We studied the effects of whey protein (WP) and fractionated WP (HWP; heat-stable WP, LWP; low M.W. WP, EWP; ethanol-precipitated WP) on calcium and bone metabolism in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. ...Six-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized and fed a low-calcium diet (0.03% Ca, 0.3% P) for 4 weeks. The rats were divided into five groups, Cont, WP, HWP, LWP and EWP group, and were fed a Cont diet (20% casein, 0.3% Ca) or a diet (19% casein, 0.3% Ca) containing 1% WP, HWP, LWP or EWP for 4 weeks. There were no significant differences in the calcium balance, serum calcium and calcitonin levels among the experimental groups. However, serum ALP activity of the HWP and EWP groups at 14 wks. were lower than that of the Cont group. The bone breaking strength and energy of femur of the HWP, LWP and EWP groups were higher than those of the Cont group. As for the amount of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in the femur, there were no significant differences among the experimental groups; however, the amounts of total amino acids in the femur of the HWP, LWP and EWP groups were higher than that of the Cont group. The amounts of proline and hydroxyproline (typical amino acids of collagen) in the femur of the HWP, LWP and EWP groups were also higher than those of the Cont group. These data indicate that milk WP contains active components that influence bone metabolism in OVX rats by increasing in bone protein such as collagen and enhance the bone breaking force (strength and energy). These results suggest that the active components are existed in heatstable, low M.W. and 30–70% ethanol-precipitated fraction, respectively.
ABSTRACT
Objectives
Sphingomyelin (SPM) is the dominant phospholipid, comprising 38% of total human milk phospholipids. Although little is known about the nutritional importance of SPM during the ...neonatal period, SPM may affect the growth and development of tissues in the newborn infant through mechanisms regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. We evaluated the effect of sphingomyelin (SPM) in artificially reared rats as a suitable model of gut maturation in the suckling infant.
Methods
Seven‐day‐old Sprague‐Dawley rat pups were cannulated intragastrically and reared artificially on milk containing 0.5% SPM or 0.5% phosphatidylcholine (PC) for 1 week.
Results
Intestinal lactase activity in the SPM group was significantly lower than that in the control or PC group. Upon histologic examination, intestinal villi were found to be occupied with vacuolated cells in the control and the PC group, whereas the vacuolated cells were restricted to the tip of villi in the SPM group. The Auerbach nerve plexus area of the ileum in the SPM group was significantly greater, possibly due to accelerated development, than that in the control group or PC group.
Conclusions
The present results suggest that SPM, the dominant phospholipid in milk, plays an important role in neonatal gut maturation during the suckling period.
Gingyo-san is composed of 10 crude drugs and used as a traditional antipyretic medicine for the treatment of the common cold and influenza virus infection. In a murine intranasal influenza infection ...model, fever produced by the infection has been demonstrated to be reduced by suppressing interferon-induced interleukin (IL)-1α production. Thus, we focused on the serum level of IL-1α which produces such novel antipyretic activity, and evaluated the relationship between defervescence and the suppression of IL-1α production by Gingyo-san in influenza virus-infected mice. Fever was produced in the infected mice 33-44 h after infection. Oral administration of a hot water-extract of Gingyo-san (8.9-12.5 mg/0.25 ml/mouse×3 per day) significantly reduced fever production and suppressed the rise in IL-1α production to the level in uninfected mice. No apparent toxicity by Gingyo-san was observed in infected mice. When the hot water-extract of each 10 of the crude components of Gingyo-san (an unknown amount extracted from 6.25 mg/0.25 ml/mouse×3 per day for Saigae Tataricae Cornu and 3.5 mg/0.25 ml/mouse×3 per day for the other 9) was orally administered to infected mice, 6 showed significant antipyretic activity. Of these 6, Saigae Tataricae Cornu significantly suppressed the rice in IL-1α production to the basal level while the other 5 did not affect serum IL-1α. Thus, of the 10 crude components of Gingyo-san, Saigae Tataricae Cornu simultaneously exhibied antipyretic and IL-1α-regulatory activities. The novel antipyretic action of Gingyo-san may be mainly mediated by Saigae Tataricae Cornu which regulates the elevated serum IL-1α level produced by influenza infection.
A varicella skin test antigen has been developed based on the induction of delayed-type hypersensitivity to varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and has been used to evaluate the immune status to VZV. The ...authors have purified gB, gE:gI and gH:gL and examined their cutaneous reactivity in guinea pigs infected with Oka varicella vaccine. The cutaneous reaction to each glycoprotein was observed and the maturation process of cutaneous reaction was examined in infected guinea pigs. Cutaneous reaction to gH:gL, a major target of virus-neutralizing antibody, appeared first on day 3 among three glycoprotein complexes and the reaction to gE:gI, the most abundant glyco-protein, became strongest three weeks after infection. The earliest recognition of gH:gL may contribute to minimizing the spread of viral infection. Thus, the skin test may be a suitable marker to assess the cell-mediated immunity in varicella, including vaccine recipients and zoster, in relation to the immune status of glycoproteins.
Abstract We experienced a leiomyosarcoma of the breast in an 18-year-old female. No specific treatment has been established. In order to clarify appropriate therapeutic management methods, the ...limited data available from our and previous case reports were assessed. A leiomyosarcoma of the breast must be excised with a negative margin. If the tumor size is large and an adequate margin, greater than 3-cm margin around the excised tumor, is not achieved due to anatomical constraints, radiotherapy may be indicated.
Background: The prognosis of breast cancer patients with brain metastasis (BM) is extremely poor, and the survival after development of BM is very short. We aimed to investigate clinicopathological ...factors related to significant effects on the prognosis after BM development. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 75 early breast cancer patients who received the standard of care and subsequently developed BM. Results: Breast cancer subtype was one of the significant predictors for prognosis after BM diagnosis. Luminal HER2 patients had the most favorable prognosis after BM diagnosis (p = 0.011). Favorable performance status (PS) at BM diagnosis (p < 0.001) and a single metastatic brain tumor (p = 0.032) were significantly associated with good prognosis after BM diagnosis. Metastatic time courses of the patients was found not to be significantly associated with survival after BM diagnosis. Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that luminal HER2 cancer, favorable PS at BM diagnosis, and a single metastatic brain tumor were the independent prognostic factors for survival after BM development, making a decisive influence on local or systemic control. Conclusion: Appropriate treatments for tumor subtypes and to improve the general condition of patients would result in improved outcomes for the patients with BM.
This phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the chemotherapy combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine in taxane-pretreated Japanese metastatic breast cancer patients.
...In this multicenter, phase II, single-arm study, patients with recurrent or metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer were administered gemcitabine (1,200 mg/m2) and vinorelbine (25 mg/m2) intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate, and other endpoints included progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety.
A total of 42 patients were enrolled in this study. The objective response rate and clinical benefit rate were 24 and 43%, respectively. The median progression-free survival was 4.0 months. The median overall survival was 11.1 months. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was the most common hematologic toxicity, occurring in 22 patients (54%). Nonhematologic toxicity was moderate and transient, with fatigue (48%) being the most common condition and no severe adverse event reported.
The combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine is an effective and tolerable regimen for HER2-negative, taxane-pretreated, metastatic breast cancer patients in Japan.
We have constructed a live non-neurovirulent herpes simplex virus vector expressing
β-galactosidase under the control of the latency associated transcript promoter without inducing inflammation. ...Pathogenicity of the recombinant virus (
βH1) was not observed in the cutaneous, intravenous and intracerebral infection in mice. When
βH1 was inoculated at the caudate putamen of rats,
β-galactosidase activity was observed in neurons at the inoculation site and its projecting frontal cortex. Expression of
β-galactosidase was observed in the neurons of the innervating dorsal root ganglia 45 days after inoculation of
βH1 into the hind paws of the rats. Neither inflammation nor tissue destruction was observed in both neural tissues in this study. Thus this non-neurovirulent recombinant virus is a suitable vector for expressing the foreign genes in the nervous system for the prolonged period.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is negative for all three markers, namely the hormone sensitivity receptors: estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and human epidermal growth ...factor receptor 2 (HER2). TNBC accounts for approximately 15% of all primary breast cancer cases. In general, patients with this disease have a higher risk of recurrence and a poorer prognosis compared with those with other subtypes of breast cancer. Patients with TNBC are defined as those for whom endocrine or anti-HER2 therapy are not indicated due to poor response. It is a heterogeneous disease group that shows various characteristics. There is a group that achieves a complete response to chemotherapy and has an excellent prognosis, a group that does not respond to chemotherapy and has a poor prognosis, and a group that has an excellent inherent prognosis and does not need chemotherapy. The subdivision of TNBC cases based on the prognosis and response to therapy is an issue for the future. In addition to classifying TNBC into basal and non-basal types by testing cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6) and epidemic growth factor receptors (EGFR) by the immunohistochemical staining method, Ki-67 may predict sensitivity to anticancer agents and a change in Ki-67 before and after therapy may potentially predict prognosis. Patients with a non-pathologic complete response (non-pCR) to preoperative chemotherapy have a high risk of early recurrence, and measures to deal with it are therefore needed. At present, the most commonly used perioperative chemotherapy is sequential combination therapy of an anthracycline drug and a taxane drug; however, it is limited because the pathologic complete response(pCR)rates following preoperative chemotherapy range from 30 to 40%. There is also an urgent need to develop a regimen that will overcome this problem. In association with BRCA gene mutations, sensitivity to DNA-damaging anticancer agents may lead to promising therapies. However, unfortunately, the use of DNA-damaging agents such as cisplatin and carboplatin is not covered by health insurance in Japan. Various new molecular targeted drugs aimed at blocking cell proliferation factors are expected to be developed in the future. Here we have summarized the current status and issues based on the clinical experience with the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC.
Case 1: A man in his 70s was underwent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) because of progressive anemia, and the gastroduodenal artery and left gastric artery were embolized. Two weeks later, ...he started chemotherapy (S-1, Tmab). Case 2: A man in his 60s was underwent TAE because of anemia. The left gastric artery and right gastroepiploic artery were embolized. Bleeding was controlled and he continued chemotherapy. Case 3: A man in his 70s was who vomited blood during the course of chemotherapy underwent TAE, during which contrast dye extravasated from the anterior gastric artery. The splenic artery was embolized. After TAE, abdominal pain and splenic infarction appeared, but could be treated by conservative therapy. Chemotherapy was started 4 weeks later. TAE is an effective method for controlling bleeding from advanced gastric cancer.
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