KAP1 is associated with peritoneal carcinomatosis in gastric cancer.

Background: KRAB-associated protein 1 (KAP1) is a universal corepressor for Kruppel-associated box zinc finger proteins. Here we demonstrate the biological function and clinical significance of KAP1 expression in gastric cancer.

Methods: Knockdown of the KAP1 gene by siRNA transfection was performed to evaluate KAP1 function in gastric cancer cells.

Excision-repair cross-complementing 1 predicts response to cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Low excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) has been associated with a favorable response to cisplatin (CDDP) in several types of malignancies. The present study aimed to investigate whether ERCC1 predicts the response to CDDP-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to evaluate the association between ERCC1 and platinum drug sensitivity in ESCC cell lines. ERCC1 mRNA levels in pre- and post-treatment tumoral and normal biopsies of 16 ESCC patients receiving CDDP-based CRT and in 4 ESCC cell lines were examined using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Importance of ventilator mode in long-term noninvasive positive pressure ventilation.

Background: Long-term noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is associated with an excellent survival rate, especially in post-tuberculosis patients. Nothing is currently known on which method of ventilatory support is associated with a better continuation of long-term NPPV, which itself might lead to longer survival.

Methods: One hundred and eighty four post-tuberculosis patients, who started NPPV at the Kyoto University Hospital group and the National Tokyo Hospital from June 1990 to August 2007, were examined retrospectively.

Simple four-variable screening tool for identification of patients with sleep-disordered breathing.

Objectives: To aid in the identification of patients with moderate-to-severe sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), we developed and validated a simple screening tool applicable to both clinical and community settings.

Methods: Logistic regression analysis was used to develop an integer-based risk scoring system. The participants in this derivation study included 132 patients visiting one of 2 hospitals in Japan, and 175 residents of a rural town.

Proprostate-specific antigen: its usefulness in the era of multiple-core prostate biopsy.

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-related markers, including the precursor form of PSA, using the full-range area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics (AUC-ROC), partial AUC-ROC (pAUC-ROC) and multiple logistic regression analyses.

Methods: Participants consisted of 257 consecutive men (PSA range 4.1-20 ng/mL) undergoing transrectal ultrasonography-guided age-adjusted and prostate volume-adjusted multiple-core prostate biopsy at Gunma University Hospital between January 2003 and May 2005.

Clinical significance of the gene expression profile in residual tumor cells after neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Recurrence after neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery is high in patients with esophageal cancer. No standard second line therapy is currently available for patients with recurrence. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of chemo-radiosensitive genes after neoadjuvant CRT in residual tumor cells.

Neurotrophic receptor, tropomyosin-related kinase B as an independent prognostic marker in gastric cancer patients.

Background And Objectives: Neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase TrkB has been associated with clinical outcome and chemotherapy resistance in neuroblastoma and certain human malignancies. Recent studies have focused on the association between metastatic potential and TrkB expression in tumor cells.

Methods: To determine the role of TrkB in gastric cancer, we analyzed TrkB mRNA levels by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in 90 patients with gastric cancer.

Mitotic checkpoint genes, hsMAD2 and BubR1, in oesophageal squamous cancer cells and their association with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin-based radiochemotherapy.

Aims: HsMAD2 and BubR1 are crucial components of a functional mitotic checkpoint. Recently, impaired mitotic checkpoints or decreased expression of mitotic checkpoint genes have been associated with sensitivity to certain anticancer drugs. The current study aimed to evaluate the association of hsMAD2 and BubR1 with sensitivity to various anticancer drugs in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell lines.

Perioperative host-tumor inflammatory interactions: a potential trigger for disease recurrence following a curative resection for colorectal cancer.

The aim of the present review was to investigate whether host-tumor interactions are causal or consecutive clinical factors associated with surgical stress that influence the long-term survival after a curative resection of colorectal cancer. A Medline/PubMed search was conducted to identify the relevant articles investigating the factors related to surgical stress and their effects on the long-term survival after a curative resection of colorectal cancer. The intraoperative state is defined as a cytokine storm in which ongoing local cytokine production occurs at the site of the tumor, thus further enhancing the autocrine cytokine loop for angiogenic factor production.

Mitral valve repair for infective endocarditis.

Objective: This study investigated the feasibility of mitral valve (MV) repair in patients with active or healed infective endocarditis (IE) with mitral regurgitation and evaluated effects on left ventricular (LV) function and structure.

Methods: Subjects comprised 19 patients who underwent MV operations for IE between December 2004 and September 2007. MV repair was performed for acute IE in 10 of 15 patients (67%) and for healed IE in 4 of 4 patients (100%).

Changes in baseline PSA levels in Japanese men from 1988 to 2003.

Objectives: According to epidemiologic surveys, the number of deaths from prostate cancer in Japanese men increased rapidly from 1970 to 2006. However, it is difficult to know the real incidence of, and mortality due to, prostate cancer because the reliability of death certificates and the cancer registry system in Japan are poor. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels could be one of the most important predictive factors for developing prostate cancer.

Prostate-specific antigen kinetics in screen-detected prostate cancer in Japan.

Objectives: It would be of value to compare the features of prostate cancer detected in various screening series around the world. Recently, some studies have demonstrated the value of pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics in predicting the outcome of radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy for men with localized prostate cancer. Therefore, the distribution of PSA velocity (PSAV) or PSA doubling time in screen-detected prostate cancer might be objective parameters to investigate how well each national screening system is working.

Structural organization of the anaphase-promoting complex bound to the mitotic activator Slp1.

The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is a conserved multisubunit E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase required to signal the degradation of key cell-cycle regulators. Using single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we have determined a three-dimensional (3D) structure of the core APC/C from Schizosaccharomyces pombe bound to the APC/C activator Slp1/Cdc20. At the 27 A resolution of our density map, the APC/C is a triangular-shaped structure, approximately 19x17x15 nm in size, with a deep internal cavity and a prominent horn-like protrusion emanating from a lip of the cavity.

[Demographic characteristics of RBD patients at a sleep center--with special emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases as the background condition].

Unlabelled: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by loss of normal REM sleep skeletal muscle atonia, resulting in complex motor behaviors associated with dream mentation. Reports have been accumulated showing an association of RBD and neurodegenerative diseases. However, in Japan, no data has been available about demographic features of RBD in a large patient population.

Ultrasonically activated shears in gastrectomy for large gastric cancers.

Purpose: High-frequency ultrasound energy was introduced in gastrointestinal surgery to improve dissection and coagulation. We assessed the safety and efficacy of ultrasonic dissection compared with standard electrosurgery in gastrectomy for large gastric cancers, which is associated with high morbidity.

Methods: The subjects of this retrospective study were 52 patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancers, > or =7 cm in diameter.

Prospective, randomized trial comparing a 3- versus 6-stitch purse-string suture in stapled hemorrhoidopexy.

Aim: The purse-string suture is the most important part of the procedure in stapled hemorrhoidopexy affecting resection of an ideal mucosal rectal ring. We designed a prospective, randomized study to evaluate the safety and clinical outcome of a 6-stitch purse-string suture compared with a more simple 3-stitch purse-string suture intended to achieve certain interruption of the hemorrhoidal artery.

Methods: Ninety patients were randomly assigned to undergo stapled hemorrhoidopexy with either a 6-stitch (n = 45) or a 3-stitch (n = 45) purse-string suture.

Lead time of prostate cancer detected in population based screening for prostate cancer in Japan.

Purpose: We clarified that lead time bias in screen detected prostate cancer is important for evaluating the outcome of any individual screening system.

Materials And Methods: Between 1992 and 2001, 195 and 958 prostate cancer cases with clinical T1c/T2N0M0 and T3N0M0 disease were enrolled in the current study as screen detected and outpatient clinic detected prostate cancer, respectively. Log10 prostate specific antigen velocity was calculated using log10 prostate specific antigen at diagnosis and at the most recent screening before cancer detection.

Structural characterization of the fission yeast U5.U2/U6 spliceosome complex.

The spliceosome is a dynamic macromolecular machine that catalyzes the excision of introns from pre-mRNA. The megadalton-sized spliceosome is composed of four small nuclear RNPs and additional pre-mRNA splicing factors. The formation of an active spliceosome involves a series of regulated steps that requires the assembly and disassembly of large multiprotein/RNA complexes.

Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with laparoscopic sentinel lymph node biopsy after endoscopic mucosal resection for early gastric cancer.

Background: There has been a trend toward minimally invasive treatment of early gastric cancer. We report the preliminary results of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with laparoscopic sentinel lymph node biopsy after endoscopic mucosal resection.

Methods: Six patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy after endoscopic mucosal resection between February 2002 and October 2005 at Mie University Hospital.

Basis for a ubiquitin-like protein thioester switch toggling E1-E2 affinity.

Ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) are conjugated by dynamic E1-E2-E3 enzyme cascades. E1 enzymes activate UBLs by catalysing UBL carboxy-terminal adenylation, forming a covalent E1 throught UBL thioester intermediate, and generating a thioester-linked E2 throught UBL product, which must be released for subsequent reactions. Here we report the structural analysis of a trapped UBL activation complex for the human NEDD8 pathway, containing NEDD8's heterodimeric E1 (APPBP1-UBA3), two NEDD8s (one thioester-linked to E1, one noncovalently associated for adenylation), a catalytically inactive E2 (Ubc12), and MgATP.

Diagnostic sensitivity of contrast swallow for leakage after gastric resection.

Introduction: We examined the clinical manifestations and computed tomography findings of patients with leakage after gastrectomy for cancer and determined the sensitivity of the contrast swallow for the leakage diagnosis.

Methods: The medical records of 331 consecutive patients undergoing gastrectomy between January 1992 and December 2003 were reviewed. Routine contrast swallow was performed in all patients before oral intake.

The vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF165 induces perlecan synthesis via VEGF receptor-2 in cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

A member of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family, VEGF165, regulates vascular endothelial cell functions in autocrine and paracrine fashions in microvessels. Proteoglycans are highly glycosylated poly-anionic macromolecules that influence cellular behaviors such as proliferation and migration by interacting with cytokines/growth factors. In the present study, we investigated the regulation of proteoglycan synthesis by VEGF165 in cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Oligomeric states of bacteriophage T7 gene 4 primase/helicase.

Electron microscopic and crystallographic data have shown that the gene 4 primase/helicase encoded by bacteriophage T7 can form both hexamers and heptamers. After cross-linking with glutaraldehyde to stabilize the oligomeric protein, hexamers and heptamers can be distinguished either by negative stain electron microscopy or electrophoretic analysis using polyacrylamide gels. We find that hexamers predominate in the presence of either dTTP or beta,gamma-methylene dTTP whereas the ratio between hexamers and heptamers is nearly the converse in the presence of dTDP.

[Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in patients with acute exacerbations of pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae].

To clarify whether noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is effective in patients with acute exacerbations of pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae (PTS), 50 PTS patients (66 episodes) without long-term domiciliary noninvasive ventilation were studied, retrospectively. The average values (SD) of their pulmonary function tests and arterial blood gases were as follows; %predicted VC = 31.4 (8.