Pre-dialysis serum creatinine as an independent predictor of responsiveness to zinc supplementation among patients on hemodialysis.

Background: To investigate whether pre-dialysis level of serum creatinine (SCre) could indicate the responsiveness to zinc supplementation of patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the results of our previous randomized study of 91 patients who had been on MHD and received zinc supplementation with either zinc acetate hydrate (ZAH; zinc, 50 mg/day) or polaprezinc (PPZ; zinc, 34 mg/day). A late response to zinc supplementation was defined as a serum zinc level of < 80 μg/dL three months after the study began.

Comparison of zinc acetate hydrate and polaprezinc for zinc deficiency in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: A single-center, open-label, prospective randomized study.

The efficacy and safety of zinc acetate hydrate (ZAH) for zinc supplementation in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) remains unknown. In this prospective, single-center, open-label, parallel-group trial for MHD patients with serum zinc level <70 μg/dL, we compared ZAH (zinc; 50 mg/day) and polaprezinc (PPZ; zinc; 34 mg/day) beyond 6-month administration in a 1:1 randomization manner. The ZAH and PPZ groups had 44 and 47 patients, respectively.

Low serum butyrylcholinesterase is independently related to low fetuin-A in patients on hemodialysis: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Fetuin-A, which plays a protective role against the atherosclerosis and progression of vascular calcification, is decreased in patients on hemodialysis (HD). Fetuin-A and serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) levels decrease during malnutrition. We explored whether BChE was independently related to fetuin-A in patients on HD.

Butyrylcholinesterase level as an independent factor of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent resistance in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: a single-center cross-sectional study.

Background: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) responsiveness is related to the nutritional status of patients on hemodialysis (HD). Serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), an alpha-glycoprotein, may decrease in case of malnutrition. We investigated whether BChE was independently related to ESA resistance in patients on HD.

The relationship between poor nutritional status and progression of aortic calcification in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

Background: Although aortic calcification has a significant negative impact on prognosis in patients on hemodialysis (HD), risk factors for aortic calcification progression remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between malnutrition and aortic calcification progression in patients on HD.

Methods: Between April 2015 and October 2016, we treated 232 patients on HD.

Chemopreventive effect of mofezolac on beef tallow diet/azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis in rats.

Background/aims: We have previously shown that long-term consumption of 10% beef tallow diet promotes colon carcinogenesis in both saline- and azoxymethane (AOM)-treated rats. Here, we investigated the effects of mofezolac, a selective COX-1 inhibitor, on beef tallow-fed rats with saline- or AOM treatment.

Methodology: Male SD rats were intraperitoneally injected with saline or AOM and fed 10% beef tallow diet with or without 1200 ppm mofezolac.

Imbalance in the stress-adaptation system in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Aim: Though inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is known as a stress-related disorder, basic evidence for this claim is lacking. The current study was performed to investigate the function of the neuroendocrine-immune system as a main pathway in stress response and stress-coping ability and the associations among stress response, stress-coping ability, and disease activity in IBD patients.

Method: A questionnaire was administered to obtain information concerning stress state and stress-coping ability (self-efficacy and sense of coherence [SOC]) in 78 IBD patients and 21 healthy volunteers.

Brief Questioning by Nursing Staffs before Endoscopic Examination May Not Always Pick Up Clinical Symptoms of Endoscopic Reflux Esophagitis.

The clinical features of patients reflux esophagitis without any symptoms have not been clearly demonstrated. This study evaluated the clinical features of patients with endoscopy-positive reflux esophagitis, who did not complain of symptoms, as detected by brief questioning by nursing staffs. Eight thousand and thirty-one patients not taking medication for gastrointestinal disease, were briefly asked about the presence of heartburn, dysphagia, odynophagia and acid regurgitation by nursing staffs before endoscopy for assessment of esophagitis utilizing the Los Angeles Classification.

Effect of pioglitazone on various parameters of insulin resistance including lipoprotein subclass according to particle size by a gel-permeation high-performance liquid chromatography in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes.

Pioglitazone is an insulin-sensitizing agent that has been reported to have anti-arteriosclerotic effects. The aim of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the mechanism involved in the insulin sensitizing effect of pioglitazone. A total of 50 newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups, 25 of who were treated with 15 mg/day pioglitazone and 25 with 500 mg/day metformin for 12 weeks.

Conjugated linoleic acid suppresses colon carcinogenesis in azoxymethane-pretreated rats with long-term feeding of diet containing beef tallow.

Background: We have indicated previously that long-term feeding of beef tallow increases colorectal cancer in rats. In this study, we investigated the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on colon carcinogenesis in rats under long-term feeding of beef tallow diets, pretreated with azoxymethane (AOM).

Methods: Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with 10% beef tallow diet only, 10% beef tallow with 1% CLA in triglyceride form (CLA-TG), or 10% beef tallow with 1% CLA in free fatty acid form (CLA-FFA).

Use of virtual slide system for quick frozen intra-operative telepathology diagnosis in Kyoto, Japan.

We started to use virtual slide (VS) and virtual microscopy (VM) systems for quick frozen intra-operative telepathology diagnosis in Kyoto, Japan. In the system we used a digital slide scanner, VASSALO by CLARO Inc., and a broadband optic fibre provided by NTT West Japan Inc.

Dysphagia in adult Japanese is not equivalent to the grade of endoscopic reflux esophagitis.

Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate the correlation between dysphagia, detected by nursing staff in a brief interview and endoscopic findings in reflux esophagitis.

Patients And Methods: A total of 8,031 Japanese subjects without medication for gastrointestinal disease were briefly asked about the presence of heartburn, dysphagia, odynophagia, and acid regurgitation by nursing staff before endoscopy for assessment of esophagitis utilizing the Los Angeles Classification.

Results: The grade of endoscopic esophagitis was not equivalent to symptoms of dysphagia in 8,031 subjects.