Publications by authors named "M Sakaki"

Article Synopsis
  • Chronic liver diseases, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), are increasingly prevalent and linked to severe fibrosis, yet effective treatments are lacking.
  • The study explored the role of the protein hydrogen peroxide-inducible clone-5 (Hic-5) in liver fibrosis and its expression in human tissues, particularly in relation to MASH, while also testing therapeutic antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting Hic-5 in a mouse model.
  • Results indicated that Hic-5 is significantly associated with the progression of liver fibrosis and that ASOs can effectively reduce Hic-5 expression, providing a potential therapeutic strategy for advanced liver diseases.
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In addressing sensing in harsh and dynamic environments, there are no available millimeter-wave chipless and wireless sensors capable of continuous operation at extremely high temperatures. Here we present a fully dielectric wireless temperature sensor capable of operating beyond 1000 C. The sensor uses high-Q cavities embedded within a three-dimensional photonic crystal resonating at 83.

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Social pain is a painful feeling evoked by social rejection, exclusion, or the loss of other important people. Previous research suggests that physical pain is reduced by increased signals from baroreceptors that monitor blood pressure. This pre-registered study investigated whether social pain is attenuated by increased baroafferent signals, as observed in physical pain.

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Activin E activates brown and beige adipocytes and has been controversially implicated as a factor that induces obesity and fatty liver. Here, we sought to address this controversial issue by producing recombinant human activin E to evaluate its effects on HB2 brown adipocytes in vitro. Activin E increased uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (Fgf21) mRNA expression in the adipocytes.

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Previous research suggests that curiosity is sometimes induced by novel information one has no relevant knowledge about, but it is sometimes induced by new information about something that one is familiar with and has prior knowledge about. However, the conditions under which novelty or familiarity triggers curiosity remain unclear. Using metacognitive confidence judgments as a proxy to quantify the amount of knowledge, this study evaluates the relationship between the amount of relevant knowledge and curiosity.

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