Hypomagnesemia is a significant predictor of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Although previous studies in the general population showed that hypomagnesemia is a risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the impact of magnesium on the prognosis of patients on hemodialysis has been poorly investigated. To gain information on this we conducted a nationwide registry-based cohort study of 142,555 hemodialysis patients to determine whether hypomagnesemia is an independent risk for increased mortality in this population. Study outcomes were 1-year all-cause and cause-specific mortality with baseline serum magnesium levels categorized into sextiles.

Background factors of reflux esophagitis and non-erosive reflux disease: a cross-sectional study of 10,837 subjects in Japan.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), its risk factors are still a subject of controversy. This is probably due to inadequate distinction between reflux esophagitis (RE) and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), and is also due to inadequate evaluation of adjacent stomach. Our aim is therefore to define background factors of RE and NERD independently, based on the evaluation of Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric atrophy.

Skin-specific expression of IL-33 activates group 2 innate lymphoid cells and elicits atopic dermatitis-like inflammation in mice.

Transgenic mice expressing the mouse interleukin 33 (IL-33) gene driven by a keratin 14 promoter were generated. The skin-selective expression of the IL-33 gene was enhanced, and intense immunofluorescence for IL-33 was evident in the nuclei of the epidermis. Spontaneous itchy dermatitis developed in those mice at 6-8 wk of age in specific pathogen-free conditions.

Acute and chronic flow-mediated dilation and blood pressure responses to daily intake of boysenberry juice: a preliminary study.

There is an increasing interest in dietary polyphenols for risk reduction in cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate acute and chronic flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and blood pressure responses to daily intake of boysenberry juice. FMD of the brachial artery was measured in six subjects in the initial, intermediate and follow-up stages of a 4-week open-label intervention study.

Role of resection of the primary pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor in the multidisciplinary treatment of patients with unresectable synchronous liver metastases: a case series.

Context: Liver metastases have often existed in patients who have pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) at the time of diagnosis. In the management of patients of pNETs with unresectable liver metastases, the clinical efficacy of surgery to primary pancreatic tumor has been controversial. We presented four patients who were treated with resection of primary pancreatic tumor, trans-arterial hepatic treatment and systemic therapies.

Possible Involvement of Foxp3(+) Regulatory T Cells in the Development of Immune-Mediated Pancreatitis in MRL/Mp Mice Treated with Polyinosinic:Polycytidylic Acid.

Objectives. This study was conducted to clarify whether or not Tregs are involved in the development of immune-mediated pancreatitis in MRL/Mp mice as an AIP (autoimmune pancreatitis) model, in order to understand more clearly the pathogenic mechanism of AIP. Methods.

Association of nocturnal hypoxemia with progression of CKD.

Background And Objectives: Nocturnal hypoxemia is highly prevalent among patients with CKD. Nocturnal hypoxemia contributes to systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, endothelial cell dysfunction, and activation of the renin-angiotensin system, which are common pathologic mechanisms of CKD progression. This study investigated whether nocturnal hypoxemia is independently associated with CKD progression.

Helicobacter pylori infection is positively associated with gallstones: a large-scale cross-sectional study in Japan.

Background: Our aim is to elucidate causative factors for gallstones, especially focusing on Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection.

Methods: We analyzed 15,551 Japanese adults who had no history of gastrectomy, cholecystectomy, HP eradication, and didn't use proton pump inhibitors, anti-diabetic drugs, or anti-cholesterol drugs. 1,057 subjects who previously had HP eradication were analyzed separately.

A proposal of a diagnostic algorithm with validation of International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria for autoimmune pancreatitis in a Japanese cohort.

Background: Among many diagnostic criteria for autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria (ICDC) first enabled us to diagnose and compare type 1 and type 2 AIP, which permitted tailoring individual diagnostic algorithms depending on local expertise. We compared them and validated ICDC with special reference to levels 1 and 2, and proposed a diagnostic algorithm for AIP in Japan.

Methods: The diagnostic sensitivity of 5 major criteria (ICDC, Korean, Japanese-2011, Asian, and HISORt criteria) was compared, using 61 patients with AIP.

[Comparison of the clotting factor activity and thawing time in different thawing procedures of the fresh frozen plasma].

Background: Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) should be thawed in a water bath at 30-37 degrees C. Suitable temperature, the prevention for bacterial contamination, and the efficiency of the process are necessary for a thawing procedure. In this study, we compared the clotting factor activity and thawing time in different thawing procedures; a water bath, the thermostatic thawing chamber (FP-40, Hokuyo ; Kawasumi, Japan), and the microwave system (Transfusio-therm 2000 AMCO; Zeipel, Germany).

Universality of bereavement life review for spirituality and depression in bereaved families.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the Bereavement Life Review on depression and spiritual well-being of bereaved families in a setting that does not specialize in palliative care. The participants were 20 bereaved family members who underwent the Bereavement Life Review over 2 sessions in 2 weeks. Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition scores significantly decreased from 14.

Non-recovery of ACT in a patient with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II during mitral valve replacement using argatroban anticoagulation.

Argatroban was used as the anticoagulant during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in a patient with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) type II undergoing mitral valve replacement. Dosage was reduced because of preoperative congestive liver disorder. Perioperative coagulability was poor, and, ultimately, failure of hemostasis led to a fatal outcome.

Invasion of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma to the deep muscularis mucosae may be an indicator of lymph node metastasis in Barrett's esophageal cancer.

A 48-year-old man underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for a protruding lesion with a preoperative diagnosis of superficial Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen showed invasion of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma to the deep muscularis mucosa, although the predominant histology was differentiated-type and there was no lymphovascular infiltration. Additional esophagectomy with nodal dissection was conducted for possible remnant tumor cells after informed consent was given, and uncovered the presence of a metastatic lymph node.

Evaluation of a new image-enhanced endoscopic technology using band-limited light for detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of a new image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) technology called optical enhancement imaging (OEI-1, -2, -3) by quantitatively evaluating diagnostic performance in superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in order to facilitate detection and characterization of gastrointestinal tumors.

Patients And Methods: The study involved 10 esophageal SCC resected endoscopically at our hospital. Ex vivo observation of the boundary area between normal and SCC was done using each mode (white light image [WLI], OEI-1, OEI-2, and OEI-3) with and without magnification.

FRET-based imaging of transbilayer movement of pepducin in living cells by novel intracellular bioreductively activatable fluorescent probes.

To elucidate the mechanisms of direct transmembrane penetration of pepducins, which are artificial lipopeptide G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) modulators, we developed two types of FRET-based probes, Pep13-FL-SS-Dab (13) targeting the inner leaflet of the lipid bilayer and Pep13-Dab-SS-FL (14) targeting the cytosol, respectively. They are composed of a pepducin moiety and a fluorescent switch component consisting of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (FAM) as a fluorophore and dabcyl as a quencher connected through disulfide bond linkage. When they are internalized into the cytosol, intracellular glutathione can cleave the disulfide bond to release the quencher, which results in a turn-on fluorescence signal.

A resected case of solitary pulmonary capillary hemangioma showing pure ground glass opacity.

A 53-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital for pure ground glass opacity (GGO) in the left upper lung on computed tomography. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography revealed no abnormal uptake in the lesion. After 4 months of follow-up, we strongly suspected the lesion to be a bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and decided to perform a surgery for diagnosis.

[Clinical and microbiological analysis of community-acquired bacteremia admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital].

Objectives: To investigate clinical and microbiological characteristics of community-acquired bacteremia (CAB).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed subjects with CAB hospitalized at Saga University Hospital between January 2009 and September 2011. We investigated causative organisms, primary infection sites, and subject summaries and complications, and analyzed the mortality factor.

[Acute upper airway obstruction after extubation due to excessive anteflexion of the neck with occipitocervical fusion].

A patient developed upper airway obstruction immediately after tracheal extubation due to excessive anteflexion of the neck with occipitocervical fusion. A 59-year-old woman who had undergone mastectomy 17 years previously was scheduled for occipitocervical fusion for C2 vertebral metastasis. Retroflexion of her neck was restricted.

Phospholipase C produced by Clostridium botulinum types C and D: comparison of gene, enzymatic, and biological activities with those of Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin.

Clostridium botulinum type C and D strains recently have been found to produce PLC on egg yolk agar plates. To characterize the gene, enzymatic and biological activities of C. botulinum PLCs (Cb-PLCs), the cb-plc genes from 8 strains were sequenced, and 1 representative gene was cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein.

Both movement-end and task-end are critical for error feedback in visuomotor adaptation: a behavioral experiment.

An important issue in motor learning/adaptation research is how the brain accepts the error information necessary for maintaining and improving task performance in a changing environment. The present study focuses on the effect of timing of error feedback. Previous research has demonstrated that adaptation to displacement of the visual field by prisms in a manual reaching task is significantly slowed by delayed visual feedback of the endpoint, suggesting that error feedback is most effective when given at the end of a movement.

Serum cytokines correlated with the disease severity of generalized pustular psoriasis.

To characterize serum biomarkers reflecting the severity of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), we measured multiple cytokine/chemokine levels in 39 serum samples from 6 cases with GPP during the course of the disease. Serum levels of IL-4, IL-8, CXCL1 and CCL3 were positively correlated with the severity scores of GPP, white blood cell counts and serum C-reactive protein levels. Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-18, IL-22, IFN-γ and VEGF showed strong positive correlations (r>0.

Accurate diagnosis and treatment of Vibrio vulnificus infection: a retrospective study of 12 cases.

Background And Aims: Vibrio vulnificus causes an infectious disease that has extremely poor convalescence and leads to necrotic fasciitis. In this study, we sought to define the characteristic epidemiology of V. vulnificus infection and clarify its diagnosis at the global level.

Observation of a pressure-induced As-As hybridization associated with a change in the electronic state of Fe in the tetragonal phase of EuFe2As2.

The electronic and vibrational properties of EuFe(2)As(2) in the tetragonal phase between 0 and 5 GPa have been investigated using (57)Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and (57)Fe nuclear resonance inelastic scattering, respectively. We find a discontinuous increase of the center shift around 2.3 GPa, reflecting a change of the electronic state of Fe, and above 2.

In vitro modeling of paraxial mesodermal progenitors derived from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are generated from adult somatic cells by transduction of defined factors. Given their unlimited proliferation and differentiation potential, iPS cells represent promising sources for cell therapy and tools for research and drug discovery. However, systems for the directional differentiation of iPS cells toward paraxial mesodermal lineages have not been reported.

Sagace: a web-based search engine for biomedical databases in Japan.

Background: In the big data era, biomedical research continues to generate a large amount of data, and the generated information is often stored in a database and made publicly available. Although combining data from multiple databases should accelerate further studies, the current number of life sciences databases is too large to grasp features and contents of each database.

Findings: We have developed Sagace, a web-based search engine that enables users to retrieve information from a range of biological databases (such as gene expression profiles and proteomics data) and biological resource banks (such as mouse models of disease and cell lines).