Publications by authors named "Yusuke Furukawa"

Article Synopsis
  • Bendamustine (BDM) has shown effectiveness in treating certain lymphomas with minimal side effects, but its impact on ATL had not been studied.
  • This research demonstrated that combining BDM with tucidinostat enhances cytotoxic effects and could potentially extend survival in patients with relapsed or refractory ATL, warranting further clinical investigation.
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We conducted a two-year inhalation study of butyraldehyde using F344/DuCrlCrlj rats. The rats were exposed to 0, 300, 1,000 and 3,000 ppm (v/v) for 6 hr/day, 5 days/ week for 104 weeks using whole-body inhalation chambers. The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity was increased in the 3,000 ppm groups of both male and female rats, with Fisher's exact test and the Peto test indicating that the incidence was significant.

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Background: Gain and amplification of 1q21 (1q21+) are adverse chromosomal aberrations of multiple myeloma (MM) that lead to refractoriness to a variety of therapies. While it is known that daratumumab, an anti-cancer monoclonal antibody, cannot overcome the disadvantage of 1q21+in relapsed/refractory MM patients, its benefit in newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients with 1q21+has not been clarified.

Patients: We retrospectively evaluated 11 (55%) 1q21+patients (3 copies: 6, > 4 copies: 5) among 20 NDMM patients (median age, 74 years) who received daratumumab-containing regimens at Shibukawa Medical Center from October 2019 to October 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the effects of chronic low-level exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticides acetamiprid (ACE) and imidacloprid (IMI) during early life on adult mouse brain functions, focusing on potential impacts on the central nervous system.
  • - Mice were exposed to these pesticides through drinking water during key developmental periods and showed impaired learning and memory in behavioral tests, along with altered cellular markers in the hippocampus.
  • - Findings suggest that early, low-level exposure to neonicotinoids affects brain development and functioning differently than expected, highlighting potential concerns about long-term neurodevelopmental impacts.
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Background: The immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide, which is now widely used for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), exerts pharmacological action through the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of IKZF1 and subsequent down-regulation of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), a critical factor for the survival of MM cells. IKZF1 acts principally as a tumour suppressor via transcriptional repression of oncogenes in normal lymphoid lineages. In contrast, IKZF1 activates IRF4 and other oncogenes in MM cells, suggesting the involvement of unknown co-factors in switching the IKZF1 complex from a transcriptional repressor to an activator.

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We conducted a two-year inhalation study of butyl methacrylate using F344/DuCrlCrlj rats and B6D2F/Crl mice. Rats were exposed to 0, 30, 125 and 500 ppm (v/v) and mice were exposed to 0, 8, 30 and 125 ppm (v/v) using whole-body inhalation chambers. Non-neoplastic lesions developed in the nasal cavities of both rats and mice, but neoplastic lesions were not found.

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Article Synopsis
  • Products we use daily, such as plastics and resins, contain chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) that can disrupt our endocrine system and harm animals, including humans.
  • The study investigates how early exposure to BPA and two similar synthetic phenolic antioxidants (BB and MB) affects mouse behavior, focusing on their impact on the nervous system.
  • Results show that both BPA and SPAs can lead to mood disorders and anxiety, highlighting the importance of understanding the risks of these chemicals during early development.
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Acetamiprid (ACE), a neonicotinoid chemical, is widely used as a pesticide due to its rapid insecticidal activity. Although neonicotinoids exert very low toxicity in mammals, the effects of early exposure to neonicotinoids on the adult central nervous system are poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of ACE exposure in early life on brain function in adult mice.

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  • Six workers in a Japanese chemical plant developed interstitial lung diseases linked to inhalation of cross-linked water-soluble acrylic acid polymers (CWAAPs), prompting this study on lung damage in rats.
  • The study involved exposing male rats to CWAAPs through inhalation and intratracheal instillation, analyzing lung tissues and fluids for damage and cellular responses.
  • Results showed that both single and repeated exposures led to alveolar injury and changes in lung tissue, with some lesions healing and others progressing to more severe conditions like alveolitis.
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  • The study aimed to assess the cancer-causing effects of 2-bromopropane (2-BP) in rats through inhalation exposure over two years.
  • Male and female F344 rats were exposed to varying concentrations of 2-BP, with those exposed to the highest level experiencing severe health issues and dying from tumors.
  • The research found a significant increase in various types of tumors in the rats, suggesting that 2-BP poses a risk of being a carcinogen to humans as well.
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It is well documented that multiple myeloma (MM) originates in a single plasma cell transformed by chromosome 14q translocations or chromosomal hyperdiploidy and evolves with the accumulation of point mutations of driver genes and/or cytogenetic abnormalities. Furthermore, disease progression is accomplished by branching patterns of subclonal evolution from reservoir clones with a propagating potential and/or the emergence of minor clones, which already exist at premalignant stages and outcompete other clones through selective pressure mainly by therapeutic agents. Each subclone harbors novel mutations and distinct phenotypes, including drug sensitivities.

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Background: Most toxicological studies on titanium dioxide (TiO) particles to date have concentrated on carcinogenicity and acute toxicity, with few studies focusing of pneumoconiosis, which is a variety of airspace and interstitial lung diseases caused by particle-laden macrophages. The present study examined rat pulmonary lesions associated with pneumoconiosis after inhalation exposure to TiO nanoparticles (NPs).

Methods: Male and female F344 rats were exposed to 6.

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With the rapid development of alternative methods based on the spirit of animal welfare, the publications of animal studies evaluating endpoints such as cancer have been extremely reduced. We performed a 26-week inhalation exposure studies of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) using CByB6F1-Tg(HRAS)2Jic (rasH2) mice model for detecting carcinogenicity. Male and female rasH2 mice were exposed to 2, 8 or 32 mg/m of TiO NPs for 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 26 weeks.

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  • - This study investigates the effects of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (T-CNTs) on chronic inflammation, particularly how long-term exposure can impact the immune system using a mouse model.
  • - Mice injected with T-CNTs developed chronic peritonitis with fibrosis, while those injected with titanium dioxide did not, indicating a specific inflammatory response linked to T-CNT exposure.
  • - The research found that T-CNT exposure up-regulates matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) in macrophages, which further activates fibroblasts, suggesting that MMP-12 is crucial for understanding the relationship between nanomaterials and chronic inflammation.
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Extramedullary disease (EMD) is known to be associated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis in multiple myeloma (MM); however, the mechanisms of its development are not fully understood. Elucidating the mechanism of EMD development and its therapeutic targeting would greatly contribute to further improvement of treatment outcome in patients with MM. Here, we show that bone marrow stroma cell-derived hyaluronan (HA) elicits homophilic interactions of MM cells by binding to surface CD44, especially long-stretch variants, under physiological shear stress and generates cell clusters that might develop into EMD.

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We report expression and purification of a FLT3 protein with ITD mutation (FLT3-ITD) with a steady tyrosine kinase activity using a silkworm-baculovirus system, and its application as a fast screening system of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The FLT3-ITD protein was expressed in Bombyx mori L. pupae infected by gene-modified nucleopolyhedrovirus, and was purified as an active state.

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Article Synopsis
  • In Japan, six workers exposed to a chemical called CWAAP suffered from various lung diseases, prompting research on its health impacts and occupational safety standards.
  • A study on rats exposed to different concentrations of CWAAP-A revealed that while lower doses allowed tissues to recover after 13 weeks, higher doses caused irreversible lung damage.
  • The study found a gender difference in recovery rates between male and female rats, highlighting the importance of macrophages in mitigating acute lung effects from CWAAP-A exposure.
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NKIRAS1 and NKIRAS2 (also called as κB-Ras) were identified as members of the atypical RAS family that suppress the transcription factor NF-κB. However, their function in carcinogenesis is still controversial. To clarify how NKIRAS acts on cellular transformation, we generated transgenic mice in which NKIRAS2 was forcibly expressed using a cytokeratin 15 (K15) promoter, which is mainly activated in follicle bulge cells.

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Epigenetics is the study that involves understanding of the DNA sequence-independent mechanism of transcriptional regulation. The epigenetic regulation of gene expression is exerted via the alteration of chromatin structures through covalent modifications of core histone tails and methylation of CpG dinucleotides. In general, histone acetylation and DNA methylation are associated with transcriptional activation and repression, respectively.

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Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is usually resistant to the current standard-of-care regimens and also to novel agents such as the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. A better prognosis of leukemic variants of MCL suggests that MCL cells acquire drug resistance in nodal and/or bone marrow microenvironments via interaction with supporting cells. Bortezomib exerts cytotoxic action in MCL cells via stabilization of the pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family protein NOXA.

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The production of red blood cells in vitro, which is useful for basic or clinical research, has been improved. Further optimization of culture protocols may facilitate erythroid differentiation from hematopoietic stem cells to red blood cells. However, the details of erythropoiesis, particularly regarding the behaviors of differentiation-related proteins, remain unclear.

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Chronic myeloid leukemia is driven by the BCR-ABL oncoprotein, a constitutively active protein tyrosine kinase. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have greatly improved the prognosis of CML patients, the emergence of TKI resistance is an important clinical problem, which deserves additional treatment options based on unique biological properties to CML cells. In this study, we show that metabolic homeostasis is critical for survival of CML cells, especially when the disease is in advanced stages.

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