Effects of Kurozu concentrated liquid on adipocyte size in rats.

BACKGROUND: Kurozu concentrated liquid (KCL) is used as a health-promoting supplement for the treatment of disorders such as cancer, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in Japan. We investigated the possible anti-obesity effects of KCL in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed American Institute of Nutrition 76 formula diet and were orally administrated KCL or acetic acid at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight or deionized water for 4 weeks. Adipocyte size, DNA content in subcutaneous adipose tissue, lipid levels in the serum and liver, and the rate of fatty acid excretion were determined. Effects of KCL on pancreatic lipase activity and 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation were investigated in vitro. RESULTS: In the KCL group, the average adipocyte size in subcutaneous and perirenal adipose tissues was significantly reduced. The KCL-administered rats displayed greater numbers of small adipocytes in the subcutaneous, perirenal and mesenteric adipose tissues than did rats from the other groups. In the KCL group, the DNA content in subcutaneous adipose tissue was significantly increased. The rate of fatty acid excretion was significantly increased in the KCL group. Furthermore, KCL significantly inhibited pancreatic lipase activity in vitro, and also significantly inhibited fat accumulation and mRNA expression of fatty acid binding protein 2 (aP2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated γ (PPARγ) in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte. The levels of serum and liver lipids, the concentration of serum glucose, and the levels of adiponectin were similar among the 3 groups. CONCLUSION: Oral administration of KCL decreases the adipocyte size via inhibition of dietary fat absorption and reductions of PPARγ and aP2 mRNA expression levels in adipocytes.

Comparison of vonoprazan and proton pump inhibitors for eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

Alternative eradication therapies for Helicobacter pylori infection are needed because of an increasing failure rate over the past decade. The aim of this study was to determine if vonoprazan, a new potassium-competitive acid blocker, showed superiority to existing proton pump inhibitors for primary eradication of H. pylori in routine clinical practice. Data for 573 patients who underwent primary H. pylori eradication therapy were retrospectively reviewed. Regimens included clarithromycin 200 mg, amoxicillin 750 mg, and an acid-suppressing drug [lansoprazole 30 mg (LAC), rabeprazole 10 mg (RAC), esomeprazole 20 mg (EAC), or vonoprazan 20 mg (VAC)] twice daily for 1 week. Eradication was successful in 73% (419/573) of patients using intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and 76% (419/549) of patients in per-protocol (PP) analysis. The VAC group had a significantly superior eradication rate compared with the LAC and RAC groups in ITT (VAC 83%, LAC 66% and RAC 67%, p < 0.01) and PP analysis (VAC 85%, LAC 69% and RAC 70%, p < 0.01), and had a similarly high eradication rate to the EAC group (83% in ITT and 87% in PP). Although the eradication rate in the VAC and EAC groups was not significantly higher than in the LAC and RAC groups in patients with mild gastric atrophy with both ITT and PP analyses, it was significantly higher in patients with severe gastric atrophy (p < 0.01). The VAC group had a significantly higher H. pylori eradication rate than the LAC and RAC groups, and a > 80% eradication rate regardless of the degree of atrophy.

A novel composite-to-composite adhesive bond mechanism.

The purpose of this study was to determine if adhesion between various resin composites can occur by a chelation reaction of elemental ions. The surface composition of four commercially available resin composites (Beautifil II, Clearfil AP-X, Estelite Σ Quick and Solare) were measured by X-ray fluorescence analysis. Composite-to-composite adhesion with conventional silane coupling treatment was compared to self-etching primer treatment and evaluated by conventional shear bond strength testing. Our results detected Strontium and Barium (alkaline metallic earth ions) on the surface of Beautifil II and Clearfil AP-X resins. The shear bond strength values of self-etching primer treatments of Beautifil II and Clearfil AP-X was significantly higher than Estelite Σ Quick and Solare. Our data suggest that self-etching primer treatment is effective for adhesion of resin composites, depending on their filler composition, due to the chelation adhesion reaction between the acidic monomer and incorporated alkaline metal ions.