Successful Superficial Blood Sampling to Localize a Fibroblast Growth Factor-23-Producing Tumor.

BACKGROUND Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a paraneoplastic syndrome caused by aberrant fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23)-producing tumors. Early surgical resection is the optimal strategy for preventing TIO progression. Thus, tumor localization is a priority for successful treatment.

Metyrosine-associated endocrinological changes in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Objective: Metyrosine (alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine) effectively reduces catecholamine levels in patients with pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma. However, improvements in physiological and metabolic parameters and changes in endocrine function associated with metyrosine administration should be validated in comparison to surgery. This study was performed to confirm the effects of metyrosine on the physiological, metabolic, and endocrinological functions of patients with pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma in the perioperative period.

Iliopsoas muscle to visceral fat ratio on CT predicts Cushing's syndrome in elderly females with adrenal tumors.

There is no computed tomography (CT)-based numerical index for predicting Cushing's syndrome (CS) in patients with adrenal incidentalomas. We tested the hypothesis that the iliopsoas muscle (Ip-M) to visceral fat (V-fat) ratio (IVR) on CT may predict CS in elderly female patients with adrenal tumors. We examined the V-fat area, subcutaneous fat (S-fat) area, Ip-M area, V-fat/S-fat ratio, and IVR at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) level using abdominal CT in female patients aged ≥50 years with cortisol-producing adrenal tumor diagnosed with CS or non-functioning adrenal tumor (NFT) in the derivation cohort.

Relationship between serum indirect bilirubin levels and skeletal muscle mass in older male and female patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: We previously showed that low serum bilirubin levels are associated with disability in quality of daily living in older patients with diabetes. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between serum bilirubin levels and skeletal muscle mass in older patients with type2 diabetes.

A simplified prediction model for end-stage kidney disease in patients with diabetes.

This study aimed to develop a simplified model for predicting end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in patients with diabetes. The cohort included 2549 individuals who were followed up at Kyushu University Hospital (Japan) between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2018. The outcome was a composite of ESKD, defined as an eGFR < 15 mL min [1.

Clinical usefulness of human serum nonmercaptalbumin to mercaptalbumin ratio as a biomarker for diabetic complications and disability in activities of daily living in elderly patients with diabetes.

Background: Oxidative stress may play an important role in the development of diabetic complications. The ratio of human nonmercaptalbumin (HNA; oxidized form) to human mercaptalbumin (HMA; reduced form) has attracted attention as an indicator for systemic redox states. In this study, we measured the ratio in elderly patients with diabetes and evaluated its association with diabetic complications and disability in activities of daily living (ADL disability).

Poorly controlled diabetes during pregnancy and lactation activates the Foxo1 pathway and causes glucose intolerance in adult offspring.

Exposure to maternal diabetes during pregnancy results in diabetes in offspring, but its underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we investigated the phenotype and molecular defects of the offspring of poorly controlled diabetic female mice generated by streptozotocin (STZ) administration. Offspring was exposed to maternal diabetes during pregnancy and lactation.

Evolution of the sperm methylome of primates is associated with retrotransposon insertions and genome instability.

Changes in gene expression resulting from epigenetic and/or genetic changes play an important role in the evolutionary divergence of phenotypes. To explore how epigenetic and genetic changes are linked during primate evolution, we have compared the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles (methylomes) of humans and chimpanzees, which have a 1.2% DNA sequence divergence, of sperm, the frontal cortices, B cells, and neutrophils.

Iron-heme-Bach1 axis is involved in erythroblast adaptation to iron deficiency.

Iron plays the central role in oxygen transport by erythrocytes as a constituent of heme and hemoglobin. The importance of iron and heme is also to be found in their regulatory roles during erythroblast maturation. The transcription factor Bach1 may be involved in their regulatory roles since it is deactivated by direct binding of heme.