Publications by authors named "Jun Kasuga"

To clarify the cause of graded distribution of sucrose in apple fruit flesh, a quarter cut of young apple fruit was cultured for 72 h on agar-solidified MS medium supplemented with 0.5 M [1-C]sorbitol, with the longitudinal or horizontal cut face being attached with the medium, and distribution of C-labelled sucrose in a specimen obtained by slicing the fruit along with the cut face was visualized utilizing MALDI-TOF MSI. Heat map images on the distribution of the peaks of sorbitol containing C-atom indicated that external [1-C]sorbitol had penetrated evenly into the tissue.

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Low-temperature adaptation in rice is mediated by the ability of a genotype to tolerate chilling temperatures. A genetic locus on chromosome 11 was analysed for chilling tolerance at the plumule stage in rice. The tolerant allele of A58, a landrace in Japan, was inherited as a recessive gene (), whereas the susceptible alleles from wild rice () and modern variety () were the dominant genes.

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Grape compound buds adapt to subfreezing temperatures in winter by supercooling, but the supercooling ability is thought to be lost upon formation of xylem connections between canes and buds. It was reported that compound buds of the Vitis vinifera variety 'Chardonnay' lack xylem cells in mid-winter, and that vessels differentiate during deacclimation. However, the pattern of vessel formation in compound buds may differ in cold-hardy Vitis species and interspecific hybrid varieties grown in colder regions.

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Mucinous cystic tumor of low malignant potential (MCTLMP) is a very rare disease.The patient was a 50-year-old man. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a multiocular cystic lesion on the top of the bladder.

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Our general understanding of plant responses to sub-zero temperatures focuses on mechanisms that mitigate stress to the plasma membrane. The plant cell wall receives comparatively less attention, and questions surrounding its role in mitigating freezing injury remain unresolved. Despite recent molecular discoveries that provide insight into acclimation responses, the goal of reducing freezing injury in herbaceous and woody crops remains elusive.

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In high-latitude regions, the cold hardiness of buds and canes of grapevine is important for budburst time and yield in the next season. The freezing resistance of buds and canes sampled from six wine grapes currently cultivated in Hokkaido, Japan, all of them grown from autumn to winter, was investigated. A significant difference between the cultivars in their freezing resistance was detected in the buds harvested in winter.

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Background: Sarcopenia was initially recognized as a marker representing the nutritional condition or aging. Recently, sarcopenia has been associated with a poor prognosis and postoperative complications. We examined the importance of sarcopenia as a predictive marker of the prognosis in penile cancer.

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Dormant compound buds of grapevines adapt to subfreezing temperatures through a freezing avoidance mechanism. One still-unclear question, however, is whether supercooled water in primordial cells of dormant grape buds are partially dehydrated under subfreezing temperatures. In this study, we used differential thermal analysis (DTA) and cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) to look for partial dehydration of primordial cells of the freezing-resistant interspecific hybrid cultivar 'Yamasachi'.

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Hydroxyl radical (•OH) is considered to be the most damaging among reactive oxygen species. Although afew studies have reported on its effects on growth and stress adaptation of plants, no detailed studies have been performed using •OH in germination and early seedling growth under abiotic stresses. Here we report a single seed treatment with •OH on germination and seedling growth of and rice under non-stressed (ambient) and various abiotic-stressed conditions (chilling, high temperature, heat, and salinity).

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Castleman's disease was first reported in 1954 by Castleman et al. and identified as an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder. In most cases, Castleman's diseases are detected in the chest, head, and neck.

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IgG4-related disease is diagnosed when both the elevation of the serum IgG4 level and invasion of IgG4-positive interstitial cells and sclerosis to a tumor are noted. Some cases have demonstrated malignant disease. In the head and neck lesion in particular, IgG4-producing mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma has arisen during the treatment of IgG4-related disease.

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Studies on supercooling-promoting substances (SCPSs) are reviewed introducing name of chemicals, experimental conditions and the supercooling capability (SCC) in all, so far recognized, reported SCPSs and results of our original study are presented in order to totally show the functional properties of SCPSs which are known in the present state. Many kinds of substances have been identified as SCPSs that promote supercooling of aqueous solutions in a non-colligative manner by reducing the ice nucleation capability (INC) of ice nucleators (INs). The SCC as revealed by reduction of freezing temperature (°C) by SCPSs differs greatly depending on the INs.

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Boreal trees possess very high freezing resistance, which is induced by short-day length and low temperatures, in order to survive severe subzero temperatures in winter. During autumn, cooperation of photoreceptors and circadian clock system perceiving photoperiod shortening results in growth cessation, dormancy development, and first induction of freezing resistance. The freezing resistance is further enhanced by subsequent low temperature during seasonal cold acclimation with concomitant changes in various morphological and physiological features including accumulation of sugars and late embryogenesis abundant proteins.

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Primary penile cancer is a rare disease. Higher incidence rates occur in underdeveloped countries. Many studies have suggested an association between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and penile cancer.

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Appropriate timing of cold deacclimation is an important component of winter survival of perennial plants, such as trees, in temperate and boreal zones. Recently, concerns about predicted global climate change disturbing deacclimation timing have been increasing. The relationship between ambient temperatures and the manner by which cells' freezing resistance changes is essential for forecasting the timing of deacclimation.

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Background: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a simple marker of the systemic inflammatory response, has been demonstrated to correlate with patient outcomes for various solid malignancies. We investigated the utility of the pretreatment NLR as a prognosticator in patients who presented with penile cancer.

Methods: A total of 41 patients who underwent complete blood count with differential and subsequent radical penectomy from 1988 to 2014 were analyzed.

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Water stress is one of the major environmental stresses that affect agricultural production worldwide. Water loss from plants occurs primarily through stomatal pores. Here, we report that an Oryza sativa half-size ATP-binding cassette (ABC) subfamily G protein, RCN1/OsABCG5, is involved in stomatal closure mediated by phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in guard cells.

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Ultrasonic acoustic emission (UAE) methods have been applied for the detection of freeze-thaw-induced embolism formation in water conduits of tree species. Until now, however, the exact source(s) of UAE has not been identified especially in angiosperm species, in which xylem tissues are composed of diverse types of cells. In this study, UAE was recorded from excised branches of walnut (Juglans regia cv.

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We investigated the incidence of inguinal lymph node metastasis in 66 penile cancer patients with no palpable or visibly enlarged inguinal lymph nodes (cN0). Median follow up interval was 35. 7 months.

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54-year-old male was introduced to our hospital in January 2012 for surgical treatment and chemotherapy. The pathological examination revealed well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the penis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging indicated right inguinal and pelvic lymphadenopathy.

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We performed additional administration of dutasteride in patients who did not respond sufficiently to α1-adrenoceptor antagonist treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (LUTS/BPH). Among 76 registered patients, efficacy was analyzed in 58 patients. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), subscores for voiding and storage symptoms and quality of life (QOL) on the IPSS, and Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) were all significantly improved from the third month of administration compared to the time of initiating additional administration of dutasteride.

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Freeze-thaw events can affect plant hydraulics by inducing embolism. This study analyzed the effect of temperature during the freezing process on hydraulic conductivity and ultrasonic emissions (UE). Stems of 10 angiosperms were dehydrated to a water potential at 12% percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity (PLC) and exposed to freeze-thaw cycles.

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The supercooling capability of xylem parenchyma cells (XPCs) in boreal hardwood species differs depending not only on species, but also season. In this study, the roles of cell walls and intracellular contents in supercooling capability of XPCs were examined in three boreal hardwood species, Japanese beech, katsura tree and mulberry, whose supercooling capability differs largely depending on species and season. XPCs in these species harvested in winter and summer were treated by rapid freezing and thawing (RFT samples) or by RFT with further washing (RFTW samples) to remove intracellular contents from XPCs in order to examine the roles of cell walls in supercooling.

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In this study, we examined the effects on freezing of 26 kinds of flavonoid compounds, which were randomly selected as compounds with structures similar to those of flavonoid compounds existing in deep supercooling xylem parenchyma cells (XPCs) in trees, in solutions containing different kinds of ice nucleators, including the ice nucleation bacterium (INB) Erwinia ananas, INB Xanthomonas campestris, silver iodide, phloroglucinol and unidentified airborne impurities in buffered Milli-Q water (BMQW). Cumulative freezing spectra were obtained in each solution by cooling 2 μL droplets at 0.2 °C/min by a droplet freezing assay.

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Xylem parenchyma cells (XPCs) in trees adapt to subzero temperatures by deep supercooling. Our previous study indicated the possibility of the presence of diverse kinds of supercooling-facilitating (SCF; anti-ice nucleation) substances in XPCs of katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), all of which might have an important role in deep supercooling of XPCs. In the previous study, a few kinds of SCF flavonol glycosides were identified.

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