Publications by authors named "Itsuo Nagayama"
Article Synopsis
- Scientists are studying two liver diseases related to obesity: MASLD and MASH.
- They created a new mouse model to understand how genes affect obesity, using different gene combinations.
- Mice missing both the Maid and Mc4r genes became very obese, but their liver health stayed fine, showing how these genes are linked to obesity without causing liver disease.
Article Synopsis
- Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) plays a significant role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by reducing fatty accumulation in the liver, activated by growth hormone (GH), but the specific interplay between GH and IGF-1 in NAFLD development needs further exploration.
- The study investigated GH and IGF-1 levels in mouse models of diet-induced NAFLD, examining how the autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic neuropeptides influence GH secretion and IGF-1 expression.
- The results suggest that IGF-1 release, influenced by neural pathways, is crucial for maintaining liver function in NAFLD, highlighting its potential as a target for therapeutic interventions.
Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with metabolic dysregulation and is linked with various cardiovascular complications, which often lead to poor prognostic outcomes. To develop a standard therapy for NAFLD and to urgently address its complications, the current study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of NAFLD-related heart disease and the therapeutic effects of drugs targeting various metabolic pathways.
Methods: To explore the mechanism of NAFLD-related heart disease, a medaka model of high-fat diet-induced NAFLD was utilized.
Serotonin (5-HT) is one of the key bioamines of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Its mechanism of action in autonomic neural signal pathways remains unexplained; hence, we evaluated the involvement of 5-HT and related signaling pathways via autonomic nerves in NAFLD. Diet-induced NAFLD animal models were developed using wild-type and melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) knockout (MC4RKO) mice, and the effects of the autonomic neural axis on NAFLD physiology, 5-HT and its receptors (HTRs), and lipid metabolism-related genes were assessed by applying hepatic nerve blockade.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe etiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) consists of various factors, including neural signal pathways. However, the molecular mechanisms of the autonomic neural signals influencing NAFLD progression have not been elucidated. Therefore, we examined the involvement of the gut-liver neural axis in NAFLD development and tested the therapeutic effect of modulation of this axis in this study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 69-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of appetite loss. Imaging showed a nodular tumor in the perihilar bile duct and a second flat lesion in the distal bile duct. Right hepatopancreaticoduodenectomy was performed, and the histopathological findings demonstrated that the perihilar and distal lesions were moderately and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, respectively, and anatomically separated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Shear wave speed has been widely applied to quantify a degree of liver fibrosis. However, there is no standardized procedure, which makes it difficult to utilize the speed universally.
Aim: To provide procedural standardization of shear wave speed measurement.
To distinguish and characterize nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) candidates from among medical checkup visitor diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (mcNAFLDs).A cut-off value has not been established to differentiate NASH at the earliest stage in NAFLD.Shear wave speed (SWS) was measured in the livers of 480 mcNAFLDs.
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