Hydrogen Gas Inhalation Treatment for Coronary Artery Lesions in a Kawasaki Disease Mouse Model.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a syndrome primarily affecting young children, typically under the age of five, and is characterized by the development of acute vasculitis. Through extensive research conducted on both murine and human subjects, it has been demonstrated that heightened levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a pivotal role in the development of KD, especial coronary artery lesions (CALs). Hydrogen gas exhibits potent antioxidant properties that effectively regulate ROS production and the inflammatory response.

Calreticulin regulates hepatic stellate cell activation through modulating TGF-beta-induced Smad signaling.

Liver fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) as a wound healing process. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HpSCs) are the major producer of the ECM and play a central role in liver fibrogenesis. It has been widely accepted that elimination of activated HpSCs or reversion to a quiescent state can be a feasible strategy for resolving the disease, further highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic targets.

Positive Echocardiographic Association between Carotid Artery and Coronary Artery Diameter and Z-Score in a Mouse Model of Kawasaki Disease.

Unlabelled: Kawasaki disease (KD) occurs in young children, has an unknown etiology, and can cause such life-threatening complications as coronary artery aneurysm. A mouse model using cell wall extract (LCWE) with intraperitoneal injection was established for KD years ago. Histological examination of coronary artery lesions indicated features similar to those of vascular lesions of patients with KD.

Molecular Hydrogen: Emerging Treatment for Stroke Management.

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. However, only intravenous thrombolysis using mechanical thrombectomy or tissue plasminogen activator is considered an effective and approved treatment. Molecular hydrogen is an emerging therapeutic agent and has recently become a research focus.

Comparable bidirectional neutrophil immune dysregulation between Kawasaki disease and severe COVID-19.

Kawasaki disease (KD), a multisystem inflammatory syndrome that occurs in children, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) may share some overlapping mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in single-cell RNA sequencing between KD and COVID-19. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing in KD patients (within 24 hours before IVIG treatment) and age-matched fever controls.

Liver Graft MicroRNAs Expression in Different Etiology of Acute Jaundice after Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

Background: Acute jaundice remains a critical problem following liver transplantation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in regulating gene expression related to various disease phenotypes and statuses. Aims: To differentiate acute jaundice etiology after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), we examined the hepatic miRNA expression patterns in several liver graft pathologies.

Combination of Hemoglobin-for-Age Z-Score and Plasma Hepcidin Identified as a Novel Predictor for Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a febrile coronary vasculitis that affects younger children and includes complications such as coronary artery aneurysm. KD diagnoses are diagnosed based on clinical presentations, a process that still poses a challenge for front-line physicians. In the current study, we developed a novel predictor using the hemoglobin-for-age z-score (HbZ) and plasma hepcidin to differentiate Kawasaki disease (KD) from febrile children (FC).

Liver Graft Pathology and Low Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D after Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

Background: Most cases of advanced liver diseases are associated with low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D deficiency. This phenomenon may occur in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

Aims: We conducted this study to explore the interplay between VDR and CYP2R1 in liver graft and compared our findings with the pathological interpretation of serum 25(OH)D concentration.

KDmarkers: A biomarker database for investigating epigenetic methylation and gene expression levels in Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a form of acute systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children and has become the most common cause of acquired heart disease. While the etiopathogenesis of KD remains unknown, the diagnostic criteria of KD have been well established. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of KD is currently based on subjective clinical symptoms, and no molecular biomarker is yet available.

HCV RNA in serum and liver samples of patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation.

Objective: To compare hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels from serum and explanted native liver samples from patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Serum and liver samples were collected from consecutive serum anti-HCV-positive transplant recipients between February 2016 to August 2019.

DNA Methylation Array Identifies Golli-MBP as a Biomarker for Disease Severity in Childhood Atopic Dermatitis.

In this study, we investigated the changes in global methylation status and its functional relevance in childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). Differences in epigenome-scale methylation events in peripheral blood associated with childhood AD were screened using DNA methylation arrays of 24 patients with AD compared with 24 control subjects. Of the 16,840 differentially methylated CpG regions between AD and control subjects, >97% CpG loci revealed hypomethylation in patients with childhood AD.

Long-Term Hypermethylation of in Leukocytes of Patients with Kawasaki Disease.

The Fc gamma receptor family contains several activating receptors and the only inhibitory receptor, . In this study, we investigated the dynamic methylation change of in different stages of Kawasaki disease (KD). We enrolled a total of 116 participants, which included patients with febrile diseases as controls and KD patients.

Chemical and Biochemical Aspects of Molecular Hydrogen in Treating Kawasaki Disease and COVID-19.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis and is the most commonly acquired heart disease among children in many countries, which was first reported 50 years ago in Japan. The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) has been a pandemic in most of the world since 2020, and since late 2019 in China. Kawasaki-like disease caused by COVID-19 shares some symptoms with KD, referred to as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and has been reported in the United States, Italy, France, England, and other areas of Europe, with an almost 6-10 times or more increase compared with previous years of KD prevalence.

The Perioperatively Altered Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Associates with Impaired DNA Damage Response in Liver Transplantation Recipients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Increasing evidence has suggested that elevated systemic inflammation with a high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is associated with poor prognosis after liver transplantation (LT). The ongoing molecular events involved in poor survival remain unclear. This retrospective study evaluated LT recipients whose data was collected at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 2005 and 2014.

Statin use is associated with a lower risk of recurrence after curative resection in BCLC stage 0-A hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Use of statins is associated with a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the effect of statin use on HCC recurrence is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of statin use on recurrence after curative resection among patients with HCC.

MicroRNA-301a inhibition enhances the immunomodulatory functions of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells by induction of macrophage M2 polarization.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding RNAs that play a significant role in biological processes in various cell types, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, how miRNAs regulate the immunomodulatory functions of adipose-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) remains unknown. Here, we showed that modulation of miR-301a in AD-MSCs altered macrophage polarization.

Ability of the post-operative ALBI grade to predict the outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative surgery.

The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade has been validated as a significant predictor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is little information about the impact of postoperative ALBI grade in patients with HCC who are undergoing liver resection. We enrolled 525 HCC patients who received primary resection from April 2001 to March 2017.