Since the 1980s, research has shown that personal health behaviors play a significant role in the prevention of disease onset and death from disease. HIV infection is now viewed as one of the preventable diseases, largely due to the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) . In this report, anti-HIV strategies are discussed in the context of preventative measures against sexually transmitted chronic diseases. Two examples are given of programs designed to obtain information about personal health behavior : (1) the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) implemented in the United States, and (2) the questionnaire survey administered to examinees of voluntary counseling and testing for HIV (HIV-VCT) in Tokyo. The HIV-VCT questionnaire is presented as a useful tool for evaluation of anti-HIV measures and for risk communication. In addition, the information obtained seems indispensable for identifying the needs of particular districts, with the ultimate goal of advancing the prevention of sexually transmitted chronic diseases on a nationwide scale.

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Early onset benign childhood occipital seizure (EBOS) is a type of benign childhood partial epilepsy with ictal vomiting and deviation of the eyes. EBOS is typified by multifocal electroencephalogram (EEG) occipital spike discharges. In this study, we investigated the localization of equivalent current dipoles of two EBOS cases using the dipole tracing (DT) method based on the scalp-skull-brain (SSB) head model of individual subjects, and estimated the dipole localization from spike averages. EEG spikes were recorded with scalp EEG surface electrodes (international 10/20 system) . For subject 1, the dipolarity of equivalent current dipoles (ECDs), recorded from the beginning of a spike to the maximum positive peak, was located in the compact area of the right occipital region. The ECDs, recorded from the maximum positive peak to the end of a spike, were located alongside the right optic radiation area. ECDs were located in the right occipital region from the end of the spike to the end of the slow wave. For subject 2, the dipolarity of ECDs was located in the compact occipital area throughout the spikes and waves. The right occipital region was determined to be the visual association cortex or Brodmann area 19. These findings suggest that the occipital region is involved in the mechanism of visual transformation in the visual association cortex.

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The beta-catenin and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) genes are important in tumorigenesis of gastrointestinal neoplasms. Accumulation of beta-catenin in the nucleus due to mutations in beta-catenin and / or APC has been associated with early tumorigenesis in colorectal tumors. In this study, we investigated nuclear beta-catenin accumulation and mutations of beta-catenin and APC in 48 gastric adenomas and 59 early differentiated-type adenocarcinomas. Widespread or focal nuclear expression of beta-catenin was found in 14 (29.2%) gastric adenomas and 18 (30.5%) differentiated-type carcinomas. Mutations in beta-catenin were detected in only one case of gastric adenoma, while APC was mutated in 17 (35.4%) of the gastric adenomas and 11 (18.6%) early differentiated-type carcinomas. The accumulation of nuclear beta-catenin was significantly more prevalent in tumors with APC mutations than in those without APC mutations (67.9% vs 16.5%, p<0.0001) . These findings demonstrate that beta-catenin accumulation in the nucleus is an early and common event in the incipient phase of gastric differentiated-type tumorigenesis, and is associated not with mutations in the beta-catenin gene but with APC mutations.

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The effects of dexamethasone on the production of matrix metal-loproteinase (MMP) by synovial fibroblasts (SFs) were examined in vitro. Cultured SFs originating from patients with osteoarthritis were stimulated with either lipopolysaccharide or transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in the presence of various concentrations of dexamethasone. MMP and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) concentrations in 24-hour culture supernatants were determined by ELISA. Although lower doses of dexamethasone (10 and 25 μg / mL) did not suppress the production of MMP-1, -2, or -3 in response to lipopolysaccharide stimulation, dexamethasone at concentrations greater than 50 μg / mL significantly suppressed the production of those MMP types. In contrast, dexamethasone did not inhibit TIMP-1 and -2 production by SF, even at a concentration of 250 μg / mL. Dexamethasone also did not inhibit the production of MMPs and TIMPs by SF stimulated with TGF-β. These results suggest that dexamethasone suppresses the production of MMPs by inhibiting signaling pathways that are activated by inflammatory stimulation. These findings also indicate that the suppressive activity of dexamethasone on MMP production may be partially responsible for the favorable effect of this drug on the clinical status of inflammatory diseases of the knee such as osteoarthritis.

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Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder characterized by xerostomia and xerophthalmia. We report the case of a 15-year-old girl with sicca symptoms, submandibular gland swelling, and facial erythema. Biopsy of minor salivary glands revealed infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells. Scintigraphy of salivary glands showed submandibular and parotid gland dysfunction. Although the 1996 European classification criteria for SS were fulfilled, evidence was lacking for autoimmunity (findings were negative for rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, and antibodies against SS-A and SS-B) . This suggests that the patient's sicca symptoms may have developed by mechanisms different from typical SS. The initial diagnosis of SS was made in 2001, but according to the revised European classification criteria in 2002, the diagnosis became no longer appropriate. At present, we regard this case as suggestive of SS. However, we also consider that Mikulicz disease, which is characterized by symmetrical swelling of lacrimal or salivary glands, would be a reasonable alternative diagnosis.

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