Near-infrared imaging system for dynamic visualization of lung-colonizing bacteria in mouse pneumonia.

Unlabelled: imaging of bacterial infection models enables noninvasive and temporal analysis of individuals, enhancing our understanding of infectious disease pathogenesis. Conventional imaging methods for bacterial infection models involve the insertion of the bacterial luciferase LuxCDABE into the bacterial genome, followed by imaging using an expensive ultrasensitive charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. However, issues such as limited light penetration into the body and lack of versatility have been encountered.

Suturing Fenestration of the Left Subclavian Artery Orifice in Frozen Elephant Trunk Procedure.

The frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure enables easier replacement of the entire aortic arch because it does not require reaching the distal part of the left subclavian artery (LSCA). However, it requires additional management for reconstruction of the LSCA, which is associated with bleeding events. However, the fenestrated FET technique confers a risk of endoleakage from the fenestration site.

Acidic polysaccharides isolated from marine algae inhibit the early step of viral infection.

We examined the effects of various acidic polysaccharides isolated from marine algae on the infection and replication of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1). It was found that sulfated fucan polysaccharides, ascophyllan, and two fucoidans derived from different sources significantly inhibited the early step of HIV-1 (R9 and JR-FL) infection, while they did not affect the late step. The alginate oligomer consisted of uronic acids and sulfated-galactan porphyran showed no significant inhibitory effects.

Abiraterone acetate withdrawal syndrome: Speculations on the underlying mechanisms.

A 72-year-old man initially presented with lumbar and right chest pain, but was later found out to also have an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at 2,000.0 ng/ml. Further evaluation disclosed metastatic prostate cancer involving the bones and lymph nodes.

Inhibitory effect of sulphated polysaccharide porphyran (isolated from Porphyra yezoensis) on RANKL-induced differentiation of RAW264.7 cells into osteoclasts.

Safe and efficient therapeutic agents for bone diseases are required in natural sources. We previously found that edible seaweed-derived polysaccharide porphyran exhibited anti-inflammatory effects through the down regulation of nuclear factor-κB. The aim of this study was to investigate the availability of porphyran as a therapeutic agent for bone diseases.

Evaluation of the effect of oral administration of collagen peptides on an experimental rat osteoarthritis model.

Collagen is an extracellular matrix protein present in the skin, tendon, cartilage and bone. Collagen peptides (CP) are produced by the hydrolysis of gelatin (heat-denatured collagen) by proteases and are utilized as a component of nutraceuticals. The current study investigated the effect of CP on the articular cartilage of OA by evaluating the serum levels of biomarkers (CTX-II for type II collagen degradation and CPII for type II collagen synthesis), histopathological changes (Mankin score, based on the toluidine blue staining of proteoglycans), and immunohistochemical staining of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 and type II collagen, using a rat experimental osteoarthritis (OA) model.

Protective effect of porphyran isolated from discolored nori (Porphyra yezoensis) on lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxin shock in mice.

Porphyran, a sulfated polysaccharide, isolated from discolored nori (Porphyra yezoensis) (dc-porphyran) and one fraction (F1) purified from dc-porphyran by DEAE-chromatography showed the protective effects on LPS-induced endotoxin shock in mice. Intraperitoneal (i.p.

Alginate oligomer induces nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells: elucidation of the underlying intracellular signaling mechanism.

Alginate is an acidic linear polysaccharide with immune-modulating activities. In this study, we found that enzymatically digested alginate oligomer (AO) with various degrees of polymerization (DP; 2-5) induced a higher level of nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells than undigested alginate polymer (AP).

Anti-metastatic effects of the sulfated polysaccharide ascophyllan isolated from Ascophyllum nodosum on B16 melanoma.

We previously found that ascophyllan, a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum, exhibited antitumor activity in sarcoma-180 tumor-bearing mice. In this study, we found that ascophyllan inhibited the migration and adhesion of B16 melanoma cells by reducing the expression of N-cadherin and enhancing the expression of E-cadherin in a concentration-dependent manner. Transwell invasion assay revealed that ascophyllan suppressed the invasion ability of B16 cells.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of porphyran isolated from discolored nori (Porphyra yezoensis).

We found that discolored waste nori with no commercial value, contains much higher level of porphyran than normal nori that is a sheeted food stuff prepared from P. yezoensis used in sushi. Chemical analyses revealed that mean molecular mass of the porphyran prepared from discolored nori (dc-porphyran) was much lower than that of the porphyran from normal nori (n-porphyran).

Inhibitory effect of orally-administered sulfated polysaccharide ascophyllan isolated from ascophyllum nodosum on the growth of sarcoma-180 solid tumor in mice.

We evaluated the antitumor activity of crude extract and ascophyllan prepared from Ascophyllum nodosum in sarcoma-180 solid tumor-bearing mice with continuous intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight/day or oral administration at a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight/day.

Nonsynonymous mutations in three anticoagulant genes in Japanese patients with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Background: Hereditary thrombophilias may associate with uteroplacental thrombosis leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes. The present study was conducted to reveal the frequency of the low-frequency thrombophilic protein S K196E mutation, as well as the frequency of very rare nonsynonymous mutations in protein S, protein C, and antithrombin genes, in patients with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled 330 Japanese patients with adverse pregnancy outcomes and divided them into 233 patients with two or more miscarriages and 114 patients with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and/or intrauterine fetal death (IUFD); 17 patients belonged to both groups.

Importance of sulfate groups for the macrophage-stimulating activities of ascophyllan isolated from the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum.

To investigate the role of sulfate groups on the macrophage-stimulating activities of ascophyllan, we prepared desulfated ascophyllan, and its effects on RAW264.7 cells were compared with native ascophyllan. The chemical structural analysis revealed that nearly 21% of sulfate groups of ascophyllan were removed by desulfation reaction, while no significant changes in the molecular mass and monosaccharide composition occurred after desulfation.

[Retardation of hemodialysis by recombinant human erythropoietin in patients with chronic kidney disease].

Unlabelled: Renal anemia is a serious complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and accelerates its progress. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) therapy not only improves anemia but also has a renoprotective effect. This study aimed to determine whether treatment with rHuEPO can retard the initiation of hemodialysis (HD) in patients with CKD.

Potencies of centrally- or peripherally-injected full-length kisspeptin or its C-terminal decapeptide on LH release in intact male rats.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of full-length rat kisspeptin (rKp-52) with C-terminal decapeptide (Kp-10) of rat or human kisspeptin on LH release in intact male rats. Plasma LH profiles were determined by frequent blood sampling at 6-min intervals for 3 h after central or peripheral injection of kisspeptins. Intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of rKp-52 (0.

Mid-second trimester measurement of fetal nasal bone length in the Japanese population.

Aim: We carried out a preliminary study to compare the nasal bone length (NBL) and biparietal diameter/NBL (BPD/NBL) ratio between the Japanese and white populations.

Methods: Three hundred and fifty nine (359) singleton fetuses of healthy Japanese couples were examined from June 2004 to October 2005. NBL was measured by the strict midsagittal section.

Sustained prophylactic effect of intravesical bacille Calmette-Guérin for superficial bladder cancer: a smoothed hazard analysis in a randomized prospective study.

Objectives: A previous meta-analysis had revealed that intravesical chemotherapy was effective in reducing the recurrence of superficial bladder cancer only in the early phase, the phase thought to be caused by tumor cell implantation and/or residual tumor cells. To ascertain the sustained prophylactic effect of intravesical bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), we compared the estimation of the duration of the effect with that of doxorubicin.

Methods: Eighty eligible patients with superficial bladder cancer (Stage Ta or T1, grade 1 or 2) were included.

[Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma occurring four months after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation with high-dose chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma].

A 62-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed as having follicular lymphoma (FL, grade 3, CS IIIA, IPI high-intermediate risk) in May 1998. After eight courses of CHOP therapy, she achieved a complete remission (CR). In November 1998, her FL relapsed, and she achieved a second CR after two courses of MINE therapy.

Further studies on the side reactions associated with use of N(pi)-benzyloxymethylhistidine.

The use of N(alpha)-tert.-butyloxycarbonyl-N(pi)-benzyloxymethylhistidine [Boc-His(Bom)] in peptide synthesis results in a serious level of side products arising from the generation of formaldehyde during the HF cleavage reaction. In particular, when treating a His(Bom)-containing peptide having Cys at the N-terminus by HF, this leads to almost complete conversion of the Cys-peptide to thiazolidyl (Thz)-peptide unless precautions are taken.

Elevated expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V in first trimester human placenta.

In early pregnancy, placental trophoblast cells rapidly grow and invade into maternal uterine tissue. N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V) and its product, beta1-6-GlcNAc branching glycan, are known to correlate with tumor invasion and metastasis. Since the placentation process resembles invasion of cancer cells, we examined the expression of beta1-6-GlcNAc branching glycan and GnT-V in human placenta.

Intermittent androgen suppression for locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer: preliminary report of a prospective multicenter study.

Objectives: To clarify the effect of intermittent androgen suppression on the time to androgen-independent progression and changes in quality of life (QOL).

Methods: Patients with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer were treated with a combination of leuprolide acetate and flutamide for 36 weeks. When the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels at 24 and 32 weeks were less than 4.

Phase I/II clinical trials of carbon ion therapy for prostate cancer.

Background: Heavy ion beams possess high linear energy transfer components and a prominent Bragg peak in the human body, resulting in higher relative biological effectiveness and improved dose distribution. To establish heavy ion therapy techniques for the treatment of prostate cancer, phase I/II clinical trials were initiated.

Methods: For 96 patients with T1b-T3 prostate cancer, three carbon ion beams were used to irradiate the prostate and seminal vesicles (20 times/5 weeks) with or without endocrine therapy.