Vasopressin-independent renal urinary concentration: Increased rBSC1 and enhanced countercurrent multiplication

Vasopressin-independent renal urinary concentration: Increased rBSC1 and enhanced countercurrent multiplication.BackgroundA close association between the expression of the sodium transporter, rat bumetanide sensitive cotransporter (rBSC), in thick ascending limb of Henle and urinary concentration has been reported. However, direct evidence for this association and the mechanism of rBSC1 expression are still to be elucidated.MethodsBrattleboro (BB) rats weighing approximately 200g were dehydrated by water restriction for 4 hours, which induced around a 5% body weight reduction. Although plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) was undetectable even after the water restriction, BB rats concentrated urine from 182 ± 23 (mean ± SD) at baseline to 404 ± 65 mOsm/kg · H2O.ResultsUrinary volume was reduced from 5.8 ± 1.8 to 1.4 ± 0.6mL/h. This treatment significantly increased sodium and urea accumulation in the renal medulla and reduced urinary sodium excretion. rBSC1 signals for both mRNA and protein were increased in dehydrated rats, although aquaporin type 2 (AQP2) expression was not enhanced in dehydrated BB rats. Subcutaneous infusion of desmopressin acetate (DDAVP) intensified rBSC1 signals of BB rats more than those in dehydrated condition.ConclusionDehydration increased rBSC1 expression and enhanced countercurrent multiplication even in AVP deficiency. These results supply strong evidence for the association between rBSC1 expression and urinary concentration, and indicate the presence of an AVP-independent mechanism for urine concentration

Candida albicans

Genotypes of Candida spp. isolated from exhalation of 20 dolphins, 11 water samples from captive pools, and 24 oral cavities of staff members in an aquarium using a combination of multiple drug resistance 1 gene (MDR1) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 5.8s-ITS 2 regions of ribosomal RNA gene (ITS rDNA) sequences were studied. The holding ratios of the dolphins, captive pools, and staff members were 70, 90, and 29%, respectively. Isolated pathogenic yeast species common to the dolphins and environments were Candida albicans and C. tropicalis. Identical genotypes in both Candida spp. based on the combination of MDR1 and ITSrDNA were found in some dolphins, between a dolphin and a staff, among dolphins and environments, and among environments. The results indicated the diffusion and exchange of pathogenic yeasts at the aquarium among dolphins and environments. The isolates at the aquarium showed higher rates of resistance to azole antifungals compared to reference isolates

市川市の働き盛り世代の生活習慣に関する研究 : 市川市受託研究活動報告

市川市の働き盛り世代(40～50歳代)の市民の健康診査と生活習慣アンケートを約4,000名を対象に実施した。アンケートは約2,000名の結果を回収し、健診とアンケートの結果について解析した。さらに、この結果に基づいて生活習慣病予防ための健康教育講座を計画し、アンケート回答者を対象に実施した。健診結果より生活習慣病のリスクを持っている者は男性に多かった。体調を表す不定愁訴スコアとBMI、家事負担感、食事満足度に関連性がみられた。栄養バランスを表す食品摂取頻度スコアは男性より女性で高く、BMIの高い肥満者では、スコアが低かった。運動習慣スコアは食品摂取スコア、食事満足度スコア、家事頻度スコアと関連性がみられ、運動習慣スコアが低い者では、BMIが高い者や高中性脂肪血症の者が多かった。健康教育講座について、食事、栄養、調理、運動に関する演習や実習を取り入れた少人数の講座は、参加した人は少なかったが有意義で効果的であった。以上の結果から、健診結果、体調、生活習慣(食事、運動)には多くの関連性があることについての根拠となる基礎資料が得られた。特に、今回用いた手法である体調や生活習慣に関するアンケート結果をスコア化して解析することが、これらの関連性を検討する方法として有効であることが示された

Successful Chemotherapy with Carboplatin and S-1 for Thymic Carcinoma: A Case Report

Thymic carcinoma is a rare but aggressive neoplasm. Although there is no clearly optimal first- or second-line chemotherapy regimen for thymic carcinoma, platinum-based chemotherapy has repeatedly been shown to be of benefit to patients with advanced thymic carcinoma. Some case reports have described S-1 as a novel agent with good activity against advanced thymic carcinoma. A 74-year-old female was diagnosed with thymic carcinoma complicated by pleural dissemination and pericardial effusion of carcinomatosa. She was treated with carboplatin on day 1 plus S-1 on days 1-14 in cycles repeated every 3 or 4 weeks. Four cycles of this regimen were administered, and a partial response was confirmed. There were no severe hematological or nonhematological toxicities, and no dose reduction was necessary. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the efficacy of combination chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin and S-1 against thymic carcinoma