Specific downregulation of cystathionine β-synthase expression in the kidney during obesity.

Hydrogen sulfide (H S) is recognized as a novel gasotransmitter involved in the regulation of nervous system, cardiovascular functions, inflammatory response, gastrointestinal system, and renal function. Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) are the major enzymes responsible for H S production through desulfuration reactions. H S is reported to play a protective role in both high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese and diabetic mice.

A H 2 S Donor GYY4137 Exacerbates Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Mice.

Accumulating evidence demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is highly involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis and contributes to the pathogenesis of kidney diseases. However, the role of H2S in cisplatin nephrotoxicity is still debatable. Here we investigated the effect of GYY4137, a novel slow-releasing H2S donor, on cisplatin nephrotoxicity in mice.

Content analysis of medical students' seminars: a unique method of analyzing clinical thinking.

Background: The study of communication skills of Asian medical students during structured Problem-based Learning (PBL) seminars represented a unique opportunity to assess their critical thinking development. This study reports the first application of the health education technology, content analysis (CA), to a Japanese web-based seminar (webinar).

Methods: The authors assigned twelve randomly selected medical students from two universities and two clinical instructors to two virtual classrooms for four PBL structured tutoring sessions that were audio-video captured for CA.

Computational mapping identifies localized mechanisms for ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the Western world and a common cause of hospitalization and death. Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies have met with limited success, in part due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms for AF. AF is traditionally characterized by spatiotemporally disorganized electrical activation and, although initiating triggers for AF are described, it is unclear whether AF is sustained by spatially meandering continuous excitation (re-entrant waves), localized electrical sources within the atria, or some other mechanism.

Aortic stenosis.

In developed countries, aortic stenosis is the most prevalent of all valvular heart diseases. A manifestation of ageing, the disorder is becoming more frequent as the average age of the population increases. Symptomatic severe disease is universally fatal if left untreated yet is consistent with a typical lifespan when mechanical relief of the stenosis is provided in a timely fashion.

Simplified 13C-urea breath test for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Objective: The U.S. standard 13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT) has proven to be extremely reliable but entails several complicated performance requirements and a test period of approximately 1 h.

Regulation of alloantigen-mediated T-cell proliferation by endogenous interferon-gamma: implications for long-term allograft acceptance.

Background: Recent data suggest that interferon (IFN)-gamma is not an essential mediator of acute rejection but, instead, is critical for the induction of long-term allograft acceptance. The in vivo mechanisms by which endogenous IFN-gamma regulates the alloimmune response and thus facilitates the induction of long-term allograft survival are not known.

Methods: We examined long-term cardiac and skin allograft survival, alloantigen-induced T-cell proliferation, and alloantigen-induced T-cell apoptosis in wild-type (IFN-gamma+/+) and IFN-gamma gene-knockout (IFN-gamma-/-) mice treated with either B7-CD28 T-cell costimulation blockade alone or B7-CD28 T-cell costimulation blockade combined with donor splenocyte transfusion.

Cryofiltration apheresis in the treatment of cryoprecipitate induced diseases.

Cryoprecipitates include cryoglobulins, cryofibrinogen, cryoparaproteins, and some cold hemagglutinins. We used 3 different methods: plasma exchange (PE), plasma filter (PF), and cryofilter (CF) to remove cryoproteins. Twenty-four patients received more than 800 CF, PF, and PE treatments.