Joseph J.�Y. Sung

Research summary

Clinical, laboratory and radiologic features were analyzed for 138 suspected SARS cases admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital isolation wards between March 11 and 25, 2003, with univariate and multivariate analysis of intensive-care need and death as clinical endpoints [1]. A randomized trial of 651 chronic hepatitis B patients with histologically confirmed cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis (436 to lamivudine 100 mg daily, 215 to placebo, 2:1 allocation, up to five years) examined time to disease progression defined by hepatic decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, variceal bleeding or liver-related death [2]. A global review of colorectal cancer screening programs catalogued geographical variation in CRC incidence, economic resources, healthcare infrastructure and screening strategies [3]. Plasma Th1, inflammatory and Th2 cytokines and chemokines were profiled in 20 SARS patients, showing sustained elevation of IFN-gamma, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-12 for at least two weeks after onset without significant TNF-alpha, IL-10, IL-2 or IL-4 elevation [4]. Transient elastography liver-stiffness measurement was evaluated in 246 NAFLD patients with satisfactory liver biopsy specimens from two ethnic groups, with AUROC analysis for F3+ and F4 fibrosis and analysis of discordance factors between elastography and histology [5]. Metagenome-wide association on fecal samples from 74 Chinese CRC patients and 54 controls (with Danish, French and Austrian validation cohorts) confirmed Fusobacterium nucleatum and Peptostreptococcus stomatis CRC associations, identified new biomarkers, and evaluated targeted qPCR diagnostic performance in 47 patients and 109 controls [6].

Recent publications

1. Worldwide incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in the 21st century: a systematic review of population-based studies2017 · The Lancet · 5837 citationsDOI
2. Global Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis2017 · Gastroenterology · 3316 citationsDOI
3. Association analyses identify 38 susceptibility loci for inflammatory bowel disease and highlight shared genetic risk across populations2015 · Nature Genetics · 2728 citationsDOI
4. A Major Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Hong Kong2003 · New England Journal of Medicine · 2671 citationsDOI
5. Lamivudine for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B and Advanced Liver Disease2004 · New England Journal of Medicine · 2271 citationsDOI
6. Colorectal cancer2015 · Nature Reviews Disease Primers · 1556 citationsDOI
7. Colorectal cancer screening: a global overview of existing programmes2015 · Gut · 1344 citationsDOI
8. Plasma inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in severe acute respiratory syndrome2004 · Clinical & Experimental Immunology · 1317 citationsDOI
9. Diagnosis of Fibrosis and Cirrhosis Using Liver Stiffness Measurement in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease2009 · Hepatology · 1296 citationsDOI
10. Metagenomic analysis of faecal microbiome as a tool towards targeted non-invasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer2015 · Gut · 1293 citationsDOI

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How to apply

Email Joseph J.�Y. Sung 6-12 months before your application deadline. Read several recent papers and reference specific work in your message. Use our how to email a Japanese professor guide for the proven email structure.

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External profiles

• ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3125-5199
• OpenAlex: openalex.org

Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Kumamoto University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.