Handgrip strength as a predictor of prognosis in Japanese patients with congestive heart failure.

Background: Whether upper-extremity and lower-extremity muscle strength can predict a prognosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) patients is unclear. This study evaluated the impact of muscle strength on long-term mortality in patients with CHF.

Design: Prospective observational study of male Japanese CHF patients.

Lunar radar sounder observations of subsurface layers under the nearside maria of the Moon.

Observations of the subsurface geology of the Moon help advance our understanding of lunar origin and evolution. Radar sounding from the Kaguya spacecraft has revealed subsurface layers at an apparent depth of several hundred meters in nearside maria. Comparison with the surface geology in the Serenitatis basin implies that the prominent echoes are probably from buried regolith layers accumulated during the depositional hiatus of mare basalts.

HLA-DPB1 and NFKBIL1 may confer the susceptibility to chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in the absence of deep vein thrombosis.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is characterized by pulmonary hypertension caused by thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery. Etiology of CTEPH may be heterogeneous and is largely unknown, but genetic factors are considered to be involved in the etiology. It has been reported that deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or coagulation factor variants are predisposing factors to CTEPH.

Antioxidant and neuroprotective activities of Mogami-benibana (safflower, Carthamus tinctorius Linne).

Free radical scavenging activity of the extracts of petals (bud, early stage, full blooming and ending stage), leaf, stem, root and seeds of Mogami-benibana (safflower, Carthamus tinctorius Linne), the contents of the major active components of carthamin and polyphenols, and neuroprotective effect of the petal extracts and carthamin in the brain of mice and rats were examined. Water extracts of Mogami-benibana petals scavenged superoxide, hydroxyl and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and singlet oxygen. The scavenging activities of the extract of safflower petals with various colors showed the order of orange, yellow and white from high to low.

Significant association between neutrophil aggregation in aspirated thrombus and myocardial damage in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction.

Background: This study was designed to clarify the relationship between myocardial damage and platelet-neutrophil aggregation in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods And Results: The study group comprised 107 patients with ST-segment elevation AMI, in whom aspiration catheter was used during emergency percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the cellular density of neutrophils in the aspirated sample: group L (n=53), View Article and Find Full Text PDF

[Case of metachronous mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma originated from a distinct B-cell clone].

Although mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is classified as an indolent lymphoma, it frequently disseminates and recurs to make the disease difficult to cure. The present case had metachronous lesions in the skin, orbit and pleura, and all of them were diagnosed as derived from the same monoclonal tumor cell. A 65-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of a pleural tumor with pleural effusion.

Gender differences in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Japan.

Background: The predominance of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in females and association of HLA-B*5201 with CTEPH have been reported in Japan. However, the clinical characteristics of female CTEPH remain uncertain. The purpose of the present study is to clarify the clinical phenotype of female CTEPH in Japan.

Tiotropium bromide attenuates respiratory syncytial virus replication in epithelial cells.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection could be related to airway inflammation as well as exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tiotropium bromide decreases the frequency of exacerbation in patients with COPD; however, the mechanisms of tiotropium bromide to reduce the chances of exacerbation have not been defined. One potential mechanism could be that tiotropium bromide protects against RSV infection in epithelial cells.

Circulating CD34-positive cells have prognostic value for neurologic function in patients with past cerebral infarction.

Increasing evidence points to a role for circulating endothelial progenitors, including populations of CD34-positive (CD34(+)) cells present in peripheral blood, in vascular homeostasis and neovascularization. In this report, circulating CD34(+) cells in individuals with a history of cerebral infarction were correlated with changes in neurologic function over a period of 1 year. Patients with decreased levels of CD34(+) cells displayed significant worsening in neurologic function, evaluated by the Barthel Index and Clinical Dementia Rating.

New aspects of oxytocin receptor function revealed by knockout mice: sociosexual behaviour and control of energy balance.

To further define the function of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) in vivo, we generated mice deficient in the Oxtr gene (Oxtr-/-). Oxtr-/- mice had no obvious deficits in fertility or sexual behaviour, but displayed several aberrations in social behaviours, including male aggression, and mother-offspring interaction. In addition, they showed novel physiological defects including obesity, and dysfunction in body temperature control when exposed to cold.

Development of an in vivo gene mutation assay using the endogenous Pig-A gene: I. Flow cytometric detection of CD59-negative peripheral red blood cells and CD48-negative spleen T-cells from the rat.

The product of the phosphatidylinositol glycan complementation group A gene (Pig-A) is involved in the synthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors that link various protein markers to the surface of several types of mammalian cells, including hematopoietic cells. Previous observations indicate that Pig-A mutation results in the lack of GPI synthesis and the absence of GPI-anchored proteins on the cell surface. As a first step in designing a rapid assay for measuring Pig-A mutation in the rat, we developed flow cytometry (FCM) strategies for detecting GPI-negative cells in rat peripheral blood and spleen.

Development of an in vivo gene mutation assay using the endogenous Pig-A gene: II. Selection of Pig-A mutant rat spleen T-cells with proaerolysin and sequencing Pig-A cDNA from the mutants.

We previously reported that rat spleen T-cells and peripheral red blood cells that are deficient in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) synthesis [presumed mutants for the phosphatidylinositol glycan complementation group A gene (Pig-A)] could be detected by flow cytometry (FCM) as cells negative for GPI-linked markers (CD48 and CD59, respectively). To establish this procedure as a rapid in vivo gene mutation assay, we have examined the Pig-A gene of GPI-deficient rat spleen T-cells for DNA sequence alterations. Splenocytes were isolated from male F344 rats, primed with ionomycin and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate, and seeded at limiting-dilution into 96-well plates.

Dilatation of bronchial arteries correlates with extent of central disease in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Dilatation of the bronchial arteries is a well-recognized feature in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The purpose of the current study was to use computed tomography (CT) to assess the relationship between dilated bronchial arteries and the extent of thrombi, and to evaluate the predictive value of the former for surgical outcome.

Methods And Results: Fifty-nine patients with CTEPH and 16 with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were retrospectively evaluated.

Identification of annexin 1 as a novel autoantigen in acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Consistent with the hypothesis that pulmonary epithelial apoptosis is the key to the acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), we conducted serological identification of Ags by recombinant expression cloning (SEREX) analysis using type II alveolar cell carcinoma (A549) cell lines to identify disease-related Abs. In a survey of Abs to the recombinant autoantigens identified by SEREX analysis, five Abs were identified as novel candidates for the acute exacerbation of IPF. Abs to annexin 1 were detected in 47 and 53% of the sera and bronchoalveolar lavage materials from patients with acute exacerbation of IPF.

Oxytocin receptor-deficient mice developed late-onset obesity.

The oxytocin receptor has been suggested to be involved in energy metabolism, such as food intake and energy consumption. Here, we demonstrate that oxytocin receptor-deficient (Oxtr-/-) male mice exhibited late-onset obesity with increases in abdominal fat pads and fasting plasma triglycerides. Daily food intake and spontaneous motor activity of Oxtr-/- mice were not significantly different as compared with wild-type mice.

Thermal conductivity evidence for a dx2-y2 pairing symmetry in the heavy-fermion CeIrIn5 superconductor.

The phase diagram of the quasi-2D Ce(Ir,Rh)In5 system contains two distinct superconducting domes. By the thermal transport measurements in rotating magnetic fields H, we pinned down the superconducting gap structure of CeIrIn5 in the second dome, located distant from the first dome in proximity to an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. Clear fourfold oscillation was observed when H is rotated within the ab plane, while no oscillation was observed within the bc plane.

[Simultaneous determination of aconitine analogues in Aconitum plants and foods that caused food poisoning by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry].

A simple method for the simultaneous determination of four aconitine analogues (AC; aconitine, HA; hypaconitine, MA; mesaconitine, JA; jesaconitine) in Aconitum plants (Aconitum subcuneatum NAKAI) and a food that caused food poisoning was developed, using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Aconitine analogues were extracted with 1 mmol/L HCl and then cleaned up with an Oasis HLB cartridge. The LC separation was performed with an octadecylated silica column (Develosil ODS-HG-5, 2.

Survival and quality of life for patients with peripheral type chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: The validity of pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for treatment of relatively peripheral type of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) remains uncertain. The survival and quality of life (QOL) of patients with relatively peripheral type of CTEPH was investigated at follow up.

Methods And Results: Between April 1999 and March 2006, 83 consecutive patients with CTEPH were evaluated for surgical indication and underwent computed tomography angiography.

Field-induced quantum critical route to a Fermi liquid in high-temperature superconductors.

In high-transition-temperature (T(c)) superconductivity, charge doping is a natural tuning parameter that takes copper oxides from the antiferromagnet to the superconducting region. In the metallic state above T(c), the standard Landau's Fermi-liquid theory of metals as typified by the temperature squared (T(2)) dependence of resistivity appears to break down. Whether the origin of the non-Fermi-liquid behavior is related to physics specific to the cuprates is a fundamental question still under debate.