[Current status of dementia in admitions to national leprosariums nationwide].

The purpose of this study was to get an overview of the following aspects of people admitted to 13 national leprosariums in Japan: the prevalence of dementia, medical and nursing systems, and facilities and equipment. Subjects included 1733 people admitted to wards for patients or disabled people in these leprosariums. Subjects were examined for cognitive function using Nishimura's behavioral rating scale for the mental states of the elderly (NMS), and for the prevalence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

Assessment of real-time polymerase chain reaction detection of Acanthamoeba and prognosis determinants of Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detecting Acanthamoeba in eyes diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) by conventional tests. In addition, to determine the preoperative prognosis-determining factors in eyes with AK.

Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study.

The evolution of Epstein-Barr virus inferred from the conservation and mutation of the virus glycoprotein gp350/220 gene.

To study variations of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), we analyzed the gp350/220 gene for several cell lines and Japanese wild isolates using direct sequencing. The N-terminal region was highly conserved in all EBVs except for Jijoye/P3HR-1 and a few isolates. The variation of the region coincided with EBV types A and B (also referred to as types 1 and 2) and were, respectively, designated as the types a and b.

The vIL-10 gene of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is conserved in a stable manner except for a few point mutations in various EBV isolates.

A gene of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), BamHI-C fragment rightward reading frame 1 (BCRF1), codes viral interleukin-10 (vIL-10), which is a close homolog to human IL-10. EBV strain variations are known at EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), and the distinct forms of LMP1 have been identified. In order to further elucidate the variations of EBV strains, the BCRF1 (vIL-10) gene was analyzed using PCR-direct sequencing in African Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines Raji, P3HR-1, EB1 and Daudi, Japanese BL cell line Akata, lymphoblastoid cell line OB and 22 wild EBV isolates from eight gastric carcinoma tissues and 14 throat washes.