Assessing body dissatisfaction in Japanese women during the second trimester of pregnancy using a new figure rating scale.

During pregnancy, women re-evaluate their body image based on their increasing body weight. They are usually concerned about their body size, which leads to body dissatisfaction. In this study, we investigated body dissatisfaction among Japanese women during the second trimester, when they are recommended to gain adequate weight. A cross-sectional survey of body dissatisfaction among pregnant women was conducted using a new figure rating scale corresponding to body mass index with real-life photographs of women in their sixth month of gestation. Pregnant Japanese women expressed body dissatisfaction and preferred to be thinner by 1.6 kg/m2 of their body mass index. They perceived their body size as larger than their real size, and those with a higher body mass index had more body dissatisfaction, although they were of normal weight or underweight. The results indicated that the new figure rating scale could be a useful tool to identify pregnant women with higher body dissatisfaction during the second trimester, providing an opportunity to discuss adequate gestational weight gain with pregnant women.

Protective effect of agaro-oligosaccharides on gut dysbiosis and colon tumorigenesis in high-fat diet-fed mice.

High-fat diet (HFD)-induced alteration in the gut microbial composition, known as dysbiosis, is increasingly recognized as a major risk factor for various diseases, including colon cancer. This report describes a comprehensive investigation of the effect of agaro-oligosaccharides (AGO) on HFD-induced gut dysbiosis, including alterations in short-chain fatty acid contents and bile acid metabolism in mice. C57BL/6N mice were fed a control diet or HFD, with or without AGO. Terminal restriction fragment-length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis produced their fecal microbiota profiles. Profiles of cecal organic acids and serum bile acids were determined, respectively, using HPLC and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry systems. T-RFLP analyses showed that an HFD changed the gut microbiota significantly. Changes in the microbiota composition induced by an HFD were characterized by a decrease in the order Lactobacillales and by an increase in the Clostridium subcluster XIVa. These changes of the microbiota community generated by HFD treatment were suppressed by AGO supplementation. As supported by the data of the proportion of Lactobacillales order, the concentration of lactic acid increased in the HFD + AGO group. Data from the serum bile acid profile showed that the level of deoxycholic acid, a carcinogenic secondary bile acid produced by gut bacteria, was increased in HFD-receiving mice. The upregulation tended to be suppressed by AGO supplementation. Finally, results show that AGO supplementation suppressed the azoxymethane-induced generation of aberrant crypt foci in the colon derived from HFD-treated mice. Our results suggest that oral intake of AGO prevents HFD-induced gut dysbiosis, thereby inhibiting colon carcinogenesis.

Spinal Epidural Hematoma Following Epidural Catheter Removal in a Patient with Postoperative Urgent Coronary Intervention and Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping (IABP): A Case Report.

BACKGROUND It is still challenging to remove an epidural catheter in a postoperative patient receiving urgent antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy for acute coronary syndrome. CASE REPORT While under general anesthesia combined with thoracic epidural anesthesia, a 72-year-old male patient underwent right radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. On postoperative day 1 (POD1), the patient experienced bradycardia and a decrease in blood pressure, and he was diagnosed acute myocardial infarction. Intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) was induced for cardiogenic shock, and urgent thrombus aspiration and coronary balloon angioplasty were performed. On POD3, the surgeon removed the epidural catheter under both antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy. At that time, the platelet count was 45×109/L and the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was 72.2 seconds. Four hours after the epidural catheter was removed, the patient complained of bilateral fatigue in legs and developed a loss of sensation. Six hours after the epidural catheter was removed, he developed motor paralysis and became completely paralyzed in both limbs after 9 hours. At 19 hours after the epidural catheter was removed, emergency magnetic resonance imaging detected a spinal epidural hematoma at the level of Th9-11 with compression of the spinal cord. Emergency laminectomy was performed to decompress and remove the spinal epidural hematoma at 18 hours after the onset of sensorimotor symptoms. After surgery and rehabilitation, these symptoms had only slightly improved. CONCLUSIONS In patients with urgent antithrombotic therapy for urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with an IABP for acute coronary syndrome, the epidural catheter should not be removed until the IABP and heparin are discontinued, and platelet counts have recovered.

Positive Selection in F-Box Domain (lpp0233) Encoded in Legionella pneumophila Strains.

　Recent studies have shown that the genome of Legionella pneumophila is characterized by many foreign genes from a variety of eukaryotes. The eukaryotic like proteins are known to play a role in its multiplication within host cells; however, their evolutionary genetics of L. pneumophila in environments is unknown. In this study, we examined the nonsynonymous/synonymous substitution rate of eukaryotic like domain encoding genes among L. pneumophila strains. In silico analysis revealed that the nonsynonymous/synonymous substitution rate in F-box domain gene (lpp0233) was higher than those in other eukaryotic like domain and protein encoding genes and housekeeping genes. The F-box domain gene sequences in L. pneumophila strains isolated from a natural hot spring were more diversified than those of previously known strains, owing to preferential positive selection.