A Comparative Analysis of Genistein and Daidzein in Affecting Lipid Metabolism in Rat Liver

Effects of soy isoflavones, genistein and daidzein, on the hepatic gene expression profile and indices for lipid metabolism were compared in rats. In the first experiment (Expt. 1), animals were fed diets containing 2 g/kg of either genistein or daidzein, or a control diet free of isoflavone for 14 days. In the second experiment (Expt. 2), rats were fed diets containing 1 or 2 g/kg of genistein, or an isoflavone-free diet for 16 days. Genistein at a dietary level of 2 g/kg reduced serum triacylglycerol concentrations in both experiments, and serum concentrations of cholesterol in Expt. 2. However, daidzein at 2 g/kg did not decrease serum lipid concentrations in Expt. 1. A DNA microarray analysis in Expt. 1 showed that genistein was stronger than daidzein in affecting gene expression in liver, targeting many genes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Detailed analyses indicated that alterations in the expression of genes related to lipogenesis are primarily responsible for the serum lipid-lowering effect of genistein. This notion was supported by analyses of the activity of enzymes involved in lipogenesis in Expt. 2

Lesion Size on Ultrasonography Predicts Potential Invasion in Ductal Carcinoma in situ Preoperatively Diagnosed by Breast Needle Biopsy

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast has no potential to metastasize, but over 20% of cases preoperatively diagnosed as DCIS are upstaged on final pathology. The rates of upstaging and the predictors for invasion on final pathology were evaluated. For 240 primary breast cancers, radiological findings on mammography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging were investigated along with pathological and clinical information. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of potential invasion. Of the 240 breast cancers, 68 (28.3%) showed invasion on final pathology, and 5 (2.5%) had sentinel node metastasis. The multivariate analysis identified five independent predictors: non-mass lesions >2.4 cm on ultrasonography (odds ratio [OR] 2.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-7.95, p=0.047), comedo-type histology (OR 6.89, 95% CI 1.89-25.08, p<0.01), solid-type histology (OR 7.97, 95% CI 2.08-30.49, p<0.01), palpable mass (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.05-6.64, p=0.04), and bloody nipple discharge (OR 4.61, 95% CI 1.20-17.66, p=0.02). These five predictors were associated with invasion on final pathology and may help select candidates for sentinel node biopsy

Multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy reveals reduced prefrontal activation in schizophrenia patients during performance of the kana Stroop task

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the activity of frontal lobe of patients with schizophrenia during performance of two Japanese versions of the Stroop task (kana and kanji) by measuring changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb) with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Fourteen schizophrenia patients and 14 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects participated in the study after giving consent. The relative changes of concentrations of oxyHb were measured by NIRS during performance of the Stroop task. Significant Stroop effects, as measured by the number of correct responses, were observed with both the kana and the kanji versions. Analysis of NIRS data revealed that the schizophrenia patients showed reduced activation in the prefrontal cortex compared to healthy controls during performance of the kana Stroop task, and that both schizophrenia patients and healthy controls showed lack of activity in the prefrontal cortex during performance of the kanji Stroop task. The results of the present study suggest the possibility that the kana Stroop task cause a greater Stroop effect than the kanji Stroop task, and schizophrenia patients show decreased prefrontal vascular reactivity associated with the inhibition required during the performance of the kana Stroop task

Detection of Lymphocyte Subsets by Monoclonal Antibodies in Aged and Young Humans

With the use of Leu-series monoclonal antibodies, peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in aged and young humans were determined. 1) In comparison with young individuals, Leu-1+ cells and Leu-2a+ cells were decreased, whereas Leu-7+ cells and Leu-3a/Leu-2a were increased in aged individuals. 2) No sex difference could be observed in lymphocyte subsets. 3) PHA response of lymphocytes showed a negative correlation with Leu-2a+ cells and a positive correlation with Leu-3a/Leu-2a in aged individuals

Production of Interleukin 2 in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes: Optimal Condition for its Culture

For the assay of the production of Interleukin 2 (IL-2) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (human PBL), a study was made on the optimal condition for its culture. 1) The optimal condition for the production of IL-2 was considered to be incubation time of 24 hr, number of PBL of 1 x 106 cells/ml, and phytohemagglutinin-M (PHA-M) concentration of 1 — 5% 2) By one way mixed lymphocyte reaction (one way MLR), IL-2 activity similar in level to that by PHA-M stimulation could also be obtained. It was maximal at the 4th day of culture. 3) By PHA-P (0.06%) stimulation, IL-2 could also be produced similar to that by PHAM stimulation but it decreased in the order of Con A, PWM and PPD and hardly any production of IL-2 could be observed by LPS

Marked motor function improvement in a 32-year-old woman with childhood-onset hypophosphatasia by asfotase alfa therapy: Evaluation based on standardized testing batteries used in Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinical trials

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare disorder resulting from biallelic loss-of-function variants or monoallelic dominant negative variants in the ALPL gene. We herein describe the clinical outcome of a 32-year-old woman with childhood-onset HPP caused by compound heterozygous variants in ALPL. Her chief complaints were severe musculoskeletal pain, muscle weakness, and impaired daily activities necessitating assistance in housework and child-rearing in addition to a history of early tooth loss and mildly short stature. Asfotase alfa therapy produced a remarkable increase in muscle strength and daily activities and markedly reduced musculoskeletal pain. Drug efficacy was clearly demonstrated through multiple test batteries (muscle strength test using microFET®2, six-minute walking test, Stair Climb Test, rising-from-floor-time test, and number-of-steps test using Actigraph®) currently adopted as standardized evaluations in Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinical trials since no test batteries for HPP have been established to date. These tests may also be promising for the assessment of HPP

Interleukin-2 Production and Lymphocyte Proliferation in Aged and Young Humans

A study was made on the effect of aging on the production of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and lymphocyte proliferation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. 1) In comparison with young individuals, IL-2 production tended to decrease in aged individuals, while lymphocyte proliferation showed a significant decrease. 2) A significant correlation was observed between IL-2 production and lymphocyte proliferation in both the aged and young human populations. 3) IL-2 production showed a negative correlation with Leu-2a positive rate and a positive correlation with Leu-3a/Leu-2a ratio in aged individuals

Investigation of Methods to Create Future Multimodal Emotional Data for Robot Interactions in Patients with Schizophrenia : A Case Study

Rapid progress in humanoid robot investigations offers possibilities for improving the competencies of people with social disorders, although this improvement of humanoid robots remains unexplored for schizophrenic people. Methods for creating future multimodal emotional data for robot interactions were studied in this case study of a 40-year-old male patient with disorganized schizophrenia without comorbidities. The qualitative data included heart rate variability (HRV), video-audio recordings, and field notes. HRV, Haar cascade classifier (HCC), and Empath API© were evaluated during conversations between the patient and robot. Two expert nurses and one psychiatrist evaluated facial expressions. The research hypothesis questioned whether HRV, HCC, and Empath API© are useful for creating future multimodal emotional data about robot–patient interactions. The HRV analysis showed persistent sympathetic dominance, matching the human–robot conversational situation. The result of HCC was in agreement with that of human observation, in the case of rough consensus. In the case of observed results disagreed upon by experts, the HCC result was also different. However, emotional assessments by experts using Empath API© were also found to be inconsistent. We believe that with further investigation, a clearer identification of methods for multimodal emotional data for robot interactions can be achieved for patients with schizophrenia

Cellular Immunity of Patients with Lung Cancer and Other Lung Diseases II. Analysis of interleukin-2 production

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from patients with lung cancer and noncancerous respiratory diseases was determined. The results are as follows: 1) Neither sex nor age difference was observed for IL-2 production among healthy people. 2) IL-2 production showed a positive correlation with the Leu-3a/Leu-2a ratio and a negative correlation with the percentage of HLA-DR+ cells. 3) IL-2 production of patients with lung cancer and noncancerous respiratory diseases did not differ from that of healthy persons. 4) No difference in IL-2 production was found in relation to the clinical stage of lung cancer, but subjects with low IL-2 production were mostly observed in the advanced stage group (Stage IV)