The Showa University Journal of Medical Sciences
Online ISSN : 2185-0968
Print ISSN : 0915-6380
ISSN-L : 0915-6380
Volume 31, Issue 2
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
Original
  • Masakazu KOSHIBU, Yusaku MORI, Hideki KUSHIMA, Munenori HIROMURA, Kyok ...
    2019 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 115-124
    Published: 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: August 10, 2019
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been shown to exert anti-atherosclerotic effects via multiple mechanisms on different types of cells. However, it is unclear which of these mechanisms are crucial. We investigated the role of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in the anti-atherogenic effects of the GLP-1RA liraglutide in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic apolipoprotein E-null mice were randomly assigned to treatment with either vehicle (saline) or liraglutide (107nmol/kg/day), and were subjected to femoral artery wire injury to remove VECs. After 4 weeks, vessel samples were collected for analysis. Streptozotocin-injected mice had fasting plasma glucose levels of >300mg/dl and hemoglobin A1c levels of >9%, indicating that the injections had induced severe hyperglycemia. However, there were no differences in metabolic characteristics such as levels of hemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides between the vehicle and liraglutide groups. Analysis of atherosclerotic plaque formation revealed that liraglutide treatment significantly suppressed plaque formation in the aorta. In addition, liraglutide treatment reduced plaque volume and intra-plaque macrophage accumulation at the aortic sinus. Furthermore, liraglutide treatment suppressed vascular expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In uninjured femoral arteries, no plaques were observed; however, severe plaque formation occurred in femoral arteries that had been injured by wire insertion to remove VECs. Unlike in the uninjured aorta, liraglutide treatment did not affect plaque volume or arterial remodeling (intimal and medial thinning, and arterial dilation) in wire-injured femoral arteries. Of the various cells that liraglutide affects, VECs play a central role in liraglutide’s anti-atherogenic effects in diabetic mice.
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  • Tomohiro HAGA, Iori TAKI-TAKEMOTO, Remi MURASE, Daisuke KAMEI, Shinich ...
    2019 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 125-137
    Published: 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: August 10, 2019
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    One of the reasons the health care system requires long-term nursing care for elderly patients is the risk of falls and fractures. In this study, we sought to identify risk factors for drug-induced falls and fractures in elderly patients in Japan. Risk factors for drug-induced falls and fractures in the elderly were analyzed by searching for the Standardised Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) query (SMQ) “accidents/injuries” in the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database (JADER), as this SMQ was the most well suited for evaluating data on falls and fractures. For elderly patients in Japan, the risk factors for drug-induced accidents/injuries include age ≥ 70 years old, female sex, and treatment with specific drugs, but not polypharmacy. Among the risk factors with the 10 highest reporting odds ratios (RORs) were treatment with: anti-osteoporosis agents such as bisphosphonates (e.g., minodronic acid), eldecalcitol and bazedoxifene; dementia therapeutic agents such as rivastigmine and memantine; antiparkinsonian agents such as entacapone and pramipexole; and neuropathic pain relievers such as pregabalin. Although various geriatric syndromes were generally caused by polypharmacy, it has been posited that individual medications such as those mentioned above have a more significant association with drug-induced accidents and injuries in the elderly than polypharmacy. These drugs should be used cautiously while considering drug interruption, dose reductions, and switching to alternative therapies with lower risks. An association between accidents/injuries and drugs targeting the central nervous system (such as hypnotics, sedatives, anxiolytics, and antidepressants) has previously been reported. However, in the present study, no elevated risks in association with triazolam, zopiclone, flunitrazepam, diazepam, rilmazafone, estazolam, etizolam, or paroxetine were detected. Using RORs for risk detection for drugs in the JADER database is accessible and useful, and enables sensitive risk detection.
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  • Satoshi GOTO, Makoto OHARA, Naoya OSAKA, Tomoki FUJIKAWA, Yo KOHATA, H ...
    2019 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 139-149
    Published: 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: August 10, 2019
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    We evaluated the effects of glucose metabolism and blood pressure(BP) variability on cardiac diastolic function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) and hypertension. A total of 23 inpatients with T2DM underwent ambulatory BP monitoring(ABPM) and echocardiography. BP variability was assessed by measuring the mean BP and the standard deviation(SD) of systolic and diastolic BP over 24 hours, as well as daytime and nighttime ABPM. Cardiac diastolic function was assessed using the echocardiography E/e′ ratio. Participants had a mean age of 69.0±10.6 years, disease duration of 11.0±10.5 years, glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c) of 8.2%±1.3%, and glycated albumin(GA) of 22.0%±4.2%. Univariate analysis showed that the nighttime systolic BP, nighttime SDs of systolic and diastolic BP, urinary albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and GA/HbA1c ratio were all significantly correlated with the E/e′ ratio. Moreover, stepwise multiple regression analysis identified nighttime SD of diastolic BP, urinary albumin, and GA/HbA1c ratio as independent contributors to the E/e′ ratio. In patients with T2DM and hypertension, cardiac diastolic function was associated with nighttime diastolic BP variability and the GA/HbA1c ratio.
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  • Yasuaki HIRAI
    2019 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 151-158
    Published: 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: August 10, 2019
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The rhizome of Dioscorea tokoro has been used in China to alleviate the pain of rheumatic disorders of the knees and hips, but the active component has not been clarified. In order to determine its pharmacological activity, we isolated and characterized the structure of the constituents of the Dioscorea tokoro rhizome by means of column chromatography and spectral analysis. As a result, two new furostanol saponins, protoyononin (D8) and protocompound x(D12), were isolated from the Dioscorea tokoro rhizome, along with ten known spirostanol and furostanol derivatives, namely, dioscin, gracillin, yononin, tokorogenin, tokoronin, compound x, protoyonogenin, protodioscin, protogracillin and prototokoronin. The structures of D8 and D12 were determined based on chemical and spectral methods and characterized as 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl (25R)-2β,3α,22ξ,26-tetrahydroxyfurost-2-O-α-L-arabinopyranside (protoyononin) and 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl (25R)-1β,2β,3α,22ξ,26-pentahydroxyfurost-1-O-β-D-glucopyranside (protocompound x).
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  • Hiroyuki OWADA, Hideaki NARUSAWA, Yu KATAOKA, Takashi MIYAZAKI
    2019 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 159-166
    Published: 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: August 10, 2019
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Antimicrobial activity is necessary for dental prosthetic devices to maintain oral and systemic health in elderly people wearing prostheses. In particular, dental prosthetic devices with antifungal properties are urgently needed to prevent aspiration pneumonia. However, practical application methods to deliver antimicrobial properties to dental prosthetic devices have not yet been established. Therefore, in this study we aimed to fix protamine on titanium plates treated with silica coating using a Silano-Pen, and to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of the titanium plates against Candida albicans. Strong antifungal properties were obtained by soaking titanium plates in an aqueous protamine solution after silica coating treatment. Since this brand-new method is simple, its practical application is expected in the near future.
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Proceedings of the 65th General Meeting of the Showa University Society
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