Temporal Changes in Brain Perfusion in a Patient with Myoclonus and Ataxia Syndrome Associated with COVID-19.

Myoclonus and ataxia, with or without opsoclonus, have recently been recognized as a central nervous system syndrome associated with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). A 52-year-old Japanese man developed myoclonus and ataxia 16 days after the onset of COVID-19. Brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) revealed hyperperfusion in the cerebellum and hypoperfusion in the cerebral cortices with frontal predominance during the acute stage, which improved over two months.

A structured summary of a study protocol for a multi-center, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of COVID-19 prevention with Kampo medicines (Integrative Management in Japan for Epidemic Disease by prophylactic study: IMJEDI P1 study).

Objective: We aimed to test our hypothesis that traditional Japanese (Kampo) medicine, hochuekkito (Hochu-ekki-to: HET) has a preventive effect for the symptoms on COVID-19.

Trial Design: The study is designed as a multi-center, interventional, parallel-group, randomized (1:1 ratio), investigator sponsored, two-arm study.

Participants: Six thousand participants will be recruited from healthy hospital workers in 7 Japanese University Hospitals.

Comparison between neoadjuvant and adjuvant gemcitabine plus cisplatin chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Aim: Radical cystectomy plus platinum-based perioperative chemotherapy is a standard treatment for patients with clinically localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The standard perioperative chemotherapy is methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (MVAC). However, no prospective randomized trial has been published that compares neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer.

The isolation and identification of apolipoprotein C-I in hormone-refractory prostate cancer using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Androgens play a central role in prostate cancer pathogenesis, and hence most of the patients respond to androgen deprivation therapies. However, patients tend to relapse with aggressive prostate cancer, which has been termed as hormone refractory. To identify the proteins that mediate progression to the hormone-refractory state, we used protein-chip technology for mass profiling of patients' sera.

Protein profiling in pancreatic juice for detection of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas.

Background/aims: Malignant intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas (IPMN) has a very poor prognosis, and there is no useful biomarker for an early diagnosis at present. A biomarker is expected to allow an early diagnosis of IPMNs and consequently lead to an improvement of the patients' prognosis. Recent advances in proteomic analysis are remarkable; therefore we explored novel biomarkers for IPMN using Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption and Ionization (SELDI) Mass Spectrometry.

Detection of biomarkers for alcoholism by two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis.

Background: Up to now, gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GTP) and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) have been used as markers for alcoholism most widely, but they are not satisfactory regarding sensitivity/specificity. Therefore, for novel markers need to be searched.

Methods: To detect new biomarkers for alcoholism, albumin and immunoglobulinG were first removed from serum.

Role of the genetic polymorphisms in the 5'-flanking region for transcriptional regulation of the human CYP2E1 gene.

Background: The human cytochrome P-4502E1 (CYP2E1) has been known to be that are associated with alcohol-related diseases and various cancers. Difference in susceptibility in enzyme induction of the CYP2E1 by environmental factors such as ethanol may be associated with the risk of these diseases. In the 5'-flanking region of the human CYP2E1 gene, there were tandem repeat polymorphism (CYP2E1*1C*,1D) and RsaI polymorphism (CYP2E1*5A*,5B), which have been reported to be related to these diseases.

Expression of the fetal-oncogenic fibroblast growth factor-8/17/18 subfamily in human hematopoietic tumors.

The fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are involved in hematopoiesis and tumorigenesis. However, little is known about the contribution of the FGFs identified within the past 10 years to leukemogenesis. To elucidate whether these FGFs (FGF-8, -9, -10, -11, -12, -13, -14, -16, -17, -18, -19, -20, and -21) are expressed in leukemic cells, we performed RT-PCR analyses using 28 cell lines.

Centromere protein H is up-regulated in primary human colorectal cancer and its overexpression induces aneuploidy.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) has been recognized as a hallmark of human cancer and is caused by continuous chromosome missegregation during mitosis. Proper chromosome segregation requires a physical connection between spindle microtubules and centromeric DNA and this attachment occurs at proteinaceous structures called kinetochore. Several centromere proteins such as CENP-A and CENP-H are the fundamental components of the human active kinetochore, and inappropriate expression of the centromere proteins could be a major cause of CIN.

Comparative analyses of four different methods of genotyping ALDH2.

Background: A number of methods of genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are currently available, ranging from the traditional restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) to more sophisticated technologies. We determined the utility of three novel methods by genotyping aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2).

Methods: DNA was isolated from blood samples of 241 control subjects and 74 patients with esophageal cancer.

Identification of novel and downregulated biomarkers for alcoholism by surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry.

Since personal and verbal reporting of alcohol use is not necessarily accurate, objective markers to assess alcohol consumption are required. The currently available markers, however, are limited in sensitivity and specificity for screening of excessive alcohol drinkers. Therefore, searches for novel markers are warranted.

[Postgraduate medical training in laboratory medicine and clinical genetics in Chiba University Hospital].

Compulsory postgraduate clinical training in laboratory medicine will start on a national basis in April 2004. It remains to be discussed how departments of laboratory medicine and/or divisions of clinical laboratory should contribute to the training program. I here summarize what we are planning to do in Chiba University Hospital together with my personal views on this topic.

Transcriptional activity of the tandem repeat polymorphism in the 5'-flanking region of the human CYP2E1 gene.

Background: There are remarkable interindividual differences in the expression of cytochrome P-4502E1(CYP2E1), which in turn may alter susceptibility to alcohol-related diseases and various cancers. We recently characterized the tandem repeat polymorphism in the 5'-flanking region of the human CYP2E1 gene and found that subjects with the homozygous mutant-type (A4/A4) may be at higher risk of developing esophageal cancer. In this study, we determined how this tandem repeat polymorphism alters transcriptional activities of the human CYP2E1 gene by transfection studies.