Primary Ovarian Leiomyoma Associated with Multiple Uterine Leiomyomas.

Ovarian leiomyomas are very rare. We report the case of a primary ovarian leiomyoma accompanied by multiple uterine leiomyomas. A 50-year-old woman was referred to our department for heavy menstruation, and a hot spot in the uterine lumen was observed on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT).

A survey on characteristics of Japanese academic job market and evaluation.

Background: During the Meiji era, at the end of the 19th century, Japan introduced western systems into many fields, economically developing later than other industrially developed countries. Japan introduced a higher education system modeled on the German system, focusing not on education but on research. The historical background has shaped contemporary Japanese academia differently from that of the United States and the European Union.

Visualization of cortical projection neurons with retrograde TET-off lentiviral vector.

We are interested in identifying and characterizing various projection neurons that constitute the neocortical circuit. For this purpose, we developed a novel lentiviral vector that carries the tetracycline transactivator (tTA) and the transgene under the TET Responsive Element promoter (TRE) on a single backbone. By pseudotyping such a vector with modified rabies G-protein, we were able to express palmitoylated-GFP (palGFP) or turboFP635 (RFP) in corticothalamic, corticocortical, and corticopontine neurons of mice.

Flow cytometric assay using two fluorescent proteins for the function of the internal ribosome entry site of hepatitis C virus.

The initiation of translation in hepatitis C virus (HCV) occurs at the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) located at the 5'-end of its genomic RNA. To study the function of HCV IRES, we constructed a reporter plasmid that generates a bicistronic mRNA encoding two fluorescent proteins: cap-dependent DsRed2 and IRES-dependent Azami Green (AG). We introduced the plasmid into Huh7.

Development of a simple system for screening anti-hepatitis C virus drugs utilizing mutants capable of vigorous replication.

Replication of infectious hepatitis C virus in Huh7 cells, a human hepatocyte cell line, has become possible due to the unique properties of the JFH1 isolate. Developing reporter virus systems for a simple titration has been attempted by integrating heterologous reporter genes into the JFH1 genome, resulting in a big infectivity reduction that limits the usefulness of such reporter systems. To overcome this problem, JFH1-infected Huh7 cells were cultured continuously for 2 years to obtain Huh7-adapted JFH1 variants capable of yielding up to 1000-fold higher titers.

Subcellular localization and topology of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus E protein.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) open reading frame (ORF) 2a contains a small internal ORF (2b) capable of encoding a protein of 70 or 73 amino acids (aa), termed E protein. The function and biochemical information of the E protein are currently not clear. In the present investigation, it was shown that the E protein was mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi complex in MARC-145 cells.

Influence of polymorphism in dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin-related (DC-SIGNR) gene on HIV-1 trans-infection.

The dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) and DC-SIGN-related (DC-SIGNR) molecules on the cell surface are known to enhance human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection by capturing the virions and transmitting them to CD4+ T-cell, a process termed trans-infection. The neck region and carbohydrate recognition domain of the two proteins are important for efficient binding to the HIV-1 envelope protein. DC-SIGNR is polymorphic in Exons 4 and 5 that encode the neck region and carbohydrate recognition domain, respectively; the former contains a variable number of tandem repeats, and the latter the SNP (rs2277998).

Identification and structural definition of H5-specific CTL epitopes restricted by HLA-A*0201 derived from the H5N1 subtype of influenza A viruses.

The haemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein of influenza A virus is a major antigen that initiates humoral immunity against infection; however, the cellular immune response against HA is poorly understood. Furthermore, HA-derived cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes are relatively rare in comparison to other internal gene products. Here, CTL epitopes of the HA serotype H5 protein were screened.

The affinity of human RANK binding to its ligand RANKL.

Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B (RANK) and its ligand, RANKL play critical roles in bone re-modeling, immune function, vascular disease and mammary gland development. To study the interaction of RANK and RANKL, we have expressed both extracellular domain of RANK and ectodomain of RANKL using Escherichia coli expression system. RANK was expressed as an inclusion body first which properly refolded later, while RANKL was initially produced as a GST fusion protein, after which the GST was removed by enzyme digestion.

Cyclophilin A interacts with influenza A virus M1 protein and impairs the early stage of the viral replication.

Influenza A virus matrix protein (M1) is the most abundant conservative protein that regulates the replication, assembly and budding of the viral particles upon infection. Several host cell factors have been determined to interact with M1 possibly in regulating influenza virus replication. By yeast two-hybrid screening, the isomerase cyclophilin A (CypA) was identified to interact with the M1 protein.

Genetic correlation between H3N2 human and swine influenza viruses.

Background: H3N2 is one of the main subtypes of influenza virus which circulates in human and swine population throughout the world.

Objectives: To investigate the genetic correlation between H3N2 human and swine influenza viruses from the same region during the same season.

Study Design: Five H3N2 human and four H3N2 swine influenza viruses were isolated from Guangdong province of China in the winter of 2005.

A recombinant replication-competent hepatitis C virus expressing Azami-Green, a bright green-emitting fluorescent protein, suitable for visualization of infected cells.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) production system consists of transfecting the human hepatoma cell line Huh7 with genomic HCV RNA (JFH1). To monitor HCV replication by fluorescence microscopy, we constructed a recombinant HCV clone expressing Azami-Green (mAG), a bright green fluorescent protein, by inserting the mAG gene into the nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) gene; the resultant clone was designated JFH1-hmAG. The Huh-7.

Fas ligand released by activated monocytes causes apoptosis of lung epithelial cells in human acute lung injury model in vitro.

Alveolar epithelial cell death plays a crucial role in the progression of acute lung injury. We have demonstrated up-regulation of Fas expression on alveolar epithelial cells, and soluble Fas ligand secretion from inflammatory cells upon acute lung injury. Here we show that the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human monocyte cell line THP-1 releases Fas ligand, and that conditioned medium from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated THP-1 cells induces apoptosis of the human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell line A549.

Comparison between Sendai virus and adenovirus vectors to transduce HIV-1 genes into human dendritic cells.

Immuno-genetherapy using dendritic cells (DCs) can be applied to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Sendai virus (SeV) has unique features such as cytoplasmic replication and high protein expression as a vector for genetic manipulation. In this study, we compared the efficiency of inducing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and HIV-1 gene expression in human monocyte-derived DCs between SeV and adenovirus (AdV).

F gene recombination between genotype II and VII Newcastle disease virus.

A velogenic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strain, designated as SRZ03, was isolated from an egg layer flock with NDV vaccine immunization failure in China in 2003. Recombination was found in the F gene of SRZ03. Complete genome sequences analysis indicated that the N-terminal of SRZ03 F gene originated from a genotype II NDV strain, whereas the C-terminal of F gene and the rest of the genes originated from a prevalent velogenic genotype VII NDV strain.

Emergence of fatal PRRSV variants: unparalleled outbreaks of atypical PRRS in China and molecular dissection of the unique hallmark.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a severe viral disease in pigs, causing great economic losses worldwide each year. The causative agent of the disease, PRRS virus (PRRSV), is a member of the family Arteriviridae. Here we report our investigation of the unparalleled large-scale outbreaks of an originally unknown, but so-called "high fever" disease in China in 2006 with the essence of PRRS, which spread to more than 10 provinces (autonomous cities or regions) and affected over 2,000,000 pigs with about 400,000 fatal cases.

The polymorphisms in DC-SIGNR affect susceptibility to HIV type 1 infection.

Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3 (ICAM-3) grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) and its homologue DC-SIGNR (DC-SIGN related) have been thought to play an important role in establishing HIV infection by enhancing trans-infection of CD4(+)T cells in the regional lymph nodes. To identify polymorphisms associated with HIV-exposed seronegative (ESN) individuals in Thais, genomic DNA from 102 HIV-seronegative individuals of HIV-seropositive spouses, 305 HIV-seropositive individuals, and 290 HIV-seronegative blood donors was genotyped for two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DC-SIGN promoter (-139A/G and 336A/G), a repeat number of 69 bp in Exon 4 of DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR, and one SNP in Exon 5 of DC-SIGNR (rs2277998A/G). We found that the proportion of individuals possessing a heterozygous 7/5 and 9/5 repeat and A allele at rs2277998 of DC-SIGNR in HIV-seronegative individuals of HIV-seropositive spouses was significantly higher than HIV-seropositive individuals [p = 0.

Analysis of magnetic source localization of P300 using the multiple signal classification algorithm.

The authors studied the localization of P300 magnetic sources using the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm. Six healthy subjects (aged 24-34 years old) were investigated with 148-channel whole-head type magnetencephalography using an auditory oddball paradigm in passive mode. The authors also compared six stimulus combinations in order to find the optimal stimulus parameters for P300 magnetic field (P300m) in passive mode.

Medial profrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex in the generation of alpha activity induced by transcendental meditation: a magnetoencephalographic study.

Previous EEG studies have shown that transcendental meditation (TM) increases frontal and central alpha activity. The present study was aimed at identifying the source of this alpha activity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) simultaneously on eight TM practitioners before, during, and after TM. The magnetic field potentials corresponding to TM-induced alpha activities on EEG recordings were extracted, and we attempted to localize the dipole sources using the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm, equivalent current dipole source analysis, and the multiple spatio-temporal dipole model.

A novel small molecular weight compound with a carbazole structure that demonstrates potent human immunodeficiency virus type-1 integrase inhibitory activity.

The integration of reverse transcribed proviral DNA into a host genome is an essential event in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication life cycle. Therefore, the viral enzyme integrase (IN), which plays a crucial role in the integration event, has been an attractive target of anti-retroviral drugs. Several IN inhibitory compounds have been reported previously, yet none has been successful in clinical use.

Exon 3 insert of tau protein in neurodegenerative diseases.

Microtubule-associated protein tau is the major component of the filamentous neurofibrillary lesions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Recently, it has been reported that tau isoforms lacking both N-terminal exon 2 and exon 3 do not form straight filament- or paired helical filament-like filaments in vitro, and that the N-terminal exons facilitate assembly of full-length tau. However, neuropathological and biological studies on the N-terminal region of tau protein in human tissue have been limited.

Fungal phenalenones inhibit HIV-1 integrase.

A phenalenone compound, atrovenetinone methyl acetal, was isolated from a culture broth of Penicillium sp. FKI-1463 as an HIV-1 integrase inhibitor, and it showed anti-HIV activity in vitro. HIV-1 integrase inhibition and anti-HIV activity of two other natural phenalenones were also studied.

Influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the multidrug resistance-1 gene on the cellular export of nelfinavir and its clinical implication for highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Protease inhibitors (PIs) such as nelfinavir (NFV) suppress HIV replication. PIs are substrates of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the product of the multidrug-resistance-1 (MDR1) gene. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are present in exons of the MDR1 gene: MDR1 1236, MDR1 2677 and MDR1 3435.

Contributions of high mobility group box protein in experimental and clinical acute lung injury.

This study was performed to examine the putative role of high mobility group box (HMGB) protein in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). Observations were made (1) in 21 patients who were septic with ALI and 15 patients with normal lung function and (2) in a mouse model 24 hours after intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The concentrations of HMGB1 were increased in plasma and lung epithelial lining fluid of patients with ALI and mice instilled with LPS.

Frequent transmission of cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte escape mutants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in the highly HLA-A24-positive Japanese population.

Although Japan is classified as a country with a low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), domestic sexual transmission has been increasing steadily. Because 70% of the Japanese population expresses HLA-A24 (genotype HLA-A*2402), we wished to assess the effect of the dominant HLA type on the evolution and transmission of HIV-1 among the Japanese population. Twenty-three out of 25 A24-positive Japanese patients had a Y-to-F substitution at the second position [Nef138-10(2F)] in an immunodominant A24-restricted CTL epitope in their HIV-1 nef gene (Nef138-10).