particle can be recorded. To achieve single-particle distance measurements, we propose two complementary approaches based on spin-spin coupling or optical super-resolution imaging.

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We apply moving root-mean-square deviation (mRMSD), which does not require a reference structure, as a method for analyzing protein dynamics. This method can be used to calculate the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) of structure between two specified time points and to analyze protein dynamics behavior through time series analysis. We applied this method to the Trp-cage trajectory calculated by the Anton supercomputer and found that it shows regions of stable states as well as the conventional RMSD.

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This paper investigates an auxiliary management and control channel (AMCC) signal extraction method using digital signal processing (DSP) blocks with 3-step moving averaging that allows a single coherent receiver to receive main signal and AMCC signal simultaneously. Receiver sensitivity characteristics versus the modulation index (MI) and average number of the proposed DSP blocks are elucidated. Based on the results, we discuss a policy for designing the parameters.

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Introduction: Complete remission of cerebral metastasis is a rare consequence of tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Case Presentation: A 68-year-old woman, who presented with dyspnea, was diagnosed with left renal cell carcinoma with multiple brain and pleural metastases. Although nivolumab and ipilimumab combination treatment was initiated, it was discontinued because of an immune-related adverse event.

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