Prospective evaluation of corrected QT intervals and arrhythmias after exposure to epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil in women with breast cancer.

Background: Corrected QT (QTc) interval prolongation can induce fatal arrhythmias such as torsade de pointes.

Patients And Methods: To assess the characteristics of QTc intervals and arrhythmias in women with early breast cancer who received FEC100 adjuvant chemotherapy, electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded before and after each chemotherapy. Associations between QTc interval prolongation and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of potassium channel genes were also investigated.

The use of 13C-erythromycin as an in vivo probe to evaluate CYP3A-mediated drug interactions in rats.

(14)C-erythromycin breath test has been utilized to evaluate the extent of CYP3A activity in vivo. However, its radioactivity sometimes impedes its clinical application. In this study, we employed erythromycin labeled with (13)C ((13)C-EM), a nonradioactive stable isotope, as an in vivo probe of breath test to evaluate CYP3A-mediated drug interactions in rats.

Deciphering the DNA repair protein, Rad23 from kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus: full-length cDNA cloning and characterization.

Aims:  Lesions of DNA are removed by nucleotide excision repair (NER) process in the living systems. NER process-related host factors are believed to aid recovery steps during viral integration. Here, we report identification and characterization of a DNA repair molecule Rad23 from kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus.

A determination method of pristine multiwall carbon nanotubes in rat lungs after intratracheal instillation exposure by combustive oxidation-nondispersive infrared analysis.

This paper describes a method for determination of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in rat lungs after intratracheal instillation exposure. The MWCNTs were quantitatively decomposed to CO(2) by combustive oxidation and were then determined by non-dispersive infrared analysis. Samples were pretreated by acid digestion, muffle ashing and in situ preheating to remove interferences due to coexisting biological carbon from the lung tissue sample, while preserving the MWCNTs as in its their original form.

[Advanced data analysis and visualization for clinical laboratory].

This paper describes visualization techniques that help identify hidden structures in clinical laboratory data. The visualization of data is helpful for a rapid and better understanding of the characteristics of data sets. Various charts help the user identify trends in data.

Class B scavenger receptor, Croquemort from kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus: Molecular cloning and characterization.

The scavenger receptor, Croquemort is a member of the CD36 superfamily comprising transmembrane proteins involved in the recognition of polyanionic ligands. Various researchers have proved that members of the CD36 superfamily are involved in immunity and developmental processes. In the present study, we report a cDNA encoding the kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus Croquemort scavenger receptor (MjSCRBQ) obtained from a cDNA library of lymphoid organ by RACE amplification.

Identification and functional analysis of a new phosphorylation site (Y398) in the SH3 domain of Abi-1.

Abi-1 is an adaptor protein for Abelson kinase (c-Abl), and Abi-1 promotes the Abl-mediated phosphorylation of Mammalian Enabled (Mena) by binding both c-Abl and Mena. Here, we identified a new phosphorylation site (Y398) in the SH3 domain of Abi-1, and disruption of Y398, combined with the previously identified phosphorylation site Y213, significantly weakens the binding of Abi-1 to c-Abl. The SH3 domain of Abi-1 and the proline-rich domain of c-Abl are involved in this interaction.

[Animal models for bone and joint disease. Ovariectomized and orchidectomized animals].

Ovariectomized (OVX) animal is a typical experimental model for investigation of postmenopausal osteoporosis due to estrogen deficiency in women. Recently, both OVX mouse and OVX rat are commonly used for the evaluation of bone tissues in the animal model. OVX mouse is appropriate for the study of pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis, since various gene knockout mice are available for the experiments.

Nobiletin, a polymethoxy flavonoid, suppresses bone resorption by inhibiting NFκB-dependent prostaglandin E synthesis in osteoblasts and prevents bone loss due to estrogen deficiency.

Nobiletin, a polymethoxy flavonoid, prevents cancer and inflammation, but the roles of nobiletin in bone are unclear. We examined the effects of nobiletin on bone resorption in vitro and on bone mass in ovariectomized (OVX) mice in vivo. In vitro, nobiletin suppressed osteoclast formation and bone resorption induced by interleukin (IL)-1.

Indications and limitations for aged patients with chronic hepatitis C in pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin combination therapy.

Background & Aims: This study investigated the efficacy and adverse effects of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin therapy in aged patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C).

Methods: A total of 1040 naïve patients with CH-C (genotype 1, n=759; genotype 2, n=281), of whom 240 (23%) over 65 years old (y.o.

Associations between oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy and polymorphisms of the ERCC1 and GSTP1 genes.

Objective: Oxaliplatin-induced chronic neuropathy is cumulative and dose-limiting; reliable predictors and determination of the mechanism of this toxic effect are needed.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 51 Japanese adults with colorectal cancer who had received oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy to explore the pharmacogenetic association between oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy and polymorphisms of the excision repair cross-complementation Group 1 (ERCC1) and glutathione-S-transferases pi 1 (GSTP1) genes.

Results: For the ERCC1 C118T polymorphism, Grade 1 chronic neuropathy developed earlier in patients with C/T and T/T genotypes (median number of treatment cycles at onset = 6) than in those with the reference C/C genotype (7 cycles; p = 0.

Genome-wide approaches to monitor pre-mRNA splicing.

Pre-mRNA processing is an essential control-point in the gene expression pathway of eukaryotic organisms. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae offers a powerful opportunity to examine the regulation of this pathway. In this chapter, we will describe methods that have been developed in our lab and others to examine pre-mRNA splicing from a genome-wide perspective in yeast.

[Cytokines in bone diseases. Cytokine and postmenopausal osteoporosis].

Bone resorption is regulated by various cytokines. In postmenopausal osteoporosis, bone loss due to estrogen deficiency is closely related to the production of bone-resorbing cytokine. Especially, the increased production of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α could induce the expression of RANKL in bone tissues to enhance osteoclastogenesis.

Pharmacokinetic analysis of carboplatin in patients with cancer who are undergoing hemodialysis.

Purpose: To examine the safety of carboplatin-based chemotherapy and the applicability of the Calvert formula in patients with cancer who are undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods: We treated two patients who were undergoing hemodialysis and received carboplatin-based chemotherapy to treat non-small-cell lung cancer or ovarian cancer. The dose of carboplatin was calculated by the Calvert formula.

Surfactant-free solution synthesis of fluorescent platinum subnanoclusters.

We have demonstrated the first surfactant-free synthesis of fluorescent Pt nanoclusters in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution. The Pt nanoclusters consist of 4 to 6 Pt atoms. They form highly stable dispersions in water, under both acidic (pH 2) and basic conditions (pH 12), and at ionic strengths of 1 M NaCl.

The feasibility study of docetaxel in patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

There is no established chemotherapy for anaplastic thyroid cancer. We conducted a prospective feasibility study at a single center to explore the antitumor activity of docetaxel against anaplastic thyroid cancer. Docetaxel was administered intravenously at a dose of 60 mg/m(2) over the course of 1 h every 3 weeks in patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer who had received no prior chemotherapy.

Hyperpotassemia and bradycardia in a bedridden elderly woman with selective hypoaldosteronism associated with low renin activity.

A bedridden 85-year-old woman had hyperpotassemia (7.7 mEq/L) and bradycardia (30/min). Endocrinologic findings revealed a decrease in the renin-aldosterone system and normal adrenoglucocorticoid function.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the nitric oxide synthase gene from kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus.

Nitric oxide (NO) signaling is involved in many physiological processes in vertebrates and invertebrates. In crustaceans, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) plays a significant role in the regulation of the nervous system and in innate immunity. Here, we describe the entire cDNA sequence (4616 bp) of the kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus NOS (Mj NOS) generated using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 5'- and 3'- rapid amplification PCRs of cDNA ends from brain and gill mRNAs.

Pyrroloquinoline quinone inhibits the fibrillation of amyloid proteins.

Several neurodegenerative diseases involve the selective damage of neuron cells resulting from the accumulation of amyloid fibril formation. Considering that the formation of amyloid fibrils as well as their precursor oligomers is cytotoxic, the agents that prevent the formation of oligomers and/or fibrils might allow the development of a novel therapeutic approach to neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) inhibits the amyloid fibril formation of the amyloid proteins, amyloid beta (1-42) and mouse prion protein.

A novel gene of tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily from kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus.

A tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene has been isolated and characterized in kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus, providing the first conclusive evidence for the existence of the TNF ligand in shrimp. The kuruma shrimp TNF (MjTNF) cDNA was composed of 1868 bp with a 262 bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR) and a 220 bp 3'-UTR, which was translated into a protein of 462 amino acid residues that included a predicted transmembrane domain of 23 amino acid residues (Trp20-Val42) and the TNF family signature (Pro321-Leu448). Homology analysis of MjTNF showed 30.

[A case of bile peritonitis caused by jejunal perforation after radiofrequency ablation for the multiple liver metastases from cholangiocarcinoma successfully treated with various interventional radiological procedures after pancreatoduodenectomy].

The case is a man in his 50s who had a curative surgical resection for cholangiocarcinoma in August 2006. The lesion was judged to be T3, N1, H0, P0, M0 and Stage III, and then he received various treatments including thermotherapy, CD3-activated T lymphocyte therapy. Then from June 2007, he was treated for multiple liver metastases by GEM, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), stereotactic radiotherapy, S-1, dendritic cell therapy.

Stability of the DMF-protected Au nanoclusters: photochemical, dispersion, and thermal properties.

We have reported the synthesis of dimethylformamide (DMF)-protected gold nanoclusters using a surfactant-free DMF reduction method. DMF-protected gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) are obtained without the formation of gold nanoparticles and bulk metals as byproducts using a hot injection process for the homogeneous reduction. The as-prepared DMF-protected Au NCs were a mixture of various-sized Au NCs with a cluster number of less than 20 including at least Au(8) and Au(13).

Cwc23, an essential J protein critical for pre-mRNA splicing with a dispensable J domain.

J proteins are structurally diverse, obligatory cochaperones of Hsp70s, each with a highly conserved J domain that plays a critical role in the stimulation of Hsp70's ATPase activity. The essential protein, Cwc23, is one of 13 J proteins found in the cytosol and/or nucleus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We report that a partial loss-of-function CWC23 mutant has severe, global defects in pre-mRNA splicing.

Reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma after interferon therapy in aged patients with chronic hepatitis C is limited to sustained virological responders.

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of interferon (IFN) monotherapy on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in aged-patients with chronic hepatitis C. Seven hundred and twenty-five patients with histologically proven chronic hepatitis C were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study; 531 received IFN monotherapy for 6 months between 1992 and 1995, and 157 were collected as a historical control. The effect of IFN therapy on the development of HCC was compared between the patients with chronic hepatitis C under 60 years old (non-aged group, n = 531) and those 60 and over (aged group, n = 194).

Factors affecting efficacy in patients with genotype 2 chronic hepatitis C treated by pegylated interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin: reducing drug doses has no impact on rapid and sustained virological responses.

Reducing the dose of drug affects treatment efficacy in pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin combination therapy for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of drug exposure, as well as the baseline factors and the virological response on the treatment efficacy for genotype 2 patients. Two-hundred and fifty patients with genotype 2 HCV who were to undergo combination therapy for 24 weeks were included in the study, and 213 completed the treatment.