Publications by authors named "Katsumata H"

The ability of the heterojunction between two distinct semiconductors with appropriately matched band gaps to improve the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs has been demonstrated to enhance photocatalytic activity. Hence, ZnO/g-CN composites have been fabricated by the facile deposition and calcination of ZnO and g-CN. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm the formation of the composite.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Semiconductor-based remediation enables environmentally friendly methods of removing aqueous pollutants. Simply fabricated ZnO modified g-CN composites were utilized as bifunctional adsorptive photocatalysts for orange II removal from aqueous solution through adsorption and photocatalysis processes. The adsorption isotherm data of the g-CN (g-CN) and ZnO modified g-CN (ZCN) composites on orange II solution were better fitted with the Langmuir isotherm compared to the Freundlich isotherm.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Lipoprotein glomerulopathy (LPG) is a apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-related glomerular disease and has been associated with type III hyperlipidemia. Without appropriate treatment, chronic kidney disease (CKD) caused by LPG progresses, and approximately half of the patients develop end-stage kidney disease within 1-27 years of disease onset. However, few studies have highlighted the clinical course of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in patients with LPG.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Natural enzyme mimics have attracted attention as alternatives to natural peroxidases. Among these, magnetic nanoparticles, especially ferrites, have attracted attention because of their unique electronic and physical structures, which are expected to be applied in various fields, including high-frequency magnetic materials, biomaterials, gas sensors, and semiconductor photocatalysts. The structural properties of the synthesized catalysts were investigated using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tumor progression and metastasis are regulated by endothelial cells undergoing endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), a cellular differentiation process in which endothelial cells lose their properties and differentiate into mesenchymal cells. The cells undergoing EndoMT differentiate through a spectrum of intermediate phases, suggesting that some cells remain in a partial EndoMT state and exhibit an endothelial/mesenchymal phenotype. However, detailed analysis of partial EndoMT has been hampered by the lack of specific markers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Oxygen-doped g-CN with pyridine ring (POCN) was synthesized by easily thermal polymerization of urea, pyridine solution, and ammonium acetate to improve photocatalytic hydrogen production. The experimental results indicate that pyridine was incorporated into the tri-s-triazine structure of g-CN. The O atoms were modified to g-CN by replacing the N atoms (C-N=C) of the triazine ring.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • S100A16 is a calcium-binding protein linked to various cancers, but its role in bladder cancer (BC) is not well-studied, prompting a retrospective analysis of 121 BC patients who had radical cystectomy (RC).
  • The study found that S100A16 was expressed in 44.6% of patients, and its presence was significantly correlated with factors like age, tumor stage, and patient outcomes like recurrence and cancer-specific death.
  • Patients with S100A16 expression showed shorter survival rates, suggesting it may serve as a biomarker for aggressive cancer in BC; additionally, the PI3k/Akt signaling pathway might be targeted for future therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN, abbreviated as g-CN) suffers from low visible-light-responsive photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, aromatic benzene rings and black phosphorus (BP) were successfully incorporated into g-CN photocatalysts (BP/A-CN), resulting in modified materials with improved properties. Structural analysis confirmed the successful integration of aromatic rings and BP into the g-CN framework, indicating the formation of a stable composite.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cytomegalovirus viremia and infection have been reported to increase the risks for acute graft rejection and mortality in kidney transplant recipients. Previous studies demonstrated that a lower absolute lymphocyte count in peripheral blood is associated with cytomegalovirus infection. The aim of this study was to investigate whether absolute lymphocyte count could predict cytomegalovirus infection in kidney transplant recipients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ZnO/g-CN composite was successfully synthesized by a simple one-step calcination of a urea and zinc acetate mixture. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized composite was evaluated in the degradation of bisphenol E (BPE). The morphology, crystallinity, optical properties, and composition of the synthesized composite were characterized by using various analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmitted electron microscopy (TEM), field emission-electron probe microanalysis (FE-EPMA), nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherm measurement, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An investigation of alternatives to immune checkpoint inhibitors for advanced urothelial cancer (aUC), with biologic information, is urgently needed. Clinical data for 53 patients who received gemcitabine-paclitaxel therapy (GP) as 2nd-line chemotherapy for aUC refractory to platinum-based chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. The efficacy and tolerability of GP were evaluated, and the predictive value of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) immunostained in surgical specimens was investigated for treatment outcomes in 1st- and 2nd-line chemotherapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The mortality rate due to COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) is 16.8 to 32%. Vaccination against COVID-19 is expected to contribute to the prevention of infection, severe disease, and mortality; however, it has been reported that the humoral response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccine in KTRs is poor.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study explores a new treatment for antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in transplants using a lipid nanoparticle formulation of small-interfering RNA (siRNA) designed to target complement C5, which plays a crucial role in graft injury.
  • - In experiments with sensitized Lewis rats undergoing kidney transplants, the C5 siRNA-LNP effectively suppressed complement activity and significantly improved graft survival when combined with immunosuppressants cyclosporin (CsA) and deoxyspergualin (DSG).
  • - Results showed that using C5 siRNA-LNP led to a notable reduction in complement C5 expression and graft damage, suggesting this approach could be a promising strategy for preventing AMR in
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rationale: Mobile technology has been widely utilized as an effective healthcare tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, over 50 countries have released contact-tracing apps to trace and contain infection chains. While earlier studies have examined obstacles to app uptake and usage, whether and how this uptake affects users' behavioral patterns is not well understood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The photocatalyst Ag/AgO-modified ZnO, fabricated by a simple one-step calcination method, was applied into the degradation of organic pollutant dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Ag/ZnO and AgO/ZnO were prepared as a reference comparison. The prepared catalysts were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), BET surface area measurement, and photoluminescence spectra (PL) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and electrochemical measurements.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The photocatalytic reduction of Cr to Cr in an aqueous solution, using 3 wt% Ag/g-CN in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), has been investigated here. The photocatalytic reduction of Cr with pure g-CN was very low. The addition of Ag and EDTA can significantly improve the photocatalytic reduction of Cr using g-CN.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although WO appears to be one of the extensively studied photocatalysts, the low response of pure WO in aqueous solution under visible light limits its application remarkably. In this work, the enhancement of the efficiency of WO for the visible light-driven photocatalytic oxidation of arsenite was explored using Cu ion and CuO as a co-catalyst. While the addition of Cu was found effective for the suppression of dissolution of WO, the efficiency of CuO appeared to be slightly lower.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Transplantation outcomes can be negatively impacted by rejection linked to ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI).
  • Fractalkine (FKN) plays a significant role in the inflammation process during IRI-related rejections, as shown in a mouse heart transplant study comparing different preservation times of donor hearts.
  • The study found that blocking the FKN-CX3CR1 pathway improved graft survival, indicating that targeting this axis could enhance outcomes in organ transplantation from deceased donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates how altruism and the fear of public shame influence people's willingness to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Researchers applied expected utility theory and conducted an online survey with 1,686 participants in Japan aged 30-49 to gather data.
  • Results showed that individuals who are more altruistic and sensitive to public shame were more likely to pay for the vaccine, suggesting potential interventions may be necessary to encourage vaccine uptake among less socially-minded individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This debate examines the impact of infodemics - an over-abundance of information - on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of its external effects, social distancing behavior (SDB) shares fundamental properties with public goods, whose potential for undersupply has been examined extensively in the social sciences. Although the negative effects of infodemics have been emphasized by governments and international organizations, theoretical models suggest that infodemics may work as a mitigation mechanism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

What are the implications of COVID-19 for the diplomacy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? What kinds of diplomatic tasks has the pandemic imposed on ASEAN, and in what way has the Southeast Asian association handled them? ASEAN's most fundamental diplomatic task has of course been to continue building ASEAN communities, but the ability of the association of minor powers in Southeast Asia is limited. Hence, it can be said that ASEAN's most important diplomatic task has been to maintain favorable relations with external powers, in particular, with China and the United States. The present study argues that ASEAN has managed to maintain favorable relations with and receive support from both of these external powers by conducting "equidistant diplomacy" with them.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To control the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to trace and contain infection chains; for this reason, policymakers have endorsed the usage of contact tracing apps. To date, over 50 countries have released such apps officially or semiofficially, but those that rely on citizens' voluntary uptake suffer from low adoption rates, reducing their effectiveness. Early studies suggest that the low uptake is driven by citizens' concerns about security and privacy, as well as low perceptions of infection risk and benefits from the usage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bladder cancer is extremely rare in young patients. We reported the clinicopathological outcomes in adolescent and young adult patients with bladder cancer, using age 35 as the cut-off. From 1972 to 2011, 1349 patients were treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumor.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims/introduction: The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, canagliflozin, reduced kidney failure and cardiovascular events in the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial. We carried out a post-hoc analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin in a subgroup of participants in East and South-East Asian (EA) countries who are at high risk of renal complications.

Materials And Methods: Participants with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 30 to <90 mL/min/1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF