A CASE OF CANINE FIBROSARCOMA WITH ABNORMAL CHROMOSOMES

A case of canine fibrosarcoma having prominent metastatic changes over the entire lungs and some other organs was described. Chromosome studies in cultured cells revealed that the tumor cells showed hypodiploid modal chromosome numbers 54 and 56,with many biarmed chromosomes. The general karyotypic similarity among certain canine tumors such as venereal sarcomas, lymphosarcomas and the present case is discussed

Risk factors for abnormal acid reflux in the pathogenesis of GERD

研究科: 千葉大学大学院医学薬学府（先端医学薬学専攻）学位記番号: 千大院医薬博甲第医2059

Risk factors for clinical relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis who are in clinical remission but with endoscopic activity

Abstract Background and Aim The treatment strategy for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in clinical remission who have not achieved mucosal healing is unclear. This study aimed to determine the risk factors of relapse in patients in clinical remission with endoscopic activity. Methods This retrospective, single‐center study included patients with UC who underwent colonoscopy (CS) and were in clinical remission with endoscopic activity. Characteristics were compared between patients who relapsed within 2 years after CS and those who did not. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify risk factors contributing to clinical relapse. Recent worsening in bowel symptoms was defined as increase in bowel frequency and/or increase in abdominal pain within approximately 1 month based on the descriptions in the medical charts. Results This study regarded 142 patients in clinical remission with an endoscopic activity of Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) of ≥1 as eligible, and 33 (23%) patients relapsed during the observation period. Recent worsening of bowel symptoms was a significant risk factor for clinical relapse (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34–6.84). This was particularly evident in patients with MES of 2 (HR: 5.16, 95% CI: 1.48–18.04), whereas no risk factors were identified in patients with MES of 1. The presence or absence of therapeutic intervention just after CS did not significantly affect clinical relapse. Conclusion Recent worsening in bowel symptoms was a significant risk factor for clinical relapse in patients with UC who were in clinical remission with endoscopic activity

Carvacrol, a component of thyme oil, activates PPARα and γ and suppresses COX-2 expression[S]

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), the rate-limiting enzyme in prostaglandin biosynthesis, plays a key role in inflammation and circulatory homeostasis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors belonging to the nuclear receptor superfamily and are involved in the control of COX-2 expression, and vice versa. Here, we show that COX-2 promoter activity was suppressed by essential oils derived from thyme, clove, rose, eucalyptus, fennel, and bergamot in cell-based transfection assays using bovine arterial endothelial cells. Moreover, from thyme oil, we identified carvacrol as a major component of the suppressor of COX-2 expression and an activator of PPARα and γ. PPARγ-dependent suppression of COX-2 promoter activity was observed in response to carvacrol treatment. In human macrophage-like U937 cells, carvacrol suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced COX-2 mRNA and protein expression, suggesting that carvacrol regulates COX-2 expression through its agonistic effect on PPARγ. These results may be important in understanding the antiinflammatory and antilifestyle-related disease properties of carvacrol

Treatment strategy changes for inflammatory bowel diseases in biologic era: results from a multicenter cohort in Japan, Far East 1000

Abstract Many molecular targeted agents, including biologics, have emerged for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but their high prices have prevented their widespread use. This study aimed to reveal the changes in patient characteristics and the therapeutic strategies of IBD before and after the implementation of biologics in Japan, where the unique health insurance system allows patients with IBD and physicians to select drugs with minimum patient expenses. The analysis was performed using a prospective cohort, including IBD expert and nonexpert hospitals in Japan. In this study, patients were classified into two groups according to the year of diagnosis based on infliximab implementation as the prebiologic and biologic era groups. The characteristics of therapeutic strategies in both groups were evaluated using association analysis. This study analyzed 542 ulcerative colitis (UC) and 186 Crohn’s disease (CD). The biologic era included 53.3% of patients with UC and 76.2% with CD, respectively. The age of UC (33.9 years vs. 38.8 years, P < 0.001) or CD diagnosis (24.3 years vs. 31.9 years, P < 0.001) was significantly higher in the biologic era group. The association analysis of patients with multiple drug usage histories revealed that patients in the prebiologic era group selected anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents, whereas those in the biologic era group preferred biologic agents with different mechanisms other than anti-TNF-α. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that both patient characteristics and treatment preferences in IBD have changed before and after biologic implementation