Publications by authors named "Ken'ichi Matsumoto"

We previously reported that tenascin-X (Tnxb) aggravates hepatic fibrosis in mice fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet with high levels of phosphorus and calcium (HFCD). In this study, we investigated Tnxb expression in livers with fibrosis caused by administration of a methionine-chorine-deficient (MCD) diet in mice. Whole transcriptome analysis showed that Tnxb was one of the genes with increased expression in livers of MCD diet-fed mice compared with that in livers of normal diet (ND)-fed mice.

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  • - Increased lactate levels from glycolysis are being studied as potential markers for metabolic changes in neurons, linked to a drop in brain pH, which has been associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and autism.
  • - Research shows that these pH and lactate changes are common across different animal models, including those for depression, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease, though findings vary, particularly within the autism spectrum.
  • - A large-scale analysis indicated that higher lactate levels correlate with worse working memory performance, suggesting that altered brain chemistry might reflect underlying conditions across multiple disorders.
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Deficiency of an extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin-X (TNX) leads to a human heritable disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and TNX-deficient patients complain of chronic joint pain, myalgia, paresthesia, and axonal polyneuropathy. We previously reported that TNX-deficient (Tnxb) mice exhibit mechanical allodynia and hypersensitivity to myelinated A-fibers. Here, we investigated the pain response of Tnxb mice using pharmacological silencing of A-fibers with co-injection of N-(2,6-Dimethylphenylcarbamoylmethyl) triethylammonium bromide (QX-314), a membrane-impermeable lidocaine analog, plus flagellin, a toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) ligand.

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Genetic and environmental factors interact in a complex manner in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in humans. Oxidative stress is considered one of the more important environmental factors. We used the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model to test whether continuous feeding with the antioxidant tempol reduces maternal oxidative stress during pregnancy and potentially contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease onset.

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  • Classical-like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (clEDS) is an autosomal recessive disorder linked to the absence of tenascin-X and specific genetic variations identified in 50 patients from 43 families.
  • Detecting these genetic variants is difficult due to a related pseudogene that can interfere with analysis; researchers developed a new genetic screening system to overcome this challenge.
  • This study found biallelic variants in nine new patients and noted a higher occurrence of gastrointestinal issues compared to earlier reports, emphasizing the need for increased awareness of these complications associated with clEDS.
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  • The cornea’s structure and curvature are essential for maintaining its clarity and good vision; injuries can cause scarring and inflammation that impair transparency.
  • Damage leads to abnormal cell responses in the cornea, primarily through the transformation of keratocytes into myofibroblasts, which are involved in tissue repair.
  • Matricellular proteins, like tenascin C and osteopontin, play key roles in modulating the healing process and could present new strategies for improving corneal wound healing outcomes.
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Discussion on reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries began at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties in 2005, and the agenda for "reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+)" was introduced under the UNFCCC. The REDD+ framework was developed with the expectation that it would significantly contribute to climate change mitigation at a relatively low cost and produce benefits for both developed and developing countries. Finance is a key element of REDD+ implementation, and many financial sources, approaches, and mechanisms have supported REDD+-related activities in various developing countries.

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Tenascin-X (TNX) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein for which a deficiency results in a recessive form of classical-like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (clEDS), a heritable connective tissue disorder with hyperextensible skin without atrophic scarring, joint hypermobility, and easy bruising. Notably, patients with clEDS also suffer from not only chronic joint pain and chronic myalgia but also neurological abnormalities such as peripheral paresthesia and axonal polyneuropathy with high frequency. By using TNX-deficient ( ) mice, well-known as a model animal of clEDS, we recently showed that mice exhibit hypersensitivity to chemical stimuli and the development of mechanical allodynia due to the hypersensitization of myelinated A-fibers and activation of the spinal dorsal horn.

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A 60-year-old woman presented with a 3-year history of a slow-growing, painless mass in their left parotid gland. Ultrasonography revealed a well-circumscribed, lobulated, hypoechoic mass measuring 19x12x10 mm in the left parotid gland. Computed tomography revealed a well-circumscribed, solid mass with homogeneous enhancement.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common dementia disease in the elderly. To get a better understanding of the pathophysiology, we performed a proteomic analysis of the urine exosomes (U-exo) in AD model mice (J20). The polymer precipitation method was used to isolate U-exo from the urine of 3-month-old J20 and wild-type (WT) mice.

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Basket clam soup, a popular Asian dish, is prepared by boiling clams in hot water. The soup is generally cloudy, and it is considered that increased cloudiness enhances taste. However, the composition of the whitening ingredients and their association with taste enhancement remains unclear.

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Extracellular matrix tenascin‑X (TNX) is the largest member of the tenascin family. Our previous study demonstrated that TNX was involved in hepatic dysfunction, including fibrosis, in mice that were administered a high‑fat and high‑cholesterol diet with high levels of phosphorus and calcium. The present study investigated whether overexpression of both the fibrinogen domain of TNX (TNX‑FG) and integrin α11, one of the TNX cell surface receptors, induces fibrosis in LX‑2 human hepatic stellate cells.

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Effective amelioration of type II diabetes requires therapies that increase both glucose uptake activity per cell and skeletal muscle mass. Myristic acid (14:0) increases diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) δ protein levels and enhances glucose uptake in myotubes in a DGKδ-dependent manner. However, it is still unclear whether myristic acid treatment affects skeletal muscle mass.

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Hydrogen-rich water (HW) has been suggested to possess antioxidant properties of value in treatments of lifestyle diseases and for prevention of latent pathologies. To date, the potential benefits of HW against the deleterious effects of excessive salt intake and hypertension have not been investigated. Here, we first examined the effects of HW or HW supplemented with 0.

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  • Housing conditions of laboratory animals impact their well-being and can affect experimental outcomes, emphasizing the importance of an appropriate environment for natural behavior.
  • In a study comparing four mouse strains under three different housing conditions, three strains benefited from environmental enrichment (EE) while one strain, BALB/c, had higher debility rates in EE.
  • The findings indicate that different mouse strains react differently to environmental enrichment in terms of health and survival, highlighting the need for tailored housing conditions in future research.
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The purpose of the study was to uncover the role of tenascin X in modulation of healing in mouse corneas subjected to epithelium debridement. Healing in corneas with an epithelial defect was evaluated at the levels of gene and protein expression. Wound healing-related mediators and inflammatory cell infiltration were detected by histology, immunohistochemistry and real-time RT-PCR.

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Tenascins are a family of multifunctional extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoproteins with time- and tissue specific expression patterns during development, tissue homeostasis, and diseases. There are four family members (tenascin-C, -R, -X, -W) in vertebrates. Among them, tenascin-X (TNX) and tenascin-C (TNC) play important roles in human pathologies.

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Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) phosphorylates diacylglycerol to produce phosphatidic acid (PA). The η isozyme of DGK is abundantly expressed in C2C12 myoblasts. However, the role of DGKη in skeletal muscle cells remains unknown.

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  • China's rapid economic growth and urbanization have led to increased energy use and significant air pollution, particularly from sulfur dioxide (SO) and nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions.
  • The study analyzed these emissions across 31 provinces from 2011 to 2017, finding that while overall emissions in China declined, northern regions still faced high levels.
  • The research identified key socioeconomic and natural factors influencing emissions and proposed solutions like regional cooperation and changes to economic structures to combat air pollution and promote sustainability.
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Transplantation with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been reported to promote functional recovery in animal models of ischemic stroke. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of MSC transplantation have been only partially elucidated. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively identify changes in brain proteins in rats treated with MSCs for ischemic stroke, and to explore the multi-target mechanisms of MSCs using a proteomics-based strategy.

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Combining a popular flood disaster dataset with climate data and satellite land cover data from China, this paper estimates how forests mitigate the frequency of flooding, resulting in two major findings. First, we confirm that an increase in forest area mitigates the possibility of flood occurrence even after controlling for socioeconomic and meteorological variables and time-invariant individual effects. Second, broadleaf trees and mixed-tree forests have a flood mitigation effect, whereas coniferous trees do not; these results are robust against alternative model specifications.

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Tenascin-X (TNX) is a member of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin family, and TNX deficiency leads to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a heritable human disorder characterized mostly by skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility, and easy bruising. TNX-deficient patients complain of chronic joint pain, myalgia, paresthesia, and axonal polyneuropathy. However, the molecular mechanisms by which TNX deficiency complicates pain are unknown.

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Introduction: Whether hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass could attenuate both blood coagulation and platelet activation compared to normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass remains elusive.

Methods: Biocompatibility of a polymer-coated cardiopulmonary bypass circuit was comparatively assessed by plasma proteomics between juvenile pigs undergoing hypothermic (23°C) cardiopulmonary bypass and those undergoing normothermic (37°C) cardiopulmonary bypass (n = 6, respectively). Plasma samples were taken three times: 5 minutes after initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass (T5, before cooling), just before declamping and rewarming (Tc), and just before termination of cardiopulmonary bypass (Trw, 120 minutes).

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Introduction: To consider alternative mechanisms that give rise to a refluxing ureterovesical junction (UVJ), we hypothesized that children with a common heritable urinary tract defect, vesicoureteric reflux (VUR), may have a defect in the extracellular matrix composition of the UVJ and other tissues that would be revealed by assessment of the peripheral joints. Hypermobile joints can arise from defects in the extracellular matrix within the joint capsule that affect proteins, including tenascin XB (TNXB).

Methods: We performed an observational study of children with familial and non-familial VUR to determine the prevalence of joint hypermobility, renal scarring, and DNA sequence variants in TNXB.

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