Comparative Effects of Direct Renin Inhibitor and Angiotensin Receptor Blocker on Albuminuria in Hypertensive Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In patients with diabetes, albuminuria is a risk marker of end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular events. An increased renin-angiotensin system activity has been reported to play an important role in the pathological processes in these conditions. We compared the effect of aliskiren, a direct renin inhibitor (DRI), with that of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on albuminuria and urinary excretion of angiotensinogen, a marker of intrarenal renin-angiotensin system activity.

Renoprotective effect of renal liver-type fatty acid binding protein and angiotensin II type 1a receptor loss in renal injury caused by RAS activation.

The aim of this study was to assess the renoprotective effect of renal human liver-type fatty acid binding protein (hL-FABP) and angiotensin II (ANG II) type 1A receptor (AT1a) loss in renal injury caused by renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation. We established hL-FABP chromosomal transgenic mice (L-FABP(+/-)AT1a(+/+)), crossed the L-FABP(+/-)AT1a(+/+) with AT1a knockdown homo mice (L-FABP(-/-)AT1a(-/-)), and generated L-FABP(+/-)AT1a hetero mice (L-FABP(+/-)AT1a(+/-)). After the back-cross of these cubs, L-FABP(+/-)AT1a(-/-) were obtained.

[Report of 2 cases of tuberculous retoropharygeal abscess in adults].

We report 2 cases of tuberculous retoropharyngeal abscess. Case 1 was a 21-year-old man with tuberculous cervical spondylitis and pulmonary tuberculosis and Case 2 was a 32-year-old woman with tuberculous lymph adenitis and military tuberculosis. Both reported sore throat and dysphagea.

[A case of primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of jejunum].

A 73-year old woman consulted our hospital for consciousness disorder and was hospitalized under a diagnosis of cerebral infarction. On admission, retention of a large volume of ascites was noted. There were also marked increases in tumor markers.

[Synthetic glucocorticoid therapy in liver diseases].

Glucocorticoids are used in patients with liver diseases in the following cases: The major indication for glucocorticoids in liver disease is autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Although prednisone at 30 to 60 mg/day is widely used throughout the world, the usual starting dose in Japan is 15 to 20 mg/day with the maintenance dose adequate at 5 to 10 mg/day since AIH in Japan is usually mild with few severe cases and since the weight of Japanese patients is generally lighter. Another indication is in chronic hepatitis B as corticosteroid withdrawal therapy.