Inhibition of IgE-dependent Mouse Triphasic Cutaneous Reaction by a Boiling Water Fraction Separated from Mycelium of Phellinus linteus

Phellinus linteus, a mushroom, contains constituents that exhibit potent antitumor effects through activating immune cells. Recently, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties of P. linteus extracts have also been implicated. In the present study, therefore, we separated the constituents of mycelium of P. linteus into five fractions—chloroform-soluble (CF), ethyl acetate-soluble (EA), methanol-soluble (AE), water-soluble (WA) and boiling water-soluble (BW) fractions—and examined their suppressive effects on the IgE-dependent mouse triphasic cutaneous reaction. The triphasic reaction was induced in the ear of BALB/c mice passively sensitized with anti-dinitrophenol IgE by painting with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene 24 h later. Ear swelling appeared triphasically with peak responses at 1 h, 24 h and 8 days after the challenge. ME, WA and BW given orally at a dose of 100 mg kg(−1) significantly inhibited the first and second phase ear swelling, and BW also inhibited the third phase response. CF only inhibited the second phase. The inhibition by BW was the most potent and almost dose-dependent at doses of 30–300 mg kg(−1). BW also inhibited vascular permeability increase caused by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and histamine, and ear swelling caused by tumor necrosis factor-α. In contrast, BW apparently potentiated the production of interleukin-4 and interferon-γ from anti-CD3-stimulated mouse splenocytes. These results indicate that BW derived from mycelium of P. linteus contains some constituents with anti-allergic as well as immunopotentiating properties

INFLUENCE OF WETNESS ON EFFICIENCY OF THE FULL SCALE SIZE LOW PRESSURE TURBINES

ABSTRACT Efficiencies of 60Hz full size test turbines were measured in various wet steam conditions to reveal the wetness impact on the performance. We changed the wetness and stage load conditions independently under the condition of constant steam mass flow rate in the low pressure turbine. The test results told that the stage efficiency decreases with the increasing of wetness as many studies showed, furthermore, the stage efficiency decreases more in smaller load conditions than in the design point. In addition, blade length effects were examined by comparing two types of LP turbine to be found that the longer case got more deficits at the same wetness. Some theoretical evaluations were tried and a combination of some simple loss models explained the tendencies above, qualitatively. The evaluation showed that absolute value of mechanical wet loss such as braking loss remained unchanged regardless of load conditions, so in low load condition, ratio of mechanical loss to stage load increased, resulting decrease of stage efficiency. It also showed that increasing wet loss at the longer blade was mainly because higher circumferential velocity caused larger mechanical wet loss such as braking loss. INTRODUCTION The steam in low pressure steam turbines operating in thermal power plants is generally expanded to a vacuum, and the turbine exit operates in wet-steam conditions. In geothermal and nuclear power plants, almost all the turbine stages operate in wet steam because the inlet steam temperature is lower than that of thermal power plants. The wet steam includes variou

Serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in nondialyzed patients with chronic renal failure

Serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in nondialyzed patients with chronic renal failure.BackgroundIn patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), abnormalities in vitamin D metabolism are known to be present, and several factors could contribute to the abnormalities.MethodsWe measured serum levels of three vitamin D metabolites, 1,25(OH)2D, 24,25(OH)2D and 25(OH)D, and analyzed factors affecting their levels in 76 nondialyzed patients with CRF (serum creatinine> 1.6 and < 9.0 mg/dl), 37 of whom had diabetes mellitus (DM-CRF) and 39 of whom were nondiabetic (nonDM-CRF).ResultsSerum levels of 1,25(OH)2D were positively correlated with estimated creatinine clearance (CCr; r = 0.429; P < 0.0001), and levels of 24,25(OH)2D were weakly correlated with CCr (r = 0.252, P < 0.05); no correlation was noted for 25(OH)D. Serum levels of all three vitamin D metabolites were significantly and positively correlated with serum albumin. Although there were no significant differences in age, sex, estimated CCr, calcium and phosphate between DM-CRF and nonDM-CRF, all three vitamin D metabolites were significantly lower in DM-CRF than in nonDM-CRF. To analyze factors influencing vitamin D metabolite levels, we performed multiple regression analyses. Serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly and independently associated with serum albumin, presence of DM and serum phosphate (R2 = 0.599; P < 0.0001). 24,25(OH)2D levels were significantly and strongly associated with 25(OH)D (β; = 0.772; R2 = 0.446; P < 0.0001). Serum 1,25(OH)2D levels were significantly associated only with estimated CCr (R2 = 0.409; P < 0.0001).ConclusionsThese results suggest that hypoalbuminemia and the presence of DM independently affect serum 25(OH)D levels, probably via diabetic nephropathy and poor nutritional status associated with diabetes, and that 25(OH)D is actively catalyzed to 24,25(OH)2D in CRF, probably largely via extrarenal 24-hydroxylase. Serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D were significantly affected by the degree of renal failure. Thus, this study indicates that patients with CRF, particularly those with DM, should receive supplements containing the active form of vitamin D prior to dialysis

Pretransplant HbA1c Is a Useful Predictor for the Development of New-Onset Diabetes in Renal Transplant Recipients Receiving No or Low-Dose Erythropoietin

Aims. To evaluate the predictive power of pretransplant HbA1c for new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) in kidney transplant candidates, who had several predispositions for fluctuated HbA1c levels. Methods. We performed a retrospective study of 119 patients without diabetes who received kidney transplantation between March 2000 and January 2012. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association of several parameters with NODAT. Predictive discrimination of HbA1c was assessed using a receiver-operating characteristic curve. Results. Seventeen patients (14.3%) developed NODAT within 1 year of transplantation. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that recipient age, gender, and HbA1c were predictors of NODAT. In the multivariate analysis, the association between pretransplant HbA1c and NODAT development did not reach statistical significance ( = 0.07). To avoid the strong influence of high-dose erythropoietin on HbA1c levels, we performed subgroup analyses on 85 patients receiving no or low-dose (≤6000 IU/week) erythropoietin. HbA1c was again an independent predictor for NODAT. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis revealed a cut-off value of 5.2% with an optimal sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 78% for predicting NODAT. Conclusions. Our results reveal that the pretransplant HbA1c level is a useful predictor for NODAT in patients receiving no or low-dose erythropoietin

Coexistence of muscle atrophy and high subcutaneous adipose tissue radiodensity predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

IntroductionWe aimed to assess the prognostic implications of muscle atrophy and high subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) radiodensity in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodsIn this retrospective study, muscle atrophy was assessed using the psoas muscle index (PMI) obtained from computed tomography. SAT radiodensity was evaluated based on radiodensity measurements. Survival and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with prognosis. The impact of muscle atrophy and high SAT radiodensity on prognosis was determined through survival analysis.ResultsA total of 201 patients (median age: 71 years; 76.6% male) with HCC were included. Liver cirrhosis was observed in 72.6% of patients, and the predominant Child–Pugh grade was A (77.1%). A total of 33.3% of patients exhibited muscle atrophy based on PMI values, whereas 12.9% had high SAT radiodensity. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis demonstrated that patients with muscle atrophy had significantly poorer prognosis than those without muscle atrophy. Patients with high SAT radiodensity had a significantly worse prognosis than those without it. Muscle atrophy, high SAT radiodensity, the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer class B, C, or D, and Child–Pugh score ≥ 6 were significantly associated with overall survival. Further classification of patients into four groups based on the presence or absence of muscle atrophy and high SAT radiodensity revealed that patients with both muscle atrophy and high SAT radiodensity had the poorest prognosis.ConclusionMuscle atrophy and high SAT radiodensity are significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Identifying this high-risk subgroup may facilitate the implementation of targeted interventions, including nutritional therapy and exercise, to potentially improve clinical outcomes

Pure Laparoscopic Hepatectomy Combined with a Pure Laparoscopic Pringle Maneuver in Patients with Severe Cirrhosis

Laparoscopic hepatectomy is a standard surgical procedure. However, it is difficult to perform in patients with severe cirrhosis because of fibrosis and a high risk of hemorrhage. We report our recent experience in five cases of pure laparoscopic hepatectomy combined with a pure laparoscopic Pringle maneuver in patients with severe cirrhosis. From 2012 to 2014, we performed pure laparoscopic partial hepatectomy in five patients with severe liver cirrhosis (indocyanine green retention rate at 15&#x2009;min [ICG R15] >30% and fibrosis stage f4). A pure laparoscopic Pringle maneuver was employed in all patients. We investigated operative time, blood loss, duration of hospitalization and the days when discharge was possible, and compared these findings with those of patients with a normal liver (ICG R15 <10%, f0) who underwent pure laparoscopic partial hepatectomy during the same period (n = 7). As a result, operative time, blood loss, duration of hospitalization and the days when discharge was possible were similar in patients with cirrhosis undergoing pure laparoscopic hepatectomy combined with a pure laparoscopic Pringle maneuver to those in patients with a normal liver undergoing pure laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. In conclusion, pure laparoscopic hepatectomy combined with a pure laparoscopic Pringle maneuver appears to be safe in patients with severe cirrhosis