The University of Tokyo · Medicine
Professor Akira Akabayashi's research lab focuses on bioethics, end-of-life care, and clinical decision-making in Japanese and cross-cultural contexts. The lab investigates moral sensitivity in medical education, informed consent practices, and the role of patient-physician relationships in diverse cultural frameworks. It also explores the physiological and neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying behavior, particularly through studies on galanin's role in feeding behavior and energy balance. The lab's work bridges clinical medicine, neuroscience, and ethical inquiry, with a strong emphasis on practical applications in healthcare policy and patient autonomy.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
On May 4, 2003, the first donor death after living-related liver transplantation (LRLT) occurred in Kyoto, Japan. The donor who died was a mother in her late forties who in August 2002 donated the right lobe of her liver to her adolescent daughter with liver cirrhosis caused by congenital biliary atresia. The mother’s liver function had deteriorated progressively after the donation. In January 2003, the mother finally fell into liver failure after an unsuccessful domino liver transplant from a d
The physiological function of the peptide galanin (Gal) remains to be established. It is known to exist in high concentrations within the hypothalamus and to modulate the secretion of specific hormones, as well as to potentiate food consumption. Our study provides evidence for an essential function of neuronal Gal, within a specific hypothalamic area, in stimulating the behavioral process of fat ingestion and body weight gain. Through analyses of peptide levels via RIA and of gene expression via
This study's questionnaire survey, which incorporates both PIT and DIT, could be used as a brief and objective means of evaluating medical students' moral sensitivity and reasoning in Japan.
Written ADs might be useful in the Japanese setting when the individual either wishes: 1) to not provide a lot of leeway to surrogates and/or caregivers, and/or 2) to ensure his or her directives in the cases of terminal illness, brain death, and pain treatment, as well as regarding information disclosure.
Informed consent, decision-making styles and the role of patient-physician relationships are imperative aspects of clinical medicine worldwide. We present the case of a 74-year-old woman afflicted with advanced liver cancer whose attending physician, per request of the family, did not inform her of her true diagnosis. In our analysis, we explore the differences in informed-consent styles between patients who hold an "independent" and "interdependent" construal of the self and then highlight the
Overall findings indicated a greater recognized degree of responsibilities and an increase in workload for Japanese ethics committees.
The number of deceased donors is unlikely to increase suddenly. However, 8 strategies are proposed to increase the number of deceased donors, including: increasing the number of donor procurement coordinators and establishing a training system; increasing the number of organ procurement facilities; creating hub transplant centers and training transplant surgeons; implementing radical reform in public education; reducing workload and improving education of emergency physicians, neurosurgeons, and
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