The successful treatment of microscopic polyangiitis associated with non-tuberculous mycobacterial-pulmonary disease.

While the incidence and prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacterial-pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) are increasing and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is common in East Asian countries, case reports of MPA associated with NTM-PD are limited. A 72-year-old male receiving treatment for NTM-PD with antibiotics was referred to our hospital with fever and arthralgia that developed a few months previously. A blood test revealed the presence of the myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) and renal impairment. Based on a pathological examination of renal tissue, which showed crescentic glomerulonephritis, the patient was diagnosed with MPA. Due to acute kidney injury and strongly positive MPO-ANCA, pulse steroid therapy was initiated followed by intravenous rituximab (RTX). The patient also received plasmapheresis (14 sessions). Renal dysfunction was reversed. MPA associated with NTM-PD is extremely rare and, thus, there is currently no established treatment. Our patient was diagnosed with MPA based on the findings of renal biopsy while receiving treatment for NTM-PD. RTX and plasmapheresis combined with systemic glucocorticoid therapy were initiated before these clinical conditions had fully recovered. Although MPA secondary to NTM-PD may be more refractory to treatment than primary MPA in the presence of a very low interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) level, this case was successfully treated with steroids, RTX, and plasmapheresis.

Hydrological setting controls 137Cs and 90Sr concentrations in a headwater catchment in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

Concentration-discharge relationships are widely used to understand the hydrological processes controlling river water chemistry. This study investigates how hydrological processes affect radionuclide (137Cs and 90Sr) concentrations in surface water in headwater catchments within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) in Ukraine. In the flat wetland catchments, the depth of the saturated soil layer changes little throughout the year, but changes in the saturated soil surface area during snowmelt and immediately after rainfall affect water chemistry by changing the opportunities for contact between the surface water and the soil surface. On the other hand, in the slope catchments where there are few wetlands, the water chemistry of river water is governed by changes in the relative contributions of "shallow water" and "deep water" due to changes in the catchment water supply pathways feeding the rivers. In this study, no correlations were observed between dissolved or suspended 137Cs concentrations and either discharge rates or competitive cations, but the solid-liquid ratio of 137Cs was found to be significantly and negatively correlated with water temperature. However, 90Sr concentrations in surface water were found to be strongly related to the water pathways for each of the catchments. Moreover, contact between the surface water and the soil surface and changes in the relative contributions of shallow and deep waters to stream water were correlated with changes in 90Sr concentrations in surface water in wetland and slope catchments, respectively. The study concludes that 90Sr in rivers inside the ChEZ are strongly affected by the water pathways in headwater catchments. Additional studies will be necessary to clarify the details of sorption/desorption reactions.

Selenoneine Ameliorates Hepatocellular Injury and Hepatic Steatosis in a Mouse Model of NAFLD.

Selenoneine is a novel organic selenium compound markedly found in the blood, muscles, and other tissues of fish. This study aimed to determine whether selenoneine attenuates hepatocellular injury and hepatic steatosis in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Mice lacking farnesoid X receptor (FXR) were used as a model for fatty liver disease, because they exhibited hepatomegaly, hepatic steatosis, and hepatic inflammation. Fxr-null mice were fed a 0.3 mg Se/kg selenoneine-containing diet for four months. Significant decreases in the levels of hepatomegaly, hepatic damage-associated diagnostic markers, hepatic triglycerides, and total bile acids were found in Fxr-null mice fed with a selenoneine-rich diet. Hepatic and blood clot total selenium concentrations were 1.7 and 1.9 times higher in the selenoneine group than in the control group. A marked accumulation of selenoneine was found in the liver and blood clot of the selenoneine group. The expression levels of oxidative stress-related genes (heme oxygenase 1 (Hmox1), glutathione S-transferase alpha 1 (Gsta1), and Gsta2), fatty acid synthetic genes (stearoyl CoA desaturase 1(Scd1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (Acc1)), and selenoprotein (glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) and selenoprotein P (Selenop)) were significantly decreased in the selenoneine group. These results suggest that selenoneine attenuates hepatic steatosis and hepatocellular injury in an NAFLD mouse model.

Effect of combining additional bakery enzymes and high pressure treatment on bread making qualities.

Various enzymes are added to dough to improve the quality. Two enzymes are α-amylase and hemicellulase (bakery enzymes), whose substrates are damaged starch and insoluble dietary fiber, respectively. They improve the formation of gluten networks in the dough, resulting in a higher specific loaf volume (SLV). The use of high-pressure treatment has also increased as a substitute for heat treatment and various products are being processed utilizing high-pressure treatment. This study investigated the effect of combing bakery enzyme and high-pressure treatment on dough qualities. The optimal concentration of bakery enzymes and high-pressure level were determined using response surface methodology and optimization technique. Bread dough was prepared by the optimal condition, 0.20% of bakery enzyme and 43 MPa of high-pressure treatment, and the bread dough was then baked. Optimal combining bakery enzyme and high-pressure treatment drastically improved bread making qualities such as increased SLV, higher concentrations of reducing sugar, and lower concentrations of damaged starch and insoluble dietary fiber compared to the control and to those that were only treated with bakery enzymes or high-pressure treatment, respectively. In addition, the bread with both bakery enzymes and high-pressure treatment showed improved micro structure in the crumb and maintained freshness longer.

Analysis of the relationship between bread-making quality and dough stress during the proofing process using near-isogenic lines of 'Harunoakebono'.

The physical properties of various white bread doughs made from the flours of 'Harunoakebono' and 10 genotypes of its near-isogenic lines with different compositions of high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMWGs) were measured with the Creep method based on a Maxwell-2-element model. The expansion stress in the proofing process of various doughs was obtained by a numerical calculation method. The results indicated that doughs with high elastic characteristics, namely large relaxation time (τ0) and regularity coefficient of viscosity (ηN), have high dough stress throughout the proofing process and high stress at the proofing end (σend) and conversely, the low elastic dough with the small τ0 and ηN has the completely opposite tendency. This study also showed that there are significantly high correlations between the calculated σend and bread-making quality (BMQ) such as gas retention of dough and specific loaf volume (SLV). These results showed that BMQ, represented by SLV, of various white bread doughs were greatly influenced by the dough's physical properties, especially τ0 and ηN, which change with differences in the compositions of the HMWGs.

Optimization of enzymes addition to improve whole wheat bread making quality by response surface methodology and optimization technique.

The functional ingredients in whole wheat flour, such as dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, have beneficial health effects. However, the excessive amount of dietary fiber in whole wheat flour inhibits gluten network formation and diminishes bread making qualities (BMQ). Adding appropriate amounts of enzymes, α-amylase (AM) and hemicellulase (HC), could be a solution to these problems. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) created a response surface model and Solver (Excel add-in software) calculated the optimal amounts of the enzymes. Adding optimum concentrations of AM and HC drastically improved BMQ (gas retention of dough, specific loaf volume, and bread staling) of whole wheat flour dough and bread compared to whole wheat flour dough and bread without the enzymes. These results showed that combining RSM and Solver was an effective and reasonably easy method that determines optimal concentrations of enzymes to obtain the highest quality bread using whole wheat flour.

Effect of taurine on acinar cell apoptosis and pancreatic fibrosis in dibutyltin dichloride-induced chronic pancreatitis.

The relationship between pancreatic fibrosis and apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells has not been fully elucidated. We reported that taurine had an anti-fibrotic effect in a dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC)-chronic pancreatitis model. However, the effect of taurine on apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells is still unclear. Therefore, we examined apoptosis in DBTC-chronic pancreatitis and in the AR42J pancreatic acinar cell line with/without taurine. Pancreatic fibrosis was induced by a single administration of DBTC. Rats were fed a taurine-containing diet or a normal diet and were sacrificed at day 5. The AR42J pancreatic acinar cell line was incubated with/without DBTC with taurine chloramines. Apoptosis was determined by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The expression of Bad and Bcl-2 proteins in the AR42J cells lysates was detected by Western blot analysis. The apoptotic index of pancreatic acinar cells in DBTC-administered rats was significantly increased. Taurine treatment inhibited pancreatic fibrosis and apoptosis of acinar cells induced by DBTC. The number of TUNEL-positive cells in the AR42J pancreatic acinar cell lines was significantly increased by the addition of DBTC. Incubation with taurine chloramines ameliorated these changes. In conclusion, taurine inhibits apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells and pancreatitis in experimental chronic pancreatitis.

New large bowel segmentation on plain abdominal radiography in comparison with the conventional method.

Plain abdominal radiography is a very basic examination and plays an important role in primary care. The objectives of this study were to clarify colon distributions on plain abdominal radiographs. Forty-three healthy volunteers underwent gastric fluoroscopy, and 2 hours later, plain abdominal radiography in the supine position. A region of interest (ROI) was defined uniformly on each X-ray image to divide the image into 600 zones. The area corresponding to the large bowel within the ROI was divided into 4 segments (ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and sigmoid colon + rectum). The percentage of barium in each segment relative to the total volume of barium used was calculated to evaluate the percent ROI occupancy. The large bowel covered 76.7% of the entire ROI, with the percent duplication being 55%. The duplicated area corresponded to the transverse colon region. When the method proposed by Arhan et al. was used, the percentage of the colon actually present in each segment relative to that determined theoretically was 99.6% for the right colon segment, 92.2& for the left colon segment, and 92.2% for the sigmoid/rectal segment. However, in cases in which the transverse colon descended partially from the fifth lumbar vertebra, the percentage occupied by the sigmoid colon + rectum decreased to 57.2%. We applied a new large bowel segmentation method especially for patients with ptosis, by devising a line joining the lateral side of the right lesser pelvis and the lower ends of both sacroiliac joints.

Oral administration of taurine improves experimental pancreatic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The mechanism of pancreatic fibrosis is unclear. Taurine is used in the clinical treatment of a wide variety of diseases, but its effect on improving pancreatic fibrosis is unknown. We examined whether a diet with added taurine improves pancreatic fibrosis induced by dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) in an experimental chronic pancreatitis rat model. In addition, we examined the influence of taurine on pancreatic stellate cells. METHODS: Pancreatic fibrosis was induced by DBTC. Rats were fed a taurine-containing diet or a normal diet and were killed at 4 weeks. Pancreatic stellate cells were isolated from male Wistar rats. Cultured pancreatic stellate cells were incubated with or without taurine chloramine. Type I collagen and transforming growth factor-beta1 secretion was evaluated by ELISA, and matrix metalloproteinase activity was assessed by gelatin zymography. Interleukin-6, interleukin-2, and transforming growth factor-beta1 levels in the supernatants of pancreatic tissue homogenates were measured. RESULTS: Pancreatic fibrosis induced by DBTC was improved remarkably by the oral administration of the taurine-containing diet. Taurine chloramine decreased type I collagen, transforming growth factor-beta1, and matrix metalloproteinases 2 of the pancreatic stellate cell culture supernatant. Increased interleukin-6 and decreased interleukin-2 were found in the supernatants of the pancreatic tissue homogenates of DBTC-induced pancreatitis rats compared with other groups. CONCLUSION: The oral administration of taurine improves pancreatic fibrosis. Taurine chloramine inhibits transforming growth factor-beta1 produced from activated pancreatic stellate cells and improves pancreatic fibrosis.

Xanthine oxidase-derived free radicals directly activate rat pancreatic stellate cells.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Free radicals are reported to be associated with fibrosis in the pancreas. It is generally accepted that pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) play an important role in pancreatic fibrosis. However, the exact role of free radicals in activation of PSC has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, using a superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibitor, diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) with cultured PSC, we investigated how free radicals act on the activation of PSC. METHODS: PSC were isolated from male Wister rats. Cultured rat PSC were incubated with DDC for 48 h. Intracellular SOD activity and lipid peroxidation were examined in DDC-treated PSC. Activation of PSC was examined by determining the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) by immunocytochemistry. The number of PSC using a hemocytometer, type I collagen secretion with ELISA and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) activities with gelatin zymography were also examined. Secretion of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) was evaluated by ELISA. The effects of the allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitor, on PSC were also examined. RESULTS: DDC decreased SOD activity and increased lipid peroxidation products in PSC. DDC activated PSC, increasing the number of alpha-SMA positive cells, enhancing secretion of type I collagen and MMP, inhibiting PSC proliferation. Secretion of TGF-beta1, which is known to activate PSC, was increased by DDC treatment. These alterations were prevented by allopurinol. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that free radicals generated by XOD might directly activate PSC.

Gastrobiliary motility is not coordinated in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia of normal gastric emptying time: simultaneous sonographic study.

BACKGROUND: Disorders of the motor function of the upper gastrointestinal tract have been implicated in the pathogenesis of non-ulcer dyspepsia. Approximately 50% of patients with abdominal symptoms (without ulcer) have normal gastric emptying. Apart from gastric emptying, other mechanisms are very important in the etiology of non-ulcer dyspepsia. METHODS: Gastric emptying and gallbladder motility were simultaneously investigated in 16 patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia and in 15 healthy controls. Fasting blood samples were taken, and pepsinogen levels were assayed. RESULTS: Gastric emptying time, fasting antral diameter, and post-prandial antral diameter were not significantly different between the patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia and the controls. Fasting gallbladder volume, the time required to reach minimal gallbladder residual volume, minimal gallbladder residual volume, and the serum levels of pepsinogen were not significantly different. Simple linear regression was used to summarize the relationship between gastric emptying time and time required to reach minimal gallbladder residual volume. In the controls, the gastric emptying time and time required to reach minimal gallbladder residual volume were linearly related. However, in the patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia, they were not related. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that disturbance of coordination between gastric emptying and gallbladder emptying is a cause of the symptoms of non-ulcer dyspepsia.