Assessment of placental abruption with diffusion-weighted imaging.

Aim: To investigate whether placental abruption without fetal distress could be assessed by apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study at a single center. ADC values at the lesions of placental abruption in the abruption group (n = 8) were compared to those in the control group (n = 32).

Heterogeneous dissociation process of truncated RNAs by oligomerized Vasa helicase.

RNA helicases are enzymes that generally unwind double-stranded RNA using ATP hydrolysis energy, mainly involved in RNA metabolism, transcription, translation, and mRNA splicing. While the helicase core is crucial for RNA unwinding activity, N- and C-terminal extensions of specific helicases may contain an intrinsically disordered region for electrostatic interaction, resulting in the formation of droplets in the cytoplasm. However, how the disordered region of the RNA helicase contributes to RNA unwinding and dissociation remains unclear.

Step Sizes and Rate Constants of Single-headed Cytoplasmic Dynein Measured with Optical Tweezers.

A power stroke of dynein is thought to be responsible for the stepping of dimeric dynein. However, the actual size of the displacement driven by a power stroke has not been directly measured. Here, the displacements of single-headed cytoplasmic dynein were measured by optical tweezers.

Mutations of optineurin in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has its onset in middle age and is a progressive disorder characterized by degeneration of motor neurons of the primary motor cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. Most cases of ALS are sporadic, but about 10% are familial. Genes known to cause classic familial ALS (FALS) are superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), ANG encoding angiogenin, TARDP encoding transactive response (TAR) DNA-binding protein TDP-43 (ref.

Nuclear contour irregularity and abnormal transporter protein distribution in anterior horn cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The nucleocytoplasmic transport system is essential for maintaining cell viability; transport of proteins and nucleic acids between the nucleus and the cytoplasm occurs through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). In this study, we examined the immunohistochemical distribution of the major protein components of NPCs, Nup62, Nup88, and Nup153, in spinal cords from controls and patients with sporadic or familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS or FALS) and its mouse model. In control subjects, immunolabeling on the nuclear envelopes of anterior horn cells (AHCs) was invariably smooth and continuous, whereas in SALS and FALS patients, the AHCs predominantly showed irregular nuclear contours.

The first Japanese patient with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Eleven years after a brief visit to some European countries, a 48-year-old Japanese man developed writing difficulty, irritability and general fatigue. Then he complained of dysesthetic pains in his legs, for which benzodiazepines were prescribed. However, at the time pulvinar sign was retrospectively confirmed on brain MRI.

Immunohistochemical identification of messenger RNA-related proteins in basophilic inclusions of adult-onset atypical motor neuron disease.

This report concerns an immunohistochemical investigation on RNA-related proteins in the basophilic inclusions (BIs) from patients with adult-onset atypical motor neuron disease. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of the motor cortex and the lumbar spinal cord were examined. The BIs appeared blue in color with H&E and Nissl stain, and pink with methylgreen-pyronin stain.

Elevation of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with gefitinib.

Purpose: We previously reported that plasma thromboxan B(2), soluble P-selectin, and serum regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) were elevated after gefitinib treatment. We hypothesized that gefitinib could activate T-lymphocytes via activated platelets, and so we measured serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in patients medicated with gefitinib.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were entered into this study.

Aspirin reduces adverse effects of gefitinib.

We measured serum levels of soluble (s) P-selectin and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) in patients with lung cancer treated with gefitinib, and investigated the effect of low-dose aspirin on some adverse effects of gefitinib. The serum levels of sP-selectin and TxB2 increased significantly in all patients who received gefitinib for 2 weeks. Forty patients were recruited, and 28 received gefitinib without low-dose aspirin (Group 1) and 12 were co-administered low-dose aspirin (Group 2).

Gefitinib affects functions of platelets and blood vessels via changes in prostanoids balance.

Prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxane (TX) produced by cyclooxygenase (COX) have a great influence on vascular systems and platelet functions. The serum levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and PGs were measured in patients with lung cancer treated with gefitinib, and the influence of EGF on platelet aggregation was investigated. Twenty patients were investigated.

Incremental predictive value of myocardial scintigraphy with 123I-BMIPP in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Purpose: It is unclear whether 123I-labelled beta-methyl iodophenyl pentadecanoic acid (123I-BMIPP) myocardial scintigraphy adds further predictive value for future cardiac events compared with the variables obtained during cardiac catheterisation in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We therefore investigated whether 123I-BMIPP imaging in patients with AMI treated by primary PCI was useful in predicting future cardiac events.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-nine patients with AMI who were treated with primary PCI and underwent left ventriculography (LVG) on admission underwent 201Tl and 123I-BMIPP myocardial scintigraphy.