Search Results (5)

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin, induces systemic inflammation by injection and is thought to be a causative agent of chronic inflammatory diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, our previous studies found that oral LPS administration does not exacerbate T2DM conditions in KK/Ay mice, which is the opposite of the response from LPS injection. Therefore, this study aims to confirm that oral LPS administration does not aggravate T2DM and to investigate the possible mechanisms. In this study, KK/Ay mice with T2DM were orally administered LPS (1 mg/kg BW/day) for 8 weeks, and blood glucose parameters before and after oral administration were compared. Abnormal glucose tolerance, insulin resistance progression, and progression of T2DM symptoms were suppressed by oral LPS administration. Furthermore, the expressions of factors involved in insulin signaling, such as insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate 1, thymoma viral proto-oncogene, and glucose transporter type 4, were upregulated in the adipose tissues of KK/Ay mice, where this effect was observed. For the first time, oral LPS administration induces the expression of adiponectin in adipose tissues, which is involved in the increased expression of these molecules. Briefly, oral LPS administration may prevent T2DM by inducing an increase in the expressions of insulin signaling-related factors based on adiponectin production in adipose tissues. Full article

Severe cases of COVID-19 continue to put pressure on medical operations by prolonging hospitalization, occupying intensive care beds, and forcing medical personnel to undergo harsh labor. The eradication of SARS-CoV-2 through vaccine development has yet to be achieved, mainly due to the appearance of multiple mutant-incorporating strains. The present study explored the utility of human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) preparations in suppressing the aggravation of any COVID-19 infection using a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus assay. Our study revealed the existence of IgG antibodies in human IVIG preparations, which recognized the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Remarkably, the pretreatment of ACE2/TMPRSS2-expressing host cells (HEK293T cells) with IVIG preparations (10 mg/mL) inhibited approximately 40% entry of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus even at extremely low concentrations of IgG (0.16–1.25 mg/mL). In contrast, the antibody-dependent enhancement of viral entry was confirmed when SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus was treated with some products at an IgG concentration of 10 mg/mL. Our data suggest that IVIG may contribute to therapy for COVID-19, including for cases caused by SARS-CoV-2 variants, since IVIG binds not only to the spike proteins of the virus, but also to human ACE2/TMPRSS2. An even better preventive effect can be expected with blood collected after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article

Background: The estimation of biological age is challenging in patients with cancers. We aimed to investigate frailty-based biological ages using frailty-discriminant scores (FDS) and examined the effect of biological-expected life age discrepancy on the prognosis of patients with urological cancers. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated frailty in 1035 patients having urological cancers. Their frailty-based biological age was then defined by the FDS, which is a comprehensive frailty assessment tool, using 1790 noncancer individuals as controls. An expected life age (=chronological age + life expectancy) was subsequently calculated using the 2019 life expectancy table. The primary outcome was the estimation of the biological-expected life age discrepancy between the frailty-based biological age and expected life age in patients with urological cancers. Secondary outcomes were the evaluation of the effect of the biological-expected life age discrepancy on overall survival. Results: We included 405, 466, and 164 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, urothelial carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma, respectively. The median chronological age, life expectancy, and estimated frailty-based biological age were 71, 17, and 83 years, respectively. The biological-expected life age discrepancy in any urological cancers, localized diseases, and metastatic diseases was −4.8, −6.3, and +0.15 years, respectively. The biological-expected life age discrepancy of >5 years was significantly associated with poor overall survival. Conclusions: The biological-expected life age discrepancy between frailty-based biological age and expected life age may be helpful in understanding the role of frailty and patient/doctor conversation. Full article

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of electrode grooves formed by etching silicon nitride (Si_xN_y) films using surface-discharge plasma under Ar/CF₄ and He/CF₄ gases on the basis of differences in the widths of the electrode grooves etched on the Si_xN_y film. The widths of the grooves etched using Ar as the carrier gas were narrower than those etched using He, and the etching speed achieved using Ar was higher than that achieved using He. Furthermore, the electrode groove created by surface-discharge plasma gradually widened as etching time and applied voltage increased. Full article

We evaluated the mechanisms underlying the spinal cord stimulation (SCS)-induced analgesic effect on neuropathic pain following spared nerve injury (SNI). On day 3 after SNI, SCS was performed for 6 h by using electrodes paraspinally placed on the L4-S1 spinal cord. The effects of SCS and intraperitoneal minocycline administration on plantar mechanical sensitivity, microglial activation, and neuronal excitability in the L4 dorsal horn were assessed on day 3 after SNI. The somatosensory cortical responses to electrical stimulation of the hind paw on day 3 following SNI were examined by using in vivo optical imaging with a voltage-sensitive dye. On day 3 after SNI, plantar mechanical hypersensitivity and enhanced microglial activation were suppressed by minocycline or SCS, and L4 dorsal horn nociceptive neuronal hyperexcitability was suppressed by SCS. In vivo optical imaging also revealed that electrical stimulation of the hind paw-activated areas in the somatosensory cortex was decreased by SCS. The present findings suggest that SCS could suppress plantar SNI-induced neuropathic pain via inhibition of microglial activation in the L4 dorsal horn, which is involved in spinal neuronal hyperexcitability. SCS is likely to be a potential alternative and complementary medicine therapy to alleviate neuropathic pain following nerve injury. Full article