Publications by authors named "Yoko Okada"

Article Synopsis
  • Primary intramedullary spinal cord lymphoma (PISCL) is a rare condition that is challenging to diagnose early due to vague symptoms and imaging results, necessitating a biopsy for confirmation.
  • A case study of a 70-year-old woman who exhibited symptoms like lower-limb paralysis and abnormal sensations revealed a spinal mass and high β2-microglobulin levels, pointing toward PISCL.
  • The study emphasizes that in cases resistant to treatment, PISCL should be considered, and spinal cord biopsy should be performed if PET scans show increased FDG uptake and elevated β2-microglobulin in cerebrospinal fluid.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most low-mass stars form in stellar clusters that also contain massive stars, which are sources of far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation. Theoretical models predict that this FUV radiation produces photodissociation regions (PDRs) on the surfaces of protoplanetary disks around low-mass stars, which affects planet formation within the disks. We report James Webb Space Telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter Array observations of a FUV-irradiated protoplanetary disk in the Orion Nebula.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Backgrounds: One-leg standing time (OLST) has been frequently used physical performance measure; however, what muscular characteristics OLST represents remains uncertain.

Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between OLST and muscle characteristics to clarify the possibility of using OLST as a physical performance measure.

Methods: Study participants comprised 1144 older adults aged 65 years or older.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The University of Wisconsin (UW) solution is the gold standard for preserving the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. For renal preservation, the addition of the flavonoid, quercetin (QE), to the preservation solution reduces damage to renal tubular cells, and the addition of sucrose (Suc) is also beneficial for preservation. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of QE and Suc on porcine livers in terms of warm and cold injury and to evaluate whether their use improves ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury after simple cold storage (CS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • RNF213 is linked to moyamoya disease and vasospastic angina, requiring a second hit like elevated thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) levels for the development of these conditions.
  • A study analyzed 2,090 patients with ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA), finding that 4.1% carried the RNF213 p. R4810K variant and had significantly higher TPO-Ab levels compared to non-carriers.
  • The results suggest that elevated TPO-Ab levels are associated with the RNF213 p. R4810K variant, potentially influencing the likelihood of developing IS/TIA in these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Forty years ago, it was proposed that gas-phase organic chemistry in the interstellar medium can be initiated by the methyl cation CH (refs. ), but so far it has not been observed outside the Solar System. Alternative routes involving processes on grain surfaces have been invoked.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Acute iron overload is known to exert deleterious effects in the liver, but detailed pathology has yet to be documented. Here, we report pathological findings in an autopsy case of acute iron toxicity and validation of the findings in mouse experiments. In a 39-year-old woman who intentionally ingested a large amount of sodium ferrous citrate (equivalent to 7.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Frontotemporal dementia and/or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 6, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 14, is an autosomal dominant, progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by various mutations in the valosin-containing protein gene. In this report, we examined a 51-year-old female Japanese patient with frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The patient began noticing gait disturbances at the age of 45 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we investigated the effects of collagen peptides (CP) containing high concentrations of prolyl-hydroxyproline and hydroxyprolyl-glycine on advanced glycation end products (AGEs) levels in the skin and subcutaneous blood vessel walls. A total of 31 individuals aged 47-87 years were randomly assigned to receive either 5 g/day of fish-derived CP or a placebo for 12 weeks. Body and blood compositions and AGEs levels were measured at the beginning and end of the study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The use of grafts from donors after cardiac death (DCD) would greatly contribute to the expansion of the donor organ pool. This study aims to determine the benefits of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE) in a large animal model of DCD liver.

Methods: After cardiac arrest, the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava were cannulated and connected to an ECMO circuit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: Identifying plasma molecules associated with skeletal muscle properties can elucidate the pathophysiology of sarcopenia. Because adipocytokines are a promising candidate marker, the current study aimed to clarify the possible associations between adiponectin and leptin levels and mid-thigh muscle cross-sectional area and mean attenuation value, which are indices of muscle mass and fat deposition in muscle, respectively.

Methods: The current study included 1440 older Japanese adults (mean age 69.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background & Aims: Phase angle (PhA) calculated from the resistance and reactance measured using a bioimpedance device was suggested to represent the degree of fat deposition in muscle (myosteatosis), though no direct evidence is available. We aimed to clarify the possible association between PhA and skeletal muscle myosteatosis in community-dwelling middle-aged to older adults.

Methods: Participants consisted of 424 Japanese (aged ≥50 years).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In contrast to the robust proliferation exhibited following acute liver injury, hepatocytes exhibit long-lasting proliferative activity in chronic liver injury. The mechanistic differences between these distinct modes of proliferation are unclear. Hepatocytes exhibited robust proliferation that peaked at 2 days following partial hepatectomy in mice, but this proliferation was completely inhibited by hepatocyte-specific expression of MadMyc, a Myc-suppressing chimeric protein.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With aging, sarcopenia and the associated locomotor disorders, have become serious problems. The roots of maca contain active ingredients (triterpenes) that have a preventive effect on sarcopenia. However, the effect of maca on muscle hypertrophy has not yet been investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Sarcopenia is the age-associated atrophy of muscles, and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulate in patients with age-associated diseases. We aimed to investigate the relationship between AGE accumulation in the skin and sarcopenia in middle-aged and older Japanese people.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 240 participants in this cross-sectional study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Impairment of cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) has been reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are possible mechanisms underlying this hemodynamic impairment. This study aimed to evaluate CVR and endothelial function in patients with MS and explore their relationships with disease progression using functional sonographic procedures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A study analyzed the prevalence of incidental unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) in 1,376 healthy older adults (ages 31-91) using MRI and found UIAs in 5.7% of participants, predominantly in women and the anterior circulation.
  • Results indicated that individuals with UIAs were generally older, had more severe hypertension, and exhibited a significantly lower carotid flow pulsatility index compared to those without UIAs.
  • The research suggested a potential link between lower carotid flow pulsatility index and higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, indicating that these factors might influence the development of UIAs and could inform future aneurysm screening practices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may lead to serious conditions like cirrhosis and liver cancer, but its progression mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • This study explored how reduced portal circulation affects nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) using a mouse model with congenital portosystemic shunt (PSS), finding that PSS worsened fibrosis and ductular reactions.
  • The findings suggest that decreased portal circulation leads to tissue hypoxia and contributes to liver fibrosis in NASH, highlighting the significance of blood flow in liver health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The two principal histological types of primary liver cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma, can coexist within a tumor, comprising combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA). Although the possible involvement of liver stem/progenitor cells has been proposed for the pathogenesis of cHCC-CCA, the cells might originate from transformed hepatocytes that undergo ductular transdifferentiation or dedifferentiation. We previously demonstrated that concomitant introduction of mutant HRAS (HRAS) and Myc into mouse hepatocytes induced dedifferentiated tumors that expressed fetal/neonatal liver genes and proteins.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Sarcopenia is a risk factor for poor outcomes in older adults. Identification of plasma markers may facilitate screening of sarcopenia. We previously reported that creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio is a simple marker of muscle mass.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurological disorder affecting memory function in elderly persons. Indeed, AD exhibits abnormality in cognitive behaviors and higher susceptibility to neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). Various factors including aging, sex difference and NPS severity, are implicated during in development of AD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Elderly patients with dementia suffer from cognitive dysfunctions and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) such as anxiety and depression. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a form of age-related dementia, and loss of cholinergic neurons is intimately associated with development of AD symptoms. We and others have reported that neural cell transplantation ameliorated cognitive dysfunction in AD model mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tight junction (TJ) disruption and dysfunction are involved in the progression of arteriosclerosis. miR-501-3p regulates endothelial TJ protein-1, resulting in TJ disruption. Because exosomal microRNAs can travel to distant tissues and influence cell behavior, patients with elevated miR-501-3p may experience accelerated vascular disease progression secondary to miR-501-3p-induced reductions in TJ.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_session5p3tbo99m41pqaev8uke98ksdmsm2i0n): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once