The occurrence of renin inhibitor in rice: isolation, identification, and structure-function relationship.

We found renin inhibitory activity in rice. The physico-chemical data on the isolated inhibitors were identical to those of oleic acid and linoleic acid. Oleic acid and linoleic acid competitively inhibited renin activity, with K(i) values of 15.

Effects of probiotic Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 on halitosis and oral health: an open-label pilot trial.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether oral administration of lactobacilli alters the degree of halitosis and clinical conditions associated with halitosis.

Study Design: Twenty patients with genuine halitosis were given 2.0 x 10(9)Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 and xylitol in tablet form daily.

Yamabushitake mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) improved lipid metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet.

The effects of dietary Yamabushitake mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) on lipid metabolism were examined. C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet containing hot-water extract (HW-E) and an ethanol extract (EtOH-E) of Yamabushitake mushroom. Administration of HW-E or EtOH-E with a high-fat diet for 28 d resulted in a significant decrease in body weight gain, fat weight, and serum and hepatic triacylglycerol levels.

Heterotopic autotransplantation of ovarian cortex in cynomolgus monkeys.

Abstract In recent years, removal of ova or ovaries before chemotherapy or radiation therapy has been investigated in young female cancer patients to avoid the adverse effects of treatment. Orthotopic autotransplantation of ovarian cortex has advantages such as easy collection of ova and the possibility of spontaneous pregnancy. Although children have been born after successful orthotopic autotransplantation into the residual ovaries, some patients cannot undergo this procedure such as those who need bilateral ovariectomy or pelvic radiation therapy, therefore it is still necessary to investigate suitable heterotopic autotransplantation sites.

Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue after pretreatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether slow-rate freezing or vitrification is better for cryopreservation of ovary tissues pretreated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist.

Methods: In this nonclinical study performed in rats, leuprorelin acetate was administered to female Wistar rats, aged 6-8 weeks. After confirming arrest of the estrous cycle by examination of vaginal smears, ovarian tissue was cryopreserved by vitrification and slow-rate freezing prior to thawing and autotransplantation.

Relationship between oral malodor and the global composition of indigenous bacterial populations in saliva.

Oral malodor develops mostly from the metabolic activities of indigenous bacterial populations within the oral cavity, but whether healthy or oral malodor-related patterns of the global bacterial composition exist remains unclear. In this study, the bacterial compositions in the saliva of 240 subjects complaining of oral malodor were divided into groups based on terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiles using hierarchical cluster analysis, and the patterns of the microbial community composition of those exhibiting higher and lower malodor were explored. Four types of bacterial community compositions were detected (clusters I, II, III, and IV).

Suppression of murine preadipocyte differentiation and reduction of visceral fat accumulation by a Petasites japonicus ethanol extract in mice fed a high-fat diet.

We investigated in this study the anti-obesity effect of an extract of Petasites japonicus (a culinary vegetable from Eastern Asia) on a murine adipocyte cell line (3T3-L1) and on diet-induced obesity-prone mice. An ethanol extract of P. japonicus.

Transcription factor POU6F1 is important for proliferation of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary and is a potential new molecular target.

Objective: Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary often shows resistance to anticancer agents. It accounts for 20% of epithelial ovarian cancer in Japan versus around 5% in other countries. We investigated new molecules to use when developing molecular-targeting therapy for clear cell adenocarcinoma.

[Usefulness of clinical study of irinotecan and cisplatin for recurrent ovarian cancer].

So far, there is no recommended evidence-based chemotherapeutic regimen for recurrent or refractory ovarian carcinoma in the guideline. In our institute, combination chemotherapy of CPT-11 and CDDP (CPT-P) was administered for recurrent or refractory ovarian carcinoma patients previously treated with regimens including taxane. In fourteen cases treated with CPT-P, there were 2 cases of CR, 2 of PR, 3 of SD, and 7 of PD.

POU6F1 is the transcription factor that might be involved in cell proliferation of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary.

Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary often shows resistance to anticancer agents. We investigated new molecules to use when developing molecular-targeting therapy for clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary. RMG-I cells without invasive potential and RMG-V cells with invasive potential (derived from clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary) were subjected to complementary deoxyribonucleic acid microarray analysis.

Silent exonic mutation in the acid-alpha-glycosidase gene that causes glycogen storage disease type II by affecting mRNA splicing.

Glycogen-storage disease type II (GSDII) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). The residual GAA activity is largely related to the severity of the clinical course. Most patients with infantile-onset GSDII do not show any enzyme activity, whereas patients with the late-onset forms of GSDII show various degrees of GAA activity.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with nedaplatin after radical hysterectomy in patients with stage IB and II cervical cancer.

Although radical hysterectomy is the standard surgical treatment for patients with stage IB and II cervical cancer, it does not improve the prognosis of high-risk patients even if postoperative radiotherapy is added. There is therefore a need to establish some other therapeutic regimen. In the present retrospective study, the efficacy of concurrent nedaplatin after radical hysterectomy in high-risk stage IB to II cervical cancer was analyzed.

Ovarian toxicity of paclitaxel and effect on fertility in the rat.

Aim: Taxanes are regarded as key chemotherapy agents for breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies; therefore the ovarian toxicity of paclitaxel (PTX) is a matter of importance to younger women with malignancies. We examined the ovarian toxicity of PTX and its influence on fertility in rats.

Methods: Female Wistar rats aged 6-8 weeks received five doses of PTX at 3-day intervals.

Parental smoking and smoking status of Japanese dental hygiene students: a pilot survey at a dental hygiene school in Japan.

This study aimed to determine the frequency of smoking and to explore factors associated with the smoking habits of female students at a dental hygiene school in Japan. Questionnaires regarding cigarette smoking were given to 168 female students. The response rate was 97.

Favourable prognosis with modified dosing of docetaxel and cisplatin in Japanese patients with ovarian cancer.

Background: The long-term efficacy and safety of docetaxel/cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy in Japanese patients was evaluated in order to find an optional regimen for ovarian cancer.

Patients And Methods: Women with surgically resected stage Ic-IV epithelial ovarian cancer were treated with docetaxel 70 mg/m2 and cisplatin 60 mg/m2 every 4 weeks.

Results: Ninety women were enrolled of whom 89 (median age, 54 years) received a median of 6 cycles (range 1 to 9).

The relationship between alcohol consumption and oral malodour.

Objective: To analyse the relationship between alcohol consumption and oral malodour.

Subjects: 235 individuals, aged 46.5 +/- 15.

Overexpression of class III beta-tubulin predicts good response to taxane-based chemotherapy in ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Of the various microtubule-associated molecules, beta-tubulin III has been reported to be closely associated with the therapeutic efficacy of taxane-based chemotherapy against ovarian cancer. Stathmin and microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4) have been reported to play an important role in microtubule stabilization. In this study, we investigated whether expression of these microtubule-associated factors affects the therapeutic efficacy of taxane-based chemotherapy in ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma.

Effect of neonatal hypoxia on the development of intraspinal serotonergic fibers in relation to spinal motoneurons.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT)-containing neurons trophically affect target neurons and modulate central nervous system neuronal activity. We studied effects of neonatal hypoxia on postnatal development of intraspinal 5-HT fibers in spinal motoneuron pools. Postnatal day (PND) 0 Sprague-Dawley rats received a hypoxic load and survivors were used for histological analyzes on PNDs 1, 7, and 14.

A rapid and efficient strategy to generate allele-specific anti-HLA monoclonal antibodies.

That generation of allele-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) monoclonal antibodies (ASHmAb) is very difficult is well known. This is thought to be due to the unique epitope structure, an assemblage of amino acid residues that lie separately in the amino acid sequence of human HLA, and to its low antigenicity compared with that of common epitopes recognized as xenogeneic determinants by mice. Here we report a rapid and efficient strategy to generate ASHmAb.

A Case Report of Tooth Wear Associated with a Patient's Inappropriate Efforts to Reduce Oral Malodor Caused by Endodontic Lesion.

Here, we report a case of severe tooth wear associated with a patient's inappropriate efforts to reduce oral malodor. A 72-year-old male patient visited our breath clinic complaining of strong breath odor. Former dentists had performed periodontal treatments including scaling and root planing, but his oral malodor did not decrease.

Detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA in the saliva of patients complaining of halitosis.

Helicobacter pylori infection, which causes peptic ulcers and gastric cancer, is considered a possible cause of halitosis. Recently, the oral cavity was identified as a possible H. pylori reservoir, particularly in the presence of periodontal disease, which is a cause of halitosis.

[Questionnaire survey on sleep habit of 3-year-old children in Asahikawa City].

The present study surveyed the sleep habits of 3-year-old children in Asahikawa city using questionnaires completed by a parent during children's medical check-ups. Questionnaires were collected from the parents of 404 children (209 males, 195 females; mean age, 3.1 years) enrolled in this survey.

Relationship between halitosis and psychologic status.

Objective: To examine the psychosomatic aspects of patients complaining of halitosis.

Study Design: Breath malodor in 165 patients was measured using an organoleptic test (OLT), sulfide monitoring, and gas chromatography. Clinical evaluation included oral examination, OLT, and volatile sulfur compound measurement.

Molecular analysis and anticonvulsant therapy in two patients with glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome: a successful use of zonisamide for controlling the seizures.

Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) deficiency syndrome is caused by a deficit in glucose transport to the brain during the pre- and postnatal periods. Here, we report two cases of GLUT1 deficiency syndrome diagnosed on the basis of clinical features, reduced GLUT1 activities, and mutations in the GLUT1 gene. Patient 1 had a novel heterozygous 1bp insertion in exon 7 that resulted in a shift of the reading frame and the introduction of a premature stop codon at amino acid position 380.

A synthetic retinoid, TAC-101 (4-[3,5-bis (trimethylsilyl) benzamido] benzoic acid), plus cisplatin: potential new therapy for ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma.

Objective: A novel retinoid, TAC-101 (4-[3,5-bis (trimethylsilyl) benzamido] benzoic acid), induces apoptosis of ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma. The antitumor effect of TAC-101 alone or combined with cisplatin was tested using human ovarian carcinoma.

Methods: Induction of genes related to apoptosis by TAC-101 or cisplatin was assessed by DNA microarray analysis.