Research of Child Care Support for Female Doctors in Hiroshima Prefecture : Types of child care support working mothers have had access to and what they think about them

In recent years, the number of female doctors passing the National Medical Practitioners Qualifying Examination has increased. Despite the introduction of various official child care support systems, many female doctors still resign after giving birth. In this study, we interviewed 9 female doctors in Hiroshima Prefecture and analyzed the types of child care support they have had access to and what they think about them. We found female doctors face three primary obstacles in continuing their medical careers after motherhood. The child care support systems fail to provide adequate support 1) when the child is sick or in cases of emergency, 2) when the child enrolls in elementary school, and 3) with consideration for each doctor’s career plan. We suggest university medical courses include instruction on the child care support systems not only for female students but also for male students as well. Finally we argue child care support systems should be regarded as a whole hospital initiative

Comparison of weighed food record procedures for the reference methods in two validation studies of food frequency questionnaires

Background: Although open-ended dietary assessment methods, such as weighed food records (WFRs), are generally considered to be comparable, differences between procedures may influence outcome when WFRs are conducted independently. In this paper, we assess the procedures of WFRs in two studies to describe their dietary assessment procedures and compare the subsequent outcomes. Methods: WFRs of 12 days (3 days for four seasons) were conducted as reference methods for intake data, in accordance with the study protocol, among a subsample of participants of two large cohort studies. We compared the WFR procedures descriptively. We also compared some dietary intake variables, such as the frequency of foods and dishes and contributing foods, to determine whether there were differences in the portion size distribution and intra- and inter-individual variation in nutrient intakes caused by the difference in procedures. Results: General procedures of the dietary records were conducted in accordance with the National Health and Nutrition Survey and were the same for both studies. Differences were seen in 1) selection of multiple days (non-consecutive days versus consecutive days); and 2) survey sheet recording method (individual versus family participation). However, the foods contributing to intake of energy and selected nutrients, the portion size distribution, and intra- and inter-individual variation in nutrient intakes were similar between the two studies. Conclusion: Our comparison of WFR procedures in two independent studies revealed several differences. Notwithstanding these procedural differences, however, the subsequent outcomes were similar

A case of minor BCR-ABL1 positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia following essential thrombocythemia and originating from a clone distinct from that harboring the JAK2-V617F mutation.

Here we report on a case of Philadelphia chromosome positive B lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL), which developed following a long duration of essential thrombocythemia (ET). A mutational analysis of Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) revealed that the V617F mutation was present in granulocytes and in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), but not in the CD34+CD19+ population that mostly consists of Ph+ALL cells, indicating that this Ph+ALL clone did not originate from the ET clone carrying the JAK2-V617F mutation. The minor BCR-ABL1 fusion was detected not only in the CD34+CD19+ population but also in HSPCs and granulocytes, indicating that the Philadelphia chromosome was acquired in an early hematopoietic stage at least prior to the commitment to B cell development. Upon dasatinib treatment, the minor BCR-ABL1 transcript rapidly disappeared in HSPCs but persisted in the CD34+CD19+ population. A relapse of Ph+ALL occurred nine months later without the disappearance of the minor BCR-ABL1 transcript in the bone marrow cells during the treatment course, suggesting that a resistant Ph+ALL clone may have arisen or been selected in the committed B cells rather than in HSPCs. This case report may partly contribute to filling the gap between previous data acquired from mice experiments and the phenomenon in real patients

Ipragliflozin Improves Hepatic Steatosis in Obese Mice and Liver Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Irrespective of Body Weight Reduction.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with a high incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) related to obesity and insulin resistance. Currently, medical interventions for NAFLD have focused on diet control and exercise to reduce body weight, and there is a requirement for effective pharmacological therapies. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are oral antidiabetic drugs that promote the urinary excretion of glucose by blocking its reabsorption in renal proximal tubules. SGLT2 inhibitors lower blood glucose independent of insulin action and are expected to reduce body weight because of urinary calorie loss. Here we show that an SGLT2 inhibitor ipragliflozin improves hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-induced and leptin-deficient (ob/ob) obese mice irrespective of body weight reduction. In the obese mice, ipragliflozin-induced hyperphagia occurred to increase energy intake, attenuating body weight reduction with increased epididymal fat mass. There is an inverse correlation between weights of liver and epididymal fat in ipragliflozin-treated obese mice, suggesting that ipragliflozin treatment promotes normotopic fat accumulation in the epididymal fat and prevents ectopic fat accumulation in the liver. Despite increased adiposity, ipragliflozin ameliorates obesity-associated inflammation and insulin resistance in epididymal fat. Clinically, ipragliflozin improves liver dysfunction in patients with T2DM irrespective of body weight reduction. These findings provide new insight into the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on energy homeostasis and fat accumulation and indicate their potential therapeutic efficacy in T2DM-associated hepatic steatosis

Canagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, attenuates the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in a mouse model of human NASH

Abstract Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, an antidiabetic drug, promotes urinary excretion of glucose by blocking its reabsorption in the renal proximal tubules. It is unclear whether SGLT2 inhibition could attenuate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and NASH-associated hepatocellular carcinoma. We examined the preventive effects of an SGLT2 inhibitor canagliflozin (CANA) in Western diet (WD)-fed melanocortin 4 receptor-deficient (MC4R-KO) mice, a mouse model of human NASH. An eight-week CANA treatment attenuated hepatic steatosis in WD-fed MC4R-KO mice, with increased epididymal fat mass without inflammatory changes. CANA treatment for 20 weeks inhibited the development of hepatic fibrosis in WD-fed MC4R-KO mice. After one year of CANA treatment, the number of liver tumors was significantly reduced in WD-fed MC4R-KO mice. In adipose tissue, CANA suppressed the ratio of oxidative to reduced forms of glutathiones (GSSG/GSH) in WD-fed MC4R-KO mice. Treatment with GSH significantly attenuated the H2O2-induced upregulation of genes related to NADPH oxidase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and that of Il6, Tgfb, and Pdgfb in RAW264.7 cells. This study provides evidence that SGLT2 inhibitors represent the unique class of drugs that can attenuate or delay the onset of NASH and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma, at least partly, through “healthy adipose expansion”

Metabolic characterization and hepatic steatosis of HFD-fed WT mice treated with or without ipragliflozin.

<p>Eight-week-old WT mice were fed a SD or a HFD for 16 weeks. Mice were given with the vehicle or 10mg/kg of ipragliflozin during last 4 weeks. (A) Blood glucose during ipragliflozin treatment. (B) Urine glucose concentration after 3 weeks of ipragliflozin treatment. (C) Food intake and (D) body weight during ipragliflozin treatment. Weights of the (E) liver and (F) epididymal fat after 4 weeks of ipragliflozin treatment. (G) Correlation of the liver weight with the epididymal fat weight in ipragliflozin-treated mice. (H) Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and (I) triglyceride (TG) content of the liver. (J) Serum ALT levels. Veh, vehicle; Ipra, ipragliflozin. Original magnification, × 200. Scale bars, 100 μm. # <i>p</i> < 0.05, ## <i>p</i> < 0.01 vs SD/Veh; * <i>p</i> < 0.05, ** <i>p</i> < 0.01 vs HFD/Veh. <i>n</i> = 6–8.</p