[Clinicopathological study of chronic kidney diseases (CKD)].

I started my life as a medical doctor at Amagasaki Prefectural Hospital after graduation from the Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University in September 1971. I joined the newly established section of nephrology in the second year. The chief was Dr. Kazuro Kanatsu who had just moved from Kyoto University at the time of the campus disturbances. Dr. Kanatsu not only oriented me in clinical nephrology, but also guided me in medical research. I used to go to the laboratory of Dr. Tadao Tamura, Kyoto University once a week to learn renal biopsy study. In 1977, I entered the Department of Pathology, Postgraduate School of my university to learn immunopathology from Prof. Yoshihiro Hamashima. In the second year, I was willingly involved in the research group on murine SLE organized by the newly invited associate professor, Dr. Toshikazu Shirai, who taught young researchers such as myself how to consider, practice and enjoy experiments. In 1982, I went abroad to Prof. Peter Miescher, University of Geneva, who was a friend of Prof. Hamashima and organized immunopathology research groups. In the laboratory of Prof. Shozo Izui, I performed an isoelectric focused study on anti-DNA antibodies in lupus-prone mice and identified the pathogenetic role of the clonal expansion of autoantibodies. After 3 years, I came back to the 3rd Division of Internal Medicine of my university. Meanwhile, Prof. Chuichi Kawai guided me to go back to Prof. Hamashima's Pathology Department, where I helped young doctors publish a series of papers, including studies on SLE and a murine model of IgA glomerulonephritis. Later, I was obliged to leave the Pathology Department, and moved to Himeji National Hospital in 1992 as a clinical nephrologist by the invitation of the Director, Dr. Tamura. At that time I was very much encouraged by Prof. Shirai at Juntendo University, who gave me a letter with an old saying "Jinkan itarutokoro seizan ari". After 3 years, I moved to Kitano Hospital, Osaka, where I learned up-to-date information and techniques in clinical nephrology. From this hospital, I published a paper in Kidney International entitled, "Mesangiolytic glomerulopathy in severe congestive heart failure", based on the autopsy cases collected at the Pathology Department. This paper became a milestone in starting to study the role of chronic hypoxia in CKD. In 1999, I was elected as a professor of the Department of Clinical Laboratories, Faculty of Medicine, University of Fukui. In Fukui, I could extend my hypoxia study to cellular levels and diabetic mouse experiments in collaboration with Dr. Kimura, Dr. Li, Dr. Takahashi and many other doctors and technicians. When overviewing my research history, I realize that I was fortunate to be involved at the starting point of every laboratory with energetic mood and that I was supported and helped by many people.