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Institution

Kumamoto University

EducationKumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan
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.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of temperature and reaction time at the same pressure were combined into a single severity parameter that was used to monitor the decomposition of guaiacol to its derived compounds.
Abstract: Lignin, which is the second most abundant polymeric aromatic organic substance in wood biomass after cellulose, and contains many oxygen-based functional groups, has been proposed as an alternative source of chemical compounds. Guaiacol, a model compound for lignin, was reacted in supercritical water using a batch-type reactor at temperatures of 653–673 K and various pressures under an argon atmosphere. The effects of temperature and reaction time at the same pressure were combined into a single severity parameter that was used to monitor the decomposition of guaiacol to its derived compounds. The main products in aqueous solution were catechol, phenol, and o-cresol. The amounts present approached 40.73 wt %, 14.18 wt %, and 4.45 wt %, respectively. With an increase in the reaction time at the same conditions, the amount of guaiacol decreased and the quantity of derived compounds of guaiacol increased. Based on the experimental results, a reaction mechanism for the decomposition of guaiacol was proposed. The process investigated in this study may form the basis for an efficient method of wood biomass decomposition.

161 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Kyoko Takata1, S Horiuchi1, Norie Araki1, M Shiga1, M Saitoh1, Yoshimasa Morino1 
TL;DR: Endocytic uptake of AGE-proteins by macrophages appeared to be mediated by a scavenger receptor for aldehyde-modified proteins, providing evidence for the biological importance of the scavengers receptor in eliminating senescent macromolecules from the circulation.

161 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The purified enzyme might be a novel hydrazine-oxidizing enzyme having a critical role in anaerobic ammonium oxidation and highly homologous to two hao genes found by sequencing the genome of “Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis”.
Abstract: A multiheme protein having hydrazine-oxidizing activity was purified from enriched culture from a reactor in which an anammox bacterium, strain KSU-1, was dominant. The enzyme has oxidizing activity toward hydrazine but not hydroxylamine and is a 130-kDa homodimer composed of a 62-kDa polypeptide containing eight hemes. It was therefore named hydrazine-oxidizing enzyme (HZO). With cytochrome c as an electron acceptor, the V(max) and K(m) for hydrazine are 6.2 +/- 0.3 micromol/min.mg and 5.5 +/- 0.6 microM, respectively. Hydrazine (25 microM) induced an increase in the proportion of reduced form in the spectrum, whereas hydroxylamine (500 microM) did not. Two genes coding for HZO, hzoA and hzoB, were identified within the metagenomic DNA from the culture. The genes encode the same amino acid sequence except for two residues. The sequences deduced from these genes showed low-level identities (<30%) to those of all of the hydroxylamine oxidoreductases reported but are highly homologous to two hao genes found by sequencing the genome of "Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis" (88% and 89% identities). The purified enzyme might therefore be a novel hydrazine-oxidizing enzyme having a critical role in anaerobic ammonium oxidation.

160 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: SIRS is a useful criterion for the recognition of postoperative complications and end-organ dysfunctions and early recovery from SIRS may arrest the progression of organ dysfunction.
Abstract: Objectives Progression from systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock has been demonstrated in a variety of patients. However, the presence of SIRS alone was not helpful in predicting the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) since SIRS includes many nonprogressive conditions. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical significance of SIRS in postoperative patients. Design Retrospective study. Setting The surgical department of a university hospital. Patients Two hundred ninety-two consecutive patients who received elective common gastrointestinal surgery (esophagectomy, pancreatoduodenectomy, hepatectomy, gastrectomy, colorectal resection, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy) between 1992 and 1995. Interventions Patients were analyzed for preoperative physiologic status, surgical stress parameters, and postoperative status of SIRS, complications, and end-organ dysfunction. Measurements and main results Duration of SIRS or positive criteria's number of SIRS after surgery significantly correlated with surgical stress parameters (blood loss/body weight and operation time) and peak serum C-reactive protein concentrations. SIRS that continued or reappeared after postoperative day 3 was an early sign of postoperative complications. SIRS continuing consecutively for 2 days after postoperative day 3 had a 70.6% positive predictive value and a 92.5% negative predictive value for postoperative complications. Septic complications and prolongation of SIRS were associated with MODS. Five of six patients who met the SIRS criteria for >30 days developed severe MODS, and three of them died. Conclusions SIRS is a useful criterion for the recognition of postoperative complications and end-organ dysfunctions. Early recovery from SIRS may arrest the progression of organ dysfunction.

160 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is strongly suggested that HT induces masculinization of XX medaka by elevation of cortisol level, which, in turn, causes suppression of germ cell proliferation and of fshr mRNA expression.
Abstract: In poikilothermic vertebrates, sex determination is sometimes influenced by environmental factors such as temperature. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying environmental sex determination. The medaka (Oryzias latipes) is a teleost fish with an XX/XY sex determination system. Recently, it was reported that XX medaka can be sex-reversed into phenotypic males by high water temperature (HT; 32-34 degrees C) treatment during the sex differentiation period. Here we report that cortisol caused female-to-male sex reversal and that metyrapone (an inhibitor of cortisol synthesis) inhibited HT-induced masculinization of XX medaka. HT treatment caused elevation of whole-body levels of cortisol, while metyrapone suppressed the elevation by HT treatment during sexual differentiation. Moreover, cortisol and 33 degrees C treatments inhibited female-type proliferation of germ cells as well as expression of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (fshr) mRNA in XX medaka during sexual differentiation. These results strongly suggest that HT induces masculinization of XX medaka by elevation of cortisol level, which, in turn, causes suppression of germ cell proliferation and of fshr mRNA expression.

160 citations


Authors

Showing all 19645 results

NameH-indexPapersCitations
Fred H. Gage216967185732
George D. Yancopoulos15849693955
Kenji Kangawa1531117110059
Tasuku Honjo14171288428
Hideo Yagita13794670623
Masashi Yanagisawa13052483631
Kazuwa Nakao128104170812
Kouji Matsushima12459056995
Thomas E. Mallouk12254952593
Toshio Hirano12040155721
Eisuke Nishida11234945918
Hiroaki Shimokawa11194948822
Bernd Bukau11127138446
Kazuo Tsubota105137948991
Toshio Suda10458041069
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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Institution in previous years
YearPapers
202315
202297
20211,701
20201,654
20191,511
20181,330