Departments

Institute of Medical Life Science

Clinical Medical Sciences

Department	Cardiology and Nephrology
Staff	Masaaki ITO, MD, PhD, Professor Norikazu YAMADA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Eitaro FUJII, MD, PhD, Lecturer Kaoru DOHI, MD, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	Both clinical and basic researches in the cardiovascular and renal fields are now currently carried. The projects in the Department of Cardiology and Nephrology are as follow: (1) Clinical research in hemodynamics and neurohormonal regulation in patients with heart failure and/or cardiomyopathy. (2) A thorough assessment of myocardial structure, function and perfusion by cardiac echo, CT and magnetic resonance imaging. (3) Clinical research for risk assessment including hypertension, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea, diabetes and anemia for the prevention of atherosclerotic diseases and heart failure. (4) Clinical research about outcome after revascularization against coronary and peripheral arterial diseases, and development of new cardiac catheterization therapies. (5) Clinical research evaluating the effects of exercise training and DPP-4 inhibitors on exercise capacity and cardiovascular function in diabetic patients with myocardial infraction. (6) The cohort study about the onset and management of myocardial infarction in Mie prefecture (MIE-ACS study). (7) Molecular biology and pharmacology-based research in cardiovascular system and diseases, especially the researches for the regulation of vascular tone including systemic and pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure. (8) Molecular research in cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyopathy using genetically engineered mouse models and human iPS cells. (9) Clinical research in electrophysiology including investigation of mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias and developing new treatment approaches to tachyarrhythmias with drugs, electrical devices, catheter ablation. (10) Clinical research in mechanism, diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thromboembolism and deep vein thrombosis, and prevention of venous thromboembolism. (11) Study of pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of progressive renal disease, such as immunoglobulin A nephropathy, diabetic nephropathy and nephrosclerosis. (12) Study of genetic predisposing factors in chronic progressive renal disease. (13) Clarification of the mechanism that accelerates aging in patients with chronic renal failure. (14) Study of the osteoimmunology in hyperparathyroidism. (15) Development of a new blood purification column. (16) Development of new treatment for glomerulopathy by blood purification therapy.

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Department	Hematology and Oncology
Staff	Naoyuki Katayama , MD, PhD, Professor Masahiro Masuya, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Motoko Yamaguchi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor Toshirou Mizuno, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Research Interests	The following investigations about hematological disorders and solid tumors are currently carried out to clarify their pathogenesis and develop new treatments. (1) Investigation of the mechanism of human hematolymphopoiesis for cell therapy and regenerative medicine and for understanding of hematopoietic disorders, using newly-established coculture system. (2) Elucidation of pathogenic mechanism in the development of inflammation, including graft versus host disease and organ fibrosis, and cancer through the analysis of the association of hematopoietic cells and factors in the microenvironment, such as chemokine and extracellular matrix. (3) Analysis of clinicopathological features, immunophenotype, and gene expression profile of lymphomas (4) Analysis of valuable predictive factors of response to drug therapy and those for prognosis in patients with solid tumors (5) Clinical trials for hematopoietic disorders and solid tumors (6) Clinical research about assessment and countermeasure to the adverse events associated with chemotherapy such as febrile neutropenia

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Department	Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Staff	Yoshiyuki TAKEI, MD, PhD, Professor Motoh IWASA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Noriyuki HORIKI, PhD, Associate Professor Hiroshi HASEGAWA, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor Norihiko YAMAMOTO, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Research Interests	We focus on the translational research (clinic to bench or bench to clinic) including liver, gut, gall bladder, pancreas, and organ-organ communication.

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Department	Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
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Department	Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology
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Department	Neurology
Staff	Hidekazu TOMIMOTO, MD, PhD, Professor Akira TANIGUCHI, MD, Lecturer Keita MATSUURA, MD, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	We are studying stroke and dementia, especially of vascular type, focusing on (1)Treatment and prevention of stroke (2)Pathogenesis of vascular dementia and cerebral small vessel disease In clinical setting, we are studying diagnosis and treatment of all type of ischemic stroke with the use of neuroradiological, physiological and immunochemical methodologies. Regarding on dementia, we have established animal model of vascular dementia, ie. a mouse model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, and are searching for the pathogenesis of vascular dementia. Indeed, we have succeeded to detect cortical microinfarcts on ultrahigh-field MRI, which should be a powerful tool for diagnosing cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Our research goal is early detection and prevention of stroke and dementia.

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Department	Family Medicine and Community Medicine
Staff	Yousuke TAKEMURA, MD, PhD, Professor Hideki WAKABAYASHI, MD, PhD, MA, Lecturer Tomohiro TAGUCHI, MD, Assistant Professor Masaru KITAMURA, MD, Assistant Professor Yohei Mori, MD, Assistant Professor Shuhei ICHIKAWA, MInf, Assistant Professor Satoshi Kondo, MD, Assistant Professor Michiko Goto, PhD, Assistant Professor
Research Interests	Our department is investigating several themes in family medicine, general practice, community medicine, and medical education. We especially focus on the behavioral aspects of patients and medical professionals. We use both quantitative and qualitative methods. (1) Relationship between the basis of the family medicine and health outcome. (2) To establish the method to build better team in medical setting (3) Collaboration between primary care physician and occupational physician (4) Cost-effectiveness of the home care (5) Professionalism in physicians (6) Science communication in medical setting (7) Efficacy of the longitudinal clinical clerkship in local community (8) Interprofessional education for students in medical school

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Department	Neuropsychiatry
Staff	Motohiro OKADA, MD, PhD, Professor Hisashi TANII, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Takashi SHIROYAMA, MD, PhD, Lecturer Eishi MOTOMURA, MD, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	To develop novel medications against psychiatric disorders and neurological disease, i.e. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, autoimmune psychotic disease, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, we clarify the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric dysfunctions using neuro-psychological neuro-psycho-physiological, molecular biological clinical studies with neuro-psycho-pharmacological basic studies.

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Department	Pediatrics
Staff	Masahiro Hirayama M.D., Ph.D. Yoshihide Mitani M.D., Ph.D. Shotaro Iwamoto M.D., Ph.D. Hidemi Toyoda M.D., Ph.D. Hirofumi Sawada M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests	We are studying physiological and molecular mechanisms on 1) Pediatric malignant diseases 2) Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation 3) Pediatric congenital heart diseases, pulmonary hypertension, and Kawasaki disease 4) Pediatric neuromuscular diseases Moreover, our lab is the central laboratory of Japan Children's Cancer Group （JCCG） for minimal residual disease. Our research goals are to investigate the mechanism of childhood cancers, heart diseases, and neuromuscular diseases and to cure the sick children.

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Department	Dermatology
Staff	Keiichi YAMANAKA, MD, PhD, Professor Koji HABE, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Hiroshi KITAGAWA, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor Makoto KONDO, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Research Interests	We are focusing on molecular and histopathological analysis, molecular diagnosis and development of new therapies for resistant skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, cancer, and infectious diseases. We are currently performing several experiments as a group consisting with two instructors and four graduate students. Following issues are currently investigated; 1) Molecular analysis for skin diseases. Skin disorders affect to systemic inflammation including abdominal aortic remodeling and systemic amyloidosis. We are trying to find the new evidence and therapies for these complications. Main focus: atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and skin cancer. 2) The development of new drugs for skin neoplastic diseases. New therapies will be required to overcome resistant cancer. 3) Mouse skin disease models by gene manipulation. Main focus: atopic dermatitis mouse models

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Department	Radiology
Staff	Hajime Sakuma, MD, PhD, Professor Yasutaka Ichikawa, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Masaki Ishida, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Motonori Nagata, MD, PhD, Lecturer Akinori Takada, MD, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	Our research areas include advanced diagnostic imaging using 3T MRI and dual-source CT, nuclear medicine employing advanced PET-CT with cyclotron, vascular and nonvascular interventional radiology (IVR), and radiation oncology. We are holding the leading positions in international societies as well as in Japan in the following research fields of Radiology. (1) Cardiac MRI and CT, Coronary MR angiography and myocardial perfusion imaging (2) Vascular IVR, Aortic stent grafting (3) Non-Vascular IVR, Radiofrequency ablation and cryotherapy (4) Radiation oncology

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Department	Molecular and Laboratory Medicine
Staff	Hideo WADA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Naoki FUJIMOTO, MD, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	We are studying and developing laboratory techniques to analyze the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of various diseases and to diagnose, monitor and predict these diseases. 1) Diagnosis, monitoring and treating disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) 2) Diagnosis of thrombophilia and hemophilia by molecular biology 3) Monitoring antithrombotic therapy 4) Developing biomarkers for the evaluation of a hypercoagulable state 5) Prophylaxis for thrombosis and bleeding 6) Developing heart function tests and evaluating the results 7) Monitoring heart failure patients 8) Evaluating the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases 9) Diagnosing thrombosis based on imaging findings 10) Evaluating cardiac arrhythmia

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Department	Clinical Pharmaceutics
Staff	Takuya IWAMOTO, PhD, Professor Hideo KATO, PhD, Associate Professor Toshinori HIRAI, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	For proper use of drugs and assurance of their efficacy and safety, we are studying basic and clinical research based on pharmacokinetics, cellular biology and epidemiology listed as follows. 1) Monitoring of drug blood concentration and accomplishment of optimal dosage regimen 2) Molecular mechanisms and clinical application of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters 3) Exploration of factors and biomarkers associated with efficacy and side effects of drugs 4) Optimal dosage adjustment based on pharmacokinetics / pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) theory 5) Role and activity of clinical pharmacists in multidisciplinary team care

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Department	Hepatobiliary Pancreatic and Transplant Surgery
Staff	Shuji Isaji, MD, PhD：Professor and Chairman Hiroyuki Sakurai, MD, PhD：Associate Professor Masanobu Usui, MD, PhD：Associate Professor Shugo Mizuno, MD, PhD：Assistant Professor Masashi Kisiwada, MD, PhD: Assistant Professor Yoshinori Azumi, MD, PhD: Assistant Professor Naohisa Kuriyama, MD, PhD: Assistant Professor
Research Interests	We are studying basic and clinical research related with hepatobiliary pancreatic and transplant surgery (1) Liver transplant surgery: ischemic re-perfusion injury in rat model, influence of genotype on the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in LT patients (2) Biliary surgery: effectiveness of preoperative chemotherapy for perihilar carcinoma, prognostic factors of biliary cancers (tumor budding, epithelial mesenchymal transition: EMT) (3) Pancreatic surgery: effectiveness of preoperative chemoradiotherapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, relationship between remnant pancreatic volume and its functions after pancreatectomy, Exploration of the effect of chemoradiotherapy on the expression of cancer associated extracellular matrix in locally advanced pancreatic cancer

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Department	Gastrointestinal and Pediatric Surgery
Staff	Masato KUSUNOKI, MD, PhD, Professor Yasuhiko MOHRI, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Yasuhiro INOUE, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Toshimitsu ARAKI, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Yuji TOIYAMA ,MD, PhD, Associate Professor
Research Interests	Our department (gastrointestinal surgery) in Mie university has a broad research focus on understanding the molecular pathogenesis of human gastrointestinal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. More specifically, the major objective of our research involves deciphering the interplay between genetic and epigenetic alterations in sporadic and familial forms colorectal cancer, colitis associated cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers (gastric and esophageal). The broad mission of the research program is to: Conduct high quality research into the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal cancers, inflammatory bowel disease and pediatric disease including malignancies. Develop clinically useful biomarkers for the early detection of gastrointestinal cancers. Develop clinically useful biomarkers that can help direct therapeutic treatments for patients with gastrointestinal cancers.

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Department	Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Staff	Motoshi TAKAO, MD, PhD, Professor Yu SHOMURA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Akira SHIMAMOTO, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Koji KAWAGUCHI, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Hisato ITO, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor Kentaro UMEZU, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Research Interests	Cardiopulmonary transplantation, elucidation of the mechanism of organ damage and development of therapeutic methods Exploratory study on the role of tumor immunity mediated by innate lymphocytes in interstitial pneumonia and lung cancer Cardiopulmonary assisted circulation Study on left ventricular afterload impedance and improvement of left ventricular remodeling after aortic valve stenosis surgery Development of surgical prosthetic materials using autologous tissue Evaluation of chronic effects of hemodynamic changes caused by Fontan surgery using liver hardness as an index Clinical application of machine learning (artificial intelligence: AI) Clinical application of 3D printing and 3DCG Development of clinical devices for navigation surgery Minimally invasive surgery /Robotic surgery ：Education, training & clinical researchi

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Department	Breast Surgery
Staff	Tomoko OGAWA, MD, PhD, Professor Makoto ISHITOBI, MD, PhD, Associate Professor
Research Interests	Current Research (1) Development of diagnostic imaging system for early stage breast cancer detect (2) Development of a new method of image-guided biopsy for the diagnosis of minimal breast cancer (3) Development and fundamental study of a new procedure of sentinel lymph node biopsy (4) Development of a new procedure of oncoplastic surgery (5) Fundamental study on tailor-made treatment for breast cancer: Relationship between gene-expression pattern and treatment outcome, and investigation of a new biomarker (6) Fundamental study on carcinogenesis and metastasis of breast cancer

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Department	Obstetrics and Gynecology
Staff	Tomoaki Ikeda, MD, PhD, Professor and Chairman Tsutomu Tabata, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Toshiharu Okugawa, MD, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	Research Content: Research content covers clinical and basic research which has been carried out in reproductive medicine, prenatal medicine and female genital malignancy. (1)Elucidation of the cervical cancer carcinogenesis mechanism with research focused on inflammatory carcinogenesis by HPV. (2)Clinical and basic research on the immunotherapy of ovarian cancer. (3)Clinical research on ovarian cancer chemotherapy. (4)A basic study on fertilization and implantation mechanisms. (5)Study of lifestyle-related diseases pathogenesis after growth in intrauterine growth retardation children. (6)Basic and clinical study of perinatal brain damage. (7)Basic and clinical research on prevention and cause of death investigation of maternal mortality. (8)Basic and clinical studies on diabetes mellitus pregnancy. (9)Cardiotocography, basic and clinical research. Guidance Content: Training and guidance covers the research described above as well as biochemical, immunohistochemical analysis, gene analysis method, and pathological diagnosis. Clinical research covers analysis methods and implementation of clinical trials.

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Department	Neurosurgery
Staff	Hidenori SUZUKI, MD, PhD, Professor and Chairman Toshio MATSUBARA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Masaki MIZUNO, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Naoki TOMA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor
Research Interests	Our program includes the clinical and basic science research for developing new techniques for diagnosis and treatment of neurosurgical diseases, such as vascular lesions, malignant and benign tumors, traumas, infections, malformations and functional diseases of the central nervous system. Main Projects: 1) Molecular mechanisms of early brain injury and cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage. 2) Development of devices for neuro-endovascular therapy. 3) Neuro-endovascular therapy for stroke and related diseases. 4) Computational flow dynamics (CFD) analysis of cerebral aneurysms concerning the growing and rupture risks. 5) Molecular mechanisms of epileptogenesis. 6) Development of new devices and techniques for spinal and peripheral nerve surgery. 7) Diagnostic imaging and multimodality therapy for malignant brain tumors. 8) Neuroendoscopic treatment of pituitary tumors and hydrocephalus.

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Department	Orthopaedic Surgery
Staff	Akihiro Sudo, MD, PhD, Professor Masahiro Hasegawa, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Hiroki Wakabayashi, MD, PhD Koji Akeda, MD, PhD
Research Interests	The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University was established in 1951. We have mainly 6 divisions, and current clinical activities are focused on hip and knee joint surgeries, musculoskeletal tumor surgeries, spine surgeries, hand surgeries, rheumatoid arthritis, sport medicine, and bone metabolism. Our department is also studying basic and clinical orthopaedic research focused on; (1) Total hip and knee arthroplasties (2) Musculoskeletal sarcomas and bone metastasis (3) Microsurgery (4) Osteoporosis (5) Spinal Instrumentation During these research fields, biomolecular and biomechanical engineering, 3D computer modeling, molecular imaging, in vivo and in vitro studies have been researched, and then these studies and surgical expertise coalesce to foster improved patient outcomes. Our Orthopaedic Department upholds tradition by seeking answers and resolutions that will impact the diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for orthopaedic and cancer patients.

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Department	Nephro-Urologic Surgery and Andrology
Staff	Takahiro Inoue, MD, PhD, Professor Hideki Kanda, MD, PhD, Associate Professor (Lecturer)
Research Interests	We are now engaging the following projects: (1) Tissue remodeling in pathological conditions including benign hypertrophy (BPH) and cancer of prostate gland (2) Stromal-epithelial interaction in normal and abnormal disease (cancer) of urogenital organ (prostate, bladder, kidney) (3) Patient-derived xenograft models as a research in urological malignancies (4) Evaluation of urinary phospholipids for biomarker of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatments

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Department	Ophthalmology
Staff	Mineo KONDO, MD, PhD, Professor Kengo IKESUGI, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Masahiko SUGIMOTO, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Hisashi MATSUBARA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor
Research Interests	Using electroretinogram (ERG) for the diagnosis of various retinal diseases – Prof. Kondo Animal models of human retinal and optic nerve diseases analysed using ERG – Prof. Kondo Glaucoma research(epidemiology, new class of drugs, surgery) – Dr. Ikesugi Diabetic retinopathy research – Dr. Sugimoto Ocular neovascularization regulated by extracellular matrix – Dr. Sugimoto Treatments for age-related macular degeneration – Dr. Matsubara In addition, almost all fields of clinical ophthalmology (e.g. corneal transplant, lacrimal passage, tear dynamics, pediatric ophthalmology, neuro-ophthalmology and low vision) will be considered as the subject of research, playing a role of the only university hospital in Mie Prefecture.

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Department	Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Staff	Kazuhiko TAKEUCHI, MD, PhD, Professor and Chairman Masayoshi KOBAYASHI, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Hajime ISHINAGA, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Research Interests	The main interests of our department are defense mechanism of upper and lower airways in the normal and diseased states. The following subjects have been extensively studied. 1) Molecular mechanisms of airway mucus hypersecretion Mucin gene expression and the effect of various drugs on the expression is examined using reporter gene assays. 2) Pathophysiology and treatment of allergic rhinitis 3) Primary ciliary dyskinesia Electronmicroscopic studies of motile cilia and mutation analysis in the genes associated with ciliary movement are carried out in collaboration with affiliated facilities. 4) Pathophysiology and treatment of smell and taste disorders 5) Role of microRNAs in the development of head and neck carcinoma 6) Improvement of neural regeneration after olfactory system injury

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Department	Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Staff	Mitsunaga Narushima
Research Interests	Our clinical research focuses on developing new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for the management of lymphedema and other vascular malformations while our basic science research is focused on neurovascular repair and regeneration using squid, newt and mouse models. Newts have the extraordinary ability to regenerate multiple body parts and organs without any scarring following injury through nerve dependent epimorphic regeneration. This makes them valuable models in plastic surgery research for understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms of regeneration. We are currently studying neurovascular repair by supermicrosurgical anastomosis and optimized axonal fusion techniques for immediate restoration of nerve function and prevention of Wallerian degeneration.

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Department	Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Staff	Naoya ARAI, DDS, PhD, Professor Kazuto KUROHARA, DDS, PhD, Associate Professor Taku MURATA, DDS, PhD, Lecturer Kasumi SHIMIZU, DDS, PhD, Lecturer
Research Interests	Our goal is to take innovation from diagnosis to therapy of oral maxillofacial diseases. We have research projects blow: # Mechanism of medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) # Regeneration and cure of alveolar and jaw bone # Biocompatibility of titanium materials for alveolar and jaw # Pilot study for molecular target drug of phosphodiesterase inhibitor for oral malignant tumor # Signal transduction in oral cancer cells # Clinical and statistical study of oral maxillofacial trauma # Clinical and statistical study of maxillary impacted supernumerary teeth # Oral cooling method for prevention of oral mucositis during chemotherapy

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Department	Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
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Department	Clinical Anesthesiology
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Department	Emergency and Critical Care Medicine
Staff	Hiroshi IMAI, MD, PhD, Professor Taichi TAKEDA, MD, PhD, Associate professor Masaki FUJIOKA, MD, PhD, Instructor Tsuyoshi HATADA, MD, PhD, Instructor
Research Interests	Introduction The Emergency and Critical Care Center at our facility supports emergency medicine in Mie Prefecture by providing intensive care at stages from pre-hospital care to tertiary emergency care. Our mission is to educate and train substantial numbers of emergency and intensive care physicians in Mie Prefecture. Research areas We plan and implement research in areas including: 1) Basic research and clinical application concerning blood coagulation and cellular adhesion in sepsis. 2) Research into ARDS-related respiratory therapies using mechanical ventilation, PCPS/ECMO, EIT (electrical impedance tomography), and other modalities. 3) Research into treatment for acute-phase DIC accompanying trauma or sepsis. 4) Research into therapeutic hypothermia for cerebrovascular damage after CPA and traumatic brain injury. 5) Research into prognostic factors in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We also participate actively in a variety of multicenter collaborative research projects, assisting efforts to improve the quality of emergency and intensive care in Japan and produce world-class data originating in Japan.

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Department	Pathology and Clinical Research in Internal Medicine
Staff	Kojiro TAKASE, MD, Professor
Research Interests	Overweight and life-style disease are closely related with eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H.P), which influences gastrointestinal hormone and gut flora. We are researching the following for these morbidity analyses. (1) Changes in plasma ghrelin and leptin levels before and after eradiation of H.P . The purpose of this research is to predict the onset of life-style disease induced by the weight increase following to H.P eradication, and eventually to prevent the onset of such disease by effectively controlling body weight. (2) Gut flora in healthy person and patient with colon disease (colon cancer or colon adenoma). If the occurrence of present/future colon disease can be predicted by investigating gut flora, and if the prognosis can be changed by the condition of the gut flora, control of the gut flora can be target of the prevention of colon diseases and the method of medical treatment.

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Department	Neonatology
Staff	Masaru IDO, MD, PhD, Professor Hastumi YAMAMOTO, MD, PhD, Professor Shigeki TANAKA, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Motoki BONNO, MD, PhD, Associate Professor
Research Interests	The Department of Neonatology focuses on the developmental immunology, genetic disorders and cognitive and behavior developmental science in the field of neonatology. In our research on psychological development, we take two factors into consideration to study children’s healthy development; one is immaturity in neonatal period that has influences on the psychomotor development of the babies, and the other is their social and economical environment that affects children’s development and the onset of their disease. Major research projects in our laboratory are as follows. 1.Elucidation of immunological feature in premature and mature neonate. 2.Elucidation of the immunological regulation in fertilization. 3.Elucidation of the molecular mechanism of congenital anomalies. 4.Analysis of the mechanism of signal transduction. 5.Elucidation of the factors which have effects on cognitive and behavior development of children.

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Department	Child Medical Health and Development
Staff	Toshiaki Ihara, M.D., Ph.D. , Professor Takao Fujisawa, M.D., Ph.D., Professor Shigeru Suga, M.D., Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Research Interests	This division covers comprehensive and interdisciplinary medicine for children in the life cycle. Since many diseases are not restricted to certain age ranges and recent evidence shows that even senile diseases such as chronic obstructive lung disease or some kind of cancer start during childhood, the research in this division is oriented towards understanding of the pathophysiology of the diseases of childhood and adulthood over the life cycle. We also focus on global health problem where interdisciplinary effort is essential. (Main research areas) 1) Infectious diseases: host defense mechanisms, development of vaccines, epidemiology of infectious diseases 2) Allergy and immunology: molecular mechanism of allergic diseases, clinical and translational studies for treatment of asthma and other allergic diseases 3) Metabolic diseases: clinical study on diabetes and obesity 4) Neurology: pathophysiology of intractable CNS diseases 5) Global Health: global epidemiology of infectious diseases, WHO projects for child health in developing countries

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Department	Stress Science
Staff	Teruhisa KOMORI, MD, PhD, Professor Kayoko URAKAWA, MD, PhD, Professor
Research Interests	We are studying mental stress and its reduction. In particular, we are focusing on (1) Examination of utility of various strategies including music and fragrance (2) Relapse prevention of psychiatric illness, sanitary education, regional support program and reinstatement support (3) Psychoneuroimmunological research. The stress is involved in various unhealthiness and illness of mind and body. The stress situation is examined from a psychoneuroimmunological viewpoint. The application of sense is promising in stress reduction and we are examined the effects of music and fragrance. In addition, the approach from many fields including education and regional support is examined, and the development of those effective programs is planned. The purpose of our research is to search for methods of stress reduction, and to contribute to the improvement of health.

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Department	Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
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Department	Rehabilitation Medicine
Staff	Ryo MOMOSAKI, MD, PhD, MPH, Professor
Research Interests	We are studying the assessment of disabilities and appropriate rehabilitation interventions. We focus on acute rehabilitation, preoperative rehabilitation, swallowing rehabilitation, stimulation therapy, and nutritional and pharmacological management of patients in rehabilitation. We are also focusing on real world research and health service research regarding rehabilitation using medical big data.

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