Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus-associated myocarditis.

Myocarditis is a well-recognized cardiac manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and alterations in the immune system likely play an important role in the pathogenesis of heart muscle disease in HIV-infected patients. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has greatly improved survival in HIV patients but not without uncovering new and unique manifestations of disease. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is a collection of inflammatory disorders in which a pathologic inflammatory response and clinical deterioration occur during recovery of the immune system after HAART.

Influence of living style and situation on the compliance of taking antihypertensive agents in patients with essential hypertension.

Background: As the reason for insufficient control of blood pressure (BP), poor compliance of taking antihypertensive agents is an important issue. In Japan, no prospective study on the compliance of antihypertensive agents has been done. In this study we prospectively investigated the details of the relationship between the compliance of taking antihypertensive agents and living style and situation in hypertensive patients.

P120 catenin is associated with desmogleins when desmosomes are assembled in high-Ca2+ medium but not when disassembled in low-Ca2+ medium in DJM-1 cells.

We recently showed that p120 catenin (p120ctn), which is an armadillo family protein member that binds to E-cadherin (E-cad), is also localized to desmosomes by directly or indirectly binding to desmogleins (Dsg). We examined whether p120ctn is associated with Dsg1 and Dsg3, as compared with E-cad and plakoglobin (PG), in keratinocytes grown in high or low Ca2+, using a human squamous cell carcinoma cell line, DJM-1 cells. The cell lysate of DJM-1 cells grown in high- or low-Ca2+ media was immunoprecipitated with anti-Dsg1/2 and Dsg3 antibodies, and we examined whether p120ctn is associated with Dsg1 and Dsg3.

The absence of uPAR is associated with the progression of dermal fibrosis.

The fibrinolytic system is considered to play an important role in the degradation of extracellular matrices (ECM). However, the detailed mechanism regarding how this system affects fibrosis remains unclear. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) not only functions as a proteinase receptor but also plays a role in cellular adhesion, differentiation, proliferation, and migration through intracellular signaling.

Fully supported open stent grafting applied with a Matsui-Kitamura (MK) stent in treatment of distal arch aneurysm.

Objective: Our purpose was to examine the use of fully supported open stent grafting (OSG) with a Matsui-Kitamura (MK) stent for treatment of distal arch aneurysm (DAA).

Methods: Surgery was performed using a newly developed device in seven DAA patients (six men and one woman) from 58 to 86 years of age (mean, 73 years old) from August 2005 to June 2007. The aorta was transected at the arch between bracheocephalic artery and left subclavian artery under circulatory arrest with total cardiopulmonary bypass and selective cerebral perfusion; then the stent grafting (SG) system was inserted and positioned with a 14 Fr.

Epigenetic regulator polycomb group protein complexes control cell fate and cancer.

The chromatin-associated Polycomb group (PcG) proteins were first identified in genetic screens for homeotic transformations in Drosophila melanogaster. Besides body patterning, members of the PcG are now known to regulate epigenetic cellular memory, stem cell self-renewal, and cancer development. Here, we discuss the multifarious functions of the PcG family, isoforms of protein complexes, and its enzymatic activities, for example histone methylation, links to DNA methylation, its phosphorylation status, H2A mono-ubiquitination, SUMOylation, and links to non-coding RNA.

[A prosthetic ring annuloplasty with edge-to-edge repair for a treatment of severe tricuspid regurgitation].

A 59-year-old woman admitted to our hospital with shortness of breath and edema of the lower extremities was diagnosed with right ventricular failure stemming from severe tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR). She had undergone mitral valve replacement (MVR) with a mechanical valve at the age of 42. The approach to the heart was established via a right thoracotomy at the 4th intercostals space.

P120-catenin is a novel desmoglein 3 interacting partner: identification of the p120-catenin association site of desmoglein 3.

P120-catenin (p120ctn) is an armadillo-repeat protein that directly binds to the intracytoplasmic domains of classical cadherins. p120ctn binding promotes the stabilization of cadherin complexes on the plasma membrane and thus positively regulates the adhesive activity of cadherins. Using co-immunoprecipitation, we show here that p120ctn associates to desmogleins (Dsg) 1 and 3.

[Case of pancreatic ascites successfully treated with endoscopic pancreatic drainage].

We report a 47-year-old man with abdominal distension without other distinct signs. Massive ascites with any singular lesions was revealed on computed tomography, and the ascites was high-amylase and high-protein. on these findings, pancreatic ascites was suspected and he was first treated with conservative therapy, but it failed.

Thymocyte proliferation induced by pre-T cell receptor signaling is maintained through polycomb gene product Bmi-1-mediated Cdkn2a repression.

Thymocytes undergo massive proliferation before T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement, ensuring the diversification of the TCR repertoire. Because activated cells are more susceptible to damage, cell-death restraint as well as promotion of cell-cycle progression is considered important for adequate cell growth. Although the molecular mechanism of pre-TCR-induced proliferation has been examined, the mechanisms of protection against cell death during the proliferation phase remain unknown.

The Rice Annotation Project Database (RAP-DB): 2008 update.

The Rice Annotation Project Database (RAP-DB) was created to provide the genome sequence assembly of the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP), manually curated annotation of the sequence, and other genomics information that could be useful for comprehensive understanding of the rice biology. Since the last publication of the RAP-DB, the IRGSP genome has been revised and reassembled. In addition, a large number of rice-expressed sequence tags have been released, and functional genomics resources have been produced worldwide.

The H-Invitational Database (H-InvDB), a comprehensive annotation resource for human genes and transcripts.

Here we report the new features and improvements in our latest release of the H-Invitational Database (H-InvDB; http://www.h-invitational.jp/), a comprehensive annotation resource for human genes and transcripts.

Quantum optimal control of electron ring currents in chiral aromatic molecules.

We report the results of optimal control simulations of pi-electron rotation (ring current) in a six-membered chiral aromatic molecule, 2,5-dichloro[n](3,6)pyrazinophane (DCP), attached at a surface and excited by a linearly polarized UV laser. DCP has a pair of optically allowed, quasidegenerate pi-electronic excited states. The laser pulse to generate an approximate angular momentum eigenstate consisting of the quasidegenerate states was designed using the global optimal control theory.

Evola: Ortholog database of all human genes in H-InvDB with manual curation of phylogenetic trees.

Orthologs are genes in different species that evolved from a common ancestral gene by speciation. Currently, with the rapid growth of transcriptome data of various species, more reliable orthology information is prerequisite for further studies. However, detection of orthologs could be erroneous if pairwise distance-based methods, such as reciprocal BLAST searches, are utilized.

Effects of ultrasound on apoptosis induced by anti-CD20 antibody in CD20-positive B lymphoma cells.

Aim: The present study was conducted to examine the thermal and non-thermal effects of ultrasound on apoptosis induced by anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab).

Materials And Methods: SU-DHL-4 cells, a CD20-positive cell line derived from B cell lymphomas with a BCL2 gene rearrangement, were exposed to continuous 1 MHz ultrasound for therapeutic use under an air- or CO(2)-saturated condition to control cavitation. Early apoptosis (EA) and secondary necrosis (SN) were examined by flow cytometry.

Production of trout offspring from triploid salmon parents.

Many salmonids have become at risk of extinction. For teleosts whose eggs cannot be cryopreserved, developing techniques other than egg cryopreservation to save genetic resources is imperative. In this study, spermatogonia from rainbow trout were intraperitoneally transplanted into newly hatched sterile triploid masu salmon.

The endogenous danger signal uric Acid augments contact hypersensitivity responses in mice.

Objective: The danger hypothesis proposes that the immune system responds not only to foreign antigens but also to damaged cells or tissues. Recently, uric acid crystals (monosodium urate, MSU) from necrotic cell lysates were identified as a danger signal for dendritic cells (DCs). Our aim was to determine whether MSU modulates immune responses in the skin.

Nucleolar protein Nop25 is involved in nucleolar architecture.

Nop25 is a putative RNA binding nucleolar protein associated with rRNA transcription. The present study was undertaken to determine the crucial function of Nop25 in the nucleolus. When N-terminal amino acids of Nop25 were overexpressed as a dominant negative effector in cells, the nucleolus was fragmented into small components.

Mesenchymal progenitors able to differentiate into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and/or adipogenic cells in vitro are present in most primary fibroblast-like cell populations.

MSCs and mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) are studied for their potential in regenerative medicine. MSCs in particular have great potential, because various reports have shown that they can differentiate into many different cell types. However, the difference between mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells and so-called fibroblasts is unclear.

Kinetic studies on the role of Lys-171 and Lys-358 in the beta subunit of sarcosine oxidase from Corynebacterium sp. U-96.

Heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase from Corynebacterium sp.U-96(SO-U96) contains non-covalent and covalent flavins. Lys-358 and Lys-171 in the beta subunit is present at non-covalent flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)- and covalent flavin monodinucleotide (FMN)-binding sites, respectively.

Multifocal herpes simplex virus type 2 encephalitis in a patient with AIDS.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection commonly causes meningitis and genital herpes. We describe a rare case of brain stem encephalitis with cutaneous manifestations attributable to HSV-2 infection in a patient with HIV infection.