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Department of Human Pathology

OUR ACTIVITIES IN DIAGNOSTIC PATHOLOGY AND RESEARCHES

We carry out three main duties including 1) pathological diagnosis, 2) clinical and basic researches, 3) education for medical students, young cytologists and pathologists.

We make pathological diagnosis for more than 20,000 cases per year including 12,000 histological diagnosis and 8,000 cytological diagnosis in Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Wakayama Medical University Hospital. Also more than 20 cases are autopsied per year. Based on these pathological materials, we have studied both clinical and basic researches for human diseases with outside institutes as well as other departments in our university.

Our research interests center on 1) clinicopathological characteristics of various human diseases, and 2) molecular background of structural and cellular atypia of tumors. We apply various quantitative morphological methods using fluorescence properties and pattern recognition methodologies. We have been involved in the fluorescence microscopic studies of human tumor cells. Our early investigations in this field started with cell cycle analysis of human thyroid tumors using cytofluorometry and image cytometry. This led us to develop a combined method of fluorescence digital imaging and texture analysis for studies of the nuclear DNA distribution pattern. Recently we expanded our scientific interests into molecular background of nuclear atypia in tumor cells. We employ the fluorescence immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to study of chromosome territory, DNA structure, tubulin positioning for nuclear polarity and nuclear membrane proteins of tumor cells.

Area of Expertise and Interests:

A. Diagnostic pathology field:

  1. Analyses of clinicopathological characteristics of various human diseases, particularly in thyroid, genitourinary tracts and skin.
  2. Pattern recognition analysis of human tumors according to algorithmic and logical methods for histocytological findings.

B. Basic pathology field:

  1. Molecular background of structural and cellular atypia of tumors.
    1. morphological analysis of tumor cell nuclei related with cell cycle.
    2. analysis of nuclear membrane proteins of tumor cells.
    3. conservation and alteration of chromosome territories in tumor cell nuclei.
    4. analysis of intracellular tubulin positioning for nuclear polarity.
  2. Application of digital image analysis such as texture analysis to histocytochemistry.
  3. Quantitative histocytochemical analysis of using fluorescence properties.
  4. In situ visualization of point mutation of human tumor cells.

STAFFS

Professor & Chairman Shin-ichi Murata, MD, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
(Department Vice Chair)
Fumiyoshi Kojima, MD, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Yuichi Takahashi, MD.
Assistant Professor Ryuta Iwamoto, MD.
Assistant Professor Yurina Mikasa, MD.?
University Assistant Professor Kanako Sagan, MD.?
University Assistant Professor Mizuki Nishikawa, MD.?
University Assistant Professor Mikako Doyama, MD.?
Assistant Professor Ibu Matsuzaki, MPAS.
Secretary Masako Inada
CONTACT
Professor & Chairman; Shin-ichi Murata, MD, Ph.D.
Department of Human Pathology, Wakayama Medical University
811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan
Contact E-mail; w-hupath@wakayama-med.ac.jp