Relationship between airborne pollen count and treatment outcome in Japanese cedar pollinosis patients

In Japan, information on daily Japanese cedar pollen counts is made public during pollen season. If symptom severity and treatment outcome are predictable according to these pollen counts, management of seasonal allergic rhinitis may become more precise. The aims of the study were to evaluate the relationship between airborne pollen counts, symptom severity and treatment outcome in Japanese cedar pollinosis patients. In the randomized study, patients with moderate to most severe Japanese pollinosis were treated with fexofenadine (60 mg BD) or fexofenadine and nasal corticosteroids for 2 weeks. During the same period daily airborne pollen counts were measured. A total of 105 adult patients were enrolled. No difference of treatment efficacy was seen among groups. Detailed results of efficacy and safety were previously described elsewhere. In univariate analysis, the mean cumulative amount of airborne pollen exposure for 4 days prior to the study tended to affect symptom severity (P = 0.053) and the mean cumulative amount of airborne pollen during the treatment period tended to show difference among five treatment outcome categories (P = 0.066). In multivariate analysis, the mean cumulative amount of airborne pollen exposure for 4 days prior to the study was identified as the only significant factor of symptom severity (P = 0.0327) and cumulative amount of airborne pollen during the treatment period (P = 0.027) and allergic history (P = 0.027) were significant factors of treatment outcomes. No serious adverse effect was reported during the study. The amount of airborne pollen may be predictive of both symptom severity and treatment outcome.     

Tomographic features of branching vascular networks in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

PURPOSE: To identify the tomographic features of the branching vascular networks in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS: We prospectively performed third-generation optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography for 44 eyes of 42 patients (mean age +/- SD, 67.1 +/- 9.1 years) with PCV. All eyes had branching vascular networks and polypoidal lesions that were confirmed by indocyanine green angiography. RESULTS: OCT showed double reflective layers that consisted of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and another highly reflective layer beneath the RPE ("double-layer sign") in the area of the branching network vessels in 26 (59%) of 44 eyes. The remaining 18 eyes had no double-layer sign, but 17 (94%) of 18 eyes had a slightly elevated RPE. A serous retinal detachment was present in 23 (88%) of 26 eyes with a double-layer sign, while only 1 (6%) of 18 eyes without the sign had a serous retinal detachment. CONCLUSIONS: In PCV, the double-layer sign is seen frequently in the area of the network vessels, particularly in eyes with a serous retinal detachment. The sign may reflect fluid accumulation between RPE and Bruch membrane resulting from leakage from the network of abnormal vessels.     

Quantification of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness reduction associated with a relative afferent pupillary defect in asymmetric glaucoma

AIM: The relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) is an important clinical sign of asymmetrical retinal ganglion cell and axonal damage. Although glaucoma essentially affects bilateral eyes, a subset of patients manifests asymmetrical glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON), which exhibits an RPAD in the more advanced eyes. However, the degree to which axonal loss occurs before an RAPD is clinically detectable has not been substantiated. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between the depth of a clinically detectable RAPD and the reduction ratio of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in the more advanced eyes relative to that in the contralateral less advanced eyes of patients with asymmetrical GON. METHODS: Enrolled were 29 consecutive glaucoma patients with the clinically detectable RAPD. An RAPD was quantified by placing log-scaled neutral density filters over the less advanced eyes while performing the swinging flashlight test. Average RNFL thickness was determined using the Fast RNFL thickness programme of optical coherence tomography 3000. Correlation coefficient and Linear regression analyses were used in assessing the relationship between the RAPD and the ratio of RNFL thickness in the more advanced eyes relative to that in the less advanced. RESULTS: RAPD ranged from 0.6 to 2.4 log units. The log-scaled RAPD had a statistically significantly inversed correlation with the average RNFL thickness ratio (r(s) = -0.729, p<0.0001). Linear regression analysis found an equation that the average RNFL thickness ratio in the more affected eyes relative to that in the less advanced (%) = (0.827-0.169xRAPD (log units))x100 (R(2) = 0.557, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: When an RAPD is clinically detected, the RNFL thickness in the more advanced eyes was in average reduced to about 73% of that in the less advanced.     

Daily exercise lowers blood pressure and reduces visceral adipose tissue areas in overweight Japanese men

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the link between a reduction in blood pressure (BP) and daily exercise. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical intervention study with exercise education. SUBJECTS: 43 overweight Japanese men aged 32-59 years (BMI, 29.0+/-2.3 kg/m2) at baseline. Among the participants, a randomly selected 23 overweight men (BMI, 28.5+/-1.7) were further enrolled into the 10 months exercise program. MEASUREMENTS: BP was measured every week and steps per day were also recorded every day throughout the observation period. Fat distribution was evaluated by visceral fat (V) and subcutaneous fat (S) areas measured with computed tomography (CT) scanning at umbilical level, at before, 5 months and after intervention. Anthropometric parameters were also measured at same point. Aerobic exercise level, muscle strength, flexibility and calorie intake and insulin resistance (HOMA index) were investigated at before and after the study. RESULTS: In a cross sectional analysis, systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were significantly correlated with body composition. In a second longitudinal analysis, SBP was significantly reduced at 2 months and DBP was also reduced at 3 months, and almost maintained until the end of the observation period. Increasing daily walking was observed in 3 months and maintained until 10 months. Body composition, aerobic exercise level, muscle strength, flexibility and insulin resistance were significantly improved. There was positive correlation between DeltaDBP and Deltavisceral fat area (1-5, 5-10, 1-10 months). By stepwise multiple regression analysis, only Deltavisceral fat area was independently related to DeltaDBP at a significant level (1-10 months: DeltaDBP=-0.608+0.105Deltavisceral fat area, r2=0.227, P=0.0334). CONCLUSION: The present study indicated daily exercise lowers BP and visceral fat area is the critical factor for BP change.     

Genetic Analysis of Non-Hydrogen Sulfide-Producing Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and S. enterica Serovar Infantis Isolates in Japan

Whole-genome sequencing of non-H₂S-producing Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and S. enterica serovar Infantis isolates from poultry meat revealed a nonsense mutation in the phsA thiosulfate reductase gene and carriage of a CMY-2 β-lactamase. The lack of production of H₂S might lead to the incorrect identification of S. enterica isolates carrying antimicrobial resistance genes.     

Activating HRAS mutation in a case of inverted ductal papilloma of the salivary gland

Inverted ductal papilloma (IDP) is one of the least common benign papillary/cystic neoplasms of the salivary duct system, being characterized histologically by florid hyperplasia of duct-type epithelial cells into a cystic lumen near the orifice with occasional endophytic growth of the surface squamous epithelium along the terminus of the affected excretory duct. Given its rarity, the exact etiology of IDP remains to be defined. We herein present the first evidence of oncogenic HRAS mutation in a case of oral IDP. This finding, together with the frequent and specific BRAF mutations in sialadenoma papilliferum reported in the recent literature, supports an active role of the MAP-kinase cascade in the pathogenesis of benign papillary neoplasms of terminal duct origin.     

MKK7 deficiency in mature neurons impairs parental behavior in mice

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are constitutively activated in mammalian brains and are indispensable for their development and neural functions. MKK7 is an upstream activator of all JNKs. However, whether the common JNK signaling pathway regulates the brain's control of social behavior remains unclear. Here, we show that female mice in which Mkk7 is deleted specifically in mature neurons (Mkk7^flox/floxSyn-Cre mice) give birth to a normal number of pups but fail to raise them due to a defect in pup retrieval. To explore the mechanism underlying this abnormality, we performed comprehensive behavioral tests. Mkk7^flox/floxSyn-Cre mice showed normal locomotor functions and cognitive ability but exhibited depression-like behavior. cDNA microarray analysis of mutant brain revealed an altered gene expression pattern. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that mRNA expression levels of genes related to neural signaling pathways and a calcium channel were significantly different from controls. In addition, loss of neural MKK7 had unexpected regulatory effects on gene expression patterns in oligodendrocytes. These findings indicate that MKK7 has an important role in regulating the gene expression patterns responsible for promoting normal social behavior and staving off depression.     

Effects of electrical microstimulation of peripheral sympathetic nervous fascicle on glucose uptake in rats

Artificial pancreas systems control insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Although these systems are widely used in the clinical setting, they are still fraught with structural and biological problems. The non-insulin mediated glucose uptake (NIMGU) mechanism could be an alternative candidate as a target system for the artificial control of peripheral glucose uptake. Although the sympathetic nervous system is known to be one of the regulators of NIMGU, the effects of peripheral sympathetic activation on glucose uptake have not been well documented. We electrically stimulated a sympathetic nerve fascicle to clarify the possibility of controlling peripheral glucose uptake. A sympathetic signal was microneurographically obtained in the unilateral sciatic nerve in normal (NRML), insulin-resistant high-fat-fed (HFF), and streptozotocin-induced insulin-depleted (STZ) rats, and electrical stimulation was applied via the microelectrode (microstimulation). The microstimulation was also applied to sites other than the sympathetic fascicles in an additional group of normal rats (NSYMP group). The stimulation applied to the sympathetic fibers resulted in an immediate and transient decrease of blood glucose (BG) in the NRML, HFF, and STZ groups, with little change in the plasma insulin. The change in BG level seemed to depend on the basal BG level (NRML < HFF < STZ). In contrast, no reduction in BG was observed in the NSYMP group. These results suggest that microstimulation in the peripheral sympathetic fascicle could enhance glucose uptake in peripheral tissues—independently of insulin function—and show an alternative possibility for controlling glucose uptake.     

Evaluation of Surveyor nuclease for rapid identification of FKS genes mutations in Candida glabrata

IntroductionInfections with Candida glabrata have recently gained worldwide attention owing to its association with long hospitalizations and high mortality rates. This problem is highlighted when the infection is associated with echinocandin resistance, which is used for first-line therapy. Echinocandin resistance is exclusively attributed to functional mutations in FKS genes, and especially in hot spot (HS) regions. Unfortunately, few studies have focused on the rapid identification of FKS mutations associated with echinocandin resistance in C. glabrata. This study was intended to evaluate and validate the use of Surveyor nuclease assay (SN) for detection of FKS gene mutations.MethodsSN was evaluated against three segments of FKS1 and FKS2 genes including whole gene, regions including all HSs, and the region including only HS1.ResultsOur results showed that SN results are basically dependent on the type of gene as well as the segment type. Interestingly, SN can detect mutations in the region containing HS1 in both FKS1 and FKS2 genes. Furthermore, SN can detect mutations in the segment containing all HS regions for FKS1 but not FKS2. SN was unable to detect mutations in the whole FKS1 and FKS2 genes.ConclusionsAs far as we know, this is the first study to validate SN for rapid identification of FKS gene mutations. This assay could be used as a sample for rapid identification of mutations associated with HS1 region in FKS genes, which have a predominant role for echinocandin resistance induction in C. glabrata.