Publications by authors named "Iwama T"

Tramadol and duloxetine, reuptake inhibitors of serotonin and noradrenaline, are widely used analgesics. Cytoplasmic serotonin in human platelets reportedly regulates the activity of low-molecular-weight GTP-binding proteins via serotonylation, leading to the modulation of platelet functions. We recently showed that the combination of thrombopoietin and collagen in the low doses synergistically induces human platelet activation via Rac and Rho/Rho-kinase.

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  • The study highlights that the stiffness of brain tumors correlates with their pathology, potentially serving as a biomarker for diagnosis and surgical complications.
  • Neurosurgeons currently rely on their tactile sensations to differentiate tumors from healthy tissue, which requires years of experience.
  • By using haptic technology with specialized surgical forceps, the research found that brain tumors were consistently stiffer than surrounding normal brain tissue, suggesting that this technology could improve surgical precision.
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Background And Purpose: Intracranial aneurysm growth is a significant risk factor for rupture; however, a few aneurysms remain unruptured for long periods, even after growth. Here, we identified hemodynamic features associated with aneurysmal rupture after growth.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed nine middle cerebral artery aneurysms that grew during the follow-up period using computational fluid dynamics analysis.

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Introduction: Unsedated peroral endoscopy, including ultrathin endoscopy (UE) and conventional endoscopy (CE), is feasible in clinical practice but requires improved endoscopic operability and patient tolerance. Currently, the impact of the breathing method on these factors remains unclear. We conducted the first randomized controlled trial comparing oral breathing (OB) and nasal breathing (NB) during both UE and CE to assess their influence.

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Bipolar electrochemical microscopy (BEM), which visualizes the concentration distribution of molecular species in biological systems by electrochemiluminescence (ECL), is expected to be applied to the high-spatiotemporal-resolution imaging of biomolecules, enabling the analysis of cellular functions. In the past, the molecular species that could be imaged by BEM were generally restricted to oxidized molecules due to the limitation derived from the ECL mechanism of the luminophore. Recently, the imaging of dopamine (DA), a reduced molecule, was achieved using Ru (bpy)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) as a cathodic luminophore.

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Functional mass spectrometry imaging (fMSI) is a potent tool for elucidating the spatial distribution of enzyme activities in tissues at high resolution. In this study, we applied fMSI to probe the intricate biosynthesis of phospholipids, which exist as thousands of molecular species in tissues and exhibit a unique distribution specific to cell type. By using deuterium- and C-labeled substrates, we visualized the activities of key enzymes involved in phospholipid synthesis, including glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferases (LPAAT), lysophospholipid acyltransferases (LPLAT), and long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL).

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Introduction: Carbazochrome sodium sulfonate (CSS) is a hemostatic agent that reduces capillary permeability and enhances capillary resistance. However, its specific effects on colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) outcomes remain uncertain. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for post-ESD bleeding and the effect of CSS on colorectal ESD outcomes.

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Background: Microvascular decompression (MVD), the standard surgical approach for hemifacial spasm (HFS), can be divided into the interposition and transposition methods. Although the risk of HFS recurrence following interposition has been reported, there is limited data comparing long-term outcomes between both methods performed by a single surgeon. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of MVD techniques on HFS by comparing surgical outcomes performed by a single surgeon in a single-center setting.

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Background: The Amplatzer PFO Occluder was approved for marketing in Japan in May 2019, and the Amplatzer PFO Occluder Japan Post-marketing Surveillance (PFO Japan PMS) study was initiated in December 2019. This analysis presents 30-day clinical outcomes for PFO Japan PMS study patients.

Methods And Results: PFO Japan PMS is a prospective single-arm non-randomized multicenter clinical study.

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We aimed to differentiate the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) status among non-enhanced astrocytic tumors using preoperative MRI and PET. We analyzed 82 patients with non-contrast-enhanced, diffuse, supratentorial astrocytic tumors (IDH mutant [IDH-mut], 55 patients; IDH-wildtype [IDH-wt], 27 patients) who underwent MRI and PET between May 2012 and December 2022. We calculated the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values using diffusion tensor imaging.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) in patients with chronic disorders of consciousness (CDC) resulting from severe traumatic brain injuries (STBI) due to traffic accidents, as well as identify seizure risk factors.
  • It included 293 patients, predominantly male (71.7%), who underwent a retrospective analysis linking seizure types and frequencies to factors like age, sex, injury type, surgical history, and antiseizure medication usage.
  • Results showed that 45.1% experienced seizures during hospitalization, with male sex, higher injury severity scores, hypoxic encephalopathy, and a history of surgery identified as significant risk factors, highlighting the need for improved management of PTE in these patients.
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Background: Akt plays diverse roles in humans. It is involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which is caused by insulin resistance. Akt also plays a vital role in human platelet activation.

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Forest management practices play multifaceted roles in enhancing the geophysical properties that affect raindrop erosion in the watershed, and consequently, sediment deposition in the reservoir. The current work attempts to integrate empirical and physically-based modeling approaches to quantify the impacts of forest conservation on erosion risk and potential sediment accumulation in the mixed-forested Ogouchi Dam watershed in Japan. The reliability of the empirical model for estimating the total erodibility coefficient (TEr), as a function of various forest properties, was evaluated by applying the mathematical expression to multiple forest conditions and comparing the values to field-measured soil erosion rates.

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Using phase-field simulations, we investigate the bulk coarsening dynamics of ternary polymer solutions undergoing a glass transition for two models of phase separation: diffusion only and with hydrodynamics. The glass transition is incorporated in both models by imposing mobility and viscosity contrasts between the polymer-rich and polymer-poor phases of the evolving microstructure. For microstructures composed of polymer-poor clusters in a polymer-rich matrix, the mobility and viscosity contrasts significantly hinder coarsening, effectively leading to structural arrest.

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Background And Purpose: Various prophylactic drugs for cerebral vasospasm and delayed cerebral infarction (DCI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have been used in Japan. To investigate the treatment trends for cerebral vasospasm and frequency of DCI after SAH throughout Japan in 2021.

Methods: In 2021 we conducted an anonymous questionnaire survey on management for preventing cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal SAH, and the frequency of DCI.

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Vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN) adversely affects the quality of life and treatment continuity of patients. The endothelial glycocalyx (eGCX) protects nerves from harmful substances released from the capillary vessels, but its role in peripheral neuropathy remains unclear. We investigated the impact of eGCX protection on VIPN.

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Cowden syndrome (CS)/ hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) is a rare autosomal dominantly inherited condition caused by germline pathogenesis. It is associated with multiple hamartomatous lesions occurring in various organs and tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, mucous membranes, breast, thyroid, endometrium, and brain. Macrocephaly or multiple characteristic mucocutaneous lesions commonly develop in individuals in their 20s.

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Background And Purpose: The volume of excised tumor in contrast-enhanced areas evaluated via magnetic resonance imaging is known to have a strong influence on the survival of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). In this study, we investigated the effect of tumor resection on the survival of patients with GBM in the C-methionine (MET) accumulation area using MET-positron emission tomography (MET-PET).

Methods: A total of 26 patients (median age, 69 years; 15 males) who had undergone tumor resection and MET-PET before and after surgery, after being newly diagnosed with GBM, were included in the study.

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Importance: Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, an extremely high number of studies have been published worldwide, with variable quality. Research trends of highly cited papers may enable identification of influential research, providing insights for new research ideas; it is therefore important to investigate trends and focus on more influential publications in COVID-19-related studies.

Objective: To examine research trends of highly cited studies by conducting a bibliometric analysis of highly cited studies in the previous 2 months about COVID-19.

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Background: Postoperative trigeminal neuropathy may be seen after surgery for middle and posterior cranial fossa lesions. Although neuropathic pain is a cause of reduced quality of life, global consensus on postoperative pain management is lacking. Mirogabalin besylate is a selective ligand for the α2δ subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels.

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The occipital transtentorial approach (OTA), which is often applied for superior cerebellar lesions, has an inevitable risk of homonymous hemianopsia due to the retraction of the occipital lobe. The endoscopic approach provides increased visibility of the surgical field due to the wide-angled panoramic view and is minimally invasive in approaching deep brain lesions compared to the conventional microscopic approach. However, little is known regarding endoscopic OTA for the removal of cerebellar lesions.

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  • In Japan, there's a need to improve how hospitals help patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by working together better.
  • A study looked at IBD treatment at different hospitals in Hokkaido and found that big hospitals know more about treating IBD than smaller ones.
  • To make IBD care better, it's important to teach all hospital staff about IBD and to match patients with the right level of care.
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CXCL12, belonging to the CXC chemokine family, is a weak agonist of platelet aggregation. We previously reported that the combination of CXCL12 and collagen at low doses synergistically activates platelets via not CXCR7 but CXCR4, a specific receptor for CXCL12 on the plasma membrane. Recently, we reported that not Rho/Rho kinase, but Rac is involved in the platelet aggregation induced by this combination.

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Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 not only have characteristic skin findings but are also known to have vascular disorders due to vascular vulnerability. A 44-year-old man with previously undiagnosed neurofibromatosis type 1 was brought to the emergency room due to a sudden subcutaneous hematoma with no history of trauma. Angiography revealed extravasation from the parietal branch of the right superficial temporal artery, which was embolized with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate.

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Because of their ability to infiltrate normal brain tissue, gliomas frequently evade microscopic surgical excision. The histologic infiltrative property of human glioma has been previously characterized as Scherer secondary structures, of which the perivascular satellitosis is a prospective target for anti-angiogenic treatment in high-grade gliomas. However, the mechanisms underlying perineuronal satellitosis remain unclear, and therapy remains lacking.

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