A simple fed-batch method for transcription and insect cell-free translation.

We tested a one batch reaction method for the transcription and the insect cell-free translation from undigested plasmids without any centrifugation steps. The efficiency of protein synthesis reached 74-112% of that achieved using the conventional procedure. This simplified method will help expedite the high throughput insect cell-free protein production.

Involvement of rho-kinase activation in the pathogenesis of coronary hyperconstricting responses induced by drug-eluting stents in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Activation of Rho-kinase plays a central role in the pathogenesis of drug-eluting stents (DES)-induced coronary hyperconstricting responses in pigs in vivo has been previously demonstrated. In the present study, Rho-kinase activation involved in those responses in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is examined.

Methods And Results: In 24 patients with CAD who underwent coronary intervention with either DES or bare-metal stents (BMS), coronary vasomotor responses to intracoronary acetylcholine (ACh) before and after intracoronary pre-treatment with a Rho-kinase inhibitor, fasudil was examined.

Activated inflammation is related to the incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the new onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) and inflammation in the early phase of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Background Serial interaction between inflammation and the incidence of AF is not fully understood in the early phase of AMI.

Methods: Two hundred fifty-nine consecutive patients with AMI were studied.

High concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with the development of atrial fibrillation in the Japanese population.

The favorable effect of fish oils rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) is controversial. The relationship between the serum concentrations of n-3 PUFAs and the incidence of AF is unclear; therefore, in the present study, we aimed to elucidate this relationship. We evaluated the serum concentrations of n-3 PUFAs in 110 patients with AF, 46 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and no AF, and 36 healthy volunteers.

[Aortic arch and valve replacement in a hemodialysis patient with a porcelain aorta;report of a case].

We report a case of thoracic aortic aneurysm and aortic valve stenosis with chronic renal failure requiring hemodialysis. A 75-year-old man complained of back pain and hoarseness. He had been on dialysis for 15 years.

DHEA administration and exercise training improves insulin resistance in obese rats.

Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is precursor of sex steroid hormone. We demonstrated that acute DHEA injection to type 1 diabetes model rats induced improvement of hyperglycemia. However, the effect of the combination of DHEA administration and exercise training on insulin resistance is still unclear.

Preliminary clinical report on safety and efficacy of photodynamic therapy using talaporfin sodium for malignant gliomas.

Objectives: To investigate the safety and efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using talaporfin sodium in patients with surgically, completely unresectable malignant gliomas with invasion into the eloquent areas of the brain associated with language and motor functions.

Materials And Methods: Subjects consisted of consecutive 14 adult patients with malignant gliomas that were shown on preoperative diagnostic imaging to have invaded the eloquent areas of the brain. Of these, 6 patients had newly diagnosed tumors and 8 patients had recurrent tumors.

Effects of genetic variants in SLC22A2 organic cation transporter 2 and SLC47A1 multidrug and toxin extrusion 1 transporter on cisplatin-induced adverse events.

Background: Susceptibility to cisplatin (CDDP) nephrotoxicity is known to vary between individuals, but the basis of this variation has not been fully elucidated. In the kidney, CDDP is taken up into the renal proximal tubular cells mainly via SLC22A2 organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2) and secreted into lumen via other transporters including SLC47A1 multidrug and toxin extrusion 1 (MATE1). Here, we explore the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 808G>T in OCT2 and at rs2289669 G>A in MATE1 on CDDP-induced adverse events.

A case of ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm in a patient with aortic replacement.

A 59-year-old man with a history of ascending aorta replacement for an aortic dissection using gelatin-resorcin-formalin glue at age of 50 years presented with paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. An echocardiogram showed severe aortic regurgitation associated with aortic root enlargement. Chest computed tomography showed that the ascending aorta was dilated and a pseudoaneurysm was observed around the implanted prosthetic graft.

α-Glucosylated 6-gingerol: chemoenzymatic synthesis using α-glucosidase from Halomonas sp. H11, and its physical properties.

6-Gingerol [(S)-5-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)decan-3-one] is a biologically active compound and is abundant in the rhizomes of ginger (Zingiber officinale). It has some beneficial functions in healthcare, but its use is limited because of its insolubility in water and its heat-instability. To improve these physical properties, the glucosylation of 6-gingerol was investigated using α-glucosidases (EC.

Mucosal immune function comparison between amenorrheic and eumenorrheic distance runners.

This study examined the effects of amenorrhea on mucosal immune function and susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in elite female distance runners. Based on their menstrual cycles during the prior year, 21 elite, collegiate, female distance runners were designated as eumenorrheic runners (ERs; n = 8; 19.9 ± 0.

[Mitral valve repair for active infectious endocarditis].

Between December 2005 and November 2011, 11 patients with mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) resulting from native valve endocarditis underwent mitral valve plasty (MVP). These patients were aged 44.4 ± 11.

[Reoperative off-pump coronary revascularization via left thoracotomy using the PAS-Port system to the descending thoracic aorta: report of a case].

We performed redo-off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting( OPCAB) via a left thoracotomy using the PAS-Port system for proximal vein graft anastomoses in a patient with posterolateral myocardial ischemia. The patient was a 76-year-old man who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)[ left internal thoracic artery( LITA)-left anterior descending artery( LAD), saphenous vein graft(SVG)-posterior descending artery( 4PD), and SVG-postero-lateral branch( PL)] 14 years previously. Coronary angiogram showed that the LITA-LAD graft was patent but that the SVG-PL, left main trunk( LMT) and proximal right coronary artery(RCA) were occluded, and that there were 90% stenoses of LAD #7 and SVG-4PD anastomotic site.

InsR/FoxO1 signaling curtails hypothalamic POMC neuron number.

Insulin receptor (InsR) signaling through transcription factor FoxO1 is important in the development of hypothalamic neuron feeding circuits, but knowledge about underlying mechanisms is limited. To investigate the role of InsR/FoxO1 signaling in the development and maintenance of these circuits, we surveyed the pool of hypothalamic neurons expressing Pomc mRNA in different mouse models of impaired hypothalamic InsR signaling. InsR ablation in the entire hypothalamus did not affect Pomc-neuron number at birth, but resulted in a 25% increase, most notably in the middle arcuate nucleus region, in young adults.

Hemodialysis-induced P-wave signal-averaged electrocardiogram alterations are indicative of vulnerability to atrial arrhythmias.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common supraventricular arrhythmia, often occurring during hemodialysis (HD). Prolongation of the total filtered P-wave duration (PWD) and reduction of the root mean square voltages for the last 20 ms of the P wave (RMS20) on a P-wave signal-averaged electrocardiogram (P-SAECG) are predictors of AF. We investigated whether HD induces alterations of P-SAECG, and determined the influential factors.

Transection of left common pulmonary vein during left upper lobectomy: how should it be reconstructed?

A common trunk of the left pulmonary vein is an anatomical variation in the pulmonary vessels and may be incidentally transected during left upper lobectomy. Difficulty in reconstruction of the left inferior vein often requires completion pneumonectomy. We herein describe a patient with lung cancer in the left upper lobe of the lung.

Structural and mechanical properties of Laponite-PEG hybrid films.

Inorganic/organic hybrids were obtained by the sol-gel type organic modification reaction of Laponite sidewalls with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) bearing alkoxysiloxy terminal functionality. By casting an aqueous dispersion of the hybrid, the flexible and transparent hybrid films were obtained. Regardless of the inorganic/organic component ratio, the hybrid film had the ordered structure of Laponite in-plane flat arrays.

[Aortic root rupture during an operation in a patient with acute aortic dissection].

A 73-year-old woman with acute aortic dissection (DeBakey type II) and cardiac tamponade was transferred to our emergency unit. She had a temporary blackout during transfer. An emergency operation was performed.

Expression of sorting nexin 12 is regulated in developing cerebral cortical neurons.

The sorting nexins (SNXs) are a family of proteins functioning in diverse processes, including endocytosis, endosomal sorting, and endosomal signaling. Sorting nexin 12 (SNX12) is one of the SNXs family members; however, its function remains unknown. To clarify the function of SNX12, in this study, we first investigated the expression profiles in mice, particularly in the central nervous system (CNS), and then analyzed the functional role on neurite outgrowth.

Nicorandil prevents endothelial dysfunction due to antioxidative effects via normalisation of NADPH oxidase and nitric oxide synthase in streptozotocin diabetic rats.

Background: Nicorandil, an anti-angina agent, reportedly improves outcomes even in angina patients with diabetes. However, the precise mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of nicorandil on diabetic patients has not been examined. We investigated the protective effect of nicorandil on endothelial function in diabetic rats because endothelial dysfunction is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in diabetes.

The relationship between treatment time of gemcitabine and development of hematologic toxicity in cancer patients.

Although gemcitabine is frequently used in the treatment of cancer, it is associated with myelosuppression. An animal study showed that the tolerability of gemcitabine varied with changes in treatment time; however, no clinical data have verified this finding. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between treatment time and development of hematologic toxicity in patients treated with gemcitabine.

Expression of albumin and cytochrome P450 enzymes in HepG2 cells cultured with a nanotechnology-based culture plate with microfabricated scaffold.

The Nanoculture plate (NCP) is a recently developed plate which essentially consists of a textured surface with specific characteristics that induce spheroid formation: microfabrications with a micro-square pattern on the culture surface. The NCP can be used to generate uniform adhesive spheroids of cancer cell lines using conventional techniques without the need of any animal compounds. In this study, we assessed the performance of human hepatoma cell line HepG2 cells cultured with an NCP to evaluate the effects of the NCP on their hepatocyte-specific functions.