Assessment of skin inflammation using near-infrared Raman spectroscopy combined with artificial intelligence analysis in an animal model

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful method for estimating the molecular structure of a target that can be adapted for biomedical analysis given its non-destructive nature. Inflammatory skin diseases impair the skin’s barrier function and interfere with the patient’s quality of life. There are limited methods for non-invasive and objective assessment of skin inflammation. We examined whether Raman spectroscopy can be used to predict skin inflammation with high sensitivity and specificity when combined with artificial intelligence (AI) analysis. Inflammation was chemically induced in mouse ears, and Raman spectra induced by a 785 nm laser were recorded. A principal component (PC) analysis of the Raman spectra was performed to extract PCs with the highest percentage of variance and to estimate the statistical score. The accuracy in predicting inflammation based on the Raman spectra with or without AI analysis was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. We observed some typical changes in the Raman spectra upon skin inflammation, which may have resulted from vasodilation and interstitial oedema. The estimated statistical scores based on spectral changes correlated with the histopathological changes in the skin. The ROC curve based on PC2, which appeared to include some spectral features, revealed a maximum accuracy rate of 80.0% with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.864. The AI analysis improved the accuracy rate to 93.1% with an AUC of 0.972. The current findings demonstrate that the combination of Raman spectroscopy with near-infrared excitation and AI analysis can provide highly accurate information on the pathology of skin inflammation

Hepatomegaly Associated with Non-Obstructive Sinusoidal Dilation in Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of leishmaniasis caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Hepatomegaly is one of the most frequent clinical manifestations of VL, whereas immunopathology of the symptom has not been well investigated. Using our chronic model of experimental VL, we examined the influence of Leishmania donovani infection on the liver by clinical, histological, and biochemical analyses. The infected mice showed increased liver weight 24 weeks post-infection. Although an increase in serum ALT and inflammatory cell accumulation were observed in the livers of infected mice, no apparent parenchymal necrosis or fibrosis was observed. Tissue water content analyses demonstrated that increased liver weight was predominantly due to an increase in water weight. Together with the finding of hepatic sinusoidal dilation, these results suggested that edema associated with sinusoidal dilation causes hepatomegaly in L. donovani infection. Immunostaining of platelets and erythrocytes showed no thrombus formation or damage to the sinusoidal endothelium in the liver of infected mice. Taken together, these results suggest that hepatomegaly during experimental VL is caused by non-obstructive sinusoidal dilation

Environmental and Household-Based Spatial Risks for Tungiasis in an Endemic Area of Coastal Kenya

Tungiasis is a cutaneous parasitosis caused by an embedded female sand flea. The distribution of cases can be spatially heterogeneous even in areas with similar risk profiles. This study assesses household and remotely sensed environmental factors that contribute to the geographic distribution of tungiasis cases in a rural area along the Southern Kenyan Coast. Data on household tungiasis case status, demographic and socioeconomic information, and geographic locations were recorded during regular survey activities of the Health and Demographic Surveillance System, mainly during 2011. Data were joined with other spatial data sources using latitude/longitude coordinates. Generalized additive models were used to predict and visualize spatial risks for tungiasis. The household-level prevalence of tungiasis was 3.4% (272/7925). There was a 1.1% (461/41,135) prevalence of infection among all participants. A significant spatial variability was observed in the unadjusted model (p-value < 0.001). The number of children per household, earthen floor, organic roof, elevation, aluminum content in the soil, and distance to the nearest animal reserve attenuated the odds ratios and partially explained the spatial variation of tungiasis. Spatial heterogeneity in tungiasis risk remained even after a factor adjustment. This suggests that there are possible unmeasured factors associated with the complex ecology of sand fleas that may contribute to the disease’s uneven distribution

Striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) exploit food sources across anaerobic decomposition- and primary photosynthetic production-based food chains

Dietary information from aquatic organisms is instrumental in predicting biological interactions and understanding ecosystem functionality. In freshwater habitats, generalist fish species can access a diverse array of food sources from multiple food chains. These may include primary photosynthetic production and detritus derived from both oxic and anoxic decomposition. However, the exploitation of anoxic decomposition products by fish remains insufficiently explored. This study examines feeding habits of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) at both adult and juvenile stages within a tropical reservoir, using stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope ratios (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, and δ³⁴S, respectively) and fatty acid (FA) analyses. The adult catfish exhibited higher δ¹⁵N values compared to primary consumers that feed on primary photosynthetic producers, which suggests ingestion of food sources originating from primary photosynthetic production-based food chains. On the other hand, juvenile catfish demonstrated lower δ¹⁵N values than primary consumers, correlating with low δ³⁴S value and large proportions of bacterial FA but contained small proportions of polyunsaturated FA. This implies that juveniles utilize food sources from both anoxic decomposition and primary photosynthetic production-based food chains. Our results indicate that food chains based on anoxic decomposition can indeed contribute to the dietary sources of tropical fish species

ブラマンジェのテクスチャーおよび嗜好性におよぼす低カロリー甘味料の影響

The effects of adding 2-10% (w/w) low calorie sweeteners such as erythritol and hydrogenated maltose instead of sugars on texture and palatability of blanc mange were examined. The results obtained were as follows 1) The hardness of blanc mange with 8-10% sugars increased 1.6-1.8 times with no addition (0%), however with the addition of sweeteners, it increased 1.3-1.5 times. 2) Hardness and adhesiveness of blanc mange with sweetener was lower than that with sugars, while there was no difference in cohesiveness. 3) Evaluation for texture of blanc mange with erythritol was better than that with sugars using a sensory test. These results suggest that erythritol effects texture and palatability of blanc mange not only in sweetness but also softnes

Reproducibility and validity of food group intake in a short food frequency questionnaire for the middle-aged Japanese population

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for food group intake in Japan, the reproducibility and partial validity of which were previously confirmed for nutrients. Methods: A total of 288 middle-aged healthy volunteers from 11 different areas of Japan provided nonconsecutive 3-day weighed dietary records (DRs) at 3-month intervals over four seasons. We evaluated reproducibility based on the first (FFQ1) and second (FFQ2) questionnaires and their validity against the DRs by comparing the intake of 20 food groups. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients (SRs) were calculated between energy-adjusted intake from the FFQs and that from the DRs. Results: The intake of 20 food groups estimated from the two FFQs was mostly equivalent. The median energy-adjusted SRs between the FFQ1 and FFQ2 were 0.61 (range 0.38–0.86) for men and 0.66 (0.45–0.84) for women. For validity, the median de-attenuated SRs between DRs and the FFQ1 were 0.51 (0.17–0.76) for men and 0.47 (0.23–0.77) for women. Compared with the DRs, the proportion of cross-classification into exact plus adjacent quintiles with the FFQ1 ranged from 58 to 86% in men and from 57 to 86% in women. According to the robust Z scores and the Bland–Altman plot graphs, the underestimation errors in the FFQ1 tended to be greater in individuals with high mean levels of consumption for meat for men and for other vegetables for both men and women. Conclusion: The FFQ demonstrated high reproducibility and reasonable validity for food group intake. This questionnaire is short and remains appropriate for identifying associations between diet and health/disease among adults in Japan

Unkeito promotes follicle development by restoring reduced follicle-stimulating hormone responsiveness in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome

BackgroundPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder resulting in irregular menstruation and infertility due to improper follicular development and ovulation. PCOS pathogenesis is mediated by downregulated follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) expression in granulosa cells (GCs); however, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Unkeito (UKT) is a traditional Japanese medicine used to treat irregular menstruation in patients with PCOS. In this study, we aimed to confirm the effectiveness of UKT in PCOS by focusing on follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) responsiveness.MethodsA rat model of PCOS was generated by prenatal treatment with 5α-dihydrotestosterone. Female offspring (3-week-old) rats were fed a UKT mixed diet or a normal diet daily. To compare the PCOS phenotype in rats, the estrous cycle, hormone profiles, and ovarian morphology were evaluated. To further examine the role of FSH, molecular, genetic, and immunohistological analyses were performed using ovarian tissues and primary cultured GCs from normal and PCOS model rats.ResultsUKT increased the number of antral and preovulatory follicles and restored the irregular estrous cycle in PCOS rats. The gene expression levels of FSHR and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and BMP-6 were significantly decreased in the ovarian GCs of PCOS rats compared to those in normal rats. UKT treatment increased FSHR staining in the small antral follicles and upregulated Fshr and Bmps expression in the ovary and GCs of PCOS rats. There was no change in serum gonadotropin levels. In primary cultured GCs stimulated by FSH, UKT enhanced estradiol production, accompanied by increased intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels, and upregulated the expression of genes encoding the enzymes involved in local estradiol synthesis, namely Cyp19a1 and Hsd17b. Furthermore, UKT elevated the expression of Star and Cyp11a1, involved in progesterone production in cultured GCs in the presence of FSH.ConclusionsUKT stimulates ovarian follicle development by potentiating FSH responsiveness by upregulating BMP-2 and BMP-6 expression, resulting in the recovery of estrous cycle abnormalities in PCOS rats. Restoring the FSHR dysfunction in the small antral follicles may alleviate the PCOS phenotype

Associations of Glucose and Blood Pressure Variability with Cardiac Diastolic Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension: A Retrospective Observational Study

We evaluated the effects of glucose metabolism and blood pressure（BP） variability on cardiac diastolic function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus（T2DM） and hypertension. A total of 23 inpatients with T2DM underwent ambulatory BP monitoring（ABPM） and echocardiography. BP variability was assessed by measuring the mean BP and the standard deviation（SD） of systolic and diastolic BP over 24 hours, as well as daytime and nighttime ABPM. Cardiac diastolic function was assessed using the echocardiography E/e′ ratio. Participants had a mean age of 69.0±10.6 years, disease duration of 11.0±10.5 years, glycated hemoglobin（HbA1c） of 8.2％±1.3％, and glycated albumin（GA） of 22.0％±4.2％. Univariate analysis showed that the nighttime systolic BP, nighttime SDs of systolic and diastolic BP, urinary albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and GA/HbA1c ratio were all significantly correlated with the E/e′ ratio. Moreover, stepwise multiple regression analysis identified nighttime SD of diastolic BP, urinary albumin, and GA/HbA1c ratio as independent contributors to the E/e′ ratio. In patients with T2DM and hypertension, cardiac diastolic function was associated with nighttime diastolic BP variability and the GA/HbA1c ratio