Essential oil components of turmeric inhibit hepatic lipidification and liver fibrosis in a diet-induced NASH model rats.

In this study, the fraction extracted from turmeric powder with 50% ethanol and fractionated with n-hexane were administered to diet-induced NASH model rats. NASH model was prepared with SD rats by feeding an originally designed choline-deficient, high-fat, high-fructose (HFF-CD) diet for 10 weeks. To the HFF-CD diet, hexane fraction and 50% ethanol fraction after hexane fractionation were added at 100 mg/kg body weight.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids-rich dietary lipid prevents high fat diet-induced obesity in mice.

Diet is the primary factor affecting host nutrition and metabolism, with excess food intake, especially high-calorie diets, such as high-fat and high-sugar diets, causing an increased risk of obesity and related disorders. Obesity alters the gut microbial composition and reduces microbial diversity and causes changes in specific bacterial taxa. Dietary lipids can alter the gut microbial composition in obese mice.

Preliminary Observations and Impact in Japan of the Tsunami Caused by the Tonga Volcanic Eruption on January 15, 2022.

The tsunami caused by the Tonga submarine volcanic eruption that occurred at 13:15 Japan Time (JST) on January 15, 2022, exposed a blind spot in Japan's tsunami monitoring and warning system, which was established in 1952 for local tsunamis and expanded to distant tsunamis after the 1960 Chile tsunami. This paper summarizes how the warning system responded to the unprecedented tsunami, the actual evacuation process, and the damage it caused in Japan. Initially, the tsunami from the volcanic eruption was expected to arrive at approximately midnight with amplitudes of less than 20 cm.

Prevention of Hypothermia in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters in Areas at Risk of Avalanches, Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Floods.

Throughout history, accidental hypothermia has accompanied natural disasters in cold, temperate, and even subtropical regions. We conducted a non-systematic review of the causes and means of preventing accidental hypothermia after natural disasters caused by avalanches, earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods. Before a disaster occurs, preventive measures are required, such as accurate disaster risk analysis for given areas, hazard mapping and warning, protecting existing structures within hazard zones to the greatest extent possible, building structures outside hazard zones, and organising rapid and effective rescue.

Frequency dispersion amplifies tsunamis caused by outer-rise normal faults.

Although tsunamis are dispersive water waves, hazard maps for earthquake-generated tsunamis neglect dispersive effects because the spatial dimensions of tsunamis are much greater than the water depth, and dispersive effects are generally small. Furthermore, calculations that include non-dispersive effects tend to predict higher tsunamis than ones that include dispersive effects. Although non-dispersive models may overestimate the tsunami height, this conservative approach is acceptable in disaster management, where the goal is to save lives and protect property.

Gross primary production of dwarf bamboo, Sasa senanensis, in a mature beech forest with a substantial gap-mosaic structure.

Forest understory plays an important role in the gross primary production (GPP) of some forest ecosystems. However, differences in understory GPP caused by obviously different overstory canopy structure have not been taken into consideration in previous studies, thus potentially over- or underestimating understory GPP. To estimate the understory GPP more accurately, we separated a forest into "canopy area", with closed-overstory canopy, and "gap area", with open-overstory canopy.

A Nuclear Factor Involved in Transcriptional Regulation of the AREBP Gene.

The AICAR responsive element binding protein (AREBP) suppresses transcription of the gluconeogenic enzyme genes in response to AICAR treatment. Moreover, overexpression of AREBP also suppresses gluconeogenic gene expressions in animals, indicating that AREBP plays an important role in gluconeogenesis. Through a combination of systematic analyses of the AREBP gene promoter and assays for DNA-protein interaction, we identified a nuclear factor involved in tissue-specific expression of AREBP.

High dietary fat-induced obesity in Wistar rats and type 2 diabetes in nonobese Goto-Kakizaki rats differentially affect retinol binding protein 4 expression and vitamin A metabolism.

Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, which is caused mainly by insulin resistance. Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) is the only specific transport protein for retinol in the serum. RBP4 level is increased in the diabetic state and high-fat condition, indicating that retinol metabolism may be affected under these conditions.

Efficacy and safety of flecainide for ventricular arrhythmias in patients with Andersen-Tawil syndrome with KCNJ2 mutations.

Background: Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS) is an autosomal dominant genetic or sporadic disorder characterized by ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), periodic paralyses, and dysmorphic features. The optimal pharmacological treatment of VAs in patients with ATS remains unknown.

Objective: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of flecainide for VAs in patients with ATS with KCNJ2 mutations.

Two-layer challenge test as an assessment to predict islet graft function.

Background/aims: To investigate graft viability assessment before transplantation using 31P-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy combining a two-layer old storage method (TLM).

Methodology: Rat pancreases were divided into three groups and respectively subjected to 0 (group 1), and 30 minutes (group 2) of warm ischemia (WI) before procurement. Pancreases were digested and pancreatic digest tissues were preserved for 3 h using TLM.

Palladium-catalyzed α-ketocyclopropanation of norbornenes with propargyl acetates.

Propargyl acetates reacted with norbornene in the presence of a catalytic amount of tetrakis(tripheylphosphine)palladium to give cyclopropyl ketones. The reaction proceeded with high stereoselectivity, affording a single stereoisomer. The reaction of various substituted norbornenes gave the corresponding cyclopropanes in moderate to good yields.

Biologically active vitamin B12 compounds in foods for preventing deficiency among vegetarians and elderly subjects.

The usual dietary sources of vitamin B12 are animal-source based foods, including meat, milk, eggs, fish, and shellfish, although a few plant-based foods such as certain types of dried lavers (nori) and mushrooms contain substantial and considerable amounts of vitamin B12, respectively. Unexpectedly, detailed characterization of vitamin B12 compounds in foods reveals the presence of various corrinoids that are inactive in humans. The majority of edible blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and certain edible shellfish predominately contain an inactive corrinoid known as pseudovitamin B12.

Anatomical and electrophysiological variations of Koch's triangle and the impact on the slow pathway ablation in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia: a study using 3D mapping.

Objective: This study aimed to reveal individual variations in Koch's triangle using NavX and to evaluate the efficacy of the NavX-guided slow pathway ablation.

Methods: A regional geometry around Koch's triangle was constructed in 42 consecutive patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), and a bipolar electrogram map was created with 72 ± 30 sampling points during sinus rhythm to identify sites with Haissaguerre's slow potentials (SPs) and His bundle electrograms (HBEs) to examine the anatomical and electrical variations. Radiofrequency ablation was performed at the most prominent SP recording site.

[A case of anorectal malignant melanoma appearing 1 year after endoscopic mucosal resection of a rectal adenocarcinoma].

We present a case of a 61-year-old woman who underwent endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for early-stage colorectal cancer. However, because the condition of the horizontal margin of the resected tumor was unknown, she further underwent local transanal excision. Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy performed 1 year later showed protruding lesions both on the scar tissue and in the vicinity.

Prevention of intimal hyperplasia employing the cavitary two-layer method in allogeneic rat heart transplantation.

Background: The development of graft arteriosclerosis is a significant contributor to chronic rejection in organ transplant recipients. The purpose of the present study was to establish whether or not the cavitary two-layer method can prevent graft arteriosclerosis after rat heart transplantation.

Methods: F-344 rats served as donors to Lewis recipients.

A new method of a pulmonary vein map to identify a conduction gap on the pulmonary vein antrum ablation line.

Background: Electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins (PV) is crucial for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Conduction gaps on the circumferential PV antrum ablation (CPVA) line sometimes remain, which are sometimes difficult to identify.

Methods And Results: CPVA of the ipsilateral superior and inferior PVs was performed during sinus rhythm or coronary sinus pacing using the NavX system in 22 AF patients, in whom 1 round of CPVA failed to disconnect 26 individual PVs (30%) in 18 patients.

Clinical impact of tumor invasion depth staging of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma using endoscopic ultrasonography.

Background/aims: To demonstrate how EUS tumor staging has a practical effect on deciding the treatment strategy for esophageal carcinoma, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical impact of thin-probe EUS staging.

Methodology: The results of EUS performed 54 times were classified according to clinical impact into three grades (none, supportive, and important) and analyzed to assess their impact on the treatment strategy on individual occasions.

Results: EUS was important in determining treatment strategy for 23 of 39 lesions (59.

Ultraslim endoscopy with flexible spectral imaging color enhancement for upper gastrointestinal neoplasms.

Aim: To conduct a preliminary study on the effect of flexible spectral imaging color enhancement (FICE) used in combination with ultraslim endoscopy by focusing on the enhanced contrast between tumor and non-tumor lesions.

Methods: We examined 50 lesions of 40 patients with epithelial tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract before endoscopic submucosal dissection using ultraslim endoscopy with conventional natural color imaging and with FICE imaging. We retrospectively investigated the effect of the use of FICE on endoscopic diagnosis in comparison with normal light.

Oxygenation of the portal vein by intraperitoneal administration of oxygenated perfluorochemical improves the engraftment and function of intraportally transplanted islets.

Objectives: One of the major obstacles for successful intraportal islet transplantation (IPIT) is early graft loss due to hypoxia. We therefore examined the effect of intraperitoneal oxygenated perfluorochemical (PFC) on oxygenation of the portal vein with respect to islet engraftment and function after IPIT in a rat model.

Methods: First, we measured the oxygen tension and saturation in the portal vein of Lewis rats before and after intraperitoneal injection of oxygenated PFC.

Regeneration of the femoral epicondyle on calcium-binding silk scaffolds developed using transgenic silk fibroin produced by transgenic silkworm.

Genetically modified silk fibroin containing a poly-glutamic acid site, [(AGSGAG)4E8AS]4, for mineralization was produced as fibers by transgenic silkworms through systematic transformation of the silkworms. The Ca binding activity and mineralization of the transgenic silk fibroin were examined in vitro, showing that this transgenic silk fibroin had relatively high Ca binding activity compared with native silk fibroin. Porous silk scaffolds were prepared with the transgenic and native silk fibroins.

Methyladeninylcobamide functions as the cofactor of methionine synthase in a Cyanobacterium, Spirulina platensis NIES-39.

To clarify the physiological function of pseudovitamin B(12) (or adeninylcobamide; AdeCba) in Spirulina platensis NIES-39, cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase (MS) was characterized. We cloned the full-length Spirulina MS. The clone contained an open reading frame encoding a protein of 1183 amino acids with a molecular mass of 132 kDa.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation of ventricular tachyarrhythmia under navigation using EnSite array.

Background: EnSite array (EA) provides virtual activation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and premature ventricular contraction (PVC) on a beat-to-beat basis.

Methods And Results: Fifty-five consecutive patients (age 52+/-16 years) with 79 VTs/PVCs undergoing EA-guided radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) were studied, of whom 7 patients had organic heart diseases. A virtual activation map showed that 66 VTs/PVCs originated from the right ventricle (RV), including the RV outflow tract in 57, lateral wall of RV in 4, His bundle region in 3 and tricuspid annulus in 2.

Characterization of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase involved in the propionate photoassimilation of Euglena gracilis Z.

Significant accumulation of the methylmalonyl-CoA mutase apoenzyme was observed in the photosynthetic flagellate Euglena gracilis Z at the end of the logarithmic growth phase. The apoenzyme was converted to a holoenzyme by incubation for 4 h at 4 degrees C with 10 microM 5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin, and then, the holoenzyme was purified to homogeneity and characterized. The apparent molecular mass of the enzyme was calculated to be 149.

[A case report of internal hernia through an abnormal defect in the broad ligament of the uterus].

We report a rare case of internal hernia through an abnormal defect in the broad ligament of the uterus. A 49-year-old woman, without any previous surgery, was admitted because of vomiting and lower abdominal pain. Three days after admission a small amount of small intestinal gas was pointed out on her plain abdominal X-ray film.