Feasibility of methotrexate discontinuation following tocilizumab and methotrexate combination therapy in patients with long-standing and advanced rheumatoid arthritis: a 3-year observational cohort study.

Objectives: Methotrexate (MTX) is associated with extensive side effects, including myelosuppression, interstitial pneumonia, and infection. It is, therefore, critical to establish whether its administration is required after achieving remission with tocilizumab (TCZ) and MTX combination therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, the aim of this multicenter, observational, cohort study was to evaluate the feasibility of MTX discontinuation for the safety of these patients.

Docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid strongly inhibit prostanoid TP receptor-dependent contractions of guinea pig gastric fundus smooth muscle.

The inhibitory effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and linoleic acid (LA) on the contractions induced by five prostanoids and U46619 (a TP receptor agonist) were examined in guinea pig gastric fundus smooth muscle (GFSM). Tension changes were isometrically measured, and the mRNA expression of prostanoid receptors was measured by RT-qPCR. DHA and EPA significantly inhibited contractions induced by the prostanoids and U46619, whereas LA inhibited those induced by prostaglandin D and U46619.

Oral adverse events due to zinc deficiency after pancreaticoduodenectomy requiring continuous intravenous zinc supplementation: a case report and literature review.

Background: Zinc is mainly absorbed in the duodenum and proximal jejunum, which are removed during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Little is known about the adverse oral events and skin disorders caused by zinc deficiency after PD. Herein, we reviewed studies on the development of zinc deficiency after PD and reported about a patient with zinc deficiency after PD who required home intravenous zinc replacement.

The contingency symmetry bias (affirming the consequent fallacy) as a prerequisite for word learning: A comparative study of pre-linguistic human infants and chimpanzees.

Humans are known to possess an "affirming the consequent fallacy," which assumes that a learned contingency holds true even when the order is reversed. In contrast, non-human animals do not fall for this fallacy, as they do not have the contingency symmetry bias. Importantly, language is founded on the symmetrical relationship between symbols and referents, and the contingency symmetry bias plays a key role in word learning.

Cost and outcome of occupation-based practice for community dwelling frail elderly: a pilot study.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness and costs of the occupation-based practice for community dwelling frail elderly.

Design: Pilot pre-post design without a control group.

Setting: A care management center involving 37 local elderly.

Clinical and structural remission rates increased annually and radiographic progression was continuously inhibited during a 3-year administration of tocilizumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A multi-center, prospective cohort study by the Michinoku Tocilizumab Study Group.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and structural efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ) during its long-term administration in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: In total, 693 patients with RA who started TCZ therapy were followed for 3 years. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by DAS28-ESR and Boolean remission rates in 544 patients.

Detailed assessment of gene activation levels by multiple hypoxia-responsive elements under various hypoxic conditions.

Objective: HIF-1/HRE pathway is a promising target for the imaging and the treatment of intractable malignancy (HIF-1; hypoxia-inducible factor 1, HRE; hypoxia-responsive element). The purposes of our study are: (1) to assess the gene activation levels resulting from various numbers of HREs under various hypoxic conditions, (2) to evaluate the bidirectional activity of multiple HREs, and (3) to confirm whether multiple HREs can induce gene expression in vivo.

Methods: Human colon carcinoma HCT116 cells were transiently transfected by the constructs containing a firefly luciferase reporter gene and various numbers (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) of HREs (nHRE+, nHRE-).

Squamous cell carcinoma with rhabdoid features of the gingiva: a case report with unusual histology.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with rhabdoid features (SCCRF) is extremely rare in the oral cavity. We report herein a case of oral SCCRF. The patient was a 69-year-old Japanese woman who had been suffering from a mass in the right lower gingiva.

Salivary duct carcinoma with rhabdoid features: report of 2 cases with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analyses.

Background: Salivary duct carcinoma with rhabdoid features is extremely rare.

Methods: We report 2 cases of salivary duct carcinoma with rhabdoid features treated at our institution.

Results: Case 1 was a 44-year-old Japanese man who had swelling in the left parotid region.

[Breast-feeding and the mother's sentiment towards child rearing. Analysis of database on health checkups].

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the breast-feeding rate and associated factors and to get better understanding on the mother's sentiment towards child rearing due to differences in feeding methods. This information can be used as primary sources providing effective support through community-based health care for mothers and infants.

Methods: The study was carried out in Osaka city from April 2005 to December 2009.

Single-photon emission computed tomography of spontaneous liver metastasis from orthotopically implanted human colon cancer cell line stably expressing human sodium/iodide symporter reporter gene.

Background: We aimed to develop a mouse spontaneous liver metastasis model from an orthotopically implanted human colon cancer cell line stably expressing a human sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) reporter gene, which can be imaged with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using 99mTcO4-.

Methods: A recombinant plasmid containing a constitutively driven NIS gene (pcDNA3-NIS) was transfected into the human colon cancer cell line HCT116, and stable cell lines were established. The stable cells were subcutaneously injected into the nude mice.

Physical intuitions about support relations in monkeys (Macaca fuscata) and apes (Pan troglodytes).

Nonhuman primates, like humans, have demonstrated various physical intuitions. Cacchione and Krist (2004) examined chimpanzees' intuitions about support relations with the violation-of-expectation task. They reported that the chimpanzees possessed intuitions about support, but their intuitions differed from those of humans in part; they were sensitive to "contact/no-contact" and "amount of contact" but not "type of contact" rule.

Long-term visual recognition of familiar persons, peers, and places by young monkeys (Macaca fuscata).

Five-year-old Japanese monkeys were tested on long-term visual recognition memory. The objects used were those that they had encountered daily during their first 2 years of life as to-be-remembered stimuli: persons, peers, and places. After a 3-year delay, we conducted a recognition test using the preferential looking paradigm where the monkeys were presented with pictures of these familiar stimuli in combination with those of novel stimuli.

Probabilistic information structure of human walking.

Recently, the area of healthcare has been tremendously benefited from the advent of high performance computing in improving quality of life. Different processing techniques have been developed to understand the hidden complexity of the time series and will help clinicians in diagnosis and treatment. Analysis of human walking helps to study the various pathological conditions affecting balance and the elderly.

The effect of an auxiliary stimulation on motor function restoration by FES.

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is a technology to generate neural activity in an artificial way to activate muscles. However, as reported by some researchers, the human responses to FES are likely to be affected by several factors, such as spasticity, muscle fatigue, nerve habituation and so forth. Consequently, the function restoration by FES is neither durable, nor stable.

Can chimpanzee infants (Pan troglodytes) form categorical representations in the same manner as human infants (Homo sapiens)?

We directly compared chimpanzee infants and human infants for categorical representations of three global-like categories (mammals, furniture and vehicles), using the familiarization-novelty preference technique. Neither species received any training during the experiments. We used the time that participants spent looking at the stimulus object while touching it as a measure.

Species-specific PCR method for identification of Streptococcus downei.

Aims: To establish a rapid method to differentiate Streptococcus downei and S. sobrinus by multiplex PCR.

Methods And Results: A PCR primer pair specific to S.

Do infant Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata) categorize objects without specific training?

In the present study, we examined whether infant Japanese macaques categorize objects without any training, using a similar technique also used with human infants (the paired-preference method). During the familiarization phase, subjects were presented twice with two pairs of different objects from one global-level category. During the test phase, they were presented twice with a pair consisting of a novel familiar-category object and a novel global-level category object.

[Characteristics of functional training and effects on physical activities of daily living].

Purpose: The effects of functional training on physical Activities of Daily Living (ADL) based on the Health and Medical Service Law for the Elderly have been controversial. The aim of the present study was to explore its characteristics and influence with a large sample.

Subjects And Methods: 669 participants and 1,110 non-participants in functional training were recruited from 54 cities and villages in 1998.

Human parvovirus B19 in rheumatoid arthritis.

Viral arthritis occurs transiently in most cases, because the infection is self limiting. The arthropathy associated with human parvovirus B19, however, often lasts for more than 2 years and their clinical symptoms may resemble with those of rheumatoid arthritis. Data have been accumulating for the link of B19 infection with chronic polyarthropathy or rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and we discuss the possible mechanism for the role of B19 in the etiopathology of RA.

Spontaneous occurrence of anti-fibrillin-1 autoantibodies in tight-skin mice.

Tight-skin (TSK) mouse represents an experimental for systemic sclerosis, displaying cutaneous hyperplasia, connective tissue alterations in the internal organs and developing autoantibodies against several scleroderma target autoantigens. TSK mouse syndrome is associated with a mutation in fibrillin-1 (Fbn-1), the major component of 10 nm microfibrils. Here, we have investigated whether TSK mouse develops autoimmunity to Fbn-1 similar to scleroderma target autoantigens.

[Diagnosis for human parvovirus B19-polyarthritis: usefulness of empty particle B19.ELISA and B19-DNA.PCR].

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of new ELISA for human parvovirus B19 (B19) antibodies and PCR for the diagnosis of acute onset of B19 polyarthritis.

Methods: We evaluated the reproducibility and sensitivity on the detection of anti-B19 antibody by ELISA using recombinant VP-1 and VP-2 (empty particle), and then studied for the prevalence of IgM and IgG B19 antibody in 125 samples for anti-B19 tests. The random study on anti-B19 antibody assay as well as PCR for B19-DNA was also performed in 130 cases with acute onset of arthritis excluding those with known origins, 224 with rheumatoid arthritis and 149 with other categories.