Sphincter of Oddi contractile function after balloon dilation: detailed manometric evaluation in conscious dogs

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic balloon dilation is under investigation as a treatment modality for bile duct stones. It may have an advantage of preserving the sphincter of Oddi function, but little is known about sphincter of Oddi cyclic motility after dilation. METHODS: Four dogs with a duodenal cannula underwent sphincter of Oddi dilation and repeated manometry to assess sphincter of Oddi cyclic motility until 3 months after dilation. Histologic changes in the sphincter of Oddi were examined in another group of four dogs. RESULTS: Motility index (sum of amplitude of sphincter of Oddi phasic waves counted per minute) and basal pressure decreased on day 3. Sphincter of Oddi amplitude during phase III of the duodenal migrating motor complex tended to be increased on day 3 and decreased to the minimum on day 21. Thereafter, it gradually recovered to baseline. By histology, severe acute inflammation was present in the sphincter of Oddi muscle layer on day 3. However, basal pressure remained significantly low even 3 months after dilation. CONCLUSIONS: Sphincter of Oddi amplitude is incompletely reduced on day 3 after balloon dilation. Sphincter of Oddi basal pressure and motility index in the early phase of sphincter of Oddi cyclic motility remain low for at least 3 months after dilation. Further long-term follow-up is necessary to determine whether sphincter of Oddi function is actually preserved.     

Magnetic resonance imaging appropriate for construction of subject-specific head models for diffuse optical tomography

Subject-specific head models of which their geometry is based on structural magnetic resonance images are essential to accurately estimate the spatial sensitivity profiles for image reconstruction in diffuse optical tomography. T1-weighted magnetic resonance images, which are commonly used for structural imaging, are not sufficient for the threshold-based segmentation of the superficial tissues. Two types of pulse sequences, which provide a high contrast among the superficial tissues, are introduced to complement the segmentation to construct the subject-specific head models. The magnetic resonance images acquired by the proposed pulse sequences are robust to the threshold level and adequate for the threshold-based segmentation of the superficial tissues compared to the T1- and T2-weighted images. The total scan time of the proposed pulse sequences is less than one-fourth of that for the T2-weighted pulse sequence.OCIS codes: (170.2655) Functional monitoring and imaging, (170.3660) Light propagation in tissues     

Effect of stretch on improvement of muscular contractures in rats

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate how a stretching torque affects muscular contractures. [Subjects] The subjects of this study were 48 male Wistar rats. [Methods] Subjects were divided into 4 groups as follows: Group 1 was the control; Group 2 had muscles in continuous fixation; Group 3 had muscles stretched in the direction of dorsiflexion by a spring balancer set at a torque of 0.3N for a period of 30 minutes after continuous fixation; and Group 4 had muscles stretched in the direction of dorsiflexion by a spring balancer set at a torque of 3.0N for a period of 30 minutes after continuous fixation. Joint fixation periods were for 2 and 4-weeks. Ankle joint range of motion and soleus flexibility were analyzed. [Results] For the 2-week joint fixation, soleus flexibility in Group 4 showed an increase compared with that of Group 3. For both fixation periods, range of motion in Group 4 showed an increase compared with that of Group 3. [Conclusion] For both fixation periods, stretching improved joint range of motion. In the 2-week joint fixation, soleus flexibility improved. However, soleus flexibility did not improve in the 4-week joint fixation.Key words: Muscular contracture, Stretching, Muscular flexibility     

Serum levels of S-glutathionylated proteins as a risk-marker for arteriosclerosis obliterans.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress plays a role in the development of chronic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) because under these conditions redox regulation is impaired, inducing the S-glutathionylation of proteins. A method of estimating the levels of S-glutathionylated proteins has been developed using biotinylated glutathione S-transferase, which allows the study of their crucial role in the oxidative stress-related progression of PAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: The serum levels of S-glutathionylated proteins were examined in 41 patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) and 38 age-matched non-ASO patients using biotinylated glutathione S-transferase. The levels were higher in the patients with ASO, even early on, and positively correlated with the ankle/brachial index. In vitro, the levels of S-glutathionylated proteins were reduced in the presence of glutathione and glutaredoxin. CONCLUSIONS: Serum levels of S-glutathionylated proteins are a sensitive risk-marker for ASO at an early stage.     

Effect of glycemic state on postprandial hyperlipidemia and hyperinsulinemia in patients with coronary artery disease

Both postprandial hyperlipidemia and hyperinsulinemia have been thought to play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, and to be a potent risk factor for cardiovascular event. To examine effects of glycemic state on postprandial hyperlipidemia and hyperinsulinemia in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), a total of 112 consecutive male patients with angiographically confirmed CAD were loaded with a high-fat and high-glucose test meal. CAD patients were divided into three groups as “non-diabetic”, “prediabetic”, and “diabetic” CAD groups. The serum triglyceride (TG) and remnant-like particle cholesterol (RLP-C) levels at the 6th hour in diabetic CAD group showed significantly higher than non-diabetic CAD group, and the incremental area under the curves (iAUCs) of these levels in diabetic CAD group were significantly greater than non-diabetic CAD group (TG, P = 0.0194; RLP-C, P = 0.0219). There were no significant differences in the iAUCs of TG or RLP-C between prediabetic and non-diabetic CAD group. The AUCs of plasma insulin levels or insulin resistance index (IRI): (AUCs of insulin) × (AUCs of glucose) as the insulin resistance marker were greater in diabetic CAD group than non-diabetic CAD group (insulin, P = 0.0373; IRI, P = 0.0228). The AUCs of serum TG or RLP-C levels showed a correlation with the AUCs of plasma insulin (AUC-TG, r = 0.5437, P < 0.0001; AUC-RLP-C, r = 0.6847, P < 0.0001), and they correlated well with the insulin resistance index (AUC-TG, r = 0.7724, P < 0.0001; AUC-RLP-C, r = 0.7645, P < 0.0001). We found that the insulin resistance showed a close relationship with postprandial hyperlipidemia in CAD patients. Diabetic, but not prediabetic state, may be a risk for postprandial impaired lipid metabolism in CAD patients.