Publications by authors named "Kenji Maeda"

Article Synopsis
  • Sacran is a special substance that comes from a type of blue-green algae and can help protect against HIV, a virus that causes AIDS.
  • Since a new treatment for HIV was created, fewer people are dying from AIDS, but the virus is still spreading through sexual contact.
  • The study showed that sacran can stop HIV from spreading and might work even better when used with other HIV medicines.
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Background: Data are limited on the protective role of the Omicron BA bivalent vaccine, previous infection, and their induced neutralizing antibodies against Omicron XBB.1.16 and EG.

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Ternary metal carbide TiAlC has been proposed as a metal gate material in logic semiconductor devices. It is a hard-to-etch material due to the low volatility of the etch byproducts. Here, a simple, highly controllable, and dry etching method for TiAlC has been first presented using nonhalogen N/H plasmas at low pressure (several Pa) and 20 °C.

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While certain human hepatitis B virus-targeting nucleoside analogs (NAs) serve as crucial anti-HBV drugs, HBV yet remains to be a major global health threat. E-CFCP is a 4'-modified and fluoromethylenated NA that exhibits potent antiviral activity against both wild-type and drug-resistant HBVs but less potent against human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). Here, we show that HIV-1 with HBV-associated amino acid substitutions introduced into the RT's dNTP-binding site (N-site) is highly susceptible to E-CFCP.

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Lysosomes are pivotal in cellular functions and disease, influencing cancer progression and therapy resistance with Acid Sphingomyelinase (ASM) governing their membrane integrity. Moreover, cation amphiphilic drugs (CADs) are known as ASM inhibitors and have anti-cancer activity, but the structural mechanisms of their interactions with the lysosomal membrane and ASM are poorly explored. Our study, leveraging all-atom explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations, delves into the interaction of glycosylated ASM with the lysosomal membrane and the effects of CAD representatives, i.

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Aim: Brexpiprazole is the first FDA-approved treatment for agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Agitation in Alzheimer's dementia (AAD) occurs in high prevalence and is a great burden for patients and caregivers. Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of brexpiprazole were demonstrated in the AAD clinical trials.

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Toward human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) cure, cells latently infected with HIV-1 must be eliminated from people living with HIV-1. We previously developed a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, diacylglycerol (DAG)-lactone derivative , with high HIV-1 latency-reversing activity, based on YSE028 () as a lead compound and found that the activity was correlated with binding affinity for PKC and stability against esterase-mediated hydrolysis. Here, we synthesized new DAG-lactone derivatives not only containing a tertiary ester group or an isoxazole surrogate but also several symmetric alkylidene moieties to improve HIV-1 latency reversing activity.

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Parkinson's Disease (PD) is characterised by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the deposition of protein inclusions called Lewy Bodies (LBs). LBs are heterogeneous structures composed of protein and lipid molecules and their main constituent is the presynaptic protein α-synuclein. SH-SY5Y cells are neuroblastoma cells commonly used to model PD because they express dopaminergic markers and α-synuclein and they can be differentiated into neuronal cells using established protocols.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focuses on understanding how HIV-1 latency is established and maintained, which is crucial for targeting the virus effectively.
  • - Researchers introduced a new model called HIV-Timer of cell kinetics and activity (HIV-Tocky) that uses dual fluorescence to track HIV provirus silencing and reactivation, allowing for a better analysis of latent HIV populations.
  • - The HIV-Tocky model distinguishes between two types of latent cells: those that are directly latent and those that have recently silenced, thereby enhancing our understanding of HIV reservoirs and potential treatment strategies to eliminate the virus.
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Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has significantly improved the prognosis of individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has transformed from a fatal disease to a treatable chronic infection. Currently, effective and safe anti-HIV drugs are available.

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Lysosomes are crucial organelles essential for various cellular processes, and any damage to them can severely compromise cell viability. This study uncovers a previously unrecognized function of the calcium- and phospholipid-binding protein Annexin A7 in lysosome repair, which operates independently of the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) machinery. Our research reveals that Annexin A7 plays a role in repairing damaged lysosomes, different from its role in repairing the plasma membrane, where it facilitates repair through the recruitment of ESCRT-III components.

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  • - This study explores the effectiveness of antibody testing for assessing immunity and diagnosing conditions like multisystem inflammatory syndrome related to COVID-19, focusing on antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
  • - Researchers measured the neutralizing activity of immunoglobulin-G (IgG) in COVID-19 convalescent patients, finding a strong correlation between serum neutralizing activity (IgG-EC) and specific antibodies (S-IgG).
  • - The findings suggest that quantitative S-IgG tests can reliably estimate neutralizing antibody activity, provided the cut-off values for interpreting results are carefully established for accuracy.
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Lysosomes are acidic organelles responsible for lipid catabolism, and their functions can be disrupted by cationic amphiphilic drugs that neutralize lumenal pH and thereby inhibit most lysosomal hydrolases. These drugs can also induce lysosomal membrane permeabilization and cancer cell death, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we uncover that the cationic amphiphilic drugs induce a substantial accumulation of cytolytic lysoglycerophospholipids within the lysosomes of cancer cells, and thereby prevent the recycling of lysoglycerophospholipids to produce common membrane glycerophospholipids.

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Article Synopsis
  • Convalescent plasma therapy involves using plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat those with severe cases of the disease.
  • A study with 59 participants investigated the safety and efficacy of this therapy, focusing on patients needing ventilation or those who died within two weeks of treatment.
  • Preliminary findings suggest that convalescent plasma therapy may be a viable treatment option for COVID-19, and the study aims to support its future use in severe cases.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze changes in participant characteristics over time to improve convalescent plasma donation methods for COVID-19 patients.
  • Data from April 2020 to November 2021 showed a decrease in sample eligibility, initially below 20% after a year, with a shift toward enrolling more participants beyond 120 days post-infection.
  • The research concluded that monitoring eligibility rates and factors like vaccination and infection rates is crucial for effective plasma donation recruitment as pandemics evolve.
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Background: Data are limited on the role of preinfection humoral immunity protection against Omicron BA.5 infection and long coronavirus disease (COVID) development.

Methods: We conducted nested case-control analysis among tertiary hospital staff in Tokyo who donated blood samples in June 2022 (1 month before Omicron BA.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the challenge of eliminating latent HIV-1 infected cells during treatment and highlights a lack of effective in vitro models for testing therapies.
  • It presents a new protocol for creating various types of HIV-infected Jurkat cells, including ones that produce the virus and those that are latent.
  • This protocol allows for testing antiviral agents and analyzing the HIV provirus, which helps improve HIV-1 treatment strategies and understand how different infected cells are selected over time.
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Cancer cells are dependent on cholesterol, and they possess strictly controlled cholesterol homeostasis mechanisms. These allow them to smoothly switch between cholesterol synthesis and uptake to fulfill their needs and to adapt environmental changes. Here we describe a mechanism of how cancer cells employ oncogenic growth factor signaling to promote uptake and utilization of extracellular cholesterol via Myeloid Zinc Finger 1 (MZF1)-mediated Niemann Pick C1 (NPC1) expression and upregulated macropinocytosis.

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Cells latently infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) prevent people living with HIV-1 from obtaining a cure to the infectious disease. Latency reversing agents (LRAs) such as protein kinase C (PKC) activators and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors can reactivate cells latently infected with HIV-1. Several trials based on treatment with HDAC inhibitors alone, however, failed to reduce the number of latent HIV-1 reservoirs.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 in high-risk patients who showed symptoms within five days.
  • The trial involved 25 patients, with no significant difference in viral load changes between those receiving convalescent plasma and those receiving standard care over the first five days.
  • The results suggest that early convalescent plasma treatment does not reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load compared to standard care alone within that timeframe.
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Background: Longitudinal data are lacking to compare booster effects of Delta breakthrough infection versus third vaccine dose on neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against Omicron.

Methods: Participants were the staff of a national research and medical institution in Tokyo who attended serological surveys on June 2021 (baseline) and December 2021 (follow-up); in between, the Delta-dominant epidemic occurred. Of 844 participants who were infection-naïve and had received two doses of BNT162b2 at baseline, we identified 11 breakthrough infections during follow-up.

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Although vaccines for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease 2019 (COVID-19) induce effective immune responses, vaccination with booster doses is necessary because of waning immunity. We conducted an open-label, non-randomized, single-arm study in adults in Japan to assess the immunogenicity and safety of a single booster dose of the KD-414 purified whole-SARS-CoV-2-virion inactivated vaccine candidate after vaccination with a primary series of BNT162b2. The primary endpoint was serum neutralizing activity at 7 days after booster injection compared with the primary series of BNT162b2.

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The annexins are a family of Ca-dependent peripheral membrane proteins. Several annexins are implicated in plasma membrane repair and are overexpressed in cancer cells. Annexin A4 (ANXA4) and annexin A5 (ANXA5) form trimers that induce high curvature on a membrane surface, a phenomenon deemed to accelerate membrane repair.

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Introduction: Limited and inconclusive evidence for the association of dietary potassium intake with serum potassium in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have been shown, though restricting dietary potassium has been recommended for CKD patients to prevent hyperkalemia. Multiple 24-hour urine collections are necessary to adequately assess potassium intake. We investigated associations of 24-hour urinary potassium excretion (UKV) with serum potassium in CKD outpatients based on multiple 24-hour urine collections.

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