Sudachi peel extract reduces cell lipids

Ectopic fat accumulation is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Citrus sudachi is an evergreen tree that is found mainly in Tokushima Prefecture in Japan. Previously, it was demonstrated that Citrus sudachi could inhibit the rising trend of blood glucose and fatty acid in human subjects. In the current study, we illustrated the function of methanol extracts from sudachi peel and investigated the mechanism of this effect. We got the five kinds of methanol extracts by using diaion HP-20, and those were named by hydrophobicity from M-F1 to M-F5. Among the 5 kinds of sudachi methanol extracts, only M-F4 significantly decreased the intracellular triglyceride of C2C12 cells. It augmented the AMPK activity and increased the transcription of PPARα and its downstream targets CPT-1b and UCP2. In conclusion, M-F4 improved the lipid metabolism possibly through AMPK, PPARα and their downstream targets like CPT-1b and UCP2. Furthermore, this extract may be useful for preventing obesity and diabetes related diseases

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Misdiagnosed as an Acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Without significant coronary artery stenosis, ischemic electrocardiographic change including ST segment elevation, segmental wall motion abnormality and elevated serum cardiac-specific markers (creatine kinase-MB, Troponin-T) may develop after central nervous system injuries such as subarachnoid, intracranial or subdural hemorrhage. Misdiagnosing these patients as acute myocardial infarction may result in catastrophic outcomes. By reporting a case of a 55-year old female with subarachnoid hemorrhage mimicking acute ST elevation myocardial infarction, we hope to underline that careful attention of neurologic abnormality is critical in making better prognosis

Structural and functional analyses of calcium ion response factors in the mantle of Pinctada fucata

The pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata, is cultured for pearl production in Japan. The shell of the pearl oyster consists of calcium carbonate and a small amount of organic matrix. Despite many studies of the shell matrix proteins, the mechanism by which calcium elements are transported from the mantle to the shell remains unclear. Investigating the molecular mechanism of calcium transportation, we prepared artificial seawater with a high concentration of calcium ions (10ASW) to induce calcification in the pearl oyster. When pearl oysters were cultured in 10ASW, unusual nanoparticles were precipitated on the surface of the nacreous layer. SDS-PAGE and 2D-PAGE analyses revealed that some calcium-sensing proteins (Sarcoplasmic Ca-binding Protein (Pf-SCP) and Pf-filamin A) might be related to the synthesis of these nanoparticles. The recombinant proteins of Pf-SCP can bind to calcium ions and accumulate nanoparticles of calcium carbonate crystals. However, transcriptomic analysis of the pearl oysters grown in 10ASW showed that the matrix protein genes in the shell did not differ before and after treatment with 10ASW. These results suggest that, despite increasing calcium transportation to the shell, treatment with a high concentration of calcium ions does not induce formation of the organic framework in the shell microstructure. These findings offer meaningful insights into the transportation of calcium elements from the mantle to the shell

Anti-podoplanin antibody against MPM

Podoplanin (aggrus) is highly expressed in several types of cancers, including malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Previously, we developed a rat anti-human podoplanin mAb, NZ-1, and a rat–human chimeric anti-human podoplanin antibody, NZ-8, derived from NZ-1, which induced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity against podoplanin-positive MPM cell lines. In this study, we showed the antitumor effect of NZ-1, NZ- 8, and NZ-12, a novel rat–human chimeric anti-human podoplanin antibody derived from NZ-1, in an MPM orthotopic xenograft SCID mouse model. Treatment with NZ-1 and rat NK (CD161a+) cells inhibited the growth of tumors and the production of pleural effusion in NCI-H290/PDPN or NCI-H226 orthotopic xenograft mouse models. NZ-8 and human natural killer (NK) (CD56+) cells also inhibited tumor growth and pleural effusion in MPM orthotopic xenograft mice. Furthermore, NZ-12 induced potent ADCC mediated by human MNC, compared with either NZ-1 or NZ-8. Antitumor effects were observed following treatment with NZ-12 and human NK (CD56+) cells in MPM orthotopic xenograft mice. In addition, combined immunotherapy using the ADCC activity of NZ-12 mediated by human NK (CD56+) cells with pemetrexed, led to enhanced antitumor effects in MPM orthotopic xenograft mice. These results strongly suggest that combination therapy with podoplanin-targeting immunotherapy using both NZ-12 and pemetrexed might provide an efficacious therapeutic strategy for the treatment of MPM

Calculation Method for Visibility of Emergency Sign in Fire Taking into Account of Smoke Adhesion

ABSTRACT In making a plan for safe evacuation under smoke in fire, visibility of evacuation signs is of crucial significance. However, there have been very few studies on the calculation method for the luminous stimuli in fire smoke, thereby leaving effective evacuation methodology unattained. In fire situation, we have to consider factors affecting sign's visibility such as power failure, obscuration by smokes and smoke adhesion to the sign surface or light sources. In order for emergency signs to function properly for evacuation, we need to assure the sufficient visibility in every situation. Therefore it is necessary to establish a calculation method of luminous stimuli in fire smoke to evaluate evacuee's visibility quantitatively. This paper proposes a calculation model of target luminance in fire-smoke taking into account of smoke adhesion. Practical application is also presented

Antihypertensive drug reduction for treated hypertensive patients during the summer

Seasonal winter–summer variation in blood pressure (BP) has been reported, but there are few reports on the reduction of antihypertensive medication during the summer. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and details of drug reduction during the summer among outpatients. Among 667 patients, 90 patients (13.5%) had their medication reduced during the summer. The highest rate of drug reduction was for diuretics (17.5%). The patients whose medications were reduced (Group R) took a larger number of drugs and more frequently took diuretics compared with the subjects whose medications were unchanged (N = 559; with no reduction or increase in drugs, Group UC). Moreover, both the office BP and morning home BP of the patients in Group R were significantly lower compared with those of the patients in Group UC. These results suggest that doctors tend to reduce antihypertensive drugs to avoid an excessive decrease in BP especially in patients receiving combination therapy including diuretics

Lower gingival squamous cell carcinoma with brain metastasis during long-term cetuximab treatment: A case report

Long-term cetuximab treatment can lead to acquired resistance, and tumor progression and/or new lesions often occur. The present report describes a case of lower gingival squamous cell carcinoma with brain metastasis during long-term cetuximab treatment in a 60-year-old man, including findings of an immunohistochemical study. The resected primary tumors, biopsy of the lung metastasis before administration of cetuximab, and brain metastasis specimens mediated by cetuximab were immunohistochemically examined. Histologically, the metastatic brain lesion showed hyperkeratinizing tumor cells with deeply stained irregular nuclei with necrotizing tumor cells, and a decrease in cell density was exhibited in part of the tumor nest. Moreover, the brain lesion was less malignant compared with the primary tumor and metastatic lung lesions. Immunohistochemically, the metastatic brain lesions showed low expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and high expression of N-cadherin compared with the primary tumor and metastatic lung lesions. These results suggest that acquired resistance to cetuximab may be associated with low EGFR expression and increased epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition potential

Overlooked plant diversity in urban streetscapes in Oulu and Yokohama

Streets comprise a major area of urban land use and connect built areas to one another. However, the role of streetscapes for maintaining urban plant diversity remains poorly understood. In this study, urban street vegetation was investigated in Oulu, Finland, and Yokohama, Japan, to explore how species richness and composition of plant communities change among different street habitat types, including road-verge grass beds, asphalted surfaces, stone pavements, curbside gaps, wall bases, street shrubbery, and tree bases. All plant species were recorded separately for different street habitat types along a maximum of 500 m of street sections. The gamma diversity of each habitat type and the contributions of native and exotic species were evaluated based on species accumulation curves. Plant species composition was examined using non-metric multidimensional scaling and Venn diagrams. A total of 145 and 273 species were recorded in Oulu and Yokohama, respectively. In Oulu, native species contributed more to the total diversity across habitat types, whereas in Yokohama, we observed similar contributions of native and exotic species to the total diversity. There was a large overlap in species occurrence among different habitat types in Oulu, where the road-verge grass beds included over 90 % of the total diversity, and all species present in asphalted habitats. Road verge grass beds in Oulu and street shrubbery in Yokohama include a large number of unique species, implying that these species have adapted to the environment in each habitat. Thus, streetscape vegetation includes a mixture of common urban species and some unique species depending on habitat type, which is often overlooked as a part of the spontaneous plant diversity across streetscapes. We propose that diverse street habitats, including both gray and green surfaces, support diverse plant species and may thereby create biodiverse urban streetscapes