Genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetic nephropathy in human and animal models

SUMMARY:   Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Japan, Western Europe, and the United States. Mega studies such as Diabetes Control and Complication Trial (DCCT), Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC), and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) clarified that poor glycemic and blood pressure control are undoubtedly involved in the development of nephropathy. However, these factors are not sufficient to predict which diabetic patients will develop renal disease, because not all patients with poor glycemic and blood pressure control develop renal disease. Since ethnic variations and familial clustering of diabetic nephropathy have been observed, genetic factors might contribute to susceptibility to this disease. Several methods such as (genome wide) association studies, sib-pair analysis, and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) analysis are available to examine polygenic diseases. However, no mutations that could explain the majority of nephropathy cases have been identified so far. The development of most diabetic nephropathy might be explained by the polygenic effect (i.e. many minor gene-gene interactions might be very important in the development of nephropathy). Identification of candidate genes of nephropathy enables targeting of therapy in patients at risk and development of novel therapeutic agents.     

Update on Stent Implantation in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Primary stent implantation in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is defined as the intentional (not rescue) implantation of intracoronary stent(s) to the culprit lesion of AMI during emergency catheterization. All available data showed that this strategy has favorable short- and long-term clinical effects compared to primary balloon angioplasty.     

Moyamoya disease associated with bilateral renal artery stenosis

Recent research has suggested that an association exists between moyamoya disease and fibromuscular dysplasia which involves systemic vessels, including renal arteries. We report a 3 year old girl with moyamoya disease associated with bilateral renal artery stenosis. This case may support the common etiology of these two clinical conditions. To our knowledge this is the youngest case of moyamoya disease associated with bilateral renal artery stenosis.     

Severe chronic active giftein-Barr virus infection accompanied by virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome,cerebellar ataxia and encephalitis

We present a rare case of chronic active giftein-Barr virus (EBV) infection showing various clinical outcomes. A 26-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to persistent fever and dyspnea. Serologic response of the patient to EBV indicated chronic active infection. He showed pleuritis, parotitis, chronic hepatic dysfunction, disseminated intravascular coagulation, virus associated hemophaghocytic syndrome, acute rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure, acute cerebellar ataxia, encephalitis and multiple brain abscesses. None of acyclovir, gancyclovir, prednisolone or interleukin-2 was effectual to abolish those abnormalities. This is the first report of transient cerebellar ataxia which aggravated to panencephalitis associated with chronic EBV infection.     

Mass Gastric Examinations of Prisoners at Miyagi Prison in Japan

Mass examinations of the stomach were carried out on 79 convicts over 40 years of age confined in the Miyagi Prison, Japan. Of the 79 subjects, 11.9% were found to need detailed examination of the stomach which disclosed gastric polyp in one case and scar from gastric ulceration in one. None was found to have carcinoma of the stomach. Complaints of symptoms were obviously more frequent with the convicts as compared with a control group. There was not, however, a significant depression in efficiency of this group examination by photofluorography, as compared with the usual gastric mass examination on general inhabitants.     

Risk of Lung Cancer by Histologic Type among Smokers in Miyagi Prefecture

Smoking habits of the 827 lung cancer patients aged 40 yearsor over who were treated in the Sendai Kosei Hospital from 1977–82were compared with those in the general population of a non-metropolitandistrict in northern Japan, which we recently surveyed by mailquestionnaire. The relative risks of lung cancer by histologictype adjusted by age and area of residence were as follows:1.9 for adenocarcinoma, 4.3 for squamous cell carcinoma, 3.9for small cell carcinoma and 3.4 for large cell carcinoma inmen, and 2.9, 6.4, 4.5 and 4.0 for these histologic types, respectively,in women. These elevated risks were all statistically significant(p < 0.05). These findings suggest that smoking habits shouldbe carefully considered when studying the etiology of any celltype of lung cancer, even adenocarcinoma, which often has beenthought to be unrelated to smoking habits.     

线分法与行为偏侧忽略的相关性研究

目的 研究线分法与行为偏侧忽略的相关性，探讨线分法能否预测行为偏侧忽略。方法 根据行为偏侧忽略的评估量表——凯瑟林一波哥量表将30例脑卒中致左侧偏瘫的患者分为4组：严重偏侧忽略组，中度偏侧忽略组，轻度偏侧忽略组和无偏侧忽略组。11例年龄匹配的健康成人作为对照组。进行线分法检查时，在A4纸的左侧、中央和右侧分别画6条水平线段，让患者用右手持圆珠笔在线的中央划一垂直分隔线。计算分隔线右侧长度占该线段全长的百分比。结果 除轻度偏侧忽略组外，被分割线段空间的位置对其它各组人员的线分结果有明显影响。严重偏侧忽略组、无偏侧忽略组、对照组出现线分法中的位置“反转效应（crossovereffect）”。严重偏侧忽略组的患者在分隔A4纸左侧及中央的线段时出现向右的偏差，而在分隔A4纸右侧的线段时出现向左的偏差。在无偏侧忽略组及对照组，被检人员在分隔A4纸左侧线段时出现向左的偏差，而在分隔中央及右侧线段时出现向右的偏差。结论 本研究表明线分法中的位置“反转效应”若出现在位于患者右侧的线段，则强烈提示患者有重度行为偏侧忽略。