Perilla extract improves frequent urination in spontaneously hypertensive rats with enhancement of the urothelial presence and anti-inflammatory effects.

Objective: To investigate the effects of perilla extract on urinary symptoms in spontaneously hypertensive rats as a model of spontaneous overactive bladder.

Methods: Spontaneously hypertensive rats were randomly divided into two groups and fed either a control diet or a perilla extract-containing diet. Cystometry, gene expression and histological analyses were carried out to evaluate the effects of perilla extract after 2-week feeding of either the control or the perilla extract diet.

Significance of Inducible Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardias After Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Noninducibility of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT) postablation does not insure absence of later recurrence in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. This study aims to determine the relation between inducible nonsustained VT postablation and VT recurrences.

Methods And Results: One hundred sixty-five consecutive patients (156 male; age 68±9 years) underwent ablation for SMVT because of ischemic cardiomyopathy; 44 patients who did not have induction testing or in whom only ventricular fibrillation was induced after ablation were excluded.

A Single- and Multiple-Dose, Multicenter Study of Etelcalcetide in Japanese Hemodialysis Patients With Secondary Hyperparathyroidism.

Introduction: The pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety and tolerability profile of etelcalcetide (ONO-5163/AMG 416), a novel, i.v., long-acting calcium-sensing receptor agonist, were studied in Japanese hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Possible mechanism for the polychlorinated bipheny-linduced liver-selective accumulation of thyroxine in rats.

We have previously reported that decrease in level of serum thyroxine T by Kanechor 500 (KC500) in rats would occur through the increase in hepatic T accumulation rather than the increase in hepatic T-glucuronyl transferase activity. In the present study, to understand the mechanism underlying the KC500-mediated increase in hepatic T accumulation, we examined the relationship between the KC500-mediated changes in hepatic T accumulation and the expression levels of mRNAs of hepatic transporters including T transporters. [I]T was intravenously injected into KC500-pretreated and control (KC500-untreated) Wistar rats, and [I]T uptake levels of liver parenchymal cells were comparatively examined.

Assessment of autonomic nervous system modulation after novel catheter ablation techniques for atrial fibrillation using multiple short-term electrocardiogram recordings.

Purpose: The effect of novel catheter ablation techniques for atrial fibrillation (AF) on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is unclear. This study aimed to assess the ANS after three novel catheter ablation techniques for paroxysmal AF by evaluating heart rate variability (HRV) parameters using a 3-min electrocardiogram recording.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty-five patients who underwent catheter ablation for paroxysmal AF (119 in irrigated-tip, 51 in contact-force sensing-guided, and 65 patients in second-generation cryoballoon ablation) were included.

Renal function and risk of stroke and bleeding in patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: Comparison between uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulants and warfarin administration.

Background: The effect of uninterrupted oral anticoagulant use in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is not fully understood.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of periprocedural uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) use compared with those of uninterrupted warfarin use in patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF stratified by various renal function groups.

Methods: A total of 2091 patients were retrospectively included in this study.

Visualization and quantitation of epidermal growth factor receptor homodimerization and activation with a proximity ligation assay.

Objectives: Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) results from receptor homodimerization and autophosphorylation and confers sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in some tumors. However, the visual detection and quantitation of activated EGFR in the clinical setting has not been established.

Materials And Methods: A proximity ligation assay (PLA) was applied to detect EGFR homodimers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and tissue specimens.

Warfarin-related nephropathy in a patient with renal pelvic cancer.

An 83-year-old Japanese man had a history of chronic heart failure due to bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome. He was admitted to our hospital because of macrohematuria and acute kidney injury (AKI), which were detected by an urologist at an outpatient visit. He had a history of recurrent macrohematuria and transurethral resection of bladder tumors twice in the preceding 2 years.

Acquisition of the T790M resistance mutation during afatinib treatment in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor-naïve patients with non-small cell lung cancer harboring mutations.

The T790M secondary mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene accounts for 50% to 60% of cases of resistance to the first-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib and erlotinib. The prevalence of T790M in mutation-positive patients who acquire resistance to the irreversible, second-generation EGFR-TKI afatinib has remained unclear, however. We here determined the frequency of T790M acquisition at diagnosis of progressive disease in patients with -mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with afatinib as first-line EGFR-TKI.

Directed evolution and expression tuning of geraniol synthase for efficient geraniol production in Escherichia coli.

To achieve an efficient production of geraniol and its derivatives in Escherichia coli, we aimed to improve the activity of geraniol synthase (GES) through a single round of mutagenesis and screening for higher substrate consumption. We isolated GES variants that outperform their parent in geraniol production. The analysis of GES variants indicated that the expression level of GES was the bottleneck for geraniol synthesis.

Right ventricular scar-related ventricular tachycardia in nonischemic cardiomyopathy: Electrophysiological characteristics, mapping, and ablation of underlying heart disease.

Background: Right ventricular (RV)-scar related ventricular tachycardia (VT) is often due to arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) or cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), but some patients whose clinical course has not been described do not fulfill diagnostic criteria for these diseases. We sought to characterize the electrophysiologic substrate and catheter ablation outcomes of such patients, termed RV cardiomyopathy of unknown source (RCUS).

Methods And Results: Data of 100 consecutive patients who presented with RV cardiomyopathy and/or RV-related VT for ablation were reviewed (51 ARVC/D, 22 CS; 27 RCUS).

Synthesis and thermal stabilities of oligonucleotides containing 2'-O,4'-C-methylene bridged nucleic acid with a phenoxazine base.

We designed and synthesized a novel artificial 2'-O,4'-C-methylene bridged nucleic acid (2',4'-BNA/LNA) with a phenoxazine nucleobase and named this compound BNAP. Oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) containing BNAP showed higher binding affinities toward complementary DNA and RNA as compared to ODNs bearing 2',4'-BNA/LNA with 5-methylcytosine or 2'-deoxyribonucleoside with phenoxazine. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that BNAP exhibits properties associated with the phenoxazine moiety in DNA/DNA duplexes and characteristics associated with the 2',4'-BNA/LNA moiety in DNA/RNA duplexes.

Infrared Spectroscopic Study of the Acidic CH Bonds in Hydrated Clusters of Cationic Pentane.

Infrared spectroscopy of the hydrated clusters of cationic pentane, which are generated through the vacuum ultraviolet photoionization in the gas phase, is carried out to probe the acidic properties of their CH bonds. The monohydrated pentane cation forms the proton-shared structure, in which the proton of CH in cationic pentane is shared between the pentyl radical and water molecule. In the di- and trihydrated clusters, the proton of CH is completely transferred to the water moiety so that the clusters are composed of the pentyl radical and protonated water cluster.

Long-term effects of etelcalcetide as intravenous calcimimetic therapy in hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a serious major complication in hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease. Long-term maintenance of serum phosphate, calcium, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in appropriate ranges in these patients is a major challenge. We investigated the efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with etelcalcetide, a novel intravenous calcimimetic, in Japanese SHPT patients on long-term hemodialysis.

Rectal carcinoma and multiple gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) of the small intestine in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1: a case report.

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomally dominant inherited disorder characterized by multiple pigmented skin spots (café-au-lait spots) and neurofibroma. NF1 is associated with a wide variety of benign or malignant tumors. We report a NF1 patient who received surgical treatment for rectal carcinoma and multifocal small intestinal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).

[Characterization and Evaluation of Skin Permeation of Tocopheryl Phosphoric Acid-loaded Phospholipid Nanoparticles].

Tocopheryl phosphoric acid (TPA, a hydrophilic vitamin E derivative) loaded liposome and glycerin containing phospholipid nanoparticles (GPLNP) were prepared using the film rehydration and extrusion method. Nanoparticle formulations were evaluated for size, zeta potential, and in vitro permeation across hairless mouse skin, and P NMR spectral analysis was performed. The prepared formulations were stable for 2 weeks, and their mean nanoparticle size varied between 90 and 140 nm.

Vagal response in cryoballoon ablation of atrial fibrillation and autonomic nervous system: Utility of epicardial adipose tissue location.

Background: Mechanism and effects of vagal response (VR) during cryoballoon ablation procedure on the cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) are unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between VR during cryoballoon catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation and ANS modulation by evaluating epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) locations and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.

Methods: Forty-one patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (11 with VR during the procedure and 30 without VR) who underwent second-generation cryoballoon ablation were included.

Identification of anti-inflammatory constituents in Phellodendri Cortex and Coptidis Rhizoma by monitoring the suppression of nitric oxide production.

Phellodendri Cortex (Obaku in Japanese) and Coptidis Rhizoma (Oren), both of which contain berberine, have been used to prepare the kampo formula orengedokuto to treat inflammatory diseases, including dermatitis, gastric ulcers, and gastritis. These drugs are blended differently in other formulas, such as the use of Phellodendri Cortex in shichimotsukokato to treat hypertension and Coptidis Rhizoma in hangeshashinto to treat diarrhea and stomatitis. However, the differences in their medicinal properties are not well characterized.

A 12-week dose-escalating study of etelcalcetide (ONO-5163/AMG 416), a novel intravenous calcimimetic, for secondary hyperparathyroidism in Japanese hemodialysis patients .

Aims: To evaluate dose-escalation of etelcalcetide (ONO-5163/AMG 416), a novel, intravenous (IV), long-acting calcium-sensing receptor agonist, for treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in Japanese hemodialysis patients.

Materials And Methods: In this multicenter study, IV injections of etelcalcetide (3 times a week for 12 weeks) were administered, with dose escalation every 4 weeks depending on changes in serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and corrected calcium (cCa). A total of 24 patients participated in this study.

Temperature and Size Dependence of Characteristic Hydrogen-Bonded Network Structures with Ion Core Switching in Protonated (Methanol)-(Water) Mixed Clusters: A Revisit.

Hydrogen-bonded network structures and preferential ion core in the protonated methanol-water mixed clusters, H(methanol)-(water) (n = 6-10), were explored by a combination of infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. Infrared spectra of the OH stretch region of the clusters were measured at the two different temperature ranges by using Ar-tagging. Stable isomer structures of the clusters were searched by the multiscale modeling approach and temperature dependent infrared spectra were simulated based on the statistical populations of the isomers.

Double cystic duct preoperatively diagnosed and successfully treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A case report.

Introduction: A single gallbladder with a double cystic duct is a very rare finding. In addition, few cases with this rare condition are preoperatively diagnosed. However, the preoperative confirmation or suspicion of this rare condition could facilitate safe laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is a minimally invasive therapeutic modality for gallbladder disease.

Sweet's Syndrome Successfully Treated with Granulocyte and Monocyte Adsorption Apheresis.

Sweet's syndrome is a neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by an abrupt onset of painful erythematous lesions showing neutrophilic infiltrates in the dermis. Fever and an elevated neutrophil level are generally observed. Sweet's syndrome may be idiopathic, malignancy-associated, or drug-induced (mainly involving granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration).

Spectroscopic observation of two-center three-electron bonded (hemi-bonded) structures of (HS) clusters in the gas phase.

A two-center three-electron 2c-3e bond (hemi-bond) is a non-classical chemical bond, and its existence has been supposed in radical cation clusters with lone pairs. Though the nature of the hemi-bond and its role in the reactivity of radical cations have attracted great interest, spectroscopic observations of hemi-bonded structures have been very scarce. In the present study, the presence of a stable hemi-bonded core (HS∴SH) in (HS) ( = 3-6) in the gas phase is demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy combined with quantum chemical calculations.