Effects of smoking cessation on gastric emptying in smokers.

BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation can lead to changes in appetite and weight gain in some patients; thus, smoking cessation may alter gastrointestinal motility. Effects of smoking cessation on gastric emptying in smokers have not been established. AIM: This study sought to determine how smoking cessation affects gastric emptying in smokers. METHODS: Participant group comprised 53 habitual smokers and 12 healthy nonsmokers. Habitual smokers were treated for 2 months with transdermal nicotine patches. Gastric emptying was studied using C acetate breath tests at the beginning of the study, and at 1 week and 9 weeks after cessation of patch use. Maximal CO2 excretion time (Tmax), CO2 excretion half-life (T1/2), and parameters beta and kappa, representing initial and subsequent gastric-emptying phases, respectively, were determined using conventional formulae. RESULTS: Before smoking cessation, Tmax was reached significantly later in smokers (0.94+/-0.3 h, P=0.014) than in controls (0.89+/-0.1 h). At 1 week after the end of treatment, Tmax was significantly decreased (from 1.05+/-0.32 h to 0.72+/-0.64 h, P=0.003). T1/2 also tended to decrease, but not significantly. Although beta was decreased significantly (from 2.46+/-0.40 to 2.17+/-0.58, P=0.022), kappa was unchanged. However, by 9 weeks after the end of treatment, Tmax (1.28+/-0.69 h) had increased to levels seen before treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking cessation temporarily accelerates gastric emptying, and decreases in beta suggest that initial-phase gastric emptying accelerates after smoking cessation. The temporary acceleration of gastric emptying after smoking cessation may be involved in the temporary increase in appetite and weight gain seen after smoking cessation

Pirfenidone inhibits the expression of HSP47 in TGF-beta1-stimulated human lung fibroblasts.

Pirfenidone (5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-(1H)-pyridone) is a novel anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits the progression of fibrosis in animal models and patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Heat shock protein (HSP) 47, a collagen-specific molecular chaperone, is involved in the processing and/or secretion of procollagen and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of IPF. The present study evaluated the in vitro effects of pirfenidone on expression of HSP47 and collagen type I in cultured normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLF). Expression levels of HSP47 and collagen type I in NHLF stimulated by transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 were evaluated genetically, immunologically and immunocytochemically. Treatment with TGF-beta1 stimulated both mRNA and protein expressions of both HSP47 and collagen type I in NHLF, and pirfenidone significantly inhibited this TGF-beta1-enhanced expression in a dose-dependent manner. We concluded that the anti-fibrotic effect of pirfenidone may be mediated not only through direct inhibition of collagen type I expression but also at least partly through inhibition of HSP47 expression in lung fibroblasts, with a resultant reduction of collagen synthesis in lung fibrosis

Enteropathy-Type Intestinal T-Cell Lymphoma Showing Jejunoileal Fistula: Report of a Case

Jejunoileal fistula is an extremely rare complication in patients with intestinal lymphoma. Here, we report a Japanese male patient with enteropathy-type intestinal T-cell lymphoma presenting abdominal pain and weight loss. A jejunoileal fistula was discovered during colonoscopy and pathological diagnosis was performed preoperatively by forceps biopsy. After elective surgery for partial resections of jejunum, ileum, and sigmoid colon, eight cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone chemotherapy led complete remission of the disease

A Proposal for Practical Diagnosis of Renal Hypouricemia : Evidenced from Genetic Studies of Nonfunctional Variants of URAT1/SLC22A12 among 30,685 Japanese Individuals

Background: Renal hypouricemia (RHUC) is characterized by a low serum uric acid (SUA) level and high fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA). Further studies on FEUA in hypouricemic individuals are needed for a more accurate diagnosis of RHUC. Methods: In 30,685 Japanese health-examination participants, we genotyped the two most common nonfunctional variants of URAT1 (NFV-URAT1), W258X (rs121907892) and R90H (rs121907896), in 1040 hypouricemic individuals (SUA ≤ 3.0 mg/dL) and 2240 individuals with FEUA data. The effects of NFV-URAT1 on FEUA and SUA were also investigated using linear and multiple regression analyses. Results: Frequency of hypouricemic individuals (SUA ≤ 3.0 mg/dL) was 0.97% (male) and 6.94% (female) among 30,685 participants. High frequencies of those having at least one allele of NFV-URAT1 were observed in 1040 hypouricemic individuals. Furthermore, NFV-URAT1 significantly increased FEUA and decreased SUA, enabling FEUA and SUA levels to be estimated. Conversely, FEUA and SUA data of hypouricemic individuals are revealed to be useful to predict the number of NFV-URAT1. Conclusions: Our findings reveal that specific patterns of FEUA and SUA data assist with predicting the number of nonfunctional variants of causative genes for RHUC, and can also be useful for practical diagnosis of RHUC even before genetic tests

天然染料による綿布の濃色で堅牢な染色

To improve the hypochromicity and fastness, the method of mordant dyeing of cotton fabric with six natural dyes was investigated. Combined utilizations of several metal salts for pre-mordanting, addition of some cationic surfactants to the pre-mordanting solution, pre-treatment of the fabric with oil of Turky red, control of pH of the dyeing solutions and duplicate mordanting with the same or different metal salts, resulted in the drastic progress. Effective methods were found for the improvements of the dyeings with ukon (Curcuma longa), madder(Rubia cordifolia) and leaf green extracts of Mulberry (Moru bonbeis) of the last of which main components were several chlorophills. Especially, leaf green extract was hypochromically and fastly dyed on cotton for the first time in the history of dyeing

Genome-wide association study revealed novel loci which aggravate asymptomatic hyperuricaemia into gout

Objective The first ever genome-wide association study (GWAS) of clinically defined gout cases and asymptomatic hyperuricaemia (AHUA) controls was performed to identify novel gout loci that aggravate AHUA into gout. Methods We carried out a GWAS of 945 clinically defined gout cases and 1003 AHUA controls followed by 2 replication studies. In total, 2860 gout cases and 3149 AHUA controls (all Japanese men) were analysed. We also compared the ORs for each locus in the present GWAS (gout vs AHUA) with those in the previous GWAS (gout vs normouricaemia). Results This new approach enabled us to identify two novel gout loci (rs7927466 of CNTN5 and rs9952962 of MIR302F) and one suggestive locus (rs12980365 of ZNF724) at the genome-wide significance level (p<5.0×10– 8). The present study also identified the loci of ABCG2, ALDH2 and SLC2A9. One of them, rs671 of ALDH2, was identified as a gout locus by GWAS for the first time. Comparing ORs for each locus in the present versus the previous GWAS revealed three ‘gout vs AHUA GWAS’-specific loci (CNTN5, MIR302F and ZNF724) to be clearly associated with mechanisms of gout development which distinctly differ from the known gout risk loci that basically elevate serum uric acid level. Conclusions This meta-analysis is the first to reveal the loci associated with crystal-induced inflammation, the last step in gout development that aggravates AHUA into gout. Our findings should help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of gout development and assist the prevention of gout attacks in high-risk AHUA individuals

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies multiple novel loci associated with serum uric acid levels in Japanese individuals

Gout is a common arthritis caused by elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels. Here we investigated loci influencing SUA in a genome-wide meta-analysis with 121,745 Japanese subjects. We identified 8948 variants at 36 genomic loci (P<5 × 10–8) including eight novel loci. Of these, missense variants of SESN2 and PNPLA3 were predicted to be damaging to the function of these proteins; another five loci—TMEM18, TM4SF4, MXD3-LMAN2, PSORS1C1-PSORS1C2, and HNF4A—are related to cell metabolism, proliferation, or oxidative stress; and the remaining locus, LINC01578, is unknown. We also identified 132 correlated genes whose expression levels are associated with SUA-increasing alleles. These genes are enriched for the UniProt transport term, suggesting the importance of transport-related genes in SUA regulation. Furthermore, trans-ethnic meta-analysis across our own meta-analysis and the Global Urate Genetics Consortium has revealed 15 more novel loci associated with SUA. Our findings provide insight into the pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of hyperuricemia/gout

Subtype-specific gout susceptibility loci and enrichment of selection pressure on ABCG2 and ALDH2 identified by subtype genome-wide meta-analyses of clinically defined gout patients

Objectives Genome-wide meta-analyses of clinically defined gout were performed to identify subtype-specific susceptibility loci. Evaluation using selection pressure analysis with these loci was also conducted to investigate genetic risks characteristic of the Japanese population over the last 2000–3000 years. Methods Two genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of 3053 clinically defined gout cases and 4554 controls from Japanese males were performed using the Japonica Array and Illumina Array platforms. About 7.2 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms were meta-analysed after imputation. Patients were then divided into four clinical subtypes (the renal underexcretion type, renal overload type, combined type and normal type), and meta-analyses were conducted in the same manner. Selection pressure analyses using singleton density score were also performed on each subtype. Results In addition to the eight loci we reported previously, two novel loci, PIBF1 and ACSM2B, were identified at a genome-wide significance level (p<5.0×10–8) from a GWAS meta-analysis of all gout patients, and other two novel intergenic loci, CD2-PTGFRN and SLC28A3-NTRK2, from normal type gout patients. Subtype-dependent patterns of Manhattan plots were observed with subtype GWASs of gout patients, indicating that these subtype-specific loci suggest differences in pathophysiology along patients’ gout subtypes. Selection pressure analysis revealed significant enrichment of selection pressure on ABCG2 in addition to ALDH2 loci for all subtypes except for normal type gout. Conclusions Our findings on subtype GWAS meta-analyses and selection pressure analysis of gout will assist elucidation of the subtype-dependent molecular targets and evolutionary involvement among genotype, phenotype and subtype-specific tailor-made medicine/prevention of gout and hyperuricaemia

Verifying Practices of Regenerative Agriculture: African Smallholder Farmer Dataset for Remote Sensing and Machine Learning

A Geojson file that includes field polygons of each agricultural field, labels of the type of tillage practiced, and whether intercrop with cover crops is performed, and whether biochar is used