Associations between components of the metabolic syndrome versus bone mineral density and vertebral fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes

The association of bone with the metabolic syndrome and its features, visceral fat accumulation or insulin resistance, remains unclear. We determined visceral and subcutaneous fat areas (V and S) by computed tomography on 187 men (28–83 years) and 125 postmenopausal women (46–82 years) with type 2 diabetes. Men whose V was 100 cm² or more had significantly lower urinary N-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type-I collagen (p = 0.005), higher femoral neck bone mineral density (FN-BMD) (p = 0.004), and lower prevalence of vertebral fractures (VFs) (p = 0.04) than controls. Fat mass, V, S, and lean body mass positively correlated with FN-BMD in men and with lumbar (L) and FN-BMD in women. When adjusted for weight, these correlations became negative. Urinary C-peptide positively correlated with FN-BMD in both genders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, height, weight, L-BMD, duration of diabetes, and diabetes therapies identified V in men and urinary C-peptide in women as factors inversely associated with the presence of VFs [odds ratio (OR) = 0.61 per SD increase, p = 0.04, and OR = 0.32, p = 0.01, respectively]. These findings suggest that, of the components of the metabolic syndrome, body fat in gravity and hyperinsulinemia could increase FN-BMD in diabetic subjects. Visceral fat in men and hyperinsulinemia in women may protect against VFs independent of weight, L-BMD, diabetes duration, or therapies.     

Synthesis of methyl methacrylate/styrene copolymer bearing a carbomethoxyallyl end group with limited molecular weight by addition-fragmentation reaction of methyl α-(bromomethyl)-acrylate

The synthesis of methyl methacrylate/styrene copolymer bearing overwhelmingly bromine and the 2-carbomethoxyallyl group (CH₂?C(COOCH₃)CH₂? ) at the α- and ω-termini instead of the fragment of the initiator with reduced molecular weight was investigated by using methyl α-(bromomethyl)acrylate as chain transfer agent through the addition-fragmentation mechanism. The molecular weight of the copolymer was effectively decreased with bromomethylacrylate, and the unsaturated end groups quantitatively bound to two types of the monomeric units were differentiated by means of ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Equations estimating the reactivities of methyl α-(bromomethyl)acrylate towards polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) radicals were derived. Methyl α-(bromomethyl)acrylate was found to be more reactive toward the poly(methyl methacrylate) radical than the polystyrene radical by a factor of 0,62.     

Control of feeding rhythm in the terrestrial slug Incilaria bilineata.

A modulatory neuron of feeding rhythm was newly identified in the buccal ganglia of the isolated central nervous system (CNS) of the terrestrial slug Incilaria bilineata. This neuron was termed the "feeding rhythm modulator" (FRM). Its morphological and electrical properties were compared with those of the MGC (metacerebral giant cell, a cerebral modulatory neuron of feeding rhythm). There was no direct connection between FRM and MGC. In order to investigate the control mechanism of the buccal central pattern generator, feeding rhythm was observed by varying the activities of MGC and FRM simultaneously. At a lower level of activity of MGC, feeding rhythm was not only sensitive to the activity of MGC but also to that of FRM. As the level of activity of MGC increased, feeding rhythm was exclusively controlled by the activity of MGC, and became unaffected by the activity of FRM. This indicates that cerebral neurons such as MGC primarily control feeding rhythm and modulate the contribution of FRM in a hierarchical manner.     

Control of feeding rhythm in the terrestrial slug Incilaria bilineata

A modulatory neuron of feeding rhythm was newly identified in the buccal ganglia of the isolated central nervous system (CNS) of the terrestrial slug Incilaria bilineata. This neuron was termed the “feeding rhythm modulator” (FRM). Its morphological and electrical properties were compared with those of the MGC (metacerebral giant cell, a cerebral modulatory neuron of feeding rhythm). There was no direct connection between FRM and MGC. In order to investigate the control mechanism of the buccal central pattern generator, feeding rhythm was observed by varying the activities of MGC and FRM simultaneously. At a lower level of activity of MGC, feeding rhythm was not only sensitive to the activity of MGC but also to that of FRM. As the level of activity of MGC increased, feeding rhythm was exclusively controlled by the activity of MGC, and became unaffected by the activity of FRM. This indicates that cerebral neurons such as MGC primarily control feeding rhythm and modulate the contribution of FRM in a hierarchical manner.     

Computer-aided diagnosis in full digital mammography

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors clarify the detection rates for breast cancerous tumors and clustered microcalcifications with computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) based on Fuji Computed Radiography. The authors also determine whether mammographic reading with CAD contributes to the discovery of breast cancer. METHODS: Data acquired by Fuji Computed Radiography 9000, which consisted of 4148 digital mammograms including 267 cases of breast cancer, was transferred directly to an analysis workstation where an original software program determined extraction rates for breast tumors and clustered microcalcifications. Furthermore, using another 344 mammograms from 86 women, observer performance studies were conducted on five doctors for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: Sensitivity to breast cancerous tumors and clustered microcalcifications were 89.9% and 92.8%, respectively false-positive rates were 1.35 and 0.40 per image, respectively. The observer performance studies indicate that an average Az value for the five doctors was greater with the CAD system than with a film-only reading without CAD, and that a reading with CAD was significantly superior at P < 0.022. CONCLUSIONS: It has been shown that CAD based on Fuji Computed Radiography offers good detection rates for both breast cancerous tumors and clustered microcalcifications, and that the reading of mammograms with this CAD system would provide potential improvement in diagnostic accuracy for breast cancer.     

Inhibition of cardiac inward-rectifier K current by terodiline

The antispasmodic agent terodiline has cardiotoxic effects that include QT lengthening. To determine whether inhibition of inwardly-rectifying K⁺ current (I_K1) might be a factor in the cardiotoxicity, we measured I_K1 in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. Terodiline reduced outward I_K1 with an IC₅₀ of 7 μM; maximal reduction was 60% with 100–300 μM concentration. Inhibition was independent of current direction, and persisted after removal of the drug. Terodiline (3–5 μM) lengthened action potentials in guinea pig papillary muscles by ca. 10%, primarily by slowing phase 3 repolarization; higher concentrations abbreviated the plateau and markedly slowed late repolarization. Terodiline washout provoked an extra lengthening, consistent with persistent inhibition of I_K1 and rapid recovery of net inward plateau current. The results suggest that inhibition of I_K1 is a likely factor in the cardiotoxicity of the drug.     

Asian variant of intravascular large B cell lymphoma causes patients to frequently develop the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion

The Asian variant of intravascular large B cell lymphoma is a special type of intravascular lymphoma with hemophagocytic syndrome and hypercytokinemia including interleukin-6, which stimulates antidiuretic hormone synthesis in the hypothalamus. We present here that the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion frequently occurs in patients with the Asian variant of intravascular large B cell lymphoma. The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion was found in eight of 118 (6.8%) lymphoma patients at the first diagnosis. Although there were six (5.1%) among 118 lymphoma patients with the Asian variant of intravascular large B cell lymphoma, four of the six patients (66.7%) developed the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. In four patients with the Asian variant of intravascular large B cell lymphoma with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, elevated serum interleukin-6 and low sodium levels were almost normalized after chemotherapy. The Asian variant of intravascular large B cell lymphoma patients frequently develop the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, and interleukin-6 might play a role in the occurrence of this disease. We should pay attention to hyponatremia caused by the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion in patients with the Asian variant of intravascular large B cell lymphoma.