Publications by authors named "K Kyokane"

Background: Constipation, which is not an organic disease in the lower gastrointestinal tract, is a gastrointestinal symptom characteristic of elderly patients. Complaints of dyschezia increase with age, and it is difficult to treat in many cases. This study aimed to determine the appropriate treatment and its effects on intestinal immunity in elderly patients experiencing chronic constipation.

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We have recently identified the zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 4 (Zscan4), which is transiently expressed and regulates telomere elongation and genome stability in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of ZSCAN4 in the adult pancreas and elucidate the role of ZSCAN4 in tissue inflammation and subsequent regeneration. The expression of ZSCAN4 and other progenitor or differentiated cell markers in the human pancreas was immunohistochemically examined.

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Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammatory disease in which the pancreatic secretory parenchyma is destroyed and replaced by fibrosis. The presence of intraductal pancreatic stone(s) is important for the diagnosis of CP; however, the precise molecular mechanisms of pancreatic stone formation in CP were left largely unknown. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a chloride channel expressed in the apical plasma membrane of pancreatic duct cells and plays a central role in [Formula: see text] secretion.

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Background: Excessive upregulation of gastric epithelial cell apoptosis is speculated to be associated with ulcerogenesis in Helicobacter pylori-positive peptic ulcer disease. H. pylori may have an ulcerogenic effect through induction of gastric epithelial cell apoptosis mediated by infiltrating T cells and their soluble products.

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Crohn's disease (CD) is a condition characterized by excessive numbers of activated T cells in the mucosa. We investigated whether a defect in apoptosis could prolong T cell survival and contribute to their accumulation in the mucosa. Apoptotic, Bcl-2+, and Bax+ cells in tissue sections were detected by the TUNEL method and immunohistochemistry.

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