We investigated the effects of orally administered probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus species) as allergic immune modulators in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mice. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with OVA twice at a 2-week interval for allergy sensitization. The mice were then orally administered Lactobacillus casei YIT9029 (L1), L. casei HY7201 (L2), L. brevis HY7401 (L3), or L. planta...

Object: Previous reports have indicated that the level of lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) often differs from that diagnosed from neurological symptoms, and L5 nerve roots are often affected by stenosis at the L2–L3 or L3–L4 level; however, few cases have been described. Decompression surgery for upper lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) of L2–L3 and L3–L4 causing L5 and S1 symptoms was inve...

The Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3) is widely used to screen for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan and China. We developed a chemiluminescent protein microarray for determining the AFP-L3/AFP index (the ratio of AFP-L3 to total AFP, AFP-L3%) by fixing AFP-specific antibodies and Lens culinaris lectin on aldehyde-coated glass slides. Serum samples were tested fo...

Third language (L3) acquisition differs from first language (L1) and second language (L2) acquisition. There are different views on whether L1 or L2 is of primary influence on L3 acquisition in terms of transfer. This study examines differences in the event-related brain potentials (ERP) response to agreement incongruencies between L1 Spanish speakers and L3 Spanish learners, comparing response...

AIM This study aimed to evaluate the fucosylated fraction of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) as a marker of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS We diagnosed early HCC in 15 patients (15 tumors) by gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and confirmed the diagnoses using new criteria of the International Consensus Group ...

The possibility of concomitant immunity and its potential mechanisms in Onchocerca volvulus infection were examined by analyzing cytokine and antibody responses to infective larval (third-stage larvae [L3] and molting L3 [mL3]), adult female worm (F-OvAg), and skin microfilaria (Smf) antigens in infected individuals in a region of hyperendemicity in Cameroon as a function of age. Peripheral blo...

BACKGROUND Serum lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of α-fetoprotein (AFP-L3%) has been widely used for HCC diagnosis and follow-up surveillance as tumor serologic marker. However, the prognostic value of high pre-treatment serum AFP-L3% in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. We therefore conduct a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between high pr...