(14)N quadrupolar coupling of amide nitrogen and Peptide secondary structure as studied by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

To establish a relationship between the secondary structure of a peptide and the quadrupolar coupling of its amide (14)N, we examined (14)N quadrupolar couplings for eight different polypeptide samples, each of whose secondary structure (alpha-helix or beta-sheet) is known. The (14)N quadrupolar coupling is estimated from indirect observation of a (14)N overtone resonance under magic-angle spinning. From the observed indirect (14)N overtone spectra and calculated (14)N quadrupolar couplings for model molecules by using ab initio calculation (Gaussian03), it is shown that the quadrupolar coupling for the alpha-helix is larger than that for the beta-sheet by a few 100 kHz irrespective of the kind of amino acid residues examined (Ala, Val, Leu).

Molecular evolution of HA1 in influenza A (H3N2) viruses isolated in Japan from 1989 to 2006.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the trend of phylogenetic evolution among influenza A (H3N2) viruses isolated in Gunma and A (H3N2) vaccine strains, we studied the transition of gene mutations and amino acid substitution of the sites A and B in HA1 during long-term seasons. METHODS: A total of 15 A (H3N2) strains were obtained from patients in Gunma, Japan, during the 1989-2006 seasons. A partial HA1 gene was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The phylogenetic tree and amino acid sequences were determined with nucleotide sequences. RESULTS: We found that the nucleotide sequences of the isolates in the 1989-1990 and 1997-1998 seasons were similar to those of the A/Beijing/352/89 and the A/Sydney/5/97 strains, respectively, indicating a lag between the circulated virus and the vaccine strains. Phylogenetic analysis made possible to classify into two clusters in genetic evolutions among these strains, which showed large antigenic conversion. Moreover, we confirmed that basic amino acids tended to substitute uncharged polar amino acids, like K135T (lysine-to-threonine substitution at position 135), K145N, H155T, K156Q, R189S and R197Q, as confirmed by multiple alignment of amino acid sequences. CONCLUSIONS: We showed a new understanding of genetic evolution and amino acid substitutions of HA1 to recur pandemic.

Detection and phylogenetic analysis of norovirus in Corbicula fluminea in a freshwater river in Japan.

To study the molecular epidemiology of noroviruses (NoVs) in bivalves residing in freshwater rivers, we detected, quantified and phylogenetically analyzed the NoV genome in purified concentrates obtained from the gills and digestive diverticula of Corbicula fluminea in a freshwater river in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. We detected the NoV genome in 35 of the 58 C. fluminea samples. Based on our phylogenetic analysis, the NoV genome detected in the samples was classified into 4 genotypes (GI/1, GI/2, GI/3 and GI/4) in genogroup I and 5 genotypes (GII/3, GII/4, GII/5, GII/8 and GII/12) in genogroup II. The phylogenetic tree showed wide genetic diversity among the genogroups. In addition, more than 10(4) copies of the NoV genome were detected in 2 of 35 samples. These results suggest that the freshwater bivalve C. fluminea is a reservoir for NoVs, similar to seawater bivalves such as oysters.

One third of Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis use complementary and alternative medicine.

We investigated the prevalence and predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japan. A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed using the database from a large observational cohort of RA patients in the Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women's Medical University. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to reveal predictive factors for CAM use. Among 3815 RA patients, 1321 (34.6%; 174 males, 1147 females) used at least one type of CAM. Health foods, including dietary supplements, were the most commonly used. CAM was more frequently used by female patients (odds ratio: 0.578; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.451-0.740). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that sex (odds ratio: 0.489; 95% CI = 0.333-0.718) and degree of satisfaction with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (odds ratio: 0.899; 95% CI = 0.852-0.948) were significant independent predictive factors for CAM use. The serum C-reactive protein level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate showed no significant associations with CAM use. Approximately 35% of RA patients used CAM in Japan. Female patients and patients dissatisfied with DMARDs used CAM more frequently, regardless of their disease activity.

Cluster analysis and association study of structured multilocus genotype data.

We propose an algorithm for testing association using structured multilocus genotype data. The algorithm implements the clustering of the data by a hierarchical clustering technique and a k-means algorithm. After clustering, the program analyzes all the clusters together using the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) test, by which common associations in the clusters are examined. To use the MH test, the number of subpopulations has to be determined. A method of cross-validation (CV) and the k-means algorithm are applied for estimating the number of subpopulations. The algorithm described was implemented in the computer program POPSTRUCT. In the simulation study, we found that when the two groups with different marker allele frequencies were combined, an inflation of the type I errors was observed. The inflation was more marked when the differences in the marker allele frequencies were larger, the difference in the minor allele frequencies at the disease locus was larger, and the genotype relative risk associated with the disease locus was higher. Our simulation study indicated that the MH test was efficient for decreasing type I errors and increasing the power compared with any test performed on each cluster. Then, we compared the results of STRUCTURE, a model-based method, and POPSTRUCT, a distance-based method. When two subgroups with different allele frequencies were mixed together at a high fixed ratio, POPSTRUCT was superior to STRUCTURE in classifying the combined population into the accurate clusters, each of which reflects one of the original groups.

A retrospective study of the relationship between serum urate level and recurrent attacks of gouty arthritis: evidence for reduction of recurrent gouty arthritis with antihyperuricemic therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the proposed relationship between persistent reduction of serum urate into the subsaturating range and reduction in the frequency of acute gouty attacks. METHODS: We retrospectively examined data derived from 267 patients who had experienced at least 1 gouty attack before their first visit to our clinic. Serum urate concentration, history of recurrent gouty attacks, and information about antihyperuricemic drug use were collected on each visit for up to 3 years from the first visit of each patient. Data derived from visits >1 year after study entry were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: When adjusted for baseline serum urate level and the number of gouty attacks prior to study entry, reduction of followup serum urate concentration and antihyperuricemic drug use were each significantly associated with a reduced risk of gouty attacks (odds ratio [OR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.31-0.57; OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.10-0.47, respectively). CONCLUSION: The data indicate that reduction of serum urate concentrations to 6 mg/dl or lower will eventually result in a reduced frequency or prevention of future gouty attacks.

Pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma with laryngeal and subcutaneous involvement: report of a case successfully treated with glucocorticoids.

We report a case of pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma (PHG) with laryngeal and subcutaneous involvement. A 43-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for assessment of hoarseness. Cervical and chest computed tomography, respectively, revealed a laryngeal tumor and two pulmonary masses. Specimens obtained from the pulmonary masses were compatible with PHG. The histopathology of biopsy specimens from both the laryngeal tumor and a subcutaneous tumor resembled that of the resected lung masses. Although there is no established treatment for PHG, the laryngeal tumor was diminished and all other lesions disappeared with glucocorticoid treatment.

[A case of lung infection due to Mycobacterium abscessus].

We report a case of lung infection due to Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus). A 60 year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of an abnormal shadow found on chest radiography and a bloody sputum. Chest radiography revealed infiltrative and linear shadows in the middle and lower fields of both lungs. The sputum smears were negative for acid-fast bacilli, but sputum culture was positive. Rapidly growing mycobacteria were detected. The patient was treated with clarithromycin. Since M. abscessus was identified from repeated cultures of the sputa, the patient was treated with Imipenem/Cilastatin and Amikacin for four weeks, during which the chest radiography improved. After discharge, the treatment with clarithromycin and minocycline was continued for ten months, and the chest radiography improved further. Our treatment for M. abscessus may be a useful choice for drug treatment of such cases.

[Hypogammaglobulinemia associated with thymoma (Good syndrome) similar to diffuse panbronchiolitis].

A 65-year-old woman complained of dyspnea and a productive cough after surgical treatment and irradiation therapy for thymoma. Chest radiography and high-resolution computed tomography showed small nodules in centrilobular lesions in all of both lung fields, but predominantly in the lower fields. In addition, blood tests showed hypogammaglobulinemia. Chronic sinusitis, mild hypoxemia, severe obstructive impairment and the pathological findings of bronchiolitis led to a diagnosis of sinobronchial syndrome caused by Good syndrome. Treatment with oral erythromycin 600 mg/day was started. After 6 months, the patient improved both clinically and radiologically. Low-dose, long-term treatment with erythromycin was effective against sinobronchial syndrome caused by Good syndrome.

Correlation between lymph node micrometastasis and histologic classification of small lung adenocarcinomas, in considering the indication of limited surgery.

The validity of limited surgery for lung carcinomas have not been clearly established. Several reports suggest that not only tumor size but also the histological findings may be of importance in this role. By conducting immunohistochemical examinations of lymph node micrometastases from small lung adenocarcinomas, we considered the suitability of limited surgery for especially localized bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (LBAC) without active fibroblastic proliferation (Noguchi's histologic classification types A and B). In this study, we enrolled 54 patients with lung adenocarcinoma smaller than 2 cm in diameter. Lymph node involvement was demonstrated in 11 (20.4%) patients. Lymph node micrometastasis was present in 11 (25.6%) of the 43 patients at pN0 disease. However, 13 patients with LBAC without active fibroblastic proliferation (types A and B) had neither lymph node involvement nor micrometastasis. Our results indicate that limited pulmonary resection may be acceptable procedure for LBAC without active fibroblastic proliferation.