circRNA : A New Biomarker and Therapeutic Target for Esophageal Cancer

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) comprise a large class of endogenous non-coding RNA with covalently closed loops and have independent functions as linear transcripts transcribed from identical genes. circRNAs are generated by a “back-splicing” process regulated by regulatory elements in cis and associating proteins in trans. Many studies have shown that circRNAs play important roles in multiple processes, including splicing, transcription, chromatin modification, miRNA sponges, and protein decoys. circRNAs are highly stable because of their closed ring structure, which prevents them from degradation by exonucleases, and are more abundant in terminally differentiated cells, such as brains. Recently, it was demonstrated that numerous circRNAs are differentially expressed in cancer cells, and their dysfunction is involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the crucial functions of these circRNAs and the dysregulation of circRNAs in cancer are still unknown. In this review, we summarize the recent reports on the biogenesis and biology of circRNAs and then catalog the advances in using circRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancer therapy, particularly esophageal cancer

Daily intake of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 ameliorates psychological premenstrual symptoms in young women : A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study

Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 (CP2305) ameliorates stress-induced symptoms in young adults. In this study, we evaluated the effects of CP2305 on the premenstrual symptoms of healthy young women. Fifty-six women ingested CP2305 or placebo tablets over the course of six menstrual cycles. The CP2305 group reported fewer premenstrual symptoms than the placebo group, particularly psychological symptoms, such as depressed mood and anxiety. Whereas water retention-related physical symptom scores, such as those for breast tenderness and swelling, were reduced in the placebo group, they remained unchanged in the CP2305 group. In addition, significant differences were observed in the changes from baseline levels of salivary estradiol and progesterone in the luteal phase between the two groups, resulting in sustained elevated levels of reproductive hormones in the CP2305 group. Therefore, daily intake of CP2305 tablets might improve the premenstrual psychological symptoms of healthy young women in association with changes in reproductive hormone levels

Health Benefits of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 Tablets in Young Adults Exposed to Chronic Stress: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Short-term administration of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 improves stress-associated symptoms and clinical symptoms in healthy young adults and in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, respectively. We evaluated the efficacy and health benefits of the long-term use of a tablet containing heat-inactivated, washed Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 (CP2305) in healthy young adults. Sixty Japanese medical students (41 men and 19 women) preparing for the national examination for medical practitioners ingested CP2305-containing or placebo tablets once daily for 24 weeks. Intake of the CP2305 tablet significantly reduced anxiety and sleep disturbance relative to placebo, as quantitated by the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Single-channel sleep electroencephalograms show that CP2305 significantly shortened sleep latency and wake time after sleep onset and increased the delta power ratio in the first sleep cycle. CP2305 also significantly lowered salivary chromogranin A levels compared with placebo. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing of participant feces demonstrated that CP2305 administration attenuated the stress-induced decline of Bifidobacterium spp. and the stress-induced elevation of Streptococcus spp. We conclude that the long-term use of CP2305-containing tablets may improve the mental state, sleep quality, and gut microbiota of healthy adults under stressful conditions

Daily intake of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 relieves fatigue and stress-related symptoms in male university Ekiden runners : A double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial

The heat-inactivated, enteric-colonizing Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 (CP2305) ameliorates psychological stress-related symptoms. In this study, we examined effects of CP2305 on top athletes experiencing physical and mental stresses. Forty-nine male university Ekiden (long distance relay race) runners daily took the CP2305-containing beverage for 12 weeks during training for and competing in All-Japan university championships. The CP2305 intake significantly facilitated recovery from fatigue and relieved anxiety and depressive mood, compared with placebo intake. The CP2305 intake significantly prevented the training-induced reduction of hemoglobin and facilitated exercise-induced increase in serum growth hormone levels. The CP2305 intake significantly increased the alpha- and beta-diversities of fecal microbiota, and the compositions of Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium. Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood leukocytes indicated that CP2305 prevented the stress-induced changes in the expression of genes related to mitochondrial functions. Our results suggest that daily intake of paraprobiotic CP2305 may be beneficial to athletes facing stressful situations

Daily intake of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 improves mental, physical, and sleep quality among Japanese medical students enrolled in a cadaver dissection course

Increasing recognition of the interaction between the brain and gut microbiota has spurred interest in the efficacy of probiotics on stress-related behaviours. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 (CP2305) on mental and physical states in healthy male students enrolled in a cadaver dissection course in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover-designed trial. Daily administration of CP2305 for 4 weeks significantly improved anxiety, depressive mood and global sleep quality compared with placebo. CP2305 also suppressed salivary cortisol release. In the faecal microbiota, CP2305 suppressed the growth of Enterobacteriaceae. Differential changes in gene expression in peripheral blood leukocytes during the administration period were observed between the placebo and CP2305 groups. Eukaryotic initiation factor 2-related genes were down-regulated only in the placebo group. Thus, the ingestion of CP2305 may have beneficial effects on stress-associated behaviours

Epitaxial growth of Fe3Si/CaF2/Fe3Si magnetic tunnel junction structures on CaF2/Si(111) by molecular beam epitaxy

The Fe3Si(24 nm)/CaF2(2 nm)/Fe3Si(12 nm) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures were grown epitaxially on CaF2/Si(111) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The 12-nm-thick Fe3Si underlayer was grown epitaxially on CaF2/Si(111) at approximately 400 °C; however, the surface of the Fe3Si film was very rough, and thus a lot of pinholes are considered to exist in the 2-nm-thick CaF2 barrier layer. The average roughness (Ra) of the CaF2 barrier layer was 7.8 nm. This problem was overcome by low-temperature deposition of Fe and Si at 80 °C on CaF2/Si(111), followed by annealing at 250 °C for 30 min to form the Fe3Si layer. The Ra roughness was significantly reduced down to approximately 0.26 nm. A hysteresis loop with coercive field Hc of approximately 25 Oe was obtained in the magnetic field dependence of Kerr rotation at room temperature (RT)

Daily administration of paraprobiotic Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 ameliorates chronic stress-associated symptoms in Japanese medical students

Administration of Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 for 4 weeks improved stress-associated behaviours in healthy young adults and clinical symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. The present study was designed to confirm the stress-relieving effects of heat-inactivated, washed CP2305 (paraprobiotic CP2305) on 69 sixth-year medical students (40 males and 29 females) preparing to take the national examination for medical practitioners. Administration of the paraprobiotic CP2305 for 12 weeks significantly improved sleep quality assessed by both the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and a one-channel sleep electroencephalogram during the pre-examination period compared with that of the placebo administration. The paraprobiotic CP2305 administration also prevented increases in basal salivary cortisol release and expression of stress-responsive microRNAs (miR-144 and miR-144⁄). In addition to the improvement in parasympathetic nerve activity, the paraprobiotic CP2305 normalized the bowel habits under the stressful conditions. Based on these results, we propose that paraprobiotic CP2305 may be used as a para-psychobiotic

Minoxidil-induced lung disease, masquerading as hypersensitivity pneumonitis

We report the case of a 71-year-old male with essential thrombosis who presented with ground-glass lung opacity with a mosaic pattern on computed tomography, which resolved spontaneously with hospitalization. This was confused with a case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), which later turned out to be a drug-induced lung disease caused by surreptitiously administered minoxidil. This case emphasizes the importance of obtaining a correct medication history to make an accurate diagnosis, and this is the first report of minoxidil causing HP-like pulmonary illness