[Efficacy of the Extract from Fermentation of Soybean and Rice Bran on Hyperglycemia].

In recent years, lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes have been on the rise. These conditions can cause serious conditions such as myocardial and cerebral infarctions. Therefore, proper control of blood pressure and blood glucose levels is important issues in preventive medicine. Traditional fermented foods have been shown to have various functions, and their effects on lifestyle-related diseases have attracted particular attention. In this study, we investigated the effects of fermented soybeans and rice bran (OE-1) and supplements containing OE-1 on blood glucose levels and weight changes. We identified an inhibitory effect on elevated blood glucose levels upon administration of OE-1, and this effect was thought to be due to digestive enzyme inhibition. These effects of foods containing OE-1 are expected to have a positive effect on the prevention and improvement of lifestyle-related diseases as health foods.

Utility of systemic voriconazole in equine keratomycosis based on pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis of tear fluid following oral administration.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the detailed pharmacokinetics (PK) of orally administered voriconazole in tear fluid (TF) of horses for evaluating the efficacy of voriconazole secreted into TF against equine keratomycosis. ANIMALS STUDIED: Five healthy Thoroughbred horses. PROCEDURES: Voriconazole was administrated through a nasogastric tube to each horse at a single dose of 4.0 mg/kg. TF and blood samples were collected before and periodically throughout the 24 hours after administration. Voriconazole concentrations in plasma and TF samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem-mass spectrometry. The predicted voriconazole concentration in both samples following multiple dosing every 24 hours was simulated by the superposition principle. RESULTS: The mean maximum voriconazole concentrations in plasma and TF were 3.3 µg/mL at 1.5 h and 1.9 µg/mL at 1.6 h, respectively. Mean half-life in both samples were 16.4 and 25.2 h, respectively. The ratio of predicted AUC0-24 at steady state in TF (51.3 µg∙h/mL) to previously published minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Aspergillus and Fusarium species was >100 and 25.7, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the detailed single-dose PK of voriconazole in TF after oral administration and simulated the predicted concentration curves in a multiple oral dosing. Based on the analyses of PK-PD, the simulation results indicated that repeated oral administration of voriconazole at 4.0 mg/kg/d achieves the ratio of AUC to MIC associated with treatment efficacy against Aspergillus species. The detailed PK-PD analyses against pathogenic fungi in TF can be used to provide evidence-based medicine for equine keratomycosis.

Toxicoproteomic evaluation of carbon nanomaterials in vitro.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have already been successfully implemented in various fields, and they are anticipated to have innovative applications in medical science. However, CNTs have asbestos-like properties, such as their nanoscale size and high aspect ratio (>100). Moreover, CNTs may persist in the body for a long time. These properties are thought to cause malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. However, based on conventional toxicity assessment systems, the carcinogenicity of asbestos and CNTs is unclear. The reason for late countermeasures against asbestos is that reliable, long-term safety assessments have not yet been developed by toxicologists. Therefore, a new type of long-term safety assessment, different from the existing methods, is needed for carbon nanomaterials. Recently, we applied a proteomic approach to the safety assessment of carbon nanomaterials. In this review, we discuss the basic concept of our approach, the results, the problems, and the possibility of a long-term safety assessment for carbon nanomaterials using the toxicoproteomic approach.

[A case of high grade astrocytoma arising in the hand area of precentral gyrus].

A 23-year-old man presented with the right upper monoparesis. The right little finger paresis was apparent at first, and ring finger two weeks later, and middle, index, thumb were simultaneously four weeks later. Then the monoparesis gradually progressed to the proximal upper limb. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a small lesion at the knob of the left precentral gyrus. The lesion was low-intensity on T1-, and high-intensity on T2-weighted images, and clearly detected on high-intensity on FLAIR images, but showed no enhancement by gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA). Angiography and thallium scintigraphy showed no remarkable findings. Proton MR spectroscopy demonstrated lower N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and higher choline (Cho) level compared to the contralateral cortico-subcortical area. Diffusion weighted images demonstrated low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value and high intensity on b = 1,000. To clarify the diagnosis of the lesion, we performed open biopsy by using the neuronavigation system to detect the lesion accurately and minimize the biopsy. Histological examination revealed an high grade astrocytoma with high MlIB-1 index over 30%. The progressive symptoms were due to highly infiltrative and proliferative nature of the tumor arising in the focal hand area of the primary motor cortex, according to the homunculus. We discuss herein the neuroimagings of the case that was considered to be in the initial stage of a malignant tumor.

Effects of oyster extract on the reproductive function of zinc-deficient mice: bioavailability of zinc contained in oyster extract.

Zinc is a vital nutrient in the normal reproductive function and embryonic development of mammals, and it is well known that oyster extract contains significant amounts of zinc. The effects of oyster extract on reproductive function, such as embryonic development, serum levels of zinc and sperm maturation were examined in zinc-deficient mice. Zinc deficiency in dams during pregnancy induced a decrease in the successful pregnancy rate, maternal weight gain, the number of live fetuses and fetal body weight. Zinc deficiency for 12 weeks in male mice induced a decrease in body weight, testis weight and sperm count in the epididymis. However, reproductive failure, embryonic defects and decreased sperm motility in zinc-deficient mice were improved by supplementation with oyster extract. Some nutrients contained in oyster extract, such as taurine and glycogen, may be related to the recovery of reproductive function. There were significantly lower serum concentrations of zinc in dams fed a zinc-deficient diet. However, the serum zinc concentration was normal in the oyster extract-supplemented group. No difference in the concentration of serum zinc was observed between the oyster extract- and zinc carbonate-supplemented groups. From these findings, it is suggested that oyster extract is a useful supplement that can prevent reproductive defects from zinc deficiency, and the bioavailability of zinc may be identical to zinc carbonate.