MARKED EPITHELIAL HYPERPLASIA OF THE RAT GLANDULAR STOMACH INDUCED BY LONG-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF IODOACETAMIDE

Iodoacetamide (IAA), an ulcerogenic compound, was continuously given to male Wistar rats for up to 74 weeks. No carcinomas developed but marked glandular hyperplasias were frequently observed accompanied by chronic ulcer or erosion in the fundic region. They showed pseudo-invasive growth into the submucosa, the granulomatous tissue and even into the muscle layer, but no cellular and nuclear atypia was observed in their glands. Characteristically the mucosal damage caused by chronic IAA treatment was restricted to the fundic mucosa along the limiting ridge. Abnormally regenerated mucosa in the damaged area showed pyloric gland type metaplasia, demonstrated histo-chemically by paradoxical concanavalin A-staining and high-iron diamine-Alcian blue staining for mucin. No intestinal metaplasia was observed in these mucosa.     

Nomograms predicting extra- and early intrahepatic recurrence after hepatic resection of hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundExtrahepatic recurrence and early intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection are indicative of poor prognoses. We aimed to develop nomograms to predict extrahepatic recurrence and early intrahepatic recurrence after hepatic resection.MethodsThe participants of this study were 1,206 patients who underwent initial and curative hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma. Multivariate logistic regression analyses using the Akaike information criterion were used to construct nomograms to predict extrahepatic recurrence and early intrahepatic recurrence (within 1 year of surgery) at the first recurrence sites after hepatic resection. Performance of each nomogram was evaluated by calibration plots with bootstrapping.ResultsExtrahepatic recurrence was identified in 95 patients (7.9%) and early intrahepatic recurrence in 296 patients (24.5%). Three predictive factors, α-fetoprotein >200 ng/mL, tumor size (3–5 cm or >5 cm vs ≤3 cm), and image-diagnosed venous invasion by computed tomography, were adopted in the final model of the extrahepatic recurrence nomogram with a concordance index of 0.75. Tumor size and 2 additional predictors (ie, multiple tumors and image-diagnosed portal invasion) were adopted in the final model of the early intrahepatic recurrence nomogram with a concordance index of 0.67. The calibration plots showed good agreement between the nomogram predictions of extrahepatic recurrence and early intrahepatic recurrence and the actual observations of extrahepatic recurrence and early intrahepatic recurrence, respectively.ConclusionWe have developed reliable nomograms to predict extrahepatic recurrence and early intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection. These are useful for the diagnostic prediction of extrahepatic recurrence and early intrahepatic recurrence and could guide the surgeon’s selection of treatment strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.     

A digest of the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Nephrotic Syndrome 2020

Clinical and Experimental Nephrology -     

Strain difference in transgene-induced tumorigenesis and suppressive effect of ionizing radiation

Transgenic expression in medaka of the Xiphophorus oncogene xmrk, under a pigment cell specific mitf promoter, induces hyperpigmentation and pigment cell tumors. In this study, we crossed the Hd-rR and HNI inbred strains because complete genome information is readily available for molecular and genetic analysis. We prepared an Hd-rR (p53^+/−, p53^−/−) and Hd-rR HNI hybrid (p53^+/−) fish-based xmrk model system to study the progression of pigment cells from hyperpigmentation to malignant tumors on different genetic backgrounds. In all strains examined, most of the initial hyperpigmentation occurred in the posterior region. On the Hd-rR background, mitf:xmrk-induced tumorigenesis was less frequent in p53^+/− fish than in p53^−/− fish. The incidence of hyperpigmentation was more frequent in Hd-rR/HNI hybrids than in Hd-rR homozygotes; however, the frequency of malignant tumors was low, which suggested the presence of a tumor suppressor in HNI genetic background fish. The effects on tumorigenesis in xmrk-transgenic immature medaka of a single 1.3 Gy irradiation was assessed by quantifying tumor progression over 4 consecutive months. The results demonstrate that irradiation has a different level of suppressive effect on the frequency of hyperpigmentation in purebred Hd-rR compared with hybrids.     

Cellulase-Catalyzed Transglucosylation of Acetaminophen and Acyclovir: Preparative Enzymatic Synthesis of β-glucose Conjugate

Pharmaceutical Research -     

Ketamine inhibits inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production depending on the extracellular Ca2+ concentration in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

We investigated the effect of ketamine on inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) formation in rat cardiomyocytes. After the addition of 1 micromol/L ketamine, IP3 production in the presence of 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 30 mmol/L Ca2+ significantly decreased from 537.1+/-8.3, 590.7+/-12.9, 690.6+/-7.9, 754.8+/-12.5, and 823.7+/-15.2 pmol/mg protein to 467.0+/-8.3, 483.8+/-11.0, 512.6+/-21.3, 612.1+/-16.9, and 652.6+/-17.3 pmol/mg protein, respectively. When exposed to TMB-8 (a intracellular calcium inhibitor), IP3 production decreased significantly from 347.2+/-27.3 to 283.8+/-20.4 pmol/mg protein in the presence of 1 micromol/L ketamine, but A23187, which increases intracellular calcium, did not affect the inhibition of IP3 production by ketamine. These results demonstrate that ketamine decreases IP3 formation through inhibition of the calcium ion-sensing receptor and that IP3 formation reduced by ketamine is not affected by the alteration of intracellular calcium. IMPLICATIONS: Ketamine has a negative inotropic effect in isolated cardiomyocytes. The negative inotropic effect was associated with a decrease in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production, and the inhibitory action was enhanced depending on the concentration of extracellular Ca2+.