Relationship between a Urine Protein-to-creatinine Ratio of 150 mg/gram Creatinine and Dipstick Grade in the Health Checkup: Substantial Number of False-negative Results for Chronic Kidney Disease.

Objective: Proteinuria is a marker for cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. In the Specific Health Checkups in Japan, when subjects show trace proteinuria (grade±) on dipstick assay, further examination is recommended to them. Although 150 mg/gCr is a threshold for diagnosing chronic kidney disease (CKD), little data on the relationship between dipstick grade± and the protein-creatinine ratio have been reported.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in a mouse model fed a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide and represents the outcome of the natural history of chronic liver disease. The growing rates of HCC may be partially attributable to increased numbers of people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, details of the liver-specific molecular mechanisms responsible for the NAFLD-NASH-HCC progression remain unclear, and mouse models that can be used to explore the exact factors that influence the progression of NAFLD/NASH to the more chronic stages of liver disease and subsequent HCC are not yet fully established.

Elucidation of the CCR1- and CCR5-binding modes of MIP-1α by application of an NMR spectra reconstruction method to the transferred cross-saturation experiments.

C-C chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) and CCR5 are involved in various inflammation and immune responses, and regulate the progression of the autoimmune diseases differently. However, the number of residues identified at the binding interface was not sufficient to clarify the differences in the CCR1- and CCR5-binding modes to MIP-1α, because the NMR measurement time for CCR1 and CCR5 samples was limited to 24 h, due to their low stability. Here we applied a recently developed NMR spectra reconstruction method, Conservation of experimental data in ANAlysis of FOuRier, to the amide-directed transferred cross-saturation experiments of chemokine receptors, CCR1 and CCR5, embedded in lipid bilayers of the reconstituted high density lipoprotein, and MIP-1α.

Development of a method for reconstruction of crowded NMR spectra from undersampled time-domain data.

NMR is a unique methodology for obtaining information about the conformational dynamics of proteins in heterogeneous biomolecular systems. In various NMR methods, such as transferred cross-saturation, relaxation dispersion, and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement experiments, fast determination of the signal intensity ratios in the NMR spectra with high accuracy is required for analyses of targets with low yields and stabilities. However, conventional methods for the reconstruction of spectra from undersampled time-domain data, such as linear prediction, spectroscopy with integration of frequency and time domain, and analysis of Fourier, and compressed sensing were not effective for the accurate determination of the signal intensity ratios of the crowded two-dimensional spectra of proteins.

Successful thoracoscopic removal of a giant teratoma following extraction of cystic conponents: a case report.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a type of minimal-access surgery. The nature of the surgery means that there are limitations on the size of a tumor that can be removed through an access incision. Herein, we report our experience removing a giant teratoma (16 × 14 × 13 cm in size) from the anterior mediastinum of a young girl.

Splenic artery aneurysm of the hepatosplenomesenteric trunk.

We herein report the case of a splenic artery aneurysm with a hepatosplenomesenteric trunk that presented in a pregnant woman. Catheter embolization was not performed due to the wide neck of the aneurysm and its close location to the trunk indicates a high risk of mesenteric trunk thrombosis. We instead performed surgical resection of the aneurysm after successful delivery of the infant by Caesarian section.

Surgical techniques for implanting implantable cardioverter defibrillators in children and infants.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are now being used in children. ICDs can be used to prevent sudden cardiac death caused by not only congenital heart defects, but also various non-structural diseases, such as long QT syndrome. However, a standard implantation technique for children, especially infants, has not yet been established.

Hybrid procedures for an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome with intact atrial septum.

A boy, prenatally diagnosed as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with intact atrial septum (IAS) was successfully treated by hybrid procedures. He underwent emergent catheter atrial septostomy and stent insertion in the atrial septum on Day 1 and then underwent bilateral pulmonary artery banding, ductal stent insertion, modified Norwood operation, bidirectional Glenn's operation and finally Fontan type operation at 2 years of age. Considering the presence of decompression pathway from the left atrium in HLHS with IAS, we should organize a treatment team for collaborative work and plan an appropriate treatment strategy before delivery.

An improved mouse model that rapidly develops fibrosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive fibrotic disease, the pathogenesis of which has not been fully elucidated. One of the most common models used in NASH research is a nutritional model where NASH is induced by feeding a diet deficient in both methionine and choline. However, the dietary methionine-/choline-deficient model in mice can cause severe weight loss and liver atrophy, which are not characteristics of NASH seen in human patients.

Structural basis of efficient electron transport between photosynthetic membrane proteins and plastocyanin in spinach revealed using nuclear magnetic resonance.

In the photosynthetic light reactions of plants and cyanobacteria, plastocyanin (Pc) plays a crucial role as an electron carrier and shuttle protein between two membrane protein complexes: cytochrome b(6)f (cyt b(6)f) and photosystem I (PSI). The rapid turnover of Pc between cyt b(6)f and PSI enables the efficient use of light energy. In the Pc-cyt b(6)f and Pc-PSI electron transfer complexes, the electron transfer reactions are accomplished within <10(-4) s.

Atypical membrane-embedded phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate (PI(3,4)P2)-binding site on p47(phox) Phox homology (PX) domain revealed by NMR.

The Phox homology (PX) domain is a functional module that targets membranes through specific interactions with phosphoinositides. The p47(phox) PX domain preferably binds phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate (PI(3,4)P(2)) and plays a pivotal role in the assembly of phagocyte NADPH oxidase. We describe the PI(3,4)P(2) binding mode of the p47(phox) PX domain as identified by a transferred cross-saturation experiment.

Successful staged management of simultaneous abdominal aortic aneurysm and renal tumor: the novel minimally invasive treatment with endovascular aneurysm repair and retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in an elderly and high-risk case.

The association between abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and renal tumor is becoming more frequent, and the increasing incidence of this synchronous diseases raised questions about the procedures of treatment. In most of the previous cases, open nephrectomy and AAA surgery have been reported, however in high risk and elderly patients, the procedure is life threatening. We present a successful staged treatment of AAA and renal tumor using novel minimally invasive treatment with endovascular aneurysm repair and retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in an elderly and high-risk case.

Intracardiac varix of the left atrium.

A 68-year-old female patient with a history of hyperlipidaemia and fatty liver was referred for evaluation of an incidentally detected asymptomatic cardiac mass. Computed tomographic scan imaging showed a large calcified mass in the left atrium. Echocardiography revealed a 2.

Non-small cell lung carcinoma therapy using mTOR-siRNA.

Molecular targeting agents play important roles in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy. Published studies have investigated new drugs categorized as molecular targeting agents that inhibit the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). We focused on a small interfering RNA (siRNA) that specifically inhibits mTOR and has fewer side effects.

Two-staged treatment strategy in patients with severe carotid or cerebrovascular diseases undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Purpose: There is no clear consensus on how to treat patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) who have severe concomitant carotidcerebral artery stenosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate our surgical results in patients with severe carotid and/or cerebrovascular disease undergoing CABG.

Methods: Between October 2003 and April 2009, a total of 47 such patients were treated at our institution with the following strategies: (1) protective carotid artery stenting for severe carotid stenosis performed either before (n = 20) or after (n = 5) CABG or (2) a superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery anastomosis procedure followed by CABG if indicated (n = 4).

Aortic regurgitation due to perforation of the right coronary cusp 10 years after implantation of a freestyle stentless bioprosthesis.

Valve deterioration following aortic valve replacement using the Freestyle stentless bioprosthesis is related to cusp tear, operative injury, or infection. We report a patient with aortic regurgitation due to perforation of the right coronary cusp 10 years after implantation of a Freestyle stentless bioprosthesis in the absence of endocarditis.

Treatment of prosthetic valve endocarditis complicated by destruction of the aortic annulus.

Purpose: It has been reported that surgical treatment for prosthetic valve endocarditis complicated by destruction of the aortic annulus is associated with high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of our surgical strategy for this situation.

Methods: Between October 2003 and April 2009, eight patients (mean age 68.

Contained rupture of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm into the iliopsoas muscle: report of a case.

A 72-year-old man with a history of old myocardial infarction was admitted to our hospital for surgical treatment of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. His hemodynamics was stable. He had left lumbar pain on moving his left leg and constipation for ten days without abdominal pain and high fever.