Potential usefulness of the kampo medicine yokukansan, containing uncaria hook, for paediatric emotional and behavioural disorders: a case series.

Background. Paediatric emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD) are relatively common diseases. Although nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments are utilized in these cases, it is sometimes difficult to manage the symptoms of EBD.

Long-term expressed human alpha-galactosidase A in tissues of HalphaG transgenic mice.

Background: Human alpha-galactosidase A (halphaG) is an essential lysosomal enzyme in catalyzing the hydrolysis of ceramide trihexoside in humans. Effects have been directed to develop effective gene and replacement therapies for the deficiency of halphaG, Fabry disease. In recent years, halphaG transgenic mice (TGM) have been established, and the expression of halphaG in their general organs has been reported.

Pathologic changes of glial cells in murine model of Niemann-Pick disease type C: immunohistochemical, lectin-histochemical and ultrastructural observations.

Background: In recent years, morbid states of glial cells have been reported in several neurodegenerative diseases. We studied neuropathologically the glial cells in a murine model of Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) to clarify involvement of glias, the most important supportive cells in the central nervous system, by the disease.

Methods: The brains of sphingomyelinosis mice (spm/spm), aged from 5 to 13 weeks, and 15 of their age-matched normal siblings were studied histopathologically, immunohistochemically and electron micro-scopically.

Importance of deletion of T at nucleotide 1559 in the tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase gene in Japanese patients with hypophosphatasia.

The tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) gene in four unrelated patients with hypophosphatasia was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism and the direct sequencing method. Of the participating patients, one had childhood-type and three had perinatal-type disease. All carried a deletion of T at cDNA number 1559, which causes a frameshift downstream from codon L503, as a heterozygote.