Publications by authors named "Kentaro Izumi"

Autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs), classified into pemphigus and pemphigoid, consist of relatively rare skin disorders caused by autoantibodies that target desmosomal and hemidesmosomal proteins, respectively. Although systemic corticosteroids are used as a first-line treatment for AIBDs, azathioprine is frequently co-administered as a steroid-sparing agent. Azathioprine is metabolized into thioguanine nucleotides (TGNs) which are its major active metabolites.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune skin disease caused by antibodies against type XVII collagen, leading to blister formation and inflammation in the skin.
  • Researchers created specific CD4 T cell lines that recognize the collagen and tested their effects by transferring them into specially designed mice that only express human COL17.
  • The study found that certain T cell lines caused symptoms similar to bullous pemphigoid, and high levels of IL-5 cytokine were linked to this effect; blocking IL-5 reduced the skin damage and antibody production.
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(De Haan, 1841) is known for forming huge burrows in sandy, intertidal areas that can extend to depths of over 2 m. Despite its widespread distribution in East Asia and Russia, the genetic relatedness of its regional populations remains uncertain, likely owing to difficulties in specimen collection. Therefore, to appraise the phylogeographic patterns, genetic diversity, and morphological variety of , the mitochondrial DNA of specimens collected from Japan, Korea and China were subjected to molecular phylogenetic analyses of COI genes, alongside morphological assessment.

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  • Pemphigoid diseases involve the formation of blisters and autoantibodies that attack skin proteins like BP180, but the specific regions targeted by these antibodies are not fully understood.* -
  • Researchers immunized mice with BP180 to create anti-BP180 antibodies and discovered that these antibodies target specific parts of BP180, particularly the intracellular and extracellular domains.* -
  • The study found that certain antibodies reacted to new epitopes on BP180 that are similar to those found in human cases, with distinct antibody subclasses (IgG and IgM) indicating potential natural immune responses in mice.*
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Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune blistering disorder. Several factors, including an antidiabetic (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor [DPP-4i]), have been reported to trigger BP. To identify the genetic variants associated with BP, GWAS and HLA fine-mapping analyses were conducted.

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Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by itchy erythema and tense blisters on the whole body. Recent reports have unveiled the pathogenic roles of eosinophils in BP (e.g.

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  • Pemphigoid diseases, including mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), are autoimmune disorders that cause blistering, with autoantibodies targeting hemidesmosome molecules like collagen XVII and integrin a6/β4.
  • Traditional detection methods for MMP autoantibodies face challenges due to their diverse profiles and low levels, prompting the need for improved systems.
  • This study presents a new ELISA utilizing a native autoantigen complex isolated through CRISPR/Cas9 editing, demonstrating enhanced diagnostic performance with sensitivity at 70.9% and specificity at 86.7% compared to conventional methods.
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Chronic blistering at the skin and/or mucous membranes, accompanied by a varying degree of inflammation, is the clinical hallmark of pemphigoid diseases that impose a major medical burden. Pemphigoid diseases are caused by autoantibodies targeting structural proteins of the epithelial basement membrane. One major pathogenic pathway of skin blistering and inflammation is activation of myeloid cells following Fc gamma receptor-dependent binding to the skin-bound immune complexes.

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Pemphigoid diseases are autoimmune chronic inflammatory skin diseases, which are characterized by blistering of the skin and/or mucous membranes, and circulating and tissue-bound autoantibodies. The well-established pathomechanisms comprise autoantibodies targeting various structural proteins located at the dermal-epidermal junction, leading to complement factor binding and activation. Several effector cells are thus attracted and activated, which in turn inflict characteristic tissue damage and subepidermal blistering.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune disease that causes blisters under the skin, primarily involving autoantibodies against BP180 and BP230 components.
  • The detection of these autoantibodies is crucial for diagnosing BP and monitoring disease activity, as they can appear even before symptoms like blisters develop, termed "preclinical BP autoantibodies."
  • This review highlights studies on the prevalence of preclinical BP autoantibodies, especially in high-risk groups, and discusses their potential role as indicators for future BP development.
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The use of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors, (also known as gliptins), is associated with an increased risk of bullous pemphigoid (BP), an autoimmune blistering skin disease. To explore the mechanism behind gliptin-associated BP we investigated circulating autoantibodies against the major BP autoantigen BP180 in serum samples from patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with preceding gliptin medication (n = 136) or without (n = 136). Sitagliptin was the most frequently prescribed gliptin (125/136 patients).

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) induce T-cell-mediated antitumour responses. While ICI were initially successfully applied in metastasized melanoma, they are now approved for several tumour entities. Numerous autoimmune disorders have been reported to occur as adverse events of the treatment, among them bullous pemphigoid (BP), with less than 1% of the patients experiencing ICI-induced BP.

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