Relation Between Severity of Magnesium Deficiency and Frequency of Anginal Attacks in Men With Variant Angina

AbstractObjectives. We evaluated whether the severity of magnesium deficiency was correlated with the frequency of attacks of variant angina.Background. Magnesium deficiency may be associated with the development of variant angina. However, the relation between the activity of variant angina and magnesium deficiency remains to be elucidated.Methods. We assessed the body magnesium status of 18 men with variant angina: Group 1 (≥4 attacks/week, n = 7) and Group 2 (<4 attacks/week, n = 11). Concentrations of magnesium were determined in serum, urine, mononuclear cells and erythrocytes, and the 24-h magnesium retention rate was determined.Results. Group 1 showed a higher 24-h magnesium retention rate (mean ± SEM 63.5 ± 7.6% vs. 24.9 ± 2.7%, p < 0.01) and a lower intracellular concentration of magnesium in mononuclear cells and erythrocytes than did Group 2 (respectively, 156.3 ± 13.5 vs. 212.1 ± 6.9 fg/cell, p < 0.01; and 3.5 ± 0.5 vs. 5.2 ± 0.4 fg/cell, p < 0.05), demonstrating the presence of magnesium deficiency in Group 1. The 24-h magnesium retention rate and intracellular concentrations of magnesium in mononuclear cells and erythrocytes correlated well with the frequency of anginal attacks (r = 0.78, p < 0.01; r = −0.78, p < 0.01; r = −0.62, p < 0.01, respectively) for all patients.Conclusions. Data suggest that the magnesium status of men with variant angina is closely related to disease activity

Preparation of Cu-doped TiO2 via refluxing of alkoxide solution and its photocatalytic properties

Cu-doped TiO2 was prepared by the refluxing of a mixture of copper and titanium alkoxides. The refluxing improved the Cu2+ dispersion in the TiO2 and formed effective Ti-O-Cu bonds. The impurity states due to the highly dispersed Cu2+ were presumed to trap the electrons in the conduction band of the TiO2 and prevent charge recombination of the electrons and holes. Consequently, the prolonged charge separation duration was suggested to enhance the photocatalytic activity of the Cu-doped TiO2. This enhancement was confirmed by the hydroxyl radical generation and organic compound degradation. The Ti-O-Cu bonds and electronic interaction between Cu and Ti should effectively promote the electron trapping. The Cu-doped TiO2 exhibited a visible light-induced activity due to the transition from the TiO2 valence band to the Cu2+ impurity states.ArticleRESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES. 38(2):595-613 (2012)journal articl

Effects of Orally Administered Lactoferrin and Lactoperoxidase-Containing Tablets on Clinical and Bacteriological Profiles in Chronic Periodontitis Patients

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of oral administration of lactoferrin (LF) and lactoperoxidase-(LPO-)containing tablet on periodontal condition. Seventy-two individuals with chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned to take either bovine LF and LPO-containing tablets (test group, n = 37) or control tablets (control group, n = 35) every day for 12 weeks. Periodontal parameters and levels of subgingival plaque bacteria, human and bovine LF, and endotoxin in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were evaluated at baseline, 1 week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks. Significant differences were observed in GCF levels of bovine LF between the test and control groups throughout the study (P < .05). However, clinical and bacteriological parameter values proved comparable between the two groups at 1 week to 12 weeks. Therefore, the effect of oral administration of LF and LPO-containing tablets might be weak on periodontal and bacteriological profile in this study

Pulmonary Enteric Adenocarcinoma Harboring a BRAF G469V Mutation

Pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma (PEAC) is a rare subtype of lung cancer that should be differentiated from colorectal cancer metastasis. Little is known about its genetic background. An 84-year-old male with adenocarcinoma of the lung underwent left upper lobectomy. The histology of the surgical specimen was suggestive of PEAC. Gastrointestinal and colorectal fiberscopy revealed no evidence of colorectal cancer. Next-generation sequencing of the tumor identified a G469V substitution in serine/threonine-protein kinase B-raf (BRAF). Based on the higher prevalence of the G469 substitution in BRAF-mutant lung adenocarcinoma than in BRAFmutant colorectal cancer, the tumor likely originated from the lung. Identification of mutational genotype may be of some help in distinguishing PEAC from the lung metastasis of colorectal cancer

Human NINEIN polymorphism at codon 1111 is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer

NINEIN serves an essential role in centrosome function as a microtubule organizing center, and in the reformation of the interphase centrosome architecture following mitosis. In the present study, the association between NINEIN Pro1111Ala (rs2236316), a missense single nucleotide polymorphism, and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), related to smoking and alcohol consumption habits in 200 patients with CRC and 1,141 cancer‑free control participants were assessed in a case‑control study performed in Japan. The results showed that the NINEIN Ala/Ala genotype compared with the Pro/Pro genotype was significantly more associated with an increased risk of CRC, and the males with the Ala/Ala genotype exhibited a significantly increased risk of CRC compared with those with Pro/Pro and Pro/Ala genotypes. Stratified analyses of the Ala/Ala genotype with CRC risk further showed an increased association in never/light drinkers (<23 g of ethanol/day), in male never/light drinkers and in male patients with rectal cancer. These findings suggest that the genetic variant of the NINEIN Pro1111Ala polymorphism has a significant effect on CRC susceptibility in the Japanese population

Rice apoplastic CBM1-interacting protein counters blast pathogen invasion by binding conserved carbohydrate binding module 1 motif of fungal proteins

いもち病からイネを守る細胞外タンパク質 (CBMIP) の発見 --CBMIPはイネの細胞壁を守り、いもち病菌の感染を抑える--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-09-30.When infecting plants, fungal pathogens secrete cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs) that break down cellulose and hemicellulose, the primary components of plant cell walls. Some fungal CWDEs contain a unique domain, named the carbohydrate binding module (CBM), that facilitates their access to polysaccharides. However, little is known about how plants counteract pathogen degradation of their cell walls. Here, we show that the rice cysteine-rich repeat secretion protein OsRMC binds to and inhibits xylanase MoCel10A of the blast fungus pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, interfering with its access to the rice cell wall and degradation of rice xylan. We found binding of OsRMC to various CBM1-containing enzymes, suggesting that it has a general role in inhibiting the action of CBM1. OsRMC is localized to the apoplast, and its expression is strongly induced in leaves infected with M. oryzae. Remarkably, knockdown and overexpression of OsRMC reduced and enhanced rice defense against M. oryzae, respectively, demonstrating that inhibition of CBM1-containing fungal enzymes by OsRMC is crucial for rice defense. We also identified additional CBM-interacting proteins (CBMIPs) from Arabidopsis thaliana and Setaria italica, indicating that a wide range of plants counteract pathogens through this mechanism

Human RAD 17 Polymorphism at Codon 546 Is Associated with the Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Human RAD17 acts as an activator of checkpoint signals in response to DNA damage. Here we evaluated the association of hRAD17 Leu546Arg (rs1045051), a missense single nucleotide polymorphism, with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in relation to smoking and alcohol consumption habits in 212 CRC patients and 1,142 cancer-free controls in a case-control study conducted in Japan. The results showed that the hRAD17 Leu/Arg genotype compared to the Leu/Leu genotypes was significantly associated with the protective effect on CRC risk with the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.68 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49−0.95, p=0.024], and the males with the Arg/Arg genotype had a greater risk of CRC compared to those with the Leu/Leu and Leu/Arg genotypes (OR=1.87, 95%CI 1.03−3.40, p=0.04). In stratified studies, the protective effect of the Leu/Arg genotype on CRC risk was markedly higher in the light smokers (< 20 pack years) (OR=0.61, 95%CI 0.40−0.94, p=0.024) and the rectal cancer patients (OR=0.49, 95%CI 0.31−0.78, p=0.003). The risk of the Arg/Arg genotype was associated with heavy smoking (≥ 20 pack-years) (OR=2.24, 95%CI 1.09−4.61, p=0.03). These findings suggest that the genetic variant of hRAD17 Leu546Arg polymorphism has a significant effect on CRC susceptibility in Japanese