Publications by authors named "Masayoshi Kano"
Background: Chronic constipation is a common digestive complication of Parkinson's disease (PD).
Objectives: To verify the usefulness of elobixibat, an ileal bile acid transporter inhibitor, for chronic constipation in PD.
Methods: This double-blind, placebo-controlled study consisted of a 2-week observation/washout period and a 4-week treatment period.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic constipation significantly affects the quality of life for patients with Parkinson's disease, and the laxative elobixibat's effectiveness in treating this condition is being evaluated through a controlled study.
- The study includes a 2-week observation phase followed by a 4-week treatment period where patients track their bowel movements and medication use, comparing elobixibat to a placebo.
- To ensure ethical compliance, the research follows strict guidelines and the findings will be shared through an online study registry after completion.
Article Synopsis
- Parkin (PRKN) is a ubiquitin ligase essential for mitochondrial quality control, and mutations in this gene lead to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, likely due to impaired mitochondrial function.
- Research showed that individuals with PRKN mutations had fewer specific types of astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin-positive) in their substantia nigra compared to those with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
- The study also involved differentiating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells into midbrain organoids, finding a similar reduction in astrocytes, highlighting a possible link between astrocytic alterations and neuron cell death in PRKN-mutated patients.
Objective: The pathological changes in Parkinson disease begin in the brainstem; reach the limbic system and ultimately spread to the cerebral cortex. In Parkinson disease (PD) patients, we evaluated the alteration of cingulate fibers, which comprise part of the limbic system, by using diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI).
Methods: Seventeen patients with PD and 15 age-matched healthy controls underwent DKI with a 3-T MR imager.