The evolving concept of liver cancer stem cells

Liver cancer is an often fatal malignant tumor with a high recurrence rate and chemoresistance. The major malignant phenotypes of cancer, including recurrence, metastasis, and chemoresistance, are related to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). In the past few decades, CSCs have been identified and characterized in many tumors including liver cancer. Accumulated evidence has revealed many aspects of the biological behavior of liver CSCs and the mechanism of their regulation. Based on these findings, a number of studies have investigated eradication of liver CSCs. This review focuses on the recent advances in our understanding of the biology of liver CSCs and the development of strategies for their treatment

Advantage of Recording Single-Unit Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Heart Failure

Elevated sympathetic activation is a characteristic feature of heart failure (HF). Excessive sympathetic activation under resting conditions has been shown to increase from the early stages of the disease, and is related to prognosis. Direct recording of multiunit efferent muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography is the best method for quantifying sympathetic nerve activity in humans. To date, this technique has been used to evaluate the actual central sympathetic outflow to the periphery in HF patients at rest and during exercise; however, because the firing occurrence of sympathetic activation is mainly synchronized by pulse pressure, multiunit MSNA, expressed as burst frequency (bursts/min) and burst incidence (bursts/100 heartbeats), may have limitations for the quantification of sympathetic nerve activity. In HF, multiunit MSNA is near the maximum level, and cannot increase further than the heartbeat. Single-unit MSNA analysis in humans is technically demanding, but provides more detailed information regarding central sympathetic firing. Although a great deal is known about the response of multiunit MSNA to stress, little information is available regarding the responses of single-unit MSNA to physiological stress and disease. The purposes of this review are to describe the differences between multiunit and single-unit MSNA during stress and to discuss the advantages of single-unit MSNA recording in improving our understanding the pathology of increased sympathetic activity in HF

Superposition of Parallel and Perpendicular Flow Velocity Shears in Magnetized Hybrid-Ion Plasmas

49th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physic

The Role of Cytokine in the Lupus Nephritis

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a major clinical manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although numerous abnormalities of immune system have been proposed, cytokine overexpression plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of LN. In the initial phase of the disease, the immune deposits and/or autoantibodies induce cytokine production in renal resident cells, leading to further inflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression and leukocyte infiltration and activation. Then, infiltrate leukocytes, such as macrophages (Mφ) and dendritic cells (DCs), secrete a variety of cytokines and activate naïve T cells, leading the cytokine profile towards T helper (Th)1, Th2, and/or Th17. Recent studies revealed these inflammatory processes in experimental animal models as well as human LN. The cytokine targeted intervention may have the therapeutic potentials for LN. This paper focuses on the expression of cytokine and its functional role in the pathogenesis of LN

Development of immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common type of cancer globally. Although many different kinds of treatment are performed for HCC according to the practical guidelines, the prognosis of patients is not still satisfactory because the effects of treatments are limited for advanced tumors and the recurrence rate of HCC, even in early stages, is very high. Therefore, immunotherapy is highly anticipated as a new treatment method for HCC. For the development of a new HCC therapy, we attempted to establish immunotherapy using dendritic cells (DCs) and peptide vaccine. In several clinical trials that we performed, we confirmed that the immunotherapy was safe and well-tolerated by HCC patients. We observed that DC therapy prolonged the recurrence-free survival of patients compared with that of patients without DC infusion, as well as observing the radiological anti-tumor effect in HCC patients with peptide vaccine. In this chapter, we summarize the results of previous studies using DC and peptide vaccine, including our own data, and describe the prospects of immunotherapy for HCC. © 2015, Springer Japan. All rights reserved.[Book Chapter

肝細胞におけるFunctionalGenomics解析系の確立

金沢大学医学系研究科遺伝子技術の進歩によって、細胞あるいは臓器において発現している数万種におよぶ遺伝子を同時に包括的に解析する(Genomics)ことが可能となった。肝臓における遺伝子発現の変化は慢性肝炎や肝細胞がんだけでなく、代謝を中心とした肝臓機能の変化とも密接に関連している。本研究では各種の疾病における肝臓の構造および機能とGenomicsとの関連を明らかにするFunctional genomicsの研究開発を行った。正常肝、HBVおよびHCV感染慢性肝炎、肝硬変、肝細胞癌よりなる5種類のSAGEライブフリーを作製し、これらの発現遺伝子のデータベースを構築した。各種の病態における発現遺伝子プロファイルを明らかにし、ウイルス性の慢性肝炎では免疫関連およびストレス関連の遺伝子が亢進しているものの、肝臓機能を示す多くの遺伝子プロファイルは保たれていることを示した。また癌に至ると癌関連の遺伝子が変動するだけでなく、肝臓特有の遺伝子の多くの発現が低下してくることを明らかにした。それらの病態において発現している遺伝子の違いを示した。さらにGenBankに登録されていない多数の新規の遺伝子候補を得て、ヒトゲノム情報を用いた解析を開始した。また細胞回転、癌化、ストレスや免疫関連の遺伝子を選択したDNAチップを作製し、多数例の慢性肝炎および肝細胞癌における発現遺伝子プロファイルの解析を行った。HBVおよびHCVにおける慢性肝炎例のhierarchial clulstering解析では両者が大きく異なる発現遺伝子プロファイルを有していることを示した。また肝細胞癌の解析では、癌の分化度と一致する遺伝子群を明らかにした。これらの解析により、functional genomicsを用いて慢性肝炎および肝細胞癌の診断あるいは治療の選択に役立つ手法を確立できる可能性が示された。研究課題/領域番号:13470118, 研究期間(年度):2001 – 2003出典：「肝細胞におけるFunctionalGenomics解析系の確立」研究成果報告書　課題番号13470118（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所））（https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-13470118/)を加工して作

Molecular mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic hepatitis C virus infection

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and chronic liver disease worldwide. Recent developments and advances in HCV replication systems in vitro and in vivo, transgenic animal models, and gene expression profiling approaches have provided novel insights into the mechanisms of HCV replication. They have also helped elucidate host cellular responses, including activated/inactivated signaling pathways, and the relationship between innate immune responses by HCV infection and host genetic traits. However, the mechanisms of hepatocyte malignant transformation induced by HCV infection are still largely unclear, most likely due to the heterogeneity of molecular paths leading to HCC development in each individual. In this review, we summarize recent advances in knowledge about the mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis induced by HCV infection. © 2011 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd

Ectopic fat accumulation in the liver and glucose homeostasis

Liver fat is associated not only with enhanced hepatic glucose production but also with skeletal muscle insulin resistance, supporting a central role of fatty liver in systemic insulin resistance and existence of a network between the liver and skeletal muscle. Palmitate and cholesterol act as toxic lipids to cause hepatic insulin resistance via mitochondria-derived oxidative stress. Obesity-mediated disruption in crosstalk among protein-, glucose- and lipid-metabolism pathways results in hepatic insulin resistance, enhanced gluconeogenesis and liver steatosis by impairing proteasome function. The liver plays as an endocrine organ to produce functional hepatokines and thereby mediates fatty liver-associated skeletal muscle insulin resistance through unique mechanisms. Selenoprotein P is upregulated through FoxOs and hyperglycemia and causes resistance to insulin, angiogenesis and exercise through reductive stress. LECT2 is upregulated in satiety through AMPK inactivation and contributes to the development of muscle insulin resistance and obesity by activating JNK and by impairing myogenesis, respectively. Therefore, overnutrition evokes remodeling of nutrient homeostasis by toxic lipids and proteasome dysfunction in the liver. The remodeling also results in the overproduction of hepatokines that disrupt inter-organ network leading to pathology of diabetes. © Springer Japan 2016.Book Chapter / Embargo Period 12 month

血液浄化法によるC型肝炎ウイルス除去の試み

金沢大学医学部C型慢性肝炎の患者血清中に存在するC型肝炎ウイルス(HCV)は、血清中では抗体が結合して比重の重いHCV画分とfreeのウイルス粒子として存在する比重の軽い画分に分類できること、それらの存在様式とインターフェロンによる効果には関連があることを報告した。とりわけ抗体と結合して存在するウイルス画分が少ない症例が、抗ウイルス効果が高かった。このように血液中に存在するこのウイルス画分を除去することによって抗ウイルス効果が得られる可能性が得られ、今回の研究の有効性を示唆した結果であった。こうした血液中の研究についで、増殖の場である肝臓においてのHCVの存在様式を検討した。同一患者内の異なる3ヶ所を検討したところ、肝疾患が進行するに従い、HCVの変異も増加し、それが血中のみならず肝組織内でも生じていること、また進行した肝疾患ではHCVの増殖が限られた範囲(compartment)で限られておきるようになることを報告した。これによって進行した肝疾患例では、流血中のウイルスと異なる種類のウイルスが組織中に存在する可能性が示され、血液浄化療法を用いたウイルス除去を検討するうえで重要な知見が得られた。こうして存在する抗体と結合しているウイルス画分をのぞくことを目的としてカラムによる血液委浄化療法の可能性を検討した。バッチ法、ミニカラム法にて基礎検討を行った。除去に必要な吸着体量や流量が検討され、またHCVと結合している抗体の吸着率に優れた吸着体を得た。研究課題/領域番号:10877088, 研究期間(年度):1998 – 1999出典：研究課題「血液浄化法によるC型肝炎ウイルス除去の試み」課題番号10877088（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-10877088/）を加工して作