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GST Primary GST Primary Best Strategies for Health Care Quality Im... Best Strategies for Health Care Quality Improvement - Diabetes Quality Improvement Strategies for Antibio... Kathryn McDonald, Stanford-UCSF Evidence-b... Systematic review assessing the effect of ... Quality Improvement Strategies for Antibiotics Management Kathryn McDonald, Stanford-UCSF Evidence-based Practice Center, 117 Encina Commons, Stanford, CA 94305-6019, Kathy.mcdonald@stanford.edu Systematic review assessing the effect of quality improvement strategies on appropriate prescribing of antibiotics and appropriate choice of antibiotics. Adherence Adherence Assistive Devices Assistive Devices Childhood Burn Hanson MacMillan Childhood Burn Hanson MacMillan CLSA_9 CLSA_9 Cyberabuse Cyberabuse Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Violent ... This review included randomized trials abo... Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Violent Men who Batter Their Partners This review included randomized trials about the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on domestic violence. The intervention included programs based on the Duluth Model. The violence had to be committed by a male toward his female partner. The violence also had to be physical. The primary outcomes were new arrests and convictions, and new reports of violence. CABG vs PCI CABG vs PCI Quality Improvement Strategies for Prevent... Quality Improvement Strategies for Preventing Nosocomial Infections (Created 17-Feb-06) Quality Improvement Strategies for Asthma ... Quality Improvement Strategies for Asthma Control Erectile Dysfunction (Created 30-Jan-06) Erectile Dysfunction (Created 30-Jan-06) Inequality - Smoking Cessation to Reduce S... This review was the first part of a projec... Inequality - Smoking Cessation to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences This review was the first part of a project about inequality. It included randomized trials about the effect of smoking cessation interventions on reducing socio-economic differences. The studies had to report data either on persons with low socio-economic groups status or, preferably, on both low and high socio-economic groups. Diet and Physical Activity to Reduce Socio... This review was the second part in a proje... Diet and Physical Activity to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences This review was the second part in a project about inequality. It included randomized trials about the effect of interventions on reducing socio-economic differences in diet and physical activity. The studies had to report data either on persons with low socio-economic groups status or, preferably, on both low and high socio-economic groups. Workfare The data in SRS are not identical to the d... Workfare The data in SRS are not identical to the data in the published report. We used SRS only for an updated search. The review included randomized trials about the effect of welfare-to-work programs. Participants were welfare recipients. There were basically two types of programs. The educational type tried to build knowledge and skills in order to help the welfare recipients acquire jobs that could support them economically. The "work first" approach was more aimed at getting the participants quickly into a job. Exercise interventions for the management ... The objective of this systematic review wa... Exercise interventions for the management of frailty The objective of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of current exercise interventions on the management of frailty. A comprehensive search of Medline, Embase, Psycinfo, Cinahl, Scopus, Ageline, Eric, and SportDiscus databases was conducted and produced 1808 citations. So far we have completed 2 levels of “title and abstract” screening and we ended up with 262 articles. We have just started the full text screening. Eligibility criteria included original studies whose participants were identified as frail or prefrail with specific criteria and in which structured physical activity was included as at least one component of the intervention. Create a free account, build a dictionary with saved terms to re-use later! Public Domestic Violence - Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy Smoking Cessation to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences Diet and Physical Activity to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences Workfare Exercise Interventions for the Management of Frailty Search     Simple Advanced Refine (4 coded questions)  Any of these:   Exact Phrase: All of these: None of these: Author: Periodical: Projects: No restrictions   Libraries: Public   Select SRS Projects Show Saved Terms Select Library Show articles that do not have abstracts  Type of Article Clinical Trial Editorial Letter Meta-Analysis Practice Guideline Randomized Controlled Trial Review Addresses Bibliography Biography Case Reports Classical Article Clinical Conference Clinical Trial, Phase I Clinical Trial, Phase II Clinical Trial, Phase III Clinical Trial, Phase IV Comment Comparative Study Consensus Development Conference Consensus Development Conference, NIH Controlled Clinical Trial Corrected and Republished Article Dictionary Directory Duplicate Publication English Abstract Evaluation Studies Festschrift Government Publications Guideline Historical Article Interview In Vitro Journal Article Lectures Legal Cases Legislation Multicenter Study News Newspaper Article Overall Patient Education Handout Periodical Index Published Erratum Retracted Publication Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 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Retraction of Publication Scientific Integrity Review Support of Research Technical Report Twin Study Validation Studies Not a Primary Study or Review Unknown Primary Study Case Series Case Control Cohort Study Observational Study Qualitative Research CBA or ITS Registry Double Blind Controlled before after study Quasi-randomized trial Simple before after study Cluster-RCT Non-Randomized Study Report Book Book chapter Dissertation Conference procedings Secondary Research Not RCT Humans or Animals Humans Animals Ages All Infant: birth-23 months All Child: 0-18 years All Adult: 19+ years Newborn: birth-1 month Infant: 1-23 months Preschool Child: 2-5 years Child: 6-12 years Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Middle Aged + Aged: 45+ years Aged: 65+ years 80 and over: 80+ years Undetermined Language English French German Italian Japanese Russian Spanish Afrikaans Albanian Unknown Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Esperanto Estonian Finnish Georgian Greek, Modern Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Kinyarwanda Korean Latin Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Malayalam Maori Multiple Languages Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Pushto Romanian Sanskrit Scottish gaelic Serbian Slovak Slovenian Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Not English Not French Results(1-25 of 509) Sort By: Publication Date Relevance Took: 0.478 seconds to search 17,750,454  Action: Copy Results to new Clipboard Build Search Link Page 1 of 21 1 2 3 4 > Last >> (509 articles found) Histochemical and immunohistochemical investigation of guanase and nedasin in human tissues. Aug 2006 Kenichiro Kubo,Hirohito Honda,Hirohito Honda,Katsutaka Sannomiya,Yuan Aying,Wei Mei,Shen Mi,Eriko Aoyagi,Ichiro Simizu,Kunio Ii,Susumu Ito Guanase is known as an enzyme released from the liver. Recently, cloning and sequencing of the guanase gene were reported. In addition, almost simultaneously, it was reported that an unknown protein that binds to neuronal and endocrine lethal(1)-discs large (NE-dlg), one of the membrane-associated ... ( view more )guanylate kinase homologues (MAGUK) family proteins involved in synaptic connection between neurons, was cloned and named nedasin (NE-dlg associated protein), whose sequence was almost identical to that of guanase. We immunostained fresh frozen sections of surgically removed human liver, kidney, and small intestine with anti-nedasin antibody, and simultaneously performed histochemical staining for guanase for comparison. Histochemically, guanase activity was observed in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes and biliary epithelium on the liver, in the mucosal epithelium on the small intestine, and in the proximal tubule on the kidney. Immunohistochemically, a brown discoloration due to DAB oxidation was seen in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes and biliary epithelium on the liver, in the proximal tubule but in the distal tubule a little on the kidney, in the mucosal epithelium on the small intestine. The stained region of the liver and the small intestine were different from that of the kidney. The different staining properties dependent on the organs were considered to be due to different isozymes. The physiological significance of guanase may vary with the isozymes, further studies are considered necessary. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details   Related Articles Risk of gastric cancer in asymptomatic, middle-aged Japanese subjects based on serum pepsinogen and Helicobacter pylori antibody levels. Aug 15, 2008 Kimihiko Yanaoka,Masashi Oka,Noriko Yoshimura,Chizu Mukoubayashi,Shotaro Enomoto,Mikitaka Iguchi,Hirohito Magari,Hirotoshi Utsunomiya,Hideyuki Tamai,Kenji Arii,Nobutake Yamamichi,Mitsuhiro Fujishiro,Tatsuya Takeshita,Osamu Mohara,Masao Ichinose A total of 5,209 asymptomatic, middle-aged subjects, whose serum pepsinogen (PG) and Helicobacter pylori antibody levels had been assessed, were followed for 10 years. Subjects with positive serum H. pylori antibodies (>50 U/mL) had an increased cancer risk (HR = 3.48, 95% CI = 1.26-9.64). Risk of ... ( view more )gastric cancer increased as the antibody level increased; the H. pylori-positive group with antibody levels >500 U/mL had the highest incidence rate (325/100,000 person-years). Cancer development also increased with a reduced serum PG I level or a reduced PG I/II ratio; the risk was significantly elevated with serum PG I level or=30 ng/mL (HR = 3.81, 95% CI = 1.10-13.21). Using H. pylori antibody and PG levels, subgroups with an especially high or low cancer incidence rate could be identified. H. pylori-negative or indeterminate subjects with low PG level (PG I 500 U/mL and a low PG level were among the subgroups with a high cancer incidence rate (over 400/100,000 person-years). In contrast, H. pylori-negative subjects with a PG I level >70 ng/mL or a PG I/II ratio >3.0 had the lowest risk; none of these subjects developed cancer. Thus, serum PG levels and/or H. pylori antibody levels can be used to predict the risk of cancer in individuals with H. pylori-related gastritis from the general population. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Expression of the basal cell markers of taste buds in the anterior tongue and soft palate of the mouse embryo. Jul 10, 2008 Ayumi Nakayama,Hirohito Miura,Yoichiro Shindo,Yuko Kusakabe,Hiroshi Tomonari,Shuitsu Harada Although embryonic expression of Shh in the fungiform papilla placodes has a critical role in fungiform papilla patterning, it remains unclear whether its appearance indicates the differentiation of the basal cells of taste buds. To examine the embryonic development of the basal cells, the expressi... ( view more )on of Shh, Prox1, and Mash1 was determined in the anterior tongue and soft palate in mouse embryos by in situ hybridization. In the anterior tongue, Prox1 was coexpressed with Shh from the beginning of Shh expression in the fungiform papilla placodes at E12.5. Shh was expressed in the soft palate in a band-like pattern in the anteriormost region and in a punctate pattern in the posterior region at E14.5. The number (21.4 +/- 4.3, at E14.5) of locations where Shh was observed (i.e., spots) rapidly increased and reached a peak level (54.8 +/- 4.0 at E15.5). Also in the soft palate, Prox1 was coexpressed with Shh from the beginning of Shh expression. These results suggest that basal cell differentiation occurs synchronously with the patterning of Shh spots both in the anterior tongue and in the soft palate. In contrast, Mash1 expression lagged behind the expression of Shh and Prox1 and began after the number of Shh spots had reached its peak level in the soft palate. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry of PGP9.5 and Shh revealed that epithelial innervation slightly preceded Mash1 expression both in the tongue and in the soft palate. This is the first report describing the time courses of the embryonic expression of basal cell markers of taste buds. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Blood and sputum eosinophil levels in asthma and their relationship to sinus computed tomographic findings. Jun 2008 Vinay Mehta,Norbert G Campeau,Hirohito Kita,John B Hagan OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship among blood and sputum eosinophil levels, sinus mucosal thickening, and osteitis in patients with asthma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational study of 201 patients with asthma who underwent sinus computed tomographic (CT) imaging and induce... ( view more )d sputum analysis at Mayo Clinic's site in Rochester, MN, from November 1, 2000, through December 31, 2005. Sinus CT scans were reviewed by an investigator blinded to patients' identity and chart information (J.B.H.) to assess for mucosal thickening. Each scan was assigned a CT score based on the Lund-Mackay staging scale. Approximately 20% of the scans were reviewed at random by a radiologist (N.G.C.) to ensure quality control. Bone changes consistent with osteitis were ascertained from radiology reports. Lung function was measured, and sputum was analyzed by conventional methods. RESULTS: Sinus CT scans revealed abnormalities in 136 (68%) of the 201 study patients. Severe mucosal thickening (CT score, > or = 12) was found in 60 patients (30%) and osteitis in 18 patients (9%). There was a positive correlation between CT scores and eosinophil levels in both peripheral blood (rho=0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.56; P<.001) and induced sputum (rho=0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.57; P<.001). Further, elevated blood and sputum eosinophil levels were associated with the presence of osteitis on CT scan and previous sinus surgery. CONCLUSION: Blood and sputum eosinophil levels in patients with asthma are directly correlated with sinus mucosal thickening and are associated with osteitis, lending further support to the hypothesis that asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis are mediated by similar inflammatory processes. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Preoperative evaluation of patients with history of allergy to penicillin: comparison of 2 models of practice. Jun 2008 Evangelo Frigas,Miguel A Park,Bradly J Narr,Gerald W Volcheck,David R Danielson,Patricia J Markus,Kristin E Kloos Olson,Darrell R Schroeder,Hirohito Kita OBJECTIVE: To study whether allergy consultation and penicillin allergy skin testing affects the selection of antibacterial prophylaxis perioperatively in surgical patients with history of allergy to penicillin (HOAP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1 through June 30, 2004, we compared 2 differ... ( view more )ent models of practice at our institution. At the Preoperative Evaluation Clinic (POEC), all patients with HOAP are evaluated by an allergist and undergo skin testing for allergy to penicillin. At other (non-POEC) preoperative evaluation settings (OPES), patients with HOAP do not undergo allergy consultation and penicillin skin testing before surgery. Of the 4889 patients screened at the POEC during the study period, 412 consecutive patients with HOAP were included in the study. Of the 416 patients screened at OPES, 69 consecutive patients with HOAP were studied. Logistic regression was used to assess whether allergy consultation was associated with the choice of antibiotic for antibacterial prophylaxis perioperatively, after adjusting for age, sex, and type of surgery. RESULTS: Perioperative cephalosporin use was greater among patients screened at POEC vs those screened at OPES (70% vs 39%, P<.001 unadjusted; P=.04 adjusted for age, sex, and type of surgery). Vancomycin use was lower for patients screened at POEC vs those screened at OPES (10% vs 28%, P<.001 unadjusted; P=.03 adjusted). CONCLUSION: For patients with HOAP, evaluation at the POEC was associated with increased use of cephalosporin and decreased use of vancomycin. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Venous drainage patterns in perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Jun 2008 Haruki Yamakawa,Naoyuki Ohe,Hirohito Yano,Shinichi Yoshimura,Toru Iwama OBJECTIVE: The precise etiology of perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (P-SAH) has not yet been determined. We decided to compare the venograms of patients with P-SAH with those of patients with aneurysmal SAH (A-SAH) to examine the relationship between P-SAH and venous drainage... ( view more ) patterns. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 18 patients with P-SAH during the past 10 years and 112 patients with ruptured A-SAH during the past 4 years by reevaluating their venograms for possible abnormalities in venous structures, particularly focusing on the basal vein of Rosenthal (BVR). Anatomical variants were classified into three types according to the drainage pathway. RESULTS: The location and drainage pathway of the BVR proved to be a significantly more primitive configuration in patients with P-SAH than in those with A-SAH (P<0.05). On the other hand, physical action including components of the Valsalva maneuver were the cause of nine cases of P-SAH (69.2%) in this case profile. The occurrence rate was significantly higher in the P-SAH group than in the A-SAH group (14.3%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that failure of longitudinal anastomoses between the primary primitive veins as well as excessive strenuous exertion including components of the Valsalva maneuver plays an important predisposing role in the etiology of P-SAH. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles A novel IL-1 family cytokine, IL-33, potently activates human eosinophils. Jun 2008 W Brett Cherry,Juhan Yoon,Kathleen R Bartemes,Koji Iijima,Hirohito Kita BACKGROUND: Eosinophils are likely key cells involved in the pathogenesis of asthma and allergic diseases; however, the mechanisms that regulate eosinophil dynamics and functions in mucosal tissues are incompletely understood. IL-33, which is produced by mucosal cells, is a new member of the IL-1 c... ( view more )ytokine family. Mice injected with IL-33 display profound mucosal eosinophilia with associated pathologic changes. Although mast cells and T(H)2 cells express the IL-33 receptor, ST2, the roles of IL-33 and ST2 in eosinophil biology are unknown. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of IL-33 on human eosinophils in vitro. METHODS: Eosinophils and neutrophils were isolated from blood of normal individuals and mildly atopic patients. Real-time RT-PCR and flow cytometry were used to detect ST2. Granulocyte responses to IL-33 were monitored by superoxide anion production and by degranulation; IL-5, IL-1beta, and TNF-alpha served as controls. Eosinophil survival and cytokine production were assessed by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: ST2 mRNA and protein were detected on eosinophils. IL-33 induced eosinophil superoxide anion production and degranulation as potently as IL-5. IL-33 also increased eosinophil survival and induced production of IL-8. Anti-ST2 inhibited eosinophil responses to IL-33. Neutrophils did not express ST2, nor did they respond to IL-33. CONCLUSION: IL-33 and its receptor, ST2, may play important roles in eosinophil-mediated inflammation; they may provide new therapeutic targets for controlling mucosal eosinophilic inflammation. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles A 27 kDa Cysteine Protease Secreted by Newly Excysted Paragonimus westermani Metacercariae Induces Superoxide Anion Production and Degranulation of Human Eosinophils. Jun 2008 Young Bae Chung,Hirohito Kita,Myeong Heon Shin Eosinophil degranulation plays a crucial role in tissue inflammatory reactions associated with helminth parasitic infections and allergic diseases. Paragonimus westermani, a lung fluke causing human paragonimiasis, secretes a large amount of cysteine proteases, which are involved in nutrient uptake... ( view more ), tissue invasion, and modulation of hos's immune responses. There is, however, limited information about the response of eosinophils to direct stimulation by cysteine proteases (CP) secreted by P. westermani. In the present study, we tested whether degranulation and superoxide production from human eosinophils can be induced by stimulation of the 2 CP (27 kDa and 28 kDa) purified from excretory-secretory products (ESP) of P. westermani newly excysted metacercariae (PwNEM). A large quantity of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) was detected in the culture supernatant when human eosinophils isolated from the peripheral blood were incubated with the purified 27 kDa CP. Furthermore, the 27 kDa CP induced superoxide anion production by eosinophils in time- and dose-dependent manners. In contrast, the purified 28 kDa CP did not induce superoxide production and degranulation. These findings suggest that the 27 kDa CP secreted by PwNEM induces superoxide production and degranulation of human eosinophils, which may be involved in eosinophil-mediated tissue inflammatory responses during the larval migration in human paragonimiasis. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Conformation and the sodium ion condensation on DNA and RNA structures in the presence of a neutral cosolute as a mimic of the intracellular media. Jun 2008 Shu-Ichi Nakano,Lei Wu,Hirohito Oka,Hisae Tateishi Karimata,Toshimasa Kirihata,Yuichi Sato,Satoshi Fujii,Hiroshi Sakai,Masayuki Kuwahara,Hiroaki Sawai,Naoki Sugimoto Water-soluble neutral cosolutes can be used to quantify biomolecular properties in the particular molecular environment occurring in a cell. We studied the conformation and the thermal stability of DNA and RNA structures in the presence of PEG [poly(ethylene glycol)] and smaller cosolutes of glycer... ( view more )ol, ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 2-methoxyethanol, and 1,2-dimethoxyethane. Although the neutral cosolutes destabilized the oligonucleotide duplex and the hairpin structures, the left-handed Z-form duplex was more energetically favored in the cosolute-containing solutions. These observations were due to the contribution of water molecule on the nucleotide structure formations because the cosolutes act as an osmolyte to reduce the water activity of a solution. Moreover, the sodium ion condensation for the duplex and the hairpin formations was reduced in the presence of PEG, while that for the transition from the B-form to the Z-form was unaltered. The CD (circular dichroism) and EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) spectra demonstrated that the cosolutes changed the helical conformation of the unstructured oligonucleotides, but not those of the ordered structures. The results of the favorable formation of the noncanonical nucleotide structures, and minimized conformational and thermal perturbations of the ordered nucleotide structures in the cosolute-containing solutions implicate the significance of the intracellular environment on DNA and RNA structures in a cell. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Optimal cutoff point of waist circumference and use of home blood pressure as a definition of metabolic syndrome: the Ohasama study. May 2008 Atsushi Sato,Kei Asayama,Takayoshi Ohkubo,Masahiro Kikuya,Taku Obara,Hirohito Metoki,Ryusuke Inoue,Azusa Hara,Haruhisa Hoshi,Junichiro Hashimoto,Kazuhito Totsune,Hiroshi Satoh,Yoshitomo Oka,Yutaka Imai BACKGROUND: Self-measured blood pressure (BP) at home (HBP) has a stronger predictive power for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity than casual-screening BP (CBP). No studies have evaluated the clinical significance of self-measured HBP for diagnosing metabolic syndrome (MS). Eight scientific as... ( view more )sociations recently defined MS for the Japanese population. However, this definition remains controversial, especially with respect to the cutoff value of waist circumference (WC) being higher in women than in men. METHODS: The: participants of this population-based survey were the 395 residents (> or =35 years of age) of Ohasama, a rural Japanese community. They measured HBP and underwent the oral glucose tolerance test between the years 2000 and 2006. We calculated the optimal cutoff values of WC required to diagnose MS, and examined the association of HBP with metabolic risk-factor clustering using multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Receiver operation characteristic analysis indicated that the optimal WC cutoff values for identifying clusters of metabolic risk factors were 87 and 80 cm in men and women, respectively. Elevated HBP was significantly associated with the clustering of metabolic risk factors but CBP was not.CONCLUSION:The appropriate WC cutoff value in the current MS criteria for Japanese women would be 80 cm. We suggest that HBP would be useful when considering a diagnosis of MS. The association between MS determined using HBP and the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) requires further investigation. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Danazol therapy for aplastic anemia refractory to immunosuppressive therapy. May 2008 Tatsuya Chuhjo,Hirohito Yamazaki,Mitsuhiro Omine,Shinji Nakao Although there are anecdotal reports of the efficacy of danazol in the treatment of aplastic anemia (AA), there has been no systematic study to clarify its efficacy and toxicity. Therefore, we assessed the efficacy of danazol for treatment of patients with AA refractory to immunosuppressive therapy... ( view more ) (IST) and those who relapsed after IST, in a prospective clinical trial. Sixteen patients (12 males and four females; six severe cases and 10 moderate cases) were treated with 300 mg of danazol daily for 12 weeks. All patients completed the treatment period without occurrence of severe toxicity. Three female patients achieved partial remission, whereas only two of the 12 male patients did so. None of the responders had shown a response to previous IST or an increase in the percentage of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)-type cells which are known to be a marker for a good response to IST. These findings indicate that danazol is effective for a subset of AA patients, and particularly for female patients with AA refractory to IST. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Simultaneous integrated boost technique by helical tomotherapy for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme with 11C-methionine PET: report of three cases. May 2008 Kazuhiro Miwa,Masayuki Matsuo,Jun Shinoda,Naoki Oka,Takayuki Kato,Ayumi Okumura,Tatsuya Ueda,Kazutoshi Yokoyama,Jitsuhiro Yamada,Hirohito Yano,Shinichi Yoshimura,Toru Iwama We performed hypofractionated high-dose irradiation of a patient's residual glioblastoma multiforme using a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique with helical tomotherapy system (HT) planning. The gross tumor volume (GTV)-1 was defined as the area of intensive (11)C-methionine (MET) uptake ... ( view more )and GTV-2 was defined as the area of moderate MET uptake. The planning target volume (PTV)-1 encompassed GTV-1 plus a 5 mm margin, and PTV-2 encompassed GTV-2 plus a 2 mm margin. SIB with HT was performed in eight fractions, planning the dose for GTV-1 at 68 Gy (biologically effective dose: BED = 126 Gy), PTV-1 at 56 Gy (BED = 95 Gy), and PTV-2 at 40 Gy (BED = 60 Gy). In each of the target areas, the uptake value on (11)C-methionine positron emission tomography (MET-PET) was considerably decreased following SIB, although no remarkable changes were demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These cases demonstrate that SIB with HT planning using MET-PET offers excellent target coverage and uniformity. In addition, SIB with HT planning using MET-PET is organ sparing and MET-PET has great efficacy for monitoring treatment response after SIB. To more clearly define the impact of SIB with HT planning using MET-PET, further investigations are required. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Perceptual dynamics of auditory streaming and its neural correlates. May 2008 Makio Kashino,Hirohito M Kondo,Minae Okada Prolonged listening to a repeated sequence consisting of low and high tones produces spontaneous transitions in the perceptual state between a single coherent stream and two segregated streams. The dissociation between constant physical stimulation and fluctuating perceptual experience in auditory ... ( view more )streaming provides a compelling means for studying how auditory percepts are formed in the brain. First, we psychophysically examined the nature of such perceptual transitions in various frequency differences (Deltaf) between low and high tones. After the initial buildup of streaming, perceptual transitions occurred frequently even at the Deltafs that were previously thought to produce a stable percept, and the dominant perceptual state changed depending on Deltaf. Next, we explored brain activities correlated with the perceptual transitions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). An event- related analysis revealed that the auditory cortex and thalamus were activated at the timing of perceptual transitions. The response onset of the activity in the auditory cortex was earlier than that in the thalamus for the transition from dominant to non-dominant percepts, and later for the transition from non- dominant to dominant percepts. These results imply that the interaction of the auditory cortex and thalamus plays a crucial role for perceptual transitions in auditory streaming. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles A combination therapy of ethanol injection and radiofrequency ablation under general anesthesia for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Apr 7, 2008 Kazutaka Kurokohchi,Seishiro Watanabe,Hirohito Yoneyama,Akihiro Deguchi,Tsutomu Masaki,Takashi Himoto,Hisaaki Miyoshi,Hamdy-Saad Mohammad,Akira Kitanaka,Tomohiko Taminato,Shigeki Kuriyama AIM: To summarize the effects of laparoscopic ethanol injection and radiofrequency ablation (L-EI-RFA), thoracoscopic (T-EI-RFA) and open-surgery assisted EI-RFA (O-EI-RFA) under general anesthesia for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Time-lag performance of RFA after ethan... ( view more )ol injection (Time-lag PEI-RFA) was performed in all cases. The volume of coagulated necrosis and the applied energy for total and per unit volume coagulated necrosis were examined in the groups treated under general (group G) or local anesthesia (group L). RESULTS: The results showed that the total applied energy and the applied energy per unit volume of whole and marginal, coagulated necrosis were significantly larger in group G than those in the group L, resulting in a larger volume of coagulated necrosis in the group G. The rate of local tumor recurrence within one year was extremely low in group G. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that EI-RFA, under general anesthesia, may be effective for the treatment of HCC because a larger quantity of ethanol and energy could be applied during treatment under painfree condition for the patients. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Reactivity of mononuclear alkylperoxo copper(II) complex. O-O bond cleavage and C-H bond activation. Apr 2, 2008 Atsushi Kunishita,Hirohito Ishimaru,Satoru Nakashima,Takashi Ogura,Shinobu Itoh A detailed reactivity study has been carried out for the first time on a new mononuclear alkylperoxo copper(II) complex, which is generated by the reaction of copper(II) complex supported by the bis(pyridylmethyl)amine tridentate ligand containing a phenyl group at the 6-position of the pyridine do... ( view more )nor groups and cumene hydroperoxide (CmOOH) in CH3CN. The cumylperoxo copper(II) complex thus obtained has been found to undergo homolytic cleavage of the O-O bond and induce C-H bond activation of exogenous substrates, providing important insights into the catalytic mechanism of copper monooxygenases. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Cancer high-risk subjects identified by serum pepsinogen tests: outcomes after 10-year follow-up in asymptomatic middle-aged males. Apr 2008 Kimihiko Yanaoka,Masashi Oka,Chizu Mukoubayashi,Noriko Yoshimura,Shotaro Enomoto,Mikitaka Iguchi,Hirohito Magari,Hirotoshi Utsunomiya,Hideyuki Tamai,Kenji Arii,Hiroshi Ohata,Mitsuhiro Fujishiro,Tatsuya Takeshita,Osamu Mohara,Masao Ichinose BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer screening using the pepsinogen filter test is receiving wide recognition in Japan owing to convenience, freedom from discomfort or risk, efficiency, and economy. Because the long-term outcomes of cancer development in extensive atrophic gastritis detected by pepsinogen te... ( view more )st are unclear, test-positive and test-negative subjects were investigated in a longitudinal cohort study. METHODS: Subjects comprised 5,209 middle-aged men with measured serum pepsinogen levels who were followed for 10 years. Cancer development based on "atrophy-positive" and "atrophy-negative" criteria used for cancer screening was investigated. RESULTS: During the study, 63 cases of cancer developed in the cohort, representing an incidence rate of 125 per 100,000 person-years. Pepsinogen test screening using the most widely used atrophy-positive criterion (pepsinogen I, < or =70 ng/mL; pepsinogen I/II ratio, < or =3.0) displayed 58.7% sensitivity, 73.4% specificity, and 2.6% positive predictive value. Cancer incidence rate was 276 per 100,000 person-years for the atrophy-positive group and 70 per 100,000 person-years for the atrophy-negative group. Incidence rate was higher in groups fulfilling stricter positive criteria detecting more extensive atrophy, reaching 424 per 100,000 person-years. In addition, 9.2% of atrophy-negative subjects with pepsinogen I of >70 ng/mL and pepsinogen I/II ratio of < or =3.0 (reflecting putative inflammation-based high pepsinogen II level) are at high risk for cancer, particularly diffuse-type cancer, with a cancer incidence rate comparable with atrophy-positive subjects (216 per 100,000 person-years). CONCLUSION: Atrophy-positive subjects by pepsinogen filter test, particularly those fulfilling stricter criteria, and atrophy-negative subjects with low pepsinogen I/II ratio reflecting putative extensive active inflammation constitute populations at high risk for gastric cancer, requiring thorough endoscopic examination. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Cost-effectiveness of the introduction of home blood pressure measurement in patients with office hypertension. Apr 2008 Hidefumi Fukunaga,Takayoshi Ohkubo,Makoto Kobayashi,Yuichiro Tamaki,Masahiro Kikuya,Taku Obara,Miwa Nakagawa,Azusa Hara,Kei Asayama,Hirohito Metoki,Ryusuke Inoue,Junichiro Hashimoto,Kazuhito Totsune,Yutaka Imai OBJECTIVE: Cost-effectiveness of hypertension treatment is an important social and medical issue in Western as well as in Eastern countries, including Japan. Home blood pressure (HBP) measurements have a stronger predictive power for cardiovascular events than casual clinic blood pressure (CBP) mea... ( view more )surements. Therefore, the introduction of HBP measurement for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension should lead to a decrease in medical expenditure. This study presents calculations of the cost savings likely to take place when HBP is implemented for newly detected hypertensive subjects in Japan. DESIGN AND METHODS: We estimate the cost savings from the perspective of a Japanese healthcare system. To estimate the costs associated with changing from CBP to HBP measurement as the diagnostic tool, we constructed a simulation model using data from the Ohasama study. These calculations are based on current estimates for cost of treatment, prevalence of white-coat hypertension at baseline, and varying the incidence of new hypertension after the initial screening. RESULTS: When HBP measurement is not incorporated into the diagnostic process, the medical cost is estimated at US$10.89 million per 1000 subjects per 5 years. When HBP measurement is incorporated, the medical cost is estimated at US$9.33 million per 1000 subjects per 5 years. The reductions in medical costs vary from US$674,000 to US$2.51 million per 1000 subjects per 5 years for treatment of hypertension, when sensitivity analysis is performed. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of HBP measurement for the treatment of hypertension is very useful for reducing medical costs. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Prevalence of Masked Hypertension in Subjects Treated with Antihypertensive Drugs as Assessed by Morning versus Evening Home Blood Pressure Measurements: the J-HOME study. Apr 2008 Taku Obara,Takayoshi Ohkubo,Kei Asayama,Masahiro Kikuya,Hirohito Metoki,Ryusuke Inoue,Rie Komai,Kayo Murai,Junichiro Hashimoto,Kazuhito Totsune,Yutaka Imai,J-Home Study Group To investigate the relationship between morning and evening home blood pressure (BP) measurements to make a diagnosis of masked hypertension, we collected information on the characteristics of 3,303 essential hypertensive outpatients receiving antihypertensive medication in Japan using a physician,... ( view more ) self-administered questionnaire. All patients were asked to measure their home BP once every morning and once every evening for two weeks. Morning and evening home BP values of each patient were defined as the average of all morning and all evening home BP values, respectively. The mean BP values of all study subjects were 142.8/80.6 mmHg for office BP, 139.8/81.8 mmHg for morning home BP, 133.7/76.9 mmHg for evening home BP, and 136.8/79.3 mmHg for the average of the morning and evening home BPs. Masked hypertension was defined as an office BP < 140/90 mmHg and a home BP > or = 135/85 mmHg. The prevalence of masked hypertension diagnosed using morning home BP (23.1%) was higher than that diagnosed by evening home BP (14.7%); the prevalence was 19.0% when diagnosed using the average of the morning and evening home BPs. Among the 1,386 patients with a normal office BP, the diagnosis of masked hypertension based on morning and evening home BP values differed in 28.8% of patients for systolic BP and 20.9% for diastolic BP (kappa coefficient = 0.43). The present study showed that the prevalence of masked hypertension was underestimated when the diagnosis of masked hypertension was made on the basis of evening home BP. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Time-dependent effects of imidapril administration in patients with morning hypertension measured as home blood pressure. Apr 2008 Takako Shibasaki,Taku Obara,Takayoshi Ohkubo,Azusa Hara,Hirohito Metoki,Ryusuke Inoue,Kei Asayama,Masahiro Kikuya,Junichiro Hashimoto,Kazuhito Totsune,Yutaka Imai We investigated the effect of the timing of imidapril administration in patients with morning hypertension (home blood pressure [HBP] in the morning [morning HBP] > or =135/85 mmHg). Eighty-seven patients (mean age, 61 years; 48% women) with morning hypertension each measured HBP in the early morni... ( view more )ng, before going to bed for the final five days of the observation, and during treatment. Imidapril (2.5 or 5.0 mg) was administered once every morning (n = 57) or at bedtime (n = 30) for four weeks (monotherapy: n = 30, 34%; combined with other antihypertensive drugs: n = 57, 66%). The morning (M) versus evening (E) effect (M/E ratio) and the evening versus morning effect (E/M ratio) were calculated to assess the duration of imidapril action. Morning HBP was significantly reduced (all p < 0.05) except when 2.5 mg of imidapril was administered once at bedtime. The individual M/E ratios expressed as means +/- standard deviation for systolic HBP were 0.9 +/- 0.7 and 0.7 +/- 0.7 for the morning administration of 2.5 and 5.0 mg of imidapril, respectively. The corresponding E/M ratios for bedtime administration were 0.3 +/- 0.5 and 1.0 +/- 0.7, respectively. One daily dose of imidapril taken either in the morning or at bedtime lowered morning HBP, indicating that imidapril is useful for controlling morning hypertension. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Self-assembled cationic nanogels for intracellular protein delivery. Apr 2008 Hirohito Ayame,Nobuyuki Morimoto,Kazunari Akiyoshi An effective intracellular protein delivery system with self-assembled cationic nanogels is reported. Interaction of proteins with self-assembled nanogels of cationic cholesteryl group-bearing pullulans (CHPNH 2) was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron micrograph (... ( view more )TEM), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The cationic nanogels strongly interacted with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and formed monodispersed nanoparticels (<50 nm). The complex more effectively internalized into HeLa cells than cationic liposomes and a protein transduction domain (PTD) based carrier even in the presence of serum. The higher efficiency of the nanogel carrier is probably due to the formation of colloidally stable nanoparticles with the protein. The enzymatic activity of beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal) was retained after internalization into cells. The nanogel carrier promoted nuclear delivery of a GFP-conjugated nuclear localization signal and Tat as a PTD (Tat-NLS-GFP). A blocking experiment with chemical inhibitors revealed the possible involvement of macropinocytosis in the uptake of the nanogel complex. After cellular uptake, the complex of the nanogel-protein was dissociated and the protein was released inside the cell. Such a self-assembled cationic nanogel system should create opportunities for novel applications of protein delivery. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Association of microalbuminuria with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity: the Ohasama study. Apr 2008 Tomofumi Ishikawa,Junichiro Hashimoto,Rieko H Morito,Tomohiro Hanazawa,Tomoyuki Aikawa,Azusa Hara,Yoriko Shintani,Hirohito Metoki,Ryusuke Inoue,Kei Asayama,Masahiro Kikuya,Takayoshi Ohkubo,Kazuhito Totsune,Haruhisa Hoshi,Hiroshi Satoh,Yutaka Imai BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria is recognized as a marker of generalized vascular dysfunction. However, the associations between microalbuminuria and pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), respectively, have not been investigated. METHODS:... ( view more ) Brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV), IMT, and ABP were determined in 328 individuals (mean age, 65.7 +/- 6.4 years) from the general population of Ohasama, a rural Japanese community. The participants were assigned to groups with microalbuminuria and with normoalbuminuria, and their characteristics were compared. We also examined the association between microalbuminuria and baPWV, IMT, and ABP, respectively, using multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Seventy-nine participants (24%) with microalbuminuria had significantly higher baPWV (P < 0.001) and 24-h systolic BP (SBP) (P = 0.006) than those with normoalbuminuria, although 24-h pulse pressure and mean IMT did not significantly differ between the groups. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that baPWV, but not 24-h ABP, was independently associated with microalbuminuria (P = 0.002) when adjusted for various confounding factors. After further adjustment for 24-h SBP, the association between baPWV and microalbuminuria remained significant (P = 0.012). The trend was significant even when daytime or nighttime SBP was used instead of 24-hour SBP in this model. CONCLUSIONS: Microalbuminuria appears to be associated with baPWV more closely than with IMT and ABP, and its association with baPWV is independent of ABP and other cardiovascular risk factors. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Autocatalytic water dissociation on Cu(110) at near ambient conditions. Mar 5, 2008 Klas Andersson,Guido Ketteler,Hendrik Bluhm,Susumu Yamamoto,Hirohito Ogasawara,Lars G M Pettersson,Miquel Salmeron,Anders Nilsson Autocatalytic dissociation of water on the Cu(110) metal surface is demonstrated on the basis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies carried out in situ under near ambient conditions of water vapor pressure (1 Torr) and temperature (275-520 K). The autocatalytic reaction is explained as the re... ( view more )sult of the strong hydrogen-bond in the H2O-OH complex of the dissociated final state, which lowers the water dissociation barrier according to the Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi relations. A simple chemical bonding picture is presented which predicts autocatalytic water dissociation to be a general phenomenon on metal surfaces. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Autoantibodies against ubiquitination factor E4A (UBE4A) are associated with severity of Crohn's disease. Mar 2008 Toshio Sakiyama,Hiroshi Fujita,Hirohito Tsubouchi BACKGROUND: Identification of a disease- and organ-specific autoantigen can potentially contribute to understanding molecular mechanisms involved in Crohn's disease (CD) and lead to development of clinically useful markers. The aim was to identify potential intestinal autoantigens specific to patie... ( view more )nts with CD and evaluate their diagnostic value. METHODS: A cDNA expression library from normal terminal ileum was created and screened with pooled sera from 3 randomly selected patients with CD. For evaluation of the diagnostic value of antibody screening, serum samples obtained from 39 patients with CD, 28 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 60 healthy controls were examined for IgG against the strongest clone. RESULTS: We identified an intestinal cDNA clone encoding ubiquitination factor E4A (UBE4A), a U-box-type ubiquitin-protein ligase. The prevalence of anti-UBE4A IgG in patients with CD was significantly higher than that in patients with UC or healthy controls (46.2% versus respectively 7.1%, P = 0.0006; 3.3%, P < 0.0001). Anti-UBE4A-positive patients with CD were more likely to require surgery (P = 0.0013). The level of anti-UBE4A IgG was correlated with disease activity (r = 0.777, P < 0.0001) and associated with stricturing or penetrating disease (P = 0.0028). Immunohistochemical studies showed upregulation of UBE4A in enteroendocrine cells of inflamed ileal mucosa with CD. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-UBE4A antibodies are potentially useful markers for detection and prediction of clinical activity and outcome in patients with CD. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Partial resolution of racemic trans-4-[5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl-2-yl]benzoic acids by the diastereomer method with (R)- or (S)-1-phenylethylamine. Mar 2008 Yoshiaki Uchida,Toshifumi Uematsu,Yoichi Nakayama,Hiroki Takahashi,Hirohito Tsue,Koichi Tanaka,Rui Tamura The partial resolution is described of a series of racemic trans-4-[5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl-2-yl]benzoic acids (1), which are the key intermediates for the synthesis of chiral organic radical liquid crystalline compounds and are crystallized to give racemic compounds. Race... ( view more )mic acid 1 [(+/-)-1] with a long alkyl chain (C7 to C13) could be resolved by the conventional diastereomeric salt formation using (R)- or (S)-1-phenylethylamine (2) as the resolving agent, whereas resolution of (+/-)-1 with a short alkyl chain (C4 to C6) was unsuccessful. Use of six equiv of (R)- or (S)-2 for the initial diastereomeric salt formation of (+/-)-1 with a C7-C13 alkyl chain, followed by recrystallization of the resulting salts once or twice, gave 2S,5S- or 2R,5R-enriched 1, respectively, in an ee range of 75-92% and with an overall recovery of 11-27%, based on the original quantity of (+/-)-1. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Insights into different dependence of dNTP triphosphohydrolase on metal ion species from intracellular ion concentrations in Thermus thermophilus. Mar 2008 Naoyuki Kondo,Takashi Nishikubo,Taisuke Wakamatsu,Hirohito Ishikawa,Noriko Nakagawa,Seiki Kuramitsu,Ryoji Masui Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) triphosphohydrolase (dNTPase) from Thermus thermophilus HB8 (TTHB8) hydrolyzes wide variety of dNTPs to deoxyribonucleoside and inorganic triphosphate in magnesium-dependent manner. In this paper, we assess the specificity for various metal ions and of the dN... ( view more )TP triphosphohydrolase activity of the dNTPase from TTHB8. Manganese and cobalt ions more effectively induced the activity for dNTPs than magnesium and, unexpectedly, brought about the degradation of single kind of dNTP. Manganese and cobalt concentrations of 10 nM were enough to induce the activity, while magnesium of about 1 mM was required for the induction of the activity. To further evaluate metal ions inherent to dNTPase in TTHB8 cells, we measured intracellular concentrations of major metal ions in TTHB8 cells by inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy and compared them with the dependence of metal ion concentration on dNTPase activity. Though cobalt ion was below detectable level, magnesium and manganese ions were detected at sufficient level to induce dNTPase activity. These results suggest that both manganese and magnesium ions are likely to be functional under intracellular condition. In addition, the proposed model of dNTPase activity induced by magnesium and multiple dNTPs was discussed based on the results obtained in this study. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Page 1 of 21 1 2 3 4 > Last >> (509 articles found)

      
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