Pitavastatin suppresses diethylnitrosamine-induced liver preneoplasms in male C57BL/KsJ-db/db obese mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity and related metabolic abnormalities, including inflammation and lipid accumulation in the liver, play a role in liver carcinogenesis. Adipocytokine imbalances, such as decreased serum adiponectin levels, are also involved in obesity-related liver tumorigenesis. In the present study, we examined the effects of pitavastatin - a drug used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia - on the development of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver preneoplastic lesions in C57BL/KsJ-<it>db/db </it>(<it>db/db</it>) obese mice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male <it>db/db </it>mice were administered tap water containing 40 ppm DEN for 2 weeks and were subsequently fed a diet containing 1 ppm or 10 ppm pitavastatin for 14 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At sacrifice, feeding with 10 ppm pitavastatin significantly inhibited the development of hepatic premalignant lesions, foci of cellular alteration, as compared to that in the untreated group by inducing apoptosis, but inhibiting cell proliferation. Pitavastatin improved liver steatosis and activated the AMPK-α protein in the liver. It also decreased free fatty acid and aminotransferases levels, while increasing adiponectin levels in the serum. The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and the expression of <it>TNF-α </it>and <it>interleukin-6 </it>mRNAs in the liver were decreased by pitavastatin treatment, suggesting attenuation of the chronic inflammation induced by excess fat deposition.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Pitavastatin is effective in inhibiting the early phase of obesity-related liver tumorigenesis and, therefore, may be useful in the chemoprevention of liver cancer in obese individuals.</p

Mesoporous smectites incorporated with alkali metal cations as solid base catalysts

A series of magnesium containing mesoporous smectites incorporated with alkali hydroxide (NaOH, KOH or LiOH) has been prepared and employed for such base-catalyzed model reactions as transesterification of ethyl acetate with methanol, Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehyde with ethyl cyanoacetate and one-pot synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from propylene oxide, carbon dioxide and methanol. The effects of the quantity and kind of the incorporated alkali atoms on the catalytic properties of the smectites were investigated. Characterization of the smectites has shown that the incorporation of alkali atoms reduces their surface area and total pore volume but enhances the amount and strength of their basic sites. The product yield of the transesterification was increased with the content of alkali atoms incorporated. It has been suggested that the moderately basic sites are responsible for this reaction. The yield of the Knoevenagel reaction depends little on the alkali atom content. Increasing the content of alkali atoms causes the increase in the DMC yield of the one-pot synthesis and the decrease in the yield of methanolysis of propylene oxide, which is the side reaction of the one-pot synthesis. The incorporation of Li was less effective than Na and K for the one-pot reaction. The structures of basic sites over the alkali-incorporated smectites have been discussed

Bidding Agents for PV and Electric Vehicle-Owning Users in the Electricity P2P Trading Market

As the world strives to decarbonize, the effective use of renewable energy has become an important issue, and P2P power trading is expected to unlock the value of renewable energy and encourage its adoption by enabling power trading based on user needs and user assets. In this study, we constructed a bidding agent that optimizes bids based on electricity demand and generation forecasts, user preferences for renewable energy (renewable energy-oriented or economically oriented), and owned assets in a P2P electricity trading market, and automatically performs electricity trading. The agent algorithm was used to evaluate the differences in trading content between different asset holdings and preferences by performing power sharing in a real scale environment. The demonstration experiments show that: EV-owning and economy-oriented users can trade more favorably in the market with a lower average execution price than non-EV-owning users; forecasting enables economy-enhancing moves to store nighttime electricity in batteries in advance in anticipation of future power generation and market prices; EV-owning and renewable energy-oriented users can trade more favorably in the market with other users. EV-owning and renewable energy-oriented users can achieve higher RE ratios at a cost of about +1 yen/kWh compared to other users. By actually issuing charging and discharging commands to the EV and controlling the charging and discharging, the agent can control the actual use of electricity according to the user’s preferences

Periodontitis in cardiovascular disease patients with or without Marfan syndrome--a possible role of Prevotella intermedia.

BACKGROUND: Although periodontitis is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the influence of periodontitis on Marfan syndrome (MFS) with CVD is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between periodontal bacterial burden and MSF with CVD. METHODS AND RESULTS: The subjects were patients with MFS with CVD (n = 47); age and gender matched non-MFS CVD patients (n = 48) were employed as controls. Full-mouth clinical measurements, including number of teeth, probing of pocket depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP) and community periodontal index (CPI) were recorded. We also evaluated the existence of three periodontal pathogens, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Prevotella intermedia using polymerase chain reaction assays. Serum antibody titers against the pathogens were also measured. We revealed that MFS with CVD patients had periodontitis more frequently than the age and gender matched non-MFS CVD control subjects. MFS with CVD patients had significantly severer periodontitis, fewer remaining teeth and deeper PD compared to the non-MFS CVD controls. Furthermore, the serum antibody titer level against Prevotella intermedia was significantly lower in MFS plus CVD patients compared to the non-MFS CVD patients. CONCLUSION: Periodontitis may influence the pathophysiology of cardiovascular complications in MFS patients. A specific periodontal pathogen might be a crucial therapeutic target to prevent CVD development

Anti-bacterial Antibody Titers in Serum.

<p>MFS, Marfan syndrome; CVD, cardiovascular disease; NS, not significant; CPI, community periodontal index; P.g., <i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i>; A.a., <i>Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans</i>; P.i., <i>Prevotella intermedia</i>.</p

Periodontal Conditions.

<p>MFS, Marfan syndrome; CVD, cardiovascular disease; NS, not significant; CPI, community periodontal index.</p