Association of kidney function with cancer incidence and its influence on cancer risk of smoking: The Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study

The association between kidney function and cancer incidence is inconsistent among previous reports, and data on the Japanese population are lacking. It is unknown whether kidney function modifies the cancer risk of other factors. We aimed to evaluate the association of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with cancer incidence and mortality in 55 242 participants (median age, 57 years; 55% women) from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. We also investigated differences in cancer risk factors between individuals with and without kidney dysfunction. During a median 9.3-year follow-up period, 4278 (7.7%) subjects developed cancer. Moderately low and high eGFRs were associated with higher cancer incidence; compared with eGFR of 60-74 ml/min/1.73 m², the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for eGFRs of ≥90, 75-89, 45-59, 30-44 and 10-29 ml/min/1.73 m² were 1.18 (1.07-1.29), 1.09 (1.01-1.17), 0.93 (0.83-1.04), 1.36 (1.00-1.84) and 1.12 (0.55-2.26), respectively. High eGFR was associated with higher cancer mortality, while low eGFR was not; the adjusted subdistribution HRs (95% CIs) for eGFRs of ≥90 and 75-89 ml/min/1.73 m² were 1.58 (1.29-1.94) and 1.27 (1.08-1.50), respectively. Subgroup analyses of participants with eGFRs ≥60 and <60 ml/min/1.73 m² revealed elevated cancer risks of smoking and family history of cancer in those with eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m², with significant interactions. Our findings suggest that the relationship between eGFR and cancer incidence was U-shaped. Only high eGFR was associated with cancer mortality. Kidney dysfunction enhanced cancer risk from smoking.     

Organization of the trigeminal and facial motor nuclei in the hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri: a retrograde HRP study

We studied the trigeminal and facial motor nuclei of the hagfish by the retrograde HRP method. We distinguished 4 components in a single column of the motor nuclei of the trigeminal nerve and the facial nerve, viz., the pars magnocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVm), the anterior part of the pars parvocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVp1), the posterior part of the pars parvocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVp2) and the facial motor nucleus (mVII). Although in Nissl preparations only the mVm could be distinguished from the rest of the nucleus, the boundaries of the other 3 components were clearly demarcated in HRP preparations. Intramuscular injections into two representative antagonistic jaw muscles revealed that there was no apparent topological organization of the neurons pertaining to the opening and closing muscles in the mVm and mVp1, but both antagonistic muscles were innervated bilaterally. Although the hagfish does possess a cartilaginous jaw, the organization pattern of the motor nuclei of the jaw muscles seems to be the most primitive of all living vertebrates.     

Successful catheter ablation for incessant ventricular tachycardia in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

A 35-year-old man was referred to Nihon University Hospital because of repetitive ventricular tachycardia (VT) at 180-200 beats/min. QRS morphology of the VT was right bundle branch block with a northwest axis. Transthoracic echocardiography showed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Coronary angiography was normal and left ventriculography showed neither obstruction in the left ventricle (LV) nor any pressure gradients within the LV or between the LV and aorta. Hemodynamic deterioration occurred during VT. Intracardiac mapping showed that the VT originated from the posteroseptal portion of the LV near the apex and Purkinje potentials that preceded the onset of the QRS complex by 58-70 ms were documented. Radiofrequency ablation at these sites terminated the VT, which has not recurred for 25 months.     

Attitude of the canine in secondary bone-grafted and nongrafted patients with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the eruption pattern of the cleft-side canine regarding its pre-eruption position relative to the cleft in bone-grafted (BG) and nongrafted (NonBG) patients with cleft lip and palate. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with cleft lip and palate (21 BG, 32 NonBG) were examined by panoramic radiography and posteroanterior cephalography taken before and after canine eruption. Subjects were categorized into BG, NonBG, and control groups. Canines at the pre-eruption stage were categorized as close to (group 1) or distant from (group 2) the cleft area. The canine angle and its change between the two stages were evaluated. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted between the initial canine angle of the BG and NonBG groups. Although canines in the BG group erupted without a significant change in angle, the canine angle increased significantly (p < .0001) in the NonBG and control groups. In group 1, a greater change in canine angle was noted in the NonBG (p < .05) and control (p < .01) groups than in the BG group. In group 2, no significant difference was noted among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: In BG patients, a canine located near the cleft appears to erupt at the same angle as it had before grafting. However, in NonBG patients, it erupts more vertically, guided by cortical bone. For canines distant from the cleft area, there is no significant difference in the change in angulation between NonBG and BG patients.     

The Protective Role of Glutathione, Cysteine and Vitamin C against Oxidative DNA Damage Induced in Rat Kidney by Potassium Bromate

The roles of glutathione (GSH), cysteine, vitamin C., liposome-encapsulated superoxide dismutase (L-SOD) and vitamin E in preventing oxidative DNA damage and cytotoxicity in the rat kidney after administration of potassium bromate (KBrO₃) to male F344 rats were investigated by measuring 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), an oxidative DNA product, lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels and relative kidney weight (RKW). Combined pre- and posttreatment of animals with 2 × 800 mg/kg GSH i.p. inhibited the increase of 8-OH-dG, LPO levels and RKW caused by 80 mg/kg KBrO₃ i.p. administration. In contrast, pretreatment with 0.3 ml/kg diethylmaleate (DEM) i.p., a depletor of tissue GSH, was associated with elevation of 8-OH-dG, LPO levels and RKW after a 20 mg/kg KBrO₃ i.p. treatment, which itself caused no change. Administration of KBrO₃ itself reduced renal non-protein thiol levels, but this was inhibited by the two doses of exogenous GSH. Combined treatment with DEM and KBrO₃ lowered the non-protein thiol level in the kidney more than did DEM treatment alone. Protective effects against the oxidative damage caused by KBrO₃ were also observed for pre- and posttreatment with 400 mg/kg cysteine i.p., another sulfhydryl compound, and daily i.g. application of 200 mg/kg vitamin C for 5 days. However, no influence was evident after pre- and posttreatment with 18,000 U/kg L-SOD i.p. or daily i.g. 100 mg/kg of vitamin E for 5 days. The results suggest that intracellular GSH plays an essential protective role against renal oxidative DNA damage and nephrotoxicity caused by KBrO₃.     

Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the facial nerve]

It was the object of the present study to determine whether transcranial facial nerve stimulation using a magnetic coil can be clinically applicable, and to find the site where the facial nerve is best stimulated. A magnetic coil was placed over the parieto-occipital skull of the subjects for stimulation, and the facial nerve was electrically stimulated in its intracranial and peripheral courses. Then an electromyogram was recorded from the nasalis muscle of the face on the stimulated side. In 9 healthy volunteers, 18 facial nerves received magnetic and electric stimuli in the peripheral region, and the actual site of stimulation was estimated from the conduction velocity of the nerve. The conduction velocity was 56.6 +/- 4.8 m/s, and the latency between CMAPs for electric at the magnetic stimuli to the posterior tragus was 1.23 +/- 0.21 ms. Therefore, the position stimulated by magnetic coil was estimated to be 70.0 +/- 11.4 mm central to the posterior tragus, i.e., near the root exit zone. In two patients undergoing surgery in the cerebellopontine angle, transcranial magnetic stimulation and electrical stimulation of the intracranial facial nerve were compared intraoperatively. The CMAP produced by transcranial magnetic stimulation coincided closely with that produced by direct electrical stimulation of the root exit zone. Thus, the facial nerve was stimulated at the root exit zone, and this method could be expected to be useful for evaluation of disorders of the intracranial facial nerve.     

Inhibition of IgE formation in mice by glycoproteins from corn silk

The inhibitory effects of glycoproteins separated from a hot water extract of corn silk (U-CSE) on the formation of IgE antibodies after primarily and secondarily challenged responses with dinitrophenyl (DNP)-ovalbumin (OVA) antigen in mice were investigated using the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) test. When U-CSE was given intranasally or intraperitoneally the day before primary immunization, IgE antibody production was strongly inhibited. Furthermore, it was found that new formation of IgE antibodies was readily inhibited by U-CSE administration in mice with high levels of IgE after primary immunization. It was also found that U-CSE markedly suppressed IgE antibody formation in secondarily challenged responses with the antigen. U-CSE may be clinically applicable to type I allergic diseases.     

Case report of de novo dup(18p)/del(18q) and r(18) mosaicism

This is a report of a 27-year-old woman with an unusual de novo chromosomal abnormality. Mosaicism was identified in peripheral blood cells examined by standard G-bands by trypsin using Giemsa (GTG) analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with chromosome-18 region-specific probes, 46,XX,del(18)(pter → q21.33:)[41], 46,XX,r(18)(::p11.21 → q21.33::)[8], and 46,XX,der(18)(pter → q21.33::p11.21 → pter)[1]. On the other hand, the karyotype of periodontal ligament fibroblasts was nonmosaic, 46,XX, der(18)(pter → q21.33::p11.21 → pter)[50]. All cell lines appeared to be missing a portion of 18q (q21.33 → qter). The pattern of the dup(18p)/del(18q) in the rod configuration raises the possibility of an inversion in chromosome 18 in one of the parents. However, no chromosomal anomaly was detected in either parent. The most probable explanation is that de novo rod and ring configurations arose simultaneously from an intrachromosomal exchange. The unique phenotype of this patient, which included primary hypothyroidism and primary hypogonadism, is discussed in relation to her karyotype.     

Existence of phenol oxidase in the argasid tick Ornithodoros moubata

Phenol oxidase (PO, EC 1.10.3.1) activity was detected in the hemolymph of the fourth instar nymphs of the argasid tick, Ornithodoros moubata, with peak levels corresponding to the days before the majority of the nymphs had molted, suggestive of a protective role of PO during the ecdysial phase. Higher PO activity was detected in plasma relative to the hemolymph and was negligible in hemocytes. The concentration of the hemolymph and plasma assayed clearly influenced the level of PO activity, and was significantly reduced ( P<0.005) after treatment with 1-phenyl-2 thiourea, a specific PO inhibitor. This is the first report of the existence of PO in the hemolymph and plasma of a soft tick species. The regulation of PO activity and its precise role in soft tick immunity, particularly during the ecdysial phase, are interesting and need to be examined further.