Search

Significance Metformin is the most commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, yet the mechanism by which it lowers plasma glucose concentrations has remained elusive. Most studies to date have attributed metformin’s glucose-lowering effects to inhibition of complex I activity. Contrary to this hypothesis, we show that inhibition of complex I activity in vitro and in vivo does not reduce plasma glucose concentrations or inhibit hepatic gluconeogenesis. We go on to show that metformin, and the related guanides/biguanides, phenformin and galegine, inhibit complex IV activity at clinically relevant concentrations, which, in turn, results in inhibition of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, increased cytosolic redox, and selective inhibition of glycerol-derived hepatic gluconeogenesis both in vitro and in vivo.

The usefulness of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) for the diagnosis of early gastric cancer is well known, however, there are no evaluation criteria. The aim of this study was to devise and evaluate a novel diagnostic algorithm for ME-NBI in depressed early gastric cancer. Between August, 2007 and May, 2011, 90 patients with a total of 110 depressed gastric lesions were enrolled in the study. A diagnostic algorithm was devised based on ME-NBI microvascular findings: microvascular irregularity and abnormal microvascular patterns (fine network, corkscrew and unclassified patterns). The diagnostic efficiency of the algorithm for gastric cancer and histological grade was assessed by measuring its mean sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy. Furthermore, inter- and intra-observer variation were measured. In the differential diagnosis of gastric cancer from non-cancerous lesions, the mean sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of the diagnostic algorithm were 86.7, 48.0, 94.4, 26.7, and 83.2%, respectively. Furthermore, in the differential diagnosis of undifferentiated adenocarcinoma from differentiated adenocarcinoma, the mean sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of the diagnostic algorithm were 61.6, 86.3, 69.0, 84.8, and 79.1%, respectively. For the ME-NBI final diagnosis using this algorithm, the mean κ values for inter- and intra-observer agreement were 0.50 and 0.77, respectively. In conclusion, the diagnostic algorithm based on ME-NBI microvascular findings was convenient and had high diagnostic accuracy, reliability and reproducibility in the differential diagnosis of depressed gastric lesions.

In this Paper, the access road construction project in Kitakyushu-City that adopts the community participation is introduced and the construction process is analyzed in the district where the project was carried out comparatively smoothly.And we analyzed the resident's evaluation of the project by questionnaire survey.As the result we clarified two ideal methods for good community participation.(1) The events in the district create the familiarity to the district, and help good community participation. And it is important to inform the generalresidents of the project.(2) Resident representative organization should negotiate carefully and hard with land owners.

AIM: To determine whether the endoscopic findings of depressed-type early gastric cancers (EGCs) could precisely predict the histological type. METHODS: Ninety depressed-type EGCs in 72 patients were macroscopically and histologically identified. We evaluated the microvascular (MV) and mucosal surface (MS) patterns of depressed-type EGCs using magnifying endoscopy (ME) with narrow-band imaging (NBI) (NBI-ME) and ME enhanced by 1.5% acetic acid, respectively. First, depressed-type EGCs were classified according to MV pattern by NBI-ME. Subsequently, EGCs unclassified by MV pattern were classified according to MS pattern by enhanced ME (EME) images obtained from the same angle. RESULTS: We classified the depressed-type EGCs into the following 2 MV patterns using NBI-ME: a fine-network pattern that indicated differentiated adenocarcinoma (25/25, 100%) and a corkscrew pattern that likely indicated undifferentiated adenocarcinoma (18/23, 78.3%). However, 42 of the 90 (46.7%) lesions could not be classified into MV patterns by NBI-ME. These unclassified lesions were then evaluated for MS patterns using EME, which classified 33 (81.0%) lesions as MS patterns, diagnosed as differentiated adenocarcinoma. As a result, 76 of the 90 (84.4%) lesions were matched with histological diagnoses using a combination of NBI-ME and EME. CONCLUSION: A combination of NBI-ME and EME was useful in predicting the histological type of depressed-type EGC.

It has become clear that Bartonella henselae is a common cause of cat scratch disease (CSD). The indirect fluorescence antibody (IFA) test for detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to B. henselae concerning CSD showed that 5 (50%) of 10 patients with CSD had a serum IgG antibody titer of 1:128 or more and that 2 (20%) patients had a serum IgM antibody titer of 1:20 or more. One of 7 asymptomatic members of patients' families (14%) had IgG antibody to B. henselae at a titer of 1:256. IgM antibody to B. henselae was not detected in sera from the patients' families. Both IgG and IgM antibodies to B. henselae were not detected in sera from the healthy control group. These data suggest that B. henselae may be a cause of CSD in Japan.

The purpose of this study was to clarify extended indication criteria of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for early gastric cancer (EGC) by analyzing the independent risk factors involved in lymph node metastasis (LNM). Subjects were 422 patients who underwent gastrectomy with lymph node dissection for EGC at the Kurume University Hospital from 1994 to 2001. The EGCs were mucosal cancers (M) in 252 cases and submucosal cancers (SM) in 170 cases. Twelve clinico-pathological factors were assessed for their possible association with LNM. On univariate analysis, EGC with LNM showed the following characteristics: size; 3.1 cm or more, ulceration; present, heterogeneity; present, differentiation; poor, lymphatic vascular invasion; present, and invasion depth; SM2 (cancer penetration of submucosal layer, 0.5 mm or more from the muscularis mucosa). On multivariate analysis, the following four factors were identified as independent risk factors; invasion depth: Odds Ratio (OR) 10.9, lymphatic vascular invasion: OR 10.6, size: OR 3.2, and ulceration: OR 3.2. The incidence of LNM was 0% (0/141) (95% confidence interval, 0-2.6%) when these risk factors met the following four conditions: invasion depth; M or SM1 (cancer penetration of submucosal layer, less than 0.5 mm), lymphatic vascular invasion; absent, size; 3.0 cm or less, and ulceration; absent. It is concluded that EMR is a suitable radical treatment for EGC, and that the indication criteria for EMR can be extended depending on the results of the histological evaluation of the en bloc/total resected specimen concerning the above four factors for LNM.