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1,3-β-D-glucan phosphorylase (BGP) is an enzyme that catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of 1,3-β-glucosidic linkages to form α-D-glucose 1-phosphate (G1P). Here we report on the purification and characterization of BGP from Ochromonas danica (OdBGP). The purified enzyme preparation showed three bands (113, 118, and 124 kDa) on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH and temperature were 5.5 and 25 °C-30 °C. OdBGP phosphorolysed laminaritriose, larger laminarioligosaccharides, and laminarin, but not laminaribiose. In the synthesis reaction, laminarin and laminarioligosaccharides served as good acceptors, but OdBGP did not act on glucose. Kinetic analysis indicated that the phosphorolysis reaction of OdBGP follows a sequential Bi Bi mechanism. The equilibrium of the enzymatic reaction indicated that OdBGP favors the reaction in the synthetic direction. Overnight incubation of OdBGP with laminaribiose and G1P resulted in the formation of precipitates, which were probably 1,3-β-glucans.

A 31-year-old man with Crohn's disease developed arthritis, spiking fever, and skin rash indistinguishable from that of adult-onset Still's disease. He was admitted to our hospital because of a periumbilical intestinal skin fistula. Crohn's disease had been diagnosed in 1991, and had required intestinal resection twice, and schizophrenia had been diagnosed in 1993. He developed polyarthritis and spiking fever, accompanied by a macular skin rash on both forearms. Marked hepatosplenomegaly and bilateral pleural effusion were detected on computed tomography examination. These findings are indistinguishable from those of adult-onset Still's disease. Because his mental status had deteriorated following high-dose prednisolone on a previous admission, he was treated with an immunosuppressive agent on this occasion, with the treatment being successful. This is the first report of adult-onset Still's disease complicating Crohn's disease. In patients with Crohn's disease, polyarthritis and skin rash can easily be misdiagnosed as enteropathic arthritis with erythema nodosum associated with the Crohn's disease. Although adult-onset Still's disease may not be fatal, early diagnosis is important because it can, in rare cases, result in life-threatening complications.

Pulsed steroid therapy may induce rapid remission in patients with moderately severe ulcerative colitis in outpatient clinics. A total of 19 patients with moderately severe active ulcerative colitis who refused hospitalization were treated between October 1999 and September 2001 in the outpatient clinic. Patients were treated with either conventional oral steroid therapy or intravenous pulsed steroid therapy followed by conventional oral steroid therapy. Eight patients received conventional steroid therapy and 11 patients received pulsed steroid therapy followed by conventional steroid therapy. The efficacies of the two types of steroid therapy were equal, but patients with active colitis responded more quickly to pulsed steroid therapy than to conventional steroid therapy. No serious adverse effects were observed. Moderately severe colitis can be safely treated with either conventional or pulsed steroid therapy in the outpatient clinic, but pulsed steroid therapy may induce clinical remission more quickly than conventional steroid therapy.

当科にて現在まで経験した腸管ベーチェット病9例および単純性潰瘍4例について臨床的に検討した. 性別は男性11例, 女性2例である. 初発年齢は11歳から58歳, 平均36歳である. 診断の内訳は完全型ベーチェット病1例, 不全型ベーチェット病3例, ベーチェット病疑いが9例であり, 疑い症例のうち消化管病変以外のべーチェット病症状を認めない症例は4例である. 初期診断はクローン病4例 (うち1例は虫垂炎, 他の1例は腸結核も疑われる), ベーチェット病3例, 大腸癌2例, 若年性関節リウマチ1例, 膠原病1例, 単純性潰瘍1例, 不明1例である. 完全型および不全型ベーチェット病では2例で腸管切除が行われ, 頻回の入院歴がある. ベーチェット病疑い5例のうち2例で腸管切除が行われているが, 単純性潰瘍4例では1例が大腸癌の疑いにて腸管切除が行われているほか手術および入院の既往はなく, 臨床的に腸管ベーチェット病と異なる経過であった.

Currently, electricity generation requires both fossil energy resources and the supply of renewable energy. In addition, efficient energy management is necessary. This need became more pronounced in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011. Since then, Japan's power supply has been limited because of the shutdown of nuclear power plants, and this has led to several problems. To deal with this problem, the effective use of renewable energies such as photovoltaic and wind power is required. Since these energy sources are unstable, batteries need to be introduced in the power grid for power supply leveling. However, the financial burden of introducing batteries on the demand side, such as in houses or buildings, is very high. To solve this problem, the required battery capacity needs to be reduced by controlling the air conditioners used by consumers in order to facilitate the peek-shift effect. In this study, we constructed a real-time simulation using a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system that can control air conditioners through power leveling with batteries. We propose two different cooperative demand control methods for comparison. These methods consider consumer comfort and the state of charge (SoC) of the batteries. The aim of this simulation was to compare three cases: no control, battery control, and control of both the air conditioner and the battery by a cooperative demand control method. This simulation showed that the cooperative control method achieves power consumption reduction and power leveling at the same time, which proves that the proposed method can reduce the battery capacity required for power leveling.

Background: A dominant T helper type 1 (Th1) immune response is thought to be involved in Crohn’s disease (CD). SLC/CCL21 and ELC/CCL19, chemokines that regulate T cell homing and promote recirculating T and dendritic cell (DC) interactions, help control antigen specific T cell responses. Aims: To investigate the Th1 response and SLC and ELC in CD pathogenesis. Methods: Surgically resected intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) from controls and patients with CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) were investigated. CD3, CD83, HECA452, VEGFR3, SLC, ELC, and CCR7 expression was studied immunohistochemically. CCR7 mRNA was quantified using real time RT-PCR. Results: ELC was almost undetectable in intestinal samples. SLC was found sporadically in lymphoid follicles, lymphoid aggregate venules, and lymphatic vessels. In MLNs, SLC was highly expressed in high endothelial venules (HEVs), lymphatic vessels, and stromal DCs, predominantly in T cell areas. ELC was highly expressed in mature DCs. There were significantly more SLC positive HEVs and ELC positive mature DCs, important components of T cell areas, in CD. SLC, ELC, and CCR7 mRNA was significantly higher in CD MLNs compared with UC. CD MLNs had increased expression of SLC and ELC, mainly in HEVs, mature DCs, and lymphatic vessels, inducing T cell hyperplasia. CCR7 mRNA was increased in T cell areas. Conclusion: The dominant Th1 immune response is facilitated by interaction of SLC positive HEVs/lymphatic vessels, ELC positive mature DCs, and CCR7 positive T cells in hyperplastic T cell areas. In CD, memory T cells and mature DCs may home to MLN.

Pulsed steroid therapy may induce rapid remission in patients with moderately severe ulcerative colitis in outpatient clinics. A total of 19 patients with moderately severe active ulcerative colitis who refused hospitalization were treated between October 1999 and September 2001 in the outpatient clinic. Patients were treated with either conventional oral steroid therapy or intravenous pulsed steroid therapy followed by conventional oral steroid therapy. Eight patients received conventional steroid therapy and 11 patients received pulsed steroid therapy followed by conventional steroid therapy. The efficacies of the two types of steroid therapy were equal, but patients with active colitis responded more quickly to pulsed steroid therapy than to conventional steroid therapy. No serious adverse effects were observed. Moderately severe colitis can be safely treated with either conventional or pulsed steroid therapy in the outpatient clinic, but pulsed steroid therapy may induce clinical remission more quickly than conventional steroid therapy.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is often accompanied by inflammatory bowel disease in western countries. However, the incidence of primary sclerosing cholangitis in patients with ulcerative colitis appears to be much lower in Japan.Between 1980 and 1998, a total of 402 patients with ulcerative colitis were seen in our department. The patients were evaluated by abdominal ultrasonography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and/or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography when persisting abnormalities of biochemical findings suggested the presence of hepatobiliary diseases.Of the 402 patients with ulcerative colitis, 3 patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis were found. There were 2 men and 1 woman. One patient had left-sided colitis while 2 had total colitis. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was done in 2 of these 3 patients and demonstrated diagnostic features of primary sclerosing cholangitis. All 3 patients had intra- and extrahepatic involvement by primary sclerosing cholangitis. One male patient died due to progressive hepatic failure. The other male patient was treated with ursodeoxycholic acid, but serum alkaline phosphatase level remained above the normal range. The female patient maintained normal serum alkaline phosphatase levels without specific medication.Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is the most safe and convincing tool for the diagnosis of coexistent primary sclerosing cholangitis in the patients with ulcerative colitis.

A 34-year-old woman was hospitalized for further evaluation of a space-occupying lesion in the liver. Ga-67 SPECT showed increased accumulation of isotope in the tumor periphery. Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxygluclose (F-18 FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) revealed a ring-like accumulation of isotop