Effect of anti-inflammatory supplementation with whey peptide and exercise therapy in patients with COPD

SummaryBackgroundOne of the major pathophysiologies in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been attributed to systemic inflammation. Meta-analysis of the 2005 Cochrane Database concluded the effect of nutritional supplementation alone on stable COPD was insufficient to promote body weight gain or exercise capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of nutritional supplementation therapy using a nutritional supplement containing whey peptide with low-intensity exercise therapy in stable elderly patients with COPD.MethodIn stable elderly COPD patients with %IBW and %FEV1 of less than 110 and 80%, respectively, anti-inflammatory nutritional supplementation therapy was added to low-intensity exercise therapy. Thirty-six COPD patients were divided into those with and those without the ingestion of an anti-inflammatory nutritional supplement containing whey peptide, which exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect. These two groups were designated as the nutritional support and the control groups, respectively. The body composition, skeletal muscle strength, exercise tolerance, health-related QOL (HRQOL), and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated before and three months after nutritional support combined with exercise therapy in both the nutritional support group and the control group.ResultsIn the nutritional support group, the body weight, %IBW, FM, energy intake, %AC, Alb, PImax, PEmax, 6MWD, WBI, emotional function, and CRQ total were significantly increased, and the levels of hsCRP, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were reduced significantly, while no significant change was noted in any item of physiological evaluation or any biomarker in the control group.ConclusionConcomitant use of a anti-inflammatory nutritional supplement containing whey peptide, which exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect, with exercise therapy in stable elderly COPD patients with %IBW<110% and %FEV1<80% may not only increase body weight but may also inhibit systemic inflammation and thus improve exercise tolerance and HRQOL

Questionnaire survey on the continuity of home oxygen therapy after a disaster with power outages

AbstractBackgroundAfter the Great East Japan Earthquake, oxygen-dependent patients in areas experiencing power outages could not continue home oxygen therapy (HOT) without oxygen cylinders. The purpose of this study was to examine use of oxygen cylinders in areas experiencing power outages and the effects of HOT interruption on patients' health.MethodsQuestionnaires were mailed to 1106 oxygen-dependent patients and HOT-prescribing physicians in Akita, near the disaster-stricken area. We investigated patients' actions when unable to use an oxygen concentrator and classified the patients based on oxygen cylinder use. Patients who experienced an interruption of or reduction in oxygen flow rate by their own judgment were assigned to the “interruption” and “reduction” groups, respectively; those who maintained their usual flow rate were assigned to the “continuation” group. Differences were tested using analysis of variance and the χ2 tests.ResultsIn total, 599 patients responded to the questionnaire. Oxygen cylinders were supplied to 574 patients (95.8%) before their oxygen cylinders were depleted. Comparison of the continuation (n=356), reduction (n=64), and interruption (n=154) groups showed significant differences in family structure (p=0.004), underlying disease (p=0.014), oxygen flow rate (p<0.001), situation regarding use (p<0.001), knowledge of HOT (p<0.001), and anxiety about oxygen supply (p<0.001). There were no differences in changes in physical condition.ConclusionsMost patients could receive oxygen cylinders after the disaster. Some patients discontinued their usual oxygen therapy, but their overall health status was not affected

Fetal and Neonatal Goiter in Cynomolgus Monkeys Following Administration of the Antithyroid Drug Thiamazole at High Doses to Dams During Pregnancy

To evaluate morphologic alterations in the thyroid gland in the second generation in cynomolgus monkeys, pregnant dams were exposed to high doses of thiamazole. In Experiment A, dams received thiamazole intragastrically via a nasogastric catheter from gestation day (GD) 50 to GD 150 or on the day before delivery. Initially, the dose level was 20 mg/kg/day (10 mg/kg twice daily); however, the dose level was subsequently decreased to 5 mg/kg/day (2.5 mg/kg twice daily), since deteriorated general conditions were observed in two dams. Six out of seven neonates died on the day of birth. The cause of neonatal death was tracheal compression and suffocation from goiter. The transplacental exposure to thiamazole affected the fetal thyroid glands and induced goiter in all neonates. The surviving neonate was necropsied 767 days after discontinuation of thiamazole exposure and showed reversibility of the induced changes. In Experiment B, dams were intragastrically administered thiamazole at 5 mg/kg/day (2.5 mg/kg twice daily) for treatment periods from GDs 51 to 70, 71 to 90, 91 to 110, 111 to 130 and 131 to 150. All fetuses showed enlarged thyroid glands but were viable. Histopathologically, hypertrophy and/or hyperplastic appearance of the follicular epithelium of the thyroid gland was observed at the end of each treatment period. The most active appearance of the follicular epithelium, consisting of crowded pedunculated structure, was demonstrated at end of the treatment period from GD 131 to 150. This is the first report on the morphology of fetal and neonatal goiter in the cynomolgus monkey

“Transmantle sign”を示す限局性皮質異形成における神経細胞の成熟と分化の未熟性：層特異的マーカー発現による解析

Transmantle dysplasia is a rare type of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) characterized by expansion of the cortex from the deep white matter to the surface and in which there is a FCD IIA or IIB pathologic pattern. To characterize possible mechanisms underlying this regional disorder of radial migrating cells, we studied the expression patterns of neocortical layer-specific markers using immunohistochemistry in surgical specimens from 5 FCD IIA and 4 FCD IIB cases in children. All neuronal cells expressed the mature neuron marker MAP2/2B but not the microglia markers Iba-1 and CD68. Some layer-specific markers showed distinct expression patterns. TBR1-positive, SATB2-positive, and FOXP1-positive cells were diffusely distributed in the cortex and/or the white matter. TBR1-positive and FOXP1-positive cells were generally more numerous in FCD IIB than in FCD IIA and were mostly in the cortical molecular and upper layers. FOXP1-, FOXP2-, and CUTL1-positive cells also expressed the immature neuron marker, Nestin/PROX1, whereas TBR1-, CTIP2-, and SATB2-positive cells only expressed MAP2/2B. These data highlight differences between FCD IIB and FCD IIA with more cells having the immature marker in upper layer markers in the former. By analyzing layer-specific marker expression patterns, we identified apparent neuronal maturation differences between FCD IIA and FCD IIB in cases of transmantle dysplasia.博士（医学）・乙第1312号・平成25年5月29

Sex-inducing effects toward planarians widely present among parasitic flatworms

Summary Various parasitic flatworms infect vertebrates for sexual reproduction, often causing devastating diseases in their hosts. Consequently, flatworms are of great socioeconomic and biomedical importance. Although the cessation of parasitic flatworm sexual reproduction is a major target of anti-parasitic drug design, little is known regarding bioactive compounds controlling flatworm sexual maturation. Using the planarian Dugesia ryukyuensis, we observed that sex-inducing substances found in planarians are also widespread in parasitic flatworms, such as monogeneans and flukes (but not in tapeworms). Reverse-phase HPLC analysis revealed the sex-inducing substance(s) eluting around the tryptophan retention time in the fluke Calicophoron calicophorum, consistent with previous studies on the planarian Bipalium nobile, suggesting that the substance(s) is likely conserved among flatworms. Moreover, six of the 18 ovary-inducing substances identified via transcriptome and metabolome analyses are involved in purine metabolism. Our findings provide a basis for understanding and modifying the life cycles of various parasitic flatworms.journal articl