Publications by authors named "Yasuhiro Imamura"

While previous reports have established the anti-inflammatory effects of hangeshashinto, the intracellular signal transduction pathways involved have yet to be elucidated. We aim to employ an experimental system using oral cancer cells to assess the impact of hangeshashinto on intracellular signal transduction pathways in response to stimulation by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP). Hangeshashinto demonstrated the ability to inhibit the production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 induced by PAMP.

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Ozonated glycerol is glycerol containing ozone, has no unpleasant odor, and has a long half-life. To apply ozonated glycerol for clinical use, ozonated macrogol ointment has been developed by adding macrogol ointment to ozonated glycerol to increase the retention in the affected area. However, the effects of ozone on this macrogol ointment were unclear.

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Orento is a traditional Japanese medicinal kampo preparation that is also prescribed in oral care. In oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line CAL27, orento significantly inhibited periodontopathogenic bacterium lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoproteins (PAMP)-stimulated production of interleukin (IL)-6. This suggests that orento negatively regulates PAMP-mediated toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling.

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Systemic osteosclerotic lesions are frequently caused by multiple bone metastases or systemic metabolic disorders. However, bone metastasis from gastric cancer is rare. Herein, we describe such a case, with radiographic and clinical findings resembling Paget's disease.

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Orento, a traditional Japanese medicine, is known as Kampo medicine in Japan. We investigated the possible efficacy of Kampo medicine for periodontal disease. In this study, we examined the in vitro effects of orento on the proliferation of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, the production of type 1 collagen, and the secretion of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the human osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2 (Saos-2 cells).

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Histatins are salivary proteins with antimicrobial activities. We previously reported that histatin 3 binds to heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70), which is constitutively expressed, and induces DNA synthesis stimulation and promotes human gingival fibroblast (HGF) survival. However, the underlying mechanisms of histatin 3 remain largely unknown.

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Background: Salivary histatins are bioactive peptides related to the innate immune system associated with antimicrobial activities. However, very little is known about the physiological and biological functions of histatins against host cells or their role in oral cell inflammation. Histatin 3 binds to heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70, a constitutively expressed heat shock protein (HSP)).

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In the present study, we investigated the effects of a Kampo medicine Orento (TJ-120) on the production of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 by human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) treated with lipopolysaccharide from Porphyromonas gingivalis (PgLPS). HGFs proliferation was dose-dependently decreased with Orento at days 3 and 7. However, treatment with PgLPS (10 ng/ml), Orento (up to 1 mg/ml) and their combinations for 24 h did not affect the viability of HGFs.

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Chronic periodontitis is a widespread and major dental disease. Recent studies have analyzed a possible relationship between polymorphism of several genes and periodontitis. Histatins are salivary polypeptides with fungicidal activities against Candida albicans and yeast and bactericidal activities against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus mutans.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study investigates how human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) respond to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component associated with inflammation in periodontal disease, specifically looking at their ability to maintain production of inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and IL-8.
  • - Researchers found that HGFs do not develop LPS tolerance, meaning they continue to produce these inflammatory cytokines after being exposed to LPS, unlike monocytes and macrophages that can exhibit tolerance.
  • - The findings imply that HGFs may play a significant role in sustaining inflammation in periodontal disease by persisting in cytokine production without exhibiting the negative regulatory mechanisms typically seen in other immune cells.
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Histatins, a family of salivary proteins, have antimicrobial activity. Candida albicans, which is killed by histatins, induces oral candidiasis in individuals with compromised immune systems. Although the functional significance of histatins has been documented, their biological and physiological functions against host cells have not been clarified.

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Cross-linked B cell receptor (BCR) aggregates on the cell surface, then assembles into the "cap" where Ras is co-localized, and transduces various intracellular signals including Ras-ERK activation. BCR signals induce proliferation, differentiation, or apoptosis of B cells depending on their maturational stage. The adaptor protein BLNK binds various signaling proteins and Igalpha, a signaling subunit of the BCR complex, and plays an important role in the BCR signal transduction.

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Histatins are salivary proteins found and expressed in human salivary glands. They play a role in the non-immune system of antimicrobial defense, for instance, against Candida albicans. The transcriptional regulatory sequences of the histatin gene, HIS1, have remained obscure for a long time.

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Periodontitis, which is a widespread and major dental disease, is a multifactorial, lifestyle-related disease and has been analyzed for gene polymorphism. We examined the frequency of the polymorphisms of the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes IL-1 A (-889) and IL-1 B (+3953) in relation to periodontitis in the Japanese population. We also examined whether polymorphism of TLR2 (Arg677Trp) and TLR4 (Asp299Gly), which are receptors recognized by periodontopathic bacteria, may also be associated with periodontitis.

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In the present study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of a Kampo medicine Shosaikoto (TJ-9) using in vitro periodontal disease model, in which human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis (PgLPS) produce IL-6, IL-8 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Treatment with PgLPS (10 ng/ml), TJ-9 (up to 1 mg/ml) and their combinations for 24 h did not affect the viability of HGFs. Moreover, TJ-9 did not alter LPS-induced IL-6 and IL-8 productions.

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Purpose: To investigate whether genomic DNA can be purified in sufficient quantity and quality from the oral cavity.

Methods: One milliliter of peripheral blood and saliva were collected. The buccal and lingual mucosal cells were also obtained using 10 strokes with a swab or a toothbrush, respectively.

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BASH/BLNK/SLP-65 is an adaptor protein necessary for the B cell receptor (BCR) signal transduction. Here we report the identification through the yeast two-hybrid system of a novel 26-kDa protein, BASH N-terminus-associated protein 1 (BNAS1), which interacts with the conserved and functionally important N-terminal domain of BASH/BLNK/SLP-65. BNAS1 presumably contains four transmembrane domains and the leucine zipper (LZ) motif, and is expressed ubiquitously.

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Background, Materials And Methods: It has recently become clear that RUNX3 expression is frequently silenced by aberrant methylation in gastric cancers. In this study, we investigated the methylation status of the RUNX3 gene in 92 resected primary colorectal cancers using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and correlated the results with the clinicopathological features of affected patients.

Results: Aberrant promoter methylation of the RUNX3 gene was detected in 31 out of 92 (34%) colorectal cancers.

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A B cell-specific adaptor protein, BASH (also known as BLNK or SLP-65), is crucial for B cell receptor (BCR) signaling. BASH binds to various signaling intermediates, such as Btk, PLCgamma2, Vav, and Grb2, through its well defined motifs. Although functional significance of such interactions has been documented, BASH-mediated signal transduction mechanism is not fully understood.

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Molecular cloning of cDNA encoding a new member of the trypsinogen family, named trypsinogen hL, was carried out by PCR using human lung cDNAs as templates. The primary structure of trypsinogen hL was found to be a prepro-protein and a catalytic triad, 64His, 108Asp and 201Ser. It was also found that trypsinogen hL is specifically expressed in the human lung, the expression level being 30-times higher than those in other tissues tested.

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Background/purpose: Given that the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicating severe cirrhosis remains uncertain, particularly with regard to various therapeutic strategies, we have evaluated the prognosis in a series of patients with homogeneous diagnostic and therapeutic histories.

Methods: From 1990 to 1998, 411 consecutive HCC patients associated with Child class B and class C cirrhosis who did not have lymph node or distant metastasis were treated by partial hepatectomy (PH; n = 48), percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI; n = 105), transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE; n = 189), chemotherapy, or supportive care (chemo/supportive; n = 69). Univariate survival curves were estimated.

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