Hirohisa Izumi

Background: Several types of oligosaccharides are used in infant formula to improve the gut microbiota of formula-fed infants. We previously reported that a combination of 3 oligosaccharides (lactulose, raffinose, and galacto-oligosaccharides; LRG) and Bifidobacterium breve effectively increased B. breve numbers, acetate, and the expression of several immune- and gut hormone-related mRNAs in neonatal mice gut. Objective: We investigated whether changes in neonatal gut microbiota alter gut immune and endocrine development...

We encountered a case of type 4 gastric cancer with esophageal invasion that responded to neoadjuvant chemotherapy containing S-1 and oxaliplatin(SOX)followed by surgery, which could be curative resection. A 46-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of abnormal upper gastrointestinal series findings. He was diagnosed with type 4 advanced gastric cancer with esophageal invasion, cT4b(diaphragm)N2M0, Stage ⅢC, and 3 courses of neoadjuvant SOX therapy were administered. Adverse events were minor. After NAC, the primary lesion and lymph nodes showed marked reductions on CT; total gastrectomy and subtotal thoracic esophagectomy were performed...

New-onset antegrade Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD) after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is rare. The extension of aortic dissection leads to various symptoms and affects the stent graft. Moreover, various symptoms may arise owing to a stent graft being present. We describe 2 cases of complicated acute TBAD occurring after EVAR, which were ultimately fatal. The case in which rupture occurred could not be treated and the patient died. In another case with bilateral lower extremity malperfusion caused by collapse and occlusion of the endograft, extra-anatomical bypass was performed...

Physicochemical properties of casein (CN) materials manufactured using different processes are well studied; however, data on their bioaccessibility or bioactivity are limited. We compared the digestion patterns and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-releasing activities of micellar CN concentrate (MCC) and sodium caseinate (SCN). MCC and SCN mixed with whey protein isolate (SCN + WPI) were subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal digestion; the digestibility of MCC was higher than that of SCN + WPI, and both CN materials showed different patterns of peptides released after in vitro digestion...

The accumulation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) during chronic inflammation has been implicated in the progression of several cancers. Cyclooxygenase is the key synthesizing enzyme of PGE2 , although the degradation enzyme 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) has received considerable attention recently. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression via 15-PGDH downregulation. Here, we found that 15-PGDH expression was inversely correlated with ALDH1, an important cancer stem cell-associated marker indicative of poor prognosis in humans...

The redox state of plasma albumin shifts in response to dietary protein intake in growing rats, and the shift is more sensitive than that of plasma albumin level, a classical marker of protein nutritional status. While it has been suggested that plasma albumin redox state could be useful as a novel marker of protein nutritional status, the above animal model is highly sensitive to dietary protein intake and the observation may not be extrapolated widely to humans. This study aimed to investigate whether albumin redox state also reflects protein nutritional status in adult rats, which have a lower dietary protein requirement and are less responsive to protein intake...

BACKGROUND: The most recent diagnostic criteria for sepsis include organ failure. Microvascular endothelial injury is believed to lead to the multiple organ failure seen in sepsis, although the precise mechanism is still controversial. ARDS is the primary complication during the sequential development of multiple organ dysfunction in sepsis, and endothelial injury is deeply involved. Sugar-protein glycocalyx coats all healthy vascular endothelium, and its disruption is one factor believed to contribute to microvascular endothelial dysfunction during sepsis...

BACKGROUND: Epicutaneous sensitization to food allergens can occur through defective skin barriers. However, the relationship between oral tolerance and epicutaneous sensitization remains to be elucidated. We aimed to determine whether prior oral exposure to whey proteins or their hydrolysates prevents epicutaneous sensitization and subsequent food-allergic reaction to the whey protein, β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), and investigated the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: BALB/c mice were given whey protein concentrate (WPC), two kinds of partial whey protein hydrolysate (PWH1 or PWH2), or extensive whey protein hydrolysate (EWH) in drinking water for 21 days...

Since the introduction of direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-based combination therapies in September 2014 for patients with chronic hepatitis-C (CH-C), numerous patients have been diagnosed with hepatitis-C virus (HCV)-associated hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) during the screening performed prior to DAA therapy. The present study was conducted on the antiviral therapy for CH-C in two phases:i) the interferon (IFN) phase between January 2011 and August 2014 and ii) the DAA phase between September 2014 and September 2016...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurological disease, and the etiology of sporadic ALS is generally unknown. The TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) gene was identified as an ALS gene contributing to a predisposition toward ALS. To reveal the frequency and characteristics of variants of the TBK1 gene in sporadic ALS patients in Japan, we analyzed the TBK1 gene by exome sequencing in a large Japanese cohort of 713 sporadic ALS patients and 800 controls. We identified known or potentially toxic rare variants of TBK1 gene in 9 patients (1...

OBJECTIVE: Neurocognitive impairment is often reported in moyamoya disease. We aimed to detect default mode network (DMN) alterations using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and their association with neurocognitive impairments. In addition, the influence of surgical treatment was individually evaluated. METHODS: Seven patients with moyamoya disease underwent preoperative resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychologic tests...

An 85-year-old woman underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for obstructive jaundice. Selective bile duct cannulation was unsuccessful because of periampullary diverticula (PAD). A pancreatic spontaneous dislodgement stent (PSDS) (5F diameter, 3 cm, straight type) was inserted to prevent post-ERCP pancreatitis. Three days after ERCP, she complained of abdominal pain, and computed tomography revealed retroperitoneal perforation because of PSDS migration to the PAD. If the papillary orifice is observed at the diverticular rim or in the diverticula, a pigtailed PSDS on the duodenal side or flanged stent on the pancreatic ductal side should be inserted in order to prevent this rare adverse event...

BACKGROUND: Several studies have examined controlling nutritional status (CONUT), which is one of the useful biomarkers for predicting patients' prognosis following cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of CONUT as a postoperative prognostic marker in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) following curative hepatectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 71 patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for ICC between May 2002 and November 2016...

OBJECTIVES: Hemoglobin vesicles (HbVs) function as a red blood cell (RBC) substitute and are composed of purified hemoglobin encapsulated in a phospholipid bilayer membrane. The performance of HbVs as a substitute for RBC transfusions was examined in a mouse model of pneumonectomy following acute 40% exchange-transfusion with HbVs. METHODS: Before performing left pneumonectomies, 40% of the blood volume of mice was replaced with a) lactated Ringer's solution (control), b) 5% recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA), c) mouse RBCs shed in rHSA (mRBCs/rHSA), or d) HbV suspended in rHSA (HbV/rHSA)...

Matsui-Kitamura stent-graft (MKSG) is a home-made device for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) developed in Japan. A 76-year-old man who had been treated by TEVAR (zone 3) with a MKSG for ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm was diagnosed as having type Ia endoleak caused by suture disruption and aneurysmal sac expansion 6 years later. He underwent TEVAR (zone 1) with debranching and type Ia endoleak disappeared. MKSG had been the effective device especially for acute aortic emergencies in the descending thoracic aorta until the stent-grafts became commercially available, but careful observation and appropriate re-intervention is mandatory for the continued life-saving contribution...

We report a case of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST)that originated in the anal canal. A 70's woman with a subcutaneous tumor reaching from the anal canal was referred to our hospital. After a thorough examination, the tumor was resected percutaneously in the jackknife position. Histopathological examination showed proliferation of spindle-shaped tumor cells arranged in irregular bundles. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the tumor was positive for c-kit and CD34, and negative for a-SMA and S-100, so the tumor was diagnosed as GIST...

Regional lymph node recurrence without distant metastasis after the initial treatment of breast cancer is a relatively rare event. The optimal management for regional lymph node recurrence is poorly understood. We retrospectively evaluated 21 patients who developed regional lymph node recurrence between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2014. The median interval between regional lymph node recurrence and distant metastasis was 1.0 years(range, 0.4 to 2.5 years). On followup, 15 cases(71.4%)were found to eventually develop distant metastases...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) share common clinical, genetic and neuropathological features. Some ALS patients have behavioral/personality changes, which could result in significant obstacles in the care provided by family members and caregivers. An easy screening tool would contribute greatly to the evaluation of these symptoms. We translated the ALS-FTD-Questionnaire, developed in the Netherlands, into Japanese (ALS-FTD-Q-J) and examined the clinimetric properties (internal consistency, construct and clinical validity)...

It is important to provide formula-fed infants with a bifidobacteria-enriched gut microbiota similar to those of breastfed infants to ensure intestinal health. Prebiotics, such as certain oligosaccharides, are a useful solution to this problem, but the combinational benefits of these oligosaccharides have not been evaluated. This study investigated the benefits of oligosaccharide combinations and screened for an optimal combination of oligosaccharides to promote healthy gut microbiota of formula-fed infants...

The clinical courses of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) show extensive variability. Our objective was to elucidate how age of onset influences the progression of regional symptoms and functional losses in sporadic ALS. We included 648 patients with sporadic ALS from a multicenter prospective ALS cohort. We investigated the distribution of initial symptoms and analyzed the time from onset to events affecting activities of daily living (ADL) as well as the longitudinal changes in each regional functional rating score among four groups with different ages of onset...