Specific HLA types are associated with antiepileptic drug-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in Japanese subjects.

Aim: This preliminary study investigated genomic biomarkers for Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), related to three antiepileptic drugs, zonisamide, phenobarbital and phenytoin.

Patients & Methods: HLA class I and HLA-DRB1 loci were genotyped for Japanese patients with zonisamide-, phenobarbital- or phenytoin-induced SJS/TEN (n = 12, 8 and 9, respectively) and for healthy Japanese volunteers (n = 2878).

Results: Carrier frequencies of HLA-A*02:07 in patients with zonisamide-induced SJS/TEN and in the general Japanese population were 41.

[An autopsy case of Alzheimer's disease presenting with corticobasal syndrome].

A right-handed Japanese man developed memory loss at 51 years of age. The right side clumsiness developed from 52 years of age and then progressively worsened. Temporal/parietal lobe atrophy was observed predominantly on the left side upon MR imaging.

Increased tissue levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevents pathological preterm birth.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) have anti-inflammatory effects. Preterm birth is an important problem in modern obstetrics and one of the main causes is an inflammation. We here showed that abundance of omega-3 fatty acids reduced the incidence of preterm birth induced by LPS with fat-1 mice, capable of converting omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.

Enhancement of bone regeneration by dual release of a macrophage recruitment agent and platelet-rich plasma from gelatin hydrogels.

Macrophages play an important role in regulating inflammatory responses and tissue regeneration. In the present study, their effect on bone remodeling is investigated by the simultaneous application of a macrophage recruiting agent, SEW2871 of a sphingosine-1 phosphate agonist, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). The non-water soluble SEW2871 was solubilized in water through micelles formation with l-lactic acid grafted gelatin, and the resulting micelles with PRP were incorporated into gelatin hydrogels.

Effects of morphine and fentanyl on 5-fluorouracil sensitivity in human colon cancer HCT116 cells.

Opioids are widely used for perioperative pain management in cancer surgery patients. It has been reported that opioids may alter cancer recurrence or progression; however, there are no published reports regarding the effects of opioids on chemotherapy after cancer surgery. Here we investigated the effects of opioids (morphine or fentanyl) on cell proliferation and 5-fluorouracil sensitivity in the human colon cancer cell line, HCT116.

Asymptomatic and symptomatic postoperative visual dysfunction after cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a small-sized prospective observational study.

Objective: Postoperative visual dysfunction (POVD) after cardiovascular surgery rarely is reported, since it is more likely underdetected and underreported. This study was designed to verify the presence of POVD, including a variety of asymptomatic as well as symptomatic visual dysfunctions after cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Design: A prospective observational study.

Long-term outcomes and comparison after conventional coronary artery bypass grafting for left main disease between patients classified as percutaneous coronary intervention recommendation classes II and III.

Objectives: We retrospectively analysed long-term outcomes after conventional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) between patients having left main (LM) disease who should have been assigned class II and those assigned class III recommendation for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) according to the 2010 European Society of Cardiology and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery guidelines.

Methods: From January 2000 to December 2009, conventional CABG was routinely employed in 180 consecutive patients with previously untreated and stable LM lesion. A comparison between two groups (CABG for PCI class II and CABG for PCI class III) was performed, looking at the primary endpoint of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including all-cause death, stroke [cerebral vascular accident (CVA)], myocardial infarction (MI) and repeat revascularization.

Low-dose ropivacaine for supraclavicular brachial plexus block combined with general anesthesia for successful postoperative analgesia: A case series.

Background: Ropivacaine, a long-acting local anesthetic agent, has been used for postoperative analgesia in brachial plexus block (BPB) at high doses. However, use of lower doses would reduce the occurrence of adverse effects.

Methods: We applied BPB with low-dose ropivacaine (10 mL of 0.

Serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels are correlated with response to tocilizumab therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

To examine the relationship between serum cytokine levels and response to tocilizumab in patients with RA. The disease status of 21 RA patients was assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks of tocilizumab treatment, using the clinical disease activity index (CDAI). Clinical response to tocilizumab was defined as an improvement of >50% from the baseline CDAI.

Relationship between the use of an electronic commercial prescribing system and medical and medication errors in a teaching hospital.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a commercial electronic prescribing system on medical and medication errors.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective before-and-after study in a teaching hospital by applying a U control chart to monthly error rates that were calculated from the number of both medical and medication errors divided by the number of patient days.

Results: The process mean medical error rate from April 2008 to December 2010 was 0.

Two cases in which the effectiveness of "laryngospasm notch" pressure against laryngospasm was confirmed by imaging examinations.

We report two cases in which development of laryngospasm and release of the spasm immediately after applying pressure in the "laryngospasm notch" was confirmed by ultrasonographic and fiberoptic examinations. A bronchoscopy was planned under propofol sedation using a laryngeal mask airway for a 61-year-old man after subtotal esophagotomy. When a bronchoscope was advanced into the trachea, the vocal cords suddenly closed.

[Perioperative quality of life in patients who received "Bokutoh enhanced recovery after surgery" protocol management].

Background: After introducing "BOKUTOH enhanced recvery after surgery (ERAS)" protocol for colorectal surgery in our hospital, the hospital stay after surgery was reduced from 10 days to 7. However, the patients' quality of life (QOL) throughout the perioperative period was not quantified. We assessed the QOL of these patients by using QoR-40J and SF-36v2J (Japanese versions of QoR-40 and SF-36v2) questionnaires.

Evaluation on a clinical course of subdural hematoma in patients undergoing epidural blood patch for spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak.

Objective: Subdural hematoma (SDH) is a frequent complication of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), in which epidural blood patch (EBP) may be applied as a treatment to stop cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. However, a clinical course of SDH in SIH patients has not been sufficiently evaluated. We retrospectively evaluated the temporal relationships between EBP and SDH in the patients with SIH.

Effect of TNF antagonists on the productivity of daily work of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a significant cause of work disability and job loss. The resulting economic burden experienced by patients has received considerable research attention. This research assesses the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists (infliximab, etanercept) on the ability of RA patients living in Japan to work and participate in society.

Two new Japanese species of Gastrotricha (Chaetonotida, Chaetonotidae, Lepidodermella and Dichaeturidae, Dichaetura), with Comments on the Diversity of Gastrotrichs in Rice Paddies.

Two new species of freshwater gastrotrichs are described from rice paddies in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. Lepidodermella acantholepida n. sp.

The impact of sphingosine kinase-1 in head and neck cancer.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a high reoccurrence rate and an extremely low survival rate. There is limited availability of effective therapies to reduce the rate of recurrence, resulting in high morbidity and mortality of advanced cases. Late presentation, delay in detection of lesions, and a high rate of metastasis make HNSCC a devastating disease.

The magnitude of global marine species diversity.

Background: The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metric for how much we do and do not know about life in the oceans. We have compiled the first register of the marine species of the world and used this baseline to estimate how many more species, partitioned among all major eukaryotic groups, may be discovered.

Results: There are ∼226,000 eukaryotic marine species described.

A high-throughput screening assay using Krabbe disease patient cells.

Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD) or Krabbe disease is a lysosomal disease caused by β-galactocerebrosidase (GALC) deficiency resulting in a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Unfortunately, the only available treatment is hematopoietic bone marrow transplantation, which prevents its fulminant manifestation but without treating further neurological manifestations. Here, we describe the development of a cellular high-throughput screening (HTS) assay using GLD patient fibroblasts to screen for small molecules that enhance the residual mutant GALC enzymatic activity.

Effect of sphingosine kinase 1 inhibition on blood pressure.

Accumulating evidence suggests that sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) plays a key role in carcinogenesis by regulating cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Recent clinical studies have revealed that COX-2 inhibitors cause adverse cardiovascular side effects, likely due to inhibition of prostacyclin (PGI(2)). In this work, we investigated the roles of SphK1 inhibition on blood pressure (BP).

Surgical treatment of an interatrial septal paraganglioma.

A 39-year-old man presented with chest pain. Chest radiography and echocardiography indicated a possible cardiac tumor. Echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a tumor in the interatrial septum.

Effects of diazepam and flumazenil on forebrain ischaemia in a rat model of benzodiazepine tolerance.

Background: Post-ischaemic benzodiazepine administration is neuroprotective, but chronic administration of benzodiazepines can induce tolerance, such that the neuroprotective effect may be reduced. This study investigated whether benzodiazepine tolerance can worsen ischaemic injury and whether neuroprotection by post-ischaemic benzodiazepine administration is affected by benzodiazepine tolerance. We also investigated whether antagonism of benzodiazepine receptors by flumazenil was able to restore neuroprotection during benzodiazepine tolerance.