Do eicosapentaenoic acid supplements attenuate age-related increases in arterial stiffness in patients with dyslipidemia?: A preliminary study.

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid supplements on pulse wave velocity (PWV) in patients with dyslipidemia as a prospective open-labeled study. Eicosapentaenoic acid supplements (1,800 mg/day) were prescribed to 40 patients, and diet therapy in consultation with a nutritionist was conducted in 44 patients as a control group. These interventions were continued for 12 months, and PWV and blood examinations were performed at the start and end of these interventions. PWV increased in the control group but not in the eicosapentaenoic acid group. After adjustment for age, gender, the initial PWV, and the changes in mean blood pressure during the study period, a general linear model univariate analysis post hoc comparison demonstrated that the change in PWV during the period of study was significantly larger in the control group (42 +/- 20 cm/s) than in the eicosapentaenoic acid group (-9 +/- 19 cm/s) (p<0.05). Thus, this preliminary study suggested that eicosapentaenoic acid supplements attenuate age-related increases in arterial stiffness in patients with dyslipidemia. A further study with a larger number of subjects is proposed to confirm this beneficial effect of eicosapentaenoic acid supplements on arterial stiffness.     

Mast cell number in the skin of heterozygotes reflects the molecular nature of c-kit mutation

The W locus of mice encodes the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase. Heterozygous WJic/+ and Wn/+ mice and homozygous Wf/Wf mice were similar in appearance; all of them have large depigmented areas lacking any well-defined pattern. The WJic, Wn, and Wf mutant alleles were characterized and their molecular nature was correlated with the mast cell differentiation in the skin and the biologic features of cultured mast cell (CMC). All WJic, Wn, and Wf were point mutations at the tyrosine kinase domain, and c-kit mRNA was normally transcribed from all of them. The mature 145-Kd form of the c-kit protein was produced from the WJic and Wf alleles, but not from the Wn allele. c-kit proteins produced by the WJic or Wf allele were expressed on the surface of CMCs, but those of the Wn allele were not. When double heterozygous mice were produced between W and WJic and between W and Wn, both W/WJic and W/Wn mice lacked skin mast cells. W/WJic CMCs and W/Wn CMCs did not survive in the coculture with fibroblasts. W/WJic CMCs normally attached to fibroblasts, but W/Wn CMCs did not. The defect of W/Wn CMCs in the attachment was attributed to the deficient extracellular expression of the c-kit protein. The number of skin mast cells was compared among WJic/+, Wn/+, Wf/+, and Wf/Wf mice. Mast cells decreased in WJic/+ and Wf/Wf mice, but not in Wn/+ and Wf/+ mice. Although the Wn was a point mutation at the kinase domain, the biologic effect of the Wn was comparable with that of the W mutant allele, which produces truncated c-kit protein without the transmembrane domain. The weak phenotype of Wn/+ mice may be explained by the deficient extracellular expression of c-kit proteins produced by the Wn allele. When WJic/WJic, Wn/Wn, and Wf/Wf CMCs were stimulated by the recombinant c-kit ligand, autophosphorylation activity was observed only in Wf/Wf CMCs. This result was consistent with the weak biologic effect of the Wf mutant allele.     

Genetic Characterization of Coronaviruses from Domestic Ferrets,Japan

We detected ferret coronaviruses in 44 (55.7%) of 79 pet ferrets tested in Japan and classified the viruses into 2 genotypes on the basis of genotype-specific PCR. Our results show that 2 ferret coronaviruses that cause feline infectious peritonitis–like disease and epizootic catarrhal enteritis are enzootic among ferrets in Japan.     

Two new alkaloids from Crinum asiaticum var. japonicum

Journal of Natural Medicines - A new crinine-type alkaloid crijaponine A (1), a new galanthamine-type alkaloid crijaponine B (2), and 11 known alkaloids—ungeremine (3), lycorine (4),...     

Screening for natural products that affect Wnt signaling activity

Journal of Natural Medicines - Wnt signaling has been implicated in numerous aspects of development, cell biology, and physiology. When aberrantly activated, Wnt signaling can also lead to the...     

Stage II–IV lung cancer cases with lymphovascular invasion relapse within 2 years after surgery

Objective

For recurrent lung cancer, postoperative follow-up methods have not been adequately assessed, and no evidence-based postoperative surveillance methods currently exist. Herein, we evaluated postoperative lung cancer recurrence and the personalized postoperative surveillance periods and methods used.

Methods

Follow-up after surgery consisted of a regular outpatient clinic check-up, including physical examination, history, blood tests, and chest X-ray, which were conducted three or four times per year for 5 years. During the follow-up period, annual chest and brain computed tomography scanning was performed. Between May 2004 and December 2011, 547 lung cancer patients underwent complete resection in our institution. We retrospectively reviewed their prospectively collected data.

Results

We selected 106 patients (19.4 %) who had a postoperative recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that advanced stage (stage II–IV; p < 0.01) and lymphovascular invasion positivity (LVI; p = 0.01) were independent risk factors for earlier recurrence. Overall, 90.8 % of patients with advanced-stage disease and LVI positivity experienced a relapse within 2 years after surgery, compared to 55.1 % of patients who did not have these factors (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that recurrence with symptoms (p < 0.01) and shorter time to recurrence (<24 months; p < 0.01) were independent prognostic factors after recurrence.

Conclusions

Although this study was retrospective and included some biases, patients with advanced-stage lung cancer and LVI positivity should be intensively followed up. Personalized follow-up programs should be considered for lung cancer patients who have undergone resection.     

Spondylocostal dysostosis with tetralogy of Fallot and herniation of the spleen through the diaphragm

Spondylocostal dysostosis (SCD) is a very rare syndrome characterized by vertebral malformation and rib deformity. Some of the patients with SCD have other birth defects in the central nervous system, the genitourinary tract, diaphragm or heart and so forth. There have been reported SCD with complex congenital heart disease, such as pulmonary atresia, double outlet right ventricle, and d‐transposition of great arteries. However, there have been no reported SCD patients with confirmed tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Here, a patient with SCD having a very rare combination of rib defects on the right side and left‐sided scoliosis, tetralogy of Fallot, and diaphragmatic spleen herniation, which had not been reported before, was described.