Soluble LR11 as a Novel Biomarker in Acute Kawasaki Disease.

Background: Intimal smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play an important role in the vasculitis caused by Kawasaki disease (KD). Lipoprotein receptor 11 (LR11) is a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor family, which is expressed markedly in intimal vascular SMCs and secreted in a soluble form (sLR11). sLR11 has been recently identified as a potential vascular lesion biomarker.

Phylogenetic and antigenic analyses of coxsackievirus A6 isolates in Yamagata, Japan between 2001 and 2017.

Although coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) is generally recognized as a causative agent of herpangina in children, CV-A6 infections globally emerged as a new and major cause of epidemic hand-foot-and-mouth-diseases (HFMDs) around 2008. To clarify the longitudinal epidemiology of CV-A6, we carried out sequence and phylogenetic analyses for the VP1 and partially for the VP4-3D regions as well as antigenic analysis using 115 CV-A6 isolates and 105 human sera in Yamagata, Japan between 2001 and 2017. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CV-A6 isolates were clearly divided into two clusters; strains in circulation between 2001 and 2008 and those between 2010 and 2017.

Molecular epidemiology of enterovirus 71 strains isolated from children in Yamagata, Japan, between 1990 and 2013.

Enterovirus 71 infections have become a major public issue in the Asia-Pacific region due to the large number of fatal cases. To clarify the longitudinal molecular epidemiology of enterovirus 71 (EV71) in a community, we isolated 240 strains from children, mainly with hand-foot-and-mouth diseases, between 1990 and 2013 in Yamagata, Japan. We carried out a sequence analysis of the VP1 region (891 bp) using 223 isolates and identified six subgenogroups (B2, B4, B5, C1, C2 and C4) during the study period.

Relation between Delayed Superfluous Insulin Secretion during An Oral Glucose Tolerance Test and Metabolic Disorders in Obese Japanese Children.

The aim of this study was to clarify the relation between postprandial hyperinsulinemia and metabolic disorders in obese children. Twenty-eight obese Japanese children (8.8-16.

Acanthosis nigricans is a reliable cutaneous marker of insulin resistance in obese Japanese children.

Background: Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a skin condition characterized by darkening and thickening of skin with formation of irregular folds, usually limited to a few specific areas of the body. Recently, AN has been reported to be linked to hyperinsulinemia and obesity. The aim of the present study was to determine whether or not the presence of AN in obese Japanese children is a reliable cutaneous marker.

A rare appearance of influenza A(H1N2) as a reassortant in a community such as Yamagata where A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) co-circulate.

To find a new influenza subtype A(H1N2), 383 isolates identified as H1 by hemagglutination inhibition test between the 1998-1999 and 2001-2002 seasons in Yamagata, Japan, were screened by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. As a result, 3 strains from the 1999-2000 season were identified as possibly being A(H1N2). Although several of their clones were found to be A(H1N2), A(H1N1) and A(H3N2), we could not confirm the origin of the A(H1N2) clones without the original specimens.