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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to clarify the enteropathogenicity of Plesiomonas shigelloides, we investigated a cytotoxin produced by the P-1 strain isolated from patients suffering from diarrhea. The cytotoxicity of the culture filtrate of the strain reached a maximum in culture at 37 °C after 12 h shaken in BHI medium. The cytotoxin in the cultures was purified by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, and Sephacryl S-100, Mono Q HR, and Superdex 200 HR column chromatographies. An approximate 340-fold purification was achieved, with a recovery of about 1.4%, from the culture supernatant. The cytotoxin is heat-stable, and is a complex of three major proteins (LPS-binding proteins with molecular weights of 32, 40, and 48 kDa), with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) giving a total a molecular weight of more than 600 kDa. The ratio of protein to LPS in the cytotoxin was 6–5. The cytotoxic activity was reduced by about 80% by proteinase K treatment or when incubated with anti-cholera toxin antibody (Anti-CT). Western blotting of the cytotoxin with Anti-CT demonstrated the presence of two anti-cholera toxin-reactive protein (ACRP) bands with molecular weights of 40 kDa (a major single protein band) and 48 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence (20 residues) of the 40 kDa protein was 75% identical to Pasteurella multocida cell membrane proteins. The cytotoxin gave a positive reaction in the suckling mouse assay whereas LPS alone hardly exhibited any cytotoxic or enterotoxigenic activity. In conclusion, P. shigelloides produces a cytotoxin that consists of a complex of protein and LPS with the former component exhibiting both cytotoxicity and enteropathogenicity. This cytotoxin has the potential to have an important role in the enteropathogenicity of P. shigelloides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Arabidopsis gene ZIM encodes a putative transcription factor containing a novel GATA‐type zinc‐finger domain with a longer spacer between its two sets of conserved cysteine residues (C‐X2‐C‐X20‐C‐X2‐C). In Arabidopsis, ZIM and homologous proteins, ZML1 and ZML2, were identified as GATA factors containing the C‐X2‐C‐X20‐C‐X2‐C motif, a CCT domain, and an uncharacterized conserved domain. Proteins that possess this domain structure were found exclusively in plants, indicating that they belong to a novel family of plant‐specific GATA‐type transcription factors. When ZIM was overexpressed using a CaMV 35S promoter in Arabidopsis, hypocotyls and petioles were elongated. The elongation phenotype was observed under all wavelengths of light tested and even in the presence of biosynthetic inhibitors of either brassinosteroid or gibberellin. In ZIM‐overexpressing plants, XTH33 which is predicted to function in cell wall modification was detected as an up‐regulated gene by microarray analysis, and this could account for the elongation phenotype. Genes in ZIM‐overexpressing plants were identified that were up‐regulated in a tissue‐specific manner, which suggests that transcriptional regulation by ZIM and its consequent effects are spatially controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]