Prophylactic effect of dietary glutamine supplementation on interleukin 8 and tumour necrosis factor α production in trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid induced colitis

Background—It is well established that glutaminesupplemented elemental diets result in less severe intestinal damage inexperimental colitis. However, few studies have examined the mode ofaction of glutamine in reducing intestinal damage.
Aims—To examine the effects of glutaminesupplemented elemental diets on the potent inflammatory cytokinesinterleukin 8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) intrinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) induced colitis which presentswith both acute and chronic features of ulcerative colitis.
Methods—Sprague-Dawley rats were randomised intothree dietary groups and fed 20% casein (controls), or 20% caseinsupplemented with either 2% glutamine (2% Gln) or 4% glutamine (4%Gln). After two weeks they received intracolonic TNBS to inducecolitis.
Results—Both Gln groups of rats gained more weight thanthe control group (p<0.05) which had progressive weight loss. Colon weight, macroscopic, and microscopic damage scores for the Gln groupswere lower than in the control group (p<0.05). IL-8 and TNF-αconcentrations in inflamed colonic tissues were lower in the Gln groupsthan in the control group (p<0.05), and correlated well with diseaseseverity. Bacterial translocation was lower both in incidence (p<0.05)and in the number of colony forming units (p<0.05) for the Gln groups,than in the control group. With respect to all indices studied, the 4%Gln group performed better than did the 2% Gln group.
Conclusion—Prophylactic glutamine supplementationmodulates the inflammatory activities of IL-8 and TNF-α in TNBSinduced colitis.

Keywords:glutamine; trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid; inflammatory bowel disease; rats; interleukin 8; tumour necrosis factorα

     

Voxel-based analysis of age and gender effects on striatal [123I] FP-CIT binding in healthy Japanese adults

Annals of Nuclear Medicine - Although previous studies have investigated age and gender effects on striatal subregional dopamine transporter (DaT) binding, these studies were mostly based on a...     

Effect of temporary school closure due to COVID-19 on musculoskeletal function in elementary school children

Objective: In 2020, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) became the cause of a pandemic. In response, the Japan Sports Agency issued warnings about secondary damage to health, such as the threat to physical and mental well-being due to the lack of exercise in this situation. In this study, we report on cross-sectional and longitudinal examinations of standing trunk flexion to evaluate how temporary long-term school closures affected musculoskeletal function in elementary school students.Patients and Methods: All children in one public elementary school in T-city during the school years 2019 and 2020 were included in this study. A digital forward flexion meter was used to measure standing trunk flexion.Results: In this study, 284 (284/289: 98.3%) and 266 (266/274: 97.1%) children in school years 2020 and 2019, respectively, were found to have valid data for cross-sectional analysis. The standing trunk flexion did not show significant differences between grades or sexes. In the longitudinal analysis, the results of the comparison of standing trunk flexion in children for two consecutive years revealed significant differences only between grades 3 and 4 (P<0.05) and between girls in grades 3 and 4 (P<0.01), but no significant differences in other grades or among boys or girls were observed.Conclusion: Initially, we expected that there would be a difference in the results of functional assessment using standing trunk flexion depending on the period of absence from school. However, the results of this study showed no significant changes in standing trunk flexion. Moreover, since children’s musculoskeletal functions may be affected by various factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, they should be carefully monitored in the future.     

Assessment of Hounsfield unit in the differential diagnosis of odontogenic cysts

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Hounsfield unit (HU) assessment with multislice-CT in the differentiation of radicular cysts (RCs), dentigerous cysts (DCs) and odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs).Methods:In total, 307 odontogenic cysts (RCs, DCs and OKCs) were included in this study. Cysts with lesion diameter <10 mm, cysts with artefacts affecting measurement of HU values, cysts involving infection and recurrent cysts were regarded as exclusion criteria. Images were acquired in three different types of CT scanners: Aquilion ONE, Discovery CT750 HD and SOMATOM Definition Flash. Differences in HU values among scanners and among types of odontogenic cysts were assessed using one-way analysis of variance; multiple comparisons were performed post hoc, using the Tukey–Kramer honestly significant difference test.Results:In total, 164 cysts were analysed in this study (64 RCs, 57 DCs and 43 OKCs). Regardless of the type of lesion, the Aquilion ONE scanner demonstrated a significant difference in HU value, compared with the Discovery CT750 HD scanner. Regardless of CT scanner model, HU values significantly differed between DCs and OKCs (p < 0.0001), as well as between OKCs and RCs (p < 0.0001).Conclusions:HU values were found to vary among CT scanners and should always be associated with other lesion imaging features while interpreting and elaboration diagnostic hypothesis. Notably, the results suggested that OKCs might be able to be differentiated from DCs and RCs by using HU values.     

The combination of ITS2 and psbA-trnH region is powerful DNA barcode markers for authentication of medicinal Terminalia plants from Thailand

Journal of Natural Medicines - The dried fruits of Terminalia plant (Combretaceae) called “Samo” have been used as herbal medicine in Thai traditional medicine. Four “Samo”...     

Combination therapy with intra‐articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells and articulated joint distraction for repair of a chronic osteochondral defect in the rabbit

The present study investigated intra‐articular injection of bone‐marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with articulated joint distraction as treatment for osteochondral defects. Large osteochondral defects were created in the weight‐bearing area of the medial femoral condyle in rabbit knees. Four weeks after defect creation, rabbits were divided into six groups: control group, MSC group, distraction group, distraction + MSC group, temporary distraction group, and temporary distraction + MSC group. Groups with MSC received intra‐articular injection of MSCs. Groups with distraction underwent articulated distraction arthroplasty. Groups with temporary distraction discontinued the distraction after 4 weeks. The rabbits were euthanized at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment except temporary distraction groups which were euthanized at only 12 weeks. Histological scores in the distraction + MSC group were significantly better than in the control, MSC group or distraction group at 4 and 8 weeks, but showed no further improvement. At 12 weeks, the temporary distraction + MSC group showed the best results, demonstrating hyaline cartilage repair with regeneration of the osteochondral junction. In conclusion, joint distraction with intra‐articular injection of MSCs promotes early cartilage repair, and compressive loading of the repair tissue after temporary distraction stimulates articular cartilage regeneration. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 33:1466–1473, 2015.