Extremely late-onset chronic graft-versus-host disease presenting with bronchiolitis obliterans and pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis.

A 35-year-old woman experienced left back pain after a 2-h flight. She reported coughing and left back pain 1 day later when she presented to our hospital. Chest computed tomography showed pneumothorax of the left lung, bronchiectasis, thickening of the bronchial wall, nodules, and cavity lesions in both lungs.

A Smartphone Healthcare Application, , to Promote Weight Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Mobile applications are increasingly used in healthcare. We have developed a smartphone healthcare application, , that can register daily diet, exercise, mood, and sleep quality, calculate dietary intake, and provide advice using artificial intelligence technology. This 3-month randomized controlled trial tested the hypothesis that could promote body weight reduction in Japanese adults with overweight or obesity.

Lower Availability of Mitochondrial Complex I in Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Autism: A Positron Emission Tomography Study.

Objective: Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in previous studies of postmortem brain or peripheral samples. The authors investigated whether and where mitochondrial dysfunction occurs in the living brains of individuals with ASD and to identify the clinical correlates of detected mitochondrial dysfunction.

Methods: This case-control study used positron emission tomography (PET) with 2--butyl-4-chloro-5-{6-[2-(2-[F]fluoroethoxy)-ethoxy]-pyridin-3-ylmethoxy}-2H-pyridazin-3-one ([F]BCPP-EF), a radioligand that binds to the mitochondrial electron transport chain complex I, to examine the topographical distribution of mitochondrial dysfunction in living brains of individuals with ASD.

The Association between Milk Intake and Nutrient Intake Adequacy among Japanese Female Junior High School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The consumption of dairy products, including milk, may be important for improving the overall quality of a diet. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between milk intake and nutritional adequacy among Japanese female junior high school students. The participants of this study were Japanese female junior high school students aged between 12 and 15 years.

Protective Effects of Amino Acids on Plasmid DNA Damage Induced by Therapeutic Carbon Ions.

Radioprotectors with few side effects are useful for carbon-ion therapy, which directly induces clustering damage in DNA. With the aim of finding the most effective radioprotector, we investigated the effects of selected amino acids which might have chemical DNA-repair functions against therapeutic carbon ions. In the current study, we employed five amino acids: tryptophan (Trp), cysteine (Cys), methionine (Met), valine (Val) and alanine (Ala).

Oxytocin-induced increase in N,N-dimethylglycine and time course of changes in oxytocin efficacy for autism social core symptoms.

Background: Oxytocin is expected as a novel therapeutic agent for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) core symptoms. However, previous results on the efficacy of repeated administrations of oxytocin are controversial. Recently, we reported time-course changes in the efficacy of the neuropeptide underlying the controversial effects of repeated administration; however, the underlying mechanisms remained unknown.

Potential Mechanisms for Protective Effect of D-Methionine on Plasmid DNA Damage Induced by Therapeutic Carbon Ions.

D-methionine (D-met), a dextrorotatory isoform of the amino acid L-methionine (L-met), can prevent oral mucositis and salivary hypofunction in mice exposed to radiation. However, the mechanism of its radioprotection is unclear, especially with regard to the stereospecific functions of D-met. Radiation is known to cause injury to normal tissue by triggering DNA damage in cells.

Monitoring Mitochondrial Complex-I Activity Using Novel PET Probe 18F-BCPP-EF Allows Early Detection of Radiotherapy Effect in Murine Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Objectives: Aerobic glycolysis, the main pathway of energy production in tumors (Warburg effect) allows detection of tumors by positron emission tomography (PET) using 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG). Since ionizing radiation (IR) is reported to switch aerobic glycolysis to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, radiotherapeutic efficacy was monitored by the activity of mitochondrial complex I (MC-I), using a new PET probe 18F-BCPP-EF, 18F-2-tert-butyl-4-chloro-5-{6-[2-(2-fluoro-ethoxy)-ethoxy] -pyridine-3-ylmethoxy}-2H-pyridazin-3-one, compared with 18F-FDG uptake and the apoptosis index.

Methods: Tumor uptake of 18F-BCPP-EF or 18F-FDG was examined in C3H/HeN mice inoculated with murine squamous cell carcinoma SCCVII at various time points after a single dose of x-ray irradiation at 0, 6, 15, or 30 Gy.

Liposome-Encapsulated Hemoglobin Improves Tumor Oxygenation as Detected by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Colon Carcinoma in Mice.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) with high (h-LEH, P O  = 10 mm Hg) or low O affinity (l-LEH, P O  = 40 mm Hg) may improve O delivery to sensitize tumor tissues for radiotherapy. A total of 10 mL/kg of h-LEH, l-LEH, red blood cells (RBCs), or saline was infused in mice transplanted with murine colon carcinoma with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) detectors set at the tumor (right leg) and intact muscle (left leg). NIRS recorded changes in the amount of oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb), deoxyhemoglobin (deoxyHb), and their sum (tHb) with the animals spontaneously breathing room air (10 min), pure O (5 min), and then back to room air.

Altered Cortical Dynamics and Cognitive Function upon Haploinsufficiency of the Autism-Linked Excitatory Synaptic Suppressor MDGA2.

Mutations in a synaptic organizing pathway contribute to autism. Autism-associated mutations in MDGA2 (MAM domain containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor 2) are thought to reduce excitatory/inhibitory transmission. However, we show that mutation of Mdga2 elevates excitatory transmission, and that MDGA2 blocks neuroligin-1 interaction with neurexins and suppresses excitatory synapse development.

Anti-inflammatory and Antinociceptive Constituents of Atractylodes japonica Koidzumi.

The rhizomes of many Atractylodes species, including Atractylodes chinensis Koidzumi, Atractylodes macrocephala Koidzumi, and Atractylodes japonica Koidzumi, are collectively termed Atractylodis Rhizoma. We prepared n-hexane extracts of the three species and evaluated their anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells.

Inhibitory Activity of Yokukansankachimpihange against Nerve Growth Factor-Induced Neurite Growth in Cultured Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons.

Chronic pruritus is a major and distressing symptom of many cutaneous diseases, however, the treatment remains a challenge in the clinic. The traditional Chinese-Japanese medicine (Kampo medicine) is a conservative and increasingly popular approach to treat chronic pruritus for both patients and medical providers. Yokukansankachimpihange (YKH), a Kampo formula has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of itching of atopic dermatitis in Japan although its pharmacological mechanism is unknown clearly.

Effect in dedicator of cytokinesis 6 (DOCK6) on steroid production in theca cells of follicular cysts.

Ovarian follicular cysts are one of the most common causes of reproductive failure in mammals. A comparative gene expression approach may aid in elucidating the causes of ovarian cyst disease. In the present study, the differential display technique was used to identify mRNA sequences that accumulate preferentially in theca cells of bovine cystic follicles.

Pharmacological effects of "jutsu" (Atractylodis rhizome and Atractylodis lanceae rhizome) on 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI)-induced head twitch response in mice (I).

Hallucinations are a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease and various forms of dementias. Yokukansan and Yokukansankachimpihange have attracted attention due to their effectiveness in the treatment of hallucinations of dementia. To clarify which component in these formulas contribute to the effects, at first, we focused on their differences in compositions to examine the pharmacological effects on the selective 5-HT2A/2C agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI)-induced head-twitch response (HTR) in mice that has been used as animal hallucination model.

Effects of Hachimijiogan, a Kampo powder, on epididymidis sperm characteristics in healthy male rats.

Purpose: Hachimijiogan (HJG, Rehmannia Eight Formula), a kidney-replenishing Kampo formula, is clinically known to be effective in the treatment of male infertility with oligozoospermia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of HJG on the epididymal sperm characteristics and related serum hormone changes in rats in an attempt to determine its mechanism.

Methods: Male Wistar-Imamichi rats (233.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin enhances chemotherapy to suppress metastasis in mice.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin with high O2 -affinity (P50 O2  = 10 mm Hg, h-LEH) was reported to enhance tumor radiosensitivity. We hypothesize that targeted O2 delivery to tumor hypoxia by h-LEH may also enhance chemotherapy to suppress tumor growth and metastasis in mice. Doxorubicin (DXR; 0.

Inhibitory activity of the flower buds of Lonicera japonica Thunb. against histamine production and L-histidine decarboxylase in human keratinocytes.

In previous studies we found that anionic surfactants such as sodium laurate (SL) and/or sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) exert actions on epidermal keratinocytes rather than mast cells to give rise of histamine production and skin itching through increasing the expression of the 53-kDa active form of L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC). In addition, with treatment of SL in a three-dimensional human keratinocyte culture, increases in both the 53-kDa HDC and histamine production are detected and thus this culture assay is applied to screen anti-itching materials from natural resources. In this study, the inhibitory activity of "Kin-gin-ka" (flower buds of Lonicera japonica Thunb.

Effects of liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin on gastric wound healing in the rat.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) may improve microcirculation and oxygen (O2 ) metabolism at a surgical wound to accelerate its healing. Ten mL/kg of LEH with high (h-LEH) or low O2 -affinity (l-LEH), homologous red blood cells (RBC), empty liposome or saline as a control was infused before a 10-mm incision and interrupted suture closure of the gastric wall in a total of 110 rats. Two and 4 days later, the stomach was excised for bursting pressure determination and histological sampling.

Polyamine Oxidase5 Regulates Arabidopsis Growth through Thermospermine Oxidase Activity.

The major plant polyamines (PAs) are the tetraamines spermine (Spm) and thermospermine (T-Spm), the triamine spermidine, and the diamine putrescine. PA homeostasis is governed by the balance between biosynthesis and catabolism; the latter is catalyzed by polyamine oxidase (PAO). Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has five PAO genes, AtPAO1 to AtPAO5, and all encoded proteins have been biochemically characterized.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin accelerates bronchial healing after pneumonectomy in the rat with or without preoperative radiotherapy.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) has been reported to accelerate wound healing in the stomach and skin in an experimental setting. LEH was tested in bronchial anastomotic healing after radiation and pneumonectomy in the rat. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 61) received preoperative radiation (20 Gy) to the chest and underwent left pneumonectomy with bronchial stump closure using the Sweet method 4 days later, when they were randomized to receive intravenous infusion of LEH with high O2 affinity (P50 O2  = 17 mm Hg, 10 mL/kg, n = 32) or saline (n = 29).