BACKGROUND Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the Central Nervous System that is immunologically mediated in genetically susceptible individuals. IL-21, a cytokine produced by TCD4(+) cells, particularly by Th-17 cells, is believed to play an important role in the MS pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE This study was performed to investigate the impact of genetic p...

Chronic viral infection is often associated with the dysfunction of virus-specific T cells. Our studies using Il21r-deficient (Il21r-/-) mice now suggest that interleukin-21 (IL-21) is critical for the long-term maintenance and functionality of CD8+ T cells and the control of chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in mice. Cell-autonomous IL-21 receptor (IL-21R)-dependent signalin...

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of aerobic training on serum FGF21 levels and glucose in women with type II diabetes mellitus. Women with type II diabetes mellitus were divided into two groups including control (n=14) and aerobic training (n=14) the mean levels of serum FGF21, glucose were measured in all participants after 8 weeks exercise. The mean of FGF21 levels after exer...

OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop a noninvasive prenatal test on the basis of the analysis of cell-free DNA in maternal blood to detect fetal aneuploidy at chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X, and Y. METHODS A total of 166 samples from pregnant women, including 11 trisomy 21, three trisomy 18, two trisomy 13, two 45,X, and two 47,XXY samples, were analyzed using an informatics-based method. Cell-fre...

The title compound, C(21)H(21)N(5)O(2), is a 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,3-triazole having dimethyl-benzodiazepindione and phenyl substituents on each methyl group; the substituents are positioned on opposite sides of the five-membered ring. The seven-membered fused-ring of the larger substituent adopts a boat-shaped conformation (with the methine C atom as the prow).

Purpose of developing the guidelines: The first guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) were published as a diagnostic handbook in Japan in 1989, with a focus on patients with severe disease. The "Guidelines for Treatment of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (21-Hydroxylase Deficiency) Found in Neonatal Mass Screening (1999 revision)" published in 1999 were rev...

We report two Japanese women with androgen excess symptoms. Analyses of 21-hydroxylase gene demonstrated that a 24-year-old Japanese woman had a homozygous mutation of IVS2-13 A/C>G, while a 25-year-old Japanese woman had a compound heterozygous mutation of I172N and E245del1nt, a novel mutation which would result in completely nonfunctional enzyme due to a frame shift. As IVS2-13 A/C>G and I17...

OBJECTIVE To study the psychometric properties and preference for five different pain intensity scales (horizontal visual analog scale [VAS], vertical VAS, Box-11, Box-21, and verbal descriptor scale) across different age groups. DESIGN Chronic pain patients rated their present, average, weakest, and strongest pain on five different scales, and indicated scale preference. SETTING Outpatient...