Publications by authors named "Tetsuji Naka"

Background: Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR), a lipid receptor, is associated with cancer progression. However, detailed effects on intracellular metabolism are unclear. We aimed to elucidate the mechanism of LSR-mediated lipid metabolism in gastric cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates a young boy with severe autoimmune conditions who was found to have a germline gain-of-function mutation in the STAT3 gene through whole-exome sequencing.* -
  • Treatment with the targeted therapy tocilizumab led to a reduction in hospital stays and slowed the progression of pulmonary fibrosis, showing promise for managing his condition without increasing steroid use.* -
  • The findings suggest that genetic testing and functional analysis of STAT3 mutations are important for diagnosing early-onset autoimmune diseases and for considering targeted treatment options.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Glypican-1 (GPC1) is overexpressed in several solid cancers and is associated with tumor progression, whereas its expression is low in normal tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of an anti-GPC1 monoclonal antibody (GPC1 mAb) labeled with Zr or At as a theranostic target in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. GPC1 mAb clone 01a033 was labeled with Zr or At with a deferoxamine or decaborane linker, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR) is known as a lipoprotein receptor. LSR is expressed in various solid tumors, including epithelial ovarian, gastric, and colon cancers. High LSR expression is significantly associated with poor prognosis, but its role in cancer has not been fully elucidated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers cultured immune cells with aaRSs and found that these proteins triggered the production of inflammatory cytokines, linked to increased disease severity in RA patients based on elevated levels of aaRSs in their serum and joint fluid.
  • * The study suggests that targeting aaRSs with specific inhibitory peptides could reduce inflammation and alleviate arthritis symptoms, positioning them as potential new treatments for RA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target tumor antigens have recently been developed. Their antitumor activity is mainly achieved through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) via effector cells such as tumor-infiltrated macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells. CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) have potent antitumor activity and are considered to increase the tumor infiltration of macrophages and NK cells; however, a completely solubilized novel CpG-schizophyllan (SPG) complex, K3-SPG, displays more potent antitumor activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) have been used as useful biomarkers for reflecting the activity of large vessel vasculitides (LVV). However, a novel biomarker that could have a complementary role to these markers is still required. In this retrospective observational study, we investigated whether leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein (LRG), a known biomarker in several inflammatory diseases, could be a novel biomarker for LVVs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the effectiveness of imatinib, most gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) develop resistance to the treatment, mainly due to the reactivation of KIT tyrosine kinase activity. Sunitinib, which inhibits the phosphorylation of KIT and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor, has been established as second-line therapy for GISTs. The recently-developed heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitor pimitespib (PIM; TAS-116) demonstrated clinical benefits in some clinical trials; however, the effects were limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a lethal malignant tumor, for which new treatment options are urgently required. Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR) is widely expressed in EOC, and it is associated with poor prognosis. In this study, we developed an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting LSR as a new therapeutic approach to EOC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (PF-ILDs) have a poor prognosis and may be resistant to corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressants, but antifibrotic therapies such as nintedanib and pirfenidone have been shown to slow the deterioration of lung function. The aim of this study was to identify the characteristic cellular profile of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid at diagnostic bronchoscopy for predicting PF-ILDs, defined as fibrotic diseases on chest high-resolution computed tomography with more than a 5% relative decline in the percent predicted value of forced vital capacity (FVC) over 6 months. The proportions of inflammatory cells, CCR6CXCR3 T helper type 2 (Th2) cells among conventional CD4 T cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and peripheral blood, were measured by flowcytometry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a fatal and debilitating disease, which is characterized by steady, poor survival rates despite advances in treatment. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 1 is up-regulated following cytokine-induced Janus kinase - signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway activation, and inhibitors of cytokine signaling play roles in regulating cell growth and differentiation. We investigated the therapeutic potential of SOCS1 for HNSCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common gynecologic malignancy and patients with advanced and recurrent EC have a poor prognosis. Although chemotherapy is administered for those patients, the efficacy of current chemotherapy is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to develop novel therapeutic agents for EC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There are no known biomarkers for monitoring disease activity in idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) with pulmonary involvement. We investigated the utility of serum leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein levels, which reflects interleukin 6 independent inflammatory change, for monitoring disease activity in patients with idiopathic MCD with pulmonary involvement.

Methods: We retrospectively examined cases of idiopathic MCD diagnosed at Osaka University Hospital.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Constitutive activation of STAT3 promotes oncogenesis and growth of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We investigated the mechanism of action of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), an endogenous inhibitor of JAK, as gene therapy for OSCC.

Methods: Antitumor effect of SOCS1 was compared to JAK inhibitor I by cell proliferation assay, cell cycle analysis, and apoptosis analysis in vitro.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Despite the effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) develop after the withdrawal of TKI. Based on previous studies, a subpopulation of drug-tolerant cells called "persister cells" may be responsible for the recurrence and have thus, gained attention as a novel target in cancer therapy.

Methods: The metabolic changes were investigated in imatinib-derived persister GIST cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a stroma-rich cancer. Extracellular matrix proteins produced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) found in tumor stroma that impedes effective delivery of chemotherapeutic agents results in poor response in patients with PDAC. Previously, our group reported that glypican-1 (GPC1) was overexpressed in human PDAC and negatively correlated with patient survival.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates whether certain biomarkers can predict adalimumab (ADA) drug levels and the development of antibodies in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).
  • Researchers measured the levels of a novel biomarker, leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG), along with C-reactive protein (CRP) and fecal calprotectin (fCAL) over several weeks of ADA treatment.
  • Results showed that LRG can be a better predictor of ADA drug levels than CRP or fCAL, particularly in patients without anti-ADA antibodies, highlighting its potential clinical relevance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) is a promising therapeutic modality because selective and effective delivery of an anti-cancer drug is achieved by drug-conjugated antibody-targeting cancer antigen. Glypican 1 (GPC1) is highly expressed in malignant tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Herein, we describe the usefulness of GPC1-targeting ADC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cholangiocarcinoma is a highly malignant cancer. Many patients need systemic chemotherapy to prevent tumor development and recurrence; however, their prognosis is poor due to the lack of effective therapy. Therefore, a new treatment option is urgently required.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of a cluster of differentiation 70 antibody-drug conjugate (CD70-ADC) against ovarian cancer in in vitro and in vivo xenograft models. CD70 expression was assessed in clinical samples by immunohistochemical analysis. Western blotting and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses were used to determine CD70 expression in the ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 and SKOV3, and in the cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines A2780cisR and SKOV3cisR.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A multicenter prospective study evaluated the effectiveness of serum leucin-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) levels in monitoring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity among patients starting adalimumab therapy.
  • Results showed that serum LRG levels decreased significantly alongside clinical and endoscopic improvements, and were better correlated with endoscopic activity than traditional markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and fecal calprotectin (fCal).
  • The findings suggest that serum LRG is a reliable biomarker for assessing endoscopic activity in both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis during treatment with adalimumab.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Despite improvements in gastric cancer treatment, the mortality associated with advanced gastric cancer is still high. The activation of β-adrenergic receptors by stress has been shown to accelerate the progression of several cancers. Accordingly, increasing evidence suggests that the blockade of β-adrenergic signaling can inhibit tumor growth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein (LRG), one of the acute phase proteins mainly produced by the liver, similar to C-reactive protein, has been recognized as an inflammatory biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases. We recently demonstrated that LRG was also increased in the sera of psoriasis patients and correlated well with disease activity with a sensitivity and specificity much higher than C-reactive protein; however, whether LRG mechanistically contributed to the pathogenesis of psoriasis remained unclear. In this study, we explored the role of LRG in psoriasiform inflammation using LRG-knockout (KO) mice in an imiquimod (IMQ)-mediated model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF