Publications by authors named "Iwasaki H"

Diabetes mellitus, particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is a pervasive chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. It predisposes individuals to a range of severe microvascular and macrovascular complications, which drastically impact the patient's quality of life and increase mortality rates owing to various comorbidities. This extensive review explores the intricate pathophysiology underlying diabetic complications, focusing on key mechanisms, such as atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction.

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The role of the immune system in regulating tissue stem cells remains poorly understood, as does the relationship between immune-mediated tissue damage and regeneration. Graft vs. host disease (GVHD) occurring after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) involves immune-mediated damage to the intestinal epithelium and its stem cell compartment.

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In this study, we investigated the measurable residual leukemic stem cell (MR-LSC) population after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML), utilizing T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (TIM-3) expression as a functional marker of AML leukemic stem cells (LSCs). Analysis of the CD34CD38 fraction of bone marrow cells immediately after achievement of engraftment revealed the presence of both TIM-3LSCs and TIM-3 donor hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) at varying ratios. Genetic analysis confirmed that TIM-3 cells harbored patient-specific mutations identical to those found in AML clones, whereas TIM-3 cells did not, indicating that TIM-3CD34CD38 cells represent residual AML LSCs.

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Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a progressive myocardial disorder characterized by impaired cardiac contraction and ventricular dilation. However, some patients with DCM improve when experiencing left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR). Currently, the detailed association between genotypes and clinical outcomes, including LVRR, particularly among children, remains uncertain.

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Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Mac2-binding protein glycosylated isomer (M2BPGi), a known biomarker for liver fibrosis, is also elevated in other fibrotic tissues. However, its role in PDAC remains unexplored.

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Here, we investigated the clinical significance of NOTCH1 and FBXW7 alterations for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) treatment outcomes. NOTCH1 alterations were identified in 37 (14.4%) of 257 patients, of which 33 were single nucleotide variants/insertion-deletions in the PEST domain, and 7 were in the heterodimerization or LIN-12/Notch repeats domains.

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Luspatercept has shown durable clinical efficacy for the treatment of anemia in transfusion-dependent patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS). We report the results of a prespecified primary analysis of a phase 2 trial of luspatercept in non-transfusion-dependent (NTD) Japanese patients with anemia due to LR-MDS. Luspatercept (starting dose 1.

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  • FFPE tissue samples are crucial for analyzing thyroid carcinomas and effective molecular targeting therapies, prompting the development of a new preservation technique that maintains nucleic acid quality better than traditional methods.
  • The study evaluated different specimen types—including thyroid tumors and lymph node metastases—to identify how fixation techniques impact nucleic acid quality, finding that separately fixed samples consistently displayed superior quality.
  • Results indicate that lymph node metastases can provide nucleic acid quality equal to or better than primary thyroid tumors, making them reliable sources for comprehensive genetic profiling in clinical settings.
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Introduction: Malignant melanomas occur most commonly in the skin, mucous membranes, or choroid. Clitoral malignant melanomas are extremely rare. Stage IV malignant melanomas have a poor prognosis, and molecularly targeted agents or immune checkpoint inhibitors are recommended.

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According to the 2016 World Health Organization classification, a germline DEAD-box helicase 41 gene () mutation with myeloid neoplasms has been newly classified. The clinical course of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a germline mutation has not yet been clarified. In the early phase, this condition is slowly progressive, the rate of remission induction is high, and the prognosis is good.

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  • Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a hereditary heart condition marked by unusual heart muscle structure, and this study specifically focused on biventricular noncompaction (BiVNC) in children to understand its clinical characteristics and genetic factors.
  • The research involved 234 pediatric patients and revealed that BiVNC often leads to serious complications, including a higher incidence of congenital heart disease and reduced survival rates compared to other heart conditions.
  • Findings indicated that patients with BiVNC frequently exhibited left ventricular dysfunction and a notable percentage had genetic variants linked to mitochondrial and developmental issues, emphasizing the need for thorough genetic screening for better patient outcomes.
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  • Derivatization is important for enhancing the properties of organic materials, but it often requires multiple syntheses of similar intermediates, making the process tedious and time-consuming.
  • This study focuses on thienobenzobisthiazole (TBTz) as a key component in donor polymers for organic photovoltaics, showcasing an efficient late-stage functionalization method that allows for easy synthesis of various derivatives from a single intermediate.
  • The new ester-functionalized TBTz polymer achieves low voltage loss and high charge generation efficiency, suggesting a promising pathway for creating high-performance, halogen-free polymers in organic solar cells.
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Investigating chemosensors that are capable of quantifying pressure in solution, particularly hydrostatic pressure, which is one of the mechanical forces, is an attractive challenge in chemistry from the viewpoint of "mechano"-science. Herein, we report the investigation of chiral porphyrin tweezers, and , comprising different flexible linkers; and displayed distinct ratiometric signaling by using the higher excited S state with a standard excited S level. A novel operative mechanism using the S/S fluorescence ratio was revealed using hydrostatic pressure-ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis), fluorescence/excitation, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and lifetime measurements, which can be further controlled by the open-closed conformational change inherent in the tweezer skeleton.

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In eukaryotes, Dmc1 and Rad51 are key proteins of homologous recombination. The Swi5-Sfr1 complex in fission yeast, a conserved auxiliary factor, stimulates DNA strand exchange driven by both Dmc1 and Rad51. Interestingly, biochemical analysis suggested that Swi5-Sfr1 regulates strand exchange activities of these recombinases differently, but the mechanisms were unclear.

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This case report explores the utility of monitoring automated rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test results in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from a patient undergoing treatment for neurosyphilis. Syphilis treatment is based on the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and syphilis treponema antibody levels, and in the case of RPR-positive syphilis, a 1/4 reduction in the RPR value by the manual card test is considered curative. However, it should be noted that when RPR is followed by the manual card test, there may seem to be no reduction when the automated method shows a steady reduction.

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Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a rare aggressive hematological malignancy reported to occur secondary to B cell lymphoma. We report a case of HS secondary to splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) complicated by autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in a 64-year-old man. He was referred to our department with anemia and was diagnosed as having AIHA.

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Background: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a highly selective alpha 2 receptor agonist that has the advantage of causing less respiratory depression than other sedative agents. We evaluated the add-on effects of DEX on sedation among pediatric patients who received midazolam and pentazocine during cardiac catheterization.

Methods: 120 cardiac catheterization procedures in 110 patients under deep sedation at Department of Pediatrics, Kanazawa University Hospital from January 2013 to August 2018: 63 procedures without DEX (i.

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  • This study evaluated the effectiveness of two sagittal correction goals in corrective fusion surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD) in patients over 65 years old, comparing the conventional "PI-LL mismatch <10°" with an alternative approach of "10°≤PI-LL≤20°".
  • A total of 102 older patients were examined, divided into two groups based on their pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL) measurements, with outcomes assessed over a minimum of two years.
  • Results indicated no significant differences in complications or clinical outcomes between the two groups, suggesting that a less strict PI-LL mismatch threshold may be an acceptable approach in this patient population.
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Introduction: Postoperative spinal epidural hematoma (PSEH) is a severe complication of spinal surgery that necessitates accurate and timely diagnosis. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of ultrasonography as an alternative diagnostic tool for PSEH after microendoscopic laminotomy (MEL) for lumbar spinal stenosis, comparing it with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: A total of 65 patients who underwent MEL were evaluated using both ultrasound- and MRI-based classifications for PSEH.

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Despite less invasive surgical procedures in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery, some older patients have complications and long recovery time. We investigated patients' willingness to undergo the same surgery again and sought to elucidate the factors related to their perception of surgical outcomes. Enrolled were 60 of our patients (≥65 years old) that underwent long corrective fusion using lateral interbody fusion and who had a minimum of 2 years of follow-up.

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  • The study investigates the importance of reinforcing the duodenal stump to prevent leakage after radical gastrectomy in gastric cancer patients, as the effectiveness of different reinforcement methods was not well understood.
  • Conducted across 57 medical centers in Japan, the research analyzed data from over 16,000 patients from 2012 to 2021 and found that 0.93% experienced duodenal stump leakage, with lower incidence rates linked to reinforcement methods like seromuscular sutures and reinforced staplers.
  • Results highlighted that duodenal stump reinforcement is crucial, as leakage rates were lower in higher-volume hospitals and specific patient demographics were identified as risk factors for leakage-related mortality.
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