About

Koji Lau-Ozawa is an archaeologist and anthropologist whose work and life are documented through a newsletter on Substack titled 'Koji Digs Archaeology.' The newsletter provides insights into his professional activities, research focus, and personal experiences related to archaeology and anthropology. The page indicates his engagement with these fields but does not provide detailed information about his specific research interests, background, or key contributions.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Endocrinology
• Chemistry
• Surgery

Selected publications

• Early coupled up-regulation of interleukin-12 receptor beta-1 in CD8+ central memory and effector T cells for better clinical outcomes in liver transplant recipients

  Clinical & Experimental Immunology · 2015-01-20 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Summary This study aimed to investigate the role of initial priming of interleukin (IL)-12 receptor beta-1 in CD8+central memory T cells (initial IL-12RTCM priming) and CCR7-negative subsets (CNS) in effector cell expansion and clinical outcome after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). One hundred and six patients who underwent LDLT were classified into the following three groups according to hierarchical clustering of CD8+CD45 isoforms before LDLT: I, naive-dominant; II, effector memory-dominant; and III, effector-dominant. The pre-existing CD8+effector cells (TE) and activated immune status increased progressively from group I to group II to group III. Groups I, II and III received tacrolimus (Tac)/glucocorticoid (GC) regimens. Eighteen group III recipients received Tac/mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and were defined as group IV. Initial IL-12RTCM priming was slightly, moderately and markedly decreased in droups I, II, and III, respectively. Initial priming of IL-12Rβ1 in CNS was decreased markedly in the three groups with marked decreases of TE, perforin and interferon (IFN)-γ; all parameters were restored by up-regulation of IL-12Rβ1+TCM through the self-renewal of TCM. The lag time required until coupled up-regulation of IL-12Rβ1 of TCM and CNS to above baseline was 12, 20 and 32 days in groups I, II and III, respectively. Inferior clinical outcomes were associated with increasing lag time. In contrast, the initial priming of IL-12Rβ1 in TCM and CNS remained above baseline in group IV due to MMF-mediated increase of IL-12Rβ1. Early coupled up-regulation of TCM and CNS leads to efficient TE differentiation and optimal clinical outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Title Page / Contents / Acknowledgments / Foreword / Preface / Prologue

  2015-04-16

  paratext1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Title Page / Contents / Acknowledgments / Preface

  2015-04-16

  paratext1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Advantage of tacrolimus/mycophenolate mofetil regimen for cytotoxic T cell-mediated defence and its inhibition by additive steroid administration in high-risk liver transplant recipients

  Clinical & Experimental Immunology · 2015-11-11 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Our previous work revealed that the recipients with the highest pre-existing numbers of CD8(+) effector T cells (TE ) [hyperparathyroidism (HPT)E recipients] occupied approximately 30% of adult transplant recipients performed in our hospital. HPTE recipients demonstrated very poor clinical outcome compared with the remaining 70% of recipients with the lowest pre-existing TE (LPTE recipient). This study aimed to clarify the best combined immunosuppressive regimen related to function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) for HPTE recipients. Eighty-one HPTE recipients were classified into three types, according to the immunosuppressive regimens: type 1, tacrolimus (Tac)/glucocorticoid (GC); type 2, Tac/mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)/GC; and type 3, Tac/MMF. Frequencies of severe infection, rejection and hospital death were the highest in types 1 and 2, whereas the lowest occurred in type 3. The survival rate in type 3 was the highest (100%) during follow-up until post-operative day 2000. Regarding the immunological mechanism, in type 1 TE perforin and interferon (IFN)-γ were generated through the self-renewal of CD8(+) central memory T cells (TCM ), but decreased in the early post-transplant period due to marked down-regulation of interleukin (IL)-12 receptor beta-1 of TCM. In type 2, the self-renewal TCM did not develop, and the effector function could not be increased. In type 3, in contrast, the effectors and cytotoxicity were correlated inversely with IL-12Rβ1(+) TCM levels, and increased at the highest level around the pre-transplant levels of IL-12Rβ1(+) TCM . However, the immunological advantage of Tac/MMF therapy was inhibited strongly by additive steroid administration.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Search for the advancement of the International Journal of Clinical Oncology (IJCO)

  International Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2014-12-02

  editorialOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Contents

  Translational research · 2010-07-12

  paratextOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Coupled regulation of interleukin-12 receptor beta-1 of CD8+ central memory and CCR7-negative memory T cells in an early alloimmunity in liver transplant recipients

  Clinical & Experimental Immunology · 2010-03-16 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  This study investigated how CD8(+) T cell subsets respond to allo- and infectious immunity after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Early alloimmunity: 56 recipients were classified into three types according to the post-transplant course; type I demonstrated uneventful post-transplant course, type II developed severe sepsis leading to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome or retransplantation and type III with acute rejection. In 23 type I recipients, the interleukin (IL)-12 receptor beta-1 (R beta 1)(+) cells of central memory T cells (Il-12R beta 1(+) T(CM)) were increased above the pretransplant level. In 16 type II recipients, IL-12R beta 1(+) T(CM) was decreased markedly below the pretransplant level on postoperative day (POD) 5. In 17 type III recipients, IL-12R beta 1(+) T(CM) was decreased for a more prolonged period until POD 10. Along with down-regulation of IL-12R beta 1(+) T(CM), the IL-12R beta 1(+) cells of CCR7-negative subsets (CNS) as well as perforin, interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha decreased gradually, resulting in the down-regulation of effectors and cytotoxicity. The down-regulation of IL-12R beta 1(+) T(CM) was suggested to be due to the recruitment of alloantigen-primed T cells into the graft, and then their entry into the secondary lymphoid organ, resulting in graft destruction. Infectious immunity: immunocompetent memory T cells with the capacity to enhance effectors and cytotoxicity were generated in response to post-transplant infection along with both up-regulation of the IL-12R beta 1(+) T(CM) and an increase in the CNS showing the highest level of IL-12R beta 1(+) cells. In conclusion, this work demonstrated that the IL-12R beta 1(+) cells of T(CM) and CNS are regulated in a tightly coupled manner and that expression levels of IL-12R beta 1(+) T(CM) play a crucial role in controlling allo- and infectious immunity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Initial burst of viremia related to CD8 effector memory T cells after living donor liver transplantation in hepatitis C virus-infected recipients

  Translational research · 2010-06-23 · 4 citations

  articleCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Acknowledgement to the Reviewers

  Digestive Surgery · 2008-11-05

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Influence of Hemodilution on Hepatic Energy Metabolism in Rat

  European Surgical Research · 2008-04-22 · 12 citations

  articleSenior author

  The effects and safety limits of acute hemodilution on hepatic energy status were investigated in relation to arterial blood ketone body ratio and hepatic energy charge in a hemodilution rat model. As long as the hematocrit value was maintained above 20%, ketone body ratio and energy charge level at 6 h after hemodilution remained at the same levels as those of the sham-diluted groups. However, when hematocrit value was less than 15%, the ketone body ratio markedly decreased from the control value of 0.686 +/- 0.044 to 0.278 +/- 0.048 (p less than 0.001), and energy charge decreased from the control value of 0.856 +/- 0.012 to 0.0806 +/- 0.011 (p less than 0.01). From these results, it was suggested that hemodilution exerts no influence on the energy status of the liver as long as hematocrit is maintained above 20%.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Yoshio Yamaoka

  Oita University

  137 shared

• Yasuyuki Shimahara

  National Institute of Technology, Nara College

  74 shared

• Kōichi Tanaka

  Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital

  57 shared

• Takayoshi Tobe

  Tohoku University

  54 shared

• Abraham Shaked

  University of Pennsylvania

  50 shared

• M. Sandler

  University of London

  49 shared

• Model Murray

  University of California, Los Angeles

  49 shared

• Barry R. Cofer

  Children's Hospital of San Antonio

  49 shared