Coenzyme Q10 suppresses apoptosis of mouse pancreatic beta-cell line MIN6

Background: In mitochondrial diabetes, apoptosis of β-cells caused by mitochondrial stress plays an important role in impaired insulin secretion. Several studies have reported that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has therapeutic effects on mitochondrial diabetes, but no reports have examined the fundamental effectiveness or mechanism of CoQ10 in mitochondrial diabetes. We previously reported in a Japanese article that CoQ10 has protective effects on pancreatic β-cells against mitochondrial stress using mouse pancreatic β-cell line MIN6 and staurosporine (STS). Here, we report that CoQ10 protects MIN6 cells against apoptosis caused by STS and describe the more detailed apoptotic cascade. Methods: Apoptosis of MIN6 cells was induced by 0.5 μM STS treatment for specific periods with or without 30 μM CoQ10. The apoptosis cascade in MIN6 cells was then investigated using WST-8 assays, annexin-V staining, western blotting, and DNA degradation analysis. Results: Sixteen hours of 0.5 μM STS treatment led to 47% cell viability, but pretreatment with 30 μM CoQ10 resulted in significantly higher viability of 76% (P < 0.01). CoQ10 also prevented translocation of phosphatidylserine from the inner leaflet to the outer leaflet of the cell membrane. CoQ10 prevented cytochrome c release from mitochondria and activation of caspase-3. Conclusion: We concluded that CoQ10 protects pancreatic β-cells through anti-apoptotic effects against STS treatment

Side-on measurement of hydrodynamics of laser-driven plasmas with high space- and time-resolution x-ray imaging technique

Copyright 2003 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Review of Scientific Instruments, 74(3), 2198-2201, 2003 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.153785

A Computer-Based Glucose Management System Reduces the Incidence of Forgotten Glucose Measurements: A Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction: Frequent glucose measurements are needed for good blood glucose control in hospitals; however, this requirement means that measurements can be forgotten. We developed a novel glucose management system using an iPod and electronic health records. Methods: A time schedule system for glucose measurement was developed using point-ofcare testing, an iPod, and electronic health records. The system contains the glucose measurement schedule and an alarm sounds if a measurement is forgotten. The number of times measurements were forgotten was analyzed. Results: Approximately 7000 glucose measurements were recorded per month. Before implementation of the system, the average number of times measurements were forgotten was 4.8 times per month. This significantly decreased to 2.6 times per month after the system started. We also analyzed the incidence of forgotten glucose measurements as a proportion of the total number of measurements for each period and found a significant difference between the two 9-month periods (43/64,049–24/65,870, P = 0.014, chi-squared test). Conclusions: This computer-based blood glucose monitoring system is useful for the management of glucose monitoring in hospitals

Thoracoscopic Resections of Bronchogenic Cysts Arising in the Posterior Mediastinum: A Report on 3 Patients

We report 3 cases of patients with bronchogenic cyst arising in the posterior mediastinum. The patients were a 19-year-old male, a 36-year-old female and a 33-year-old female, whose cysts were detected as abnormal shadows in the chest. In 2 of them, neurogenic tumors were suspected preoperatively. We performed thoracoscopic resection for the 3 tumors. Bronchogenic cysts may occur ectopically, and the posterior mediastinum must be sufficiently recognized as a rare but possible ectopic site

Mediastinal Malignant Lymphoma Difficult to Diagnose : A Patient Report

We report a 58-year-old man who suffered from shortness of breath on exertion with wheezing. A chest enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed an irregular tumor in the middle mediastinum involving the right main pulmonary artery, vena cava superior and right main bronchus. Transbronchial lung biopsy and endobronchial ultrasoundguided transbronchial needle aspiration yielded no evidence for a pathological diagnosis of malignancy. We employed mediastinoscopy, which led to a diagnosis of lymphoid reactive change. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission omography (FDG-PET) scan revealed a high FDG uptake in the tumor lesion. Because the CT scan and FDG-PET findings led to a marked suspicion of malignancy, we decided to attempt biopsy by a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approach. Flow cytometry showed a monoclonal pattern, and the final diagnosis was mediastinal follicular lymphoma both pathologically and immunohistologically. The patient achieved a complete remission by following chemotherapy. Lowgrade malignancy type of lymphoma such as follicular lymphoma that generally contains small-cell components often presents a diagnostic challenge and the VATS approach was effective for the diagnosis of such type of mediastinal lymphoma

Body mass index >= 23 is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes in Japanese people: A brief report

Background: Screening for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus is recommended for Asian Americans with a body mass index ≥23. However, the optimal body mass index cut-off score for predicting the risk of diabetes mellitus in Japanese people is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the best body mass index cut-off score for predicting insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus in the Japanese population. Methods: This study had two parts, a clinical investigation and a retrospective observational investigation. In the clinical part of the study, 58 participants (26 with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 32 non-diabetics) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp from which their glucose disposal rate was measured. For the retrospective part of the study, medical check-up data from 88,305 people in the Tottori Prefecture were analyzed for clinical evidence of diabetes mellitus. The optimal BMI cut-off scores for prediction of insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus were determined. Results: In the clamp study, the optimal body mass index cut-off score to predict insulin resistance in non-diabetic patients was 22.7. All participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus were insulin resistant, and the optimal body mass index cut-off score for prediction of severe insulin resistance was 26.2. When the data from the type 2 diabetic and the non-diabetic participants were combined, the optimal body mass index cut-off score for prediction of insulin resistance was 23.5. Analysis of 88,305 medical check-up records yielded an optimal body mass index cut-off score for prediction of diabetes mellitus of 23.6. Conclusions: These results suggest that having a body mass index ≥23 is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus in the Japanese population

High Serum Advanced Glycation End Products Are Associated with Decreased Insulin Secretion in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Brief Report

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are important in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). They directly cause insulin secretory defects in animal and cell culture models and may promote insulin resistance in nondiabetic subjects. We have developed a highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for measuring AGEs in human serum. Here, we use this method to investigate the relationship between AGEs and insulin secretion and resistance in patients with T2DM. Methods. Our study involved 15 participants with T2DM not on medication and 20 nondiabetic healthy participants. We measured the AGE carboxyethyllysine (CEL), carboxymethyllysine (CML), and methyl-glyoxal-hydro-imidazolone (MG-H1). Plasma glucose and insulin were measured in these participants during a meal tolerance test, and the glucose disposal rate was measured during a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Results. CML and CEL levels were significantly higher in T2DM than non-DM participants. CML showed a significant negative correlation with insulin secretion, HOMA-%B, and a significant positive correlation with the insulin sensitivity index in T2DM participants. There was no correlation between any of the AGEs measured and glucose disposal rate. Conclusions. These results suggest that AGE might play a role in the development or prediction of insulin secretory defects in type 2 diabetes