Dove Medical Press Ltd Acta Medica Okayama 1178-6973 14 2021 Antibacterial Effects of Disulfiram in Helicobacter pylori 1757 1764 EN Tomomi Kobatake Graduate School of Health Science Okayama University Keiki Ogino Department of Environmental Medicine, Koch Medical School Hiroyuki Sakae Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kazuyoshi Gotoh Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Akari Watanabe Department of Oral Health Care and Rehabilitation, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School Osamu Matsushita Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroyuki Okada Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Kenji Yokota Graduate School of Health Science Okayama University Background: Helicobacter pylori infection poses a risk of the occurrence of gastrointestinal diseases, such as gastric cancer. Its incidence rate is significantly reduced by eradication, and thereby, eradication therapy is generally performed. Disulfiram is an oral prescription drug mainly used for the treatment of alcohol dependence. In recent years, reports have been made on its anticancer and antibacterial effects, and thus, it has recently become an interesting subject. This study aimed to examine the antibacterial activity of disulfiram, investigate the presence or absence of its antibacterial activity on H. pylori, and determine whether it could be a new bactericidal drug against drug-resistant H. pylori. Materials and Methods: Drug-sensitive strains of H. pylori and amoxicillin-resistant, clarithromycin-resistant, and metronidazole-resistant strains were used, and a growth inhibition test of H. pylori using disulfiram was performed. Furthermore, the expression of urease, vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA), and CagA, the virulence proteins of H. pylori, was quantitatively analyzed using the Western blotting method. In addition, for H. pylori used in this study, the 16SrDNA sequence, a ribosomal gene involved in protein production, was analyzed to examine the presence or absence of gene mutation. Results: Disulfiram suppressed the growth of 7 out of 12 H. pylori strains at 1 mu g/mL, and no correlation was observed between their susceptibility/resistance to current eradication antimicrobial drugs and disulfiram resistance. Disulfiram reduced the expression levels of urease, VacA, and CagA proteins. H. pylori, which showed resistance to disulfiram, tended to have fewer gene deletions/insertions in the 16S rDNA sequence; however, no specific mutation was detected. Conclusion: Disulfiram has a bactericidal effect on H. pylori at low concentrations, suggesting that it can be used as a supplement for current H. pylori eradication drugs. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 70 3 2016 Involvement of Xanthine Oxidoreductase-related Oxidative Stress in a Dermatophagoides farinae-induced Asthma Model of NC/Nga Mice 175 182 EN Heri Setiawan Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kenjiro Nagaoka Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Masayuki Kubo Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yoshihisa Fujikura Division of Morphological Analysis, Department of Anatomy, Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University Keiki Ogino Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Original Article 10.18926/AMO/54416 Oxidative stress is widely known to play a role in asthma. However, the contribution of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) as a source of the superoxide anion radical (O2－) in oxidative stress associated with asthma has not yet been examined in detail. Here we investigated pathophysiological changes in XOR in an experimental model of asthma induced by the house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae (Df). In the lungs of Df-treated mice, the production of O2－ from XOR increased and the nitrite concentrations decreased, whereas the protein expression of XOR remained unchanged. Moreover, the protein expression levels of XOR and the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were higher in the Df-treated mice than in saline-treated mice. Immunohistochemically, although XOR was highly localized in the bronchial epithelial cells of the saline-treated mice, immunostaining for XOR was absent in the bronchial epithelium of Df-treated mice. These results suggest that oxidative stress is up-regulated by increases in the conversion of the dehydrogenase form (xanthine dehydrogenase; XDH) of XOR to the oxidase form (xanthine oxidase; XOD). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 1660-4601 11 2 2014 Associations of Serum Retinol, alpha-Tocopherol, and gamma-Tocopherol with Biomarkers among Healthy Japanese Men 1647 1660 EN Yu Zou Da-Hong Wang Noriko Sakano Yoshie Sato Suketaka Iwanaga Kazuhisa Taketa Masayuki Kubo Kei Takemoto Chie Masatomi Kiyomi Inoue Keiki Ogino Retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol are fat-soluble vitamins acting as antioxidants via the prevention of lipid oxidation. Little is known about circulatory levels in healthy individuals. The present cross-sectional study aimed at elucidating the relationship between these antioxidants and clinical biomarkers in 206 male (median age 41 years, range 23-67) employees from companies located in the Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Subjects younger than 40 years (n = 94) showed a positive association of the frequency of alcohol consumption with the circulating retinol (beta = 0.344, p = 0.001) and gamma-tocopherol levels (beta = 0.219, p = 0.041), and an inverse association of fast insulin with serum retinol (beta = -0.301, p = 0.009). In participants older than 40 years (n = 112) we found that an inverse association of HOMA-R with serum retinol (beta = -0.262, p = 0.021), a-tocopherol (beta = -0.236, p = 0.035), and gamma-tocopherol levels (beta = -0.224, p = 0.052); and cigarette smoking was inversely associated with the levels of serum a-tocopherol (beta = -0.286, p = 0.008) and gamma-tocopherol (beta = -0.229, p = 0.040). We further found negative relationships between serum ferritin and the retinol (beta = -0.211, p = 0.032) and a-tocopherol levels (beta = -0.223, p = 0.022) in men over 40 years of age. The present study suggests that the circulatory levels of antioxidant vitamins may modulate the action of insulin and that higher levels of iron might decrease the levels of antioxidant vitamins in the blood. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 68 3 2014 Association of Dietary Fat and Carbohydrate Consumption and Predicted Ten-year Risk for Developing Coronary Heart Disease in a General Japanese Population 129 135 EN Akira Minoura Da-Hong Wang Yoshie Sato Yu Zou Noriko Sakano Masayuki Kubo Kei Takemoto Chie Masatomi Keiki Ogino Original Article 10.18926/AMO/52652 We examined the relationships between dietary carbohydrate, protein, fat, and the ratio of n6/n3 fatty acid intakes with the predicted 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in a general Japanese population. We used the Framingham risk score to determine the 10-year CHD risk of the subjects, who were employees of 6 companies in a single prefecture in Japan. After excluding the subjects who reported any history of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, diabetes, or cancer, and those with missing data resulting in the inability of estimation of 10-year CHD risk and food intakes, the final data analysis was carried out for 809 subjects. The logistic regression models revealed a significantly increased odds ratio of 10-year CHD risk in the subjects with the highest tertile of carbohydrate intake (% energy) (odds ratio 3.64, 95% CI, 2.07-6.40);after adjustment for other variables, the odds ratio for the 10-year CHD risk was also higher in the subjects with the highest tertile of carbohydrate intake (odds ratio 1.72, 95% CI, 0.70-4.25). We also found that fat intake and the ratio of n6/n3 fatty acids were inversely associated with the predicted 10-year CHD risk (p for trend＜0.01). The present findings added evidence of a positive association of dietary carbohydrate and inverse associations of total fat and n6/n3 fatty acid ratio with the predicted 10-year CHD risk in a general Japanese population. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2013 Comparison of serum ferritin and oxidative stress biomarkers between Japanese workers with and without metabolic syndrome EN Suketaka Iwanaga Noriko Sakano Kazuhisa Taketa Noriko Takahashi Da-Hong Wang Hidekazu Takahashi Masayuki Kubo Nobuyuki Miyatake Keiki Ogino Objective Metabolic syndrome (MS) is closely associated to life-style and is characterized by central obesity causing severe diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM) or atherosclerosis. This study investigates the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in MS. Subjects Total of 685 workers stratified by gender (293 men and 392 women) with a mean age of 41.2 ± 10.4 in different offices in a city in Japan. Methods Fasting blood and urine tests for MS, oxidative and/or inflammatory biomarker analysis and blood pressure (BP) measurement were performed. MS was defined on the basis of the Japanese criterion. Results Serum ferritin and urinary hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels were significantly higher in subjects with MS than those without. Ferritin was positively correlated with 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in all subjects and it was negatively correlated with 8-isoprostane and H2O2 in men. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between ferritin and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-R) in men. By using multiple regression analysis, ferritin was closely correlated with HOMA-R, γ-GT, 8-OHdG, smoking value and amount of alcohol ingestion in men, and it was correlated with 8-OHdG, γ-GT, HOMA-R in women under 50 years old. Conclusions Ferritin is a useful marker of MS including insulin resistance, reflecting the importance of oxidative stress as a cause of MS, especially in men. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

The Editorial Secretariat of JCBN Acta Medica Okayama 0912-0009 52 2 2013 Relationship between ceruloplasmin and oxidative biomarkers including ferritin among healthy Japanese 160 166 EN Kiyomi Inoue Noriko Sakano Keiki Ogino Yoshie Sato Da-Hong Wang Masayuki Kubo Hidekazu Takahashi Sakiko Kanbara Nobuyuki Miyatake Serum ceruloplasmin (CP), a marker relevant to copper metabolism, is one of famous inflammation markers with a reduction in Wilson's disease, whereas serum ferritin is a marker relevant to iron metabolism. Recently, ferritin is pointed out to be related with oxidative stress. However, there is still no population research which showed the relation of CP and ferritin. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between CP and ferritin including oxidative stress biomarkers among healthy Japanese (n = 389). We measured serum CP, ferritin, Fe, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and urinary oxidative stress biomarkers [H2O2, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-isoprostane] and so on. Subjects showed that age; 41.7 ± 10.0 (year), CP; 31.9 ± 6.8 (mg/dl), ferritin; 123.5 ± 121.0 (ng/ml), hs-CRP; 0.89 ± 2.53 (mg/l), 8-OHdG; 10.2 ± 4.4 [ng/mg creatinine (Cre)] and H2O2; 6.5 ± 10.9 (µM/g Cre), (All data mentioned above were expressed as mean ± SD). CP was significantly and positively correlated with hs-CRP and inversely correlated with ferritin, Fe and 8-OHdG. By a multiple logistic regression analysis, odds ratio of CP according to quartiles of hs-CRP was 4.86, and according to quartiles of 8-OHdG was 0.39 after adjusting for age and other confounding factors. In conclusion, our findings suggest that CP was an antioxidative biomarker which controls oxidative stress, whereas ferritin was a marker which may participate in the generation of oxidative stress. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Biomed Central Ltd Acta Medica Okayama 1471-2369 13 14 2012 Acatalasemic mice are mildly susceptible to Acatalasemic mice are mildly susceptible to adriamycin nephropathy and exhibit increased albuminuria and glomerulosclerosis EN Keiichi Takiue Hitoshi Sugiyama Tatsuyuki Inoue Hiroshi Morinaga Yoko Kikumoto Masashi Kitagawa Shinji Kitamura Yohei Maeshima Dahong Wang Noriyoshi Masuoka Keiki Ogino Hirofumi Makino Background: Catalase is an important antioxidant enzyme that regulates the level of intracellular hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. The effects of catalase deficiency on albuminuria and progressive glomerulosclerosis have not yet been fully elucidated. The adriamycin (ADR) nephropathy model is considered to be an experimental model of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. A functional catalase deficiency was hypothesized to exacerbate albuminuria and the progression of glomerulosclerosis in this model. Methods: ADR was intravenously administered to both homozygous acatalasemic mutant mice (C3H/AnLCs(b)Cs(b)) and control wild-type mice (C3H/AnLCs(a)Cs(a)). The functional and morphological alterations of the kidneys, including albuminuria, renal function, podocytic, glomerular and tubulointerstitial injuries, and the activities of catalase were then compared between the two groups up to 8 weeks after disease induction. Moreover, the presence of a mutation of the toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4) gene, which was previously reported in the C3H/HeJ strain, was investigated in both groups. Results: The ADR-treated mice developed significant albuminuria and glomerulosclerosis, and the degree of these conditions in the ADR-treated acatalasemic mice was higher than that in the wild-type mice. ADR induced progressive renal fibrosis, renal atrophy and lipid peroxide accumulation only in the acatalasemic mice. In addition, the level of catalase activity was significantly lower in the kidneys of the acatalasemic mice than in the wild-type mice during the experimental period. The catalase activity increased after ADR injection in wild-type mice, but the acatalasemic mice did not have the ability to increase their catalase activity under oxidative stress. The C3H/AnL strain was found to be negative for the tlr4 gene mutation. Conclusions: These data indicate that catalase deficiency plays an important role in the progression of renal injury in the ADR nephropathy model. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 66 3 2012 Relation of Prenatal and Postnatal Status to Calcaneus Quantitative Ultrasound in Adolescents 221 229 EN Yoko Takahata Da-Hong Wang Takanobu Anai Keiki Ogino Original Article 10.18926/AMO/48561 This study aimed to elucidate the relationship of prenatal and/or postnatal factors, including acquired factors, with the calcaneus stiffness index as measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS-SI) in adolescents. We recruited 1,143 adolescents with a mean age of 14.8±1.8 years (501 boys and 642 girls). The subjectsʼ calcaneus QUS-SI was measured using an ultrasound bone densitometer. We also measured the subjectsʼ height, weight, and grip strength. Data on prenatal and postnatal factors were obtained from maternal and child health handbooks. A self-reporting questionnaire was used to obtain information on subjectsʼ secondary sexual characteristics and lifestyle factors. We found that maternal weight gain during pregnancy was independently associated with calcaneus QUS-SI in girls, and that grip strength was also significantly associated with calcaneus QUS-SI in both sexes. The present findings suggest that excessive restriction of maternal weight gain would have a negative effect on the calcaneus QUS-SI of girls, and that exercise and strength-building activities are likely to result in a higher calcaneus QUS-SI in both sexes of adolescents. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 65 1 2011 The Relationship between Joint Pain and Climate Conditions in Japan 41 48 EN Kimihiko Tokumori Da-Hong Wang Tomoko Takigawa Jiro Takaki Keiki Ogino Original Article 10.18926/AMO/43829 This study aimed to determine whether there was any association between the regional climate and the proportion of people with joint pain. Regional climate data between 1971 and 2000 were obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency. The variables used in the cluster analysis included sunlight hours, amount of precipitation, number of days with precipitation, and temperature. The regional proportion of people with joint pain was obtained from the National Survey for Health in 2001. After performing a cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA and Welch's test were used to determine whether the climate characteristics of the clusters were significantly different. Within each cluster, stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were performed. We found that sunlight hours showed a direct, negative association with the proportion of people with joint pain (adjusted R2＝0.532, p＝0.016) in cluster 1, which was characterized as the region with the fewest total hours of sunlight, less precipitation, a modest number of rainy days, and low temperature. In the other clusters, the regional female population rate (cluster 2) and the senior population rate (cluster 3, 4) were the primary predictors. We concluded that the degree of exposure to sunlight may play a crucial role in prevention of joint pain. This finding should encourage people to set aside some time for staying outdoors in their daily lives. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 61 1 2007 Biochemical characterization of reactive nitrogen species by eosinophil peroxidase in tyrosine nitration 17 30 EN Kei Takemoto Keiki Ogino Da-Hong Wang Tomoko Takigawa Carmen M. Kurosawa Yasuhiro Kambayashi Yuri Hibino Yoshiaki Hitomi Hiroshi Ichimura Article 10.18926/AMO/32911 It is well known that eosinophils are involved in tyrosine nitration. In this study, we evaluated tyrosine nitration by rat eosinophils isolated from peritoneal fl uid and constituent eosinophils in the stomach. Rat peritoneal eosinophils activated with 1 μM phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and 50 μM NO2 ﾝ showed immunostaining for nitrotyrosine only in smaller cells, despite the fact that eosinophils are capable of producing superoxide (O2·ﾝ). Free tyrosine nitrating capacity after incubation with PMA and NO2 ﾝ was 4-fold higher in eosinophils than in neutrophils. Catalase and ｸ- and ｺ -tocopherol inhibited free tyrosine nitration by reactive nitrogen species from eosinophils but not that by peroxynitrite. Superoxide dismutase augmented free tyrosine nitration by activated eosinophils and peroxynitrite. The concentration of nitric oxide released from eosinophils was relatively low (0.32 μM/106 cells/h) and did not contribute to the formation of nitrotyrosine. On the other hand, most constituent eosinophils constituent in the rat stomach stimulated by PMA and NO2 ﾝ showed tyrosine nitration capacity. These results suggest that intact cells other than apoptotic-like eosinophils eluted in the intraperitoneal cavity could not generate reactive species responsible for nitration by a peroxidase-dependent mechanism. In contrast, normal eosinophils in the stomach were capable of nitration, suggesting that the characteristics of eosinophils in gastric mucosa are diff erent from those eluted in the peritoneal cavity. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 61 2 2007 The effects of caregiving resources on the incidence of depression over one year in family caregivers of disabled elderly 71 80 EN Yuki Yajima Takako Tsutsui Kazuo Nakajima Hui-Ying Li Tomoko Takigawa Da-Hong Wang Keiki Ogino Original Article 10.18926/AMO/32887 The purpose of the study was to investigate the over-time effects of physical, psychological and social resources on the incidence of depression in family caregivers of the disabled elderly. Data were collected twice at a one-year interval from 1,141 primary caregivers of a disabled older person in an urban area of Japan using a self-reported questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included physical health as an indicator of physical resources, caregiving satisfaction and intention to care as indicators of psychological resources, and instrumental and emotional support network and formal home care service utilization as indicators of social resources. The mental health outcome measure was the General Health Questionnaire 12-item version (GHQ-12). Complete data on 235 non-depressed female caregivers were separated into 3 groups according to the relationship type (wife, daughter and daughter-in-law) and analyzed separately. Multivariate logistic regression models controlling for duration of caregiving, care-recipient's gender, ADL dependency and behavioral problems demonstrated that significant predictors of depression were caregiving satisfaction and intention to care in wives, caregiving satisfaction in daughters, and physical health and emotional support network in daughters-in-law. Noteworthy, intention to care increased the risk of depression in wives, while decreasing the risk of depression in daughters-in-law. The findings indicate that the effects of caregivers' resources on mental health may differ by relationship type. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 61 4 2007 Biomarkers of oxidative/nitrosative stress: an approach to disease prevention. 181 189 EN Keiki Ogino Da-Hong Wang Review 10.18926/AMO/32871 Oxidative/nitrosative stress is responsible for a variety of degenerative processes in some human diseases. Measurement of oxidatively/nitrosatively modified DNA, proteins, lipids, and sugars in biological samples has been expected to detect appropriate biomarkers for diseases in which reactive oxygen/nitrogen species are involved. Recently, the application of these biomarkers to epidemiological studies has resulted in a new discipline, molecular epidemiology, which provides the opportunity for better understanding of their causal relation with disease outcomes in a population level. In this brief review, we cover some specific biomarkers of oxidative/nitrosative stress with regard to the commonly used analytical methods for these biomarkers, their integration with epidemiology, and their application in antioxidant intervention trials, with an emphasis on those applicable to human studies and their potentialities for disease prevention. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 63 2 2009 Relationship of psychological factors with physical activity stage of change in prime-and middle-aged Japanese 97 104 EN Keiko Mori Hisao Suzuki Da Hong Wang Jiro Takaki Tomoko Takigawa Keiki Ogino Original Article 10.18926/AMO/31833 The present study aimed to investigate the status of physical activity and the differences in psychological factors associated with physical activity from the perspective of transtheoretical model stages between prime- and middle-aged Japanese. The study involved 375 prime-aged volunteers (175 men, 200 women) and 557 middle-aged volunteers (247 men, 310 women) living in Kuse, a town in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. We found that the prime-aged men at the preparation stage had significantly higher self-efficacy scores than at the contemplation stage (p<0.01). Middle-aged men had significantly higher self-efficacy scores at the contemplation stage than at the precontemplation stage (p<0.001). Middle-aged women, meanwhile, had significantly higher self-efficacy scores at the maintenance stage than at the action stage (p<0.01), and at the contemplation stage than at the precontemplation stage (p<0.001). The present findings provide valuable information about the differences in psychological factors affecting physical activity between prime-aged and middle-aged community-dwelling Japanese. This information may be useful to health professionals as they develop effective community-based intervention programs for target populations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 62 5 2008 The Half-life of Ascaris lumbricoides Prevalence in Japanese School Children 303 312 EN Carmen Miwa Kurosawa Takehiko Ito Jiro Takaki Bing-Ling Wang Da-Hong Wang Tomoko Takigawa Keiki Ogino Original Article 10.18926/AMO/30970 In the present study, we examined the dynamic of school-health-based parasite control and the related socio-economic influences. This is an ecological study based on data from 46 prefectures in Japan. The exponential decay of Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence was calculated by iterative least-squares method. Pearsonʼs correlation and multiple linear regression model analysis were performed to assess the associations between the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides in Japanese school children and socio-economic variables such as the prefecture income per capita, the percentage of primary industry, the population density per 1 km2, the diffusion rate of population under water supply, and the percentage of upper secondary school enrollment. The results indicated that the parasite carrier rate was higher in younger students. The half-life of Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence was approximately 3 years with significant variation among prefectures. Multiple regression analyses showed that the decrease of infection in elementary and lower secondary school children had a significant positive association with primary industry and a significant negative association with prefecture income per capita. The school-health-based parasite intervention differs by prefecture and has changed over time according to the respective prefectural stage of economic development. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 62 2 2008 Effects of mask fitness and worker education on the prevention of occupational dust exposure 75 82 EN Yoko Takemura Takumi Kishimoto Tomoko Takigawa Shinji Kojima Bing-Ling Wanga Noriko Sakano Da-Hong Wang Jiro Takaki Tadashi Nishide Kou Ishikawa Keiki Ogino Original Article 10.18926/AMO/30957 To decrease the incidence of pneumoconiosis, we examined dust protective mask performance and its relation to pulmonary function as well as the effects of worker education on the proper wearing of masks. One hundred and seventy-eight workers from 15 factories subject to dust exposure participated in this study. All participants were interviewed to obtain relevant personal information and underwent both a mask leakage and a pulmonary function test. The mask leakage was expressed as a percentage, with under 10% leakage indicating that the dust protective mask worked efficiently. In addition, 23 workers from 2 factories were educated on how to wear masks properly. The average mask leakage was 24.3%, and 58% of workers wore ineffective masks. Though pulmonary function was almost normal, the percent vital capacity (%VC) tended to be lower depending on the mask leakage. Mask education, which was very easy and took only a short time, dramatically decreased average mask leakage from 32.1% to 10.5% (p0.001). Educating workers to wear masks properly might prevent the worsening of pulmonary function in response to dust exposure. Appropriate mask fitness by education could be useful in preventing the development of pneumoconiosis. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 62 6 2008 Mammalian Acatalasemia: The Perspectives of Bioinformatics and Genetic Toxicology 345 361 EN Masana Ogata Da-Hong Wang Keiki Ogino Review 10.18926/AMO/30951 The molecular defects in the catalase gene, levels of m-RNA and properties of the residual catalase studied by scientists are reviewed in human (Japanese, Swiss and Hungarian) and non-human (mouse and beagle dog) acatalasemia with reference to the bioinformatics. Japanese acatalasemia-I, the G to A transition at the fifth position of intron 4 of the catalase gene, limited the correct splicing of the mRNA and synthesized trace catalase with normal properties. Hungarian acatalasemia type C showed a splicing mutation. In the Japanese acatalasemia II and the type A and B of Hungarian acatalasemia, the deletion or insertion of nucleotides was observed in the coding regions, and the frame shift altered downstream amino acid sequences and formed truncated proteins. In the Hungarian acatalasemia D, the substitution of a nucleotide in the exon was found. In mouse and beagle dog acatalasemia, the substitution of nucleotides in the coding regions was also observed. Studies of residual catalase in Swiss, mouse and beagle dog acatalasemia showed that aberrant catalase protein degrades more quickly than normal catalase in cells. The experimental research in genetic toxicology concerning the effect of oxidative stressors (nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and so on) on Japanese acatalasemic blood and acatalasemic mice is described. The clinical features of Japanese and Hungarian acatalasemic subjects are also described. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山医学会 Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1558 118 3 2007 3-ニトロチロシン 225 234 EN 種々の機序により産生された活性窒素種 (reactive nitrogen species) によるチロシン残基のニトロ化による3-ニトロチロシン (3-NT) の生成は, 蛋白質の翻訳後修飾の一つとして広く認められている.種々の炎症性疾患組織では, 一酸化窒素・二酸化窒素・ペルオキシナイトライトといった活性窒素種が異なる機序で産生され, 3-NTの産生に関与している. チロシンニトロ化蛋白質の同定や, 蛋白質分子中のチロシンニトロ化部位が決定できるようになり, 蛋白質の寿命, 蛋白質問相互作用に対する悪影響, 蛋白質機能喪失との関連づけが可能になってきた. 測定法としては, 免疫組織化学的手法, ウェスタンブロッティングによる半定量法から, ELISA, HPLC-ECD, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MSを用いた定量的な方法がある. 本総説では, 3-NTについて, その生成機序, 測定方法, 予防医学的応用を述べる. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山医学会 Acta Medica Okayama 00301558 119 2 2007 メタボリックシンドロームとストレスとの関連 ―岡山県南部健康づくりセンター利用者での検討― 165 171 EN Norifumi Kawakita Nobuyuki Miyatake Tomoko Takigawa Da-Hong Wang Keiki Ogino Takeyuki Numata We compared the status of stress with and without metabolic syndrome in Japanese. We used data for 774 men and 1,136 women who had received annual health checkups at Okayama Southern Institute of Health. Status of stress was evaluated using a stress check provided by the Department of Public Health, Nihon University. Metabolic syndrome is defined by new criteria in Japan. Physical stress was significantly higher in men with metabolic syndrome than in men without it. However, the ability of coping with stress in men with metabolic syndrome was significantly higher than that in men without it. Thus a linkage between metabolic syndrome and the status of stress was characteristic in Japanese men. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.