[A case of non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis with pleurisy with a past history of dense exposure to environmental asbestos].

We report a case of non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM) with pleurisy in a 75-year-old man. The patient was admitted with a diagnosis of pneumonia. Chest radiography and CT scans revealed a tumorous shadow that increased rapidly in size despite treatment with antibiotics.

Semaphorin-4A, an activator for T-cell-mediated immunity, suppresses angiogenesis via Plexin-D1.

Originally identified as axon guidance molecules, semaphorins are now known to be widely expressed mediators that play significant roles in immune responses and organ morphogenesis. However, not much is known about the signaling pathways via which they exert their organ-specific effects. Here we demonstrate that Sema4A, previously identified as an activator of T-cell-mediated immunity, is expressed in endothelial cells, where it suppresses vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mediated endothelial cell migration and proliferation in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo.

Effect of institutional smoking prohibition on Japanese inpatients with chronic schizophrenia.

Objective: A higher prevalence of smoking among schizophrenic patients has been well documented in Japan and other countries. Smoking reduction or cessation is desirable to reduce various physical complications in schizophrenic patients, but the effect of smoking reduction on psychiatric status and BMI remains ambiguous. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an institutional smoking prohibition on smoking status, psychiatric status and BMI in Japanese inpatients with schizophrenia.

Dual roles of Sema6D in cardiac morphogenesis through region-specific association of its receptor, Plexin-A1, with off-track and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 2.

Semaphorins, originally identified as axon guidance facto s in the nervous system, play integral roles in organogenesis. Here, we demonstrate a critical involvement of Sema6D in cardiac morphogenesis. Ectopic expression of Sema6D o RNA interference against Sema6D induces expansion or narrowing of the ventricular chamber, respectively, during chick embryonic development.

GATA-4 regulates cardiac morphogenesis through transactivation of the N-cadherin gene.

Cardia bifida is known to occur in animal models lacking the cardiogenic transcriptional factor GATA-4. The downstream target genes responsible for this cardiac deformity remain unknown, however. Treatment with small interfering RNAs (siRNA) specifically targeting GATA-4 into cardiac mesodermal cells led to the development of cardia bifida in chick embryos.

Negative regulation of p21 by beta-catenin/TCF signaling: a novel mechanism by which cell adhesion molecules regulate cell proliferation.

Cell proliferation is regulated in part by cell-cell interactions mediated by cadherin and connexin. Here we present evidence that these two molecules act synergistically to suppress HEK293 cell proliferation by prolonging the G2/M phase. This event was accompanied by expression of p21, a potent Cdc2 kinase inhibitor.