Cerebral hemorrhagic infarction after radiation for pituitary adenoma.

We report a case of cerebral hemorrhagic infarction after radiation for pituitary adenoma. A 55-year-old woman was hospitalized to check for aldosteronism, post-operative pituitary function, and recurrence of thyroid cancer. She had short-term memory disturbance beginning two months prior to admission.

Perceived mental stress and mortality from cardiovascular disease among Japanese men and women: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk Sponsored by Monbusho (JACC Study).

Background: Perceived mental stress has been associated with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in white men, but no prospective data are available for other ethnic groups.

Methods And Results: From 1988 to 1990, a total of 73 424 Japanese (30 180 men and 43 244 women), aged 40 to 79 years, without a history of stroke, CHD, or cancer completed a lifestyle questionnaire including perception of mental stress under the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk Sponsored by Monbusho (JACC Study). Systematic surveillance was completed until the end of 1997, with a 580 378 person-year follow-up, and the underlying causes of death were determined according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision.

A prospective study of stomach cancer death in relation to green tea consumption in Japan.

To evaluate whether green tea consumption provides protection against stomach cancer death, relative risks were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis in the Japan Collaborative Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk, sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (JACC Study). The study was based on 30 370 men and 42 481 women aged 40-79. After adjustment for age, smoking status, history of peptic ulcer, family history of stomach cancer along with certain dietary items, the risks associated with drinking one or two, three or four, five to nine, and 10 or more cups of green tea per day, relative to those of drinking less than one cup per day, were 1.

Targeted deletion of both thymidine phosphorylase and uridine phosphorylase and consequent disorders in mice.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) regulates intracellular and plasma thymidine levels. TP deficiency is hypothesized to (i) increase levels of thymidine in plasma, (ii) lead to mitochondrial DNA alterations, and (iii) cause mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE). In order to elucidate the physiological roles of TP, we generated mice deficient in the TP gene.

PPAR gamma ligands, troglitazone and pioglitazone, up-regulate expression of HMG-CoA synthase and HMG-CoA reductase gene in THP-1 macrophages.

Recently it has been reported that macrophages express a nuclear receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma). Using a ligand of PPAR gamma, troglitazone or pioglitazone, we have shown that the expression of two genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase and HMG-CoA reductase, were increased by activation of PPAR gamma through a PPAR response element (PPRE) in THP-1 macrophages. In addition, treatment with troglitazone significantly increased the activity of HMG-CoA reductase and the amount of intracellular cholesterol.

Short- and long-term reliability of information on previous illness and family history as compared with that on smoking and drinking habits in questionnaire surveys.

To assess the reliability of responses to questionnaires regarding previous illness, family history of cancer, and smoking and drinking habits, we repeated questionnaire surveys four times at intervals of 2 weeks and 1 year (short-term), and 4.5 years (long-term) among 440 subjects aged 40-69. The reliability was assessed using kappa statistic.

Detection of deoxygenation-related signal change in acute ischemic stroke patients by T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Background And Purpose: Acute decreases in the MR T2*-weighted signal have been reported in experimental models of middle cerebral artery occlusion. This has been attributed to blood deoxygenation in association with an increased brain oxygen extraction fraction. The aim of this study was to detect this signal by susceptibility-weighted MR imaging in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Insulin inhibits apoptosis of macrophage cell line, THP-1 cells, via phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-dependent pathway.

Hyperinsulinemia has recently been reported as a risk factor for atherosclerotic diseases such as coronary heart disease; however, its precise mechanism is not well understood. To elucidate the role of insulin in the development of atherogenesis, we have investigated the effect of insulin on cell survival in macrophages, which are known to be important in the atherosclerotic process. Apoptosis was induced in macrophage cell lines derived from human monocytes or murine macrophages by serum starvation.

Family history and the risk of stomach cancer death in Japan: differences by age and gender.

Familial aggregation of stomach cancer has long been observed. The effect on disease risk of family history and its magnitude according to the type of affected relatives, however, is not well known. We conducted a prospective analysis using the JACC study (Japan Collaborative Cohort Study For Evaluation of Cancer Risk, sponsored by Monbusho) data.

Difference in the occurrence of cardiovascular events according to class of antihypertensive agent, based on a follow-up study of Japanese hypertension patients.

We conducted a nested case-control study to evaluate the relationship between antihypertensive agent class and the incidence of initial cardiovascular events. A total of 7.443 patients being treated with an antihypertensive agent in 1985-1986 were enrolled for follow-up of up to 5 years.

Acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase is a lipogenic enzyme controlled by SREBP-1 and energy status.

DNA microarray analysis on upregulated genes in the livers from transgenic mice overexpressing nuclear sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1a, identified an expressed sequence tag (EST) encoding a part of murine cytosolic acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase (ACAS). Northern blot analysis of the livers from transgenic mice demonstrated that this gene was highly induced by SREBP-1a, SREBP-1c, and SREBP-2. DNA sequencing of the 5' flanking region of the murine ACAS gene identified a sterol regulatory element with an adjacent Sp1 site.

Elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in the sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis correlation with disease activity.

To evaluate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in relation to disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), VEGF in the serum of 155 patients with RA and 75 healthy control subjects was quantified by our highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. VEGF levels were found to correlate with the articular index (AI) and Lansbury's activity index (LI). Patients with RA had a mean serum VEGF concentration of 153.

Trends in the mortality (1950-1997) and incidence (1975-1993) of malignant ovarian neoplasm among Japanese women: analyses by age, time, and birth cohort.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore epidemiological features of malignant ovarian neoplasm in Japan.

Methods: The number of deaths from malignant ovarian neoplasm was obtained from the national vital statistics. Estimated incidence rates, based on several cancer registries, were also used for analyses.

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins induce an entire pathway of cholesterol synthesis.

To evaluate the effects of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) on the expression of the individual enzymes in the cholesterol synthetic pathway, we examined expression of these genes in the livers from wild-type and transgenic mice overexpressing nuclear SREBP-1a or -2. As estimated by a Northern blot analysis, overexpression of nuclear SREBP-1a or -2 caused marked increases in mRNA levels of the whole battery of cholesterogenic genes. This SREBP activation covers not only rate-limiting enzymes such as HMG CoA synthase and reductase that have been well established as SREBP targets, but also all the enzyme genes in the cholesterol synthetic pathway tested here.

Leg edema, ST-T abnormalities, and high BNP values are important signs of heart failure in the elderly.

This study was aimed at the mechanism of the circulatory failure characteristic of the elderly through elucidating the cause of leg edema frequently found in patients under treatment in health care facilities for physical or mental handicaps. ECG and measurement of atrial (ANP) and brain (BNP) natriuretic peptides were carried out on 156 patients (mostly females aged 84 years on average) and echocardiographic assessment was done on 44 patients. Non-specific ST-T abnormalities were frequently found in patients with moderate or severe leg edema (61 vs.

Insulin up-regulates tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in macrophages through an extracellular-regulated kinase-dependent pathway.

Hyperinsulinemia has recently been reported as a risk factor for atherosclerotic diseases such as coronary heart disease; however, the effect of insulin on the development of atherosclerosis is not well understood. Here we have investigated the direct effect of insulin on macrophages, which are known to be important in the atherosclerotic process. We treated THP-1 macrophages with insulin (10(-7) m) and examined the gene expression using nucleic acid array systems.

Accommodative load from handheld game consoles in kindergarten children.

We analyzed and compared the visual accommodation of kindergarten children who were gazing fixedly at images from three different sources: Nintendo Game Boy DMG-01(TM) (non-backlit type game console: NBGC), NEC PC EnginePI-TG6(TM) (color backlit-type game console: CBGC) and a cartoon drawing (drawing). Subjects for the experiment were 13 4- to 5-year-old kindergarten children. The contrast ratios were, in the order, 1.

[Epidemiology and primary prevention of colorectal cancer].

The incidence of and mortality from colorectal cancer are increasing in Japan, as is its proportion among all malignant neoplasms. Thus, primary prevention of this cancer is crucial. Colorectal cancer is caused by interactions between host and environmental factors, with accumulation of gene alterations, such as activation of oncogenes and inactivation of suppressor genes, and generally involves an adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

Smad-mediated transcription is required for transforming growth factor-beta 1-induced p57(Kip2) proteolysis in osteoblastic cells.

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory proteins (CKIs) are negative regulators of the cell cycle. Of all CKIs, only p57(Kip2) plays an essential role(s) that other CKIs cannot compensate for in embryonic development. Recently, we found that p57(Kip2) is degraded through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in osteoblastic cells stimulated to proliferation by transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 (Urano, T.

Thermal perception threshold testing for the evaluation of small sensory nerve fiber injury in patients with hand-arm vibration syndrome.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether thermal perception threshold testing is a useful method that could replace pain threshold testing in the evaluation of small sensory nerve fiber injury in vibration-induced neuropathy. Vibration, pain, and thermal (warm and cold) perception thresholds were examined on both middle fingers of 50 patients with hand-arm vibration syndrome and 29 healthy controls of similar age. The patients were divided into three subgroups according to the Stockholm Workshop sensorineural scale.

Thermal and physicochemical properties of rice grain, flour and starch.

Three types of rices, namely, Thailand rice (Indica), Nipponbare (Japonica), and Himenomochi (Japonica waxy), in grain, flour, and starch forms have been studied for their thermal and physicochemical properties. In grain form, Indica was slender and Japonica rices were bold and thick. Indica had the highest protein and amylose equivalent.

Effect of vibration magnitude and repetitive exposure on finger blood flow in healthy subjects.

In order to study the effect of the magnitude of vibrations and repetitive exposure on finger blood flow, we exposed ten healthy subjects to three experimental conditions: (1) vibration of 3.16 m/s2 at 60 Hz, (2) vibration of 31.6 m/s2 at 60 Hz, and (3) no vibration, as a control.

Influence of life-related factors and participation in health examination on mortality in a 4.5-year follow-up of a rural cohort.

To identify life-related factors causing increased mortality, 2,769 rural residents aged 29-77 were investigated through a self-administered questionnaire in 1990. Death certificates and migration information were inspected during the 4.5-year follow-up period.

[Deregulation of cell cycle control in lung cancer].

Studies on cell cycle regulation and cancer genetics have revealed that multiple cell cycle regulatory proteins play key roles in oncogenesis. These can be categorized in three sets. First; p16INK4-Cyclin D1-RB pathway, which controls G1 to S progression of the cell cycle, second; p53 pathway, which is involved in DNA damage repair, and third; p27KIP1 CDK inhibitor, a negative regulator of cell cycle, and decreased expression of which has been correlated to poor prognosis in cancer patients.