Young carers in Japan: Reliability and validity testing of the BBC/University of Nottingham young carers survey questionnaire and prevalence estimation in 5000 adolescents.

Aim: Young carers (YCs) refer to children under the age of 18 who assume responsibilities that would normally be assumed by adults, such as caring for family members in need of care. In recent years, the concept of YCs has been expanding in Japan, and the government has been rapidly implementing strategies to support them. There is a need for a survey scale for YCs that uses standardized methods that can be compared internationally.

Atmospheric CO captured by biogenic polyamines is transferred as a possible substrate to Rubisco for the carboxylation reaction.

Biogenic polyamines are involved in a wide range of plant cellular processes, including cell division, morphogenesis and stress responses. However, the exact roles of biogenic polyamines are not well understood. We recently reported that biogenic polyamines that have multiple amino groups can react with CO and accelerate calcium carbonate formation in seawater.

Asymmetric larval head and mandibles of Hydrophilus acuminatus (Insecta: Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae): Fine structure and embryonic development.

The larvae of a water scavenger beetle, Hydrophilus acuminatus, have strongly asymmetric mandibles; the right one is long and slender, whereas the left one is short and stout. The fine structure and embryonic development of the head capsule and mandibles of this species were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy, and asymmetries in shape were detected in these structures applying an elliptic Fourier analysis. The larval mandibles are asymmetric in the following aspects: whole length, the number, structure and arrangement of retinacula (inner teeth), and size and shape of both the molar and incisor regions.

Clinical Phenotype and Segregation of Mitochondrial 3243A>G Mutation in 2 Pairs of Monozygotic Twins.

Importance: The regulatory factors explaining the wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes for mitochondrial 3243A>G mutation are not known. Crosstalk between nuclear genes and mitochondrial DNA might be one factor.

Observations: In this case series, we compared 2 pairs of male twins with the mitochondrial 3243 A>G mutation and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes syndrome with a female control patient.

Biogenic polyamines capture CO2 and accelerate extracellular bacterial CaCO3 formation.

Bacteria, including cyanobacteria, as well as some fungi, are known to deposit calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) extracellularly in calcium-containing artificial medium. Despite extensive investigation, the mechanisms involved in extracellular formation of CaCO(3) by bacteria have remained unclear. The ability of synthetic amines to remove carbon dioxide (CO(2)) from natural gas led us to examine the role of biogenic polyamines in CaCO(3) deposition by bacteria.

Longitudinal heterogeneity of coronary artery distensibility in plaques related to acute coronary syndrome.

Background: How coronary distensibility contributes to stable or unstable clinical manifestations remains obscure. We postulated that the heterogeneous plaque distensibility is associated with unstable clinical presentations in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods And Results: Seventeen and 19 ACS-related and -unrelated lesions, respectively, were visualized using intravascular ultrasound imaging with simultaneous intracoronary pressure recording.

An attack of acute neuro-Behçet's disease during the course of chronic progressive neuro-Behçet's disease: report of two cases.

A 29-year-old man and a 36-year-old man developed attacks of acute neuro-Behçet's disease (NB) (right Horner's syndrome and right hemiplegia and dysarthria, respectively) during the course of chronic progressive NB (acute on chronic). Although both patients recovered from acute NB after treatment with infliximab or corticosteroids, they continued to show manifestations of chronic progressive NB. It is suggested that acute NB and chronic progressive NB are different in their pathogenesis.

Accelerated binocular rivalry with anxious personality.

When dissimilar figures are presented to the two eyes individually, perception alternates spontaneously between each monocular view. This phenomenon, designated binocular rivalry, has been used by many scientists as a tool for investigating visual awareness. Some recent studies have suggested involvement of serotonergic neural systems in this phenomenon.

Increase in incidence of elderly-onset patients with myasthenia gravis in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

Objectives: In European countries and the United States the incidence of elderly-onset myasthenia gravis (MG) has recently been increasing. To investigate whether the incidence of the elderly-onset MG has increased in Nagano Prefecture of Japan, we divided the patients into young and elderly groups, and retrospectively examined their incidence.

Patients And Methods: On the basis of two-step questionnaires sent to hospitals and the patient list of the intractable disease registration system in Nagano Prefecture we studied 213 MG patients diagnosed between 1982 and 2001.