Taste and chemical characteristics of low molecular weight fractions from tofuyo - Japanese fermented soybean curd.

Tofuyo, a Japanese traditional food, is a fermented soybean curd manufactured in Okinawa region. Due to its original cheese-like flavor, the current study was designed to evaluate the sensory and chemical characteristics of three stepwise ultrafiltration fractions, using 10,000, 3000 and 500 Da membranes and further chromatographic fractions from tofuyo. The results showed that umami, sweet and salty were the characteristic tastes of all fractions, with umami intensity evaluated for the fraction with MW less than 500 Da (F-500) as the most prominent among the three fractions. Subsequent Sephadex G-25 SF fractions and RP-HPLC fractions were subjected to sensory and chemical analyses. The tastiest fraction contained sodium chloride, sugars, organic acids, umami and sweet free amino acids, at concentrations above their thresholds. The abundant presence of umami and sweet free amino acids with certain concentrations of sodium chloride and glucose might provide the typical savory taste of tofuyo.

Marked augmentation of PLGA nanoparticle-induced metabolically beneficial impact of γ-oryzanol on fuel dyshomeostasis in genetically obese-diabetic ob/ob mice.

Our previous works demonstrated that brown rice-specific bioactive substance, γ-oryzanol acts as a chaperone, attenuates exaggerated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in brain hypothalamus and pancreatic islets, thereby ameliorating metabolic derangement in high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese diabetic mice. However, extremely low absorption efficiency from intestine of γ-oryzanol is a tough obstacle for the clinical application. Therefore, in this study, to overcome extremely low bioavailability of γ-oryzanol with super-high lipophilicity, we encapsulated γ-oryzanol in polymer poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (Nano-Orz), and evaluated its metabolically beneficial impact in genetically obese-diabetic ob/ob mice, the best-known severest diabetic model in mice. To our surprise, Nano-Orz markedly ameliorated fuel metabolism with an unexpected magnitude (∼1000-fold lower dose) compared with regular γ-oryzanol. Furthermore, such a conspicuous impact was achievable by its administration once every 2 weeks. Besides the excellent impact on dysfunction of hypothalamus and pancreatic islets, Nano-Orz markedly decreased ER stress and inflammation in liver and adipose tissue. Collectively, nanotechnology-based developments of functional foods oriented toward γ-oryzanol shed light on the novel approach for the treatment of a variety of metabolic diseases in humans.

[Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal-report of four cases].

We have treated four Japanese patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal using concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The chemotherapy consisted of one or two cycles of mitomycin C 10 mg/m(2)/day (intravenous bolus injection) on day 1, and 5-fluorouracil 700 or 1,000 mg/m(2)/day (continuous intravenous infusion) on days 2-5 during radiotherapy. The total radiation dose was 40-54 Gy to the primary lesion. Acute grade 4 hematological toxicity was observed in one patient. These four patients have been alive and free of disease (follow-ups of 55, 14, 7 and 5 months, respectively), with excellent function of the anal sphincter after treatment. These results suggest that concurrent chemoradiotherapy is safe and effective for Japanese patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal.

Massive ovarian edema with torsion: unusual hemorrhage and the recovery of contrast enhancement.

We report a case of massive ovarian edema due to left adnexal torsion. On initial magnetic resonance (MR), unusual hemorrhages were demonstrated as several hypointense areas on T2-weighted images. The lack of contrast enhancement was also observed in the left adnexa. Abdominal pain resolved spontaneously, and then follow-up MR demonstrated the recovery of enhancement and hemorrhages as hyperintense signals on T1-weighted images.