Effect of massaging babies on mothers: pilot study on the changes in mood states and salivary cortisol level.

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of baby massage for 3 months after delivery on mothers' mood status and salivary cortisol level. Study participants were a convenient sample of mothers who delivered their babies at a hospital in Japan, and were recruited at the time of the routine 5-6 weeks postnatal visit to the pediatric office. Thirty-nine mothers were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups.

S100A2 expression as a predictive marker for late cervical metastasis in stage I and II invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.

The purpose of this study was to discover whether S100A2 expression is associated with late cervical metastasis in patients with stage I and II invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. We retrospectively investigated the clinicopathological parameters and S100A2 expression in surgical specimens taken from 52 patients with T1-2N0M0 invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) who had not undergone elective neck dissection or irradiation to the neck. All of the clinicopathological factors and S100A2 expression were compared in terms of late cervical metastasis.

Prognostic significance of cytoplasmic macrophage migration inhibitory factor expression in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

The macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is known to be a proinflammatory cytokine as well as a tumor growth regulator. Although the positive and negative effects of the MIF on tumor cell growth have been reported, the exact role of the MIF in tumorigenesis remains ambiguous. We examined the expression of the MIF protein in tumor specimens obtained from 50 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (carboplatin, 100 mg/m2), 4-7 times every week; a total radiation therapy dose of 65-75 Gy over 6.

Effects of PACAP(1-27) on the canine endocrine pancreas in vivo: interaction with cholinergic mechanism.

The aim of the present study was to characterize the effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) on the endocrine pancreas in anesthetized dogs. PACAP(1-27) and a PACAP receptor (PAC(1)) blocker, PACAP(6-27), were locally administered to the pancreas. PACAP(1-27) (0.