Epidemiologic Profile of Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Infection after Initiation of HPV Vaccination.

Organized human papillomavirus vaccination (OHPV) in Japan was introduced in 2010 for girls aged 12-16 years who were born in 1994 or later. The rate of OHPV coverage was 70-80%. However, after suspension of the government vaccination recommendation, the coverage dramatically decreased.

Species-function relationships shape ecological properties of the human gut microbiome.

Despite recent progress, the organization and ecological properties of the intestinal microbial ecosystem remain under-investigated. Here, using a manually curated metabolic module framework for (meta-)genomic data analysis, we studied species-function relationships in gut microbial genomes and microbiomes. Half of gut-associated species were found to be generalists regarding overall substrate preference, but we observed significant genus-level metabolic diversification linked to bacterial life strategies.

Hepatitis B virus X stimulates redox signaling through activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase.

Hepatitis B virus X (HBX) protein plays a crucial role in carcinogenesis, but its mechanism is unclear. The involvement of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase in the enhanced redox system was investigated by examining the phosphorylation level of ATM in HBX gene-transfected cells and in transgenic mice following redox system manipulation by treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or antioxidant. Western blotting and immunostaining showed that phospho-ATM was significantly increased by HBX both in vitro (3.

Valproic acid overcomes transforming growth factor-β-mediated sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Sorafenib is a multi-kinase inhibitor approved for hepatocellular carcinoma, but rarely causes tumor regression in patients with chronic liver diseases. To investigate whether growth factor-mediated signaling is involved in sorafenib resistance, HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 hepatoma cells were exposed to epidermal growth factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) prior to treatment with sorafenib. Furthermore, to identify an effective combination treatment with sorafenib, growth factor-sensitized cells were treated with sorafenib alone or in combination with celecoxib, lovastatin or valproic acid (VPA).

Mother-to-daughter occurrence of biliary atresia: a case report.

We herein report a case of mother-to-daughter occurrence of biliary atresia (BA). The mother underwent a Kasai hepatic portoenterostomy at the age of 64 days with a diagnosis of type III BA. Her postoperative course was uneventful, with a good bile discharge, and she became pregnant at the age of 20 years.

Multiple carcinoids in the duodenum, pancreas and stomach accompanied with type A gastritis: a case report.

We report a case of multiple duodenal, pancreatic, and gastric carcinoids. A 67-year old woman was admitted to our hospital for treatment of a duodenal carcinoid. Laboratory tests revealed that the patient was associated with macrocytic anemia and hypergastrinemia, and type A gastritis was shown by gastrofiberscopy.

Severe gastrointestinal involvement in paraneoplastic pemphigus.

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an autoimmune mucocutaneous disease, associated with neoplasia, which has characteristic clinical, histological and immunological features. While respiratory epithelial involvement has been described in several cases, lesions in the colon epithelium have never been reported. We describe a 57-year-old Japanese woman with PNP who had many aphthae-like erosions on the colon epithelium, in addition to typical mucocutaneous PNP lesions.

Repeating intraportal donor-specific transfusion may induce tolerance following adult living-related donor liver transplantation.

Background/aims: Oral or portal administration of allogeneic antigens downregulates the alloimmune response and prolongs graft survival following organ transplantation. However, the effect of donor-specific transfusion via the portal vein has been reported in rodent models, but has not been reported in human cases. We investigated whether donor-specific transfusion via the portal vein would bring up the clinical and immunological benefits in living-related donor liver transplantation.

Role of uteroglobin G38A polymorphism in the progression of IgA nephropathy in Japanese patients.

Background: Uteroglobin is a multifunctional protein and both its gene knockout and antisense transgenic mouse models develop the pathological and clinical features of IgA nephropathy. A genetic polymorphism in uteroglobin has been reported to be associated with progression of IgA nephropathy in a Caucasian population, but the findings remain controversial.

Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from 595 individuals including 239 patients with IgAN, 160 patients with glomerulonephritis distinct from IgAN, and 196 healthy controls.