Publications by authors named "Junpei Iwasa"

Aim:   Combination chemoprevention is a promising strategy to improve the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A malfunction of retinoid X receptor-α (RXR-α) due to phosphorylation by Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase is closely associated with liver carcinogenesis and acyclic retinoid (ACR) can prevent HCC development by inhibiting RXR-α phosphorylation. The present study examined the possible combined effects of ACR plus branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which can also prevent the development of HCC in obese patients with liver cirrhosis, in human HCC xenografts in nude mice.

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Obesity and its associated disorders, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which improve protein malnutrition in patients with liver cirrhosis, reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in these patients with obesity. In the present study, the effects of BCAA supplementation on the spontaneous development of hepatic premalignant lesions, foci of cellular alteration, in db/db obese mice were examined.

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A 70-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because a mass was incidentally found in the body of the pancreas. The mass was suspected to be serous cystadenoma from the findings of abdominal enhanced computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic ultrasonography. In addition, another solid mass was detected in the pancreatic head on imaging tests.

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Obesity and the related metabolic abnormalities are associated with increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Malfunctioning of retinoid X receptor (RXR) α due to phosphorylation by Ras/MAPK also plays a critical role in liver carcinogenesis. In the present study, we examined the effects of acyclic retinoid (ACR), which targets RXRα, on the development of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver tumorigenesis in C57BLKS/J- +Lepr(db)/+Lepr(db) (db/db) obese mice.

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Hepatic encephalopathy is one of the most important clinical manifestations in decompensated liver cirrhosis. Accepted concepts regarding the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy are that the endogenous neurotoxic substances, including ammonia: (i) escape from catabolism by the liver due both to the impaired function of the cirrhotic liver and also to the presence of portal systemic shunting; (ii) circulate at elevated concentrations in the systemic blood flow; (iii) reach the brain through the blood-brain barrier; and (iv) impair cerebral function leading to disturbances of consciousness. The majority of these toxic substances are produced in the intestine by the bacterial flora, and are absorbed into the portal venous flow.

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Energy malnutrition worsens survival in patients with liver cirrhosis, and is currently defined as non-protein respiratory quotient (npRQ) <0.85, as measured by indirect calorimetry. However, measurement of this npRQ is limited because of the high cost of indirect calorimetry.

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Obesity and related metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, are risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis as well as in chronic viral hepatitis. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which improve insulin resistance, inhibited obesity-related colon carcinogenesis in a rodent model, and also reduced the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in obese patients with liver cirrhosis. In the present study, we determined the effects of BCAA on the development of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver tumorigenesis in obese C57BL/KsJ-db/db (db/db) mice with diabetes mellitus.

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Objective: Protein-energy malnutrition is frequently observed in patients with liver cirrhosis and is associated with their poor prognosis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is elevated in those patients and may contribute to the alterations of energy metabolism. Our aim was to characterize the aberrant energy metabolism in cirrhotic patients with regard to TNF-alpha.

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Cellulomonas denverensis is a small and thin gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium that was proposed as a new species in 2005. Here we report a female case of acute cholecystitis and sepsis in which C. denverensis was determined to be causative.

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Hepatic fibrosis is a major complication of various chronic liver diseases. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a critical role in the development of liver fibrosis and the axis of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)/PDGF receptor (PDGFR), a member of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), is closely associated with the activation of HSC. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 receptor (IGF-1R), which also belongs to RTKs, interacts with the PDGF/PDGFR axis, thereby cooperatively promoting hepatic fibrosis.

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Purpose: Obesity and related metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance and activation of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)/IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) axis, are risk factors for colon cancer. Supplementation with branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) reduces the risk of liver cancer in cirrhotic patients who are obese, and this has been associated with an improvement of insulin resistance. The present study examined the effects of BCAA on the development of azoxymethane (AOM)-initiated colonic premalignant lesions in C57BL/KsJ-db/db (db/db) mice that were obese and had hyperinsulinemia.

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Clinical impact of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) on the outcome of liver cirrhosis is well documented. As a candidate interventional modality to improve PEM in cirrhosis, effects of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation on event-free survival and quality of life (QOL) was first reported by Yoshida et al. in 1989.

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Objective: Nutritional status is an important factor that determines hospital stay, and the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) is a candidate tool for nutritional screening on admission. However, the significance of the SGA has not been evaluated well in the ward for digestive diseases. We conducted the present study to test whether the SGA predicts hospital stay of these patients.

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