Background Factors of Reflux Esophagitis and Non-Erosive Reflux Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study of 10,837 Subjects in Japan

Background

Despite the high prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), its risk factors are still a subject of controversy. This is probably due to inadequate distinction between reflux esophagitis (RE) and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), and is also due to inadequate evaluation of adjacent stomach. Our aim is therefore to define background factors of RE and NERD independently, based on the evaluation of Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric atrophy.

Methods

We analyzed 10,837 healthy Japanese subjects (6,332 men and 4,505 women, aged 20–87 years) who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. RE was diagnosed as the presence of mucosal break, and NERD was diagnosed as the presence of heartburn and/or acid regurgitation in RE-free subjects. Using GERD-free subjects as control, background factors for RE and NERD were separately analyzed using logistic regression to evaluate standardized coefficients (SC), odds ratio (OR), and p-value.

Results

Of the 10,837 study subjects, we diagnosed 733 (6.8%) as RE and 1,722 (15.9%) as NERD. For RE, male gender (SC = 0.557, OR = 1.75), HP non-infection (SC = 0.552, OR = 1.74), higher pepsinogen I/II ratio (SC = 0.496, OR = 1.64), higher BMI (SC = 0.464, OR = 1.60), alcohol drinking (SC = 0.161, OR = 1.17), older age (SC = 0.148, OR = 1.16), and smoking (SC = 0.129, OR = 1.14) are positively correlated factors. For NERD, HP infection (SC = 0.106, OR = 1.11), female gender (SC = 0.099, OR = 1.10), younger age (SC = 0.099, OR = 1.10), higher pepsinogen I/II ratio (SC = 0.099, OR = 1.10), smoking (SC = 0.080, OR = 1.08), higher BMI (SC = 0.078, OR = 1.08), and alcohol drinking (SC = 0.076, OR = 1.08) are positively correlated factors. Prevalence of RE in subjects with chronic HP infection and successful HP eradication denotes significant difference (2.3% and 8.8%; p<0.0001), whereas that of NERD shows no difference (18.2% and 20.8%; p = 0.064).

Conclusions

Significantly associated factors of NERD are considerably different from those of RE, indicating that these two disorders are pathophysiologically distinct. Eradication of Helicobacter pylori may have disadvantageous effects on RE but not on NERD.     

A high-density linkage map with 2560 markers and its application for the localization of the male-sterile genes <Emphasis Type="Italic">ms3</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">ms4</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis> D. Don

Cryptomeria japonica pollinosis is one of the most serious allergic diseases in Japan; this is a social problem because C. japonica is the most important Japanese forestry species. In order to reduce the amount of pollen dispersed, breeding programs using trees with male-sterile genes have been implemented. High-density linkage maps with stable ordering of markers facilitate the localization of male-sterile genes and the construction of partial linkage maps around them in order to develop markers for use in marker-assisted selection. In this study, a high-density linkage map for C. japonica with 2560 markers was constructed. The observed map length was 1266.2 cM and the mean distance between adjacent markers was 0.49 cM. Using information from this high-density map, we newly located two male-sterile genes (ms3 and ms4) on the first and fourth linkage groups, respectively, and constructed partial linkage maps around these loci. We also constructed new partial linkage maps around the ms1 and ms2 loci using additional SNP markers. The closest markers to the ms1, ms2, ms3, and ms4 male-sterile loci were estSNP04188 (1.8 cM), estSNP00695 (7.0 cM), gSNP05415 (3.1 cM), and estSNP01408 (7.0 cM) respectively. These results allowed us to develop SNP markers tightly linked to the male sterile genes for use in MAS; this will accelerate the future isolation of these genes by map-based cloning approaches.     

Phylogeography of Arabis serrata (Brassicaceae) in the Japanese Archipelago based on chloroplast DNA variations

Arabis serrata (Brassicaceae), a perennial plant widely distributed along the Japanese Archipelago, occurs in various habitats: for example, limestone zones, serpentine barrens, volcanic soils, and roadsides. It likely survived by adapting to its surrounding environment, resulting in great morphological and ecological variation. In this study, we performed a phylogeographic analysis to examine past changes in the distribution of A. serrata following climate oscillations during the Pleistocene. To cover most of A. serrata's range, leaves were collected from eight to ten individuals randomly selected from each of 37 populations in the Japanese Archipelago. Two chloroplast noncoding regions of the samples were amplified and sequenced: trnT(GGU)‐psbD and trnH(GUG)‐psbA spacers. Twenty‐five haplotypes were detected and distinguished by 31 substitutions. Four main haplotypes were observed in many populations distributed throughout the Japanese Archipelago. According to the genetic boundaries detected using the Monmonier algorithm, A. serrata is clustered into four groups, each including several populations: Hokkaido Island, northern mainland Honshu, central Japan, and western Japan. The boundaries, however, were not robust because all genetic parameters did not support the differentiation among groups. These results indicate the absence of an obvious geographic structure in the distribution of A. serrata, suggesting that this species has experienced a rapid range expansion in postglacial times.     

Septicemia from Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG,from a Probiotic Enriched Yogurt,in a Patient with Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Probiotic-rich foods are consumed without much restriction. We report here, a case of septic shock caused by yogurt derived Lactobacillus species in a...     

Skinning effects on skeletal muscle myowater probed by T2 relaxation of 1H-NMR

To find the cause of the skinning-induced fragility of frog skeletal muscle, the transverse relaxation process of 1H-NMR signals from skinned muscle was observed. A set of four characteristic exponentials well described the process. Aside from the extremely slow exponential component (time constant T2 > 0.4 s) representing surplus solution, the process was generally slower than that in living muscle. It had larger amplitudes of slow (T2 approximately 0.15 s) and intermediate (0.03 < T2 < 0.06 s) exponentials and had smaller amplitude and faster T2 in the rapid one (T2 < 0.03 s), suggesting that skinned muscle is more sol-like than intact myoplasm. To resolve their causes, we traced the exponentials following a stepwise treatment of living whole muscle to an isolated skinned fiber. Osmotic expansion of living muscle comparable to skinned muscle increased the intermediate exponential and decreased the rapid one without affecting T2. Subsequent chemical skinning markedly increased the slow exponential, decreased the rapid one, and slowed the intermediate one. The fiber isolation had no appreciable effect. Because l-carnosine at physiological concentration could not recover the skinning-induced difference, the difference would reflect the dilution and efflux of larger macromolecules, which stabilize myoplasm as a gel.     

Multipotent cells from mammalian iris pigment epithelium

The regeneration of lens tissue from the iris of newts has become a classical model of developmental plasticity, although little is known about the corresponding plasticity of the mammalian iris. We here demonstrate and characterize multipotent cells within the iris pigment epithelium (IPE) of postnatal and adult rodents. Acutely-isolated IPE cells were morphologically homogeneous and highly pigmented, but some produced neurospheres which expressed markers characteristic of neural stem/progenitor cells. Stem/progenitor cell markers were also expressed in the IPE in vivo both neonatally and into adulthood. Inner and outer IPE layers differentially expressed Nestin (Nes) in a manner suggesting that they respectively shared origins with neural retina (NR) and pigmented epithelial (RPE) layers. Transgenic marking enabled the enrichment of Nes-expressing IPE cells ex vivo, revealing a pronounced capacity to form neurospheres and differentiate into photoreceptor cells. IPE cells that did not express Nes were less able to form neurospheres, but a subset initiated the expression of pan-neural markers in primary adherent culture. These data collectively suggest that discrete populations of highly-pigmented cells with heterogeneous developmental potencies exist postnatally within the IPE, and that some of them are able to differentiate into multiple neuronal cell types.     

A simple method to disperse eggs from lepidopteran scalelike egg masses and to observe embryogenesis

Various insect species lay tiny, thin- and soft-shelled eggs in a connected “egg mass”. Especially in several lepidopteran species, the structure of such clustered eggs is covered with complicated scale-like secretion, which has so far prevented analysis of individual embryos. However, few studies on methods to disperse egg clusters of such insects and to compare different methods have been carried out. To overcome these problems, we developed methods to separate egg masses into individual eggs, using two Tortricidae pests, Homona magnanima Diakonoff and Adoxophyes honmai Yasuda (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The eggs were successfully separated from each other using potassium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite. Although the separated eggs no longer continued their embryogenesis, fixation with heptane–paraformaldehyde, permeabilization with heptane–methanol, and staining with several dyes enabled easy observation of embryogenesis. This protocol is expected to be applicable to other insect taxa and will facilitate further morphological and genetic studies in insects that lay egg masses.