Cooperative Protein Folding by Two Protein Thiol Disulfide Oxidoreductases and 1 in Soybean.

Most proteins produced in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of eukaryotic cells fold via disulfide formation (oxidative folding). Oxidative folding is catalyzed by protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and PDI-related ER protein thiol disulfide oxidoreductases (ER oxidoreductases). In yeast and mammals, ER oxidoreductin-1s (Ero1s) supply oxidizing equivalent to the active centers of PDI.

Brain fatty acid-binding protein and omega-3/omega-6 fatty acids: mechanistic insight into malignant glioma cell migration.

Malignant gliomas (MG) are highly infiltrative tumors that consistently recur despite aggressive treatment. Brain fatty acid-binding protein (FABP7), which binds docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA), localizes to sites of tumor infiltration and is associated with a poor prognosis in MG. Manipulation of FABP7 expression in MG cell lines affects cell migration, suggesting a role for FABP7 in tumor infiltration and recurrence.

Fatty acid binding proteins in brain development and disease.

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are critical structural components of the brain and essential for normal brain development. The cellular transportation and physiological actions of PUFAs are mediated by fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) which are encoded by the intracellular lipid-binding protein gene family. Three of the ten mammalian FABPs identified to date (FABP3, FABP5, FABP7) are expressed in the brain.

Expression of AP-2delta in the developing chick retina.

AP-2 is a family of transcription factors that play important roles during embryonic development. Two AP-2 genes, AP-2alpha and AP-2beta, have previously been characterized in chick retina. Here, we demonstrate that a third member of the chicken AP-2 family, AP-2delta, is primarily expressed in the retina and brain, with highest levels at embryonic days 7 to 11.

B-FABP-expressing radial glial cells: the malignant glioma cell of origin?

Brain fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP) is normally expressed in radial glial cells, where it plays a role in the establishment of the radial glial fiber network required for neuronal migration. B-FABP is also expressed in astrocytoma tumors and in some malignant glioma cell lines. To address the role of B-FABP in malignant glioma, we have studied the growth properties of clonal populations of malignant glioma cells modified for B-FABP expression.

Comparison of activity level in daily life with heart rate: Application to elderly persons of different ambulatory abilities.

Objectives: Normal activity monitoring methods are mainly useful for relatively healthy and ablebodied people, but are not necessarily appropriate for elderly persons who may have difficulty in walking, or for the frail who may be bedridden. The purpose of this study was to examine 24-hour heart rate recording for the comparison of activity levels in daily life of elderly persons of different ambulatory abilities.

Methods: Forty-two elderly females (mean, 82.

Development, progression, and regression of microalbuminuria in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes under tight glycemic and blood pressure control: the Kashiwa study.

Objective: The goal of this study was to know the fate of albuminuria in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes under tight blood pressure and glycemic control.

Research Design And Methods: Patients having normoalbuminuria (urinary albumin excretion <30 mg/g creatinine, n = 179) or microalbuminuria (albumin excretion 30-299 mg/g creatinine, n = 94) at baseline have been followed up for 8 years: ratio of men to women was 160/113, the mean age was 58 years, pretreatment HbA(1c) (A1C) was 8.8%, and blood pressure was 136/76 mmHg.

The prevalence of obesity and its relationship with lifestyle factors in Jamaica.

We surveyed the prevalence of obesity in the general population in Jamaica, and examined the relationship between it and lifestyle. The survey population consisted of 1,935 inhabitants in Jamaica, whose body weight, height, marital status, educational history, employment status and other obesity-associated lifestyle factors were surveyed. Six major findings emerged.

Initial drop of blood pressure during head-up tilt in patients with cerebrovascular accidents.

Objective: To investigate cardiovascular responses to orthostatic stress in patients with cerebrovascular accidents (CVA).

Methods: Twelve male patients with CVA, 11 healthy elderly and 12 healthy young males participated in the present study. The CVA patients had suffered stroke with hemiplegia at least 11 months prior to the study, their medical conditions were stable, and no subjects were taking medications affecting the cardiovascular system.

Perception of self-physique and eating behavior of high school students in Japan.

The authors investigated the condition of self-physique perception and eating behavior, and the relationship between self-physique perception and eating behavior of high school students in Japan. Regarding self-physique perception, subjects were shown six pictures of physiques and asked to choose one physique each for their actual physique and their ideal physique. With respect to eating behavior, the Japanese version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT)-26 was used.

A longitudinal study of the relationship between osteo sono-assessment index and lifestyle in elderly female in nursing homes.

The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of mobility and daily activity, in the form of exercise and everyday activities, on the bones of 102 elderly female nursing home residents who had physical disabilities as well as marked postmenopausal bone loss, using calcaneal ultrasound apparatus for bone evaluation.Of the 102 subjects initially measured, 74 (mean age, 83.5±6.

[Well-being and depression in residents of a provincial city 65 years old or older].

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between feeling of well-being and clinical depression for a large number of residents in a provincial city in northern Tohoku. The research sought to clarify whether one's lifestyle might play a role in whether one suffered a state of clinical depression.

Methods: The study used survey methods to question every resident 65 years old or older living in the provincial city.

Active life expectancy for people over 65 years old in a local city in the northern part of Tohoku district.

Life expectancy does not necessarily match quality of life (QOL). A cohort study involving a population of 10,107 in a certain city of Japan was conducted to evaluate active life expectancy (ALE), which has a direct relationship with QOL. The ALE that took functional recovery rates into account was 17.

Bone mineral density and osteo sono assessment index in adolescents.

The standard value for bone mineral density in the distal radius (R-BMD) and the osteo sono assessment index (OSI) in the os calcaneus for each sex and age in teenagers have not yet been fully reported. The R-BMD and OSI of junior and senior high school students were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) or by a quantitative ultrasound technique. Subjects measured by DEXA included 635 junior and senior high school students (274 males and 361 females, aged 12-17 years).

A study on the daily physical activity of junior high school students in Japan.

The purpose of this study was to estimate daily energy expenditure (EE) and daily activity factor (DAF: EE/basal metabolism - 1) of junior high school students in Japan using heart rate (HR) monitoring method. Daily activity recording and 24 hour HR monitoring were measured in all the subjects. The relational formulas between HR and oxygen consumption were obtained from bicycle ergometer test.

One-year increment of fat mass and lean body mass of Japanese school children using bioelectrical impedance.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and skinfold thickness (SF) (triceps and subscapular) methods were applied to 436 Japanese school children (228 boys and 208 girls) aged from 9 to 11 years with a one-year follow-up to determine changes in body composition. By BIA oneyear increment (Δ) of lean body mass (LBM) for boys increased significantly (p<0.01) and Δ LBM was almost equivalent to that for Δ weight (Wt).

A study of Atopic dermatitis in elementary school children in Hirosaki city, Aomori prefecture, Japan.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between residential environments and atopic dermatitis (AD). Subjects were 1378 elementary school children from 4 elementary schools in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture located in die northeastern of Japan. Physical examinations, which adhered to the diagnostic criteria set by die Japanese Dermatological Association, were given by dermatological specialists in October 1994 (first series) and April 1995 (second series).

Eating patterns, weight status and egogram characteristics among Japanese pupils.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual conditions of eating patterns and the relationships among eating patterns, degree of overweightness and egogram characteristics among pupils. The subjects were 871 boys and girls whose grades ranged from 4th to 6th. They were selected from five elementary schools in Hirosaki and its suburbs, Japan.

[Relationship of atopic dermatitis to residential environment. A study of the comparison between diagnosis by medical examination and assessment by questionnaire].

Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD) according to criterion of the Japanese Dermatology Society by medical examination and a questionnaire survey concerning the living environment and presence of allergic diseases were performed on 1725 elementary school children living in Hirosaki-city and its suburbs in Aomiri Prefecture. In addition a scratch test for mite antigen was conducted 523 of the children and a patch test on 240. No difference was found between the rate of children diagnosed as having AD during the medical examination which was 12.

Evaluating rural Bangladeshi women's perspectives of quality in family planning services.

Several frameworks for understanding the quality of family planning care have been proposed. However, efforts to measure and quantify their components remain underdeveloped, especially with regard to nonclinical care and community-based distribution. This study examines a large-scale field survey conducted among married women of reproductive age in rural Bangladesh in 1989 and 1990 to measure and evaluate rural women's perceptions of the quality of outreach services they received.

Diffusion of the culture of contraception: program effects on young women in rural Bangladesh.

This article describes a process of diffusion of family planning information, ideas, and technology among an unanticipated audience of young, unmarried women in rural Bangladesh. The data are derived from a focus-group study conducted in 1987-88 in the Maternal Child Health and Family Planning Project in Matlab, Bangladesh. A discussion with a staff member revealed her vivid memory of the arrival of the community-based family planning worker in her village 10 years earlier, before she was married.

Employment in family planning and women's status in Bangladesh.

This study investigates how employment in family planning affects the status of community workers. The focus is on three critical variables: prestige, professional status, and social influence. The data are derived from a focus-group study conducted in 1987-88 in the Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning Project in Matlab, Bangladesh.

Resolution of type 1 reaction in multibacillary Hansen's disease as a result of treatment with cyclosporine.

Type 1 Hansen's disease reaction (reversal reaction) is believed to result from a change in the immune response in patients with borderline Hansen's disease. The only effective therapy for significant type 1 reactions has been systemic corticosteroid therapy. Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive drug which has been widely used in organ transplantation.

[A case of "cri-du-chat" syndrome with meningomyelocele (author's transl)].

This patients is a 48-day-old girl, born as the third child from a 29-year-old healthy mother. The pregnancy was uneventful, and the delivery was normal. Right after birth, she had episode of asphyxia for several minutes.