Publications by authors named "Kazuki Kitajima"

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.
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Early detection of primary bladder cancer (BCa) is vital, because stage and grade have been generally accepted not only as categorical but also as prognostic factors in patients with BCa. The widely accepted screening methods for BCa, cystoscopy and urine cytology, have unsatisfactory diagnostic accuracy, with high rates of false negatives, especially for flat-type BCa with cystoscopy and for low-risk disease with urine cytology. Currently, liquid biopsy has attracted much attention as being compensatory for that limited diagnostic power.

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Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) after allograft biopsy occurs in 1.6-8.3% of kidney transplant patients and most cases remain asymptomatic.

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Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the kidney is a rare entity and usually displays a favorable prognosis. We herein report a second case of renal SFT developing local recurrence. A 50-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of a left renal mass.

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Background: Bladder cancer is the most prevalent malignancy involving the urinary system and exhibits a markedly high recurrence rate. Therefore, reliable and noninvasive diagnostic and surveillance methods are desperately needed.

Patients And Methods: Candidate microRNAs (miRNAs) were selected from the miRNAs that were differentially expressed in bladder cancer cell lines (T24 and RT4) compared to normal ureteral epithelial tissue using miRNA-microarray analysis.

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Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a neoplastic complication with a potentially fatal outcome that develops as a consequence of immunosuppression, and is mainly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. A 70-year-old woman underwent a live unrelated, ABO-incompatible renal transplant for end-stage renal disease. One year after transplantation, protocol biopsy revealed pathological changes indicative of the histological subtype of 'early lesions of PTLD' according to the World Health Organization classification, while the patient showed no clinical signs or symptoms.

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Many reports have indicated that the abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is associated with the progression of disease and have identified miRNAs as attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. However, the bifunctional mechanisms of miRNA guide and passenger strands in RNA interference (RNAi) therapy have not yet been clarified. Here, we show that miRNA (miR)-582-5p and -3p, which are strongly decreased in high-grade bladder cancer clinical samples, regulate tumor progression in vitro and in vivo.

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Malakoplakia is a rare chronic inflammatory condition characterized by defective macrophage function, most of which involve the genitourinary tract, and renal parenchymal involvement is uncommon. We present a case of malakoplakia affecting renal parenchyma. A 46-year-old woman with pyrexia and jaundice was referred to our department.

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This paper describes the details of our synthetic studies on the marine steroidal alkaloids cortistatins A and J. The key features of our strategy include (i) an efficient Knoevenagel/electrocyclic strategy to couple the diketone and the CD-ring fragment, (ii) a chemoselective radical cyclization to construct the oxabicyclo[3.2.

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Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is the most important member of the MMP family responsible for the development and progression of various renal diseases. Our study aims to investigate the localization of MMP-9 in human renal allografts and to assess whether MMP-9 immunostaining is contributory to detect pathological change in renal biopsy.

Methods: We examined 150 renal allograft biopsies (48 baseline and 102 follow-up) from 49 transplants and analyzed the associations of clinical and histopathological data with the MMP-9 staining intensity using a semi-quantitative scoring.

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Background: Lower urinary tract obstruction causes both renal failure and bladder dysfunction after birth. This study examined the early bladder wall changes after creating an obstructive uropathy focusing on bladder wall thickness and muscle integrity.

Methods: We created obstructive uropathy in fetal lambs at 60 days' gestation, ligating the urethra and urachus.

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