Analysis of distribution, collection, and confirmation of capacity dependency of small extracellular vesicles toward a therapy for liver cirrhosis.

Background: The progression of liver fibrosis leads to portal hypertension and liver dysfunction. However, no antifibrotic agents have been approved for cirrhosis to date, making them an unmet medical need. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are among these candidate agents.

Duodenal Diverticular Bleeding Treated with Endoscopy or Transcatheter Arterial Embolization: A Report of Two Cases and a Literature Review.

Duodenal diverticular bleeding (DDB) is extremely rare. We herein report 2 life-threatening cases of DDB successfully treated with endoscopy or transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and review 13 cases of DDB reported from Japan. When upper gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown origin is encountered in middle-aged or older adults, DDB should be included in the differential diagnosis.

Escherichia coli-derived outer-membrane vesicles induce immune activation and progression of cirrhosis in mice and humans.

Background And Aims: Decompensated cirrhosis with fibrosis progression causes portal hypertension followed by an oedematous intestinal tract. These conditions weaken the barrier function against bacteria in the intestinal tract, a condition called leaky gut, resulting in invasion by bacteria and bacterial components. Here, we investigated the role of outer-membrane vesicles (OMVs) of Escherichia coli, which is the representative pathogenic gut-derived bacteria in patients with cirrhosis in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis.

A difficult-to-diagnose case of Borrmann type IV gastric cancer with marked transverse colon stenosis.

We report a difficult-to-diagnose case of Borrmann type IV gastric cancer with poor typical findings and marked colonic stenosis in a 47-year-old man and present a literature review.

Small extracellular vesicles and liver diseases: From diagnosis to therapy.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), especially small EVs (sEVs) derived from liver cells, have been the focus of much attention in the normal physiology and pathogenesis of various diseases affecting the liver. sEVs are approximately 100 nm in size, enclosed within lipid bilayers, and are very stable. The lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, including miRNAs, contained within these vesicles are known to play important roles in intercellular communication.

Synthesized HMGB1 peptide prevents the progression of inflammation, steatosis, fibrosis, and tumor occurrence in a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis mouse model.

Aim: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with fibrosis eventually leads to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, the development of therapies other than dietary restriction and exercise, particularly those that suppress steatosis and fibrosis of the liver and have a long-term beneficial effect, is necessary. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the HMGB1 peptide synthesized from box A using the melanocortin-4 receptor-deficient (Mc4r-KO) NASH model mouse.

A novel prostaglandin I agonist, ONO-1301, attenuates liver inflammation and suppresses fibrosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis model mice.

Background: ONO-1301 is a novel long-lasting prostaglandin (PG) I mimetic with inhibitory activity on thromboxane (TX) A synthase. This drug can also induce endogenous prostaglandin (PG)I2 and PGE2 levels. Furthermore, ONO-1301 acts as a cytokine inducer and can initiate tissue repair in a variety of diseases, such as pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, cardiac infarction, and obstructive nephropathy.

Novel Strategy for Diagnosis of Focal Nodular Hyperplasia Using Gadolinium Ethoxybenzyl Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic Acid: Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Elastography.

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is the second most frequent benign liver tumor, and it is a fiber-rich stiff lesion. Typically, FNH can be diagnosed by imaging without biopsy. However, liver biopsy and diagnostic resection may be required to differentiate atypical FNH from other liver tumors, such as hepatocellular adenoma (HCA).

Synthesized HMGB1 peptide attenuates liver inflammation and suppresses fibrosis in mice.

The liver has a high regenerative ability and can induce spontaneous regression of fibrosis when early liver damage occurs; however, these abilities are lost when chronic liver damage results in decompensated cirrhosis. Cell therapies, such as mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and macrophage therapies, have attracted attention as potential strategies for mitigating liver fibrosis. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of HMGB1 peptide synthesized from box A of high mobility group box 1 protein.

Refractory hemorrhagic esophageal ulcers by Candida esophagitis with advanced systemic sclerosis.

A 64-year-old woman diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) was admitted to our hospital with chief complaints of uncontrolled bleeding from esophageal ulcers and an inability to consume meals. For RA and SSc, she was treated with prednisolone and abatacept and was taking vonoprazan as prophylaxis for steroid-induced gastric ulcers. She was diagnosed with severe Candida esophagitis, with multiple large and small ulcers with bleeding, based on esophagogastroduodenoscopy and pathological findings.

Prediction methods of drug-drug interactions of non-oral CYP3A4 substrates based on clinical interaction data after oral administrations - Validation with midazolam, alfentanil, and verapamil after intravenous administration and prediction for blonanserin transdermal patch.

Drug-drug interactions (DDI) have been examined for various drugs for oral use, but less for non-oral applications. This study provides DDI prediction methods for non-orally administered CYP3A4 substrates based on clinical DDI data of oral dosages. Gut availability (F) and fraction contribution of CYP3A4 to hepatic intrinsic clearance (fm) were predicted by AUC ratio (AUCR) in oral DDI study with/without grapefruit juice, and alteration in intrinsic clearances with/without ketoconazole, respectively.

Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes in severe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the ensuing worldwide pandemic. The spread of the virus has had global effects such as activity restriction, economic stagnation, and collapse of healthcare infrastructure. Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection induces a cytokine storm, leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure, which are very serious health conditions and must be mitigated or resolved as soon as possible.

Esophageal Ulcers Associated with Ulcerative Colitis: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Ulcerative colitis, a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disease, is localized to the colonic mucosa but can affect other organs and lead to various complications. Gastroduodenitis associated with ulcerative colitis has been reported. However, little is known about esophageal ulcers.

Electrochemical reduction of nitrate on boron-doped diamond electrodes: Effects of surface termination and boron-doping level.

This study is among the first to systematically study the electrochemical reduction of nitrate on boron-doped diamond (BDD) films with different surface terminations and boron-doping levels. The highest nitrate reduction efficiency was 48% and the highest selectivity in the production of nitrogen gas was 44.5%, which were achieved using a BDD electrode with a hydrogen-terminated surface and a B/C ratio of 1.

Retraction Note to: Identification of CYP3A4 as the primary cytochrome P450 responsible for the metabolism of tandospirone by human liver microsomes.

The publisher has retracted this article [1] because it is an incorrect version that was published in error: Figures 5 and 6 are missing.

[Developmental history of sublingual immunotherapy].

Allergen immunotherapy is the only curative treatment for IgE-mediated allergic diseases in contrast to symptomatic treatment such as anti-histamine agents. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) has been introduced in Japan for treatment of allergic rhinitis and/or asthma caused by pollens and/or house dust mites (HDM) in early 1960s, and the clinical efficacy has been well-known. However, the major drawbacks of SCIT are necessity of repeated painful injections as well as the risk of severe systemic adverse reactions.

Electrochemical properties of fluorinated boron-doped diamond electrodes via fluorine-containing plasma treatment.

Since a boron-doped diamond (BDD) exhibits excellent electrode properties such as wide potential window, low back-ground current, and high physical and chemical durability, it has been studied as an electrode material for various electrochemical applications. The electrochemical behavior of BDD depends on the surface termination, which can be easily converted by chemical reactions. Fluorine termination has attracted interest because it exhibits unique surface properties such as high hydrophobicity and a low coefficient of friction, and the electrochemical properties also drastically change.

Switchable Product Selectivity in the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Using Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes.

The main product obtained by electrochemical reduction of CO depends on the electrode material, and in many cases the Faradaic efficiency for this is determined by the electrolyte. Only a few investigations in which attempts to produce different products from the same electrode material have been done so far. In this work, we focus on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes with which plentiful amounts of formic acid and small amounts of carbon monoxide have been produced.