Kagawa University

About: Kagawa University is a education organization based out in Takamatsu, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cancer & Population. The organization has 6028 authors who have published 11918 publications receiving 224111 citations. The organization is also known as: Kagawa Daigaku.

Rare sugar D-allose induces specific up-regulation of TXNIP and subsequent G1 cell cycle arrest in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by stabilization of p27kip1

Abstract: 'Rare sugars' are defined as monosaccharides that exist in nature but are only present in limited quantities. The development of mass production method of rare sugars revealed some interesting physiological effects of these on animal cells, but the mechanisms have not been well studied. We examined the effect of D-allose on the proliferation of cancer cells and the underlying molecular mechanism of the action. The HuH-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells were treated with various monosaccharides for 48 h and D-allose was shown to inhibit cell growth by 40% in a dose-dependent manner. D-allose induced G1 cell cycle arrest but not apoptosis. The microarray analysis revealed that D-allose significantly up-regulated thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) gene expression, which is often suppressed in tumor cells and western blot analysis confirmed its increase at protein level. The overexpression of TXNIP also induced G1 cell cycle arrest. Analysis of cell cycle regulatory genes showed p27kip1, a key regulator of G1/S cell cycle transition, to be increased at the protein but not the transcriptional level. Protein interaction between TXNIP and jab1, and p27kip1 and jab1, was observed, suggesting stabilization of p27kip1 protein by the competitive inhibition of jab1-mediated nuclear export of p27kip1 by TXNIP. In addition, increased interaction and nuclear localization of TXNIP and p27kip1 were apparent after D-allose treatment. Our findings surprisingly suggest that D-allose, a simple monosaccharide, may act as a novel anticancer agent via unique TXNIP induction and p27kip1 protein stabilization.

Acute D-psicose administration decreases the glycemic responses to an oral maltodextrin tolerance test in normal adults.

Abstract: An examination was conducted to verify D-psicose suppressed the elevation of blood glucose and insulin concentration in a dose-dependent manner under the concurrent administration of maltodextrin and D-psicose to healthy humans. Twenty subjects aged 20-39 y, 11 males and 9 females were recruited. A load test of oral maltodextrin was conducted as a randomized single blind study. The subjects took one of five test beverages (7.5 g D-psicose alone, 75 g maltodextrin alone, 75 g maltodextrin +2.5, 5 or 7.5 g D-psicose). Blood was collected before an intake and at 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after an intake. Intervals of administration were at least 1 wk. The load test with 75 g maltodextrin showed significant suppressions of the elevation of blood glucose and insulin concentration under the doses of 5 g or more D-psicose with dose dependency. An independent administration of 7.5 g D-psicose had no influence on blood glucose or insulin concentration. D-Psicose is considered efficacious in the suppression of the elevation of blood glucose concentration after eating in humans.

Dissection of the host range of the fungal plant pathogen Alternaria alternata by modification of secondary metabolism.

Abstract: The filamentous fungus Alternaria alternata contains seven pathogenic variants (pathotypes), which produce different host-specific toxins and cause diseases on different plants. The strawberry pathotype produces host-specific AF-toxin and causes Alternaria black spot of strawberry. This pathotype is also pathogenic to Japanese pear cultivars susceptible to the Japanese pear pathotype that produces AK-toxin. The strawberry pathotype produces two related molecular species, AF-toxins I and II: toxin I is toxic to both strawberry and pear, and toxin II is toxic only to pear. Previously, we isolated a cosmid clone pcAFT-1 from the strawberry pathotype that contains three genes involved in AF-toxin biosynthesis. Here, we have identified a new gene, designated AFTS1, from pcAFT-1. AFTS1 encodes a protein with similarity to enzymes of the aldo-ketoreductase superfamily. Targeted mutation of AFTS1 diminished the host range of the strawberry pathotype: Delta aftS1 mutants were pathogenic to pear, but not to strawberry, as is the Japanese pear pathotype. These mutants were found to produce AF-toxin II, but not AF-toxin I. These data represent a novel example of how the host range of a plant pathogenic fungus can be restricted by modification of secondary metabolism.

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2016 (J-SSCG 2016)

Abstract: The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2016 (J-SSCG 2016), a Japanese-specific set of clinical practice guidelines for sepsis and septic shock created jointly by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, was first released in February 2017 and published in the Journal of JSICM, [2017; Volume 24 (supplement 2)] https://doiorg/103918/jsicm24S0001 and Journal of Japanese Association for Acute Medicine [2017; Volume 28, (supplement 1)] http://onlinelibrarywileycom/doi/101002/jja2201728issue-S1/issuetoc This abridged English edition of the J-SSCG 2016 was produced with permission from the Japanese Association of Acute Medicine and the Japanese Society for Intensive Care Medicine Members of the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine were selected and organized into 19 committee members and 52 working group members The guidelines were prepared in accordance with the Medical Information Network Distribution Service (Minds) creation procedures The Academic Guidelines Promotion Team was organized to oversee and provide academic support to the respective activities allocated to each Guideline Creation Team To improve quality assurance and workflow transparency, a mutual peer review system was established, and discussions within each team were open to the public Public comments were collected once after the initial formulation of a clinical question (CQ) and twice during the review of the final draft Recommendations were determined to have been adopted after obtaining support from a two-thirds (> 666%) majority vote of each of the 19 committee members A total of 87 CQs were selected among 19 clinical areas, including pediatric topics and several other important areas not covered in the first edition of the Japanese guidelines (J-SSCG 2012) The approval rate obtained through committee voting, in addition to ratings of the strengths of the recommendation, and its supporting evidence were also added to each recommendation statement We conducted meta-analyses for 29 CQs Thirty-seven CQs contained recommendations in the form of an expert consensus due to insufficient evidence No recommendations were provided for five CQs Based on the evidence gathered, we were able to formulate Japanese-specific clinical practice guidelines that are tailored to the Japanese context in a highly transparent manner These guidelines can easily be used not only by specialists, but also by non-specialists, general clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, clinical engineers, and other healthcare professionals