[Telomerase activity in esophageal carcinoma and lesions unstained with Lugol's solution].

Telomerase is a specific enzyme required for the replication of telomeres. Its activity is detected in almost human cancers. We examined in esophageal carcinoma and lesions unstained with Lugol's solution telomerase activity by using telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay.

[Spinal cord stimulation therapy at an early stage for unresponsive patients with hypoxic encephalopathy].

Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been used for the treatment of patients in prolonged coma. However, the results of SCS in unresponsive patients with hypoxic encephalopathy at the chronic stage have not been satisfactory. Considering these circumstances, we began SCS from one month after the onset of hypoxic encephalopathy and evaluated its effect.

Immunohistochemical analysis of TrkA neurotrophin receptor expression in human non-neuronal carcinomas.

The Trk family of tyrosine protein kinase receptors plays a significant role in the development and maintenance of neural tissues. It has been recently shown that Trk receptors are also expressed by a wide range of normal non-neuronal tissues in humans in a cell type-specific manner. In the present study, the expression patterns of TrkA in 337 non-neuronal invasive carcinomas of 15 different human tissues were investigated immunohistochemically.

A sonic spray interface for the mass analysis of highly charged ions from protein solutions at high flow rates.

We have improved the sonic spray interface to enable the analysis of multiply charged ions of protein from a solution at a flow rate of 1 mL/min using a conventional liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer. In this interface, we added a multihole plate in front of the sampling orifice of a mass spectrometer. This plate does not have a hole coaxial to the sampling orifice but has small holes around the central region of the plate.

Validation of transgenic mice carrying the human prototype c-Ha-ras gene as a bioassay model for rapid carcinogenicity testing.

Carcinogenicity testing is indispensable for identifying environmental carcinogens and for evaluating the safety of drugs in the process of development. Conventional 2-year rodent bioassays are one of the most resource-consuming tests in terms of animals, time, and costs. Development of rapid carcinogenicity testing systems that can assess carcinogenicity within a short period has become a social demand and is essential to improve efficacy in the identification of environmental carcinogens as well as in the development of new drugs.

MEG covariance difference analysis: a method to extract target source activities by using task and control measurements.

A method is proposed for extracting target dipolesource activities from two sets of evoked magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data, one measured using task stimuli and the other using control stimuli. The difference matrix between the two covariance matrices obtained from these two measurements is calculated, and a procedure similar to the MEG-multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm is applied to this difference matrix to extract the target dipole-source configuration. This configuration corresponds to the source-configuration difference between the two measurements.

[Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and concurrent radiochemotherapy for advanced esophageal carcinoma potentially invading adjacent structures].

Advanced esophageal carcinoma invades adjacent structures, and its resection without residual tumor is difficult. Preoperative chemotherapy and combined modality therapy are being tried to improve survival in patients with T4 esophageal carcinoma. For these cases, chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (FP) is known to be not so effective.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 and a new analogue, 22-oxacalcitriol, modulate proliferation and interleukin-8 secretion of normal human keratinocytes.

Vitamin D3 is a new therapeutic agent for psoriasis. Hyperproliferation of epidermis and over-secretion of IL-8 by keratinocytes are the characteristic features of psoriasis. The present study was conducted to determine whether a new vitamin D3 analogue, 22-oxacalcitriol, could be effective in inhibiting the proliferation and IL-8 secretion of normal human epidermal keratinocytes.

Combined effects of light and water availability on photosynthesis and growth of Arisaema heterophyllum in the forest understory and an open site.

Photosynthetic characteristics, leaf longevity and biomass accumulation of a threatened herb species, Arisaema heterophyllum, were studied in the understory of a riparian forest and at a neighboring deforested open site for 3 years in order to understand the combined effects of light and water availability. Light availability was 2- to 4-fold higher at the deforested than at the forest site during the growing season of the species, and precipitation varied considerably over the 3 years. Despite the difference in water availability among the years (dry in 1994 and 1996, and wet in 1995), the species showed a strong acclimation to the different light environments.

Noise covariance incorporated MEG-MUSIC algorithm: a method for multiple-dipole estimation tolerant of the influence of background brain activity.

This paper proposes a method of localizing multiple current dipoles from spatio-temporal biomagnetic data. The method is based on the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm and is tolerant of the influence of background brain activity. In this method, the noise covariance matrix is estimated using a portion of the data that contains noise, but does not contain any signal information.

[High performance liquid chromatographic determination of reducing sugars in fruit juices with laser resonance Raman detection].

A liquid chromatographic method using semi-microcolumn separation combined with laser resonance Raman detection was developed for the determination of monosaccharides in fruit juices. Reducing sugars (galactose, glucose, mannose, arabinose, xylose and ribose) were derivatized with 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene-4'-sulfonyl (DABSYL) hydrazine. The derivatives of the monosaccharides exhibited strong resonance Raman scattering at 1136 cm(-1) when Ar+ laser emission line 488.

[Somatotopical mapping of the human somatosensory cortex with echo-planar MRI].

The somatotopical organization of the somatosensory cortex was analyzed. Echo-planar imaging was used to obtain functional images, and magnetic field strength was 1.5T.

[Functional MRI using interleaved EPI].

One of main purposes of functional MRI is to identify functional map on human brain. We considered spatial resolution was a important factor and investigated influences of it on signal changes and activated region size. Functional images were acquired with Echo-Planar imaging (EPI) and interleaved EPI (IEPI).

Rescue by cytokines of apoptotic cell death induced by IL-2 deprivation of human antigen-specific T cell clones.

The control of cell survival and cell death is of central importance in tissues with high cell turnover such as the lymphoid system. We have examined the effect of cytokines on IL-2 deprivation-induced apoptosis of human antigen-specific T helper clones with different cytokine production profiles. We found that IL-2, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), and IFN-beta inhibited IL-2 deprivation apoptosis in Th0, Th1, and Th2 clones.

beta-Adrenergic stimulation induces activation of protein kinase C and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate increase in epidermis.

Epidermal keratinocytes express beta 2-adrenergic receptors on the cell membrane. The binding of the agonists to the beta 2-adrenergic receptors regulates activation of adenylate cyclase. This transmembrane signaling system has been regarded to be one of the important pathways for the functions of keratinocytes.

Effects of mild hypothermia on nitric oxide synthesis following contusion trauma in the rat.

The exact mechanism of hypothermic cerebroprotection after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not fully understood. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of mild hypothermia on trauma-induced synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain damage associated with glutamate neurotoxicity. Cerebral contusion was created in the rat parietal cortex by a weight-drop method, and extracellular concentrations of the NO end products nitrite and nitrate were measured using in vivo brain microdialysis and capillary electrophoresis under normothermic (37 degrees C) and mild hypothermic (32 degrees C) conditions.

[Laboratory diagnosis of congenital thrombophilia].

We examined the incidence of thrombophilia in deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Of 38 cases, we found 4 cases of protein C abnormality, 2 cases each of protein S abnormality and lupus anticoagulant, 1 case of antithrombin III abnormality. The total incidence was 23.

[A case of adenocarcinoma of the reconstructed bladder following ileocystoplasty].

We experienced a case of adenocarcinoma occurring in the reconstructed bladder 38 years after ileocystoplasty. The patient was a 48-year-old woman, who had undergone ileocystoplasty and left nephrectomy at the age of 10 for the treatment of tuberculous contracted bladder and left renal tuberculosis. She had often suffered from right pyelonephritis following the operation.

Effects of mild hypothermia on cerebral blood flow-independent changes in cortical extracellular levels of amino acids following contusion trauma in the rat.

The mechanism of hypothermic cerebroprotection after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is unknown. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of mild hypothermia on the changes in cortical extracellular amino acids and cerebral blood flow (CBF) caused by cerebral contusion created in the rat parietal cortex by a weight-drop method. CBF in both normothermia (37 degrees C) and hypothermia (32 degrees C) groups, which was monitored using the hydrogen clearance technique, decreased significantly after contusion, but never fell below the threshold for ischemia.

Role of gammadelta T lymphocytes in the development of Behçet's disease.

Phenotypic and functional properties of gammadelta T cells, which play an important role in mucocutaneous immunity, were examined to elucidate whether immunological abnormality in Behcet's disease may be related to a specific T cell population. We found that CD45RA+ Vgamma9+ Vdelta2+ gammadelta T cells, which constitute a minor population of gammadelta T cells in healthy individuals, were increased in number in Behçet's disease irrespective of disease activity. This CD45RA+ subset of gammadelta T cells in the active, but not inactive, phase of this disease expressed IL-2Rbeta and HLA-DR, suggesting that they are activated in vivo in active Behçet's disease.

Expression of the G2-M checkpoint regulators cyclin B1 and cdc2 in nonmalignant and malignant human breast lesions: immunocytochemical and quantitative image analyses.

We investigated the in vivo expression of cyclin B1 and Cdc2 (key molecules for G2-M transition during the cell cycle) in nonmalignant and cancerous human breast lesions using immunohistochemistry and quantitative proliferative index (PI) analysis. Breast epithelial cells co-expressed cyclin B1 and Cdc2 in their cytoplasm in the G2 phase and in their nuclei in the M phase. Cyclin B1, but not Cdc2, immunostaining rapidly disappeared from the nuclei during the mitotic metaphase to anaphase transition.