Animal Models of Chronic Pancreatitis

Animal models for CP in rats can be classified into 2 groups: one is noninvasive or nonsurgical models and the other is invasive or surgical models. Pancreatic injury induced by repetitive injections of supramaximal stimulatory dose of caerulein (Cn) or by intraductal infusion of sodium taurocholate (NaTc) recovered within 14 days, whereas that caused by repetitive injection of arginine or by intraductal infusion of oleic acid was persistent. However, the destroyed acinar tissues were replaced by fatty tissues without fibrosis. Transient stasis of pancreatic fluid flow by 0.01% agarose and minimum injury of the pancreatic duct by 0.1% NaTc solution induced progressive pancreatic injury although one alone is insufficient to cause persistent pancreatic injury. However, the damaged tissue was replaced by fatty tissue without fibrosis. Continuous pancreatic ductal hypertension (PDH) caused diffuse interlobular and intralobular fibrosis closely resembling human CP

Curve-Correction Factor for Characterization of the Output of a Three-Dimensional Curved Photovoltaic Module on a Car Roof

For modeling the energy generation of three-dimensional car roof photovoltaic (PV) panels, it is essential to define a scientifically accurate method to model the amount of solar irradiance received by the panel. Additionally, the average annual irradiance incident on car roofs must be evaluated, because the PV module is often shaded during driving and when parked. The curve-correction factor, which is a unique value depending on the three-dimensional curved shape of the PV module, is defined in this paper. The curve-correction factor was calculated using a ray-trace simulator. It was found that the shape of the curved surface affected the curve-correction factor. The ratio of the projection area to the curved surface area of most car roofs is 0.85⁻0.95, and the annual curve-correction factor lies between 0.70 and 0.90. The annual irradiance incident on car roofs was evaluated using a mobile multipyranometer array system for one year (September 2017⁻August 2018). It is estimated that the effective annual solar radiation for curved PV modules is 2.53⁻3.52 kWh m−2/day

How, Why and Where it Hurts—Breaking Down Pain Syndrome Among Nursing Home Patients With Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the COSMOS Trial

Background Between 40%-60% of nursing home patients with dementia suffer from chronic and acute pain despite increasing their analgesic drug prescription. Aims Determine the locations and intensity of pain and the association between quality of life (QoL) and four stratified pain–analgesic groups: (1) pain—analgesics treatment; (2) pain—no analgesics; (3) no pain—analgesics treatment; and (4) no pain—no analgesics. Design Multicenter, multicomponent cluster randomized controlled Communication, Systematic assessment and treatment of pain, Medication review, Occupational therapy, and Safety - an effectiveness (COSMOS) trial. Participants At baseline, 723 nursing home patients were enrolled; 463 were completely evaluated for the presence of pain and included in the cross-sectional analyses. Methods Data were collected using the following tests: Cognitive function (Mini-Mental-State Evaluation [MMSE]); Quality of Life in Late stage of Dementia (QUALID); Dementia-Specific QoL (QUALIDEM); Mobilization–Observation–Behavior–Intensity–Dementia Pain Scale (MOBID-2); and number of analgesic drug prescriptions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare pain and QoL across pain–analgesics groups. Results The majority of participants (78%) had moderate-to-severe dementia, were female (74%), and a mean age of 86.7 years. Almost 44% reported clinically significant pain, whereas 69% had ≥2 pain locations, especially in the musculoskeletal system. Some 33.5% of participants had pain receiving analgesics, 10% had pain with no analgesics, and 27% had no pain receiving analgesics. Patients evaluated with clinically significant pain intensity scores had lower QoL (<.001) compared with assessments relying on different pain locations. Conclusion Untreated musculoskeletal and multi-located pain is still common in nursing home patients with dementia. A significant share without pain receive analgesics. Proper pain assessment and regular re-assessment are prerequisites for the prescribing and deprescribing of analgesics. Pain intensity scores are more significantly connected to QoL. This must be stressed when evaluating pain and QoL

How, Why and Where it Hurts—Breaking Down Pain Syndrome Among Nursing Home Patients With Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the COSMOS Trial

Background Between 40%-60% of nursing home patients with dementia suffer from chronic and acute pain despite increasing their analgesic drug prescription. Aims Determine the locations and intensity of pain and the association between quality of life (QoL) and four stratified pain–analgesic groups: (1) pain—analgesics treatment; (2) pain—no analgesics; (3) no pain—analgesics treatment; and (4) no pain—no analgesics. Design Multicenter, multicomponent cluster randomized controlled Communication, Systematic assessment and treatment of pain, Medication review, Occupational therapy, and Safety - an effectiveness (COSMOS) trial. Participants At baseline, 723 nursing home patients were enrolled; 463 were completely evaluated for the presence of pain and included in the cross-sectional analyses. Methods Data were collected using the following tests: Cognitive function (Mini-Mental-State Evaluation [MMSE]); Quality of Life in Late stage of Dementia (QUALID); Dementia-Specific QoL (QUALIDEM); Mobilization–Observation–Behavior–Intensity–Dementia Pain Scale (MOBID-2); and number of analgesic drug prescriptions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare pain and QoL across pain–analgesics groups. Results The majority of participants (78%) had moderate-to-severe dementia, were female (74%), and a mean age of 86.7 years. Almost 44% reported clinically significant pain, whereas 69% had ≥2 pain locations, especially in the musculoskeletal system. Some 33.5% of participants had pain receiving analgesics, 10% had pain with no analgesics, and 27% had no pain receiving analgesics. Patients evaluated with clinically significant pain intensity scores had lower QoL (<.001) compared with assessments relying on different pain locations. Conclusion Untreated musculoskeletal and multi-located pain is still common in nursing home patients with dementia. A significant share without pain receive analgesics. Proper pain assessment and regular re-assessment are prerequisites for the prescribing and deprescribing of analgesics. Pain intensity scores are more significantly connected to QoL. This must be stressed when evaluating pain and QoL.submittedVersio

Ability of NAD and Sirt1 to epigenetically suppress albuminuria

The time for diabetic nephropathy (DN) to progress from mild to severe is long. Thus, methods to continuously repress DN are required to exert long-lasting effects mediated through epigenetic regulation. In this study, we demonstrated the ability of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and its metabolites to reduce albuminuria through Sirt1- or Nampt-dependent epigenetic regulation. We previously reported that proximal tubular Sirt1 was lowered before glomerular Sirt1. Repressed glomerular Sirt1 was found to epigenetically elevate Claudin-1. In addition, we reported that proximal tubular Nampt deficiency epigenetically augmented TIMP-1 levels in Sirt6-mediated pathways, leading to type-IV collagen deposition and diabetic fibrosis. Altogether, we propose that the Sirt1/Claudin-1 axis may be crucial in the onset of albuminuria at the early stages of DN and that the Nampt/Sirt6/TIMP-1 axis promotes diabetic fibrosis in the middle to late stages of DN. Finally, administration of NMN, an NAD precursor, epigenetically potentiates the regression of the onset of DN to maintain Sirt1 and repress Claudin-1 in podocytes, suggesting the potential use of NAD metabolites as epigenetic medications for DN

An assessment of the effects of ectopic gp91phox expression in XCGD iPSC-derived neutrophils

For the treatment of monogenetic hematological disorders, restoration of transgene expression in affected cell populations is generally considered to have beneficial effects. However, X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (XCGD) is unique since the appearance of functional neutrophils in the peripheral blood following hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy is transient only. One contributing factor could be the occurrence of detrimental effects secondary to ectopic gp91phox expression in neutrophils, which has not been formally demonstrated previously. This study uses iPSCs to model XCGD, which allows the process of differentiation to be studied intensely in vitro. Alpharetroviral vectors carrying a ubiquitous promoter were used to drive the âectopicâ expression of codon optimized gp91phox cDNA. In the mature fraction of neutrophils differentiated from transduced XCGD-iPSCs, cellular recovery in terms of gp91phox expression and reactive oxygen species production was abruptly lost before cells had fully differentiated. Most critically, ectopic gp91phox expression could be identified clearly in the developing fraction of the transduced groups, which appeared to correspond with reduced cell viability. It is possible that this impedes further differentiation of developing neutrophils. Therefore, affording cellular protection from the detrimental effects of ectopic gp91phox expression may improve XCGD clinical outcomes

Promotive Effects of the Dietary Organic Germanium Poly-trans-[(2-carboxyethyl) germasesquioxane] (Ge-132) on the Secretion and Antioxidative Activity of Bile in Rodents

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