Determinant factors of malocclusion in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is an encephalic static lesion characterized as a nonprogressive disorder of movements and posture with functional deficits that may favor the occurrence of various malocclusions. We looked for a possible association between overall functional impairment and malocclusion in this population.

Methods: Seventy patients from the Center of Attendance for Special Needs Patients, ages 6 to 18 years and with a CP diagnosis, were involved in the research.

Influence of motorization and supermarket-proliferation on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the inhabitants of a small town on Okinawa, Japan.

Background: Motorization and supermarket-proliferation affect lifestyles. About 15 years ago, Okinawans went to several shops on foot, but now they go to supermarkets by car. The influences of these changes on the prevalence of diabetes are uncertain.

PAX4 mutation (R121W) as a prodiabetic variant in Okinawans.

We previously reported that a missense mutation at codon 121 (CGG(Arg) to TGG(Trp), R121W) of PAX4 may be associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes in Japanese. In this study, we determined the frequency of the R121W mutation of PAX4 and characterized the prodiabetic phenotype in a population-based study. Healthy 372 residents participated in annual health check-ups in Nishihara (Okinawa, Japan) and unrelated 193 type 2 diabetic patients from the outpatient clinic of Ryukyu University Hospital were enrolled.

Identification of three new mutations of the HNF-1 alpha gene in Japanese MODY families.

Aim/hypothesis: We analysed Japanese MODY patients for mutations in the HNF-1 alpha gene.

Methods: Fifty unrelated Japanese patients with early-onset diabetes (diagnosed at 25 years of age or younger) or with a strong family history of diabetes were screened for mutations in the HNF-1 alpha gene. Functional studies of the mutant HNF-1alpha were carried out.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 gene polymorphisms and human T-cell lymphotrophic virus-1 infection: their associations with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in Japanese patients.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) decreases the immune response of T cells by inactivating the signal that occurs with interaction between CD28 on T cells and B7 on antigen-presenting cells. Gene polymorphisms involving CTLA-4 promoter (-318 C/T), exon 1 (49 A/G), and exon 4 (microsatellite (AT)n) have been linked to Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and other autoimmune diseases. HT also has a reported association with human T-cell lymphotrophic virus-1 (HTLV-1) infection.