Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a disease closely associated with obesity and diabetes. A prevalence of type 2 diabetes and a high body mass index in cryptogenic cirrhosis may imply that obesity leads to cirrhosis. Here, we examined the effects of an extract of Ecklonia cava, a brown algae, on the activation of high glucose-induced hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), key players in hepatic fi...

We have previously shown endothelin (ET)-like immunoreactive staining in Weibel-Palade bodies, storage granules that are an integral component of the regulated secretory pathway in endothelial cells. These structures degranulate after chemical or mechanical stimuli that result in cytosolic calcium influx. We therefore investigated whether the regulated pathway might be an intracellular site inv...

INTRODUCTION the proper evaluation of the extracapsular extension (ECE), the invasion of seminal vesicles and regional lymph nodes are necessary to plan the treatment of localized prostate cancer. A model that assesses the risk of ECE in the specimen considering the clinical, histological and imaging findings is defined. MATERIAL AND METHODS prospective study in 85 patients with prostate canc...

Most neuroendocrine peptides are generated by proteolysis of the precursors at basic residue cleavage sites. Prohormone convertases belonging to the subtilisin family of serine proteases are primarily responsible for processing at these "classical sites." In addition to the classical cleavages, a subset of bioactive peptides is generated by processing at "nonclassical" sites. The proteases resp...

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of using 3-tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnosis of extracapsular extension (ECE) for decision-making about neurovascular bundle (NVB) preservation in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer (PC). MATERIALS AND METHODS We prospectively collected data on PC patients (n=67) who underwent preoperative 3-T MRI before RARP. Th...

Background:   Facing an unfamiliar environment is always one of the biggest concerns for medical students who are going to have clinical educations in medical fields. Recently early clinical exposure (ECE) for medical students has been proposed as an effective factor in reducing stress and motivating toward the rest of their education as a clinical student. This study aimed at evaluation of E...

TCP ECE genes encode transcription factors which have received much attention for their repeated recruitment in the control of floral symmetry in core eudicots, and more recently in monocots. Major duplications of TCP ECE genes have been described in core eudicots, but the evolutionary history of this gene family is unknown in basal eudicots. Reconstructing the phylogeny of ECE genes in basal e...

Innovative approaches to childhood obesity prevention are warranted in early care and education (ECE) settings, since intervening early among youth is recommended to promote and maintain healthy behaviors. The objective of the Meals for Good pilot was to explore feasibility of implementing a food bank-based catering model to ECE programs to provide more nutritious meals, compared to meals broug...

The structure of French syllables has long been controversial, particularly with respect to the status of word-final consonants. Some researchers suggest that word-final consonants are syllabified as codas, whereas others propose that these are onsets of empty-headed syllables. This raises questions regarding the nature of syllabic representations in children’s developing French, a topic that h...