Severe pulmonary toxoplasmosis mimicking viral pneumonitis after a third allogeneic stem cell transplantation in a man with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A 22-year-old man with acute lymphoblastic leukemia underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) twice, then underwent allo-SCT a third time due to relapse. On day 27, he developed acute respiratory distress, and bilateral interstitial infiltrates were noted on CT images. Despite receiving intensive treatment, the patient died on day 32 from progressive respiratory failure.

[Successful treatment with low-dose etoposide for hemophagocytic syndrome following reduced-intensity conditioning for cord blood transplantation in a patient with acute myelgenous leukemia].

A 56-year-old man was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes. Chromosomal analysis showed a complex karyotype. Complete remission could not be achieved even after several induction chemotherapy regimens, and the patient suffered from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.

Complement C1q activates canonical Wnt signaling and promotes aging-related phenotypes.

Wnt signaling plays critical roles in development of various organs and pathogenesis of many diseases, and augmented Wnt signaling has recently been implicated in mammalian aging and aging-related phenotypes. We here report that complement C1q activates canonical Wnt signaling and promotes aging-associated decline in tissue regeneration. Serum C1q concentration is increased with aging, and Wnt signaling activity is augmented during aging in the serum and in multiple tissues of wild-type mice, but not in those of C1qa-deficient mice.

p53/p66Shc-mediated signaling contributes to the progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in humans and mice.

Background & Aims: The tumor suppressor p53 is a primary sensor of stressful stimuli, controlling a number of biologic processes. The aim of our study was to examine the roles of p53 in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: Male wild type and p53-deficient mice were fed a methionine- and choline-deficient diet for 8 weeks to induce nutritional steatohepatitis.

Measurement accuracy with a new dental panoramic radiographic technique based on tomosynthesis.

Objective: To investigate measurement errors and head positioning effects on radiographs made with new dental panoramic radiograph equipment that uses tomosynthesis.

Materials And Methods: Radiographic images of a simulated human head or phantom were made at standard head positions using the new dental panoramic radiograph equipment. Measurement errors were evaluated by comparing with the true values.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor protects against cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction via a central nervous system-mediated pathway.

Objective: The central nervous system is thought to influence the regulation of the cardiovascular system in response to humoral and neural signals from peripheral tissues, but our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved is still quite limited.

Methods And Results: Here, we demonstrate a central nervous system-mediated mechanism by which brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has a protective effect against cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). We generated conditional BDNF knockout mice, in which expression of BDNF was systemically reduced, by using the inducible Cre-loxP system.

Synthesis and bioassay of a boron-dipyrromethene derivative of estradiol for fluorescence imaging in vivo.

C7α-substituted estradiols bind to estrogen receptors in cell nuclei, yet these derivatives remain little used in bioimaging. Here, we describe a fluorescent derivative of estradiol (E2) with a boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moiety attached to C7α, synthesized by olefin metathesis reaction of 7α-allylestradiol and 9-decenyl-BODIPY. In ovariectomized rats and non-ovariectomized mice, E2-BODIPY promoted the growth of uterine tissue similar to the effect of estradiol.

Agonist-independent constitutive activity of angiotensin II receptor promotes cardiac remodeling in mice.

The angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 (AT(1)) receptor mainly mediates the physiological and pathological actions of Ang II, but recent studies have suggested that AT(1) receptor inherently shows spontaneous constitutive activity even in the absence of Ang II in culture cells. To elucidate the role of Ang II-independent AT(1) receptor activation in the pathogenesis of cardiac remodeling, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing AT(1) receptor under the control of α-myosin heavy chain promoter in angiotensinogen-knockout background (AT(1)Tg-AgtKO mice). In AT(1)Tg-AgtKO hearts, redistributions of the Gα(q11) subunit into cytosol and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases were significantly increased, compared with angiotensinogen-knockout mice hearts, suggesting that the AT(1) receptor is constitutively activated independent of Ang II.

p53-induced adipose tissue inflammation is critically involved in the development of insulin resistance in heart failure.

Several clinical studies have shown that insulin resistance is prevalent among patients with heart failure, but the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Here, we report a mechanism of insulin resistance associated with heart failure that involves upregulation of p53 in adipose tissue. We found that pressure overload markedly upregulated p53 expression in adipose tissue along with an increase of adipose tissue inflammation.

Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disorder developed after anti-thymocyte globulin therapy in a patient with bone marrow failure associated with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia.

A 75-year-old man was referred to our hospital for marked neutropenia and anemia. Bone marrow examination showed marked hypoplasia with 45.2% infiltration of CD3+, CD8+, CD16+ and CD57+ granular lymphocytes.

Determination of reference intervals of glycated albumin and hemoglobin A1c in healthy pregnant Japanese women and analysis of their time courses and influencing factors during pregnancy.

Glycemic control is an important issue in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and in diabetic pregnant women. We determined the reference intervals of glycated albumin (GA) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) as glycemic control markers in healthy Japanese pregnant women and analyzed their time courses and factors that influence these variables during pregnancy. 676 women were screened for the present study.

Adiponectin G276T gene polymorphism is associated with cardiovascular disease in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Adiponectin has anti-atherogenic properties and reduced serum adiponectin levels are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this study, we examined the relationship between CVD and adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene G276T polymorphism that is associated with serum adiponectin level in a large cohort of type 2 diabetic patients.

Research Design And Methods: We enrolled 2637 Japanese type 2 diabetic subjects (males, 61.

Lessons from the 2006 Louisiana health and population survey.

The 2005 hurricane season caused extensive damage and induced a mass migration of approximately 1.1 million people from southern Louisiana in the United States. Current and accurate estimates of population size and demographics and an assessment of the critical needs for public services were required to guide recovery efforts.

[A case of benign postpartum anterior spinal artery syndrome with thrombocytosis and high fibrolytic activity].

A 35-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with acute onset paraparesis, sensory disturbance in her lower body, and urinary disturbance. She had given birth by normal vaginal delivery 6 days before the onset of these symptoms. On admission, paresis of her left leg was more severe than that of her right leg.

A new method for random mutagenesis by error-prone polymerase chain reaction using heavy water.

Error-prone polymerase chain reactions (epPCRs) are often used to introduce mutations in random mutagenesis, which has been used as a tool in protein engineering. Here, we developed a new method of epPCR using heavy water as a solvent instead of normal water (H(2)O). Rhodopsin cDNA of the Ayu fish (Plecoglossus altivelis) was used as a template and was amplified using five different conditions: (A) 100% H(2)O with no Mn(2+), (B) 100% H(2)O/0.

Synthesis of a new [6]-gingerol analogue and its protective effect with respect to the development of metabolic syndrome in mice fed a high-fat diet.

To determine the effects of a [6]-gingerol analogue (6G), a major chemical component of the ginger rhizome, and its stable analogue after digestion in simulated gastric fluid, aza-[6]-gingerol (A6G), on diet-induced body fat accumulation, we synthesized 6G and A6G. Mice were fed either a control regular rodent chow, a high-fat diet (HFD), or a HFD supplemented with 6G and A6G. Magnetic resonance imaging adiposity parameters of the 6G- and A6G-treated mice were compared with those of control mice.

B-cell-dependent memory T cells impede nonmyeloablative mixed chimerism induction in presensitized mice.

Presensitization to HLA antigens limits the success of organ transplantation. The achievement of donor-specific tolerance via mixed chimerism could improve outcomes of transplantation in presensitized patients. In presensitized B-cell-deficient μMT B6 mice, we developed nonmyeloablative bone marrow transplantation (BMT) regimens that successfully tolerized presensitized T cells, achieving long-term (LT) multilineage chimerism and tolerance to donor-type skin.

Treatment of squamous cell carcinoma in situ: a review.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCIS) is thought to be a precursor to squamous cell carcinoma. It should be treated before invasive cancer develops, especially in transplant recipients, who may develop more aggressive skin cancers. Treatment can involve surgical and nonsurgical methods.

Genotype risk score of common susceptible variants for prediction of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japanese: the Shimanami Health Promoting Program (J-SHIPP study). Development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and genotype risk score.

Recent genomewide association studies have successfully identified several genotypes susceptible to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, only a few studies have investigated whether these variations confer a risk of the future development of T2DM. We conducted a longitudinal genetic epidemiological study to clarify the prognostic significance of the T2DM-associated variants.

Hospital preparedness for emergency response: United States, 2008.

Objective: This report is a summary of hospital preparedness for responding to public health emergencies, including mass casualties and epidemics of naturally occurring diseases such as influenza.

Methods: Data are from an emergency response preparedness supplement to the 2008 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which uses a national probability sample of nonfederal general and short-stay hospitals in the United States. Sample data were weighted to produce national estimates.

Lymphadenopathy of IgG4-related sclerosing disease: three case reports and review of literature.

Immunoglobulin (Ig) G4-related sclerosing disease is a recently described syndrome characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of exocrine glands or extranodal tissues and elevated serum IgG4. We report three cases of lymphadenopathy secondary to IgG4-related sclerosing disease. Histologic features of involved lymph nodes included interfollicular immunoblasts and plasma cells, similar to Castleman's disease.

Apis cerana japonica discriminates between floral color phases of the oriental orchid, Cymbidium floribundum.

Foragers of the Japanese honeybee (Apis cerana japonica) were attracted by flowers of an oriental orchid (Cymbidium floribundum) and were observed to carry the pollinia on their scutella. After the removal of pollinia from the flowers, their labial color changed from white to reddish brown. Both artificial removal of pollinia and ethrel treatment of the flowers also induced this labial color change.