Publications by authors named "Chika Takano"

The phenomenon of intercellular transfer of mitochondria has been reported and has attracted significant interest in recent years. The phenomena involve a range of physiological and pathological conditions, such as tumor growth, immunoregulation, and tissue regeneration. There is speculation on the potential restoration of cellular energy status through the transfer of healthy mitochondria from donor cells to cells with impaired mitochondria.

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Amniotic epithelial cells (AECs) exhibit significant immunomodulatory and pro-regenerative properties, largely due to their intrinsic paracrine functions that are currently harnessed through the collection of their secretomes. While there is increasing evidence of the role of bioactive components freely secreted or carried by exosomes, the bioactive cargo of AEC microvesicles (MVs) and their crosstalk with the immune cells remains to be fully explored. We showed that under intrinsic conditions or in response to LPS, AEC-derived MV carries components such as lipid-mediated signaling molecules, ER, and mitochondria.

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Rubella infection (RuV) during early pregnancy is a known cause of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). However, the mechanisms by which the virus crosses the placenta and infects the fetus are not fully understood. It has been known that various kinds of cell stresses can occur during the placenta formation.

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The BioFire FilmArray® Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel, a widely used diagnostic tool, is designed to detect the genetic material of 22 common pathogens responsible for gastroenteritis, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It can detect human adenovirus (HAdV) species F, particularly serotypes F40 and F41, which are the major causes of diarrhea and mortality in children. However, its potential shortcomings in detecting other HAdV species limit its effectiveness in broader HAdV detection in clinical settings and outbreak investigations.

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The FilmArray® Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel is a modern, sensitive, and comprehensive stool testing technique for identifying common gastrointestinal pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Its increasing demand is due to ease of operation and automation. Pathogens, particularly viruses, undergo constant genetic evolution.

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Background: Human astrovirus (HAstV) infection is one of the leading causes of acute gastroenteritis in young children. The present study reports the outbreak of HAstV in children with acute gastroenteritis in Kyoto, Japan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021.

Methods: A total of 61 stool samples were collected from children with acute gastroenteritis who visited a pediatric outpatient clinic in Maizuru city, Kyoto, Japan from July to October, 2021.

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Haemophilus influenzae can be divided into typeable and non-typeable strains. Although non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is less likely to be a fatal bacterium, invasive NTHi infection has been reported to increase worldwide. This study presents a case of sudden death of a child with invasive NTHi infection and underlying immunoglobulin G2 (IgG) deficiency.

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Rapid evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility is important in the treatment of nosocomial infections by Gram-negative bacteria, which increasingly carry carbapenemases and metallo-β-lactamases. We developed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based assays for four β-lactamase genes ( , , group, and ). The assays were evaluated using eight reference bacterial strains (, , , and ) harboring six β-lactamase genes.

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Mitochondrial diabetes (MD) is generally classified as a genetic defect of β-cells. The main pathophysiology is insulin secretion failure in pancreatic β-cells due to impaired mitochondrial ATP production. However, several reports have mentioned the presence of insulin resistance (IR) as a clinical feature of MD.

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The phenomenon of intercellular mitochondrial transfer has attracted great attention in various fields of research, including stem cell biology. Elucidating the mechanism of mitochondrial transfer from healthy stem cells to cells with mitochondrial dysfunction may lead to the development of novel stem cell therapies to treat mitochondrial diseases, among other advances. To visually evaluate and analyze the mitochondrial transfer process, dual fluorescent labeling systems are often used to distinguish the mitochondria of donor and recipient cells.

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Background: The COVID-19 vaccine is effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19. For women, gynecological adverse events, such as menstrual irregularities and irregular bleeding, could be a concern after COVID-19 vaccination. In this study, we investigated gynecological adverse events in the vaccinated Japanese female population.

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The Zika virus (ZIKV) is well known for causing congenital Zika syndrome if the infection occurs during pregnancy; however, the mechanism by which the virus infects and crosses the placenta barrier has not been completely understood. In pregnancy, TGF-β1 is abundant at the maternal-fetal interface. TGF-β1 has been reported to enhance rubella virus binding and infection in human lung epithelial cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study found that while SARS-CoV-2 can infect human placental tissue, vertical transmission to the fetus is rare, suggesting the placenta acts as a barrier against the virus.
  • Researchers confirmed the presence of the virus's genome in placental tissue using in situ hybridization techniques, showing less presence when using probes that target the virus's spike protein.
  • This research provides the first direct evidence that the virus does not replicate efficiently in the infected placenta, highlighting the need for further studies to understand the underlying mechanisms.
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Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs), which are a type of placental stem cell, express stem cell marker genes and are capable of differentiating into all three germ layers under appropriate culture conditions. hAECs are known to undergo TGF-β-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); however, the impact of EMT on the stemness or differentiation of hAECs has not yet been determined. Here, we first confirmed that hAECs undergo EMT immediately after starting primary culture.

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Article Synopsis
  • Rubella virus (RuV) infections during early pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester, can result in congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), although not all infections lead to this outcome, highlighting a gap in understanding the infection mechanisms.* -
  • The study explores how hypoglycemia-related endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress might influence vertical RuV infection, using human trophoblast cells subjected to low or high glucose conditions before infection.* -
  • Results show that low-glucose-induced stress increased RuV infection and viral production in trophoblasts without significant cell death, indicating that early pregnancy low glucose levels may enhance susceptibility to RuV and contribute to CRS.*
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To control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the promotion of vaccination is important. However, adverse reactions following vaccination remain a concern. To investigate adverse events in the vaccinated Japanese population, we conducted a survey-based study among health care workers, including medical doctors and nurses; other medical staff; and medical university faculty, staff, and students in a single medical school and affiliated hospital in Japan.

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Background: Vonoprazan-based Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) treatment is highly effective in eradicating the target bacteria; however, its post-1-year impact on gut microbiota is unknown. This study evaluated the impact of vonoprazan-based H.

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Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) results from maternal rubella virus infection in early pregnancy. Abnormal neuroimaging findings have been analyzed in a small number of CRS patients in the past; however, their clinical significance has been poorly addressed. Therefore, we have investigated the neuroimaging findings of 31 patients with CRS from previous studies.

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Background And Aim: Helicobacter pylori eradication can disrupt the gut microbiome. Here, we investigated the short-term impact of minimum antibiotic treatment-a 7-day vonoprazan and low-dose amoxicillin regimen (VA-dual therapy)-on gut microbiota and compared it with that of vonoprazan-based triple therapy (VAC-triple therapy).

Methods: Fifty-nine patients with H.

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Neonatal mitochondrial disease is occasionally observed in patients with intraventricular cysts in the brain. Atypical morphology is rarely seen in these cysts. Here, we report a case of neonatal lethal mitochondrial disease with gene mutation.

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Introduction: Recently, increased frequencies of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae have been reported worldwide. Among multiple genetic subtypes, oxacillinase (OXA)-48 β-lactamase-producing strains have been associated with inbound infection because they have been detected predominantly in patients who traveled outside of Japan. However, a recent case report of OXA-48 β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae suggested the latent spread of domestic infections.

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Virus-host cell interactions in rubella virus (RuV) are of great interest in current research in the field, as their mechanism is not yet well understood. By hypothesizing that the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may play a role in RuV infection, this study aimed to investigate the influence of TGF-β1-induced EMT of human lung epithelial A549 cells on the infectivity of RuV. A549 cells were cultured and treated with TGF-β1 for 1 to 2 days prior to virus infection (with a clinical strain).

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study analyzed 1,070 stool samples from children with acute gastroenteritis in Japan and identified 76 positive cases of PeV-A, revealing five different genotypes, notably PeV-A1B as the most common.
  • * The research highlighted significant genetic diversity of PeV-A in Japan and reported clinical symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, fever, cough, and dehydration, alongside the first detection of the rare PeV-A2 genotype in the country.
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