The presence of Chlamydia is associated with increased leukocyte counts and pain severity in men with chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Objective: To examine the role of urinary chlamydial infection in patients with chronic prostatitis and/or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP-CPPS).

Methods: We recruited men aged 18-55 years over 4 years. We excluded patients with acute urethritis and any acute genitourinary infections.

The effect of thiobarbituric acid on tyrosinase: inhibition kinetics and computational simulation.

Tyrosinase plays various roles in organisms and much research has focused on the regulation of tyrosinase activity. We studied the inhibitory effect of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) on tyrosinase. Our kinetic study showed that TBA inhibited tyrosinase in a reversible noncompetitive manner (K(i) 5 14.

An antimicrobial protein, lactoferrin exists in the sweat: proteomic analysis of sweat.

The main function of the eccrine gland has been considered to be thermoregulation. Recently, it has been reported that antimicrobial peptides including cathelicidin and dermcidin exist in the sweat. Lactoferrin is found in body fluids such as milk tears and saliva.

Expression of the homeobox gene, HOPX, is modulated by cell differentiation in human keratinocytes and is involved in the expression of differentiation markers.

Homeodomain only protein X (HOPX), an unusual homeodomain protein, was originally identified as a key regulator of cardiac development. We first demonstrated that the expression of HOPX was dependent on the differentiation of human keratinocytes and has an effect on the expression of differentiation markers. HOPX was suppressed in proliferating human keratinocytes and was gradually induced by calcium-triggered differentiation of human keratinocytes.