Effect of Miglitol, an α-Glucosidase Inhibitor, on Postprandial Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: The effects of miglitol on postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism were investigated in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with diet alone. Subjects and Methods: A meal tolerance test (MTT) was performed in 26 diabetic patients before and 2 weeks after 150 mg/day miglitol treatment, with the second MTT performed in patients after they had taken a dose of 50 mg miglitol. Results: Miglitol treatment decreased postprandial blood glucose and serum insulin levels 30 and 60 min after meal loading, but there was no change in blood glucose levels at 120 min. In addition, there were no significant decreases in the area under the curve (AUC) of blood glucose and serum insulin levels. However, the AUC of postprandial serum triglycerides and incremental triglycerides decreased significantly, as did the AUC of postprandial incremental remnant-like particle cholesterol. There were no significant changes in total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Conclusions: Miglitol treatment improves postprandial hyperlipidemia, as well as postprandial hyperglycemia, in patients with T2DM. In T2DM patients treated with α-glucosidase inhibitors alone, measuring blood glucose levels 120 min after a meal may not be the best way to monitor postprandial glucose metabolism

pSNAP: Proteome-wide analysis of elongating nascent polypeptide chains

Cellular global translation is often measured using ribosome profiling or quantitative mass spectrometry, but these methods do not provide direct information at the level of elongating nascent polypeptide chains (NPCs) and associated co-translational events. Here, we describe pSNAP, a method for proteome-wide profiling of NPCs by affinity enrichment of puromycin- and stable isotope-labeled polypeptides. pSNAP does not require ribosome purification and/or chemical labeling, and captures bona fide NPCs that characteristically exhibit protein N-terminus-biased positions. We applied pSNAP to evaluate the effect of silmitasertib, a potential molecular therapy for cancer, and revealed acute translational repression through casein kinase II and mTOR pathways. We also characterized modifications on NPCs and demonstrated that the combination of different types of modifications, such as acetylation and phosphorylation in the N-terminal region of histone H1.5, can modulate interactions with ribosome-associated factors. Thus, pSNAP provides a framework for dissecting co-translational regulations on a proteome-wide scale

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland

Gastric duplication complicated by hypergastrinemia: A case report

Introduction: Gastrointestinal duplications are rare congenital anomalies that can occur anywhere throughout the intestinal tract. However, gastric duplication is very rare. A case of gastric duplication with uncommon complications, hypergastrinemia and duodenal ulcer, is described. Case report: The patient was an 11-year-old girl who presented with epigastric pain and non-bilious vomiting. The patient had a history of recurrent duodenal ulcers. Gastrin levels when the patient first presented with a duodenal ulcer at 8 years of age had reached 730 pg/mL. Computed tomography (CT) showed a cyst outside the pyloric antrum after remission of the duodenal ulcer, and it was suspected to be gastric duplication. For recurrence of the duodenal ulcer, the patient had been treated with histamine 2 receptor blockade for 3 years. At 11 years of age, the patient had stopped the medication and presented with gastric pain and vomiting. CT showed an enlarged gastric cyst and an obstructed pylorus. The patient was then referred to our hospital, and a laparotomy was performed to resect the cyst. Histological examination revealed positive staining for gastrin in the cyst wall mucosa, which is consistent with gastric duplication. Postoperative serum gastrin levels decreased, suggesting that gastric duplication had caused the hypergastrinemia. Conclusion: A case of gastric duplication was presented. Gastric duplication should be considered when treating patients with cystic disease of the pyloric region. In addition, hypergastrinemia may occur due to duplicated intestine near the pylorus, which may cause a duodenal ulcer

A case of primary racemose hemangioma with endobronchial lesions demonstrating recurrent hemoptysis initially treated with bronchial arterial embolization

Primary racemose hemangioma of the bronchial artery (RHBA) is one of the causes of massive hemoptysis. A 72-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with recurrent hemoptysis. Bronchoscopy showed an endobronchial lesion, and the angiography of the right bronchial arteries indicated RHBA. Bronchial arterial embolization (BAE) was performed to prevent hemoptysis. Although the endobronchial lesion shrank after the first BAE, the lesion re-increased and caused massive hemoptysis. A thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy was performed, and hemoptysis did not recur. Therefore, in cases of RHBA where there is recurrent hemoptysis and the endobronchial lesions that remain after BAE, additional treatments should be considered