The protective effects of blueberry honey from Canada against HO-induced cytotoxicity in human buccal mucosal cells.

Objectives: Several clinical trials have been conducted worldwide to evaluate the efficacy of honey against stomatitis. However, it is unclear which types of honey are effective at preventing and/or treating stomatitis. This study aimed to evaluate the potencies of several types of honey in preventing and/or curing aphthous stomatitis in in vitro studies.

Royal jelly reduces depression-like behavior through possible effects on adrenal steroidogenesis in a murine model of unpredictable chronic mild stress.

Royal jelly (RJ) is used as a dietary supplement for human health promotion. Recently, a clinical trial has reported that RJ improved mental health. The present study was conducted to experimentally support the clinical effect of RJ on mental health and to further elucidate the mechanisms of action of RJ.

Catheter displacement into inferior epigastric vein causing local phlebitis and cellulitis.

Catheter insertion for intravenous hyperalimentation is a commonly and widely used clinical technique. When compared with the incidence of complications associated with insertions into the internal jugular vein or the subclavian vein, complications associated with insertions into the femoral vein are less frequent. In this paper, we describe a very rare complication of femoral vein catheter insertion-namely, catheter displacement into the inferior epigastric vein.

Evaluation of Three Cases Using a Novel Titanium Mesh System-Skull-Fit with Orbital Wall (Skull-Fit WOW)-For Cranial Base Reconstructions.

Cranial base reconstructions associated with tumor resections around the orbital wall often require that both the upper and lateral orbital walls be reconstructed during a single procedure. Previously, we used titanium mesh plates that were preoperatively fabricated based on three-dimensional models. Although these plates are precise and do not increase the probability of infection, we still had to use autologous bones to reconstruct the orbital walls.

Recruited minced skin grafting for improving the skin appearance of the donor site of a split-thickness skin graft.

Objective: To improve skin appearance at the donor site of a split-thickness skin graft, part of the harvested skin was minced and grafted back onto the site in a process we named "recruited minced skin grafting."

Materials And Methods: Thirteen Japanese patients who needed split-thickness skin grafts were treated with recruited minced skin grafting. Five patients were used as controls, in whom donor sites were treated with the traditional method.

Pericellular versican regulates the fibroblast-myofibroblast transition: a role for ADAMTS5 protease-mediated proteolysis.

The cell and its glycosaminoglycan-rich pericellular matrix (PCM) comprise a functional unit. Because modification of PCM influences cell behavior, we investigated molecular mechanisms that regulate PCM volume and composition. In fibroblasts and other cells, aggregates of hyaluronan and versican are found in the PCM.

Palatoplasty for bilateral oblique cleft of the soft palate accompanied by Tessier number 5·7 cleft.

Craniofacial cleft is a rare congenital deformity in which there are fissures of a facial structure classified by Tessier. A palatoplasty to reconstruct the muscle sling and to close the cleft of the velum was performed. Acceptable postoperative appearance of the velum was seen after 6 months.

Distribution of adipose-derived stem cells in adipose tissues from human cadavers.

Background: Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) possess multipotency in vivo and in vitro, and thus are thought to be very promising precursors for use in regenerative medicine. ASCs can be concentrated from adipose tissue by enzymatic digestion and transplanted to increase angiogenesis or for cosmesis. ASC transplants are now being performed in a clinical setting.

An event-related fNIRS investigation of Japanese word order.

Japanese is a free word-order language, and allows both subject-object-verb (SOV) and object-subject-verb (OSV) orders. Our previous study using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) imaging revealed that OSV sentences induce more activation in the left frontal lobe than SOV sentences. The present study develops our previous experiment: (1) by adopting an event-related design, and (2) by using sentences involving the adverb naze 'why', which plays a prominent role in recent linguistic studies.

A novel approach to thoracic wall reconstruction based on a muscle perforator.

When reconstructing the thoracic wall, non-adaptation of the suture line is a critical concern, especially when artificial implants are used. Therefore, a reliable and safe flap is required. Based on an anatomical study of cadavers, we decided to dissect the pectoralis major musculo-cutaneous flap into two parts, on the surface and beneath the muscle fascia, while preserving the muscle perforators.

MMP-13 plays a role in keratinocyte migration, angiogenesis, and contraction in mouse skin wound healing.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in wound healing. To analyze the roles of MMP-9 and MMP-13 in wound healing, we generated full-thickness cutaneous wounds in MMP-9 knockout (KO), MMP-13 KO, MMP-9/13 double KO, and wild-type mice. Macroscopic wound closure was delayed in all of the KO mice, as compared with wild-type mice.

Advantages of open treatment for syndactyly of the foot: defining its indications.

For the repair of syndactyly of the foot, skin grafting is often used to close the skin defect, but open treatment is not common. However, with grafting, an additional scar at the donor site and patchwork-like scar at the recipient site are inevitable. Our aim was to describe the process of epithelialisation and define the indications for open treatment of syndactyly of the foot.

Royal jelly facilitates restoration of the cognitive ability in trimethyltin-intoxicated mice.

Trimethyltin (TMT) is a toxic organotin compound that induces acute neuronal death selectively in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) followed by cognition impairment; however the TMT-injured hippocampal DG itself is reported to regenerate the neuronal cell layer through rapid enhancement of neurogenesis. Neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/NPCs) are present in the adult hippocampal DG, and generate neurons that can function for the cognition ability. Therefore, we investigated whether royal jelly (RJ) stimulates the regenerating processes of the TMT-injured hippocampal DG, and found that orally administered RJ significantly increased the number of DG granule cells and simultaneously improved the cognitive impairment.

AMP N(1)-oxide, a unique compound of royal jelly, induces neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells via signaling by protein kinase A independent of that by mitogen-activated protein kinase.

Earlier we identified adenosine monophosphate (AMP) N(1)-oxide as a unique compound of royal jelly (RJ) that induces neurite outgrowth (neuritegenesis) from cultured rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells via the adenosine A(2A) receptor. Now, we found that AMP N(1)-oxide stimulated the phosphorylation of not only mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) but also that of cAMP/calcium-response element-binding protein (CREB) in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of MAPK activation by a MEK inhibitor, PD98059, did not influence the AMP N(1)-oxide-induced neuritegenesis, whereas that of protein kinase A (PKA) by a selective inhibitor, KT5720, significantly reduced neurite outgrowth.

A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study on the basic word order in Japanese.

To determine the basic word order in Japanese, oxyhemoglobin concentration changes in the frontal region of 32 healthy men were measured by near-infrared spectroscopy. Our experiment used four types of sentences: (i) subject-object-verb (SOV), (ii) object-subject-verb (OSV), (iii) subject-naze (why)-object-verb (SwhyOV), and (iv) naze (why)-subject-object-verb (whySOV). The results have shown that although oxyhemoglobin changes in the OSV sentences were significantly larger than those in the SOV sentences in the left frontal lobe, such effects were not observed between SwhyOV sentences and whySOV sentences.

AMP N1-oxide potentiates astrogenesis by cultured neural stem/progenitor cells through STAT3 activation.

We earlier identified adenosine monophosphate (AMP) N1-oxide as a unique compound of royal jelly (RJ) that induces neurite outgrowth from cultured rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. In the present study, the effects of AMP N1-oxide on the proliferation and/or differentiation of cultured neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) were examined. As for cell proliferation, low micromolar concentrations of AMP N1-oxide or its parent compound, AMP, similarly enhanced the NSC proliferation-inducing activity of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), although neither compound tested alone affected cell proliferation.

Royal jelly and its unique fatty acid, 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid, promote neurogenesis by neural stem/progenitor cells in vitro.

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) proliferate vigorously as neurospheres in medium containing basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), but start differentiating into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes in FGF-2-free medium. An extract of royal jelly (RJ) significantly increased the percentage in the total cell population of not only neurons immunoreactive for class III beta-tubulin (Tuj1) but also astrocytes immunoreactive for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and oligodendrocytes immunoreactive for 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) generated from NSCs, but decreased that of nestin-positive NSCs. These results highlight a novel and outstanding property of the RJ, i.

Royal jelly-induced neurite outgrowth from rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells requires integrin signal independent of activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases.

We showed earlier that neurite outgrowth of rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells was stimulated by royal jelly extract (PERJ) or its unique component, AMP N(1)-oxide, via adenosine A2a receptors. In this study, we found that stimulated neurite outgrowth occurred in medium supplemented with serum, but not in serum-free medium. The pentapeptide GRGDS, which includes the RGD sequence commonly shared by extracellular matrix (ECM) components, could attenuate the effect of serum, suggesting that integrin receptor signaling was essential for the neurite outgrowth induced by PERJ or AMP N(1)-oxide.

Identification of AMP N1-oxide in royal jelly as a component neurotrophic toward cultured rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells.

An extract of royal jelly (RJ) induced processes from cultured rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Active components were isolated, and identified as adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and AMP N1-oxide. AMP N1-oxide was more than 20 times as active as AMP, judging from the minimal concentration to elicit activity.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 gene polymorphisms in sarcoidosis patients.

Background And Aim: Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is a co-stimulatory molecule that is expressed on activated T-cells, and is an important regulator of T-cell activation in T-cell-dependent immune responses. CTLA-4 signals lead to the downregulation of T-cell proliferation and activation. Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology, which shows abnormal regulation of T cell activation.

[A case of thymic carcinoma responding to combination chemotherapy with nedaplatin, etoposide, and ifosfamide].

We described a case of thymic carcinoma that responded remarkably to combined chemotherapy with etoposide (ETP), ifosfamide (IFO) and nedaplatin. A 68-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of hoarseness and dysphasia. Chest computed tomographic (CT) scans showed an anterior mediastinal tumor.

Spontaneous hepatic rupture due to metastatic tumor of lung adenocarcinoma.

A 64-year-old man diagnosed as lung adenocarcinoma with hepatic tumor was admitted to our hospital. He carried the hepatitis B virus but was negative for PIVKA-II and alpha-fetoprotein, and hence we diagnosed a case of stage IV lung adenocarcinoma. We planned to administer systemic chemotherapy, but he experienced sudden-onset abdominal discomfort accompanied with decreased blood pressure.