Development and pharmacological verification of a new mouse model of central post-stroke pain.

Central post-stroke pain (CPSP) including thalamic pain is one of the most troublesome sequelae that can occur after a cerebrovascular accident. Although the prevalence of CPSP among stroke patients is relatively low, the persistent, often treatment-refractory, painful sensations can be a major problem and decrease the affected patient's quality of life. To better understand of the pathophysiological basis of CPSP, we developed and characterized a new mouse model of thalamic CPSP.

Uhrf1-dependent H3K23 ubiquitylation couples maintenance DNA methylation and replication.

Faithful propagation of DNA methylation patterns during DNA replication is critical for maintaining cellular phenotypes of individual differentiated cells. Although it is well established that Uhrf1 (ubiquitin-like with PHD and ring finger domains 1; also known as Np95 and ICBP90) specifically binds to hemi-methylated DNA through its SRA (SET and RING finger associated) domain and has an essential role in maintenance of DNA methylation by recruiting Dnmt1 to hemi-methylated DNA sites, the mechanism by which Uhrf1 coordinates the maintenance of DNA methylation and DNA replication is largely unknown. Here we show that Uhrf1-dependent histone H3 ubiquitylation has a prerequisite role in the maintenance DNA methylation.

[An autopsy case report of adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the duodenal papilla with multiple liver and lung metastases].

A 63-year-old man was admitted to Saitama-Kyodo Hospital for the management of obstructive jaundice. Gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a tumor of the duodenal papilla, and tumor biopsy suggested adenosquamous cell carcinoma. Computed tomography revealed multiple tumors in both the liver and lung, and these were diagnosed as metastases using bronchoscopy-guided lung biopsy and ultrasound-guided liver biopsy, respectively.

[A case of advanced esophagogastric junction cancer responding to pre-operative combination chemotherapy of docetaxel, cisplatin, S-1, and trastuzumab].

We have no consensus on surgical treatment and chemotherapy for esophagogastric junction cancer in Japan. A 51-yearold man reporting dysphagia was examined, and through upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was found to have a tumor at the esophagogastric junction. Histologically, biopsy specimens indicated adenocarcinoma with genetic amplification of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2(HER2).

Electrophysiological mapping of the temporal branch of the facial nerve.

Background: Minimized frontal and frontolateral approaches have been proposed for the clipping of aneurysms and for removal of deep-seated supra- and parasellar lesions. To avoid postoperative facial nerve palsy, anatomical studies have been conducted; however, only one electrophysiological investigation has been reported. We studied the course of the facial nerve in the temporal region and identify the optimal pterional keyhole craniotomy from the perspective of facial nerve protection.

Development of fluorogenic probes for quick no-wash live-cell imaging of intracellular proteins.

We developed novel fluorogenic probes for no-wash live-cell imaging of proteins fused to PYP-tag, which is a small protein tag recently reported by our group. Through the design of a new PYP-tag ligand, specific intracellular protein labeling with rapid kinetics and fluorogenic response was accomplished. The probes crossed the cell membrane, and cytosolic and nuclear localizations of PYP-tagged proteins without cell washing were visualized within a 6-min reaction time.

A comparison of trends in research into home care services in Japan and Korea.

Background: The purpose of this study is to compare of the research trends for home care services in Japan and the Republic of Korea (Korea). In particular, it was compared as the research design, the method of data collection, and key words by literature review.

Methods: Original articles on home care services were selected from Japanese and Korean journals published from the year of 2004 to 2008.

MRI T2 hypointensity of metastatic brain tumors from gastric and colonic cancers.

Background: Metastatic brain tumors from gastric and colon cancers are frequently revealed by hypointensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs). However, the reason for this T2 hypointensity has yet to be clarified. We hypothesize that it is due to collagen deposition within the tissues.

Semiclassical trace formula for the two-dimensional radial power-law potentials.

The trace formula for the density of single-particle levels in the two-dimensional radial power-law potentials, which nicely approximate up to a constant shift the radial dependence of the Woods-Saxon potential and its quantum spectra in a bound region, was derived by the improved stationary phase method. The specific analytical results are obtained for the powers α=4 and 6. The enhancement of periodic-orbit contribution to the level density near the bifurcations are found to be significant for the description of the fine shell structure.

Immunoreactivity of Wnt5a, Fzd2, Fzd6, and Ryk in glioblastoma: evaluative methodology for DAB chromogenic immunostaining.

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of Wnt5a and its receptors on the survival of glioblastoma patients and to determine reliable evaluation methods for immunohistochemistry. Diagnostic specimens from 41 histopathologically confirmed primary glioblastoma patients whose Gd-enhanced tumors had been totally removed were immunohistochemically stained for Wnt5a, Fzd2, Fzd6, and Ryk. The immunoreactivity was evaluated using the following methods: (A) grayscale optical density after color deconvolution, (B) percentage of stained cells, (C) density of stained cells, (D) staining amount (multiplication product of B and C), and (E) staining rank.

The assessment of relationship between the skull base development and the severity of frontal plagiocephaly after bilateral fronto-orbital advancement in the early life.

Purpose: The deformation of the skull base in patients with unilateral frontal plagiocephaly (UFP) is well known, but the mechanism is not still clear. We analyzed the skull base in the patients with UFP who underwent fronto-orbital advancement (FOA) in the early life during the last decade.

Methods: We assessed the treatment results and outcome of FOA performed in six patients, four girls and two boys younger than 2 years, in the last decade.

Generation of mouse models of lymphoid neoplasm using retroviral gene transduction of in vitro-induced germinal center B and T cells.

Evidence is accumulating that hematologic malignancies develop following acquisition of multiple genetic changes. Despite providing many insights into the way by which given genetic changes contribute to the development of disease, the generation of animal models is often laborious. We show a simplified method that allows the retroviral transduction of genes of interest into mouse B or T cells, thus leading to the rapid generation of models of lymphoid neoplasm in mice.

Entry point to the Sylvian fissure for the pterional transsylvian approach.

Background: Although the anatomy of the Sylvian fissure is understood, there is little information on where to start its dissection in the pterional transsylvian (PT-TS) approach. At small craniotomy using the PT-TS approach, we set the entry point to the Sylvian fissure at 15 mm behind the anterior edge of the craniotomy along the Sylvian fissure and designated this site "point 15." Here we compared the utility of "point 15" with the Sylvian point (point on the Sylvian fissure giving rise to the horizontal and anterior ascending rami) that had been recommended earlier as the entry site for opening the Sylvian fissure.

Geometric survey on magnetic resonance imaging of growth hormone producing pituitary adenoma.

Apart from the radiologic features regarding size and invasiveness, we had noticed some differences in morphology among types of pituitary adenomas. We conducted this study to verify the differences in radiologic morphology between growth hormone producing pituitary adenomas (GHoma) and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFoma). Pre-surgical magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were assessed in 50 cases of GHoma and 50 cases of NFoma.

Food allergens are transferred intact across the rat blood-placental barrier in vivo.

We investigated the mechanism of transplacental macromolecular transport in rats on the nineteenth day of pregnancy using tracers, transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The blood-placental barrier of full-term rat placentas was composed of a trilaminar layer of trophoblast cells that separates the fetal capillaries from the maternal blood spaces: a layer of cytotrophoblasts lining the maternal blood space and a bilayer of syncytiotrophoblast surrounding the fetal capillaries. Horseradish peroxidase, intravenously injected into the maternal circulation, was found in the maternal blood spaces, the interspaces between the cytotrophoblasts and the syncytiotrophoblast I, many pits and small vesicles in the syncytiotrophoblast I, vesicles of the syncytiotrophoblast II, fetal connective tissue and fetal capillaries.

The effect of bone morphometric changes on orthodontic tooth movement in an osteoporotic animal model.

Objective: To elucidate the effect of bone morphometric changes on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) in zoledronic acid-treated ovariectomized rats.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-one 10-week-old female Wistar rats were divided into ovariectomy (OVX), OVX with zoledronic acid administration (OVX + ZOL), and sham operation (control) groups. Two weeks after OVX, ZOL administration was initiated.

Quantitative comparison of protein dynamics in live cells and in vitro by in-cell (19)F-NMR.

Here we describe how a (19)F-probe incorporated into an endogenous protein by a chemical biology method revealed protein dynamics. By explicit determination of ligand-bound and unbound structures with X-ray crystallography, the quantitative comparison of the protein's dynamics in live cells and in vitro is presented. These results clearly demonstrated the greater conformational fluctuations of the intracellular protein, partially due to macromolecular crowding effects.

DNA mismatch repair protein (MSH6) correlated with the responses of atypical pituitary adenomas and pituitary carcinomas to temozolomide: the national cooperative study by the Japan Society for Hypothalamic and Pituitary Tumors.

Context: Temozolomide (TMZ) is an alkylating agent and was a first-line chemotherapeutic agent for malignant gliomas. Recently, TMZ has been documented to be effective against atypical pituitary adenomas (APAs) and pituitary carcinomas (PCs).

Objective: The clinical and pathological characteristics of APAs and PCs treated with TMZ in Japan were surveyed and analyzed retrospectively.

Effect of thrombin concentration on the adhesion strength and clinical application of fibrin glue-soaked sponge.

Fibrin glue-soaked gelatin sponge (FGGS) has been used for tissue sealing in neurosurgical practice, but too rapid clotting of fibrin glue occasionally prevents good fixation of FGGS. Dilution of thrombin may provide adequate manipulation time between mixing fibrinogen and thrombin on gelatin sponge and application into the tissue defects. The present study characterized the effect of thrombin dilution on the adhesion strength of FGGS and retrospectively assessed the clinical usage of the dilution for filling dead space or sealing arachnoid defect in 255 cases who underwent transsphenoidal surgery for the last 66 months.

Comprehensive gene expression profiles of NK cell neoplasms identify vorinostat as an effective drug candidate.

NK cell neoplasms are lymphoid malignancies with an aggressive clinical course. In the present study, we analyzed gene expression profiling of NK cell neoplasms and attempted to identify important molecular pathways and new effective drugs. Pathway analysis of gene expression profiles suggested the important roles of the JAK-STAT pathway, NF-κB pathway or Wnt pathways in NK cell neoplasms.

Identification of multiple subclones in peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified with genomic aberrations.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL, NOS) with genomic aberrations has been shown to resemble lymphoma-type adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) in terms of its genomic aberration patterns, histopathology, and prognosis. We have shown recently that a majority of patients with acute-type ATLL have multiple subclones that were likely produced in lymph nodes. In this study, we analyzed whether PTCL, NOS with genomic aberrations also has multiple subclones as found in ATLL by means of high-resolution oligo-array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH).

Structural basis of the versatile DNA recognition ability of the methyl-CpG binding domain of methyl-CpG binding domain protein 4.

The methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD) protein MBD4 participates in DNA repair as a glycosylase that excises mismatched thymine bases in CpG sites and also functions in transcriptional repression. Unlike other MBD proteins, MBD4 recognizes not only methylated CpG dinucleotides ((5m)CG/(5m)CG) but also T/G mismatched sites generated by spontaneous deamination of 5-methylcytosine ((5m)CG/TG). The glycosylase activity of MBD4 is also implicated in active DNA demethylation initiated by the deaminase-catalyzed conversion of 5-methylcytosine to thymine.