Infective endocarditis caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus; a case report.

Background: Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a gram-negative bacterium and an oral commensal in dogs and cats, but occasionally causes serious infections in humans. Septicemia is one of the most fulminant forms, but diagnosis of C. canimorsus infection is often difficult mainly because of its very slow growth.

[Trend of susceptibility testing of clinical isolates of Candida species from aseptic samples in hospitals in Saitama prefecture].

We investigated the susceptibility of Candida species from clinical aseptic samples, including blood, at some hospitals in Saitama prefecture. Candida spp. detected from aseptic samples in the 6 institutes in Saitama prefecture from November 2007 to July 2011 were studied.

The anti-overactive bladder activity of KW-7158 is mediated by blocking equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1.

KW-7158 is a novel therapeutic candidate for treating overactive bladder (OAB) with a unique mode of action: suppression of sensory afferent nerves. However, the molecular target of this compound remains unknown. We herein report the identification of the KW-7158 target to be equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 (ENT1).

[Predictors of axillary node metastasis at breast surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with pre- chemotherapy-sentinel node positive breast cancer].

Background: We investigated predictors for axillary node metastasis at breast surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with pre-chemotherapy-sentinel node positive breast cancer.

Methods: Eighty-two patients were diagnosed as having positive sentinel lymph node (SLN), who had axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) performed after combination anthracycline/taxan based NAC, between 2002 and 2009.

Results: Eighteen (22.

Flare hypercalcemia after letrozole in a patient with liver metastasis from breast cancer: a case report.

Introduction: Tamoxifen may occasionally precipitate serious and potentially life-threatening hypercalcemia. However, to date, this has not been documented with aromatase inhibitors.

Case Presentation: A 65-year-old Japanese woman with liver metastasis from breast cancer was admitted to our hospital with vomiting, anorexia, fatigue, arthralgia, muscle pain and dehydration.

Clinicopathological analysis of ten patients with metaplastic squamous cell carcinoma of the breast.

Purpose: Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and metaplastic squamous cell carcinoma (MSCC) are rare types of breast cancer with specific histological features. They are characterized by rapid progression, a tendency toward cyst formation, and negativity for hormone receptors. Many studies have concluded that SCC of the breast carries a poor prognosis, based on the fact that conventional chemotherapy for ductal carcinoma of the breast is ineffective against SCC.

A low number of tumor-infiltrating FOXP3-positive cells during primary systemic chemotherapy correlates with favorable anti-tumor response in patients with breast cancer.

Cancer cells induce proliferation and local accumulation of immunosuppressive cells, such as FOXP3-positive cells known as regulatory T cells (Tregs), leading to tumor-induced immune tolerance. Although cancer chemotherapy is usually considered immunosuppressive, some chemotherapeutic agents activate an anticancer immune response. Therefore, we postulated that the number of tumor-infiltrating FOXP3-positive cells during primary systemic chemotherapy (PSC) correlates with therapeutic outcomes in patients with breast cancer.

Irinotecan-induced apoptosis is inhibited by increased P-glycoprotein expression and decreased p53 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Irinotecan, a DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor, is widely used in cancer chemotherapy. However, little is known of the mechanisms of its antitumor effects and the development of drug resistance in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we investigated the effects of short-term culture with SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan, on apoptosis in Huh7 cells.

Orange juice increased the bioavailability of pravastatin, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase inhibitor, in rats and healthy human subjects.

Our objective was to investigate the effects of orange juice on the pharmacokinetics of pravastatin in rats and healthy volunteers. The pharmacokinetics of pravastatin (100 mg/kg p.o.

Anti-lipid deposition effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, pitavastatin, in a rat model of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.

Since the rat is an atherosclerosis-resistant species, the study of atherosclerosis using rats is limited. The present study was undertaken to develop an atherosclerotic model in rats, to investigate the effect of nitric oxide (NO) inactivation and hyperlipidemia, and to evaluate the effect of pitavastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) inhibitor, on NO inactivation and on hyperlipidemia-induced changes in the cardiovascular system. Four-month-old male spontaneously hypertensive hyperlipidemic rats (SHHR) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to study 1) the effect of the period of treatment with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 mg/L) on high fat diet (HFD)-treated SHHR and SD rats, and 2) the effect of pitavastatin (Pit, 0.

Distribution of adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonist KW-6002 and its effect on gene expression in the rat brain.

A novel adenosine A(2A) receptor selective antagonist, KW-6002 [(E)-1,3-diethyl-8-(3,4-dimethoxystyryl)-7-methyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione], possesses antiparkinsonian activities in rodent and primate models. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of [14C]KW-6002 in forebrain after oral administration at pharmacologically effective doses. Also, we monitored the effects of the compound on preproenkephalin (PPE) and preprotachykinin (PPT) gene expression in rat striatum.