Interactions between migraine and tension-type headache and alcohol drinking, alcohol flushing, and hangover in Japanese

The aim of the study was to investigate associations between headache types and alcohol drinking, alcohol flushing, and hangover. Alcohol consumption is inhibited by the presence of inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) whose carriers are susceptible to alcohol flushing and hangovers. We conducted a cross-sectional study of the 2,577 subjects (men/women: 1,018/1,559) who reported having ever experienced headaches unrelated to common colds and alcohol hangovers among 5,408 (2,778/2,630) Tokyo health checkup examinees. We used a questionnaire inquiring about current and past facial flushing after drinking a glass of beer which identifies the presence of inactive ALDH2 with a sensitivity and specificity of approximately 90%. Based on ICHD-II criteria migraine was diagnosed in 419 (75/344) subjects, and tension-type headache (TTH) in 613 (249/364). We classified the headaches of the remaining 1,545 (694/851) of headaches sufferers into the category “other headaches (OH)”. The migraineurs drank alcohol less frequently than the subjects with TTH among current/past alcohol flushers and than the subjects with OH regardless of flushing category. No such difference in drinking frequency was observed between TTH and OH. Current/past flushers drank alcohol less frequently than never flushers, and the likelihood that male migraineurs would avoid alcohol drinking than men with TTH or OH was stronger among current/past flushers than among never flushers. Flushers and women were more susceptible to hangover than never flushers and men, respectively, regardless of headache type. Among never flushers, women with migraine were more susceptible to hangover than women with OH. The difference in alcohol sensitivity may partly explain less alcohol consumption by migraineurs

Restoration of Sensitivity in Chemo

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults. Despite multimodal treatments including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy the prognosis remains poor and relapse occurs regularly. The alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) has been shown to improve the overall survival in patients with malignant gliomas, especially in tumors with methylated promoter of the O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) gene. However, intrinsic and acquired resistance towards TMZ makes it crucial to find new therapeutic strategies aimed at improving the prognosis of patients suffering from malignant gliomas. Cold atmospheric plasma is a new auspicious candidate in cancer treatment. In the present study we demonstrate the anti-cancer properties of different dosages of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) both in TMZ-sensitive and TMZ-resistant cells by proliferation assay, immunoblotting, cell cycle analysis, and clonogenicity assay. Importantly, CAP treatment restored the responsiveness of resistant glioma cells towards TMZ therapy. Concomitant treatment with CAP and TMZ led to inhibition of cell growth and cell cycle arrest, thus CAP might be a promising candidate for combination therapy especially for patients suffering from GBMs showing an unfavorable MGMT status and TMZ resistance

The approach to diamond growth on levitating seed particles

Abstract We demonstrate the approach of diamond growth on levitating seed particles in a rf plasma. We introduce a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique into the rf plasma chamber in order to obtain improved crystal growth. Firstly, we confirmed diamond nucleation on seed particles placed on a Si substrate using the hot filament CVD. The deposition conditions, namely the total pressure and the rf power, were chosen so that they correspond to particles levitation conditions. We observe that a hydrogen pre-treatment on the seed particles improves the nucleation. Secondly, we confirm the levitation of particles at high temperatures. Fine particles levitated in a plasma are particularly sensitive to thermophoretic effects due to inhomogeneities in the gas heating. Therefore, proper heating procedures are required for successful particles levitation

High-pressure Raman study of the Ba-doped silicon clathrate Ba 24Si100 up to 27 GPa

High-pressure Raman scattering of type-III silicon clathrate Ba 24Si100 has been measured up to 27 GPa at room temperature. Low-frequency vibrational modes associated with Ba atoms inside three kinds of cages were found around 45-90 cm-1. The Si framework Raman bands were observed around 115-415 cm-1, which are altogether shifted toward lower frequencies as compared to those of type-I Ba 8Si46. High-pressure phase transition occurs at 6.5 GPa, which seems to be due to the structural distortion induced by the increasing guest(Ba)-host(Si) couplings. Ba24Si100 becomes irreversibly amorphous above 23 GPa. This pressure is lower than those of type-I Si clathrates, which suggests that type-III structure is less stable than type-I under high pressures

High-pressure Raman study of the iodine-doped silicon clathrate I8Si44I2

Raman scattering measurements of an iodine-doped I8Si44I2 clathrate have been performed at pressures up to 28 GPa and 296 K. We found two Raman peaks at 75 and 101 cm-1 associated with the vibrations of guest I atoms inside the host Si cages, and observed some framework vibrations around 120–500 cm-1. These characteristic Raman bands and their pressure dependence are investigated in consideration of our recent Ba8Si46 studies. The lowest-frequency framework vibration at 133 cm-1 shows the softening with pressure, which seems to be the common feature of Si clathrates. A strong and broad Raman band centered at 461 cm-1 is identified to the highest-frequency framework vibration, which is likely intensified and broadened by the considerable framework distortion due to the replacement of framework Si with larger I atom. No obvious pressure-induced phase transition was found up to 28 GPa. The guest-host interactions are investigated by the present vibrational properties and are compared with those of previous neutron studies of I8Si44I2

An Up-to-Date Anti-Cancer Treatment Strategy Focusing on HIF-1α Suppression: Its Application for Refractory Ovarian Cancer

Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) predominantly determines the transcriptional activity of HIF-1, which induces the certain genetic expressions to participate in the proliferation and progression of the tumor. It is supposed that HIF-1α is also an extremely important factor in cancer treatment. Based on the results of our recent analyses using ovarian tumors, which indicated the close association of HIF-1α expression with the acquisition of malignancy and the characterization of histology, we further investigated the possibility of a new strategy of cancer therapy that targeted HIF-1α inhibition in the ovarian carcinoma. The cell line HUOCA-II, which originates from the refractory ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma, was treated with rapamycin. The inhibitory effect of HIF-1α was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. It was demonstrated that inhibition of HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions would lead to the down-regulation of tumor cell proliferation. Interestingly, there was little or no change in GLUT-1 expression by rapamycin administration. Thus, the inhibition of GLUT-1 may also be a key for the new strategy of cancer therapy as well as HIF-1α and VEGF

Opposing effects of estradiol and progesterone on the oxidative stress-induced production of chemokine and proinflammatory cytokines in murine peritoneal macrophages

In inflammatory and oxidative liver injury, virus proteins and reactive oxygen species are involved in the regulation of proinflammatory cytokine production by macrophages. This study investigated the effects of estradiol (E2) and progesterone on the unstimulated and oxidative stress-stimulated production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2, and macrophage chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 by peritoneal macrophages isolated from male and female mice. E2 inhibited the cytokine production of TNF-α, IL-1β, MIP-2, and MCP-1 by the unstimulated macrophages from males and females, which was then further stimulated by progesterone. The exposure to hydrogen peroxide in the macrophages from both sexes induced the production of cytokine. The hydrogen peroxide-stimulated cytokine production was suppressed by E2 and enhanced by progesterone. The sex hormone effects on the unstimulated and stimulated macrophages were blocked by their receptor antagonists and showed no significant difference between male and female subjects. These findings suggest that E2 may play a favorable role in the course of persistent liver injury, by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine production, which, in addition, progesterone may counteract the favorable E2 effects through their receptors

Decolonisation of MRSA, S. aureus and E. coli by Cold-Atmospheric Plasma Using a Porcine Skin Model In Vitro

In the last twenty years new antibacterial agents approved by the U.S. FDA decreased whereas in parallel the resistance situation of multi-resistant bacteria increased. Thus, community and nosocomial acquired infections of resistant bacteria led to a decrease in the efficacy of standard therapy, prolonging treatment time and increasing healthcare costs. Therefore, the aim of this work was to demonstrate the applicability of cold atmospheric plasma for decolonisation of Gram-positive (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) using an ex vivo pig skin model. Freshly excised skin samples were taken from six month old female pigs (breed: Pietrain). After application of pure bacteria on the surface of the explants these were treated with cold atmospheric plasma for up to 15 min. Two different plasma devices were evaluated. A decolonisation efficacy of 3 log10 steps was achieved already after 6 min of plasma treatment. Longer plasma treatment times achieved a killing rate of 5 log10 steps independently from the applied bacteria strains. Histological evaluations of untreated and treated skin areas upon cold atmospheric plasma treatment within 24 h showed no morphological changes as well as no significant degree of necrosis or apoptosis determined by the TUNEL-assay indicating that the porcine skin is still vital. This study demonstrates for the first time that cold atmospheric plasma is able to very efficiently kill bacteria applied to an intact skin surface using an ex vivo porcine skin model. The results emphasize the potential of cold atmospheric plasma as a new possible treatment option for decolonisation of human skin from bacteria in patients in the future without harming the surrounding tissue

Transoral surgery for superficial head and neck cancer: National Multi‐Center Survey in Japan

Head and neck cancers, especially in hypopharynx and oropharynx, are often detected at advanced stage with poor prognosis. Narrow band imaging enables detection of superficial cancers and transoral surgery is performed with curative intent. However, pathological evaluation and real-world safety and clinical outcomes have not been clearly understood. The aim of this nationwide multicenter study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of transoral surgery for superficial head and neck cancer. We collected the patients with superficial head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who were treated by transoral surgery from 27 hospitals in Japan. Central pathology review was undertaken on all of the resected specimens. The primary objective was effectiveness of transoral surgery, and the secondary objective was safety including incidence and severity of adverse events. Among the 568 patients, a total of 662 lesions were primarily treated by 575 sessions of transoral surgery. The median tumor diameter was 12 mm (range 1–75) endoscopically. Among the lesions, 57.4% were diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma in situ. The median procedure time was 48 minutes (range 2–357). Adverse events occurred in 12.7%. Life-threatening complications occurred in 0.5%, but there were no treatment-related deaths. During a median follow-up period of 46.1 months (range 1–113), the 3-year overall survival rate, relapse-free survival rate, cause-specific survival rate, and larynx-preservation survival rate were 88.1%, 84.4%, 99.6%, and 87.5%, respectively. Transoral surgery for superficial head and neck cancer offers effective minimally invasive treatment