Publications by authors named "Masaya Takemoto"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study examined cases of mother-to-infant transmission of herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) and found that neonatal herpes is rare despite common exposure, focusing on viral factors that contribute to this transmission
  • - It was discovered that infant isolates had more temperature-independent characteristics and mutations in the viral UL13 protein kinase (UL13-PK) compared to maternal isolates, with a higher prevalence of these mutations occurring shortly after birth
  • - Additionally, the research identified elongation factor 1-delta as a target of UL13-PK, suggesting that mutations in this protein are crucial for the virus's adaptation and successful transmission from mother to infant.
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Background: One-third of spinal epidural hematomas occur spontaneously, and these may be associated with the acute onset of severe paralysis. Here, we present a case of T4-L4 symptomatic spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma which was successfully removed using a flexible neuroendoscope after hemilaminectomy.

Case Description: Using flexible neuroendoscopy, we successfully treated a T4-L4 spinal epidural hematoma in an 89-year-old Japanese female who spontaneously developed back pain and paraparesis.

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Background: Traumatic pseudoaneurysms are rare but have a high mortality rate; therefore, immediate diagnosis is vital. Most pseudoaneurysms are in the internal carotid artery or peripheral arteries, while proximal middle cerebral artery pseudoaneurysms have rarely been reported. We present a case of ruptured traumatic pseudoaneurysm located at the M1-M2 bifurcation.

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M1 large circumferential aneurysms are clinically challenging because they cannot be treated by simple neck clipping and they may involve the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs). Although some reports have described endovascular and direct surgical treatment of these aneurysms, the optimal treatment approach remains uncertain. We report a case involving a ruptured large M1 circumferential aneurysm that was treated with bypass-assisted trapping surgery and showed favorable outcomes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Stress and glucocorticoid signaling can lead to neuronal death and mental illness, but the plant flavonoid butein may offer neuroprotection.
  • In experiments with Neuro2A (N2A) cells, butein prevented cell death caused by corticosterone (CORT) and influenced key signaling pathways (MEK-ERK and PI3K-AKT).
  • Butein maintained ERK phosphorylation while affecting AKT signaling, suggesting its protective role against glucocorticoid-induced cell death is linked to these pathways.
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In this study, we report a case of catastrophic propeller brain injury with large scalp defect treated with omental flap reconstruction. A 62-year-old man was accidentally caught in a powered paraglider propeller during maintenance. The rotor blades impacted the left part of his head.

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The accessory meningeal artery (AMA) demonstrates various potential anastomoses with the external (ECA) and internal (ICA) carotid arteries. However, rarely does the AMA markedly dilate and compensate for ICA blood flow. A 52-year-old woman with nonspecific symptoms was diagnosed with multiple cerebral aneurysms and abnormal blood vessels observed on magnetic resonance angiography.

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Background: Symptomatic common carotid artery (CCA) occlusion is rare and its treatment remains unestablished. Although cases of subclavian-to-carotid bypass have been reported, very few cases of carotid-tocarotid crossover bypass have been reported, despite its advantages. We report a case of Riles type 1A symptomatic CCA occlusion after aortic arch replacement that was treated with carotid-to-carotid crossover bypass with favorable outcomes.

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Posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysms often require cerebral vascular reconstruction for surgical treatment because of their characteristic morphology. Despite its potential complications, the occipital artery-to-posterior inferior cerebellar artery (OA-PICA) bypass is a typical treatment because of its versatility. Although a few cases of intracranial-to-intracranial bypass have been reported, this type of vascular reconstruction is only regarded as an alternative to the OA-PICA bypass because of the uncertainty of bypass feasibility and potential risk of ischemic complications.

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Human phospholipid scramblase 1 (PLSCR1) is strongly expressed in response to interferon (IFN) treatment and viral infection, and it has been suggested to play an important role in IFN-dependent antiviral responses. In this study, we showed that the levels of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) plaque formation in OUMS-36T-3 (36T-3) cells with high basal expression of PLSCR1 were significantly lower than those in human embryonic lung (HEL) cells with low basal expression of PLSCR1. In addition, the levels of HCMV plaque formation and replication in PLSCR1-knockout (KO) 36T-3 cells were significantly higher than those in parental 36T-3 cells and were comparable to those in HEL cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • Favipiravir is an antiviral medication that effectively inhibits the replication of the virus causing COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) at lower doses than originally used for influenza, making it promising for treating COVID-19 pneumonia.
  • Despite requiring high doses to be effective, favipiravir converts into its active form in infected cells, enhancing its targeted antiviral action and showing a lack of resistance development in the virus.
  • Administering favipiravir early after symptom onset has been shown to significantly reduce recovery time in mild COVID-19 pneumonia and parallels approaches used for treating other viral pneumonias.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Vaccination helps prevent VZV infections, and antivirals like acyclovir work by interrupting viral DNA synthesis, with a reduced prevalence of acyclovir-resistant mutants in immunocompromised patients.
  • * Amenamevir is already used in Japan for herpes zoster and, in conjunction with vaccines, is expected to enhance treatment options for resistant viral strains, marking a new era in antiherpes therapy.
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Article Synopsis
  • Amenamevir is a drug used in Japan to treat herpes zoster and works by inhibiting the helicase-primase enzyme in herpes simplex and varicella-zoster viruses.
  • Acyclovir's effectiveness decreases when treatment is delayed, while amenamevir maintains consistent effectiveness despite timing.
  • The study shows that amenamevir's action is not compromised by the viral replication cycle, making it a strong candidate for treating herpes-related conditions.
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4',5,7-trihydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxyflavone (tricin), derived from , has been reported to suppress significantly human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication in human embryonic lung (HEL) fibroblast cells. However, the target protein of tricin remains unclear. This study focused on the anti-HCMV activity of tricin in terms of its binding affinity to cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9).

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Treatment of human embryonic lung fibroblast (HEL) cells with tricin (4', 5, 7-trihydroxy-3', 5'-dimethoxyflavone) following infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reportedly significantly suppresses HCMV replication. In the present work, the mechanisms for the anti-HCMV effects of tricin in HEL cells were examined. It was found that exposure of HEL cells to tricin inhibited HCMV replication, with concomitant decreases in amounts of transcripts of the CC chemokine RANTES (CCL5)-encoding gene and in expression of the CCL5 protein.

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A novel type of antiviral agent for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is required, because the appearance of ganciclovir (GCV) resistant viruses has been reported. Tricin (4',5,7-trihydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxyflavone) has been shown to suppress significantly HCMV replication in human embryonic lung (HEL) fibroblast cells. Recently, we revealed that the action of tricin is different from that of GCV and cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is one of the target proteins of tricin.

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Cerebrospinal fluid leakage can develop due to traffic trauma or lumbar puncture; however, in many cases, it develops spontaneously without any obvious cause. This report describes a case of cerebrospinal fluid leakage caused by bowling activity. A 57-year-old woman adjusted her bowling form, which led to the development of an orthostatic headache and double vision.

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We previously reported that treatment with tricin (4',5,7-trihydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxyflavone) after human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection significantly suppressed both infectious virion production and HCMV replication in human embryonic lung fibroblast (HEL) cells. Moreover, we recently demonstrated that HCMV infection can increase the expression of CC-motif ligand 2 (CCL2/MCP-1) and of CCR2, a CCL2-specific receptor, effects that can in turn enhance HCMV infection and replication. Hence, we here examined whether the CCL2-CCR2 axis is involved in the anti-HCMV effects of tricin in HEL cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • T-705 (favipiravir) effectively inhibits RNA-dependent RNA polymerases in influenza viruses and has not shown any signs of developing resistance.
  • In a study with poliovirus I (Sabin strain), variants resistant to favipiravir were isolated and analyzed for susceptibility and RNA polymerase mutations.
  • The findings suggest that favipiravir acts as a chain terminator, preventing the lethal mutagenesis seen with ribavirin, and although some mutations occurred, they were detrimental to the virus's RNA polymerase function.
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Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is used to treat or prevent severe viral infection, especially cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. IVIG was characterized to understand its interaction with CMV-infected cells. IVIG retarded CMV spread and reduced virus yields depending on the neutralizing (NT) antibody titer.

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The antiherpetic drugs acyclovir (ACV, valaciclovir) and penciclovir (famciclovir) are phosphorylated by viral thymidine kinase and terminate DNA synthesis. ASP2151 (amenamevir) and foscavir (PFA) directly inhibit viral helicase-primase and DNA polymerase, respectively, and inhibit replication of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus. ACV, ASP2151, and PFA all inhibit HSV with a different mechanism of action and as a consequence, the kinetics of viral DNA accumulation and progeny virus production differ.

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Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) as a short fusion is widely accepted among the spine surgeons. However in the long fusion for degenerative kyphoscoliosis, corrective spinal fixation by an open method is thought to be frequently selected. Our objective is to study whether the mini-open TLIF and corrective TLIF contribute to the improvement of the spinal segmental and global alignment.

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Drug-resistant cytomegalovirus appears during prolonged anti-cytomegalovirus therapy. Assays for human cytomegalovirus viral protein kinase (UL97) and viral DNA polymerase (UL54) gene mutations conferring drug resistance have been used rather than susceptibility assays to assess clinical specimens. In this study a sensitive system for genotype assay of UL97 and UL54 in clinical specimens with as few as six copies/µg of DNA was developed.

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Purpose: To report a case of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) keratitis with detection of VZV DNA in the tear fluid of not only the symptomatic eye but also the contralateral asymptomatic eye by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Methods: This is a case report. A 63-year-old otherwise healthy woman presented with circular corneal ulcer and stromal opacity with infiltration accompanied by mild conjunctival and ciliary injections in the left eye.

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