Anti-hepatitis C virus activity of geranylgeranylacetone treatment in hepatitis C-infected patients

Background. Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), which is an isoprenoid compound, has been used orally as an antiulcer drug inJapan. GGA induces antiviral gene expression by stimulating the formation of interferon-stimulated gene factor 3 in humanhepatoma cells. This study verified the anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) activity of GGA in chronic hepatitis C-infected patients.Methods. The present prospective study included 20 consecutive anti-HCV antibody-positive, HCV-genotype 1b, and chronicgastritis patients who visited Nagasaki University Hospital between January 1999 and December 1999. GGA (150 mg per day,which is the dose generally used for chronic gastritis) was taken orally for four weeks. We evaluated HCV-RNA titers and otherclinical parameters at pretreatment, posttreatment, and at the endpoint of the study. Pretreatment was the beginning point ofGGA treatment. Posttreatment was the termination point of GGA treatment. The endpoint was the point four weeks after theposttreatment point.Results. All patients completed four weeks of GGA treatment and four weeks of observation. HCV-RNA titers at postpointwere not significantly diminished compared to those at pretreatment. However, HCV-RNA titers were significantly diminishedat endtreatment compared to pretreatment. Unfortunately, we did not observe a case with no titer of HCV-RNA. Alanineaminotransferase values and other parameters were not affected by GGA treatment.Conclusion. GGA has anti-HCV activities in chronic hepatitis C-infected patients. In the future, it will be necessary to examinethe clinical effectiveness of the combination of treatment with both GGA and interferon in HCV patients

Green tea consumption and the risk of incident functional disability in elderly Japanese: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study123

Background: Previous studies have reported that green tea consumption is associated with a lower risk of diseases that cause functional disability, such as stroke, cognitive impairment, and osteoporosis. Although it is expected that green tea consumption would lower the risk of incident functional disability, this has never been investigated directly

Subfoveal serous retinal detachment associated with extramacular branch retinal vein occlusion.

[Purpose]: To study the pathophysiology of subfoveal serous retinal detachment (SRD) observed in eyes with extramacular branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). [Methods]: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of nine patients (nine eyes) with extramacular BRVO with macular complications that were examined using optical coherence tomography (OCT). [Results]: Extramacular BRVO was observed in the inferior area in three eyes, in the superior area in five eyes, and in the nasal area in one eye. Visual acuity was moderately disturbed (median, 0.6; range, 0.2–0.9, measured using the Landolt chart). One eye showed extensive SRD that was connected to the area affected by BRVO through the subretinal space. In eight of the eyes, focal SRD was observed beneath the fovea without subretinal connections to the area affected by BRVO. However, all these eyes showed marked retinal swelling in the outer retina, particularly in the outer plexiform layer. In two of the eyes, detailed OCT examinations showed a small break on the external surface of the retina connecting the swollen outer retina with the underlying SRD. All eyes showed hyperreflective foci in the outer retina, most frequently along the inner boundary of the outer plexiform layer and external limiting membrane. [Conclusion]: Extramacular BRVO is often accompanied by focal SRD beneath the fovea. Leakage from the retinal capillaries affected by BRVO travelled via the outer plexiform layer and caused SRD under the fovea

Enteral supplement enriched with glutamine, fiber, and oligosaccharide attenuates experimental colitis in mice.

[Objective]Ulcerative colitis is a chronic recurrent disease characterized by acute inflammation of the colonic mucosa. In Japan, a dietary supplementation product enriched with glutamine, dietary fiber, and oligosaccharide (GFO) is widely applied for enteral nutrition support. These three components have been suggested to improve intestinal health. In this study, we investigated whether GFO has suppressive effects on mucosal damage in ulcerative colitis in an experimental mouse model. [Methods]C57BL/6 mice received 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium in drinking water for 5 d to induce colitis. Then, they were given 0.25 mL of GFO or a 20% glucose solution twice daily for 10 d. Another set of mice receiving unaltered drinking water was used as the normal control group. [Results]The body weight loss and disease activity index were significantly lower in the GFO-treated mice compared with the glucose-treated mice (P < 0.05). The decrease in colon length induced by dextran sulfate sodium was significantly alleviated in GFO-treated mice compared with glucose-treated mice (P < 0.01). In addition, the histologic findings showed that intestinal inflammation was significantly attenuated in mice treated with GFO. Furthermore, treatment with GFO significantly inhibited the dextran sulfate sodium–induced increase in the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β. [Conclusion]These results suggest that GFO has potential therapeutic value as an adjunct therapy for ulcerative colitis

A synthetic ion channel with anisotropic ligand response

Transmembrane proteins are important for cellular functions and synthetic analogues are of interest. Here the authors report on the design and testing of a synthetic multipass transmembrane channel which shows anisotropic responses to agonistic and antagonistic ligands