Increasing access to HIV testing for men who have sex with men in Japan using digital vending machine technology.

Background: In Japan, most new HIV cases are reported amongst men who have sex with men (MSM); thus, there is an urgent need for further widespread testing of MSM. The use of Digital Vending Machines (DVM) in the UK offering HIV test kits targeting MSM show promising results. Digital Vending Machines could be useful to promote and increase the uptake of testing in Japan, although no studies have yet been conducted. We aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of distributing HIV test kits using DVMs exploring needs and concerns as well as preferred types of test kits and locations.Methods: Fifty-four individuals participated in workshops and meetings with a further 224 MSM answering a quantitative survey assessing HIV testing and prevention needs.Results: Amongst MSM who had never been tested, 73% showed willingness to purchase tests from DVMs. Responses were broadly positive about DVMs but there were concerns regarding being seen receiving test kits from the machines and linkage to confirmatory testing and appropriate care.Conclusions: Using DVMs to distribute HIV test kits in Japan was found to be both acceptable and feasible and may have the potential to increase access to testing for MSM. Future large-scale evaluation studies are required.

The combination of OLmesartan and a CAlcium channel blocker (azelnidipine) or candesartan and a calcium channel blocker (amlodipine) in type 2 diabetic hypertensive patients: the OLCA study.

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) are often co-administered with a calcium channel blocker (CCB) for treating hypertension. In this open-label randomised study, untreated diabetic hypertensive patients were randomised to receive either olmesartan 20 mg/day or candesartan 8 mg/day for 12 weeks. Patients with blood pressure exceeding 130/80 mm Hg received add-on 16 mg/day azelnidipine to ongoing olmesartan (OL group) or 5 mg/day amlodipine to ongoing candesartan (CA group) for 24 weeks. Home-measured and clinic-measured blood pressure decreased in both groups. Fasting blood glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and urinary albumin levels decreased significantly in the OL group but not in the CA group. In conclusion, this study revealed clinically relevant differences between two combinations of an ARB+CCB in diabetic hypertensive patients. Olmesartan and azelnidipine had a more persistent early morning antihypertensive effect and produced greater decreases in heart rate, fasting blood glucose and HbA1c (National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program values) levels, and microalbuminuria than did candesartan and amlodipine.

Xanthogranuloma of the intrasellar region presenting in pituitary dysfunction: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Differentiation of cystic mass lesions of the sellar and parasellar regions may pose a diagnostic dilemma for physicians, neurosurgeons, radiologists and pathologists involved in treating patients with these entities. A considerable number of tumors previously identified as craniopharyngiomas may, in fact, have been xanthogranulomas. We report a case of pituitary dysfunction caused by xanthogranuloma of the intrasellar region. CASE PRESENTATION: A 47-year-old man of Japanese descent presented to our institution with a tumor located exclusively in the intrasellar region which manifested as severe hypopituitarism. MRI revealed a clearly defined intrasellar mass that was heterogeneously hyperintense on T1-weighted images and markedly hypointense on T2-weighted images. We preoperatively diagnosed the patient with Rathke's cleft cyst or non-functioning pituitary adenoma. Although the tumor was completely removed using a transsphenoidal approach, the improvement of the patient's endocrine function was marginal, and continued endocrine replacement therapy was needed. Postoperatively, a histological examination revealed the tumor to be a xanthogranuloma of the intrasellar region. His visual field defects and headache improved. CONCLUSION: Because diagnosis depends on surgical intervention and xanthogranulomas of the intrasellar region are very rare, the natural history of xanthogranuloma is still unknown. Therefore, this entity is difficult to diagnose preoperatively. We suggest that xanthogranuloma should be included in the differential diagnosis, even in the case of sellar lesions, to formulate appropriate postoperative management and improve endocrine outcomes.

A case of Degos disease successfully treated with corticosteroid combined with cyclophosphamide.

Degos disease is a rare disorder characterized by systemic vasculitis involving various organs. There is no established, effective treatment for the disorder, and its prognosis is still poor. Combination therapy with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide is considered effective for vasculitides involving the small arteries such as ANCA-associated vasculitis. We present here a 42-year-old man who developed Degos disease over several months, and was successfully treated using combined treatment with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide.

S-1 induced secondary acute erythroid leukemia with a chromosome inv(12)(p13;q13).

Adjuvant chemotherapy by S-1 following gastrectomy is considered standard treatment in Japan. Analysis of follow-up data have proved the efficacy of S-1 administration, and that hematological adverse events were relatively rare. Pyrimidine anti-metabolites, including S-1, have shown relatively lower risks for secondary hematological malignancies in comparison to alkylating agents and topoisomerase-II inhibitors. We here report a case of therapy-related leukemia after S-1 administration. A patient who had received S-1as the sole adjuvant chemotherapy was diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia. To the best of our knowledge, our patient represents the first report of S-1 induced acute leukemia.

Novel mutations in the gene encoding acid α-1,4-glucosidase in a patient with late-onset glycogen storage disease type II (Pompe disease) with impaired intelligence.

A 17-year-old Japanese man was referred to our hospital because of highly elevated serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and transaminases. On admission, the proximal muscles of the lower extremities were found to be predominantly affected, and a score of 3/5 was obtained on Medical Research Council (MRC) scale. Muscular atrophy was evident and Gowers' sign was positive. His functional vital capacity (FVC) was markedly reduced. The results of the third edition of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) indicated impairment of the patient's intelligence. Muscle biopsy showed scattered intracytoplasmic vacuoles with basophilic amorphous materials inside which were strongly stained by both periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and acid phosphatase. Biochemical analysis of the muscle tissue confirmed the diagnosis of GSDII because the glucosidase activity was 1.0 nmol/4 MU/mg/30 min (control range, 7.3 ± 2.2). Genetic analysis revealed a novel compound heterozygous missense mutation in GAA--c.1814 G >A (p.Gly605Asp) and c.1846 G >A (p.Asp616Asn) both in exon 13.

Cytokeratins negatively regulate the invasive potential of lung cancer cell lines.

Lung cancer cells express several cytokeratins (CKs) that are subdivided into type I (CK9-23) and type II (CK1-8) subclasses. The functions of CKs in lung cancer cells have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of CKs in the invasion of lung cancer cells. We investigated the expression levels of CK7, 8, 18 and 19 in 12 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and seven SCLC cell lines by quantitative immunoblotting. The expression levels of these four CKs were significantly higher in the NSCLC cells. The NSCLC cell line HI1017 expressed CK8 and 18; A549 cells expressed CK7, 8, 18 and 19, respectively. Invasive sublines of HI1017 and A549 were established by repeated selection of invasive cells using a membrane invasion chamber system. The invasive cell lines showed lower expression levels of CKs compared with the parental cells. Exogenous CK19 also resulted in a decrease in invasiveness of the HI1017 cells. Suppression of either CK8 or CK18 by short interfering RNAs led to a decrease in the total CKs and increased invasiveness of both the HI1017 and A549 cells. A549 cells expressed very low levels of CK19. Suppression of CK19 affected neither invasive ability nor total CK amount in the A549 cells. Our observations indicate that CK expression levels were inversely associated with invasiveness of the NSCLC cell lines, and suggest that expression levels of dominant CKs may affect invasive ability.

Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome with pituitary apoplexy.

After hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome was diagnosed in a 35-year-old woman at 39 weeks' gestation, magnetic resonance imaging and hormone examination revealed pituitary apoplexy with panhypopituitarism and diabetes insipidus. Evaluation of pituitary function should be considered in patients with HELLP syndrome.

Transcriptional double-autorepression feedforward circuits act for multicellularity and nervous system development.

BACKGROUND: The transcriptional regulatory network is considered to be built from a set of circuit patterns called network motifs. Experimental studies have provided instances where a feedforward circuit (FFC) appears with modification of autoregulation, but little is known systematically about such autoregulation-integrated FFCs. Therefore, we aimed to examine whether the autoregulation-integrated FFC is a network motif relevant to describing the human transcriptional regulatory systems, and explored the relationship of such network motifs with biological functions. RESULTS: Based on human-mouse evolutionarily conserved transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) in 76600 conserved blocks for 5169 genes, we compiled the human transcriptional connections into a matrix, and examined the number of FFC appearances in comparison with randomized networks. The results revealed that the configuration of autoregulation integrated in the FFC critically affects the abundance or avoidance of FFC appearances. In particular, an FFC comprising two repressors that are both autoregulated was revealed as a significant network motif, which we termed the double-autoregulation FFC (DAR-FFC). Interestingly, this network motif preferentially constitutes effecter transcriptional circuits with functions in cell-cell signaling and multicellular organization, and is particularly related to nervous system development. CONCLUSIONS: We have revealed that the configuration of autoregulation integrated in the FFCs is a critical factor for abundance or avoidance of the appearance of the FFCs. In particular, we have identified the DAR-FFC as a distinctive integrated network motif endowed with properties that are indispensable for forming the transcriptional regulatory circuits involved in multicellular organization and nervous system development. This is the first report showing that the DAR-FFC is a significant network motif.

[Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis in a non-smoking Japanese woman].

A 44-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital because of dry cough and dyspnea on exertion. She had never smoked. She had been passively exposed to smoking by her husband and co-workers from the age of 21 (1984) to 33 (1996). She had previously developed pneumothorax twice, in 1985. On admission, computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed reticulonodular opacities predominant in bilateral upper lung fields, and pulmonary function tests revealed a decrease in vital capacity. The differential diagnoses were sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH). Video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed to make a definitive diagnosis. A histological specimen revealed the presence of CD1a-positive Langerhans cells in bronchiolocentric nodular lesions, leading to a diagnosis of PLCH. She was given 0.5 mg/kg bodyweight/ day oral prednisolone. Her symptoms disappeared with steroid maintenance therapy, and her vital capacity on pulmonary function testing was prevented from further deterioration. Based on the pathogenesis of PLCH, this case suggested that not only active smoking, but also passive smoking, played an important role in the development of PLCH.

Medical cost analysis for antifungal prophylaxis in neutropenic patients with hematological malignancies: a systematic simulation analysis.

GOALS OF WORK: We assessed the medical costs of different antifungal agents for prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections in neutropenic patients in Japan with a cost simulation model designed for the study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used probabilities of prophylaxis failure, possible cases for empiric therapy, probable proportions of infections caused by fungus species among prophylaxis failure patients, and incidence of adverse events caused by any reason, based on systematic analysis of previously reported randomized trials identified by a computerized search of the PubMed database. Antifungal agents were limited to oral fluconazole, oral itraconazole, micafungin, and liposomal amphotericin B. The range of the expected medical cost was simulated as a sensitivity analysis using 95% of confidence interval of a mean. MAIN RESULTS: Fifteen studies were identified for our analysis. The prophylactic efficacy was comparable between the four agents. The simulated expected cost for invasive fungal infection prophylaxis and treatment of the infection was $1,035.74 when oral itraconazole was used for prophylaxis, $1,552.81 with oral fluconazole, $2,245.96 with micafungin, and $3,028.10 with liposomal amphotericin B. The total cost including treatment cost for adverse events related to each drug was $2,742.14, $3,547.91, $3,034.57, and $3,028.10, respectively. This result was confirmed in a sensitivity analysis in which IFI incidence and therapy duration were tested as parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis results suggest that oral itraconazole is the most cost-effective prophylactic antifungal agent for invasive fungal infections in neutropenic patients with hematological malignancies, and this result was robust by sensitivity analysis.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV involvement in the pathophysiology of glucotoxicity in rat pancreatic ß-cells.

Glucotoxicity is a critical component of the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus; however, the molecular mechanisms of glucotoxicity are still not fully understood. We have attempted to determine the protein kinases involved in glucotoxicity in pancreatic ß-cells by the use of a new technique. Using Multi-PK antibodies, which are capable of detecting a wide variety of protein kinases, we analyzed the protein kinase that correlated with insulin synthesis in INS-1 cells under glucotoxic conditions. When expression patterns of protein kinases in INS-1 cells were analyzed by Western blotting with Multi-PK antibodies, a kinase of 63 kd was significantly reduced concomitant with the decrease of insulin secretion under glucotoxic conditions. To identify the 63-kd kinase, we used a unique 2-dimensional gel electrophoretic technique and MicroRotofor (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan) electrophoresis. From the molecular size of a native kinase/cyanogen bromide fragment and pI value, the 63-kd protein kinase was deduced to be CaMKIV. This was confirmed by Western blotting analysis using anti-CaMKIV antibodies. The decreased CaMKIV levels under glucotoxic conditions recovered to original levels after changing the medium to a normal glucose concentration. Recombinant CaMKIV was degraded in a Ca²+-dependent manner by incubation with cell lysates from INS-1 cells under glucotoxic conditions, and degradation was protected by calpain inhibitor. Furthermore, CaMKIV was reduced in the pancreatic islets of diabetic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty rats, whereas that of nondiabetic Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka rats was not. This study suggests that the abnormal regulation of CaMKIV is a component of ß-cell dysfunction caused by high glucose.

MicroRNA networks alter to conform to transcription factor networks adding redundancy and reducing the repertoire of target genes for coordinated regulation.

Transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) comprise two major layers of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). TFs and miRNAs function coordinately, but they have distinct molecular mechanisms and evolutionary backgrounds. Therefore, we aimed to systematically reveal the difference in contribution between TF and miRNA networks to the evolution of their coordinated regulations by focusing on composite feedforward circuits (cFFCs) that each comprises a TF and an miRNA. We compiled 124,736 human-mouse conserved TF regulatory connections and 34,298 conserved miRNA regulatory connections into two distinct connection matrices. To differentially assess the contributions to cFFC formation of TFs and miRNAs, we randomized one matrix and kept the other unchanged and subsequently examined the number of cFFCs, the number of cFFC-targeted genes, and the redundancy formed by cFFCs in comparison with those of the real GRNs. Because the matrices represent selectively constrained networks, if selection has been operating on the networks for or against cFFC formation, the values of cFFC network properties would deviate significantly from the expectation of the randomized networks. As the cFFC includes both TF and miRNA connections, the partial randomizations indicate the extent of influence of selection on cFFC formation differentially between TF and miRNA networks. Thus, we adopted the deviation of each cFFC network property value as a measure to estimate the extent of influence of selection on cFFCs and to compare the contribution between TF and miRNA networks. We found that miRNA regulatory networks changed their configuration such that they conformed to the stable TF regulatory networks with an increased circuit redundancy and a marked reduction in the repertoire of cFFC-targeted genes. We also revealed that this redundancy-adding role is preferentially attributable to miRNA network alterations. The results indicate that the redundancy-adding role might serve as a niche for many miRNA connections to survive, avoiding conflicts with the stable TF regulatory networks.

Exendin-4 regulates GLUT2 expression via the CaMKK/CaMKIV pathway in a pancreatic ß-cell line.

The GLUT2 glucose transporter plays an important role in glucose-induced insulin secretion in pancreatic ß-cells by catalyzing the uptake of glucose into the cell. In this study, we investigated whether exendin-4, a long-acting agonist of glucagon-like peptide-1, mediates stimulatory effects on GLUT2 gene expression through the Ca²+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) cascade. GLUT2 expression was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and a reporter gene assay in rat insulin-secreting INS-1 cells incubated with exendin-4. An increased expression level of GLUT2 protein was noted in response to increasing concentrations of exendin-4, with maximal induction at 10 nmol/L. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis similarly revealed a significant increase in the amount of GLUT2 messenger RNA by 10 nmol/L exendin-4. Exendin-4 also stimulated GLUT2 promoter activity in response to increasing exendin-4 concentrations, but failed to do so in the presence of STO-609, a CaMKK inhibitor. We also investigated the effect of the constitutively active form of CaMKK (CaMKKc) on GLUT2 promoter activity. The result is consistent with the observations that CaMKKc/CaMKIV enhanced or up-regulated GLUT2 promoter activity in INS-1 cells. Furthermore, exendin-4 induction of GLUT2 protein expression was significantly suppressed in the cells knocking down the CaMKIV. In summary, activation of the CaMKK/CaMKIV cascade might be required for exendin-4-induced GLUT2 gene transcription, indicating that exendin-4 plays an important role in insulin secretion in pancreatic ß-cells.

Improvement of irregularity of brain vessel walls in systemic lupus erythematosus by tacrolimus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that affects multiple organs. Neuropsychiatric SLE develops during the course of the disease in 50% to 74% of SLE patients. The pathogenesis of CNS manifestations is multifactorial. The most common neuropathological finding has, in various studies, been multifocal infarcts. The cerebral vascular lesions in SLE that can cause cerebral infarction can be categorized into thromboembolism and vasculitis. On the other hand, tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive drug used for several autoimmune diseases, which inhibits the calcineurin pathway in T cells and reduces accompanying inflammatory cytokine production. We experienced that treatment of a patient with SLE with tacrolimus and steroid pulse therapy yielded improvement of vasculitis of brain vessels on magnetic resonance angiography. We suggest that tacrolimus may play an important role in the treatment of vasculitis of SLE.

The transcription factor prolactin regulatory element-binding protein mediates prolactin transcription induced by thyrotropin-releasing hormone in GH3 cells.

The prolactin regulatory element-binding protein (PREB) is a transcription factor that regulates prolactin (PRL) promoter activity in the rat anterior pituitary. PRL gene expression and secretion are regulated by various hormones and growth factors, including dopamine, epidermal growth factor, and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). We examined the effect of TRH on PREB expression in pituitary cells. Western blots probed with a PREB-specific antiserum showed that the relative abundance of PREB in GH3 cells increased on treatment with TRH in a dose-dependent manner. The relative abundance of PREB mRNA also increased in a dose-dependent manner after treatment with TRH. TRH induced the expression of the luciferase reporter protein under the PREB promoter control. We used inhibitors of certain signal transduction pathways to show that TRH-induced PREB induction is sensitive to the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor. TRH stimulated the activity of the wild-type PRL promoter, whereas mutation of the PREB core-binding element on the PRL promoter reduced this ability. In summary, we have shown that TRH stimulated PREB expression in GH3 cells via the PKA pathway. PREB can function as a transcriptional regulator of PRL promoter activity and might be involved in TRH-induced PRL gene transcription.

Misdiagnosis of two cases of primary aldosteronism owing to failure of computed tomography to detect adrenal microadenoma.

Recent studies have suggested that primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common form of hypertension. However, some cases of PA are overlooked because microadenoma is difficult to detect by imaging. The author report 2 cases in which aldosterone-producing microadenoma was diagnosed by selective adrenal venous sampling (AVS) and furosemide plus upright test. These adenomas were resected by laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Both cases presented with hypertension and hypokalemia. Experimental data, including those obtained from furosemide plus upright test, suggested PA. In both cases, computed tomography imaging revealed a normal adrenal gland without any tumor. However, selective AVS indicated unilateral hypersecretion of aldosterone. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed, and clinical symptoms of the patients improved. The histopathologic findings revealed aldosterone-producing microadenomas with diameters of 6 and 3 mm, respectively, in cases 1 and 2. In conclusion, AVS should be performed to confirm the diagnosis of PA when computed tomography imaging does not provide definite results.

Idiopathic unilateral adrenal hemorrhage in an elderly patient.

We report the case of an 85-year-old woman who has been undergoing treatment for hypertension but has not received anticoagulation therapy. The patient was admitted to our hospital for the evaluation of a right adrenal tumor (size, 10 × 9 cm²). Preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings were indicative of adrenal hemorrhage (AH). Laboratory data revealed mild anemia but no adrenal dysfunction. The final pathological diagnosis was simply idiopathic adrenal hematoma. There is no case report of exactly idiopathic AH over 80 years old. We report an unusual case of idiopathic unilateral adrenal hematoma in an elderly patient. It is important to distinguish this benign lesion from a neoplasm and to consider idiopathic AH in an adrenal tumor during differential diagnosis in elderly patients who have not received anticoagulation therapy or suffered from trauma.

Emphysematous cystitis with diabetic neurogenic bladder.

A 62-year-old diabetic woman suffering from high fever was admitted to our hospital. She had a lower abdominal phantom tumor and hyperglycemia. The results of urine analysis showed hematuria and bacteriuria. X-ray and computed tomography revealed gas accumulation in the wall of the bladder. Escherichia coli was identified in urine culture. On the basis of the lack of urine output and the identification of residual urine on catheterization, a diagnosis of emphysematous cystitis with diabetic neurogenic bladder was established. The patient recovered after discontinuation of urinary drainage, intensive insulin therapy, and antibiotic therapy.