Publications by authors named "Itami S"

Article Synopsis
  • Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in hemodialysis patients can indicate a higher risk of mortality, with traditional measurements in Japan (JSCC method) yielding significantly higher ALP values than the more sensitive IFCC method.
  • A study comparing ALP levels before and after switching from JSCC to IFCC showed that patients with blood types B and O consistently had higher ALP readings, regardless of the method used.
  • The highest ALP tertile was linked to greater all-cause mortality risk, but this association weakened when liver function and inflammation markers were considered, suggesting that elevated ALP levels should be interpreted cautiously, especially in certain patient subgroups.
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Article Synopsis
  • Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) leads to kidney problems due to damage in podocytes, with specific genetic variants in the INF2 gene linked to different disease outcomes.
  • The research analyzed how these INF2 variants affect cell structures, finding that those linked to Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) and FSGS combined showed more severe cellular issues than those causing only FSGS.
  • Findings suggest that the CMT/FSGS variants disrupt the organization of the cytoskeleton and organelle interactions more significantly than the variants responsible solely for monogenic FSGS, indicating a need for further research into specific cellular pathways.
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Introduction: The usefulness of the Oxford classification (MEST-C score) for deciding the management approach for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) remains unclear.

Methods: Effects of steroid therapy on the long-term prognosis for all 858 patients with IgAN and patients classified according to each MEST-C score were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Steroid responder score (SRS) and steroid nonresponder score (SNRS) were determined using individual pathology scores when steroids were found to be independently associated, or not, with clinical benefits.

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Background: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) has become one of the most common causes of cicatricial alopecia worldwide. However, there is a lack of clear aetiology and robust clinical trial evidence for the efficacy and safety of agents currently used for treatment.

Objectives: To enable data to be collected worldwide on FFA using common criteria and assessment methods.

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Background: We previously reported the Alopecia Areata Consensus of Experts study, which presented results of an international expert opinion on treatments for alopecia areata.

Objective: To report the results of the Alopecia Areata Consensus of Experts international expert opinion on diagnosis and laboratory evaluation for alopecia areata.

Methods: Fifty hair experts from 5 continents were invited to participate in a 3-round Delphi process.

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Alopecia has several causes, but its relationship with ischemia/hypoxia has not yet been investigated in detail. In this study, we studied the changes of hair follicles induced by ischemia and potential effects of normobaric hyperoxygenation (NBO) on the hair cycle and growth. We found that skin ischemia reduced hair growth rate, hair shaft size, and its pigmentation in the anagen phase of mice, which may reflect an aspect of pathophysiology of hair loss (alopecia) and depigmentation (gray/white hairs).

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Background: A systematic review failed to identify any systemic therapy used in alopecia areata (AA) where use is supported by robust evidence from high-quality randomized controlled trials.

Objective: To produce an international consensus statement on the use and utility of various treatments for AA.

Methods: Fifty hair experts from 5 continents were invited to participate in a 3-round Delphi process.

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Male-pattern hair loss (MPHL, androgenetic alopecia) is a slowly progressive form of alopecia which begins after puberty. In 2010, we published the first Japanese edition of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of MPHL. It achieved the original goal of providing physicians and patients in Japan with evidence-based information for choosing efficacious and safe therapy for MPHL.

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Alopecia is divided into two categories: androgenic alopecia and nonandrogenic alopecia. An androgen-dependent abnormality of biological functions causes alopecia in males, but the role of androgens is not yet elucidated in female pattern hair loss (FPHL). Modulation of androgenic activity is not effective in certain kinds of androgenic alopecia in females, as well as in cases of nonandrogenic alopecia in males and females.

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The major effects of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signalling pathway on keratinocytes are cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and wound healing. In addition to these effects, an immunosuppressive effect of EGFR signalling has been reported. However, the precise mechanism of immunosuppression by EGFR signalling is not well understood.

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Extracellular acidity is a hallmark of cancers and is independent of hypoxia. Because acidity potentiates malignant phenotypes, therapeutic strategies that enhance the targeting of oncogenic mechanisms in an acidic microenvironment should be effective. We report here that drugs which abrogate mitochondrial respiration show enhanced cytotoxicity against melanoma cells in a normoxic but acidic extracellular pH, independent from P53 mutations, BRAF (V600E) mutations, and/or resistance against BRAF inhibitors.

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Objectives: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations in MEFV. Mutations in exon 10 are associated with typical FMF phenotypes, whereas the pathogenic role of variants in exons 2 and 3 remains uncertain. Recent evidence suggests that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are potentially useful biomarkers in several diseases.

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The microRNA-29 (miR-29) family is known to suppress the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and reversibly control liver fibrosis; however, the mechanism of how miR-29a controls liver fibrosis remains largely unknown. This study was conducted to clarify the mechanism of anti-fibrotic effect of miR-29a and to explore if miR-29a is a promising candidate for nucleic acid medicine against liver fibrosis. Two liver fibrosis murine models (carbon tetrachloride or thioacetamide) were used.

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Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are liver originated malignant tumors. Of the two, ICC has the worse prognosis because it has no reliable diagnostic markers and its carcinogenic mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to integrate metabolomics and transcriptomics datasets to identify variances if any in the carcinogenic mechanism of ICC and HCC.

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Ionizing radiation is often used to treat progressive neoplasms. However, the consequences of long-term radiation exposure to healthy skin tissue are poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term radiation damage to healthy skin of the same irradiation given either as single or fractional doses.

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Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops in up to 5% of patients after the successful treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection using interferon therapy. The aim of this study was to characterize miRNA expression in liver tissues from patients who achieved a sustained viral response (SVR).

Methods: Seventy-one patients with resected HCC were enrolled into the present study: 61 HCC from patients with continuously infected HCV (HCV-HCC) and 10 from patients who had achieved SVR (SVR-HCC).

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve important roles in regulating various physiological activities through RNA interference (RNAi). miR-122 is an important mediator of RNAi that is known to control hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication and is being investigated in clinical trials as a target for anti-HCV therapy. In this study, we developed novel oligonucleotides containing non-nucleotide residues, termed iMIRs, and tested their abilities to inhibit miR-122 function.

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MED1 (Mediator complex subunit 1) is a co-activator of various transcription factors that function in multiple transcriptional pathways. We have already established keratinocyte-specific MED1 null mice (Med1(epi-/-)) that develop epidermal hyperplasia. Herein, to investigate the function(s) of MED1 in skin wound healing, full-thickness skin wounds were generated in Med1(epi-/-) and age-matched wild-type mice and the healing process was analyzed.

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Proteoglycans have been suggested to play pivotal roles in hair biology. Decorin is a prototypical member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan family, which is involved in numerous biological processes. However, the role of decorin in the hair cycle has not been elucidated.

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Background: Evidence suggests that intestinal microbiota play an important role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) through induction of immunosuppression and immune tolerance; however, the exact underlying mechanism is unclear. Few studies to date have examined the effects of probiotics on adult-type AD.

Objective: To examine the effects of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis LKM512 on adult-type AD and the expression of metabolites that are known to be influenced by gut microbiota in fecal samples.

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Tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-based fluorescent ligands, N,N-bis(1-isoquinolylmethyl)-2-pyridylmethylamine (1-isoBQPA) and N,N-bis(7-methoxy-1-isoquinolylmethyl)-2-pyridylmethylamine (7-MeO-1-isoBQPA), have been prepared and the Zn(2+)-induced fluorescence enhancement has been investigated. Upon excitation at 324 nm, 1-isoBQPA exhibits a very weak emission (ϕ = ~0.010) in DMF-H2O (1 : 1).

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Background: Conspicuous facial pores are therapeutic targets for cosmeceuticals. Here we examine the effect of topical fullerene on conspicuous facial pores using a new image analyser called the VISIA® system. Ten healthy Japanese females participated in this study, and they received applications of 1% fullerene lotion to the face twice a day for 8 weeks.

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Article Synopsis
  • The cornea is super important for clear vision, and special stem cells help it heal when it's damaged.
  • Scientists found that a protein called LRIG1 is really important for these stem cells to work properly and help the cornea stay clear.
  • When LRIG1 is missing, it can cause the cornea to become cloudy and lead to blindness, but blocking another protein called STAT3 can help fix some of the problems.
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