Endoscopic Manifestations and Clinical Characteristics of Localized Gastric Light-Chain Amyloidosis

To determine the endoscopic and clinical features of localized gastric amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, we retrospectively examined the characteristics of nine patients (eight men and one woman) encountered by the hospitals in our network. Lesions were predominantly flat and depressed with surface vascular dilatation (n=5); others were characterized by subepithelial lesions (n=2), mucosal color change (n=1), and a mass-like morphology with swollen mucosal folds (n=1). Colonoscopy (n=7), video capsule enteroscopy (n=2), serum (n=5) and urine immunoelectrophoresis (n=4), and bone marrow examination (n=3) were performed to exclude involvement of organs other than the stomach. As treatment for gastric lesions of AL amyloidosis, one patient each underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (n=1) and argon plasma coagulation (n=1), while the remaining seven patients underwent no specific treatment. During a mean follow-up of 4.2 years, one patient died 3.2 years after diagnosis, but the cause of death, which occurred in another hospital, was unknown. The remaining eight patients were alive at the last visit. In conclusion, although localized gastric AL amyloidosis can show various macroscopic features on esophagogastroduodenoscopy, flat, depressed lesions with vascular dilatation on the surface are predominant

Human Constitutive Androstane Receptor Mediates Induction of CYP2B6 Gene Expression by Phenytoin

Compared with its rodent orthologs, little is known about the chemical specificity of human constitutive androstane receptor (hCAR) and its regulation of hepatic enzyme expression. Phenytoin (PHY), a widely used antiepileptic drug, is a potent inducer of CYP2B6 in primary human hepatocytes, but does not activate human pregnane X receptor (PXR) significantly in cell-based transfection assays at the same concentrations associated with potent induction of CYP2B6. Based on this observation, we hypothesized that PHY may be a selective activator of hCAR. In primary human hepatocytes, expression of CYP2B6 reporter genes containing phenobarbital-responsive enhancer module (PBREM) or PBREM/xenobiotic-responsive enhancer module (XREM) response elements were activated up to 14- and 28-fold, respectively, by 50 microm PHY. By contrast, parallel experiments in HepG2 cell lines co-transfected with an hPXR expression vector did not show increased reporter activity. These results indicated that a PXR-independent pathway, which is retained in primary hepatocytes, is responsible for PHY induction of CYP2B6. Further experiments revealed that PHY effectively translocates hCAR from the cytoplasm into the nucleus in both primary human hepatocytes and CAR(-/-) mice. Compared with vehicle controls, PHY administration significantly increased CYP2B6 reporter gene expression, when this reporter construct was delivered together with hCAR expression vector into CAR(-/-) mice. However, PHY did not increase reporter gene expression in CAR(-/-) mice in the absence of hCAR vector, implying that CAR is essential for mediating PHY induction of CYP2B6 gene expression. Taken together, these observations demonstrate that, in contrast to most of the known CYP2B6 inducers, PHY is a selective activator of CAR in humans

STM/STSによる金サブナノクラスターの電子構造の研究

2003年分子構造総合討論会, 2003年9月24日-27日, 京都テルサ(京都), 1Pp092本研究は、文部科学省のナノテクノロジー総合支援プロジェクトの支援を受けて実施されたものである

STM/STSによる金サブナノクラスターの電子構造の研究

2003年分子構造総合討論会, 2003年9月24日-27日, 京都テルサ(京都), 1Pp092本研究は、文部科学省のナノテクノロジー総合支援プロジェクトの支援を受けて実施されたものである

STM/STSによる金サブナノクラスターの電子構造の研究

2003年分子構造総合討論会, 2003年9月24日-27日, 京都テルサ(京都), 1Pp092本研究は、文部科学省のナノテクノロジー総合支援プロジェクトの支援を受けて実施されたものである

STM/STSによる金サブナノクラスターの電子構造の研究

2003年分子構造総合討論会, 2003年9月24日-27日, 京都テルサ(京都), 1Pp092本研究は、文部科学省のナノテクノロジー総合支援プロジェクトの支援を受けて実施されたものである

Garlic Extract Diallyl Sulfide (DAS) Activates Nuclear Receptor CAR to Induce the Sult1e1 Gene in Mouse Liver

Constituent chemicals in garlic extract are known to induce phase I and phase II enzymes in rodent livers. Here we have utilized Car+/+ and Car−/− mice to demonstrate that the nuclear xenobiotic receptor CAR regulated the induction of the estrogen sulfotransferase Sult1e1 gene by diallyl sulfide (DAS) treatment in mouse liver. DAS treatment caused CAR accumulation in the nucleus, resulting in a remarkable increase of SULT1E1 mRNA (3,200 fold) and protein in the livers of Car+/+ females but not of Car−/− female mice. DAS also induced other CAR-regulated genes such as Cyp2b10, Cyp3a11 and Gadd45β. Compared with the rapid increase of these mRNA levels, which began as early as 6 hourrs after DAS treatment, the levels of SULT1E1 mRNA began increasing after 24 hours. This slow response to DAS suggested that CAR required an additional factor to activate the Sult1e1 gene or that this activation was indirect. Despite the remarkable induction of SULT1E1, there was no decrease in the serum levels of endogenous E2 or increase of estrone sulfate while the clearance of exogenously administrated E2 was accelerated in DAS treated mice

Isolation and structural characterization of magic silver clusters protected by 4-(tert-butyl)benzyl mercaptan

Small silver clusters (average diameter of 1.2 nm) protected by 4-(tert-butyl)benzyl mercaptan (BBSH) were converted to stable, monodisperse clusters (2.1 nm) by a ripening process with excess amount of BBSH. Multiple characterizations of the isolated magic clusters revealed an approximate chemical composition of Ag∼280(SBB)∼120