Publications by authors named "Mai Iwaya"
Although most cancer deaths are caused by metastasis, there are no effective therapeutic approaches. This study describes the efficacy of a short synthetic mRNA (s-mRNA) designed by the sequence of non-vesicular extracellular IL1β-mRNA found in the pre-metastatic lung of tumor-bearing mice. The administration of s-mRNA inhibits murine lung metastasis by inducing the innate and adaptive immune systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-related colitis, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α blockade is recommended if symptoms are not alleviated with corticosteroids. Although TNF has been shown to be associated with steroid resistance, the early prediction of steroid resistance is challenging in clinical practice. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the potential of vascular E-selectin expression, which is induced by TNF, to serve as a predictor of steroid resistance in ICI-related colitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Clinical experiences of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) in patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) producing neuroendocrine tumor (NET) were extremely rare.
Case Presentation: A 60-year-old woman with hypertension, lower-extremity edema, hypoalbuminemia, hypokalemia, and multiple hepatic tumors was hospitalized for further examination and treatment. Endocrine testing detected excessive levels of ACTH and cortisol in her blood.
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an autoimmune disease of unknown cause. is a transcription factor involved in immune responses, and its dysfunction leads to uncontrolled immune responses. We performed, to our knowledge, the first methylation analysis in type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (denoted simply as AIP), a representative IgG4-RD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRenal medullary carcinoma is a rare, high-grade carcinoma arising in the renal medulla, which is usually associated with sickle cell trait, and there are very few documented cases in the Japanese population. We report a case of renal medullary carcinoma, immunohistochemically defined as SMARCB1 deficient, in a 67-year-old Japanese woman without a history of sickle cell trait. Somatic mutation of SMARCB1 and an EML4::ALK fusion gene were identified by comprehensive genomic profiling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We investigated and compared the long-term (6-month) histologic changes in a rat model of sublobar resection created using electrocautery or stapler techniques.
Methods: Nine-week-old male rats were anesthetized and intubated; thoracotomy with sublobar resection was performed in the right middle lobe using electrocautery or stapler techniques. Histological examination was performed at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks post-surgery to assess long-term effects on lung tissue repair and morphologic changes.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the significance of immune cell distribution in lung cancer, particularly how it relates to a form of invasion called STAS (spread through air spaces), which is linked to worse outcomes.
- Researchers analyzed tissue samples from 283 patients who had surgery for lung cancer, focusing on the presence of various immune cells around the tumor edges compared to the center.
- Findings showed that higher levels of certain immune cells (CD4, CD8, and FoxP3) near the tumor edges were associated with a higher risk of cancer recurrence, emphasizing the importance of immune cell patterns in predicting patient prognosis and potential treatment strategies.
Article Synopsis
- LGR5 is a marker for cancer stem cells and its expression in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) was studied using a sensitive RNA detection method in 53 cases.
- The study found that higher LGR5 expression was linked to well- to moderately differentiated cancers, which showed better overall and disease-free survival rates compared to poorly differentiated cancers.
- The results indicate that LGR5 could serve as a valuable prognostic marker for patients with ECC, potentially guiding treatment decisions.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the characteristics of small bowel neoplasms associated with Crohn's disease, comparing them to known features of colorectal carcinomas, and evaluating the expression of biomarkers Cadherin 17 and Claudin 18.
- Histological and immunohistochemical analysis of 25 cases showed that most adenocarcinomas exhibited tubular morphology and high expression of Cadherin 17 (93%) and Claudin 18 (57%).
- The findings suggest that Crohn's disease-associated small bowel adenocarcinomas frequently express these biomarkers, indicating their potential as targets for immunotherapy treatments.
Article Synopsis
- - This study evaluated the effectiveness of a new technique for detecting spread through air spaces (STAS) in lung cancer using frozen section (FS) slides during surgery, which helps in making better surgical decisions.
- - Conducted at Shinshu University Hospital with 99 patients and 114 lesions, the results showed a high diagnostic sensitivity (81%) and accuracy (86%) for STAS detection using this method.
- - The new cryo-embedding technique was found to be as reliable as the gold standard for STAS detection and could be easily implemented in clinics without needing extra resources, potentially improving lung cancer surgical outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- A 21-year-old man with Ollier disease, diagnosed at age 1, began developing multiple gliomas at age 15, which worsened despite several surgeries.
- Genetic testing identified the IDH1 p.R132C mutation in the gliomas, linked to malignant changes, but treatment efforts ultimately failed.
- The case highlights the need for more research on IDH mutations in Ollier disease and emphasizes the importance of collaborative approaches for long-term management of related gliomas.
Article Synopsis
- The case study details a 41-year-old African woman who first experienced acute alcoholic pancreatitis and then developed severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) weeks later.
- After initially responding well to treatment and stopping alcohol, her condition worsened with significant increases in white blood cell count and bilirubin levels, along with rapid hepatosplenomegaly.
- A liver biopsy confirmed SAH, characterized by ballooned liver cells and inflammation, but her condition improved with supportive care despite the unexpected progression from pancreatitis to hepatitis.
Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), a significant cancer stem cell marker in colorectal cancer (CRC), lacks lymph node (LN) expression studies. In this study, we identified LGR5 expression by RNAscope, a highly sensitive RNA in situ method, and analyzed its association with clinicopathological characteristics. Tissue microarrays were generated from primary tumors (PTs) and LN metastases in paraffin-embedded blocks of 38 CRC surgical resection materials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) has been newly subclassified into two different subtypes: large-duct (LD) type and small-duct (SD) type. However, many cases are difficult to subclassify, and there is no consensus regarding subclassification criteria. LD type expresses the highly sensitive diagnostic marker S100 calcium-binding protein P (S100P), while SD type lacks sensitive markers.
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- - IgG4 is crucial in various tumors and is identified as a prognostic marker for cancer immunity, but its specific role in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) was previously unclear.
- - In a study of 50 TSCC patients, higher IgG4 levels correlated with less aggressive cancer characteristics and better prognostic outcomes, including overall survival and recurrence-free survival.
- - The findings suggest that higher IgG4 expression in TSCC is associated with a more favorable prognosis, indicating its potential as an independent prognostic factor.
Identification of Terminal βGlcNAc on Species in Human Intestinal Spirochetosis.
J Histochem Cytochem
February 2024
Human intestinal spirochetosis (HIS) is a colorectal bacterial infection caused by the species. -II (GS-II) is a lectin specific to terminal α/βGlcNAc residues. Here, we investigated terminal βGlcNAc residues in the context of HIS infection using GS-II-horseradish peroxidase staining and HIK1083 immunostaining specific to terminal αGlcNAc residues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The frequency of gallbladder carcinoma is high in pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM), and the mechanism of carcinogenesis is not well understood.
Methods: The expression of γH2AX, the most sensitive marker for detecting DNA damage, was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in patients with PBM, in which the gallbladder and bile duct were simultaneously resected. Gallbladder and bile ducts were evaluated in non-neoplastic regions in 13 cases of PBM without cancer in the gallbladder and bile ducts.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the overexpression of the THBS2 gene and elevated TSP2 levels in patients with chronic liver disease, particularly focusing on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
- Researchers utilized various approaches, including single-cell RNA sequencing and analysis of liver tissue, to identify which cells express THBS2 and understand its regulatory mechanisms.
- Key findings show that THBS2 is highly expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) of NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis, suggesting that targeting THBS2/TSP2 could be a potential strategy for anti-fibrotic therapies.
Article Synopsis
- Gastric cancer risk is linked to chronic gastritis, and the OLGIM system can determine GC risk based on the level of intestinal metaplasia (IM), although scoring requires considerable expertise.
- A deep learning model, ResNet50, was used to analyze 5753 images of gastric biopsy samples, achieving a high sensitivity (97.7%) and specificity (94.6%) in classifying IM.
- The study indicates that the AI system can improve the accuracy and consistency of GC risk evaluation, potentially standardizing pathology assessments globally.
Article Synopsis
- Tumor budding is identified as a negative prognostic factor in colorectal adenocarcinoma, and the role of interleukin-6 (IL6), produced by cancer-associated fibroblasts, is investigated as a potential mechanism behind this.
- In a study of 36 patient samples, IL6 expression was primarily found in the cancer stroma rather than in the cancer cells, with higher tumor budding grades observed in IL6-positive samples.
- Although IL6 expression correlated with tumor budding and exhibited characteristics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, it did not significantly impact overall survival rates for patients.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on ARL4C, a protein highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC), which is linked to increased cell mobility, invasion, and growth.
- Using a sensitive RNA detection method, researchers found that ARL4C was more prominently expressed at the invasion front of tumors and significantly associated with aggressive features like high-grade tumor budding and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype.
- The findings suggest that higher levels of ARL4C in both cancer cells and stromal cells may indicate a poorer prognosis for CRC patients, highlighting the need for further research on ARL4C's role in cancer progression.
Sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) and microvesicular hyperplastic polyps (MVHPs) are colorectal lesions displaying gastric differentiation. Griffonia simplicifolia-II (GS-II) is a lectin specific to terminal α/βGlcNAc residues. Here, we assessed GS-II binding and performed immunostaining for HIK1083 (specific to terminal αGlcNAc residues), MUC5AC, MUC6, and special AT-rich sequence binding protein 2 (SATB2) in SSLs, MVHPs, and tubular adenomas (TAs).
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- POEMS syndrome is a rare disease involving multiple body systems, marked by issues like plasma cell dysfunction and high levels of a growth factor linked to disease activity; treatments have improved survival rates, but ischemic stroke remains a significant risk.
- A case study is presented involving a 41-year-old woman with POEMS syndrome who suffered from an ischemic stroke due to quasi-moyamoya disease, showing persistent issues despite treatment that lowered growth factor levels.
- The patient successfully underwent surgical revascularization procedures, leading to good postoperative outcomes and a lack of stroke recurrence over two years, suggesting that surgery might be an effective solution for similar cases in the future.