Retinoic acid receptor alpha dominant negative form causes steatohepatitis and liver tumors in transgenic mice.

Although attention has focused on the chemopreventive action of retinoic acid (RA) in hepatocarcinogenesis, the functional role of RA in the liver has yet to be clarified. To explore the role of RA in the liver, we developed transgenic mice expressing RA receptor (RAR) alpha- dominant negative form in hepatocytes using albumin promoter and enhancer. At 4 months of age, the RAR alpha- dominant negative form transgenic mice developed microvesicular steatosis and spotty focal necrosis.

[Surgical treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy in patients over age 50 years].

We retrospectively analyzed 4 patients over age 50 (52 - 57) years with intractable medial temporal lobe epilepsy(MTLE) who underwent the anterior temporal lobectomy with hippocampectomy. Case 1 had MTLE with old brain abscess in the left lateral temporal lobe and Cases 2 - 4 had MTLE with histologically verified hippocampal sclerosis. In Cases 2 - 4, although the onset of seizures occurred 26 to 37 years prior to the time of surgery, there was no mental problem (IQ = 87 - 100).

1-D cobalt(II) spin transition compound with strong interchain interaction: [Co(pyterpy)Cl(2)].X.

Cobalt(II) compounds [Co(pyterpy)Cl(2)].MeOH (1.(MeOH)) and [Co(pyterpy)Cl(2)].

Comfortable hospital with breathing boards.

Breathing boards have the hygroscopic capacity to keep room humidity in a range from 40% to 70%. When the humidity of room air rises, the vermiculite absorbs extra moisture, and when the humidity of room air goes lower, the vermiculite releases the moisture they have absorbed. Breathing boards can control room humidity and offer a comfortable hospital environment by capturing harmful substances which volatilize from building materials, furniture, etc.

DNA base excision repair activities and pathway function in mitochondrial and cellular lysates from cells lacking mitochondrial DNA.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) contains higher steady-state levels of oxidative damage and mutates at rates significantly greater than nuclear DNA. Oxidative lesions in mtDNA are removed by a base excision repair (BER) pathway. All mtDNA repair proteins are nuclear encoded and imported.

Adenosquamous pancreatic cancer producing parathyroid hormone-related protein.

An autopsy case of adenosquamous pancreatic cancer in a 61-year-old male patient with an elevated serum level of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) is reported. He was admitted to our hospital with a 1-month-long history of abdominal discomfort and progressive abdominal fullness. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen showed a retroperitoneal mass, approximately 10 cm in diameter, involving the pancreas, with round enhancement on contrast examination.

Collagen type I alpha2 (COL1A2) is the susceptible gene for intracranial aneurysms.

Background And Purpose: The collagen alpha2(I) gene (COL1A2) on chromosome 7q22.1, a positional and functional candidate for intracranial aneurysm (IA), was extensively screened for susceptibility in Japanese IA patients.

Methods: Twenty-one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of COL1A2 were genotyped in genomic DNA from 260 IA patients (including 115 familial cases) (mean age, 59.

Ntg1 and Ntg2 proteins as 5-formyluracil-DNA glycosylases/AP lyases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Purpose: 5-Formyluracil (5-foU) is a potentially mutagenic lesion of thymine produced in DNA by ionizing radiation and various chemical oxidants. The present authors reported previously that MutM, Nth and Nei in Escherichia coli removed 5-foU from DNA. The present study identified 5-foU DNA glycosylases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in order to clarify the repair mechanisms of 5-foU in eukaryotic cells.

A case of fetal subdural hematoma at 31 weeks of gestation in a woman on warfarin therapy after Cabrol's operation.

The case of a complicated pregnancy of a woman who had undergone Cabrol's operation, and whose baby suffered from subdural hematoma is presented. Although the outcome of this case was not so severe, we would like to inform about the risk to both the mother and her fetus as a result of serious complications.

Human placental trophoblast cells express alpha-tocopherol transfer protein.

Alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (alpha-TTP), a 30 kDa cytosolic protein first described to be present in the liver and important for alpha-tocopherol trafficking, plays a major role in maintaining alpha-tocopherol levels in plasma, while alpha-tocopherol is known as the major lipid-soluble antioxidant. Expression of alpha-TTP has not only been described in animal model liver, but also in diverse other tissues such as rat brain or pregnant mouse uterus, the latter finding stressing the importance of alpha-TTP for embryogenesis and foetal development. In this study, we report the identification of alpha-TTP in human liver by anti-human alpha-TTP monoclonal antibodies made in rat and the cellular localization of alpha-TTP in term human placenta.

Novel enzymatic method for the production of xylitol from D-arabitol by Gluconobacter oxydans.

Microorganisms capable of producing xylitol from D-arabitol were screened for. Of the 420 strains tested, three bacteria, belonging to the genera Acetobacter and Gluconobacter, produced xylitol from D-arabitol when intact cells were used as the enzyme source. Among them, Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 621 produced 29.

A case of pregnancy with a history of paradoxical brain embolism.

Brain embolisms in younger persons are rare but are often caused by a paradoxical embolism, the embolic entry of a venous thrombus into the systemic circulation through a right-to-left shunt. A 27-year-old pregnant woman presented with hemiplegia that had been treated with an antiplatelet agent since the occurrence of a paradoxical brain embolism via the pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. A tendency of hypercoagulation is generally observed during pregnancy, so a patient with this condition has a strong risk factor for venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and even more so for arterial thromboembolism under the intense strain of labor, which is much stronger than that of the Valsalva maneuver.

Characterization of 2-hydroxyadenine DNA glycosylase activity of Escherichia coli MutY protein.

Purpose: 2-Hydroxyadenine (2-ohA) is an oxidation product of adenine generated in DNA by ionizing radiation and various chemical oxidants. 2-ohA has mutational potential comparable to that of 8-oxoguanine in bacteria and mammalian cells. Recent studies have shown that 2-ohA is removed from DNA by a human MutY homolog, MYH protein, in vitro.

Influence of gatifloxacin, a new quinolone antibacterial, on pharmacokinetics of theophylline.

The influence of gatifloxacin, a new quinolone antibacterial, on the pharmacokinetics of theophylline (TP) was studied in five healthy adult male volunteers. After 200 mg of TP in sustained-release preparation was administered twice daily for 4 consecutive days, the same dose of TP and 200 mg of gatifloxacin were administered concurrently to the subjects twice daily for 5 consecutive days. Comparison of the pharmacokinetic parameters on day 4 of TP alone, and days 3 and 5 of co-administration revealed no significant differences in the maximum concentrations (Cmax), areas under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC0-12), total body clearances, and the amounts and proportions of TP and its metabolites in urine.

Mobile intracranial oily substances from a ruptured teratoma.

A patient with a ruptured intracranial teratoma is presented. The distinctive imaging and neuroendoscopic findings of mobile fatty or oily globules in the subarachnoid or ventricular space are described. Fat suppression magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRI performed with the patient prone was helpful in distinguishing tumour tissue from floating oil.

Morphological character of crystalline components present in saiga horn.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ultrastructure of saiga-antelope (Saiga tatarica) horn for proposing the mechanism of the initial mineralization. Horn is derived from horny tooth of Cyclostomata. The minerals in saiga horn were identified crystallographically using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques.

Clinical study of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and puerperium.

We encountered 16 cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in women during pregnancy and/or puerperium over the past 15 years at our perinatal center, representing 0.14% of all patients who delivered babies. The present study was undertaken to analyze the risk factors, clinical course and outcomes in these 16 cases.

Late occurrence of diffuse cerebral swelling after intracerebral hemorrhage in a patient with the HELLP syndrome--Case report.

Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome can occur at any time in the course of pregnancy and is associated with many complications including fatal stroke. A 37-year-old female presented with HELLP syndrome causing an intracerebral hematoma, which was treated by evacuation and mild hypothermia. Unexpected diffuse cerebral swelling occurred on the 15th day of the initially favorable postoperative course.

[Increased intracranial pressure caused by obstruction of torcular herophili with hemangiopericytoma: a case report].

A 49-year-old male had experienced diplopia for half a year. The intracranial pressure was markedly elevated (450 mmH2O). Neuroimaging revealed a tumor incompletely occluding the torcular herophili and the bilateral transverse sinuses without cerebral or cerebellar compression by the tumor.

Novel point mutations in mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene of Chinese hamster cells.

To know the nature and mechanisms of spontaneous mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), we determined, by direct cycle sequencing, the nucleotide sequence of the 3' terminal region of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene from chloramphenicol-resistant (CAP-R) mutants isolated in Chinese hamster V79 cells. Four different base substitutions were identified in common for the six CAP-R mutants. All mutations were heteroplasmic.

Identification of proteins of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae that specifically bind to C/C mismatches in DNA.

The pathways leading to G:C-->C:G transversions and their repair mechanisms remain uncertain. C/C and G/G mismatches arising during DNA replication are a potential source of G:C-->C:G transversions. The Escherichia coli mutHLS mismatch repair pathway efficiently corrects G/G mismatches, whereas C/C mismatches are a poor substrate.