Enhanced Expression of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase mRNA and Increased TNFα mRNA Expression by Gastric Mucosa in Gastric Cancer

p < 0.005). There were significantly higher levels of Mn-SOD mRNA in gastric carcinoma tissue than in noncancerous tissue ( p < 0.0001). The level of Mn-SOD mRNA in gastric carcinoma tissue was higher than that in breast carcinoma tissue ( p < 0.005). Up-regulation of Mn-SOD mRNA in gastric carcinoma tissue most likely serves as a protective mechanism against superoxide radicals and TNF cytotoxicity.     

Intractable venous leg ulcer treated successfully with allogeneic cultured dermal substitute.

Venous leg ulcers are resistant to various treatments, including autologous skin grafting. We applied an allogeneic cultured dermal substitute in a patient with such a wound, and the wound improved, healthy granulation tissue formed, and the size of the wound was reduced.     

Caudate and hippocampal inhibition of extralemniscal thalamic unitary responses and their blockade by strychnine in cats

Extracellular records were made of single extralemniscal thalamic unit activity evoked by electrical stimulation of the radial nerves in cats anaesthetized with chloralose. Effects of conditioning caudate and hippocampal stimulation on somatically evoked thalamic responses and the pharmacologi- cal characteristics of these effects have been studied.

A total of 306 extralemniscal units were activated with somatotopic convergent properties at a mean response latency of 22.1 msec (range: 7–45 msec). Two hundred and forty five units, 80% of a total units recorded, were inhibited by conditioning caudate stimulation, and 229 units, 75% of a total number, were inhibited by conditioning hippocampal stimulation. There was no significant difference between the inhibitory influences from the caudate nucleus and the hippocampus. The onset latency for inhibition ranged from 10 to 30 msec for conditioning caudate and hippocampal stimuli and the duration of complete inhibition of the responses ranged from 130 to 400 msec and from 90 to 220 msec for stimulation of the caudate nucleus and the hippocampus respectively.

These inhibitory influences exerted by the two brain structures were completely blocked by intravenous administration of strychnine (0.2–0.4 mg/kg) but not by intravenous doses of picrotoxin (2.0–4.0 mg/kg).

From the physiological and pharmacological similarities between the caudate and hippocampal inhibitory influences on extralemniscal thalamic activity, possible involvement of the hippocampus as well as the caudate nucleus in perception of pain is discussed.     

Hyperkalaemic paralysis following traumatic rupture of the urinary bladder

A case is reported of a 38-year-old man with hyperkalaemic paralysis following traumatic rupture of the urinary bladder.     

Data mining reveals complex interactions of risk factors and clinical feature profiling associated with the staging of non‐hepatitis B virus/non‐hepatitis C virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim: Non‐hepatitis B virus/non‐hepatitis C virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC‐HCC) is often detected at an advanced stage, and the pathology associated with the staging of NBNC‐HCC remains unclear. Data mining is a set of statistical techniques which uncovers interactions and meaningful patterns of factors from a large data collection. The aims of this study were to reveal complex interactions of the risk factors and clinical feature profiling associated with the staging of NBNC‐HCC using data mining techniques. Methods: A database was created from 663 patients with NBNC‐HCC at 20 institutions. The Milan criteria were used as staging of HCC. Complex associations of variables and clinical feature profiling with the Milan criteria were analyzed by graphical modeling and decision tree algorithm methods, respectively. Results: Graphical modeling identified six factors independently associated with the Milan criteria: diagnostic year of HCC; diagnosis of liver cirrhosis; serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST); alanine aminotransferase (ALT); α‐fetoprotein (AFP); and des‐γ‐carboxy prothrombin (DCP) levels. The decision trees were created with five variables to classify six groups of patients. Sixty‐nine percent of the patients were within the Milan criteria, when patients showed an AFP level of 200 ng/mL or less, diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and an AST level of less than 93 IU/mL. On the other hand, 18% of the patients were within the Milan criteria, when patients showed an AFP level of more than 200 ng/mL and ALT level of 20 IU/mL or more. Conclusion: Data mining disclosed complex interactions of the risk factors and clinical feature profiling associated with the staging of NBNC‐HCC.     

Immunohistochemical Localization of SNARE Proteins in Dental Pulp and Periodontal Ligament of the Rat Incisor

Distribution of three soluble N‐ethylmaleimide‐sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins, syntaxin‐1, synaptosomal‐associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP‐25), and vesicle‐associated membrane protein‐2 (VAMP‐2), was examined in dental pulp and periodontal ligament of the rat incisor. In the trigeminal ganglion, syntaxin‐1 and SNAP‐25 immunoreactivity was predominately detected in medium‐ to large‐sized neurons. Most syntaxin‐1 immunoreactive neurons expressed SNAP‐25. In contrast, VAMP‐2 was localized in small‐ to medium‐sized neurons and in slender‐shaped cells surrounding SNAP‐25‐immunopositive neurons. When the inferior alveolar nerve, one of the mandibular nerve branches innervating the dental pulp and periodontal ligament, was ligated, SNARE proteins accumulated at the site proximal to the ligation. In the incisor dental pulp, all nerve fibers displayed immunoreactivity for syntaxin‐1, SNAP‐25, and VAMP‐2. In the periodontal ligament of the incisor, almost all nerve fibers displayed both syntaxin‐1 and SNAP‐25 immunoreactivity, but lacked VAMP‐2 immunoreactivity. SNAP‐25 protein expression was localized around the vesicle membranes at the axon terminal of the periodontal mechanoreceptors. These present data suggest that these three SNARE proteins are synthesized at the trigeminal ganglion, transported centrally and peripherally, and expressed in sensory endings where apparent synapses are not present. Because those proteins participate in docking and exocytosis of synapse vesicles in the central nervous system, they might also contribute to vesicle exocytosis at receptive fields where apparent synapses are not present. Anat Rec, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Survey of pediatric ward hospitalization due to respiratory syncytial virus infection after the introduction of palivizumab to high‐risk infants in Japan

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a major cause of hospitalization during the winter among infants and young children. In 2002 palivizumab was introduced to high‐risk infants for RSV hospitalization in Japan. It is important to characterize the hospitalized children due to RSV infection after the introduction of palivizumab. Methods: A survey was conducted to collect the data from the hospitalized children at 12 participating hospitals during the winter of 2007. Results: From October 2007 through April 2008, 8163 children were admitted to participating hospitals, with RSV infection accounting for 811 of those hospitalizations. Mean age in children with RSV infection at hospitalization was 12.4 ± 12.7 months, and children under 24 months of age accounted for 86.4%. The mean gestational age of those at birth was 38.0 ± 2.6 weeks, with 82.4% of the children born at term. Palivizumab was administered in 24 cases of RSV infection, while there were 28 patients who were not treated with palivizumab, even though they met the indication for palivizumab. Death, in a total of five cases, occurred in children who were not treated with palivizumab. Conclusions: Palivizumab has been widely used in high‐risk infants who were covered by health insurance, and most of the hospitalized children with RSV infection in the study hospitals were not treated with palivizumab.     

Gastroduodenal Mucosal Injury in Patients Taking Low-Dose Aspirin and the Role of Gastric Mucoprotective Drugs: Possible Effect of Rebamipide

The present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of mucosal injury in patients taking low-dose aspirin in Japan and examine the effect of gastric mucoprotective drugs on aspirin-related gastroduodenal toxicity. We selected 530 patients who had taken low-dose aspirin for 1 month or more after undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy from 2005 through 2006 at Teikyo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Endoscopic records were retrospectively reviewed to determine the presence of massive bleeding and mucosal injury (ulcer or erosion). The influence of clinical factors, including co-administration of gastroprotective drugs, was also examined. Hemorrhage was observed in 25 patients (3.7%) and mucosal injury (36.2%) in 192 patients. The presence of Helicobacter pylori antibody was a significant risk factor associated with mucosal injury. Patients taking any gastroprotective drug showed a significantly lower rate of mucosal injury than those not taking these drugs. Patients taking rebamipide concomitantly with proton pump inhibitors or histamine 2 receptor antagonists had mucosal injury less frequently than those taking acid suppressants plus other mucoprotective drugs. In conclusion, these results show the possible gastroprotective effects of rebamipide, suggesting that it may be a good choice in aspirin users with gastroduodenal toxicity that is not suppressed by acid suppressants alone.