Kumamoto University

About: Kumamoto University is a education organization based out in Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 19602 authors who have published 35513 publications receiving 901260 citations. The organization is also known as: Kumamoto Daigaku.

Elevating Blood Pressure as a Strategy to Increase Tumor-targeted Delivery of Macromolecular Drug SMANCS: Cases of Advanced Solid Tumors

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the improved method of arterial infusion therapy of SMANCS (SX) with lipiodol under the angiotensin-induced hypertensive state for various difficult-to-treat solid tumors. Most patients were unresectable with no other therapeutic options, recurrence after resection, or patients do not respond to common treatments. The new method utilizes angiotensin II (AT) to induce hypertension (e.g. � 15‐30 mmHg above norm) for 15‐20 min. This method was successfully applied to metastatic liver cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, massive renal cell carcinoma, pancreatic and other abdominal solid cancers. This AT-induced hypertension resulted in remarkably enhanced tumor delivery accompanied by improved therapeutic response, and a shorter time to achieve 50% regression of tumor size with least toxicity. We demonstrated clinically herein improved therapy for various advanced solid tumors with SX by elevating the tumor blood flow selectively. This is the first clinical proof that modulations of vascular pathophysiology can uniquely accomplish enhanced tumor selective delivery of polymeric drugs and thus yielded better clinical outcome.

Advanced glycation end products-cytokine-nitric oxide sequence pathway in the development of diabetic nephropathy: aminoguanidine ameliorates the overexpression of tumour necrosis factor-α and inducible nitric oxide synthase in diabetic rat glomeruli

Abstract: Aims/hypothesis. Advanced glycation end products are believed to contribute to diabetic microvascular complications by inducing glomerular damage but their role has not been fully clarified. In this study, we explain their central role in the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase and production of nitric oxide (NO) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat glomeruli. Methods. Localization of carboxymethyllysine, which is one of the chemical components of advanced glycation end products, glomerular expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and urinary excretion and glomerular production of NO2 ‐ /NO3 ‐ were examined at 0, 26, 51, and 52 weeks after the induction of diabetes. Therapeutic effects of aminoguanidine were also examined. Results. Carboxymethyllysine was detected in the mesangial area in glomeruli and it progressively accumulated during 52 weeks of observation. Immunohistochemistry and hybridization studies in situ showed that the number of inducible nitric oxide synthasepositive cells was notably increased in diabetic rat glomeruli at 52 weeks. Further, this augmented expression paralleled intraglomerular expression of TNF-a and NO2 ‐ /NO3 ‐ in diabetic rat glomeruli. Treatment with aminoguanidine reduced the expression of TNF-a, inducible nitric oxide synthase and intraglomerular NO 2 ‐ /NO 3 ‐ production. It also ameliorated proteinuria in diabetic rats. Conclusion/interpretation. This study showed that carboxymethyllysine possibly enhances the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase by stimulating the expression of TNF-a in diabetic rat glomeruli. The carboxymethyllysine-cytokine-NO sequence pathway could be one of the major mechanisms in the development of diabetic nephropathy. [Diabetologia (1999) 42: 878‐886]

Recommended nomenclature for five mammalian carboxylesterase gene families: Human, mouse, and rat genes and proteins

Abstract: Mammalian carboxylesterase (CES or Ces) genes encode enzymes that participate in xenobiotic, drug, and lipid metabolism in the body and are members of at least five gene families. Tandem duplications have added more genes for some families, particularly for mouse and rat genomes, which has caused confusion in naming rodent Ces genes. This article describes a new nomenclature system for human, mouse, and rat carboxylesterase genes that identifies homolog gene families and allocates a unique name for each gene. The guidelines of human, mouse, and rat gene nomenclature committees were followed and “CES” (human) and “Ces” (mouse and rat) root symbols were used followed by the family number (e.g., human CES1). Where multiple genes were identified for a family or where a clash occurred with an existing gene name, a letter was added (e.g., human CES4A; mouse and rat Ces1a) that reflected gene relatedness among rodent species (e.g., mouse and rat Ces1a). Pseudogenes were named by adding “P” and a number to the human gene name (e.g., human CES1P1) or by using a new letter followed by ps for mouse and rat Ces pseudogenes (e.g., Ces2d-ps). Gene transcript isoforms were named by adding the GenBank accession ID to the gene symbol (e.g., human CES1_AB119995 or mouse Ces1e_BC019208). This nomenclature improves our understanding of human, mouse, and rat CES/Ces gene families and facilitates research into the structure, function, and evolution of these gene families. It also serves as a model for naming CES genes from other mammalian species.