Clinical Evaluation of the Efficacy of Itch-Relief Moisturizers Containing Maltotetraose for Dry, Itchy, and Sensitive Skin.

Itching is a prominent clinical manifestation of sensitive skin; it reduces cutaneous barrier function, mainly caused by dryness. Scratching to relieve itching destroys the skin barrier, thus forming the itch-scratch cycle that results in additional disruption of skin barrier and chronic itching. Treatment involves alleviation from itching for sensitive skin.

Characteristics of Mandibular Arch Forms in Patients with Skeletal Mandibular Prognathism.

Arch forms in orthodontics are considered to affect occlusal stability. This study's subjects were 47 patients (Class III S group) who visited the Chiba Dental Center of Tokyo Dental College and were surgical orthodontic cases, and 60 patients with Class I malocclusion were selected as the control group. A mandibular model of each subject was plotted with each tooth on a digitizer.

Effect of starter on metabolites in Japanese alcoholic beverage sake made from the sake rice .

In sake brewing, the steamed rice is used in 2 ways, added to sake-mash and making rice. Rice- is made from the steamed rice by using starter, and its quality is an important determinant of the aroma/taste of sake. The sake rice (KOS) was developed in Niigata Prefecture by crossing 2 sake rice varieties, and .

Analysis of metabolites in Japanese alcoholic beverage sake made from the sake rice .

In sake brewing, the steamed rice is used in two ways, added to sake-mash (as ) and making . The rice is an important determinant for the quality of sake, as the metabolites in sake affect its taste/aroma. The sake rice (KOS) was developed in Niigata Prefecture by genetically crossing two sake rice, and .

The Relationship Between Dialysis Patients' Quality of Life and Caregivers' Quality of Life.

Patients on dialysis require caregiving and assistance in their daily lives from family members and/or others for hospital visitation and supervised administration. This places a considerable burden on caregivers, which can in turn influence caregivers' quality of life (QOL). We recruited dialysis patients and their caregivers to elucidate how the QOL of patients relates to that of their caregivers'.

The Effect of Quality of Life on Medication Compliance Among Dialysis Patients.

Dialysis treatment is known to lead to reduced quality of life (QOL) among patients. This decreased QOL is believed to influence medication compliance, although this effect has not yet been clarified. In this study, we investigated whether decreased QOL due to dialysis treatment does in fact influence medication compliance.

A randomized controlled trial of comprehensive early intervention care in patients with first-episode psychosis in Japan: 1.5-year outcomes from the J-CAP study.

The first episode of psychosis represents a critical period wherein comprehensive early intervention in psychosis (EIP) may alter the course of illness. However, evidence from randomized controlled trials that have examined the impact of comprehensive EIP care on clinical and functional recovery assessed by independent blinded raters is limited. The objective of this study was to conduct a single-blinded multicenter trial comparing comprehensive EIP care and standard care in young patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) in Japan (J-CAP Study).

Health and Safety at Work: Analysis from the Brazilian Documentary Film .

Background: The objective of this article is to make some analysis on the process of work and accidents occurring in slaughterhouses, evidenced in the Brazilian documentary film called . As such, it was necessary to discuss an alternative theoretical concept in relation to theories about health and safety at work. This alternative discussion focuses on the concepts of biopower and biopolitics.

Application of functional near infrared spectroscopy as supplementary examination for diagnosis of clinical stages of psychosis spectrum.

Aim: Research efforts aiming at neuroimaging-aided differential diagnosis for psychiatric disorders have been progressing rapidly. A previous multisite study has developed a supplementary diagnostic system using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) that can be easily applied to clinical settings. However, few neuroimaging biomarkers have been developed for the psychosis spectrum with various clinical stages.

Identification of a mutation causing a defective spindle assembly checkpoint in high ethyl caproate-producing sake yeast strain K1801.

In high-quality sake brewing, the cerulenin-resistant sake yeast K1801 with high ethyl caproate-producing ability has been used widely; however, K1801 has a defective spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). To identify the mutation causing this defect, we first searched for sake yeasts with a SAC-defect like K1801 and found that K13 had such a defect. Then, we searched for a common SNP in only K1801 and K13 by examining 15 checkpoint-related genes in 23 sake yeasts, and found 1 mutation, R48P of Cdc55, the PP2A regulatory B subunit that is important for the SAC.

Association between rostral prefrontal cortical activity and functional outcome in first-episode psychosis: a longitudinal functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Background: Few biomarkers can be used easily and noninvasively to measure clinical condition and future outcome in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). To develop such biomarker using multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), cortical function in the prefrontal cortex was longitudinally measured during a verbal fluency task.

Methods: Sixty-nine fNIRS measurements and 77 clinical assessments were obtained from 31 patients with FEP at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups.

Devising assisted reproductive technologies for wild-derived strains of mice: 37 strains from five subspecies of Mus musculus.

Wild-derived mice have long offered invaluable experimental models for mouse genetics because of their high evolutionary divergence from laboratory mice. A number of wild-derived strains are available from the RIKEN BioResource Center (BRC), but they have been maintained as living stocks because of the unavailability of assisted reproductive technology (ART). In this study, we sought to devise ART for 37 wild-derived strains from five subspecies of Mus musculus maintained at the BRC.

NF1 gene silencing induces upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor expression in both Schwann and non-Schwann cells.

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is associated with typical hypervascular tumors, including neurofibroma, glioma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) and glomus tumors. Previously, we and other groups reported that neurofibromas showed high-level expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent angiogenic factor involved in neovascularization. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the upregulation of VEGF in neurofibromas remains unclear.

The POU domain transcription factors Oct-6 and Oct-11 negatively regulate loricrin gene expression in keratinocytes: association with AP-1 and Sp1/Sp3.

Loricrin is a major component of the epidermal cornified cell envelope, and is expressed only in terminally differentiated keratinocytes. This cell differentiation-specific expression pattern suggests specific regulatory mechanisms for activation and suppression of loricrin gene transcription in differentiated keratinocytes. Here, we identified a regulatory element in the proximal promoter region of the loricrin gene involved in suppression of its expression in keratinocytes.

Development of a highly efficient protein-secreting system in recombinant Lactobacillus casei.

The available techniques for heterologous protein secretion in Lactobacillus strains are limited. The aim of the present study was to develop an efficient protein-secretion system using recombinant lactobacilli for various applications such as live delivery of biotherapeutics. For the construction of expression vectors, the Lactobacillus brevis slpA promoter, Lactobacillus casei prtP signal sequence, and mouse IL-10 sequences were used as a model system.

Genetic control directed toward spontaneous IFN-alpha/IFN-beta responses and downstream IFN-gamma expression influences the pathogenesis of a murine psoriasis-like skin disease.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease, onset and severity of which are controlled by multiple genetic factors; aberrant expression of and responses to several cytokines including IFN-alpha/IFN-beta and IFN-gamma are associated with this "type 1" disease. However, it remains unclear whether genetic regulation influences these cytokine-related abnormalities. Mice deficient for IFN regulatory factor-2 (IRF-2) on the C57BL/6 background (IRF-2(-/-)BN mice) exhibited accelerated IFN-alpha/IFN-beta responses leading to a psoriasis-like skin inflammation.

[Surveillance on Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in Gifu prefecture (2004)].

We analyzed Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in Gifu prefecture between September and October 2004. We conducted antimicrobial susceptibility test for 266 strains isolated from 8 medical institutes and 1 clinical laboratory, based on broth microdilution method. The MIC50 and MIC90 of piperacillin, amikacin, imipenem, and ciprofloxacin were 4 and 64, 4 and 8, 1 and 16, 0.

Chemoradiation using low-dose cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: a report of two cases.

Recently, low-dose 5-fluorouracil/cisplatin induction concurrent with radiation (chemoradiation) has been reported to be effective for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the otorhinolaryngologic and gynecologic regions. However, to date, this therapeutic option has not been evaluated for squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. We evaluated chemoradiation therapy using cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in two patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

Further resolution of alpha-fetoprotein glycoforms by two-dimensional isoelectric focusing and lectin affinity electrophoresis.

Human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) from serum of patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was separated into several bands by IEF and by erythroagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (E-PHA) affinity electrophoresis. These AFP bands were directly compared in 2-D IEF and E-PHA affinity electrophoresis. IEF of serum AFP was run in 1% agarose IEF gel with 3% Pharmalyte 4.

Apparent increase of insulin peak area in HPLC analysis of a preparation consisting of a mixture of insulin and total parenteral nutrition.

The peak area of insulin in a mixture of K.C.L.

PAX9 and TGFB3 are linked to susceptibility to nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in the Japanese: population-based and family-based candidate gene analyses.

The prevalence of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) and cleft palate only (CPO) are believed to be higher in the Japanese than in Americans, Europeans or Africans. The purpose of this study was to investigate, in a Japanese population, relationships between CL/P or CPO and seven candidate genes (TGFB3, DLX3, PAX9, CLPTM1, TBX10, PVRL1, TBX22) that showed positive associations in other populations and are expressed in the oral/lip region in developing mice. We first searched for mutations in these genes among 112 CL/P and 16 CPO patients, and found a heterozygous missense mutation (640A > G, S214G) in exon 3 of PAX9 in two sibs with CL/P and their phenotypically normal mother from a Japanese family.