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Background: It is unknown whether low serum pepsinogen I and pepsinogen I/II ratio (PGI-PGI/II), a marker for chronic atrophic gastritis, is associated with low or high body weight., Methods: We investigated the association between low PGI-PGI/II and both ends of the spectrum of body mass index (BMI) in 819 apparently healthy Japanese men aged 20-75 years who received a medical check-up in 2008., Results: In univariate analysis, serum pepsinogen I, but not pepsinogen II or pepsinogen I/II, was significantly reduced across the increasing BMI categories. Multivariate regression analysis showed that, compared with BMI 21.0-22.9 kg/m(2), BMI of 20.9 kg/m(2) and less or 25.0 kg/m(2) and above was significantly associated with low PGI-PGI/II (pepsinogen I<50 ng/ml combined with PG I/II<3.0), even after adjustment for relevant confounders. These associations showed a J-shaped curve against BMI., Conclusion: Low PGI-PGI/II may be independently associated with both low body weight and obesity in Japanese men., (© 2013.)

Little is known about the associations of eating a late-evening meal (ELM), a putative unhealthy eating behavior, with low serum amylase, other eating behaviors, and cardiometabolic risk factors. Therefore, we investigated whether ELM before bedtime was associated with low serum amylase or other clinical factors in 2,426 asymptomatic adults aged 20-80 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ELM was significantly associated with low serum amylase (<60 IU/l), overweight, smoking, daily alcohol consumption, skipping breakfast, and rapid eating, but not with abnormal glucose metabolism. In conclusion, ELM may be independently associated with low serum amylase and common unhealthy behaviors.

Although proteinuria is highly prevalent in obese individuals, the association between proteinuria and low body weight is equivocal. In this study we determine whether low body weight is more strongly associated with proteinuria compared with normal weight. The association between body mass index (BMI) and proteinuria was examined in a cross-sectional study of 62,582 asymptomatic individuals aged 20-70 years without known kidney diseases recruited, based on the results of medical checkups in 1999. We also examined the incidence of recurrent or nonrecurrent proteinuria in an 8-year longitudinal analysis of 12,493 individuals without proteinuria at baseline. The prevalence of proteinuria showed a J-shaped relationship with BMI. Multivariate regression analysis showed that BMI of 27.0 kg/m(2) and above or 18.9 kg/m(2) and less was significantly associated with proteinuria relative to BMI 21.0-22.9 kg/m(2), even after adjusting for relevant cardiometabolic risk factors. In the longitudinal study, similar J-shaped relationships between the incident rates of proteinuria and baseline BMI groups were observed at post-baseline checkups. Baseline BMI 27.0 kg/m(2) and above was associated with significantly greater risk for recurrent and nonrecurrent proteinuria, whereas BMI 18.9 kg/m(2) and less was only associated with nonrecurrent proteinuria. Thus, obesity and low body weight may be associated with different types of proteinuria independent of cardiometabolic risk factors.

Diabetes and metabolic syndrome are associated with impaired lung function. However, it is unknown whether this is also true in prediabetes. In a cross-sectional study of 1237 asymptomatic adults, we found that diabetes and prediabetes were both significantly associated with low vital capacity, even after adjustment for relevant confounding factors., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Low serum amylase (LSA) was reported to be associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetes. However, it is unknown as to whether LSA is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a hepatic manifestation of MetS and insulin resistance. Therefore, we performed a clinical epidemiological study to investigate this potential association., Design: A cross-sectional observational study with multivariate analysis., Setting: Subjects were recruited in a healthcare centre in Saitama, an eastern district of Japan, near Tokyo., Participants: A total of 1475 asymptomatic adults aged 30-79 years who underwent detailed medical check-ups and who regularly consumed small amounts of alcohol (<20 g/day)., Outcome Measures: Serum amylase, cardiometabolic risk factors, NAFLD determined by ultrasound, MetS determined by Adult Treatment Panel-III criteria and diabetes were assessed., Results: The prevalence of NAFLD increased significantly from 22.5% to 42.4% (all grades) and from 9.2% to 24.0% (moderate or severe grade) from the highest to the lowest quartile of serum amylase. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with the highest quartile of serum amylase, the lowest quartile of serum amylase was significantly associated with any-grade NAFLD and with moderate-to-severe NAFLD, even after adjusting for MetS or diabetes. The association between LSA and any-grade NAFLD disappeared after further adjustment for body mass index or waist circumference, whereas the association between LSA and moderate or severe NAFLD remained statistically significant (ORs (95%CI), 2.01 (1.07 to 3.78) and 2.06 (1.09 to 3.87), respectively, both p=0.01)., Conclusions: Our results suggest that LSA may be associated with moderate or severe NAFLD in asymptomatic adults independent of MetS, diabetes and obesity. These results warrant confirmation in further studies.

Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is often observed in patients with pancreatic diseases, including chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, and tumors, or after surgical resection. PEI often results in malnutrition, weight loss and steatorrhea, which together increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, nutritional interventions, such as low-fat diets and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), are needed to improve the clinical symptoms, and to address the pathophysiology of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. PERT with delayed-release pancrelipase is now becoming a standard therapy for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency because it significantly improves the coefficients of fat and nitrogen absorption as well as clinical symptoms, without serious treatment-emergent adverse events. The major adverse events were tolerable gastrointestinal tract symptoms, such as stomach pain, nausea, and bloating. Fibrosing colonopathy, a serious complication, is associated with high doses of enzymes. Several pancrelipase products have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in recent years. Although many double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of pancrelipase products have been conducted in recent years, these studies have enrolled relatively few patients and have often been less than a few weeks in duration. Moreover, few studies have addressed the issue of pancreatic diabetes, a type of diabetes that is characterized by frequent hypoglycemia, which is difficult to manage. In addition, it is unclear whether PERT improves morbidity and mortality in such settings. Therefore, large, long-term prospective studies are needed to identify the optimal treatment for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. The studies should also examine the extent to which PERT using pancrelipase improves mortality and morbidity. The etiology and severity of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency often differ among patients with gastrointestinal diseases or diabetes (type 1 and type 2), and among elderly subjects. Finally, although there is currently limited clinical evidence, numerous extrapancreatic diseases and conditions that are highly prevalent in the general population may also be considered potential targets for PERT and related treatments.

For some patients with a bone defect, curved deformity, or small diameter bone, transverse distraction might be better indicated than bone transport or lengthening. However, detailed quantitative evaluation of osteogenesis or angiogenesis during transverse distraction by creating a well-controlled animal model has not been done. We established a transverse distraction model of the canine tibia. A rectangular cortex was separated for a distraction fragment. Seven days after the operation, 0.5-mm distraction was applied twice daily for 14 days. After a 28-day consolidation period, the animals were sacrificed. Quantitative evaluations of the rates of mineralization and the increases of bone mineral density indicated faster mineralization and earlier corticalization of the regenerating bone in the initial stage of the consolidation period. The average blood vessel volume ratio in the distraction area was more than three times greater than in the intact contralateral tibiae. We hypothesized that adequate preservation of the marrow arteries and stability of the distraction site throughout an experimental period could induce this faster osteogenesis. Our results indicated that the transverse distraction technique was feasible. The transverse distraction technique could be indicated for patients with small-diameter bones or with massive bone defects.

Oxidation of trans-3,5-di-tert-butyl-3,5-diphenyl-1,2,4-trithiolane with dimethyldioxirane (DMD) or m-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA) gave two stereoisomeric (1S*,3S*,5S*)- and (1R*,3S*,5S*)-1-oxides (16 and 17, respectively). Oxidation of 16 with DMD gave the (1S*,2R*,3S*,5S*)-1,2-dioxide (18) and the 1,1-dioxide 19, and that of 17 yielded the (1R*,2R*,3S*,5S*)-1,2-dioxide (20) mainly along with 18 and 19. The structures of the 1,2-dioxides 18 and 20 were determined by X-ray crystallography. 1,2-Dioxides 18 and 20 isomerized to each other in solution, and the equilibrium constant K (20/18) is 19 in CDCl(3) at 295 K. The kinetic study suggested a biradical mechanism for the isomerization. Isomerization of 16 and 17 to cis-3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2,4-trithiolane 1-oxides by treatment with Me(3)O(+)BF(4)(-) is also described.

Triptycene-9-thioselenenic acid was synthesized by hydrolysis of acetyl triptycene-9-thioselenenate, the structure of which was determined by spectroscopic data and X-ray diffraction analysis.

Polymers with phospholipid polar groups, 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) polymers, have excellent nonthrombogenic properties. The effects of adsorption of phospholipids on platelet adhesion and activation on the MPC copolymer with n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) were investigated with particular attention to the structure of the phospholipids adsorbed onto the polymer surface. The electrical nature of the phospholipids adsorbed on the polymer surface affected the thrombogenicity of the polymer. On the MPC polymer surface treated with an aqueous liposomal solution of acidic phospholipids, phosphatidylserine, platelet adhesion and activation occurred to a greater extent when compared to a poly(MPC-co-BMA) surface. However, on the MPC polymer surface treated with electrically neutral phosphatidylcholines, reduced thrombogenicity could be observed. Therefore, the adsorption of the phosphatidylcholines was an important factor in reducing the thrombogenicity on the polymers. Moreover, by comparison of the poly(MPC-co-BMA) to a poly(BMA), platelet adhesion and activation on these polymer surfaces depended on the adsorption state of the phosphatidylcholines. The amount of phosphatidylcholine adsorbed on the poly(MPC-co-BMA) increased with an increase in the MPC mole fraction of the copolymer. This indicates that the MPC moieties have affinity for the phosphatidylcholines. We conclude that the poly(MPC-co-BMA) can adsorb large amounts of phosphatidylcholines and that these phospholipids organize themselves. The organized adsorption layer of the phosphatidylcholines on the surface, which construct biomembrane-like surfaces, can reduce platelet adhesion and activation effectively.

Thioltransferase activity in rat erythrocytes is decreased and the protein mixed disulfide-concentration is increased by the treatment of t-butylhydroperoxide or diamide, significantly. Their levels are restored to their original levels very effectively by the addition of glucose.

The hemocompatibility of a polymer containing a phospholipid polar group, poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-co-n-butyl methacrylate(BMA)), with human whole blood was evaluated. When human whole blood without an anticoagulant was contacted with polymers, the blood cell adhesion and aggregation on the polymer without the MPC moiety was extensive, and considerable fibrin deposition was observed. This phenomenon was suppressed with an increase in the polymer MPC composition. Thus, the MPC moiety in the copolymer plays an important role in the nonthrombogenic behavior of the copolymer. These results were also confirmed by the whole blood coagulation time on the polymer surface which was determined by Lee-White method. The adsorption of phospholipids and proteins from human plasma on poly(MPC-co-BMA) was investigated to clarify the mechanism of the nonthrombogenicity observed with the polymer. The amount of phospholipids was increased; whereas, adsorbed proteins were decreased with an increase in the MPC composition. From these results, we concluded that the phospholipids adsorbed on poly(MPC-co-BMA) play the most important role in the nonthrombogenicity of the MPC copolymer.