Alanine aminotransferase flare-up in hepatitis C virus carriers with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels in a hyperendemic area of Japan.

Background: The clinical features of hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase (PNALT) levels (ALT < or = 34 IU/l) have not been fully elucidated. We investigated clinical factors associated with ALT flare-up in PNALT individuals in a HCV hyperendemic area of Japan.

Methods: We analyzed 101 HCV carriers who had PNALT between 1993 and 2000.

Bone tissue engineering using human adipose-derived stem cells and honeycomb collagen scaffold.

Human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have the capacity to regenerate and the potential to differentiate into multiple lineages of mesenchymal cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using honeycomb collagen scaffold to culture ASCs in bone tissue engineering. The osteogenic capacity of ASCs in vitro, was confirmed by histology and measuring the expression of cbfa-1.

Analysis of osteochondro-induction using growth and differentiation factor-5 in rat muscle.

Growth and differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5) belongs to the TGF-beta super family, and reportedly plays an important role in cartilage development and differentiation. In this study, we implanted GDF-5 in rat leg muscle, and evaluated its in vivo osteochondro-inducing activity by histological and X-ray examinations. GDF-5 (0, 100, 300, and 500 microg) and the carrier type I collagen were mixed, and the mixture was implanted into rat leg muscle.

Fibroblast growth factor-2 stimulates adipogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have demonstrated a capacity for differentiating into a variety of lineages, including bone, cartilage, or fat, depending on the inducing stimuli and specific growth and factors. It is acknowledged that fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) promotes chondrogenic and inhibits osteogenic differentiation of ASCs, but thorough investigations of its effects on adipogenic differentiation are lacking. In this study, we demonstrate at the cellular and molecular levels the effect of FGF-2 on adipogenic differentiation of ASCs, as induced by an adipogenic hormonal cocktail consisting of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), dexamethasone, insulin, and indomethacin.

Early diagnostic potential for hepatocellular carcinoma using the SELDI ProteinChip system.

Unlabelled: Early detection of HCC increases the potential for curative treatment and improves survival. To facilitate early detection of HCC, this study sought to identify novel diagnostic markers of HCC using surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF/MS) ProteinChip technology. Serum samples were obtained from 153 patients with or without HCC, all of whom had been diagnosed with HCV-associated chronic liver disease.

Anti-tumor and anti-invasive effects of diverse delta-alkyllactones: dependence on molecular side-chain length, action period and intracellular uptake.

New delta-alkyllactones (DALs) with diverse side-chain lengths (184-254 Da), which are structurally different from the widespread, naturally occurring delta-lactones of higher molecular weight (348-439 Da), such as camptothecin and sultriecin, were chemically synthesized and analyzed for their carcinostatic activity. Of the DALs with 11, 12, 13, 14, or 16 carbon atoms, delta-hexadecalactone (DH16:0) was the most carcinostatic when administered to Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells at 37 degrees C for 20 h, and measured by the mitochondrial dehydrogenase-based WST-1 assay. Prolongation of the administration period to 72 h enhanced the carcinostatic activity more markedly for DH16:0 than for other DALs.

High-throughput genotyping of filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae based on colony direct polymerase chain reaction.

High-throughput genotyping of Aspergillus oryzae was achieved using an FTA card for the extraction of a genomic DNA template for polymerase chain reaction from a fungal colony growing on an agar plate. This method was then applied to detect other fungal species from agar slants and food materials. This method offers a convenient tool for the genotyping of filamentous fungi without using an organic solvent or specialized equipment.

Survival and wound contraction of full-thickness skin grafts are associated with the degree of tissue edema of the graft bed in immediate excision and early wound excision and grafting in a rabbit model.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival of skin grafts on graft beds of immediate excision and early wound excision at various time periods after burns and to establish the appropriate timing of burn excision and grafting in a rabbit model. Eight groups of male Japanese white rabbits (n = 5 per group) were established. Animals of all groups were given a 5 x 10-cm full-thickness burn on their shaved back and received the autografting 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 48, and 72 hours and 5 days after receiving burns, respectively.

Accelerators of osteogenesis by recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) appears to be one of the most promising cytokine and for clinical use in reconstructive surgery for bony defects and augmentation. To evaluate the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), FK506, elcatonin, and hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) on osteoinduction by recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), 2 or 5 μg of rhBMP-2 was implanted into intramuscular sites of rats. At 21 days after implantation, the osteoinductive activity in the treatment group and control group was compared radiographically, biochemically, and histologically.

Expression of interleukin-18 receptor mRNA in the mouse endometrium.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a proinflammatory cytokine involved in chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and a variety of cancers, and is expressed in mouse uteri. Our previous study suggested that IL-18 acts as a paracrine factor, regulating endometrial function. To elucidate the physiological roles of IL-18 in the mouse endometrium, the expression of the IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) alpha subunit was analyzed.

Association between liver fibrosis and insulin sensitivity in chronic hepatitis C patients.

Background: Several clinical studies have suggested a possible link between chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the development of diabetes mellitus. We investigated the association between liver fibrosis and glucose intolerance in HCV-infected patients by measuring insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function.

Method: A total of 83 chronic HCV-infected patients were recruited into this study.

Rubella outbreak on Tokunoshima Island in 2004: serological and epidemiological analysis of pregnant women with rubella.

Aim: This paper presents the serological and epidemiological background of the rubella-infected pregnant women following the rubella outbreak throughout Tokunoshima Island that occurred after the revision of the immunization law in Japan.

Methods: Twelve of 149 pregnant women managed in Miyagami Hospital were enrolled as having a high risk for congenital rubella infection. They were interviewed about their immunization history with rubella vaccine, the presence of rash, onset of rash, and the presence and timing of contact with rubella-infected patients.

Aging of patients with hepatitis C virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term trends in Japan.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan has been increasing. The aim of the present study was to analyze epidemiological changes in Japanese HCC patients. A total of 463 patients with HCC diagnosed at our hospital between 1982 and 2001 were recruited for this study.

Reconstruction of a natural-appearing umbilicus using an island flap: case report.

A case of successful reconstruction of the umbilicus using a depressed scar in an 11-year-old girl with a large and rigid scar spreading around the centre of the abdominal wall is presented. The anatomical umbilicus was replaced by a large scar after a previous surgery for umbilical cord hernia. The difficulty of the conventional method compelled us to use a distant scar dimple as an island flap.

The use of skin allograft with donor-specific tolerance in a rabbit model of full-thickness burn.

Unlabelled: Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that portal vein or intraosseous administration of donor bone marrow cells for modulation of the central immune system is likely to be beneficial for allograft tolerance induction in rabbits. We recently reported that the severity of host conditioning for donor-specific tolerance induction was reduced without loss of efficacy by using a single intraosseous injection of donor bone marrow cells without immunosuppressive agent administration or T cell depletion. We now further investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of skin allografting using donor-specific tolerance to treat full-thickness burns.

The impact of newer treatment modalities on survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. However, although the therapeutic approaches for HCC have progressed rapidly, it remains unknown whether the current management of patients with HCC has reduced its mortality. We analyzed changes of survival rate in patients with HCC over a 20-year period.

[A case of gastric endocrine cell carcinoma with liver metastasis showing rapid growth during pregnancy and marked reduction by systemic chemotherapy after delivery].

A 28-year-old woman was given a diagnosis of gastric endocrine cell carcinoma with multiple liver metastases in 1997. Chemotherapy was administered for treatment after a distal gastrectomy and hepatic tumor resection, and she had shown no sign of relapse after 2002. In February 2004, she was in the third month of pregnancy, and experienced recurrent liver metastasis.

Immunolocalization of vascular endothelial growth factor on intramuscular ectopic osteoinduction by bone morphogenetic protein-2.

When recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) is implanted in soft tissues, bony tissue is induced during the course of endochondral ossification. The relationship between endochondral ossification and vascularization is important in bone formation, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered to play an important role in this process. In this study, the immunohistological localization of VEGF was investigated in rhBMP-2-induced ectopic endochondral ossification in the calf muscle of rats.

Effect of recombinant human fibroblast growth factor-2 on intramuscular ectopic osteoinduction by recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in rats.

To clarify the effects of recombinant human fibroblast growth factor-2 (rhFGF-2) on the osteoconduction ability of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in vivo, rhBMP-2 (2 microg) was mixed with different doses of rhFGF-2 (0, 16, 80, 400, or 2,000 ng), and implanted into the lower leg muscle of rats using type I collagen as a carrier. Twenty-one days later, ectopic neoplastic bones had bone mineral content, bone area, and bone mineral density measured by means of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and imaged by soft X-ray. The values for alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium content were determined, and histology obtained.

Effect of hepatocyte growth factor on endogenous hepatocarcinogenesis in rats fed a choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined diet.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a promising agent for the treatment of intractable liver disease, due to its mitogenic, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrotic effects. We investigated the effect of recombinant human HGF (rh-HGF) on the development of both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and preneoplastic nodules in rats fed a choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined (CDAA) diet, an animal model of hepatocarcinogenesis resembling human development of HCC with cirrhosis. From weeks 13 to 48 of the CDAA diet, rh-HGF (0.

Quantification of mentolabial profile using lateral roentgen cephalography and profile reconstruction by mandibular osteotomy in healthy adults and patients with scar contracture following severe facial burns.

Here mentolabial form including lateral facial contour and bony contour in healthy adults was studied to refer to values of normal mentolabial form using lateral roentgen cephalography. In soft tissue of healthy adults, thickness of mentolabial soft tissue was greater for men than for women. Degree of mentolabial curvature was greater for men than for women.

Interleukin-10 or tumor necrosis factor-alpha polymorphisms and the natural course of hepatitis C virus infection in a hyperendemic area of Japan.

We investigated the effects of polymorphisms in interleukin (IL)-10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha on the natural course of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a community-based population in Japan. A total of 460 anti-HCV antibody seropositive individuals were classified into two groups, those who were positive or negative for HCV RNA. In HCV RNA-positive individuals with at least four annual alanine aminotransferase (ALT) measurements taken between 1993 and 2003, 74 exhibited persistently normal ALT levels, while 211 had one or more elevated ALT level tests.

[The correlation between lacunes and microbleeds on magnetic resonance imaging in consecutive 180 patients].

Background And Objective: Microbleeds on T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represent a hemorrhagic type of small vessel disease. Small vessel disease causes both intracerebral hemorrhages and lacunar infarctions. We studied clinical background and MRI findings of the patients to clarify the correlation between microbleeds and lacunes.

Geranylgeranylacetone, an inducer of HSP 70, attenuates REM sleep rebound after sleep deprivation.

The effect of pretreatment of geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), an inducer of heat shock protein (HSP) 70, on responses in sleep and core body temperature (Tcore) against sleep deprivation (SD) was examined in rats. After 3 days of GGA or vehicle injection, a 6-h period of SD was performed. During the recovery period, both rapid-eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep were increased in both GGA- and vehicle-injected rats.