Serine/Threonine Kinase 11 Plays a Canonical Role in Malignant Progression of KRAS -Mutant and GNAS -Wild-Type Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas.

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the clinicopathobiological significance of Serine/Threonine Kinase 11 (STK11) in pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs).

Background: STK11 is a tumor suppressor involved in certain IPMNs; however, its significance is not well known.

Methods: In 184 IPMNs without Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, we analyzed expression of STK11 and phosphorylated-AMPKa in all cases, and p16, p53, SMAD4, and β-catenin in 140 cases by immunohistochemistry; and we analyzed mutations in 37 genes, including whole coding exons of STK11, CDKN2A, TP53, and SMAD4, and hotspots of KRAS, BRAF, and GNAS in 64 cases by targeted sequencing.

Feelings of older Japanese primiparous couples and satisfaction of older primiparous wives with their husbands' support during pregnancy: Focus on the perceptions of pregnant couples.

Aim: This study was to explore the feelings of older primiparous wives and husbands and satisfaction of older primiparous wives with their husbands' support during pregnancy.

Design: This study is a qualitative research design based on the characteristics of clarifying the recognition of older primiparous couples.

Methods: Participants were eight older Japanese primiparous couples.

Comparative study of ipsilesional and contralesional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations for acute infarction.

Background And Purpose: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is reported to improve chronic post-stoke hemiparesis. However, application of rTMS during the acute phase of post-stroke has not fully been investigated. We investigated the safety and the efficacy of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) of the affected motor cortex and 1-Hz stimulation of the unaffected hemisphere during the acute phase in patients with hemiparesis due to capsular infarction.

[A case with apraxia of tool use: selective inability to form a hand posture for a tool].

Impaired tool use is recognized as a symptom of ideational apraxia. While many studies have focused on difficulties in producing gestures as a whole, using tools involves several steps; these include forming hand postures appropriate for the use of certain tool, selecting objects or body parts to act on, and producing gestures. In previously reported cases, both producing and recognizing hand postures were impaired.

Bone marrow-derived microglia infiltrate into the paraventricular nucleus of chronic psychological stress-loaded mice.

Background: Microglia of the central nervous system act as sentinels and rapidly react to infection or inflammation. The pathophysiological role of bone marrow-derived microglia is of particular interest because they affect neurodegenerative disorders and neuropathic pain. The hypothesis of the current study is that chronic psychological stress (chronic PS) induces the infiltration of bone marrow-derived microglia into hypothalamus by means of chemokine axes in brain and bone marrow.

Transient heating of expressed breast milk up to 65°C inactivates HIV-1 in milk: a simple, rapid, and cost-effective method to prevent postnatal transmission.

The postnatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from mothers to children occurs through breastfeeding. Although heat treatment of expressed breast milk is a promising approach to make breastfeeding safer, it is still not popular, mainly because the recommended procedures are difficult to follow, or time-consuming, or because mothers do not know which temperature is sufficient to inactivate HIV without destroying the nutritional elements of milk. To overcome these drawbacks, a simple and rapid method of heat treatment that a mother could perform with regular household materials applying her day-to-day art of cooking was examined.

Seroprevalence of rubella and measles antibodies in Lao PDR.

Background: Nowadays, measles and rubella epidemics still occur worldwide, particularly in developing countries.

Methods: The present study investigated seroprevalence of rubella and measles IgG antibodies by using a comercial enzyme immunoassay. The findings helped to understand the current status of these infections in school children in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR.

Quantitative and qualitative assay of rubella IgA antibody in breast milk.

Breast milk contains immunological factors, such as IgA antibody, which help to prevent infectious diseases. A total of 197 paired samples of colostrum and breast milk was collected from postpartum mothers in Gunma City, Japan, and examined for anti-rubella IgA antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting (WB). The anti-rubella virus IgA ranged from 0.

Molecular epidemiology of adenovirus infection among infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Dhaka City, Bangladesh.

A total of 917 fecal specimens collected from infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Dhaka City, Bangladesh during 2004-2005 were examined for the presence of adenoviruses by PCR. Adenoviruses were identified in 17 of 917 (1.9%) specimens.

G2 strain of rotavirus among infants and children, Bangladesh.

To determine G and P genotypes, we performed nested PCR on 307 rotavirus specimens collected in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during 2004-2005. G2 (43.3%) was detected at the highest frequency, followed by G4 (19.

First detection of IgA against norovirus in breast milk.

Breast milk samples (n = 239) collected from 1994-1997 from mothers at Chiba City, Japan, were tested for antinorovirus antibody by ELISA and western blot methods. It was found that 31 breast milk samples contained IgA against norovirus and this represented 13%. Breast milk could react with a diversity of norovirus genotypes.