Unprotected left main coronary artery disease in patients with low predictive risk of mortality.

Background: There has been an increasing use of percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent (DES) in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease. We assessed whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) would be superior to percutaneous coronary intervention with first-generation DES in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease.

Methods: Between January 2003 and December 2007, a total of 295 patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease were treated with Kurashiki Central Hospital, Okayama, Japan.

[A case of gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination and massive ascites successfully treated with S-1/docetaxel therapy].

A 49-year-old woman who complained of abdominal bloating and numbness in the bilateral lower limbs was diagnosed as advanced scirrhous gastric cancer with massive ascites. The biopsy specimen showed a poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma. She was therefore treated with combined chemotherapy of tri-weekly docetaxel(40mg/m2, day 1, 22)and S-1(60mg/m2, day 1-14 with 1-week rest)for unresectable gastric cancer.

A wavelength modulation system for highly sensitive absorption spectroscopy.

We developed a newly designed wavelength modulation (WM) system for highly sensitive absorption spectroscopy. In our system, the WM is realized by yawing an output mirror in a monochromator. In order to control an amplitude Δλ of the WM in a wide range, we employed a forced vibration of a permanent magnet driven by a magnetic field of a solenoid.

Alkaline phosphatase and risk of stroke among Japanese: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Although serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels have been associated with mortality from all-cause and from either ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, no study has been published of the associations between ALP and the incidence of stroke. We therefore examined the associations of ALP with risk of stroke among Japanese, stratified by drinking status because ALP is known as an enzyme affected by alcohol consumption. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 10,754 Japanese subjects (4098 men and 6656 women) aged 40-69 years and living in 4 communities under systematic surveillance for stroke incidence.

Cost-effectiveness and budget impact analyses of a long-term hypertension detection and control program for stroke prevention.

Objectives: The nation-wide, community-based intensive hypertension detection and control program, as well as universal health insurance coverage, may well be contributing factors for helping Japan rank near the top among countries with the longest life expectancy. We sought to examine the cost-effectiveness of such a community-based intervention program, as no evidence has been available for this issue.

Methods: The hypertension detection and control program was initiated in 1963 in full intervention and minimal intervention communities in Akita, Japan.

SNRPE is involved in cell proliferation and progression of high-grade prostate cancer through the regulation of androgen receptor expression.

Clinically high-grade prostate cancers (PC) with high Gleason scores of 8-10 exhibit rapid growth and are more likely to spread beyond the prostate. These cancer types demonstrate a poor response to androgen deprivation therapy and eventually acquire a castration-resistant phenotype. To identify novel molecular cancer drug targets, we previously analyzed the gene expression profiles of high-grade PC using a cDNA microarray combined with laser microbeam microdissection and found a number of genes that are transactivated in high-grade PC.

Modified patch repair for bicuspid aortic valve with thickened raphe.

We report a successful repair of bicuspid aortic valve having thickened raphe using pericardial patch. After excising the thickened portion, the patch was sewn to the remaining leaflet and root. To note, the height the patch was sewn to the root was lowered to the equivalent level of the corresponding portion of the other cusp, to create symmetrical bicuspid configuration.

Lifestyle factors affecting gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms: a cross-sectional study of healthy 19864 adults using FSSG scores.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a very common disorder worldwide, comprised of reflux esophagitis (RE) and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). As more than half of GERD patients are classified into the NERD group, precise evaluation of bothersome epigastric symptoms is essential. Nevertheless, compared with many reports targeting endoscopic reflux esophagitis, large-scale studies focusing on GERD symptoms have been very scarce.

Occurrence and characteristics of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci from Japanese retail ready-to-eat raw fish.

Staphylococci are not part of the normal fish microflora. The presence of staphylococci on fish is an indication of (a) post-harvest contamination due to poor personnel hygiene, or (b) disease in fish. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, molecular genetic characteristics, antibiotic resistance and virulence factors of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant S.

Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of the oral histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat in Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

A phase I study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy of the oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor vorinostat in Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Six patients received vorinostat (400 mg p.o.

Genetic analysis of multiple antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella isolated from diseased broilers in Egypt.

To date, no information has been available on the molecular bases of antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella spp. from poultry in Egypt or even in Africa. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze, at the molecular level, the mechanisms of multidrug-resistance in isolates of Salmonella recovered from diseased broilers in Egypt.

[The clinical value of 3 tesla diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of prostate cancer].

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method and is considered potentially useful for detecting prostate cancer. We evaluated the clinical value of DWI with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in addition to T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) using 3 tesla (3 T) MRI. Thirty-three patients with elevated prostate specific antigen were evaluated by MRI with T2WI and DWI prior to transperineal template-guided mapping biopsy.

Trends in sudden cardiac death and its risk factors in Japan from 1981 to 2005: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Objective: There is little evidence whether sudden cardiac death (SCD) is increasing in Asia, although the incidence of coronary heart disease among urban middle-aged Japanese men has increased recently. We examined trends in the incidence of SCD and its risk factors in the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study.

Design And Setting: This was a population-based longitudinal study.

Postprandial fullness correlates with rapid inflow of gastric content into duodenum but not with chronic gastritis.

Background: The aim of this study is evaluating the correlation of postprandial fullness with chronic gastritis or rapid inflow of gastric content into duodenum, based on double-contrast barium X-ray imaging.

Methods: 253 healthy subjects who underwent upper gastrointestinal barium X-ray examination were analyzed. Chronic gastritis was judged from mucosal atrophy and hypertrophic thickened folds on barium X-ray images.

Phase I study for ridaforolimus, an oral mTOR inhibitor, in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: Ridaforolimus is a non-prodrug mTOR inhibitor. The safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and antitumor activity of oral ridaforolimus were assessed in Japanese patients with refractory solid tumors.

Methods: Ridaforolimus (20 or 40 mg) was administered as a single dose on Day 1, followed by once daily dosing five times a week for a 3-week cycle beginning on Day 8.

Comparative Study of different msDNA (multicopy single-stranded DNA) structures and phylogenetic comparison of reverse transcriptases (RTs): evidence for vertical inheritance.

The multi-copy single-stranded DNA (msDNA) is yielded by the action of reverse transcriptase of retro-element in a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. Upon this phenomenon, it has been shown that msDNA is only produced by Eubacteria because many Eubacteria species contained reverse transcriptase in their special retro-element. We have screened around 111 Archaea at KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) database available at genome net server and observed three Methanosarcina species (M.

Impact of repeated percutaneous coronary intervention on long-term survival after subsequent coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background: In the current stent era, aggressive repeated percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has become more common. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of previous repeated PCI on the subsequent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: Between January 1990 and January 2008, a total of 894 patients underwent first-time isolated elective CABG.

Chronic kidney disease and drinking status in relation to risks of stroke and its subtypes: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Background And Purpose: Several epidemiological studies have established an association between chronic kidney disease (CKD), based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and risk of stroke. However, sex-specific evidence for the relationship between CKD and risk of stroke and its subtypes is still limited.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 12 222 Japanese men and women age 40 to 69 years living in 4 communities under systematic surveillance of stroke incidence to determine the relationship between CKD and risk of stroke and its subtypes.

Comparison between intravesical and oral administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid in the clinical benefit of photodynamic diagnosis for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

Background: This study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical value of photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) with intravesical and oral instillation of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) (ALA-PDD), and transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) guided by ALA-PDD (PDD-TURBT) for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

Methods: Of all 210 cases, 75 underwent PDD with intravesically applied ALA, and 135 cases underwent PDD with orally applied ALA. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by comparing the level on images of ALA-induced fluorescence with the pathological result.

Two novel retron elements are replaced with retron-Vc95 in Vibrio cholerae.

Bacterial reverse transcriptase (RT) is responsible for the production of an RNA-DNA complex called multicopy single-stranded DNA (msDNA). The genetic element required for the sysnthesis of msDNA is named a retron. Here, we characterize two novel retrons named retron-Vc81 and retron-Vc137 in Vibrio cholerae.

A novel method for repairing aortic regurgitation due to commissural detachment.

Currently, aortic valve replacement is the mainstay treatment for aortic regurgitation due to commissural detachment. Herein, we report a novel technique of aortic root and commissural repair and its intermediate clinical outcome in patients with significant aortic regurgitation caused by commissural detachment. The detached commissure and aortic root were treated concomitantly by en bloc reattachment of the detached commissure and aortic wall by using multiple pledgeted sutures, in addition to aortic root reimplantation.

Asymptomatic intramammary infection with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria in a research dairy farm: incidence and genetic basis of resistance.

Nonpathogenic and opportunistic bacteria are increasingly recognized as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes. However, nothing is known about the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in such bacteria isolated from the udders of healthy animals. In this study, 150 Gram-negative strains isolated from milk samples of healthy dairy cows were screened for the presence of a large pool of antibiotic resistance markers.

Fault lubrication during earthquakes.

The determination of rock friction at seismic slip rates (about 1 m s(-1)) is of paramount importance in earthquake mechanics, as fault friction controls the stress drop, the mechanical work and the frictional heat generated during slip. Given the difficulty in determining friction by seismological methods, elucidating constraints are derived from experimental studies. Here we review a large set of published and unpublished experiments (∼300) performed in rotary shear apparatus at slip rates of 0.