Hitoshi Takagi

..To evaluate the possibility for new therapeutic strategies, we examined the combined effect of gefitinib and gemcitabine on CCC...

..2%). Serum zinc levels were higher in patients with IFN + Zn group than in the IFN group. Our results indicate that zinc supplementation enhances the response to interferon therapy in patients with intractable chronic hepatitis C...

..Liver transplantation should be considered as a treatment option even in advanced case of carcinoid metastasis to the liver. We also discuss the literature on liver transplantation for metastatic carcinoid tumor...

..Patients treated with alpha-tocopherol tended to live longer without development of HCC but the difference was not statistically significant...

..We demonstrated three male patients with CTLN2 having a liver histology of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Patients with NASH were analyzed for the causative gene of CTLN2, SLC25A13 and discussed...

..No complications were noted postoperatively and the nodular lesion in the lower extremity disappeared after surgery...

..Reconstruction by three enderpines relieved the fracture-associated pain and improved the quality of life. The patient continued to enjoy a good quality of life without pain until death by liver failure in September 2000...

..The investigation of the precise mechanism of interstrain differences may provide new means by which the pathophysiological mechanisms of NASH may be understood...

..CONCLUSION: CIFN treatment combined with zinc did not enhance the effect of CIFN as shown by biochemical, virological criteria. No side effects related to polaprezinc were noted...

..CONCLUSION: Considered together, triple therapy of zinc plus IFN and ribavirin for HCV infection patients with genotype 1b and high viral load is not better than dual therapy except for lower incidence of gastrointestinal side effects...

..01). We conclude that the prognosis of HCC with PVTT was quite poor. The treatment did not improve the survival of Child C patients. As a result, the prevention, early diagnosis, and development of new treatment strategies are required...

..NK2 is a natural splice variant of HGF, but its in vivo function remains to be elucidated. We investigated the in vivo effects of NK2 on CCl4-induced liver fibrosis...

..Although partial splenic embolization (PSE) is reportedly effective prior to interferon (IFN)-based therapy, the number of subjects in these studies is small, and the appropriate candidates and disease prognosis remain unknown...

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..To evaluate the effects of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in macular edema associated with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) treated with intravitreal tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)...

..CONCLUSIONS: Time-lapse imaging of this system visualized the dynamic process in vitreoretinal neovascularization from quiescent and mature vessels...

..The pathological roles of the nuclear receptor constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), a key regulator of drug-metabolising enzymes, in the development of NASH were investigated...

..The effect of transforming growth factor (TGF)-α on fibrosis varies between cell types and the role of TGF-α in hepatic fibrosis has not been fully elucidated...

..CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that over-expression of NK2 inhibits liver regeneration after PH...

..In this study, we investigated the gene expression profiles of such enzymes with an overexpression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)...

..We previously demonstrated an anti-apoptotic effect in transgenic mice overexpressing transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha. We herein present the details of a successful hepatocyte transplantation using TGF-alpha transgenic mice...

..The administration of an agonistic anti-Fas antibody to mice causes massive hepatic apoptosis and fulminant hepatic failure. Several growth factors including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) have been found to prevent apoptosis...

..Screening for HCC and an early diagnosis is needed for such patients to demonstrate an improved prognosis, especially for HBsAg-positive patients...

..In this study, the chemopreventive effects of vitamin K2 on the recurrence and survival of patients with HCC after curative therapy were evaluated...

..Thus, this study indicates that HGF inhibits liver injury, and NK2 antagonizes HGF on liver injury, however, NK2 may not antagonize HGF on hepatocyte proliferation...

..This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics in severe obese Japanese patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (LRYGB)...

..Bleeding from ectopic varices, including duodenal varices, is uncommon, but it can be difficult to manage. The clinical data of patients diagnosed and treated for duodenal varices were reviewed to investigate the strategy for treatment...

..Curative therapy (surgery or RFA) and weight loss by the active therapeutic intervention (nutritional care and exercise therapy) after curative therapy may help us improve the prognosis of HCC in NASH...

..We evaluated the respiratory effects of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) performed for the treatment of gastric varices complicating liver cirrhosis...

..CONCLUSION: In the patients with good liver functions and good performance status, aggressive treatment for HCC might improve the survival rate, even in the extremely elderly patients...

..In an in vitro study, HGF induced TPO and GABP-alpha/beta expression and enhanced TPO promoter activity. Therefore, HGF induced thrombopoiesis accompanied with the overexpression of TPO through GABP stimulation...

..In conclusion, the data presented in this study indicated that HGF ameliorates a high-fat diet-induced fatty liver via the activation of MTP and ApoB...

..Since this TG mouse had a strong resistance to ethanol-induced gastric injury, we considered the long-term effect of TGFalpha on several gastric protection mechanisms...

..CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that splenectomy may diminish virus burden in cirrhotic patients with HCV infection at least in part, through augmentation of natural killer cell activity...

..The primary lesion was treated with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), and the metastasis to the mandible was surgically resected. The patient survived for 9 months after treatment without recurrence...

..Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen showed hepatic adenomatosis with hemosiderosis. Both hormone replacement therapy and iron overload could be the cause of hepatic adenomatosis...

..Controlling the MIF activity may be a useful therapeutic strategy for treating such T-cell activation-associated liver diseases as autoimmune hepatitis and viral hepatitis...

..Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is regarded as an autoimmune liver disease and familial clustering of PBC could represent some genetic predisposition to the disease...

..01). Gliclazide inhibits ischemia-induced retinal neovascularization, and this is likely to be mediated in part through the downregulation of VEGF and the suppression of oxidative stress...

..This review will comprehensively discuss the current treatment options and various novel antiviral reagents available. Ongoing clinical studies of promising lead drugs are also reviewed...

..Taken together, our findings suggest that TGFalpha protects against Fas-mediated liver apoptosis in vivo and up-regulation of Bcl-xL may participate in protective effect of TGFalpha...

..Liver cirrhosis (LC) is characterized by an elevated number of circulating proinflammatory cytokines, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the plasma resistin levels in patients with LC...

..Inhibition of such molecular mechanisms in the retinal angiogenesis could be a new therapeutical strategy in halting or preventing pathologic angiogenesis in diabetic retinopathy...

..To avoid a misdiagnosis, careful attention should be paid to the above-mentioned morphological features and immunohistochemical findings, in addition to the clinical findings...

..Although infected with the virus of the same origin, the clinical and virological courses were completely different. This suggests that host factors play a major role in conditioning the outcome of acute HCV infection...

..Comparison of our case with the two previously reported cases suggests that IPT occurring with PBC does not represent the same disease entity or be a bystander for PBC...

..Histopathological examination showed moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma of both the primary site and metastatic sites to the gingiva and the heart and poorly differentiated in the paraaortic lymph node...

..In the cases with adhesion in the pleura for which artificial pleural effusion methods are not appropriate, CT-guided RFA is thus considered to be an alternative treatment for HCC located in the hepatic dome...

..Thus, even though the patient was treated with IFN, hepatitis C could progress to not only HCC but also CCC in the same patient. Our patient is still alive, 9.5 years after detection of the first tumor...

..There was no evidence of infection, malignancy or other collagen diseases which cause pleuritis. We conclude that this case adds to the eight previously published reports of primary Sjogren's syndrome complicated by pleural effusion...

..Zinc supplementation thus appears to offer a novel approach to the development of future strategies for the treatment of intractable chronic hepatitis C...

..Hypoadiponectinemia is associated with insulin-resistant diabetes and liver dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine plasma adiponectin and insulin levels in patients with liver cirrhosis...

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..001) at one month and 253 +/- 164 microm (P < .001) six months. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal tPA injection may be an effective treatment for resolving macular edema and improving the VA in BRVO...

..It is important to be aware of hepatitis A virus infection and to take into account the available vaccination against hepatitis A virus in Japan...

..Our results suggest that drugs interacting with nuclear receptors such as PB might play critical roles in drug-induced liver injury or drug-drug interaction even though such drugs themselves are not hepatotoxic...

..To determine the indications for internal limiting membrane (ILM) removal in stage 3 idiopathic macular holes (MHs)...

..In addition, MT-II mRNA expression may be involved in cell proliferation in the livers of patients with chronic HCV infection...

..In addition, splenectomy may impair T cells function through, at least in part, a reduction of CD4/CD8 ratio, consequently suppressing PAIgG production...

..However, the IFN-alpha-induced thyroid disorders are not always reversible. One must be careful about not only the development of autoimmune thyroid disorders during IFN-alpha therapy but also the outcome of the thyroid disease...

..Although most generic drugs are considered to be useful, it is important to carefully observe patients to confirm that an equivalent effect is obtained after switching from a brand name to a generic drug...

..Taken together, our results suggest that HGF promotes hepatocarcinogenesis through the autocrine activation of the HGF-Met signaling pathway in association with stimulation of angiogenesis by HGF itself and/or indirectly through VEGF...

..During 16 months of follow-up, the pancreatitis did not recur...

..These results suggest that the JAK2-V617F mutation occurs after the onset of monoclonal haematopoiesis; thus the V617F mutation of JAK2 may not be the primary event in the induction of BCS...

..We also provide a brief review of the literature...

..The objective of this report was to describe a case of prolonged intrahepatic cholestasis likely associated with the use of loxoprofen, a phenylpropionate NSAID...

..The precise reason that this apparently immunocompetent patient developed B. cepacia pneumonia remains unknown...

..We discussed the cause of the failure in reducing the jaundice and reviewed the previous reports of complications of pancreatitis...

..These results suggest that VEGF cannot only activate endothelial cells directly but also can contribute to robust angiogenesis in vivo by a mechanism that involves up-regulation of its cognate receptor expression...

..In the study described herein, the role of these molecules in ischemic retinal disorders was investigated...

..The VSV pseudotypes developed here would be useful for analyzing the early stages of HCV infection...

..To date, there are no reports of cases with DM, NASH and myeloma. Particular attention may be necessary for these complications...

..In general, metastases to the pancreas and stomach are rare. We discuss the clinical and diagnostic findings of pancreatic and gastric metastases by reviewing previously reported cases...

..Although the concordance in monozygotic twin in UC is reported to be 6.3-18.8%, the concordant case like this is relatively rare. We report this rare case of UC and the previously reported cases are also discussed...

..965). These suggest that MT may play a role in regulating apoptosis and that modulating MT expression may provide a strategy for altering cellular resistance to chemotherapeutic compounds...

..We consider that treatment in such cases should be decided carefully, taking into consideration their quality of life...

..As a result, the present case in which CEL occurred while demonstrating symptoms and findings similar to BCS is therefore considered to be extremely rare. Further accumulation of such cases should therefore be carried out in the future...

..Ets-1 up-regulation is involved in the development of retinal neovascularization, and inhibition of Ets-1 may be beneficial in the treatment of ischemic ocular diseases...

..Autopsy revealed a huge collateral vein in the right diaphragm. The etiology, prevalence, relationship with portal hypertension, and treatment of ectopic varices are discussed herein...

..The virologic responses were not different between two groups in any subgroup analysis. In conclusion, orally administered bLF does not demonstrate any significant efficacy in patients with chronic hepatitis C...

..CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic hepatitis C who did not have any severe complications did not show specific subjective physical symptoms...

..Even though this is only one case, combination therapy of vitamin K2 and E may induce growth suppression of HCC...

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