Publications by authors named "Jin Imai"
A 69-year-old man underwent upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations for a detailed evaluation of diarrhea that had persisted for several months, which revealed multiple polyposis in the stomach, duodenum, colon, and terminal ileum. The histopathological findings also led to a diagnosis of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS). On admission, the patient had hypoalbuminemia and electrolyte abnormalities, including hypokalemia, and developed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (Paf), although there were no apparent organic lesions in the heart.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Pilot Study Using a Smartwatch to Search for Biomarkers of Heart Rate Variability in Active Ulcerative Colitis.
Inflamm Intest Dis
December 2024
Introduction: Autonomic imbalance has been reported to correlate with clinical remission in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This study evaluated heart rate variability (HRV), a potential digital biomarker, in patients with active UC using a smartwatch that is easy to handle.
Methods: Patients with active UC were recruited for this prospective study.
Article Synopsis
- The concept of Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) was introduced, focusing on metabolic risk factors like obesity and diabetes, which affect patients' prognosis better than the previously used Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) criteria.
- A study involving 7,159 patients from Tokai University Hospital examined the impact of MAFLD versus NAFLD diagnostic criteria on disease progression and medication use over a 5-year period.
- Results showed that while 34.9% of participants had fatty liver, those diagnosed with MAFLD experienced a more considerable increase in starting new medications compared to those diagnosed only with NAFLD, indicating that MAFLD criteria could provide a clearer understanding of
Article Synopsis
- * Using mouse models treated with clodronate-liposomes to deplete macrophages, researchers found that Klebsiella pneumoniae can damage the intestinal lining and spread to the liver.
- * The findings highlight the crucial role of intestinal macrophages in preventing the translocation of commensal K. pneumoniae to the liver, suggesting that these mouse models can be useful for developing treatments to combat K. pneumoniae infections.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) has been associated with increased prostate cancer (PCa) risk. However, the mechanisms underlying UC and increased PCa risk remain unclear, and research on this topic is scarce in Japan. We have investigated whether UC is associated with PCa risk in the Japanese population and the risk factors related to PCa among older UC patients.
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- Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) is linked to Crohn's disease and has a unique ability to invade the intestinal lining, but how it became invasive is still unclear.
- In research, it was discovered that AIEC produces more flagellin (fliC) compared to non-AIEC strains, leading to longer flagellar filaments crucial for its invasion and movement capabilities.
- The study also revealed that a molecule called cyclic-di-AMP (c-di-AMP) can enhance fliC expression and flagellar development in both AIEC and non-AIEC strains, suggesting a potential mechanism for inducing invasive behavior even in non-invasive bacteria.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers proposed a new condition called metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), characterized by hepatic steatosis alongside factors like obesity or type 2 diabetes.
- A study involving 1,257 participants analyzed various indices (HOMA-IR, TG/HDL-C, and TyG) to see how well they predict MAFLD, with results indicating higher values in affected individuals.
- The study found a strong correlation between insulin resistance and MAFLD, especially in people with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, suggesting these indices can be useful in identifying those at risk.
Adherent-invasive - induced specific IgA limits pathobiont localization to the epithelial niche in the gut.
Front Microbiol
February 2023
Article Synopsis
- AIEC, a pathobiont linked to Crohn's disease, thrives in inflammatory conditions and is believed to worsen the disease, yet how the immune system reacts to it remains poorly understood.
- Researchers used antibiotic-treated mice to study how the immune system produces IgA antibodies against AIEC following colonization, while examining IgA binding to various strains.
- The findings indicate that IgA specifically recognizes AIEC, which helps prevent its invasion into the epithelial cells of the colon, suggesting a protective role of IgA in combating this pathobiont.
Article Synopsis
- - Breast cancer is a common type of cancer in women and can spread to various parts of the body, with gastrointestinal tract metastasis being rare.
- - Invasive lobular carcinoma, a less common form of breast cancer, has a higher likelihood of metastasizing to the gastrointestinal tract compared to invasive ductal carcinoma.
- - The text discusses a rare case of invasive lobular carcinoma that extensively metastasized to the colonic mucosa and highlights the potential increase in rare metastatic diseases due to better survival rates from current treatments.
Pathobionts employ unique metabolic adaptation mechanisms to maximize their growth in disease conditions. Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC), a pathobiont enriched in the gut mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), utilizes diet-derived L-serine to adapt to the inflamed gut. Therefore, the restriction of dietary L-serine starves AIEC and limits its fitness advantage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDll1 Can Function as a Ligand of Notch1 and Notch2 in the Thymic Epithelium.
Front Immunol
April 2022
Article Synopsis
- - T-cell development in the thymus requires Notch signaling activated by the interaction between Notch1 on T-cell precursors and Dll4 on thymic epithelial cells, with Dll4 evolving from a common ancestor of various fish species.
- - Dll1, rather than Dll4, is crucial for T-cell development in cartilaginous fishes, and experiments show that Dll1 can fully compensate for the absence of Dll4 in mouse models, triggering important Notch signaling pathways.
- - The study indicates that Dll1 activates Notch signaling involving Notch1 and Notch2, while Dll4 is restricted to activating only Notch1 in the thymus, suggesting a significant evolutionary shift
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Complicated with Aphthoid Colitis Difficult to Diagnose from IgG4-Related Sclerosing Cholangitis.
Case Rep Gastroenterol
February 2022
Article Synopsis
- - A 19-year-old man experienced diarrhea, blood issues, and liver dysfunction, leading him to seek medical attention.
- - Diagnostic imaging revealed narrowing in both the common and intrahepatic biliary tracts, and a biopsy confirmed a condition called IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis (IgG4-SC).
- - The patient also had multiple ulcers in the colon (aphthoid colitis) but, after corticosteroid treatment, his health improved, and he was ultimately diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis instead of IgG4-SC.
A potential pathogenic association between periodontal disease and Crohn's disease.
JCI Insight
December 2021
Article Synopsis
- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), specifically those with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), frequently experience oral health issues like periodontitis, yet its impact on gut inflammation is poorly understood.
- A study involving 60 IBD patients and 45 healthy controls revealed that the gut microbiome of IBD patients was more similar to their oral microbiome, indicating an increased colonization of gut bacteria by oral bacteria.
- While early periodontitis didn't significantly alter clinical outcomes for most IBD patients, it was associated with a worsening activity index in some CD patients, suggesting it could exacerbate symptoms in certain cases.
Article Synopsis
- The intracellular fragment of Notch1, important for T-cell fate, is expressed in CD4+ T cells and is linked to the presence of the Notch ligand Delta-like 4 (Dll4) in Peyer's patches, which are secondary lymphoid organs.
- In the study, Dll4 expression was noted on stromal cells and its interaction with Notch1 influenced T-cell differentiation, particularly affecting the balance between regulatory T cells (Tregs) and follicular helper T cells (Tfh).
- The findings suggest that Dll4-mediated Notch signaling is essential for promoting the development of Tfh cells from Tregs in Peyer's patches, highlighting its role in generating B cells during immune responses in gut-associated lymph
The pathogenic oral-gut-liver axis: new understandings and clinical implications.
Expert Rev Clin Immunol
July 2021
Article Synopsis
- - Oral health significantly impacts systemic conditions, particularly gastrointestinal and liver diseases, highlighting the connection between the mouth and other organs.
- - The review explores the role of the oral-gut and oral-gut-liver connections in diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and liver ailments, employing both clinical and animal model data.
- - Research indicates that certain harmful oral bacteria can migrate to the gut and liver, potentially serving as indicators for gastrointestinal and liver diseases, underscoring the need for further study of these microbial interactions.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how oral infections, specifically periodontal inflammation, worsen gut inflammation, linking oral and gut health.
- Periodontitis leads to an increase in harmful bacteria in the mouth, which can enter the gut and trigger inflammation through immune responses.
- Additionally, immune cells (Th17 cells) reactive to these oral bacteria migrate to the inflamed gut, causing further inflammation and potentially leading to conditions like colitis.
Article Synopsis
- Intestinal fibrosis is a significant issue in Crohn's disease, primarily driven by the protein transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which promotes collagen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) production, contributing to ECM buildup.
- The study involved inducing chronic intestinal inflammation in mice and administering TM5275, a PAI-1 inhibitor, which showed promise in reducing collagen accumulation and promoting collagen degradation.
- The findings suggest that targeting PAI-1 could offer a new treatment strategy for managing intestinal fibrosis in Crohn's disease patients.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on understanding the immune environment in Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and how it relates to the need for second-line steroid therapy within two years after diagnosis.
- It involved analyzing tissue samples from 72 cases, comparing normal mucosa to UC cases, as well as looking at differences between patients requiring steroid therapy and those who did not.
- Findings revealed that UC had increased immune markers and lower BTLA levels compared to normal tissues, and that those requiring steroids showed significant differences in specific immune cell populations, suggesting immune imbalance plays a role in UC and its treatment needs.
Intestinal fibrosis is a severe complication in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Unfortunately, the trigger leading to the development of intestinal fibrosis in the context of CD remains elusive. Here, we show that colonization by a CD-associated pathobiont adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) promotes the development of intestinal fibrosis.
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- Sacroiliitis is a rare condition linked to ulcerative colitis (UC) in Japan, often showing intestinal symptoms and diagnosed through radiography or better yet, MRI for early detection.
- Treatment options for sacroiliitis include physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, and immunomodulators, with anti-TNF agents for resistant cases.
- Granulocyte and monocyte adsorption (GMA) apheresis, developed in Japan, has emerged as a promising treatment for UC-related spondyloarthropathy, demonstrating good results without serious side effects.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of repeating transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) using a miriplatin-lipiodol suspension for treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
- Sixteen patients were analyzed, with the study measuring the total doses of miriplatin, lipiodol, and other materials used, along with any adverse events during their first and last TACE sessions.
- Results showed an average of 3.7 TACE sessions per patient without significant differences in adverse effects between the first and last procedures, concluding that repeated TACE with this method is both safe and feasible for selected patients.
Article Synopsis
- A study investigated the effects of the probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri OLL2716 (LG) on small bowel injuries caused by aspirin in 64 patients who had been taking aspirin for over a month.
- Patients consumed yogurt with LG or a placebo for 6 weeks, with small bowel injuries evaluated before and after using capsule endoscopy.
- Results showed that the LG group had significantly fewer injuries and improved gastrointestinal symptoms compared to the placebo group, suggesting LG could help reduce aspirin-induced gut issues.
Article Synopsis
- * The number of amoebiasis cases is rising in Japan, possibly linked to increased travel to affected areas or STDs, but acute amoebic appendicitis remains uncommon with worse outcomes compared to regular appendicitis.
- * The patient underwent an appendectomy immediately after the onset of symptoms and recovered without complications, highlighting the challenge of distinguishing between amoebic and nonamoebic appendicitis before surgery.
Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare inherited disease in which the telomere complex cannot be maintained. Shortened telomeres can cause a number of clinical conditions. We herein report a case of unrelated bone marrow transplantation due to aplastic anemia associated with DC.
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