Publications by authors named "Kita S"

Introduction: Systemic administration of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iPS-MSCs) has a therapeutic effect on myocardial ischemia. However, the therapeutic mechanism underlying systemic iPS-MSC-based therapy for ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) remains unclear. We investigated the therapeutic effects of iPS-MSCs through extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated tissue repair in a rat model of ICM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ever since de Saussure [Course in General Lingustics (Columbia University Press, 1916)], theorists of language have assumed that the relation between form and meaning of words is arbitrary. However, recently, a body of empirical research has established that language is embodied and contains iconicity. Sound symbolism, an intrinsic link language users perceive between word sound and properties of referents, is a representative example of iconicity in language and has offered profound insights into theories of language pertaining to language processing, language acquisition, and evolution.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • ADHD is linked to dopaminergic dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex, leading to symptoms like hyperactivity, inattention, and cognitive deficits.
  • Researchers identified sodium-calcium exchanger 3 (NCX3) in dopaminergic neurons, finding that its knockdown causes abnormal dopamine influx and related behavioral issues in mice.
  • NCX3 heterozygous mice display ADHD-like behaviors, such as hyperactivity and cognitive deficits, which can be improved with methylphenidate, highlighting the role of NCX3 in dopamine signaling and ADHD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 1 year post-transplantation is a well-established predictor of long-term graft survival; however, its predictive accuracy needs improvement. We retrospectively analyzed data from 51 kidney transplant recipients at Kanazawa Medical University Hospital (January 2001-February 2015). Cox regression was used to identify risk factors for death-censored graft loss and create a nomogram to predict graft survival at 15 years post-transplantation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recent developments in cryo-electron microscopy techniques have facilitated intensive research into determining protein structures. Nevertheless, the structures of some mitochondrial membrane protein complexes remain undetermined. One possible reason for this research gap is that mitochondrial membrane protein complexes are difficult to overexpress and purify.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Language is unbounded in its generativity, enabling the flexible combination of words into novel sentences. Critically, these constructions are intelligible to others due to our ability to derive a sentence's compositional meaning from the semantic relationships among its components. Some animals also concatenate meaningful calls into compositional-like combinations to communicate more complex information.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has mutated, leading to various pandemic and epidemic waves that involve changes in its spike protein, which is key for the virus's entry into cells.
  • Researchers studied the spike proteins from variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, discovering structures where ACE2 receptor binds to the spike protein in both up and down conformations.
  • Their findings suggest that the down-conformation of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) is an important intermediate state that helps facilitate the virus's entry, with specific mutations like K356T impacting infectivity and resistance to neutralizing antibodies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This Letter presents results from a combination of searches for Higgs boson pair production using 126-140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. At 95% confidence level (CL), the upper limit on the production rate is 2.9 times the standard model (SM) prediction, with an expected limit of 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to verify the possibility of obtaining vital sign information using a laser and radar sensor in a manner that is non-invasive and painless for test animals. A dataset was obtained from respiratory movement of anaesthetized male F344 rats, signals of laser and radar sensors were recorded simultaneously with vital data acquired with an integrated multiple-channel intraoperative monitor. In addition, respiratory movements were also video recorded, and used as reference data of respiration rate (RR; ref-RR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • HIF-PH inhibitors like roxadustat are being utilized for treating renal anemia but have shown some side effects.
  • This report highlights a possible link between central hypothyroidism, cholesterol levels, and the use of roxadustat.
  • It’s recommended that patients on roxadustat monitor their thyroid function and cholesterol regularly for better health management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cells use exosomes, which are small vesicles released from multivesicular bodies, to communicate with other cells, and recent research links their formation to autophagy, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear.
  • A study highlighted that Rubicon, a protein that negatively regulates autophagy, is crucial for the release of exosomes by recruiting another protein, WIPI2d, to enhance their formation.
  • The findings also showed that Rubicon plays a significant role in the age-related increase in exosome release in mice and influences the types of microRNAs found in exosomes, which are related to aging and longevity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate tympanic membrane regeneration therapy (TMRT) for pediatric tympanic membrane perforations (TMPs).

Study Design: Intervention study.

Setting: Research institute hospital.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study focused on the effectiveness of eribulin and capecitabine in treating advanced breast cancer patients with HER2-low expression after prior treatments with anthracyclines and taxanes.
  • No significant differences were found in overall survival or progression-free survival rates between patients receiving eribulin and those receiving capecitabine, regardless of their HER2 status.
  • The response rates varied, with eribulin showing slightly better effectiveness in hormone-positive patients compared to capecitabine, but no responses were observed in hormone-negative patients for either treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We provide updated results (median follow-up duration: 20.4 months) of a retrospective study on the effectiveness of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer with brain metastases (BM) and/or leptomeningeal disease (ROSET-BM). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 14.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This experimental study investigated whether infants use iconicity in speech and gesture cues to interpret word meanings. Specifically, we tested infants' sensitivity to size sound symbolism and iconic gesture cues and asked whether combining these cues in a multimodal fashion would enhance infants' sensitivity in a superadditive manner. Thirty-six 14-17-month-old infants participated in a preferential looking task in which they heard a spoken nonword (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim And Objective: Our recent report showed that soluble T-cadherin promotes pancreatic beta-cell proliferation. However, how and where the secretion of soluble T-cadherin is regulated remain unclear.

Methods And Results: Soluble T-cadherin levels significantly increased in leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice with hypoinsulinaemia or in wild-type mice treated with insulin receptor blockade by S961.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Speech comprehension is crucial for human social interaction, relying on the integration of auditory and visual cues across various levels of representation. While research has extensively studied multisensory integration (MSI) using idealised, well-controlled stimuli, there is a need to understand this process in response to complex, naturalistic stimuli encountered in everyday life. This study investigated behavioural and neural MSI in neurotypical adults experiencing audio-visual speech within a naturalistic, social context.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, called EG.5.1, is spreading rapidly and has been studied using various scientific methods to understand its features.
  • Key mutations in EG.5.1, specifically S:F456L and ORF9b:I5T, enhance its viral fitness compared to other variants like XBB.1.5.
  • Structural differences were found in the spike proteins of EG.5.1 versus XBB.1.5, and the research helps us understand the evolution of emerging viruses that can affect human health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Folate receptor α (FRα) is a promising target for treating cervical cancer, with high FRα expression found in 72.4% of studied patients, particularly in non-squamous cell carcinomas (non-SCC).
  • The study analyzed samples from 123 cervical cancer patients, assessing FRα and PD-L1 expression, finding a weak correlation between FRα and PD-L1 levels along with CD8-positive cell counts.
  • High FRα expression was linked to worse patient outcomes, especially in those with low PD-L1 expression (CPS <10), suggesting that targeting FRα could be an effective treatment strategy for patients with cervical cancer who exhibit low PD-L1 levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pleomorphic lung cancer is a very rare type of cancer and very few cases have been reported in the literature. We present a case of pleomorphic lung cancer in a patient with history of IgA nephropathy on hemodialysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Islet transplantation (ITx) is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes (T1DM), but many recipients lose insulin independence within three years due to early graft loss, necessitating multiple donor organs.
  • The study found that skeletal myoblast cells can support islet function by promoting angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels) and helping maintain the islet cells' ability to secrete insulin through cytokine release and JAK-STAT signaling activation.
  • In tests on diabetic mice, islets transplanted with myoblast cells resulted in lower blood glucose levels and increased insulin production compared to islets alone, suggesting that using myoblast cells in ITx could improve outcomes for diabetes patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: Trabectedin is used as a treatment for advanced-stage soft tissue sarcomas (STSs), particularly liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma. Aside from its direct effect on tumor cells, trabectedin can affect the immune system in the tumor microenvironment. This study aimed to evaluate whether inflammatory biomarkers predict trabectedin efficacy in STSs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF