Publications by authors named "S Kasai"

Background And Purpose: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition that is challenging to treat, and novel drugs are needed for this condition. Previously, a chronic vicarious social defeat stress (cVSDS) mouse model exhibits IBS-like symptoms. Also agonists of the opioid δ-receptor exert anti-stress effects in rodents with minimal adverse effects.

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Introduction: Anxiety is an emotion necessary for human survival. However, persistent and excessive anxiety can be clinically challenging. Increased anxiety affects daily life and requires early detection and intervention.

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The solute carrier family 15 members 3 and 4 (SLC15A3 and SLC15A4) are closely related endolysosomal peptide transporters that transport free histidine and certain dipeptides from the lumen to cytosol. Besides, SLC15A4 also functions as a scaffold protein for the recruitment of the adapter TASL for interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) activation downstream of innate immune TLR7-9 signaling. However, the molecular basis for the substrate recognition and TASL recruitment by these membrane proteins is not well understood.

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Most members of the genus Orthonairovirus, represented by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Nairobi sheep disease virus, are tick-borne, and some have become a public health concern in recent years. Here, we report the isolation and genetic and biological characterization of a new orthonairovirus, designated as "Iwanai Valley virus" (IWVV), from Ixodes ovatus ticks in Hokkaido, Japan. The amino acid sequence of the viral nucleoprotein (NP) was found to be 34-45% identical to those of known orthonairoviruses.

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Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) genotype IV (GIV) is one of the least common and most neglected genotypes worldwide, having been identified only on a few Indonesian islands until it was recently found to be the cause of outbreaks that occurred in several Australian states in early 2022. Given the limited availability of information, the vector range for JEV GIV remains unknown; thus, understanding this range could prove invaluable for future prevention efforts in new areas. Herein, we experimentally exposed four mosquito colonies originated from various countries with no previous reports of GIV to JEV GIV strain 19CxBa-83-Cv, which was isolated from Theobald collected in Bali in 2019.

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