Cognitive decline in STZ-3V rats is largely due to dysfunctional insulin signalling through the dentate gyrus

Recent epidemiological studies have associated type 2 diabetes mellitus with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). A dramatic decrease in glucose utilisation has been observed in the brains of AD patients, and this decrease has led to the hypothesis that the cognitive dysfunction in AD is associated with decreased central glucose metabolism [1], in addition to cholinergic deficit and elevated amyloid accumulation in the brain [2]. The aims of the present study were to examine the effects of intracerebral administration of streptozotocin (STZ) on cognitive performance in rats as observed by Morris water maze (MWM) task and to clarify the successive insulin-related neurochemical changes through immunohistochemical analysis of the hippocampus. Significant differences were observed in all the parameters of the MWM task (escape latency, path efficiency, average swimming speed and swim path) between STZ-3V-treated and control rats. Immunohistochemical analysis using hippocampal formations revealed significant decreases in phospho-cyclic AMP binding protein, Akt and insulin-degrading enzyme immunoreactivities and a significant increase in amyloid beta immunoreactivity. Our behavioural experiments confirmed that intraventricular administration of STZ led to cognitive impairment, which was ascertained by the changes in hippocampal immunohistochemical markers. In conclusion, we demonstrated that cognitive decline in diabetes was primarily due to impaired intracerebral insulin signalling in addition to arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular changes, which hitherto have been advocated as the main cause of diabetic dementia.     

Epidemiological survey of Vibrio vulnificus infection in Japan between 1999 and 2003

The frequency of Vibrio vulnificus infection is very rare and there are many questions regarding its epidemiology in Japan. To investigate the clinical course and epidemiology of V. vulnificus infection in Japan, we performed a retrospective questionnaire survey in which 1693 hospitals from all over Japan were surveyed, including advanced life saving emergency centers and dermatology institutions. Of the 1693 hospitals, we received answers from 1045. Ninety-four cases were confirmed as V. vulnificus infections during 1999 and 2003. Sixty-eight (72.3%) of the 94 patients had the septic type infection with a mortality rate of 75.0% (51/68 patients died). The prognosis of patients with the septic type was worse than that of the wound type (P < 0.001). V. vulnificus infections occurred from June to November and none occurred in winter. Many infections occurred in western Japan with the majority of infections (50/94) occurring in Kyushu. In particular, 43 infections occurred in marine coastal areas of the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas, which have many tidelands. Seventy-seven of 89 patients (86.5%) had liver function impairment as an underlying disease, and 53 (59.6%) had liver cirrhosis, of whom nine (10.1%) suffered from liver cancer. The incidence of V. vulnificus infection was different according to districts. Geographic and climatic factors also contributed to the occurrence of V. vulnificus infection.     

Novel technique using intravascular ultrasound-guided guidewire cross in coronary intervention for uncrossable chronic total occlusions.

The experience of using a novel application of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary interventions for chronic total occlusions is reported in 2 cases. In the first case, an IVUS catheter was advanced into a side branch to identify the entry point of the major branch. In the second case, IVUS-guided penetration of the guidewire from the false lumen to the true lumen after causing a dissection was successful.     

Reduction of early elastic recoil by cutting balloon angioplasty as compared to conventional balloon angioplasty

BACKGROUND: Restenosis after successful balloon angioplasty remains problematic. Early elastic response after angioplasty is significant when considering the possible development of restenosis. The purpose of this study was to compare early elastic recoil within 10 minutes after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and early lumen loss at 24 hours after angioplasty in a cutting balloon group and a conventional balloon group. METHODS: Extent of early elastic recoil was quantitatively measured as the difference of mean balloon diameter at maximal inflation pressure and minimal luminal diameter after angioplasty in 82 cutting balloon-treated lesions and 51 conventional balloon-treated lesions. RESULTS: Reference diameter and balloon/artery ratio were similar between the cutting balloon and conventional balloon groups (2.89 0.47 mm vs. 2.88 0.60 mm; 1.19 0.11 vs. 1.19 0.13, respectively). Early elastic recoil after angioplasty was significantly smaller in the cutting balloon than the conventional balloon group (0.96 0.40 mm vs. 1.12 0.37 mm, respectively; p = 0.04). Also, the mean amount of lumen loss from 10 minutes after angioplasty to 24 hours after was significantly smaller in the cutting balloon than the conventional balloon group (0.08 0.28 mm vs. 0.20 0.33 mm, respectively; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: There is significantly less early elastic recoil in the cutting balloon angioplasty than in the conventional balloon angioplasty group. The efficacy of cutting balloon continues 24 hours after angioplasty.     

Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT with texture analysis in patients with rectal cancer treated by surgery

Annals of Nuclear Medicine - The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of texture analysis using pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT to predict prognosis in patients with surgically treated rectal...     

Hydroxyapatite coating for titanium fibre mesh scaffold enhances osteoblast activity and bone tissue formation

This study investigated the bone regeneration properties of titanium fibre mesh as a tissue engineering material. A thin hydroxyapatite (HA) coating on the titanium fibre web was created using the developed molecular precursor method without losing the complex interior structure. HA-coated titanium fibre mesh showed apatite crystal formation in vitro in a human osteoblast culture. Titanium fibre mesh discs with or without a thin HA coating were implanted into rat cranial bone defects, and the animals were killed at 2 and 4 weeks. The in vivo experience revealed that the amount of newly formed bone was significantly higher in the HA-coated titanium fibre mesh than in the non-coated titanium fibre mesh 2 weeks after implantation. These results suggest that thin HA coating enhances osteoblast activity and bone regeneration in the titanium fibre mesh scaffold. Thin HA-coating improved the ability of titanium fibre mesh to act as a bone regeneration scaffold.     

Reduced serotonin transporter binding in the insular cortex in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder: A [C]DASB PET study

The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and other markers of the serotonergic system have been of interest in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous studies using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with [¹²³I]β-CIT or positron emission tomography (PET) with [¹¹C]McN5652 have not shown consistent findings about 5-HTT in OCD patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate 5-HTT binding using [¹¹C]DASB, which has higher selectivity or specific binding-to-nonspecific binding ratios for 5-HTT compared to the aforementioned radioligands. Four drug-naive and 6 drug-free patients with OCD who were free of comorbid depression and 18 gender and age-matched healthy subjects underwent PET scans with [¹¹C]DASB. The severity of OCD was assessed by Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) (mean ± SD: 22 ± 7.6, range: 7–32). The binding potential (BP_ND) of [¹¹C]DASB was calculated using a two-parameter multilinear reference tissue model (MRTM2). The parametric images of BP_ND were analyzed using a statistical parametric mapping system. Significant reductions of BP_ND were observed in the right posterior and left anterior insular cortices in patients with OCD compared to controls. Region-of-interest analysis has also confirmed significant reduction of BP_ND in the insular cortex. Although significantly reduced BP_ND in the orbitofrontal cortex was also observed in patients with OCD compared to controls, this finding should be considered with caution because of the very low 5-HTT binding in the region. On the other hand, no significant correlation was observed between the Y-BOCS score and BP_ND. The change in [¹¹C]DASB binding in the insular cortex suggests that dysfunction of the serotonergic system in the limbic area might be involved in the pathophysiology of OCD.