Hormonal Regulation of Glycogen Synthase and Phosphorylase Activities in Human Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes

Peer Reviewe

Development of a 20-item questionnaire for drinking behavior pattern (DBP-20) toward personalized behavioral approaches for alcohol use disorder

Although screening tools are available for alcohol use disorders (AUD), such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), these tools do not directly characterize individual drinking behavior for patients with AUD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a new self-report questionnaire to identify the characteristics of drinking behavior patterns in patients with AUD. The study team developed a self-administered 20-item questionnaire for drinking behavior pattern (DBP-20) based on semistructured interviews of patients with AUD. The DBP-20 and AUDIT were administered to 232 patients with AUD and 222 normal drinkers (1 ≤ AUDIT <20) as controls. Exploratory factor analysis of the DBP-20 was conducted for patients with AUD, followed by comparisons of its item and subscale scores between patients with AUD and controls. Correlations of AUDIT with total and subscale scores of the DBP-20 were also analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses for the DBP-20 and its subscales were performed to distinguish patients with AUD from controls. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a multidimensional 4-factor model of the DBP-20: coping with negative affect, automaticity, enhancement, and social use. Significant differences in DBP-20 total and subscale scores were observed for patients with AUD versus controls for all factors, except the social use subscale. Both the coping with negative affect and automaticity subscale scores as well as total DBP-20 scores were highly correlated with AUDIT scores. Total DBP-20 scores showed the greatest sensitivity, negative predictive value, and area under the ROC curve to distinguish patients with AUD from normal drinkers. Drinking as a means of coping with negative affect and automaticity may be specific for patients with AUD. DBP-20 may help patients with AUD to be aware of their own targeted problematic drinking behaviors and to seek their personalized behavioral approaches in a collaborative relationship with therapists

Discordance between hyposalivation and xerostomia

Individuals with an objective decrease in salivary flow (objective dry mouth) may not be aware of subjective dry mouth (xerostomia). However, no clear evidence exists to explain the discordance between subjective and objective dry mouth. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of xerostomia and decreased salivary flow among community-dwelling elderly adults. In addition, this study assessed several potential demographic and health status determinants of the discrepancy between xerostomia and reduced salivary flow. The 215 participants in this study were community-dwelling older people aged 70 years and above who underwent dental health examinations between January-February 2019. Symptoms of xerostomia were collected in the form of a questionnaire. The unstimulated salivary flow rate (USFR) was measured by a dentist using visual inspection. The stimulated salivary flow rate (SSFR) was measured using the Saxon test. We identified 19.1% of participants as having mild-severe USFR decline with xerostomia and 19.1% as having mild-severe USFR decline without xerostomia. Additionally, 26.0% of participants had low SSFR and xerostomia, and 40.0% had low SSFR without xerostomia. Except for the age trend, no factors could be associated with the discordance between USFR measurement and xerostomia. Furthermore, no significant factors were associated with the discordance between the SSFR and xerostomia. However, females were significantly associated (OR = 2.608, 95% CI = 1.174–5.791) with low SSFR and xerostomia, as compared to males. Age was a factor that was also significantly associated (OR = 1.105, 95% CI = 1.010–1.209) with low SSFR and xerostomia. Our findings indicate that approximately 20% of the participants had low USFR without xerostomia, and 40% had low SSFR without xerostomia. This study showed that age, sex, and the number of medications may not be factors in the discrepancy between the subjective feeling of dry mouth and reduced salivary flow

Prevalence of somatic diseases in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Japan is highest in people aged ≥40 years with mental disorders: a cross-sectional study of a Japanese health insurance claims database

IntroductionStudies have reported an association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and somatic diseases; however, the correlation of mental disorders with the association between ADHD and somatic diseases remains uninvestigated. This study investigated and compared the prevalence of somatic diseases among adults with/without ADHD, stratified by the presence or absence of mental disorders.MethodsThis cross-sectional study (October 2020–September 2021), using data (June 2013–September 2021) from a Japanese health insurance claims database, included adult participants with a medical record of and receiving medication for ADHD (ADHD group); the control group (matched 1:5 by age/sex) comprised participants without ADHD. The prevalence and odds ratio (OR; ADHD versus control) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), diabetes complications, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), dyslipidemia, gout and hyperuricemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH), and atopic dermatitis were investigated. Pooled ORs for stratified analysis were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel method.ResultsIn the matched analysis sets, the ORs for all somatic diseases were significantly higher for the ADHD group (n=15,028) versus the control group (n=74,796). On stratified analysis, the Mantel-Haenszel ORs were significant for NAFLD/NASH (1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34, 1.73), diabetes complications (1.39; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.77), and gout and hyperuricemia (1.34; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.51). Furthermore, the stratum-specific ORs for T2DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were &gt;1 and &lt;1 in the presence and absence of mental disorders, respectively. The prevalence of all somatic diseases except atopic dermatitis increased with age. For participants aged ≥40 years, the Mantel-Haenszel ORs were significant for all somatic diseases except CVD, COPD, and atopic dermatitis.ConclusionsThe prevalence of several somatic diseases, including chronic disorders, was high among adults with ADHD, particularly in those aged ≥40 years and those with mental disorders

Azuki Bean Juice Lowers Serum Triglyceride Concentrations in Healthy Young Women

Effects of azuki bean juice supplementation, prescribed according to a Kanpo medicine regimen, on serum lipid concentrations were studied. Healthy young Japanese women were recruited and were randomly assigned to one of the three groups using a parallel-group design. Control (n = 10), azuki (n = 11) and Concentrated azuki (CA) (n = 12) juice groups consumed 150 g daily of the isocaloric assigned juice for one menstrual cycle with their usual diet. Triglyceride concentrations were decreased in the azuki juice group (p<0.05) and tended to be decreased in the CA juice group (p = 0.055). Triglyceride concentrations in the azuki and CA juice groups decreased by 0.170 mmol/liter (15.4%) and 0.159 mmol/liter (17.9%), respectively (p<0.05). The azuki and CA juice used in this study inhibited pancreatic lipase activity 29.2% and 56.9%, respectively, in vitro. Lipid peroxide changes, based on ANCOVA with the initial level and α-tocopherol changes as covariates, did not differ among the three groups. Serum low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) cholesterol concentrations did not change. Thus, azuki bean juice intake, as a traditional Kampo prescription, might be beneficial for preventing hypertriglyceridemia

Papillo-Choledochectomy in the Operative Management of Mucosal Neoplasms of the Periampullary Region

Two patients with mucosal cancer of the periampullary region were treated with papillocholedochectomy, which entails removal of the papilla of Vater and the whole length of the common bile duct. The neoplasm is dissected out through the plane between the duodenal circular and longitudinal muscles, deep to the sphincter of Oddi and the fibromuscular layer of the bile duct. Pathological examination showed that cancer was confined to the mucosal layer without stromal invasion, and that the operation achieved radical cure. For mucosal cancer, papillo-choledochectomy is an alternative to pancreatoduodenectomy, provided that repeated frozen-section studies confirm the completeness of excision

Dirac Electrons in Molecular Solids

Electrons in solids are characterized by the energy bands, which indicate that electrons are considered to be "elementary particles" with specific effective masses and g-factors reflecting features of each solid. There are cases where these particles obey dispersion relationship similar to those of Dirac electrons. Examples include graphite and bismuth both of which are known for many years, together with graphene, a single layer of graphite, recently addressed intensively after its realization. Another recent example is a molecular solid, alpha-ET2I3, which is described by an equation similar to Weyl equation with massless Dirac cones but the coordinate axis is tilted because of the location of cones at off-symmetry points. Orbital susceptibility of such Dirac electrons in graphite and bismuth has been known to have striking features not present in ordinary band electrons but resulting from the inter-band matrix elements of magnetic field. Results of theoretical studies on not only orbital susceptibility but also Hall effect of such Dirac electrons in molecular solids with tilting are introduced in this paper.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Amphidinolide H, a Potent Cytotoxic Macrolide, Covalently Binds on Actin Subdomain 4 and Stabilizes Actin Filament

AbstractThe actin-targeting toxins have not only proven to be invaluable tools in studies of actin cytoskeleton structure and function but they also served as a foundation for a new class of anticancer drugs. Here, we describe that amphidinolide H (AmpH) targets actin cytoskeleton. AmpH induced multinucleated cells by disrupting actin organization in the cells, and the hyperpolymerization of purified actin into filaments of apparently normal morphology in vitro. AmpH covalently binds on actin, and the AmpH binding site is determined as Tyr200 of actin subdomain 4 by mass spectrometry and halo assay using the yeast harboring site-directed mutagenized actins. Time-lapse analyses showed that AmpH stimulated the formation of small actin-patches, followed by F-actin rearrangement into aggregates via the retraction of actin fibers. These results indicate that AmpH is a novel actin inhibitor that covalently binds on actin

Induction of inverted morphology in brain organoids by vertical-mixing bioreactors

上下動撹拌培養装置を用いた流体制御により誘導した反転型脳オルガノイド 脳オルガノイド誘導の流体シミュレーションと流体力学的理解. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-10-27.How you mix cells changes the brain. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-10-28.Organoid technology provides an opportunity to generate brain-like structures by recapitulating developmental steps in the manner of self-organization. Here we examined the vertical-mixing effect on brain organoid structures using bioreactors and established inverted brain organoids. The organoids generated by vertical mixing showed neurons that migrated from the outer periphery to the inner core of organoids, in contrast to orbital mixing. Computational analysis of flow dynamics clarified that, by comparison with orbital mixing, vertical mixing maintained the high turbulent energy around organoids, and continuously kept inter-organoid distances by dispersing and adding uniform rheological force on organoids. To uncover the mechanisms of the inverted structure, we investigated the direction of primary cilia, a cellular mechanosensor. Primary cilia of neural progenitors by vertical mixing were aligned in a multidirectional manner, and those by orbital mixing in a bidirectional manner. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that neurons of inverted brain organoids presented a GABAergic character of the ventral forebrain. These results suggest that controlling fluid dynamics by biomechanical engineering can direct stem cell differentiation of brain organoids, and that inverted brain organoids will be applicable for studying human brain development and disorders in the future

IFMIF, the European–Japanese efforts under the Broader Approach agreement towards a Li(d,xn) neutron source: Current status and future options

The necessity of a neutron source for fusion materials research was identified already in the 70s. Though neutrons induced degradation present similarities on a mechanistic approach, thresholds energies for crucial transmutations are typically above fission neutrons spectrum. The generation of He via 56Fe (n,α) 53Cr in future fusion reactors with around 12 appm/dpa will lead to swelling and structural materials embrittlement. Existing neutron sources, namely fission reactors or spallation sources lead to different degradation, attempts for extrapolation are unsuccessful given the absence of experimental observations in the operational ranges of a fusion reactor. Neutrons with a broad peak at 14 MeV can be generated with Li(d,xn) reactions; the technological efforts that started with FMIT in the early 80s have finally matured with the success of IFMIF/EVEDA under the Broader Approach Agreement. The status today of five technological challenges, perceived in the past as most critical, are addressed. These are: 1. the feasibility of IFMIF accelerators, 2. the long term stability of lithium flow at IFMIF nominal conditions, 3. the potential instabilities in the lithium screen induced by the 2 × 5 MW impacting deuteron beam, 4. the uniformity of temperature in the specimens during irradiation, and 5. the validity of data provided with small specimens. Other ideas for fusion material testing have been considered, but they possibly are either not technologically feasible if fixed targets are considered or would require the results of a Li(d,xn) facility to be reliably designed. In addition, today we know beyond reasonable doubt that the cost of IFMIF, consistently estimated throughout decades, is marginal compared with the cost of a fusion reactor. The less ambitious DEMO reactor performance being considered correlates with a lower need of fusion neutrons flux; thus IFMIF with its two accelerators is possibly not needed since with only one accelerator as the European DONES or the Japanese A-FNS propose, the present needs > 10 dpa/fpy would be fulfilled. World fusion roadmaps stipulate a fusion relevant neutron source by the middle of next decade, the success of IFMIF/EVEDA phase is materializing this four decades old dream