Bottleneck effects on the sika deer Cervus nippon population in Hokkaido, revealed by ancient DNA analysis.

The population size of the sika deer Cervus nippon on Hokkaido Island of Japan had been remarkably reduced because of heavy hunting pressure since the beginning of Meiji Period and effects of heavy snow in 1879 and 1881. After that, the number of sika deer in Hokkaido has increased gradually due to the protection by the Hokkaido government. In the present study, in order to investigate the bottleneck effects, we analyzed ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) on sika deer bones excavated from archaeological sites just before Meiji Period.

Tumour shapes and fully automated range compensation for heavy charged particle radiotherapy.

The idea of a computer-controlled range-compensating system for heavy charged particle radiotherapy, the multibar compensator, is proposed. By stacking multiple energy-absorbing layers along the beam, each of which has structure and behaviour similar to those of a multileaf collimator, variable range compensation will be achieved. The analysis of the conventional range compensators actually used for treatment concluded that the proposed system would not seriously degrade the treatment quality for the most cases, except for tumours in the head and neck region where 1 mm precision may be required.

Adding HPV16 testing to abnormal cervical smear detection is useful for predicting CIN3: a prospective study.

Background: The aim of this prospective study was to estimate whether adding human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) testing to abnormal cervical smears is useful in the prediction of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (CIN3).

Methods: Between October 1994 and May 1996, a total of 207 patients at the Akita University Hospital had abnormal smears. Of these patients, 153 patients with CIN1,2 or atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) were enrolled in this study and followed until June 2001.

Prehistoric Sado Island populations of Sus scrofa distinguished from contemporary Japanese wild boar by ancient mitochondrial DNA.

Ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mainly from Jomon Period Sus scrofa bone specimens (6,100-1,700 years old) was examined to clarify the genetic relationships between prehistoric and contemporary S. scrofa on Hokkaido, Honshu, Sado, and Izu islands of the Japanese Archipelago. Phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA control region (574 bp) and analysis of pairwise nucleotide differences between prehistoric and contemporary S.

A new method of superficial peroneal nerve conduction studies.

Herein, we report a new method for obtaining sensory nerve conduction velocities (SCVs) in the distal segment of the superficial peroneal nerve (SPN). Twenty lower extremities from 10 normal subjects (mean age: 33.4 years) were evaluated.

Comorbidity in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been noted for its high rate of comorbidity. The present study is the first report in Japan evaluating the proportion of comorbidity in ADHD cases presenting in the clinical setting, aiming at clarifying the picture of ADHD in Japan. The subjects consisted of 68 child and adolescent cases meeting criteria for ADHD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn) under treatment at a child psychiatry clinic (IQ > 50, mental age >or= 4 years old).

Conversion of Lactobacillus pentosus D-lactate dehydrogenase to a D-hydroxyisocaproate dehydrogenase through a single amino acid replacement.

The single amino acid replacement of Tyr52 with Leu drastically increased the activity of Lactobacillus pentosus NAD-dependent D-lactate dehydrogenase toward larger aliphatic or aromatic 2-ketoacid substrates by 3 or 4 orders of magnitude and decreased the activity toward pyruvate by about 30-fold, converting the enzyme into a highly active D-2-hydroxyisocaproate dehydrogenase.

Theoretical studies on the molecular dependence of bond dissociation after core excitations II: CH(3)CO(CH(20)(n)CN, n = 0-3.

Approximate theoretical normal and resonant Auger spectra for a series of methylcyano ketones were calculated. Compared with our previous procedure, a set of initial molecular orbitals (MOs) for Auger decay probability calculations of the normal Auger process was modified by changing from a set of ground state MOs to a set of core-holed MOs. For the resonant Auger process, a set of MOs was also modified in the same manner.

Testicular toxicity of dietarily or parenterally administered bisphenol A in rats and mice.

Male Crj:Wistar rats, HsdHot:Holtzman SD rats, Crj:CD-1(ICR) mice and C57BL/6CrSlc mice were administered bisphenol A (BPA) in the diet at a level of 0 (control) and 0.25% for 8 weeks. Daily BPA intake was about 200 and 400 mg/kg for rats and mice, respectively.

BCG vaccination and tuberculosis in Japan.

This paper summarizes Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination and revaccination policies in Japan, its cost-effectiveness, side effects, proposed selective vaccination strategy, and present tuberculosis situation in Japanese perspectives based on Medline database and other published reports. Universal BCG vaccination in infants and revaccination among children were not found economically justifiable. Overall tuberculosis incidence in Japan is higher than that of other developed countries.

Cost analysis of paediatric tuberculosis treatment in Japan.

Objective: To estimate the cost of treating a tuberculosis (TB) case and to analyse TB-related medical service utilisation, a cost-of-illness study was conducted for all patients with a primary diagnosis of TB admitted to a public hospital in Japan.

Methods: Retrospective analysis by abstracting in- and out-patient medical records of 57 paediatric patients diagnosed with TB during 1993-1998 at a public hospital in Osaka prefecture. Costs were estimated based on third party's payer perspectives according to the service utilisation pattern.

Influence of family on acceptance of influenza vaccination among Japanese patients.

Background: Influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Japan and worldwide, especially for people of >65 years old and those with high-risk medical conditions. Although the influenza vaccine is effective in reducing the morbidity and mortality, the vaccine coverage rate has not increased adequately in Japan, compared with western countries.

Objective: Our aim was to assess whether medical and personal characteristics are associated with receiving influenza vaccination in Japanese patients.

Prevalence of the alkyl/phenyl-folded conformation in benzylic compounds C6H5CH2-X-R (X=O, CH2, CO, S, SO, SO2): significance of the CH/pi interaction as evidenced by high-level ab initio MO calculations.

Ab initio MO calculations were carried out to examine the conformational energies of various benzylic compounds C(6)H(5)CH(2)XR (X=O, CH(2), CO, S, SO, SO(2); R=CH(3), C(2)H(5), iC(3)H(7), tC(4)H(9)) at the MP2/6-311G(d,p)//MP2/6-31G(d) level. Rotamers with R/Ph in gauche relationship are generally more stable than the R/Ph anti rotamers. In these stable geometries, the interatomic distance in the interaction of alpha- or beta-CH in the alkyl group and the ipso-carbon atom of the phenyl ring is short.

Solitary true cyst of the pancreas in an adult: report of a case.

Background: Solitary true cyst of the pancreas is rare in adults, and the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the pancreas is challenging.

Aim Of The Study: To describe a solitary true cyst of the pancreas in an adult and discuss the differential diagnosis.

Methods: A 50 yr old woman presented with a mass lesion in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen.

Postnatal development of protein gene product 9.5 and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive nerve fibres in rat temporomandibular joint disc.

Protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), an immunohistochemical marker of whole nerve fibres, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a marker of thin nerve fibres, were used to elucidate the postnatal development of nerve fibres in rat temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc.

Japan's contribution to research on infectious disease.

We explored the degree of Japan's contribution to research in the field of infectious disease in the last decade. Articles published from 1991-2000 in highly reputed journals on infectious disease were accessed through the MEDLINE database. The number of articles having an affiliation with a Japanese institution was counted in total and for the respective journals.

Effects of extrinsic autonomic inputs on expression of c-Fos immunoreactivity in myenteric neurons of the guinea pig distal colon.

c-Fos protein is a nuclear protein coded by c-fos proto-oncogene subsequent to synaptic activation of the neurons. We used immunohistochemical methods to visualize the expression of c-Fos protein in myenteric neurons of the guinea pig distal colon and examined the effects of the extrinsic autonomic inputs on the enteric circuits. No c-Fos immunoreactivity was observed in the colonic segments fixed immediately after removal from the animal body.

Synthesis and activity of a metabolite of (S)-6-amino-5-(6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxamido)-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,4-(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione (CX-659S).

CX-659S (1) [(S)-6-amino-5-(6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxamido)-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,4-(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione], has been developed as a new type anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of dermatitis. The structure of a major metabolite of CX-659S was determined as (S)-6-amino-5-[2-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-(2,4,5-trimethyl-3,6-dioxo-1,4-cyclohexadienyl)butanamide]-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,4-(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione (2) by direct comparison with the synthesized authentic compound. The anti-inflammatory activity of 2 was equipotent with that of 1 on the contact hypersensitivity reaction (CHR) induced by picryl chloride (PC) in mice, suggesting that compound 2 contributes, at least in part, to the anti-inflammatory activity of CX-659S.

[Social concern and independence in adults with congenital heart disease].

Objectives: Recent advances in medical and surgical treatment have led to the survival of increasing numbers of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). However, the social status of these patients remains unknown. This survey investigated the social prospects for adults with CHD, and the limiting factors for social independence.

Primary osteosarcoma of the uterine corpus: case report and review of the literature.

A rare case of rapidly growing osteosarcoma that developed in the uterine corpus of a 62-year-old woman is presented. The tumor occupied almost the entire pelvic cavity and extended into the abdominal cavity, with marked involvement of the intestines. Histopathologically, the tumor was composed of an osteoblastic component, accompanied by conspicuous bone formation, and a fibroblastic component.

Reaction space map representation of the chlorination/dechlorination reactions of polychlorobenzenes.

The reaction space map (RESMAP) representation is proposed for the comprehensive description of the chlorination and dechlorination reactions of polychlorobenzenes. By using the B3LYP/6-311G energies and by assuming the chemical reactions which govern the chlorination and dechlorination processes of polychlorobenzenes, the relative energies of polychlorobenzenes and polychlorophenyl radicals were defined artificially. They were collected as the RESMAP which has the relative energies of polychlorobenzenes at the diagonal parts and the polychlorophenyl radicals connecting two polychlorobenzenes at the off-diagonal parts.

CX-659S: a novel diaminouracil derivative that has antioxidative and acute anti-inflammatory activities.

We investigated the antioxidative activities and the effects on acute inflammation in mice of a novel diaminouracil derivative, CX-659S ((S)-6-amino-5-(6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxamido)-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione). CX-659S showed potent scavenging activities against the hydroxyl radical and peroxynitrite and inhibited lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenates in vitro. Topically applied CX-659S dose-dependently inhibited arachidonic acid- and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema in mice.

A case report of intravenous leiomyomatosis extending into the heart.

The patient was a 47-year-old woman who underwent total hysterectomy for uterine leiomyoma in 1994. Two years later, intracaval and intravenous tumors were found by ultrasonic cardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, enhanced chest computed tomography, and venography. The patient underwent total removal of these tumors.

[Central nervous system involvements in Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy].

Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) are the most common inherited muscular diseases caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. The identification of novel dystrophins in the brain has recently implicated its absence or malfunction etiologically in mental retardation (MR). We therefore examined the relationship between molecular abnormalities and clinical phenotypes.