Publications by authors named "Matsuzaka T"

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  • Titanium implants are recognized for their strength and stability, essential for effective bone healing, but improving the biological activity of their surfaces presents challenges.
  • A new micropatterned titanium substrate using a special polymer (MPC) has been developed to precisely control bone matrix organization, promoting better cell alignment and tissue formation.
  • This innovative material enhances bone regeneration by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in cells, setting the stage for tailored medical devices that can actively restore bone microstructure.
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  • A high-protein diet leads the liver to increase enzymes for amino acid breakdown, particularly enhancing the urea cycle for nitrogen excretion.
  • KLF15 is crucial for amino acid metabolism, and recent research shows that FoxO transcription factors are significant regulators of KLF15 in the liver.
  • The study found that FoxOs directly affect urea cycle-related amino acids and regulate hepatic Ass1 expression independently of KLF15, particularly under high-protein conditions.
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Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is a protein initially isolated as a neutrophil chemotactic factor. We previously found that LECT2 is an obesity-associated hepatokine that senses liver fat and induces skeletal muscle insulin resistance. In addition, hepatocyte-derived LECT2 activates macrophage proinflammatory activity by reinforcing the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling.

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  • The text refers to a correction made to a previously published article.
  • The article has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) of 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1251784, which allows for easy access and citation of the work.
  • This correction is important for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the published research.
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  • The study investigates two cases of extremely low HDL cholesterol levels linked to mutations in the ABCA1 gene, which is important for cholesterol transport, particularly in Tangier disease.
  • In the first case, a 20-year-old woman with multiple health issues showed mutations leading to decreased cholesterol efflux and ABCA1 protein levels, while also having another condition called Krabbe disease.
  • The second case involved a 51-year-old woman with similar low HDL levels and different mutations confirming Tangier disease, highlighting the complexity of mutations and their pathogenic mechanisms.
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  • A study analyzed 10,827 Japanese participants to investigate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and various body measurements, focusing on differences by age and sex.
  • Results showed that in older individuals (50+ years), weight had a stronger correlation with BMD compared to body mass index (BMI), while younger age groups showed weak correlations.
  • The findings suggest that weight is a key indicator of osteopenia (lower bone density) in older women; however, it may not effectively predict future bone loss across all demographics.
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Functional adaptation refers to the active modification of bone structure according to the mechanical loads applied daily to maintain its mechanical integrity and adapt to the environment. Functional adaptation relates to bone mass, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone morphology (e.g.

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Macrophages are essential for the proper inflammatory and reparative processes that lead to regeneration of skeletal muscle after injury. Recent studies have demonstrated close links between the function of activated macrophages and their cellular metabolism. Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) is a key regulator of lipid metabolism and has been shown to affect the activated states of macrophages.

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The endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-embedded transcription factors, sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), master regulators of lipid biosynthesis, are transported to the Golgi for proteolytic activation to tune cellular cholesterol levels and regulate lipogenesis. However, mechanisms by which the cell responds to the levels of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids remain underexplored. Here, we show that RHBDL4/RHBDD1, a rhomboid family protease, directly cleaves SREBP-1c at the ER.

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  • Type 2 diabetes is linked to hyperglycemia and impaired insulin secretion, involving a decline in β-cell function and mass, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear.
  • Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing on pancreatic islet cells from db/db mice (a model for type 2 diabetes) and identified a unique transcriptome landscape in prediabetes and diabetes with different β- and α-cell subpopulations.
  • They discovered a new prediabetic gene, Anxa10, which affects calcium influx and insulin secretion in β-cells, highlighting processes like mitochondria dysfunction and the transdifferentiation of β-cells into acinar-like cells during diabetes progression.
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Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.), which causes periodontal disease, contributes to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

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During periods of fasting, the body undergoes a metabolic shift from carbohydrate utilization to the use of fats and ketones as an energy source, as well as the inhibition of de novo lipogenesis and the initiation of gluconeogenesis in the liver. The transcription factor sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), which plays a critical role in the regulation of lipogenesis, is suppressed during fasting, resulting in the suppression of hepatic lipogenesis. We previously demonstrated that the interaction of fasting-induced Kruppel-like factor 15 (KLF15) with liver X receptor serves as the essential mechanism for the nutritional regulation of SREBP-1 expression.

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A hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) is the formation of multiple focal demyelinating lesions within the central nervous system (CNS). These lesions mainly consist of phagocytes that play a key role in lesion progression and remyelination, and therefore represent a promising therapeutic target in MS. We recently showed that unsaturated fatty acids produced by stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 induce inflammatory foam cell formation during demyelination.

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  • In the early stages of obesity, insulin secretion increases as a protective measure to keep glucose levels stable, but this can’t last forever, leading to the failure of β cells and the onset of diabetes.
  • The protein CtBP2 plays a vital role in regulating insulin gene expression in β cells by interacting with another factor, NEUROD1, which helps to open up chromatin at the insulin gene promoter.
  • Reduced levels of CtBP2 in pancreatic islets are observed in both mouse models and humans with obesity, and mice lacking CtBP2 specifically in β cells show glucose intolerance and impaired insulin secretion, indicating its importance in maintaining β cell health and offering potential targets for obesity-related treatments.
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  • The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a crucial test that measures how the brain processes sound but has challenges in accurately determining the lowest audible sound pressure (threshold).
  • Existing algorithms for this task have issues with accuracy and efficiency, leading to the need for better methods.
  • The proposed new algorithm uses mutual covariance between sound pressure levels to objectively determine ABR thresholds, making the process more efficient and reducing the stress on experimental animals.
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  • Maintaining the balance of metabolism is really important, but too much food can mess it up, especially in obesity.
  • Researchers found out how two important proteins, PPARα and CtBP2, interact in a way that can slow down fat processing when there's extra fat in the body.
  • In obese people, this interaction gets stronger, making it harder for the body to break down fat, which could lead to new treatments for obesity-related diseases.
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ELOVL fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6) controls cellular fatty acid (FA) composition by catalyzing the elongation of palmitate (C16:0) to stearate (C18:0) and palmitoleate (C16:1n-7) to vaccinate (C18:1n-7). Although the transcriptional regulation of has been well studied, the post-transcriptional regulation of is not fully understood. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating human .

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Background: Elongation of very-long-chain fatty acids protein 6 (ELOVL6), an enzyme regulating elongation of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids with C12 to C16 to those with C18, has been recently indicated to affect various immune and inflammatory responses; however, the precise process by which ELOVL6-related lipid dysregulation affects allergic airway inflammation is unclear.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the biological roles of ELOVL6 in allergic airway responses and investigate whether regulating lipid composition in the airways could be an alternative treatment for asthma.

Methods: Expressions of ELOVL6 and other isoforms were examined in the airways of patients who are severely asthmatic and in mouse models of asthma.

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  • - This study involves a 47-year-old Japanese woman with inherited non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and severe dyslipidemia, who showed improvement with SGLT2 inhibitor treatment.
  • - Whole-exome sequencing revealed several mutations, including the known PNPLA3 I148M mutation, along with additional mutations in LGALS3, PEMT, and a novel mutation in MUL1 that may affect mitochondrial function.
  • - The findings suggest that multiple genetic factors contribute to NASH and dyslipidemia, and that the efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors may vary based on individual genetic backgrounds.
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Background Context: Although autologous bone grafting is widely considered as an ideal source for interbody fusion, it still carries a risk of nonunion. The influence of the intervertebral device should not be overlooked. Requirements for artificial spinal devices are to join the vertebrae together and recover the original function of the spine rapidly.

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Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are master transcription factors for lipid synthesis, and SREBP-1 is important for fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis. SREBP-1 has two isoforms, SREBP-1a and SREBP-1c, which are splicing variants transcribed from the gene. Although SREBP-1a exhibits stronger transcriptional activity than SREBP-1c, hepatic SREBP-1c is considered more physiologically important.

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  • Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is important for regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, which can help treat metabolic diseases.
  • Researchers tested a library of compounds from medicinal herbs and found that a root extract and its component, wogonin, can activate FGF21 expression in liver cells.
  • Wogonin also boosts the expression of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) through a different mechanism and is essential for wogonin's activation of FGF21, suggesting it's a potential treatment for metabolic disorders.
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Background Context: Therapeutic devices for spinal disorders, such as spinal fusion cages, must be able to facilitate the maintenance and rapid recovery of spinal function. Therefore, it would be advantageous that future spinal fusion cages facilitate rapid recovery of spinal function without secondary surgery to harvest autologous bone.

Purpose: This study investigated a novel spinal cage configuration that achieves in vivo mechanical integrity as a devise/bone complex by inducing bone that mimicked the sound trabecular bone, hierarchically and anisotropically structured trabeculae strengthened with a preferentially oriented extracellular matrix.

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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) features altered lipid metabolism and accumulated polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Elongation of very long-chain fatty acid (ELOVL) family enzymes catalyze fatty acid elongation, and ELOVL5 is indispensable for PUFAs elongation, but its role in RCC progression remains unclear. Here, we show that higher levels of ELOVL5 correlate with poor RCC clinical prognosis.

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