Successful Treatment of Epilepsy by Resection of Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia

We report on a case of successful surgical treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy associated with a solitary lesion of periventricular nodular heterotopia (PNH). In the reported patient, intracranial ictal electroencephalography disclosed that seizures did not originate from the heterotopic nodules. However, the seizures were completely suppressed by lesionectomy of PNH alone. Epileptogenesis associated with PNH likely involves a very complex network between PNH and the surrounding cortex, and the disruption of this network may be an effective means of curing intractable, PNH-associated epilepsy

Inhibitory effect of IL-8 on insulin action in human adipocytes via MAP kinase pathway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Various cytokines and other compounds are produced in human adipose tissue and might have functions in the adipose tissue. They might be involved in complications associated with obesity and diabetes. Recently, interleukin-8 (IL-8) has been shown to be produced and released from human adipose tissue and/or adipocytes, suggesting IL-8 involvement in some obesity-related health complications. Therefore, we found it of interest to investigate whether IL-8 is involved in the insulin action in human adipocytes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The IL-8 levels in the medium were measured using ELISA. The IL-8 mRNA expression was analyzed using Northern blot analysis. The phosphorylation of Akt was analyzed using Western blot analysis. Furthermore, we examined the effect of IL-8 on the phosphorylation of Akt induced by insulin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The level of IL-8 in the medium and the IL-8 mRNA expression after stimulation with either TNF-α, IL-1β, or CRP was significantly enhanced in human adipocytes. It is particularly interesting that IL-8 per se also enhanced IL-8 mRNA expression. The IL-8 induced-IL-8 mRNA expression was inhibited by PD98059 (a MEK inhibitor) or SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor). The IL-8 inhibited insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation. The inhibitory effect of IL-8 was eliminated by either PD 98059 or SB203580.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that IL-8 is a main adipocytokine producing insulin resistance via the inhibition of insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation in adipocytes. The attenuation of IL-8 action might be a target for prevention of diabetes and its complications.</p

Macrophage HIF-1α increases liver tumor

Aims/Introduction: Chronic inflammation of the liver is often observed with obesity or type 2 diabetes. In these pathological conditions, the immunological cells, such as macrophages, play important roles in the development or growth of liver cancer. Recently, it was reported that hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) is a key molecule for the acquisition of inflammatory M1 polarity of macrophages. In the present study, we examined the effects of altered macrophage polarity on obesity‐ and diabetes‐associated liver cancer using macrophage‐specific HIF‐1α knockout (KO) mice. Materials and Methods: To induce liver cancer in the mice, diethylnitrosamine, a chemical carcinogen, was used. Both KO mice and wild‐type littermates were fed either a high‐fat diet (HFD) or normal chow. They were mainly analyzed 6 months after HFD feeding. Results: Development of liver cancer after HFD feeding was 45% less in KO mice than in wild‐type littermates mice. Phosphorylation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 2 was also lower in the liver of KO mice. Those effects of HIF‐1α deletion in macrophages were not observed in normal chow‐fed mice. Furthermore, the size of liver tumors did not differ between KO and wild‐type littermates mice, even those on a HFD. These results suggest that the activation of macrophage HIF‐1α by HFD is involved not in the growth, but in the development of liver cancer with the enhanced oncogenic extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 2 signaling in hepatocytes. Conclusions: The activation of macrophage HIF‐1α might play important roles in the development of liver cancer associated with diet‐induced obesity and diabetes

Orbital mixture effect on the Fermi-surface-Tc correlation in the cuprate superconductors: Bilayer vs. single layer

By constructing dx2-y2-dz2 two-orbital models from first principles, we have obtained a systematic correlation between the Fermi surface warping and theoretically evaluated Tc for various bilayer as well as single-layer cuprates. This reveals that a smaller mixture of the dz2 orbital component on the Fermi surface leads simultaneously to larger Fermi-surface warping and higher Tc. The theoretical correlation strikingly resembles a systematic plot for the experimentally observed Tc against the Fermi surface warping due to Pavarini et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 047003 (2001)], and the present result unambiguously indicates that the dz2 mixture is one key factor that determines Tc in the cuprates

Intake frequency of vegetables or seafoods negatively correlates with disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To clarify the relationship between dietary habit and disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: This study enrolled RA patients who met the ACR/EULAR 2010 classification criteria from Kyoto University Rheumatoid Arthritis Management Alliance (KURAMA) cohort in 2015. 22-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was taken for the measurement of dietary habit in a single-institution cohort of RA (Kyoto University Rheumatoid Arthritis Management Alliance: KURAMA) in 2015. The disease activities of RA using the Disease Activity Score calculated based on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) level, the use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), disease duration, rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated antibody, and body mass index were also examined. All of them were combined and statistically analyzed. Results: 441 RA patients (81% women; mean age 65 years; mean disease duration 15 years) were enrolled from the KURAMA cohort. Average Disease Activity Score-28 using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) was 2.7. Univariate analysis showed that intake frequency of vegetables had a statistically significant negative correlation with disease activity markers, such as DAS28-ESR (ρ = −0.11, p<0.01), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) (ρ = −0.16, p<0.001), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) (ρ = −0.21, p<0.0001), and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) (ρ = −0.13, p<0.01). Factor analysis with varimax rotation was done to simplify the relevance of disease activity to various food items. 22 foods were categorized into five dietary patterns: “seafoods”, “vegetables/fruits”, “meats/fried foods”, “snacks”, and “processed foods”. The multivariate analysis adjusted for clinically significant confounders showed that “seafoods” had statistically significant negative correlations with DAS28-ESR (β = −0.15, p<0.01), SDAI (β = −0.18, p<0.001), MMP-3 (β = −0.15, p<0.01), and HAQ (β = −0.24, p<0.0001). “Vegetables/fruits” had statistically significant negative correlations with SDAI (β = −0.11 p<0.05), MMP-3 (β = −0.12, p<0.01), and HAQ (β = −0.11, p<0.05) Conclusions: These results suggest that high intake frequency of vegetables/fruits and/or seafoods might correlate with low disease activity

Symposium II: Acquirable qualifications at Departments of Geography

金沢大学人間社会研究域人間科学

Association Between PSCA Variants and Duodenal Ulcer Risk

Background: While duodenal ulcer (DU) and gastric cancer (GC) are both H. pylori infection-related diseases, individuals with DU are known to have lower risk for GC. Many epidemiological studies have identified the PSCA rs2294008 T-allele as a risk factor of GC, while others have found an association between the rs2294008 C-allele and risk of DU and gastric ulcer (GU). Following these initial reports, however, few studies have since validated these associations. Here, we aimed to validate the association between variations in PSCA and the risk of DU/GU and evaluate its interaction with environmental factors in a Japanese population. Methods: Six PSCA SNPs were genotyped in 584 DU cases, 925 GU cases, and 8,105 controls from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC). Unconditional logistic regression models were applied to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between the SNPs and risk of DU/GU. Results: PSCA rs2294008 C-allele was associated with per allele OR of 1.34 (95% CI, 1.18–1.51; P = 2.28 × 10−6) for the risk of DU. This association was independent of age, sex, study site, smoking habit, drinking habit, and H. pylori status. On the other hand, we did not observe an association between the risk of GU and PSCA SNPs. Conclusions: Our study confirms an association between the PSCA rs2294008 C-allele and the risk of DU in a Japanese population