Rhythm-control strategy with oral cilostazol for refractory protein-losing enteropathy and sinus node dysfunction after the Fontan operation: A case report.

Unlabelled: Despite recent advances in therapeutic approaches, treatment for patients with refractory protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) after undergoing the Fontan procedure remains a challenge for clinicians. In this report, we present a Fontan patient in whom oral cilostazol improved PLE with a restored atrial rhythm. We report on a 13-year-old girl with double-outlet right ventricle, ventricular septal defect, l-transposition of the great arteries, and left ventricle hypoplasia.

Tuberculosis screening using a T-cell interferon-γ release assay in Japanese medical students and non-Japanese international students.

Screening of medical students and international students for tuberculosis (TB) at the time of admission is a key strategy to control and prevent the spread of infection on university campus and teaching hospitals because of the high risk of exposure to TB patients. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen-specific T-cell interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) are specific latent tuberculosis detection methods used in such groups. Currently, in Japan, there are no guidelines and no baseline data on IGRAs to evaluate the risk of TB in these high-risk groups.

Diphenylpropynone derivatives as probes for imaging β-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's brains.

A new series of diphenylpropynone (DPP) derivatives for use in vivo to image β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were synthesized and characterized. Binding experiments in vitro revealed high affinity for Aβ (1-42) aggregates at a K(i) value ranging from 6 to 326 nM. Furthermore, specific labeling of plaques was observed in sections of brain tissue from Tg2576 transgenic mice stained using one of the compounds, 1.

Fluoro-pegylated chalcones as positron emission tomography probes for in vivo imaging of beta-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease.

This paper describes the synthesis and biological evaluation of fluoro-pegylated (FPEG) chalcones for the imaging of beta-amyloid (Abeta) plaques in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). FPEG chalcone derivatives were prepared by the aldol condensation reaction. In binding experiments conducted in vitro using Abeta(1-42) aggregates, the FPEG chalcone derivatives having a dimethylamino group showed higher Ki values (20-50 nM) than those having a monomethylamino or a primary amine group.

18F-labeled flavones for in vivo imaging of beta-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's brains.

In vivo imaging of beta-amyloid (Abeta) aggregates in the brain may lead to early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and monitoring of the progression and effectiveness of treatment. The purpose of this study was to develop novel (18)F-labeled amyloid-imaging probes based on flavones as a core structure. Fluoropegylated (FPEG) flavone derivatives were designed and synthesized.

Low dose effects of bisphenol A on sexual differentiation of the brain and behavior in rats.

There is an endocrinological concern that environmental endocrine disrupters (EEDs) may influence sexual differentiation. Bisphenol A (BPA), one of EEDs, is released from polycarbonate plastics, and has been detected in the human umbilical cord. In this study, we examined the effect of BPA on the sexual differentiation of open-field behavior and the sexually dimorphic nuclei in the brain in the offspring of rats exposed to BPA during the fetal and suckling periods at a dosage below the human tolerable daily intake (TDI) level.