Age-associated cardiomyopathy in heterozygous carrier mice of a pathological mutation of carnitine transporter gene,OCTN2

The purpose of this study was to test whether heterozygotes of juvenile visceral steatosis mice, a model for systemic carnitine deficiency, may develop age-associated cardiomyopathy. Tissue morphological observations were carried out by light and electron microscopy to compare the heterozygous and age-matched control mice at periods of 1 and 2 years. Possible effects of the pathological mutation on lipid and glucose levels was also evaluated in humans and mice. Except mild increases in serum cholesterol levels in male heterozygous mice and humans, no changes were found in other factors, indicating that none of the confounding factors seems to be profound. Results demonstrated that heterozygous mice had larger left ventriclular myocyte diameters than the control mice. Morphological changes in cardiac muscles by electron microscopy revealed age-associated changes of lipid deposition and abnormal mitochondria in heterozygous mice. Two out of 60 heterozygous cohort and one out of nine heterozygous trim-kill mice had cardiac hypertrophy at ages older than 2 years. The present study and our previous work suggest that the carrier state of OCTN2 pathological mutations might be a risk factor for age-associated cardiomyopathy.     

Gastrobiliary motility is not coordinated in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia of normal gastric emptying time: simultaneous sonographic study

BACKGROUND: Disorders of the motor function of the upper gastrointestinal tract have been implicated in the pathogenesis of non-ulcer dyspepsia. Approximately 50% of patients with abdominal symptoms (without ulcer) have normal gastric emptying. Apart from gastric emptying, other mechanisms are very important in the etiology of non-ulcer dyspepsia. METHODS: Gastric emptying and gallbladder motility were simultaneously investigated in 16 patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia and in 15 healthy controls. Fasting blood samples were taken, and pepsinogen levels were assayed. RESULTS: Gastric emptying time, fasting antral diameter, and post-prandial antral diameter were not significantly different between the patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia and the controls. Fasting gallbladder volume, the time required to reach minimal gallbladder residual volume, minimal gallbladder residual volume, and the serum levels of pepsinogen were not significantly different. Simple linear regression was used to summarize the relationship between gastric emptying time and time required to reach minimal gallbladder residual volume. In the controls, the gastric emptying time and time required to reach minimal gallbladder residual volume were linearly related. However, in the patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia, they were not related. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that disturbance of coordination between gastric emptying and gallbladder emptying is a cause of the symptoms of non-ulcer dyspepsia.     

Polymyositis and fatal interstitial pneumonia following pelvic irradiation that led to unexpectedly severe adverse effects: a case report

Interstitial pneumonia (IP) sometimes precedes collagen vascular disease (CVD) onset. A patient with bladder cancer and mild IP received pelvic irradiation and experienced unexpectedly severe urinary toxicity followed by polymyositis onset and fatal IP exacerbation. Careful observation for “alarm adverse effects” of radiotherapy in IP patients may help predicting CVD onset.     

Prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis fimA genotypes in Japanese children

Porphyromonas gingivalis FimA fimbriae have been classified into 6 genotypes (types I-V and Ib) based on the diversity of the fimA genes encoding the fimbrial subunits. We investigated the prevalence of fimA genotype in Japanese children. Dental plaque specimens were obtained from 400 subjects (age; 2 to 15 years), including 134 with healthy gingiva, 239 with gingivitis and 27 with periodontitis, and then analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. P. gingivalis was detected in 1.5%, 10.0% and 29.6% of these subjects, respectively. Significant differences were observed with regard to P. gingivalis infection among the groups [chi-squared analysis: gingivitis vs. healthy, P < 0.01, odds ratio (OR) = 7.4; periodontitis vs. healthy, P < 0.001, OR = 27.8]. In P. gingivalis-positive subjects with periodontitis, the most prevalent fimA types were type Ib/type II combination (37.5%) and type IV (37.5%), followed by type II (25.0%), while type IV (33.3%) and type II (29.2%) were most often detected in those with gingivitis. Our results suggest that the presence of P. gingivalis is associated with periodontal diseases, and that the type II, IV and Ib/II combination are the most common among fimA genotypes.     

Diabetes and life expectancy among Japanese - NIPPON DATA80

Life expectancy (LE) among the Japanese population with or without diabetes mellitus was estimated. LE in 40-year old men and women was 41.1 and 47.5 years in those without diabetes and 32.3 and 40.9 years in those with diabetes. The LE of 40-year old men and women with diabetes was 8.8 and 6.6 years shorter than in those without diabetes. Diabetes mellitus leads to a decrease in LE. The presence of impaired glucose tolerance also affected LE inversely.