Preventive strategy for Candida gut translocation during ischemia-reperfusion injury supervening on protein-calorie malnutrition.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that protein-calorie malnutrition aggravates the gut translocation of Candida albicans triggered by mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in an experimental model while testing a natural product containing the antifungal anethole/polygodial mixture (Kolorex). METHODS: MFI strain white mice (n = 90) were randomly allocated to a 4-week dietary regimen: (1) standard pellet diet containing 25% casein; (2) low-protein (2.5%) casein diet; (3) as group 2 plus oral supplementation with 20 microL of a 5% solution of Kolorex during the last 4 days. Twenty rats from each of these groups (termed 1a, 2a and 3a) were orally inoculated with Candida suspension 6 h prior to mesenteric IR injury. Animals of each group but without Candida inoculation (termed 1b, 2b and 3b) served as control. A colon permeability study was carried out as well. Rats were killed prior to the IR injury and 3 h afterwards. Control rats were killed at the same time. RESULTS: Over 60% of the mesenteric lymph nodes and 30% of kidney samples were positive for C. albicans in the low-protein-fed rats after IR injury. Kolorex significantly decreased that rate of positivity and also significantly reduced the concentration of C. albicans per gram of each positive tissue sample examined. Protein-calorie malnourished animals showed a statistically significant increase in colon permeability and this phenomenon further increased after IR injury. The groups of rats treated with Kolorex compound showed a partial, although significant, improvement of this parameter. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Kolorex might exert a competitive effect against with C. albicans colonization. The present study represents the first experimental in vivo investigation of the anethole/polygodial-containing compound under the specific conditions of calorie-protein malnutrition and the results have potential clinical interest.

Expression and responsiveness of human interleukin-18 receptor (IL-18R) on hematopoietic cell lines.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a new inflammatory cytokine sharing biological functions with IL-12. The human IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) was recently identified and was found to be expressed on normal peripheral blood lymphocytes. To further characterize IL-18R, we analyzed IL-18R expression using a series of human hematopoietic cell lines selected from various cell lineages. We found the IL-18R expression on cells of T and B lineages as expected from analysis on normal cells. The IL-18R expression, however, was found not to be restricted to any specific maturation stages of T and B cells. In addition, we detected IL-18R expression in myeloid, monocytoid, erythroid and megakaryocytic cell lines, indicating that normal counterparts of these cell lineages could express IL-18R and participate in in vivo reactions caused by IL-18. Biochemical studies showed that IL-18R proteins exist as heterogeneous molecules ranging from 60 to 110 kDa. Deglycosylation experiments indicated that the heterogeneity could not be explained only by a difference in glycosylation. We also found that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) modulated the IL-18R expression, which implies an important in vivo effect of TNF-alpha on IL-18-induced reaction. Analyzing the responsiveness of IL-18R, we found that only KG-1 responded to IL-18 stimulation. This suggests that certain inhibitory mechanisms of IL-18 responsive genes are involved in the all IL-18R-positive cell lines except KG-1.

Single-blind follow-up study on the effectiveness of a symbiotic preparation in irritable bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Experimental and clinical studies have shown that a novel symbiotic (known as SCM-III) exerts a beneficial effect on gut translocation and local and systemic inflammatory and microbial metabolic parameters. The present investigation was a preliminary trial on the effectiveness of SCM-III for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). METHODS: Sixty-eight consecutive adult patients with IBS who were free from lactose malabsorption, abdominal surgery, overt psychiatric disorders and ongoing psychotropic drug therapy or ethanol abuse were studied prospectively and divided into 2 groups that were comparable for age, gender, body size, education and pattern of presenting symptoms. The 2 groups were blindly given for 12 weeks either SCM-III 10 mL t.i.d or the same dosage of heat-inactivated symbiotic. RESULTS: Treatment with SCM-III was 'effective' or 'very effective' in more than 80% of the patients (P < 0.01 vs baseline values and control). Less than 5% reported 'not effective' as the final evaluation compared with over 40% of patients in the control group. After 6 weeks of treatment, a significant improvement of pain and bloating was reported in the treatment group compared with control and baseline values. There was also a benefit for bowel habits, mostly for patients with constipation or alternating bowel habits. No overt clinical or biochemical adverse side-effects were recorded. CONCLUSION: Compared with baseline values and the control group, SCM-III resulted in a significant increase in lactobacilla, eubacteria and bifidobacteria, which suggests that some selected IBS patients could benefit substantially from symbiotics, but the treatment may need to be given on a cyclic schedule because of the temporary modification of the fecal flora.

[A case of advanced gastric cancer remarkably responding to preoperative UFT-E therapy].

We here reported a case of advanced gastric cancer remarkably responding to preoperative short-term UFT-E chemotherapy. UFT-E was orally administered preoperatively for about a month to the patient with type 2 advanced gastric cancer. After the chemotherapy the cancer was found to be remarkably decreased in size and denatured. The amount of residual cancer cells was limited by histopathological examination following the operation and diagnosed as Grade 3 based on the criteria of histological evaluation of chemotherapy for cancer. We continued to administer UFT-E postoperatively and the patient is still alive without symptoms.

[A study on BrdU labelling index of gastric cancer using in vitro labelling method].

In order to reveal the effect of environmental factors to BromodeoxyUridine labelling index (BrdU L.I.) and its usefulness as clinicopathological information, 522 specimens obtained from 121 lesions of gastric cancer were studied. Five hundred twenty two specimens in which BrdU had been incorporated using an in vitro labelling method were divided into 3 groups according to their degree of necrosis and cell infiltration. The average L.I. of the specimens with no or slight necrosis was 23.3 +/- 8.7%, medium, 14.2 +/- 10.0%, and severe necrosis, 6.6 +/- 3.8%, with no or slight cell infiltration, 25.3 +/- 9.5%, medium, 21.0 +/- 7.1%, and severe cell infiltration, 21.2 +/- 6.1%, therefore L.I. correlated to necrosis and cell infiltration. Representative values for each lesion were adopted and compared using 3 methods. In method A, a representative value of the L.I. for each lesion was chosen using all biopsy specimens, method B using specimens without necrosis, and method C, specimens without necrosis and cell infiltration. L.I. correlated to stage and the lymphnode metastasis only using methods, B and C and more strictly using method C. Necrosis and cell infiltration should be considered in adopting a representative value of the L.I. for each lesion. Method C is considered to be a best among the three studied, and the L.I. of gastric cancer may be considered a clinicopathological marker.