Nutrition and Depressive Symptoms in Community-dwelling Elderly Persons in Japan

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the association between dietary intake and depressivesymptoms in community-dwelling elderly persons. Five-hundred elderly persons aged 65 to 75 years were randomly selected from the population of O city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Among 401 respondents (response rate, 80.0%), data from 279 (133 males, 146 females) who completed the questionnaire concerning dietary intake and depressive state were analyzed using logistic regression. Each of 17 dietary intakes was classified into tertiles:high intake, moderate intake, and low intake. The Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression scale (CES-D) was used. Among males, the observed odds ratios (the 95% confidence intervals) for the depressive state were 0.36 (95% CI:0.13-0.98) in the highest tertile of carotene intake, 0.33 (95% CI:0.12-0.93) in the highest tertile of vitamin C intake, 0.29 (95% CI:0.10-0.85) in the highest tertile of carbohydrate intake, and 0.33 (95% CI:0.12-0.92) in the medium tertile of vitamin E intake. Among females, similar results were observed, but these results were not statistically significant. The results suggested that carbohydrate, carotene, and vitaminC intakes are associated with lowering depressive symptoms among elderly persons dwelling in communities in Japan.</p

長期ホルマリン固定により失活したProliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) の免疫反応性回復条件の基礎的検討 ―マイクロウェーブ、オートクレーブの影響について―

Using paraffin-embedded tissue sections of liver cancer obtained from autopsy which had been preserved in 10% buffered formalin solution for 6 months while PCNA immunoreactivity was lost, we examined the effects of heat processing by either microwave(MW) and autoclave(AC) in the presence of various processing solution. It appeared that AC processing took shorter time period than MW irradiation to restore equal immunoreactivity. With regard to immunoreactivity retrieval by MW irradiation,however, variation of the degree of retrieval depending on processing time was smaller than in AC, and so the stable consequences were obtained. Although AC processed tissues tended to be stained deep, prolonged processing time presented strong background staining and blurred nuclear margins which made it difficult to estimate the positive cell count. As for the effects of processing solution, there was little difference in retrieval of PCNA among 0.01 M citrate buffer (pH 6.0), saturated solution of lead thiocyanate and distilled water, but the least background staining was observed with distilled water. These observations suggest that MW irradiation of which effect of retrieval is less dependent of processing time and with the least background stainability, is superior to AC processing for PCNA immunoreactivity retrieval on formalin-fixed tissues.10％緩衝ホルマリンに6ヶ月間浸漬していた剖検材料（肝臓癌）のパラフィン包埋後の組織切片を用いて、ホルマリンの固定作用により失活したPCNAの免疫反応性の回復にマイクロウェーブ（MW）及びオートクレーブ（AC）による熱処理とその時用いる処理溶液が、どのような影響を与えるかについて検討した。その結果、同等の免疫反応性を回復するのには、AC処理の方がMW照射より短時間でよいことが解った。しかし、MW照射による免疫反応性回復では、処理時間による影響がAC処理に比べて少なく、安定した結果が得られた。また、PCNAの染色所見については、AC処理の方が濃く染まる傾向が見られた。しかし、処理時間が長くなるとバックグラウンドの染色性が高くなる、核の周囲ににじみ現象が見られる等の所見があり判定に困難をきたした。一方、処理溶液についてはクエン酸（0.01M pH6.0）、チオシアン酸鉛飽和溶液、蒸留水について検討を行った結果、PCNAの回復には差は認められなかったが、バックグラウンドの染色については蒸留水が最も少なかった。以上の結果により、ホルマリン固定により失活したPCNAの免疫反応性を回復するには、MW照射の方がAC処理より処理時間に関係なく安定した染色性が得られ、なおかつバックグラウンドの染色性が少ない等の点で優れていることが示唆された

Imaging analysis reveals mechanistic differences between first- and second-phase insulin exocytosis

The mechanism of glucose-induced biphasic insulin release is unknown. We used total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) imaging analysis to reveal the process of first- and second-phase insulin exocytosis in pancreatic β cells. This analysis showed that previously docked insulin granules fused at the site of syntaxin (Synt)1A clusters during the first phase; however, the newcomers fused during the second phase external to the Synt1A clusters. To reveal the function of Synt1A in phasic insulin exocytosis, we generated Synt1A-knockout (Synt1A−/−) mice. Synt1A−/− β cells showed fewer previously docked granules with no fusion during the first phase; second-phase fusion from newcomers was preserved. Rescue experiments restoring Synt1A expression demonstrated restoration of granule docking status and fusion events. Inhibition of other syntaxins, Synt3 and Synt4, did not affect second-phase insulin exocytosis. We conclude that the first phase is Synt1A dependent but the second phase is not. This indicates that the two phases of insulin exocytosis differ spatially and mechanistically

Development of Antibodies against HPV-6 and HPV-11 for the Study of Laryngeal Papilloma

Laryngeal papilloma (LP), which is associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV)-6 or -11, displays aggressive growth. The precise molecular mechanism underlying the tumorigenesis of LP has yet to be uncovered. Building on our earlier research into HPV-6, in this study, the viral gene expression of HPV-11 was investigated by quantitative PCR and DNA/RNA in situ hybridization. Additionally, newly developed antibodies against the E4 protein of HPV-6 and HPV-11 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The average viral load of HPV-11 in LP was 1.95 ± 0.66 × 105 copies/ng DNA, and 88% of HPV mRNA expression was found to be E4, E5a, and E5b mRNAs. According to RNA in situ hybridization, E4 and E5b mRNAs were expressed from the middle to upper part of the epithelium. E4 immunohistochemistry revealed a wide positive reaction in the upper cell layer in line with E4 mRNA expression. Other head and neck lesions with HPV-11 infection also showed a positive reaction in E4 immunohistochemistry. The distribution pattern of HPV DNA, viral mRNA, and E4 protein in LP with HPV-11 infection was quite similar to that of HPV-6. Therefore, it might be possible to apply these E4-specific antibodies in other functional studies as well as clinical applications, including targeted molecular therapies in patients with HPV-6 and HPV-11 infection

The effects of perilla seed oil ointment for atopic dermatitis

近年アトピー性皮膚炎が増加しており,工ゴマ油を使った食事療法がアレルギー抑制に有用であることが報告されている｡そこで今回,エゴマ油を外用剤として使用するため,亜鉛華単軟膏を基剤とした工コマ軟膏を作製し,アトピー性皮膚炎患者3例を対象にその臨床応用を試みた｡その結果,掻痒感の軽減に効果がみられ,また皮膚症状では,丘疹.表皮剥離,苔癬化,落屑などの所見が改善される傾向が見られた｡The perilla seed oil contains rich α-linolenic acid (α-LNA), parent n-3 fatty acid. The dietary intake of n-3 fatty acid, such as perilla seed oil, has been reported to have some clinical effects in patients with allergic disease. In this report, we prepared the perilla seed oil ointment for atopic dermatitis and the effects of the ointment was evaluated in three patients with atopic dermatitis. This ointment suppressed skin itch, and improved papules, excoriation, lichenification and desquamation of the skin. These results suggest that the perilla seed oil ointment has some effectiveness including suppression of inflammatory changes of the skin in patients with atopic dermatitis

医療データ解析へのサポートベクトルマシン(SVM)の応用

In our previous papers we proposed a novel screening methodbthat assists the diagnosis of Grave\u27s hyperthyrodism via two types of neural networks by making use of routine test data.This method can be applied by non-specialists during physical check-ups at a low cost and is expected to lead to rapid referrals for examination and treatment by thyroid specialists, that is,toimprove patient\u27QOL. In this report,we apply the support vector machine,which is a novel learning method building on kernels, to the classification problems of madical data such as Wisconsin breast cancer data or our screening of hyperthyroid.It turned out that the support vector machine ,after best turning of parameters based on the grid-search method,works quite well to correctly the lacated in the bordering area between two classes.Our results suggest that the SVM would work as a useful methods in our screening in addition to previous two types of neural networks

Polygenic architecture informs potential vulnerability to drug-induced liver injury

Drug-Induced-Liver-Injury (DILI) is a leading cause of termination in drug development programs and removal of drugs from the market, and this is partially due to the inability to identify patients who are at risk1. Here, we developed a polygenic risk score (PRS) for DILI by aggregating effects of numerous genome-wide loci identified from previous large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS)2. The PRS predicted the susceptibility to DILI in patients treated with fasiglifam, amoxicillin-clavulanate or flucloxacillin, and in primary hepatocytes and stem cell-derived organoids from multiple donors treated with over 10 different drugs. Pathway analysis highlighted processes previously implicated in DILI, including unfolded protein responses and oxidative stress. In silico screening identified compounds that elicit transcriptomic signatures present in hepatocytes from individuals with elevated PRS, supporting mechanistic links and suggesting a novel screen for safety of new drug candidates. This genetic-, cellular-, organoid- and human-scale evidence underscored the polygenic architecture underlying DILI vulnerability at the level of hepatocytes, thus facilitating future mechanistic studies. Moreover, the proposed “polygenicity-in-a-dish” strategy might potentially inform designs of safer, more efficient, and robust clinical trials

Multiple bone fracture due to Fanconi\u27s syndrome in primary Sjogren\u27s syndrome complicated with organizing pneumonia.

A 66-year-old woman showing renal dysfunction with elevated serum alkaline phosphatase and anti-SS-A antibody was admitted. A labial salivary gland biopsy showing infiltration of mononuclear cells and positive anti-SS-A antibody with sicca symptoms led to a diagnosis of primary Sjogren\u27s syndrome (SS). Fanconi\u27s syndrome was diagnosed by renal tubular acidosis along with renal glucosuria or aminoaciduria and multiple bone fractures on bone scintigraphy. Typical bilateral pulmonary shadows were confirmed as organizing pneumonia (OP) determined by the analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and transbronchial lung biopsy. A rare complication of Fanconi\u27s syndrome with OP in SS is described

Seed-specific expression of truncated OsGAD2 produces GABA-enriched rice grains that influence a decrease in blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a four-carbon amino acid that is commonly present in living organisms and functions as a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in mammals. It is understood to have a potentially anti-hypertensive effect in mammals. GABA is synthesized from glutamate by glutamate decarboxylase (GAD). In plants, GAD is regulated via its calmodulin-binding domain (CaMBD) by Ca2+/CaM. We have previously reported that a C-terminal truncated version of one of the five rice GAD isoforms, GAD2ΔC, revealed higher enzymatic activity in vitro and that its over-expression resulted in exceptionally high GABA accumulation (Akama and Takaiwa, J Exp Bot 58:2699–2607, 2007). In this study, GAD2ΔC, under the control of the rice glutelin promoter (GluB-1), was introduced into rice cells via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to produce transgenic rice lines. Analysis of the free amino acid content of rice grains revealed up to about a 30-fold higher level of GABA than in non-transformed rice grains. There were also very high levels of various free protein amino acids in the seeds. GABA-enriched rice grains were milled to a fine powder for oral administration to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs). Six weeks of administration showed that transgenic rice brings about a 20 mmHg decrease in blood pressure in two different kinds of SHRs, while there was no significant hypotensive effect in WKYs. These results suggest an alternative way to control and/or cure hypertension in humans with GABA-enriched rice as part of a common daily diet