Publications by authors named "Kitazawa T"

Ghrelin is known to be a multifunctional peptide hormone that stimulates not only growth hormone secretion and feeding but also gastrointestinal (GI) functions, including motility, secretion and mucosa proliferation. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview on the physiological roles of ghrelin in the regulation of GI motility from a comparative perspective. The effects of ghrelin on GI motility differ depending on the species, and ghrelin is a possible regulator of gastric migrating motor complexes (MMCs) in rodents, dogs and house musk shrew (suncus).

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Postoperative adhesions frequently occur following abdominal surgical interventions, leading to serious morbidities and requiring new therapeutic strategies. The development of new therapeutic agents to reduce postoperative adhesions needs animal models that closely mirror human pathophysiology. In this study, we established a novel surgical adhesion model in cynomolgus monkeys, which are characteristically similar to humans.

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Objectives: Clostridium species are ubiquitous in nature and commonly cause infections, including bacteremia. C. perfringens is often the causative species, while the epidemiology of other clostridial species remains unclear.

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Anionic boron clusters, such as [BX] (X = Cl, Br, I), have attracted attention in pharmaceuticals due to their unique superchaotropic properties. In particular, [BBr] () has demonstrated strong interactions with biomolecules, facilitating cargo translocation across plasma membranes. In this study, we investigated the effect of covalently attaching chlorinated dodecaborate moiety [BClO-] to 6-carboxyfluorescein (6-FAM) () via a PEG3 linker to form conjugate ().

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Background: Ovarian cancer remains a formidable challenge in oncology, necessitating innovative therapeutic approaches. Claudin-6 (CLDN6), a member of the tight junction molecule CLDN family, exhibits negligible expression in healthy tissues but displays aberrant upregulation in various malignancies, including ovarian cancer. Although several therapeutic modalities targeting CLDN6 are currently under investigation, there is still a need for more potent therapeutic options.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore if visceral fat volume (VFA) still affects COVID-19 severity and mortality during the Omicron variant epidemic, as previous variants showed this connection.
  • Researchers conducted a retrospective study on hospitalized patients at Teikyo University Hospital and found that low VFA and hypoalbuminemia (low albumin levels) were linked to higher mortality rates.
  • The findings suggest that measuring VFA and serum albumin could help predict mortality risk for hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the Omicron wave.
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Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma B-cell malignancy characterized by immune dysfunction, with infection representing a major complication. Bacteria, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, are common pathogens in patients with MM, but reports on infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been limited. We herein report a case of disseminated NTM infection in a patient with MM undergoing treatment with immunomodulatory drugs.

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We herein report a case of neurosyphilis that presented with isolated bilateral abducens nerve palsy. A 39-year-old man was referred to our department with diplopia. He had a history of homosexual relationships and showed only bilateral abducens nerve palsy upon a neurological examination.

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We present a case of tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA) caused by Clostridioides difficile (CD) in a 43-year-old female. Despite lacking a history of sexually transmitted diseases, the patient had undergone paraovarian cystectomy nine months before admission. Transvaginal ultrasonography performed eight months post-surgery revealed left ovarian enlargement, accompanied by subsequent lower abdominal pain and fever exceeding 38 °C.

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The Hofmann-type complex and Soma-Iwamoto-type complex are cyano-bridged coordination polymers and both have been widely researched. Now we have synthesized a novel Soma-Iwamoto-type complex, namely Fe(quinazoline)[Au(CN)]. This complex shows the Soma-Iwamoto-type bilayer with Au-Au interactions and a SCO phenomenon with a gradual change of magnetic susceptibility.

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Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive cancer for which immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have had only limited success. Bispecific T-cell engagers are promising therapeutic alternatives for ICI-resistant tumors, but not all patients with SCLC are responsive. Herein, to integrate CD137 costimulatory function into a T-cell engager format and thereby augment therapeutic efficacy, we generated a CD3/CD137 dual-specific Fab and engineered a DLL3-targeted trispecific antibody (DLL3 trispecific).

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with hemophilia A who have inhibitors often show unresponsiveness to repeated doses of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa), likely due to lower levels of factor X (FX) in their blood.* -
  • A study involving both hemophilia patients with inhibitors and those with acquired hemophilia found that unresponsive patients had significantly lower FX levels, which affected their thrombin generation and response to rFVIIa treatment.* -
  • The presence of emicizumab, a prophylactic treatment, improved thrombin generation even at low FX levels, suggesting it may enhance coagulation despite reduced clinical effectiveness of rFVIIa in these patients.*
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Article Synopsis
  • Overcoming resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors is critical for treating non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which includes different molecular subtypes with distinct immune landscapes.
  • The study identifies three adenocarcinoma subtypes (TRU, PP, PI) and their immune responses, finding that the PI subtype has a stronger immune activation while the PP subtype shows features that suppress the immune response.
  • Understanding these immune characteristics can guide personalized treatment strategies, suggesting that immune checkpoint inhibitors may work well for the PI subtype and that targeting glycolysis could help improve the immune response in the PP subtype.
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In human celiac disease (CeD) HLA-DQ2.5 presents gluten peptides to antigen-specific CD4 T cells, thereby instigating immune activation and enteropathy. Targeting HLA-DQ2.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24 offers a summarized overview of approximately 1800 drug targets and around 6000 interactions with 3900 ligands, mostly in a tabular format.
  • It focuses on selective pharmacology and includes links to an open access knowledgebase for more detailed drug information.
  • The guide divides drug targets into six major categories, providing essential summaries and guidance based on the latest pharmacological data available as of mid-2023, while serving as an official resource by the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology.
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Background: Activated protein C (APC) inactivates activated factor (F) V (FVa) and FVIIIa. NXT007, an emicizumab-based engineered therapeutic bispecific antibody, enhances the coagulation potential of FVIII-deficient plasma (FVIIIdef-plasma) to near normal levels. However, little is known about the effect of APC-induced inactivation in NXT007-mediated hemostatic function.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study examined the effects of adding proteins like protein C, protein S, and antithrombin to simulated hemophilia A plasma with emicizumab to assess their role in thrombin generation.
  • * Results showed that emicizumab increases thrombin levels depending on the concentrations of these natural anticoagulants, suggesting a complex interaction that could help regulate clotting in patients with hemophilia A who also have thrombophilic tendencies.
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Purpose: After tooth extraction, preservation of the alveolar ridge by socket grafting attenuates bone resorption. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and SP7/Osterix (OSX) are transcription factors playing an important role in osteoblast differentiation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of carbonate apatite (COAp) on osteoblast-related gene and protein expression after socket grafting.

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Background: Emicizumab, a factor (F) VIIIa-function mimetic bispecific antibody (BsAb) to FIXa and FX, has become an indispensable treatment option for people with hemophilia A (PwHA). However, a small proportion of PwHA still experience bleeds even under emicizumab prophylaxis, as observed in the long-term outcomes of clinical studies. A more potent BsAb may be desirable for such patients.

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Purpose: Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the common cold are disorders of the upper respiratory tract, and may be associated. However, studies on the association between OSA and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in children are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate possible associations between snoring, the severity of OSA, and URTI in elementary school children.

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  • The study investigates the effects of rat ghrelin and motilin on muscle contractions in the rabbit duodenum, particularly focusing on ghrelin's role, which has been previously linked to GI motility in other animals.
  • Results show that rat ghrelin did not influence the contractile activity of the duodenum, as its receptor mRNA was found to have low expression in this region compared to other GI areas like the esophagus and stomach.
  • Conversely, motilin successfully induced muscle contractions, suggesting that while motilin is an important player in GI motility, ghrelin does not regulate contractions in the rabbit duodenum due to a lack of its receptors.
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