Publications by authors named "Yuko Watanabe"
Article Synopsis
- In warm winters caused by climate change, early flowering of autumn-sown wheat needs to be suppressed to maintain yield.
- Alloplasmic lines of wheat, which incorporate cytoplasm from wild relatives, show delayed flowering compared to standard lines, indicating potential benefits for crop management.
- Studies reveal that these alloplasmic lines express genes differently after cold exposure, suggesting they could maintain tiller numbers and yields in warmer conditions, making them valuable for breeding future wheat varieties.
Background/aim: Biomarkers indicating sensitivity to poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have not yet been identified in gastric cancer. PARP inhibitors target homologous recombination deficiency (HRD); however, homologous recombination (HR) induces complex changes in gene expression, which makes it difficult to identify reliable biomarkers. In this study, we identified a multi-gene expression signature as a marker of PARP inhibitor sensitivity in gastric cancer.
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- Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a rare and dangerous type of cancer that can sometimes occur in the spine, especially in kids.
- A 9-year-old boy had back and leg pain due to a tumor in his spine and had surgery to remove it, which was found to be AT/RT.
- After surgery and treatment, he got better and didn't have any signs of the cancer coming back after 6 months.
A combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors is reported to be effective for gliomas with the BRAF V600E mutation; however, its efficacy in gliomas with leptomeningeal metastases (LMM) is still unknown. In this report, we describe two pediatric patients with high-grade glioma featuring the BRAF V600E mutation who were treated with dabrafenib and trametinib for LMM. Both 2 cases underwent craniotomy for primary intracranial lesions and were diagnosed as a high-grade glioma with BRAF V600E mutation; one case was consistent with anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastorocytoma, the other was epithelioid glioblastoma.
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- The study aimed to analyze the occurrence and factors influencing eye issues in patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) in Japan from 2016 to 2018, comparing these results with a previous survey from 2005-2007.
- A total of 240 cases were examined, revealing a significant decrease in ocular complications from 39.2% to 14.0%, credited to improved treatment timing and methods.
- Key finding indicates that early diagnosis and treatment have led to better eye health outcomes for SJS/TEN patients, particularly with enhanced systemic treatments and corticosteroid usage compared to earlier years.*
Article Synopsis
- * A study of 79 PPP patients found that their neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was notably higher compared to healthy individuals, indicating a potential link between PPP and focal infections.
- * The research suggests that an NLR of 2.28 or above could serve as a biomarker for identifying focal infections in PPP patients, with NLR levels dropping after symptom improvement.
Menstrual symptoms lower women's work performance, but to what extent one's performance declines during the perimenstrual periods is unclear. This cross-sectional study evaluated relative presenteeism by the severity of menstrual symptoms in working women. Participants included women who joined a health promotion event in Tokyo.
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- PIVKA-II is a marker for vitamin K deficiency in newborns, and its occurrence in neonatal blood at birth and its relation to gestational age were studied in this analysis.
- The analysis revealed that 42.8% of infants tested positive for PIVKA-II, with a significantly higher incidence in term infants (49.4%) compared to preterm infants (29.7%).
- After five days post-birth, PIVKA-II levels decreased, likely due to vitamin K prophylaxis, and only one case of vitamin K deficiency bleeding was observed.
Article Synopsis
- Interleukin 18 (IL18) is an inflammation-related cytokine produced by immune cells, but it also plays important roles in energy regulation and brain health.
- It is crucial for lipid metabolism in the liver and brown fat, and lack of IL18 in mice can lead to issues like mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain, which contributes to depressive symptoms and cognitive decline.
- This review explores gene expression changes in the liver, brown adipose tissue, and brain due to IL18 deficiency, and examines how these changes relate to disease traits observed in the mice.
Article Synopsis
- - This study investigates the link between the severity of menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) and psychological distress among working women in central Tokyo, focusing on 312 participants from a health project.
- - It found that 18.3% of women reported moderate to severe dysmenorrhea, which was linked to higher psychological distress, but this connection weakened when considering factors like premenstrual syndrome and job-related stress.
- - Additionally, greater job control was associated with lower psychological distress, suggesting it may help reduce the mental impact of dysmenorrhea on working women.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the link between decreased heart rate variability (CVRR) and autonomic nerve function in diabetic patients, aiming for early diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy.
- Data from 51 inpatients aged 22-65 were analyzed, revealing that lower CVRR at rest and during deep breathing correlated with longer diabetes duration and worse physical outcomes, such as balance and muscle strength.
- Notably, decreased CVRR at rest was associated with significant health issues like greater fluctuations in blood pressure when standing, higher resting heart rates, and urinary and sensory problems compared to CVRR measured during deep breathing.
Article Synopsis
- Deleting gene expression in specific tissues helps researchers understand the functions of certain proteins, and the Cre-loxP system is a popular method for this purpose in various organisms, including medaka fish.
- The epithelium, being the outer protective layer, is crucial for studying responses to external stimuli, yet there wasn't a specific Cre-driver line available for it in medaka.
- This study successfully developed epithelium-specific Cre-driver lines using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, targeting periplakin and keratin genes, allowing for efficient gene recombination in epithelial tissues for further research.
Article Synopsis
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are serious skin conditions that can lead to severe health complications and high death rates.
- Patients with TEN often experience not only eye issues but also gynecological problems, including potential adhesions of the labia and vaginal walls, which can drastically impact their quality of life.
- There is a general lack of awareness among healthcare providers regarding the gynecological effects of TEN, and more research is needed to assess prevention strategies and treatment effectiveness; a case of TEN presented severe eyelid and vaginal adhesions.
Article Synopsis
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are serious skin reactions that require early mortality prediction for effective treatment.
- A new clinical risk score called CRISTEN was created using data from 382 patients, focusing solely on clinical factors instead of blood tests.
- The CRISTEN score effectively predicts mortality with good accuracy (AUC = 0.884 in the development study and 0.827 in the validation study), and can help guide treatment decisions for SJS/TEN patients.
Article Synopsis
- This study aimed to identify genetic changes and potential treatment targets in advanced pediatric solid tumors through genomic profiling.
- Conducted at the National Cancer Center in Japan, it analyzed tumor and blood samples from 142 pediatric patients with recurrent or refractory cancer, finding significant genetic alterations in 59% of those evaluable.
- The research highlights the importance of genomic medicine in understanding tumor biology and developing new therapies, while also noting challenges in accessibility and a limited number of actionable treatment options.
Article Synopsis
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) with exon 11 deletions at codons 557-558 (Δ557-558) show higher growth rates and shorter times without disease compared to other GIST mutations.
- A study of 30 GIST cases found that high-risk malignant GISTs with Δ557-558 experienced significant genomic instability and DNA hypomethylation.
- Whole-genome sequencing revealed that these high-risk GISTs had more structural variations and genetic changes, along with distinct characteristics like chromosomal instability and upregulated gene expressions, setting them apart from lower-risk GISTs.
Background: The prognosis of relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma remains poor. Recent reports have stated that molecular targeting agents, including multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MTKIs), are effective against adult osteosarcoma. To determine the safety and efficacy of MTKI therapy in children, adolescents and young adults (AYAs), we conducted a retrospective study on adverse events and treatment outcomes.
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- - The study aimed to explore how maternal serum creatinine (SCr) levels affect neonatal SCr levels from birth to Day 5, comparing term and preterm infants in the process.
- - Significant correlations were found between maternal and neonatal SCr at birth and Day 1, with term infants initially having higher SCr levels than preterm infants, but this changed by Day 1.
- - The findings indicate that maternal SCr significantly influences neonatal SCr initially, but this effect diminishes by Day 2, and highlights differences in glomerular filtration rates between term and preterm babies.