Factors Associated with Untreated Diabetes: Analysis of Data from 20,496 Participants in the Japanese National Health and Nutrition Survey

Objective

We aimed to examine factors associated with untreated diabetes in a nationally representative sample of the Japanese population.

Research Design and Methods

We pooled data from the Japanese National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2005 to 2009 (n = 20,496). Individuals aged 20 years and older were included in the analysis. We classified participants as having diabetes if they had HbA1c levels ≥6.5% (≥48 mmol/mol). People with diabetes who self-reported that they were not currently receiving diabetic treatment were considered to be untreated. We conducted a multinomial logistic regression analysis to determine factors associated with untreated diabetes relative to non-diabetic individuals.

Results

Of 20,496 participants who were included in the analysis, untreated diabetes was present in 748 (3.6%). Among participants with untreated diabetes, 48.3% were previously diagnosed with diabetes, and 46.5% had HbA1c levels ≥7.0% (≥53 mmol/mol). Participants with untreated diabetes were significantly more likely than non-diabetic participants to be male, older, and currently smoking, have lower HDL cholesterol levels and higher BMI, non-HDL cholesterol levels, and systolic blood pressure.

Conclusions

A substantial proportion of people in Japan with untreated diabetes have poor glycemic control. Targeting relevant factors for untreated diabetes in screening programs may be effective to enhance the treatment and control of diabetes.     

Biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) from amino acids

It was found that an optically active copolyester, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), denoted as P(3HB-co-3HV), is synthesized by Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 from several amino acids under various fermentation conditions. The optimum condition for the biosynthesis from one amino acid, threonine, was investigated and its biosynthetic pathway was discussed on the basis of the relation between the fermentation condition and the co-monomer composition of the produced polyesters.     

Utilization of ELISA Using Thioredoxin Peroxidase-1 and Tandem Repeat Proteins for Diagnosis of Schistosoma japonicum Infection among Water Buffaloes

Background

The presence of animal reservoirs in Schistosoma japonicum infection has been a major obstacle in the control of schistosomiasis. Previous studies have proven that the inclusion of control measures on animal reservoir hosts for schistosomiasis contributed to the decrease of human cases. Animal surveillance should therefore be included to strengthen and improve the capabilities of current serological tests.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Thioredoxin peroxidase-1 (SjTPx-1) and four tandem repeat proteins (Sj1TR, Sj2TR, Sj4TR, Sj7TR) were initially evaluated against human sera. The previous test showed high sensitivity and specificity for antibody detection against SjTPx-1 and Sj7TR. In this study, the immunodiagnostic potential of these recombinant proteins was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunoassay on 50 water buffalo serum samples collected in Cagayan, the Philippines as compared with the soluble egg antigen (SEA). For specificity, 3 goat serum samples positive with Fasciola hepatica were used and among the antigens used, only SEA showed cross-reaction. Stool PCR targeting the S. japonicum 82 bp mitochondrial NAD 1 gene was done to confirm the true positives and served as the standard test. Twenty three samples were positive for stool PCR. SjTPx-1 and Sj1TR gave the highest sensitivity among the recombinant proteins tested for water buffalo samples with 82.61% and 78.26% respectively which were higher than that of SEA (69.57%).

Conclusions/Significance

These results prove that SjTPx-1 works both for humans and water buffaloes making it a good candidate antigen for zoonotic diagnosis. Sj1TR showed good results for water buffaloes and therefore can also be used as a possible candidate for detecting animal schistosome infection.     

Inhibition of gastric acid secretion by intracerebral injection of calcitonin gene related peptide in rats

Calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), a 37 amino acid peptide recently characterized from the rat brain, injected into the cisterna magna or the lateral hypothalamus, inhibited gastric acid secretion and increased serum gastrin levels in conscious pylorus-ligated rats. CGRP suppressed pentagastrin- and histamine-induced stimulation of gastric secretion in urethane-anesthetized gastric fistula rats. Peptide action was dose-dependent, not modified by adrenalectomy and peripheral sympathectomy induced by guanethidine pretreatment and reversed by vagotomy. These results demonstrate that intracisternal or intralateral hypothalamic injection of CGRP inhibits stimulated gastric acid secretion. The mechanism of action is vagal dependent and unrelated to modification of gastrin secretion or activation of sympathetic outflow.     

Characteristics of microbial fermentation and potential digestibility of fiber in the hindgut of dugongs (Dugong dugon)

The number of microorganisms in the hindgut of dugongs (Dugong dugon) were estimated and their in vitro volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and degradation of eelgrass measured. Scanning electron microscopy showed that some rod bacteria attached to the surface of plant tissue degraded and eroded the cell walls. Number of starch-, lactate-, cellobiose-, pectin-, xylan- and cellulose-utilizing bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria and methane-producing bacteria were estimated at 10⁹ ～ 10¹⁰ colony forming units g^?1. Microorganisms degraded the cellulose and noncellulolytic components of the eelgrass, and about 47.3% of dry matter was degraded after 36?h in vitro incubation. The total VFA concentration was 10.5?mmol?dL^?1 at 36?h incubation, which included 55.7?mol% acetate, 18.0?mol% n-butyrate and 15.1?mol% propionate. The gas composition of in vitro fermentation was 68.4% carbon dioxide, 22.2% methane and 9.4% hydrogen.     

Rapid Identification of Mutans Streptococcal Species

Mutans streptococci are considered the predominant pathogens in dental caries. Three methods, i.e. dot blot hybridization analysis, PCR analysis and SDS-blue dextran-PAGE, were examined for identifying mutans streptococcal species. In dot blot hybridization, DNA probe derived from the dextranase gene (dexA) of Streptococcus mutans hybridized with different intensities under the condition of low stringency against each species of mutans streptococci although the dexA probe was specific for S. mutans under the condition of high stringency. Oligonucleotide primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were designed on the basis of the dexA DNA sequence. The primers amplified species-specific PCR products in the reference species (15 strains of 5 species) of mutans streptococci. An electrophoretic profile of dextranases from the mutans streptococci on SDS-blue dextran-PAGE also showed species-specific behavior. These results suggest that the three identification methods examined here are useful for distinguishing the species of mutans streptococci and also indicate that PCR analysis is suitable for simple, rapid and reliable identification of mutans streptococcal species.     

Affinity labelling of endothelin receptor and characterization of solubilized endothelin-endothelin-receptor complex

Chick cardiac membranes were affinity labelled by cross-linking to membrane-bound 125I-endothelin-1 with disuccinimidyl tartarate. SDS/PAGE and autoradiographic analysis of the 125I-endothelin-1-labelled material in the presence or absence of 2-mercaptoethanol revealed one major labelled band, corresponding to a molecular mass of 53 kDa, whose appearance was dose-dependently inhibited by the addition of unlabelled endothelin-1 (1-100 nM). Subtracting the molecular mass of 125I-endothelin-1 and disuccinimidyl tartarate, the binding protein appeared to have a molecular mass of 50 kDa. To investigate further the molecular properties of endothelin receptor, the 125I-endothelin-1-endothelin-receptor complex was solubilized from chick cardiac membranes using the detergent digitonin. Sucrose gradient sedimentation of the solubilized complex indicated a sedimentation coefficient of 13 S, whereas the complex of (+)-[3H]PN200-110, a dihydropyridine derivative, and dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels sedimented at 22 S. A monoclonal antibody raised against dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels from the chick brain did not immunoprecipitate the 125I-endothelin-1-endothelin-receptor complex. These data suggest that endothelin receptor is clearly distinct from dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels and endothelin has its own specific 50-kDa receptor.     

Immunization of A4galt-deficient mice with glycosphingolipids from renal cell cancers resulted in the generation of anti-sulfoglycolipid monoclonal antibodies

In this study, we immunized Gb3/CD77 synthase gene (A4galt) knockout (KO) mice with glycosphingolipids (GSLs) extracted from 3 renal cell cancer (RCC) cell lines to raise monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) reactive with globo-series GSLs specifically expressed in RCCs. Although a number of mAbs reactive with globo-series GSLs were generated, they reacted with both RCC cell lines and normal kidney cells. When we analyzed recognized antigens by mAbs that were specifically reactive with RCC, but not with normal kidney cells at least on the cell surface, many of them turned out to be reactive with sulfoglycolipids. Eight out of 11 RCC-specific mAbs were reactive with SM2 alone, and the other 3 mAbs were more broadly reactive with sulfated glycolipids, i.e. SM3 and SM4 as well as SM2. In the immunohistochemistry, these anti-sulfoglycolipids mAbs showed RCC-specific reaction, with no or minimal reaction with adjacent normal tissues. Thus, immunization of A4galt KO mice with RCC-derived GSLs resulted in the generation of anti sulfated GSL mAbs, and these mAbs may be applicable for the therapeutics for RCC patients.     

Expression of Cell Competition Markers at the Interface between p53 Signature and Normal Epithelium in the Human Fallopian Tube

There is a growing body of evidence regarding cell competition between normal and mutant mammalian cells, which suggest that it may play a defensive role in the early phase of carcinogenesis. In vitro study in the past has shown that overexpression of vimentin in normal epithelial cells at the contact surface with transformed cells is essential for the cell competition involved in epithelial defense against cancer. In this study, we attempted to examine cell competition in human tissue in vivo by investigating surgically resected human fallopian tubes that contain p53 signatures and serous tubal intraepithelial lesions (STILs), a linear expansion of p53-immunopositive/TP53 mutant tubal epithelial cells that are considered as precursors of pelvic high grade serous carcinoma. Immunofluorescence double staining for p53 and the cell competition marker vimentin was performed in 21 sections of human fallopian tube tissue containing 17 p53 signatures and 4 STILs. The intensities of vimentin expression at the interface between p53-positive cells at the end of the p53 signature/STIL and adjacent p53-negative normal tubal epithelial cells were compared with the background tubal epithelium. As a result, the average vimentin intensity at the interfaces relative to the background intensity was 1.076 (95% CI, 0.9412 – 1.211 for p53 signature and 0.9790 (95% CI, 0.7206 – 1.237) for STIL. Thus, it can be concluded that overexpression of the cell competition marker vimentin are not observed in human tissue with TP53 alterations.