Protective Effects of Brain Infarction by -Acetylcysteine Derivatives.

Background And Purpose: We recently found that acrolein (CH=CH-CHO) is more strongly involved in brain infarction compared with reactive oxygen species. In this study, we looked for acrolein scavengers with less side effects.

Methods: Photochemically induced thrombosis model mice were prepared by injection of Rose Bengal.

Development of a Caco-2 Cell Line Carrying the Human Intestine-Type CES Expression Profile as a Promising Tool for Ester-Containing Drug Permeability Studies.

Carboxylesterase 2 (CES2), which is a member of the serine hydrolase superfamily, is primarily expressed in the human small intestine, where it plays an important role in the metabolism of ester-containing drugs. Therefore, to facilitate continued progress in ester-containing drug development, it is crucial to evaluate how CES2-mediated hydrolysis influences its intestinal permeability characteristics. Human colon carcinoma Caco-2 cells have long been widely used in drug permeability studies as an enterocyte model.

Developmental toxicity of flucytosine following administration to pregnant rats at a specific time point of organogenesis.

To investigate the abnormalities that are specific to administration of flucytosine at one time point during embryonic organogenesis, flucytosine was administered orally to pregnant Sprague Dawley (SD) rats in a single dose on day 11 of pregnancy at 25 or 35 mg/kg. Fetuses on day 20 of pregnancy were externally, viscerally, and skeletally examined. Maternal body weight gain and food consumption were suppressed the day after administration of a 35 mg/kg.

Expression of the human UDP-galactose transporter gene hUGT1 in tobacco plants' enhanced plant hardness.

We reported previously that tobacco plants transformed with the human UDP-galactose transporter 1 gene (hUGT1) had enhanced growth, displayed characteristic traits, and had an increased proportion of galactose (hyper-galactosylation) in the cell wall matrix polysaccharides. Here, we report that hUGT1-transgenic plants have an enhanced hardness. As determined by breaking and bending tests, the leaves and stems of hUGT1-transgenic plants were harder than those of control plants.

Polyamines protect nucleic acids against depurination.

Depurination is accelerated by heat and reactive oxygen species under physiological conditions. We previously reported that polyamines are involved in mitigation of heat shock and oxidative stresses through stimulation of the synthesis of heat shock and antioxidant proteins. This time, we investigated whether polyamines are directly involved in protecting nucleic acids from thermal depurination induced by high temperature.

Molecular characterization and polymorphisms of butyrylcholinesterase in cynomolgus macaques.

Background: Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), an enzyme essential for drug metabolism, has been investigated as antidotes against organophosphorus nerve agents, and the efficacy and safety have been studied in cynomolgus macaques. BChE polymorphisms partly account for variable BChE activities among individuals in humans, but have not been investigated in cynomolgus macaques.

Methods: Molecular characterization was carried out by analyzing primary sequence, gene, tissue expression, and genetic variants.

Surveillance evaluation of the standardization of assay values for serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in Japan.

Background To assess the vitamin D nutritional status, serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration is measured. We used six automated 25(OH)D immunoassays (AIAs) available in Japan and certified by the Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) at the U.S.

Chemical synthesis of an indomethacin ester prodrug and its metabolic activation by human carboxylesterase 1.

It is necessary to consider the affinity of prodrugs for metabolic enzymes for efficient activation of the prodrugs in the body. Although many prodrugs have been synthesized with consideration of these chemical properties, there has been little study on the design of a structure with consideration of biological properties such as substrate recognition ability of metabolic enzymes. In this report, chemical synthesis and evaluation of indomethacin prodrugs metabolically activated by human carboxylesterase 1 (hCES1) are described.

Molecular Epidemiological Survey of Leptospira Infection of Wild Rodents in the Urban Settlement of Cambodia.

Introduction: Leptospirosis remains a major public health threat in Cambodia. In this study, we aimed at facilitating the development of preventive strategies against leptospirosis in Cambodia by conducting molecular epidemiological surveys of Leptospira infection among wild rodents.

Materials And Methods: One hundred sixty-three wild rodents were captured in the capital Phnom Penh and surrounding areas, and their kidneys and bladders were collected for analysis.

Differential Distribution of Salmonella Serovars and Campylobacter spp. Isolates in Free-Living Crows and Broiler Chickens in Aomori, Japan.

Salmonella and Campylobacter cause foodborne enteritis mainly via the consumption of raw/undercooked contaminated poultry meat and products. Broiler flocks are primarily colonized with these bacteria; however, the underlying etiology remains unclear. The present study was conducted in order to obtain further information on the prevalence and genotypic distribution of Salmonella and Campylobacter in free-living crows and broiler flocks in a region for 2 years, thereby facilitating estimations of the potential risk of transmission of C.

[Pathogenic Mechanism and Diagnostic Testing for Drug Allergies].

　Three stages of the pathogenic mechanism of drug allergies can be considered: antigen formation, immune reaction and inflammation/disorder reaction. Drugs are thought to form 4 types of antigens: drug only, polymers, drug-carrier conjugates, and metabolite-carrier complexes. Antigens are recognized by B cell receptors and T cell receptors.

Analysis of carboxylesterase 2 transcript variants in cynomolgus macaque liver.

Carboxylesterase (CES) is important for the detoxification of a wide range of drugs and xenobiotics. In this study, the hepatic level of CES2 mRNA was examined in cynomolgus macaques used widely in preclinical studies for drug metabolism. Three CES2 mRNAs were present in cynomolgus macaque liver.

Time dependent transition of the levels of protein-conjugated acrolein (PC-Acro), IL-6 and CRP in plasma during stroke.

Objective: Measurement of plasma levels of protein-conjugated acrolein (PC-Acro) together with IL-6 and CRP can be used to identify silent brain infarction (SBI) with high sensitivity and specificity. The aim of this study was to determine how these biomarkers vary during stroke.

Methods: Levels of PC-Acro, IL-6 and CRP in plasma were measured on day 0, 2, 7 and 14 after the onset of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

[Relationship between exercise adherence and personality characteristics in persons experienced in the Medical Fitness program].

Objective　We examined effective exercise adherence support methods for persons experienced in the Medical Fitness (MF) program to clarify the relation of personality traits with exercise adherence and the factors that improve exercise adherence.Methods　Subjects were 283 adults who had registered as members in the MF program at an affiliate of Hospital A. We implemented an anonymous self-administered questionnaire by postal mail.

Acrolein toxicity at advanced age: present and future.

It is thought that tissue damage at advanced age is mainly caused by ROS (reactive oxygen species, O, HO, and ·OH). However, it was found that acrolein (CH=CH-CHO) is more toxic than ROS, and is mainly produced from spermine (SPM), one of the polyamines, rather than from unsaturated fatty acids. Significant amounts of SPM are present normally as SPM-ribosome complexes, and contribute to protein synthesis.

Characterization of Leptospira species isolated from soil collected in Japan.

Leptospira were isolated from soil obtained from Hokkaido, the northernmost island, to Okinawa, the southernmost island, of Japan using sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, amphotericin B, fosfomycin, and 5- fluorouracil. Fifty of 132 soil samples (37.9%) were culture-positive.

Acrolein: An Effective Biomarker for Tissue Damage Produced from Polyamines.

It is thought that the major factor responsible for cell damage is reactive oxygen species (ROS), but our recent studies have shown that acrolein (CH=CH-CHO) produced from spermine and spermidine is more toxic than ROS. Thus, (1) the mechanism of acrolein production during brain stroke, (2) one of the mechanisms of acrolein toxicity, and (3) the role of glutathione in acrolein detoxification are described in this chapter.

Real world data of a veterinary teaching hospital in Japan: a pilot survey of prescribed medicines.

The prescription data from a digital accounting system of a veterinary teaching hospital collected between 2008 and 2011 in Japan were downloaded, stored in a database and analysed using a statistical analysis software, SAS. Seventy-six per cent of all prescriptions were drugs approved for human beings. The most frequently prescribed category was 'Agents against pathogenic organisms', such as antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents, followed by 'Cardiovascular agents'.

Evaluation of bovine viral diarrhoea virus control strategies in dairy herds in Hokkaido, Japan, using stochastic modelling.

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection in cattle can result in growth retardation, reduced milk production, reproductive disorders and death. Persistently infected animals are the primary source of infection. In Hokkaido, Japan, all cattle entering shared pastures in summer are vaccinated before movement for disease control.

Implication of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is categorized as a neurodevelopmental disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders, Fifth Edition and is defined as a congenital impairment of the central nervous system. ASD may be caused by a chromosomal abnormality or gene mutation. However, these etiologies are insufficient to account for the pathogenesis of ASD.

Retrospective investigation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcome in 146 exotic animals.

The outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were retrospectively evaluated in 146 exotic animals including 20 pet birds, 47 rabbits, 34 hamsters, 18 ferrets, 7 turtles and 20 other small mammals in cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) at presentation or during hospitalization at an animal clinic. The rates of return of spontaneous circulation, survival after CPR and discharge were 9.3, 2.

Neural correlates of bilingual language control during interlingual homograph processing in a logogram writing system.

Bilingual studies using alphabetic languages have shown parallel activation of two languages during word recognition. However, little is known about the brain mechanisms of language control during word comprehension with a logogram writing system. We manipulated the types of words (interlingual homographs (IH), cognates, and language-specific words) and the types of participants (Chinese (L1)-Japanese (L2) bilinguals vs.

Incidence of anaphylactic reactions after propofol administration in dogs.

Propofol is an anesthetic agent suspended in an emulsion system that includes egg yolk lecithin and soybean oil, because of which, there is concern about the use of propofol in patients allergic to these substances. We examined the association between propofol administration and incidence of adverse events in dogs with allergy to egg yolk lecithin and soybean oil. On the basis of the findings of an allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) test, 14 dogs with high levels (high-IgE group) and 7 dogs with low levels (normal-IgE group) of IgE were selected.

Involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress and neurite outgrowth in the model mice of autism spectrum disorder.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are congenital impairments, impeding the growth and development of the central nervous system. These disorders include autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5. ASD is caused by a gene defect and chromosomal duplication.