Breastfeeding duration is inversely associated with asthma in Japanese children aged 3 years.

Objective: Recent meta-analyses found an inverse relationship between breastfeeding duration and asthma in children. The present cross-sectional study investigated the associations between breastfeeding duration and the prevalence of wheeze and asthma in Japanese children aged 3 years.

Methods: Subjects were 6412 children who participated in the Kyushu Okinawa Child Health Study.

Blockage of spontaneous Ca2+ oscillation causes cell death in intraerythrocitic Plasmodium falciparum.

Malaria remains one of the world's most important infectious diseases and is responsible for enormous mortality and morbidity. Resistance to antimalarial drugs is a challenging problem in malaria control. Clinical malaria is associated with the proliferation and development of Plasmodium parasites in human erythrocytes.

Suppressive effects of the antiandrogen agent, chlormadinone acetate and the 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, dutasteride on prostate weight and intraprostatic androgen levels in rats.

The objectives of this study were to investigate whether chlormadinone acetate (CMA, Prostal, CAS 302-22-7) more markedly decreased ventral prostate and seminal vesicle weights and exerted more beneficial effects on intraprostatic androgen levels than dutasteride (DUT, CAS 164656-23-9) in rats. Dose-dependent inhibiting effects on prostate and seminal vesicle enlargement were observed after the 14-day administration of CMA (30, 100 mg/kg/day) and DUT (0.3, 1 mg/kg/day).

Overproduction of the pro-apoptotic molecule, programmed cell death 5, in Toxoplasma gondii leads to increased apoptosis of host macrophages.

We established a recombinant strain of Toxoplasma gondii that overexpressed programmed cell death 5 (TgPDCD5), in order to evaluate the role of endogenous TgPDCD5 in macrophage apoptosis during T. gondii infection. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that overproduced TgPDCD5 with a hemagglutinin tag was localized in the cytosol, which was consistent with the localization of endogenous TgPDCD5.

Combination effect of TZT-1027 (Soblidotin) with other anticancer drugs.

Background: TZT-1027 (Soblidotin), an antimicrotubule drug, has shown potent antitumor efficacy in various antitumor models, and has entered into phase I clinical trials. To determine those anticancer drugs to be combined with TZT-1027 in clinical trials, the combination effects of TZT-1027 with other anticancer drugs were examined.

Materials And Methods: Two in vivo antitumor models, the murine P388 leukemia ascites tumor model and the human non-small cell lung cancer A549 solid tumor model, were used and cisplatin (CDDP), gemcitabine (GEM), irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11), fluorouracil (5-FU), paclitaxel (PTX) and docetaxel (DTX) were selected to be combined with TZT-1027.

An early extrasolar planetary system revealed by planetesimal belts in beta Pictoris.

beta Pictoris (beta Pic) is a main-sequence star with an edge-on dust disk that might represent a state of the early Solar System. The dust does not seem to be a remnant from the original protoplanetary disk, but rather is thought to have been generated from large bodies like planetesimals and/or comets. The history and composition of the parent bodies can therefore be revealed by determining the spatial distribution, grain size, composition and crystallinity of the dust through high-resolution mid-infrared observations.

TZT-1027 elucidates antitumor activity through direct cytotoxicity and selective blockade of blood supply.

Background: TZT-1027 is a newly developed antitumor agent derived from dolastatin 10.

Materials And Methods: The in vitro activity of TZT-1027 on MCF-7 and R-27 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. TZT-1027 1 mg/kg/week was administered i.

Possible role of immunocompetent cells and the expression of heat shock protein-25 in the process of pulpal regeneration after tooth injury in rat molars.

Recent studies have established that heat shock proteins (HSPs) potentially play a role in immunosurveillance. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between the chronological changes of immunocompetent cells and the expression of HSP-25 in the process of pulpal regeneration after tooth injury in rat molars by immunocytochemistry for HSP-25 and class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen. In untreated control teeth, intense HSP-25 immunoreactivity was found in the cell bodies of odontoblasts.

Antitumor activity of TZT-1027 (Soblidotin) against vascular endothelial growth factor-secreting human lung cancer in vivo.

TZT-1027 (Soblidotin), an antimicrotubule agent, has been demonstrated to show potent antitumor effects, though the relationships among antitumor effect, cytotoxicity and anti-vascular effect of TZT-1027 have not been studied. We established in vivo human lung vascular-rich tumor models using a vascular endothelial growth factor-secreting tumor (SBC-3/VEGF). SBC-3/VEGF tumors exhibited a high degree of angiogenesis in comparison with the mock transfectant (SBC-3/Neo) tumors in a dorsal skinfold chamber model and grew much faster and larger than SBC-3/Neo tumors in the tumor growth study.

Restoration of gap junctional intercellular communication by dibutyryl-cAMP in renal epithelial cells treated with renal carcinogen.

Dimethylnitrosamine(DMN) is an alkylating agent and a known renal carcinogen. A short exposure of renal epithelial cells to cytotoxic concentrations of DMN influences the expression of gap junction proteins. In this study, we examined gap junctional intercellular communication and connexin 43 expression in renal epithelial cells treated with 1% DMN and also examined the effects of dibutyryl-cAMP on preventing gap junctional disturbances.

EPO-producing gastric carcinoma in a hemodialysis patient.

A case of erythrocytosis caused by gastric cancer that produced erythropoietin is described. To the authors' knowledge, no case of erythropoietin-producing gastric cancer has been reported until now. A 73-year-old man with a 4-year history of maintenance hemodialysis for diabetic nephropathy required phlebotomy.