Publications by authors named "Kawahara F"

Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is a phosphaturic hormone secreted by osteocytes in response to dietary phosphate intake. An increase in FGF23 level is an indicator of excess phosphate intake relative to the residual nephron number. Therefore, avoiding excessive phosphate intake and inhibiting the elevation of serum FGF23 levels are important to preserve the number of functional nephrons.

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  • Plant-based diets, which replace animal proteins with plant proteins, may offer better cardiovascular protection by affecting levels of nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite in the body.
  • A study involving nine healthy men found that consuming plant-based proteins significantly increased serum NO levels and improved the balance between NO and peroxynitrite, while animal-based proteins led to higher peroxynitrite levels and reduced NO levels.
  • The findings suggest that plant-based proteins could enhance endothelial function, which is important for cardiovascular health, when compared to animal-based proteins.
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A case of suspected food poisoning related to the consumption of raw meat from a common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) was reported in Tokyo, Japan, in June 2020. Microscopic analysis revealed tissue cysts of Toxoplasma gondii and sarcocysts of Sarcocystis sp. in whale meat.

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Infectious diseases are an important issue in the poultry industry, requiring early diagnosis and countermeasures. To address this, we present a system based on TaqMan real-time PCR to detect pathogen genome in specimens collected from chickens. We designed 12 primer-probe sets for pathogens causing respiratory or systemic symptoms.

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A 14-year-old inhibitor-positive male patient with severe hemophilia A and severe psychomotor disability was admitted due to left buccal swelling and impaired downward movement of the left eye. He had been on noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) through a nasal mask for upper airway obstruction. The patient began to have repeated epistaxis 16 months after initiation of treatment with 6 mg/kg Q4W of emicizumab, and was thus administered a bypassing agent.

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Antiemetic therapy with aprepitant, palonosetron, and dexamethasone is recommended for moderately emetogenic chemotherapy in several guidelines to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. There is a lack of information about the efficacy and safety of antiemetic therapy with aprepitant, palonosetron, and dexamethasone in patients treated with oxaliplatin in Japan. We recruited patients with untreated colorectal cancer who underwent oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

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Purpose: To develop a new wound dressing composed of alginate and Aloe vera gel and cross-linked with zinc ions.

Methods: The aloe-alginate film was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling profile, mechanical properties, polysaccharide content and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thirty Wistar rats were divided in two groups a) treated with aloe-alginate film and b) control (treated with sterile gauze).

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  • A study was conducted to understand how common pneumococcus is in the upper respiratory tracts of older adults (65 years and older) living in the community in Nagasaki, Japan.
  • Out of 504 participants, none tested positive for pneumococcus through culture methods, but 22 tested positive using PCR, resulting in a low carriage prevalence of 4.4% overall.
  • The highest prevalence was found in saliva samples, and demographic factors like age did not significantly affect carriage rates among participants.
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A 56-year-old woman was diagnosed as having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with heavy smoking. Mild pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressure: 31 mmHg) was detected at the first visit. She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension due to pulmonary disease and medicated only with bronchodilators.

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Attenuated strains of avian Eimeria parasites, generated by the selection of precocious lines through serial passaging in chicks, have been used widely as live vaccines. Detailed morphological transitions including their life cycle depending on the passages remain poorly understood. Here, we showed early development and acceleration of transitions in morphological forms of the asexual schizonts of E.

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Toxoplasma gondii can infect almost all mammals and birds, including chickens. The aim of this study was to identify an appropriate immunogenic antigen for serodiagnosis of T. gondii infections in chickens.

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  • The text discusses an intracellular parasite that infects chicken cecal cells, leading to severe health issues, including hemorrhagic diarrhea and death.
  • It highlights a study comparing RNA sequences of virulent and less harmful strains, revealing that several genes related to mitochondrial energy processes are more active in the virulent strain.
  • The research demonstrates that the parasite's mitochondria can perform unique types of respiration and suggests that mitochondrial components, particularly complex II, have distinct characteristics that could be targeted for new drug development.
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Necrotic enteritis (NE) is one of the most important bacterial diseases in terms of economic losses. Clostridium perfringens necrotic enteritis toxin B, NetB, was recently proposed as a new key virulent factor for the development of NE. The goal of this work was to develop a necrotic enteritis model in chickens by using a Japanese isolate of C.

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Chicken coccidiosis is caused by Eimeria spp., particularly Eimeria tenella, and is characterized by watery or hemorrhagic diarrhea, resulting in death in severe cases. Precociously attenuated live vaccines are widely used to control the disease, and these are produced by serially passaging virulent strains through chickens, and the collection of oocysts from feces at progressively earlier time points during oocyst shedding.

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In this study, we investigated the clinical factors associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) due to combination therapy with cisplatin (CDDP) for treating lung cancer. We classified cases according to the presence or absence of adequate hydration and magnesium(Mg)administered above the regulations of the registered regimen to evaluate the effect due to differences in hydration on AKI. We also investigated clinical factors before and after administration of CDDP in each case group, and examined their association with AKI.

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The phylum Apicomplexa includes serious pathogens of humans and animals. Understanding the distribution and population structure of these protozoan parasites is of fundamental importance to explain disease epidemiology and develop sustainable controls. Predicting the likely efficacy and longevity of subunit vaccines in field populations relies on knowledge of relevant preexisting antigenic diversity, population structure, the likelihood of coinfection by genetically distinct strains, and the efficiency of cross-fertilization.

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The previous release of our Full-parasites database (http://fullmal.hgc.jp/) brought enhanced functionality, an expanded full-length cDNA content, and new RNA-Seq datasets from several important apicomplexan parasites.

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Global production of chickens has trebled in the past two decades and they are now the most important source of dietary animal protein worldwide. Chickens are subject to many infectious diseases that reduce their performance and productivity. Coccidiosis, caused by apicomplexan protozoa of the genus Eimeria, is one of the most important poultry diseases.

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None of anticoccidial vaccines (Trivalent TAM™, monovalent Neca™ and imported pentavalent Paracox(®)-5) contain Eimeria brunetti in Japan, which has not been regarded as a cause of coccidiosis, because of its low prevalence. However, we have recently reported the evidence of a high nationwide prevalence of this species. In this report, we describe the characteristics of E.

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Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related diseases have been reported to be systemic diseases characterized by elevation of serum IgG4 concentration and infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells within the target organ. However, the involvement of coronary artery is very rare. Here, we report a 62-year-old man with mass lesions surrounding coronary artery and abdominal aorta associated with IgG4-related disease diagnosed by a needle biopsy of the mass lesion surrounding the coronary artery using echocardiography and computed tomography.

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At present, morphological characteristics of oocyst is the only achievable method for the identification of bovine coccidia to the species level. In this study, the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) region of ribosomal RNA genes of six bovine Eimeria species; E. alabamensis, E.

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A novel molecular targeting drug, a proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib (Bor), has been reported to be highly effective for relapsed/refractory, as well as for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, but is also associated with a high frequency of herpes zoster (HZ) infection (13%). We conducted a retrospective survey on HZ infection (profile) after Bor therapy in our hospital. Six of 30 patients developed HZ infection during bortezomib-dexamethasone treatment (BD therapy).

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A case of a fibroadenoma coexisting with an invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast in a 60-year-old female is presented, and its pathological features are correlated with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) and other imaging findings. The patient presented with the chief complaint of having a palpable mass in her right breast for 3 months. Mammography revealed a lobular mass with a micro-lobulated margin, which suggested a malignant nature; however, it included coarse calcifications.

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To detect five different avian Eimeria species, we applied the SYBR Green-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the diagnosis of field-isolated parasites by using their individual species-specific primer sets. The primer sets were originally designed for Eimeria acervulina, E brunetti, E necatrix, and E tenella based on the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer 1 region of ribosomal DNA, whereas for E. maxima the primer sets were derived from sequences reported previously.

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We report here a case of Staphylococcus epidermidis endocarditis with bacterial vegetation which was suspected by intraoperative alternating pulse on arterial pressure monitoring. A 65-year-old man was diagnosed as lumbar spinal canal stenosis and scheduled for operation. Preoperatively, he had chronic renal failure, mild aortic valve stenosis, and moderate mitral valve regurgitation.

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