In vivo quantitative tissue characterization of angiographically normal coronary lesions and the relation with risk factors: a study using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound.

Background: Autopsy studies have shown atherosclerotic changes in angiographically normal coronary lesions (ANCL), and conventional intravascular ultrasound shows intimal thickening in these lesions, but cannot differentiate the lipid core. Accurate characterization of ANCL is essential to prevent progression to coronary artery disease.

Methods And Results: ANCL (n=120) were analyzed by integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS) in 30 patients with stable angina pectoris.

Minimal access via lower partial sternotomy for congenital heart defects.

To evaluate the invasiveness of a minimal access approach for simple congenital heart defects, and determine whether it can be regarded as a standard operation, 83 patients with an atrial septal defect and 73 with a ventricular septal defect underwent repair through a minimal skin incision and lower partial median sternotomy. There were no operative deaths, severe intraoperative complications, or conversion to full sternotomy. The clinical course of 106 patients was compared with that of 21 treated using a full sternotomy by the same surgeon; there were no significant differences, except in the operative time for ASD patients.

In vitro selective suppression of feline myeloid colony formation is attributable to molecularly cloned strain of feline leukemia virus with unique long terminal repeat.

Molecularly cloned feline leukemia virus (FeLV)-clone 33 (C-33), derived from a cat with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), was examined to assess its relation to the pathogenesis of AML and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). To evaluate in vitro pathogenicity of FeLV C-33, bone marrow colony-forming assay was performed on marrow cells infected with FeLV C-33 or an FeLV subgroup A strain (61E, a molecularly cloned strain with minimal pathogenicity). The myeloid colony-forming activity of feline bone marrow mononuclear cells infected with FeLV C-33 was significantly lower than that of cells infected with 61E.

Cardiomyopathy with prominent autophagic degeneration, accompanied by an elevated plasma brain natriuretic peptide level despite the lack of overt heart failure.

A 75-year-old man without overt heart failure showed an abnormally high level of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in plasma: 600 pg/ml. The left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy revealed prominent vacuolar degeneration in the myocytes, most of which were positive for PAS stain and BNP immunoreaction. Ultrastructurally, degenerative changes of myocytes were marked, such as deposits of glycogen and lipofuscin granules in the cytoplasm, but the most prominent finding was giant vacuoles containing degraded mitochondria, glycogen granules, myofibrils, and myelin-like structures (autophagosomes).

Impact of globalization under the ICH guidelines on the conduct of reproductive toxicity studies--report on current status in Japan, Europe and the U.S. by questionnaire survey.

We surveyed interpretation of the ICH guidelines concerning reproductive toxicology. Valid responses were obtained from Japan (JPN), Europe (EUR) and the U.S.

Basic study on velocity-flow urodynamics using Doppler sonography: simultaneous detection of cavitation and Doppler signals in an artificial urethral model.

Background: We have developed velocity-flow urodynamics using Doppler sonography based on the hypothesis that microbubbles formed in the urethra are responsible for Doppler signals. In order to confirm this hypothesis derived from Bernoulli's principle, we investigated the simultaneous detection of cavitation noise and Doppler signals in an experimental system.

Methods: An experimental circuit was built in which a stenosis was created using a glass or silicon tube with tap water used as the sample fluid.

Different effects of pravastatin and cerivastatin on the media of the carotid arteries as assessed by integrated backscatter ultrasound.

Background: Currently, there are various types of statins used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a lipophilic statin (cerivastatin) with those of a hydrophilic statin (pravastatin) on the carotid arterial media using integrated backscatter (IB) ultrasound. Cerivastatin (C) has a strong anti-proliferative effect (APE) on smooth muscle cells (SMCs), whereas pravastatin (P) has a weak effect.

Genome analysis technologies: towards species identification by genotype.

Traditional identification of species has been based on phenotypic traits, although it is clear that, theoretically, genotype-based classification is more accurate. This is especially the case for microorganisms which possess less identifiable traits and are more easily influenced by environment. Therefore, technology that allows identification of species based on genotype is highly desirable.

Assessment of acute myocardial infarction in Japan by the Japanese Coronary Intervention Study (JCIS) Group.

Background: Until now, large-scale nationwide surveys of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), such as those performed in Europe and America, have not been performed in Japan. Therefore, in 2000 the Japanese Coronary Intervention Study (JCIS) group conducted a nationwide survey on the incidence of AMI in Japan.

Methods And Results: Questionnaires were collected from 8,268 facilities throughout Japan.

Ex vivo and in vivo biological effects of a truncated form of the receptor tyrosine kinase stk when activated by interaction with the friend spleen focus-forming virus envelope glycoprotein or by point mutation.

The erythroleukemia-inducing Friend spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) encodes a unique envelope protein, gp55, which interacts with the erythropoietin (Epo) receptor complex, causing proliferation and differentiation of erythroid cells in the absence of Epo. Susceptibility to SFFV-induced erythroleukemia is conferred by the Fv-2 gene, which encodes a short form of the receptor tyrosine kinase Stk/Ron (sf-Stk) only in susceptible strains of mice. We recently demonstrated that sf-Stk becomes activated by forming a strong interaction with SFFV gp55.

Sarpogrelate, a 5-HT2 receptor blocker, may have a preconditioning-like effect in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Sarpogrelate, a serotonin receptor blocker, increases collaterals via a platelet anti-aggregation effect and/or vasodilatation. However, a recent report showed a preconditioning effect of sarpogrelate that enhances the translocation of PKC-epsilon of cardiomyocytes, followed by opening of the mitochondrial K(ATP) channel via inhibition of serotonin release from platelets during ischemia, protecting against cellular injury in rabbit hearts without collaterals. The present study used a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) model to define the protective effect of sarpogrelate against ischemic injury and its mechanism in human coronary artery disease.

GFPs of insertion mutation generated by molecular size-altering block shuffling.

Insertion and deletion analyses of a protein have been less common than point mutation analyses, partly due to the lack in effective methods. This is the case with the green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is so widely applied in molecular biology and other fields. In this paper we first introduce a systematic approach for generating insertion/deletion mutants of GFP.

An Efficient Ligation Method in the Making of an in vitro Virus for in vitro Protein Evolution.

The "in vitro virus" is a molecular construct to perform evolutionary protein engineering. The "virion (=viral particle)" (mRNA-peptide fusion), is made by bonding a nascent protein with its coding mRNA via puromycin in a test tube for in vitro translation. In this work, the puromycin-linker was attached to mRNA using the Y-ligation, which was a method of two single-strands ligation at the end of a double-stranded stem to make a stem-loop structure.

Sequence-specific and nonspecific mobilities of single-stranded oligonucleotides observed by changing the borate buffer concentration.

The suitability of gel electrophoresis to structural analysis of nucleic acids has been examined, using from borate buffer concentrations (in the range from 4.5 to 450 mM. The gel electrophoretic mobility of single-stranded oligonucleotides was shown to be sequence-dependent at higher concentrations than 27 mM of borate buffer and nondependent at lower one (less than 9 mM).

Identification and characterization of a novel Ste20/germinal center kinase-related kinase, polyploidy-associated protein kinase.

A novel protein kinase, polyploidy-associated protein kinase (PAPK), was isolated using a subtraction cDNA library approach from a mouse erythroleukemia cell line that had been induced to polyploidy after serum withdrawal. PAPK shares homology with members of the Ste20/germinal center kinase family of protein kinases and is ubiquitously expressed as two spliced forms, PAPK-A and PAPK-B, that encode for proteins of 418 and 189 amino acids, respectively. The expression of endogenous PAPK-A protein increased after growth factor withdrawal in murine hematopoietic and fibroblast cells.

Construction of block-shuffled libraries of DNA for evolutionary protein engineering: Y-ligation-based block shuffling.

Evolutionary protein engineering is now proceeding to a new stage in which novel technologies, besides the conventional point mutations, to generate a library of proteins, are required. In this context, a novel method for shuffling and rearranging DNA blocks (leading to protein libraries) is reported. A cycle of processes for producing combinatorial diversity was devised and designated Y-ligation-based block shuffling (YLBS).

Mitral regurgitation without supravalvular aortic stenosis in Williams syndrome.

Isolated mitral regurgitation without supravalvular aortic stenosis is rarely identified in Williams syndrome. We describe the case of a 24-year-old man with isolated mitral regurgitation in Williams syndrome. Severe regurgitation due to prolapse of the anterior leaflet was noted in an echocardiogram and color Doppler, and a left ventriculogram showed grade IV regurgitation.

In situ pericardium repair of pulmonary venous obstruction after repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

A 13-month-old boy with recurrent pulmonary venous obstruction (PVO) after repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC, Darling IIa + Ia) was treated successfully with in situ pericardium repair consisting of unroofing coronary sinus at 2 months. At 8 months, stenosis of the right upper and lower pulmonary veins (PV) and left lower PV were detected, and PVO was relieved via resection of the stenosis site and recutback. Echocardiography 3 months later showed obstructed bilateral PVs and connection between left PVs and vertical veins.

Genome structures embossed by oligonucleotide-stickiness.

Motivation: An unmanageably large amount of data on genome sequences is accumulating, prompting researchers to develop new methods to analyze them. We have devised a novel method designated oligostickiness, a measure roughly proportional to the binding affinity of an oligonucleotide to a DNA of interest, in order to analyze genome sequences as a whole.

Results: Fifteen representative genomes such as Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, H.

Spontaneous intramyocardial hematoma presenting as a rapidly expanding mass followed by echocardiography.

A50-year-old man with an intramyocardial mass was referred to us. He had undergone resection of both a coronary arterial aneurysm of unknown origin and a postinfarction left ventricular (LV) aneurysm 5 years before. Peak creatine kinase was slightly over the upper normal range, and an electrocardiogram revealed neither a new Q-wave nor an additional ST-segment change.

In vivo quantitative tissue characterization of human coronary arterial plaques by use of integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound and comparison with angioscopic findings.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to define whether integrated backscatter (IB) combined with conventional intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) makes tissue characterization of coronary arterial plaques possible.

Methods And Results: IB-IVUS was performed in coronary arteries (total 18 segments) of 9 patients at autopsy, and the findings were compared with the histology. RF signals, which were digitized at 2 GHz in 8-bit resolution, were obtained with an IVUS system with a 40-MHz catheter.

Commonly conserved genetic fragments revealed by genome profiling can serve as tracers of evolution.

We developed a method to produce, identify and analyze DNA fragments for the purpose of taxonomic classification. Genome profiling (GP) is a strategy that identifies genomic DNA fragments common to closely related species without prior knowledge of the DNA sequence. Random PCR, one of the key technologies of GP, is used to produce fragments and may be used even when there are mutations at the priming site.

Influence of perioperative blood transfusion on the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer receiving anticancer chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The deleterious effect of blood transfusions on survival has been reported in patients with cancers of various organs. However, it remains unclear whether there is any adverse effect of blood transfusion when the patients are administered anticancer drugs after surgery for gastric cancers.METHODS: Data from patients with gastric resection for advanced gastric cancer were retrospectively analyzed to determine the influence of perioperative blood transfusion on the survival rate.

[Is minimal skin incision and partial sternotomy approach for congenital heart defects less invasive?; evaluation of SIRS on ventricular septal defect].

Objectives: Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) has been developed to offer patients the benefits of open heart operations with limited skin incision. But it is unclear whether this procedure is less invasive. We evaluate postoperative duration of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) on ventricular septal defect (VSD).