Effect of drinking green tea on age-associated accumulation of Maillard-type fluorescence and carbonyl groups in rat aortic and skin collagen.

Tea catechins and other flavonoids have been shown to potentially protect against chronic cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. In this study, 6-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed green tea extract (50 mg/100 ml in drinking water) up to the age of 22 months, and the age-associated changes in Maillard-type fluorescence and carbonyl groups in the aortic and skin collagen were compared with those occurring in the water-fed control animals. Collagen-linked Maillard-type fluorescence was found to increase in both the aortic and skin tissues as animals aged. The age-associated increase in the fluorescence in the aortic collagen was remarkably inhibited by the green tea extract treatment, while that occurring in the skin collagen was not significantly inhibited by the treatment. The collagen carbonyl content also increased in both the aortic and skin tissues as animals aged. In contrast with the case of Maillard-type fluorescence, however, the age-associated increase in the carbonyl content was not inhibited by the green tea extract treatment either in the aortic or skin collagen. These results suggest that the inhibition of AGE formation in collagen is an important mechanism for the protective effects of tea catechins against cardiovascular diseases.

Sonographic detection of rectal carcinoma.

Sonograms in 131 patients with rectal carcinoma confirmed with surgery or endoscopic biopsy were included in this 7-year study. Rectal carcinoma was detected in 121 (92%) of 131 patients. Seventeen patients had a hypoechoic mass in the rectum, and 104 patients showed rectal wall thickening (mean, 12 mm). One hundred seven (97%) rectal carcinomas were detected in 110 patients with clinically suspected rectal carcinoma, and 14 (67%) rectal carcinomas were detected in 21 patients who underwent routine sonographic examination without information about rectal carcinoma. There were 19 hepatic metastases and 12 lymph node metastases. A few cases invaded to the adjacent organs, such as the uterus, seminal vesicle, ovary, or prostate. Rectal carcinoma can be detected by meticulous examination of the rectal wall during routine abdominal sonography in patients with suspected rectal carcinoma.