Physicochemical properties of magnesium aluminum silicate (smectone) gels prepared using electrolytic-reduction ion water (2): Effects of various salts on the phase diagram.

We produced gels using electrolytic-reduction ion water and magnesium aluminum silicates (smectone), and evaluated in detail gel properties in the presence of various types of salt (NaCl, KCl, CaCl(2), MgCl(2), and AlCl(3)). Each salt was added to deionized-distilled water or electrolytic-reduction ion water, and phase diagrams for the smectone concentration (2.0-4.

Impact of severe earthquake on the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome and stroke in a rural area of Japan.

Background: Although acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stroke are known to increase after earthquake, few data exist regarding the effect of earthquake on these cardiovascular events in rural areas.

Methods And Results: The Noto Peninsula earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 occurred at 9:45 a.

The ATR-Chk1 pathway plays a role in the generation of centrosome aberrations induced by Rad51C dysfunction.

Rad51C is a central component of two complexes formed by five Rad51 paralogs in vertebrates. These complexes are involved in repairing DNA double-strand breaks through homologous recombination. Despite accumulating evidence suggesting that the paralogs may prevent aneuploidy by controlling centrosome integrity, Rad51C's role in maintaining chromosome stability remains unclear.

Altered firing pattern of single-unit muscle sympathetic nerve activity during handgrip exercise in chronic heart failure.

Sympathetic activation in chronic heart failure (CHF) is greatly augmented at rest but the response to exercise remains controversial. We previously demonstrated that single-unit muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) provides a more detailed description of the sympathetic response to physiological stress than multi-unit nerve recordings. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the reflex response and discharge properties of single-unit MSNA are altered during handgrip exercise (HG, 30% of maximum voluntary contraction for 3 min) in CHF patients (New York Heart Association functional class II or III, n = 16) compared with age-matched healthy control subjects (n = 13).

Functional evidence for Eme1 as a marker of cisplatin resistance.

The ability to predict cisplatin sensitivity in tumors has been expected to greatly improve the outcome of cancer therapy, because the drug is frequently used in a variety of tumors. Although ERCC1 and other repair proteins have been investigated as markers of cisplatin resistance, reliable markers are still needed. Here, we demonstrate that Eme1 levels can predict cisplatin sensitivity more accurately than ERCC1 or Rad51 levels in a variety of human cancer cell lines.

Abscess in the inguinal hernial sac after peritonitis surgery: a case report.

In this paper, we report an extremely rare case of an abscess that developed in the inguinal hernial sac after surgery for peritonitis. A 60-year-old man underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer. One day after this operation, peritoneal drainage and ileostomy were performed for rectal anastomotic leakage.

Analysis of T cell receptor Vbeta diversity in peripheral CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases are characterized by intrathyroidal infiltration of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes reactive to self-thyroid antigens. Early studies analysing T cell receptor (TCR) Valpha gene usage have shown oligoclonal expansion of intrathyroidal T lymphocytes but not peripheral blood T cells. However, TCR Vbeta diversity of the isolated CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell compartments in the peripheral blood has not been characterized fully in these patients.

Current status of anticoagulation therapy for elderly atrial fibrillation patients in Japan: from Hokuriku atrial fibrillation trial.

Background: The number of the elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing, but the current status of anticoagulation therapy for elderly patients with AF in Japan is not clear.

Methods And Results: Among the patients registered in the "Hokuriku Atrial Fibrillation Trial (HAT) 1", 365 AF patients aged > or =65 years were enrolled in this study. Warfarin was used for significantly less patients in the oldest group aged > or =85 years (36%) than in younger populations, but the percentage of antiplatelet use in this oldest population was largest (40%).

Objective assessment of endoscopic surgical skills by analyzing direction-dependent dexterity using the Hiroshima University Endoscopic Surgical Assessment Device (HUESAD).

Purpose: We evaluated our system of objectively assessing endoscopic surgical skills.

Methods: We developed the Hiroshima University Endoscopic Surgical Assessment Device (HUESAD), which records the movement of the tip of an endoscopic instrument precisely. The orbits of experienced surgeons (expert group) and those of medical students (novice group) were evaluated by measuring the deviation from the ideal course on horizontal and vertical planes.

Iterative molecular assembly based on the cation-pool method. Convergent synthesis of dendritic molecules.

An iterative method for molecular assembly has been developed based on the cation-pool method using (trimethylsilyl)diphenylmethane as a building block. The silyl group works as both an activating group of the benzene ring in the Friedel-Crafts type reaction and an electroauxiliary in the subsequent low temperature anodic oxidation to generate dendritic diarylcarbenium ions, which were well characterized by low-temperature NMR spectroscopy. The convergent synthesis of dendritic molecules has been achieved by repeating the sequence.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 Tax induces an aberrant clustering of the tumor suppressor Scribble through the PDZ domain-binding motif dependent and independent interaction.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia. HTLV-1 Tax1 transforming protein interacts with several PDZ domain-containing proteins, and the interaction is associated with the transforming activities of Tax1 as well as persistent HTLV-1 infection. In this study, we show that Tax1 interacts with the tumor suppressor Scribble containing PDZ domains.

The attitudes of Japanese high school students toward cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Background And Objectives: It is essential to have a clear understanding of the present condition of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training courses and the associated problems. The present study was performed to identify the current conditions of CPR training in Japanese high schools and the attitudes of students toward CPR.

Methods And Results: We distributed a questionnaire study to the students of 12 cooperating high schools regarding their willingness to perform CPR in 5 hypothetical scenarios of cardiopulmonary arrest: a stranger, a trauma patient, a child, an elderly person, and a relative.

Altered interaction between plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 activity and sympathetic nerve activity with aging.

Background: It has been reported that sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) is associated with fibrinolysis, but the interaction between SNA and the fibrinolytic system with aging has not been elucidated in humans. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of age-related SNA on the activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) using muscle SNA (MSNA).

Methods And Results: This study included 16 young subjects (mean age 26.

Synthesis of pyranicin and its inhibitory action with bovine heart mitochondrial complex I.

Total synthesis of pyranicin was achieved using Cl2Pd(CH3CN)2-catalyzed diastereoselective cyclization of the allylic ester as the key step. The inhibitory activity of this compound for mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) was slightly poorer than that of ordinary mono-THF acetogenins such as cis-solamin.

Metallothionein is a crucial protective factor against Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric erosive lesions in a mouse model.

Infection with the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric adenocarcinoma. These diseases are associated with production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from infiltrated macrophages and neutrophiles in inflammatory sites.

Multiple osseous metastases of a carotid body tumor in a dog.

Metastasis of malignant carotid body tumor to multiple bones was detected in a 13-year-old female Siberian husky dog. Radiographs exhibited an abnormal mass in the retropharyngeal site and osteolytic lesions in the vertebral bodies, spinous process, tibia, and ribs. At necropsy, multiple masses were observed in the bones as well as at the dorsal area of the retropharynx.

Possible involvement of the tip of temporal lobe in Landau-Kleffner syndrome.

Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is a childhood disorder of unknown etiology characterized by an acquired aphasia and epilepsy. We have performed comprehensive neurofunctional studies on an 8-year-old girl with typical LKS, with the aim of identifying lesions that may be responsible for her condition. 18F-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission computed tomography (PET), 11C-Flumazenil (FMZ) PET, 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and magnetoencephalography were performed before and after changes to the patient's medication led to a clinical improvement.

Rho-associated kinase inhibitor reduces tumor recurrence after liver transplantation in a rat hepatoma model.

Tumor recurrence after liver transplantation still remains a significant problem in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The small GTPase Rho/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) pathway is involved in the motility and invasiveness of cancer cells. We investigated whether tacrolimus activated the Rho/ROCK signal pathway to promote the invasiveness of rat hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Acute and subacute pulmonary toxicity of low dose of ultrafine colloidal silica particles in mice after intratracheal instillation.

To study the acute and subacute lung toxicity of low dose of ultrafine colloidal silica particles (UFCSs), mice were intratracheally instilled with 0, 0.3, 3, 10, 30 or 100 microg of UFCSs. Cellular and biochemical parameters in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), histological alteration and the body weight were determined at 3 days after instillation.

Translocation pathway of the intratracheally instilled ultrafine particles from the lung into the blood circulation in the mouse.

Recently, it has been demonstrated that ultrafine particles (UFPs) are able to translocate from the lung into the systemic circulation. Precise mechanisms of the anatomical translocation (crossing the air-blood barrier) of inhaled UFPs at the alveolar wall are not fully understood. In this study, we examined the translocation pathway of the intratracheally instilled ultrafine carbon black (UFCB) from the lung into the blood circulation in mouse.

Oxidative generation of diarylcarbenium ion pools.

"Cation pools" of diarylcarbenium ions have been generated by the oxidative C-H bond dissociation of diarylmethanes using anodic oxidation. "Diarylcarbenium ion pools" thus generated react with various nucleophiles, such as allylsilanes, ketene silyl acetals, and aromatic compounds. The reductive homocoupling of the "diarylcarbenium ion pool" has been achieved.

Lipid droplets are present in amyloid deposits in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy and dialysis related amyloidosis.

It has been well documented that transthyretin (TTR) shows an affinity for lipoproteins and amyloid is deposited around adipocytes in patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP). We examined the involvement of lipids in amyloid fibrils in the tissues by histopathologic methods. Sudan black B staining for frozen tissues of autopsied FAP patients and biospied dialysis related amyloidosis (DRA) patients revealed colocalization of lipids in the tissue sections where Congo red staining was positive, while no such positive staining was observed in paraffin embedded tissues.