Randomized, crossover questionnaire survey of acceptabilities of controlled-release mesalazine tablets and granules in ulcerative colitis patients

Background/Aims Oral mesalazine is an important treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC), and non-adherence to mesalazine increases the risk of relapse. Controlled-release (CR) mesalazine has 2 formulations: tablets and granules. The relative acceptabilities of these formulations may influence patient adherence; however, they have not been compared to date. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptabilities of the 2 formulations of CR mesalazine in relation to patient adherence using a crossover questionnaire survey. Methods UC patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in each group took either 4 g of CR mesalazine tablets or granules for 6 to 9 weeks, and then switched to 4 g of the other formulation for a further 6 to 9 weeks. The acceptability and efficacy were evaluated by questionnaires, and adherence was assessed using a visual analog scale. The difference in acceptabilities between the 2 formulations and its impact on adherence were assessed. Results A total of 49 patients were prospectively enrolled and 33 patients were included in the analysis. Significantly more patients found the tablets to be less acceptable than the granules (76% vs. 33%, P=0.0005). The granules were preferable to the tablets when the 2 formulations were compared directly (73% vs. 21%, P=0.004), for their portability, size, and numbers of pills. The adherence rate was slightly better among patients taking the granules (94% vs. 91%) during the observation period, but the difference was not significant (P=0.139). Conclusions CR mesalazine granules are more acceptable than tablets, and may therefore be a better option for long-term medication

千葉県君津市川谷地域に露出する中部更新統柿ノ木台層から産出する冷湧水化石群集: その時空分布と共産する自生炭酸塩

金沢大学国際基幹教育院 GS教育系冷湧水性群集が房総半島の中部更新統柿ノ木台層の陸棚相から産出する．群集は，化学合成二枚貝類から排他的になり，著しく13Cに枯渇した自生炭酸塩と共産することから，AOM（嫌気的メタン酸化）に依存していたと考えられる．自生炭酸塩は巣穴壁面と巣穴周囲の堆積物中に沈殿し，巣穴からスナモグリ類の爪化石と糞化石が産出することから，これらはスナモグリ類の巣穴であると考えられる．スナモグリ類はメタン生成帯まで巣穴を堀り，海水を巣穴深部へ供給し，AOMを活性化させることによって巣穴中の硫化水素イオン濃度を上昇させた．溶存酸素濃度が高い巣穴浅部では，硫黄酸化菌が繁茂し，スナモグリ類の食糧となった．巣穴深部では，浮遊する生物源炭酸塩などを核とした針状アラゴナイトが重力方向に沈下して炭酸塩ジオペタル状構造を形成し，巣穴周囲の堆積物中では，リン酸イオン濃度の上昇により高Mgカルサイトが，また硫酸イオンの枯渇によりドロマイトが沈殿した．Cold-seep-dependent molluscan assemblages occur in the outer-shelf facies of the middle Pleistocene Kakinokidai Formation of the Kazusa Group, a forearc basin-fill sequence on the Pacific side of central Japan, in strata corresponding to the interval 707.6-667.0 ka. The assemblages consist exclusively of chemosymbiotic bivalves (lucinids, thyasirids, and solemyids) and are associated with 13C-depleted authigenic carbonates (δ13C = −61.60‰ to −10.96‰ VPDB), which suggest that their main carbon source was anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Authigenic carbonate precipitates are common on burrow walls (mainly acicular aragonite) and the surrounding sediments (mainly micritic high-Mg calcite and dolomite). The burrows are cylindrical, 1.5-3.0 cm in diameter, and >1 m long. Callianassid claws and the trace fossil Palaxius (probable callianassid fecal pellets) in the burrow carbonates suggest that the burrows were produced by sediment-dwelling callianassid decapods.\nWe propose the following formation mechanism of burrows and their related authigenic carbonates. Firstly, callianassids produced deep burrows, penetrating the AOM zone and reaching the methanogenic zone. Methane then seeped into the burrows and AOM occurred in its deeper parts, promoted by a supply of seawater via callianassid activity, resulting in an increase in the concentration of hydrogen sulfide ions. Thiobacteria flourished in the shallower parts of the burrows, which were enriched in dissolved oxygen, and provided a source of food for the callianassids. In the deeper parts of the burrows, acicular aragonite precipitated around suspended carbonate nuclei and sank to the bottoms of the burrows, forming geopetal-like carbonate structures. In the surrounding sediment, high-Mg calcite precipitated in response to an increase in the concentration of phosphate ions (due to the decomposition of organic matter), and dolomite precipitated in response to decreasing concentrations of sulfate ions (caused by active AOM)

White Leaf Sectors in yellow variegated2 Are Formed by Viable Cells with Undifferentiated Plastids1[C][W][OA]

The yellow variegated2 (var2) is one of the best-characterized Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants showing leaf variegation. Leaf variegation of var2 results from the loss of an ATP-dependent metalloprotease, FtsH2, which is a major component of the FtsH heterocomplex in thylakoid membranes. While the functional role of FtsH2 in protein quality control has been extensively studied, the physiological state of plastids in white tissues of the var2 is not well characterized. Here we show that the white tissue in var2 is neither the result of photobleaching nor enhanced senescence. Visualization of plastids by plastid-targeted green fluorescent protein revealed that plastids in the white sector are distinct and have undifferentiated characteristics. The plastids are also distinct in that they contain large nucleoids, a complex structure of plastid DNA and proteins, that are typically found in undifferentiated plastids. Comparative analyses of protein profiles from green and white tissues suggested that the difference was observed in the proteins related to photosynthesis but not due to proteins of other organelles. Thus, cells in the white tissue are viable and their defect is limited to plastid function. The plastid accumulates normal levels of chloroplast transcripts, whereas a substantial repression of nuclear-encoded photosynthetic genes was evident in the white sector. Based upon these results, we inferred that the white sectors in var2 are made by viable cells that have plastids arrested in thylakoid formation. A proposed model to form the variegated sector in var2 is provided