Managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus through Periodical Hospital Visits in the Aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster: A Retrospective Case Series

AimsTo assess the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster on daily diabetes practice and to determine the feasibility of controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus in an outpatient department.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the data on disaster-affected patients with type 2 diabetes who periodically attended outpatient department of Soma Central Hospital. There were 767 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in total. The primary outcome measure was the change in HbA1c.ResultsHbA1c levels of 58 patients with periodical hospital visits did not deteriorate after the disasters. Moreover, there observed no significant difference in the mean of HbA1c levels among all age and sex throughout the year. While several changes in diabetes medication usage occurred, DPP4-inhibitor was the only oral diabetic agent that increased in frequency (+60%).ConclusionsPatients with type 2 diabetes who were managed with periodical hospital visits did not show significant deterioration in HbA1c levels.     

Feeding-deterrent substance in cattle feces: its effects on ingestive behavior in goats

A feeding-deterrent substance was isolated from cattle feces and its effects on ingestive behavior were examined in goats. The substance was added to alfalfa hay and presented to the goats in the following experiments. In a two-choice test, between control fodder and the fodder treated with the substance, animals avoided eating treated fodder. This food-deterrent effect was strengthened in a dose-dependent manner. The results of ingestive behavior analysis suggested that this substance affected the goats through olfaction. However, in a single-presentation test, where the goats had no choice, no effect on ingestive behavior was noticed. It is therefore suggested that the preference induced by the substance is relative rather than absolute in the ingestive behavior of goats.     

Spodiobacter cordis gen. nov. sp. nov., a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae isolated from patients with infective endocarditis

Two gram‐negative, catalase‐negative, oxidase‐positive strains (PAGU 1467^T and PAGU 1468) isolated from patients with infective endocarditis were investigated to determine their taxonomic status. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the two strains were members of the Bergeyella‐Chryseobacterium‐Riemerella branch of the family Flavobacteriaceae. Strains PAGU 1467^T and PAGU 1468 were highly related to each other (98.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Phylogenetically closely‐related species to PAGU 1467^T comprised Bergeyella zoohelcum (95.0% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Riemerella anatipestifer (94.3%) and Cloacibacterium normanense (94.3%). The major fatty acids of the two isolates were iso‐C_15:0, iso‐C_17:0 3‐OH and iso‐C_15:0 3‐OH. The presence of C_16:0 3‐OH and iso‐C_15:0 2‐OH allowed these isolates to be distinguished from B. zoohelcum. Menaquinone MK‐6 was the only respiratory quinone in these organisms; this is a consistent characteristic of the family Flavobacteriaceae. The guanine‐plus‐cytosine content of the genomic DNA was 42.0%, which is higher than that of other close phylogenetic relatives. On the basis of their phenotypic properties and genetic distinctiveness, isolates PAGU 1467^T and PAGU 1468 were classified within the novel genus Spodiobacter, as Spodiobacter cordis gen. nov., sp. nov., which is also the type species. The type strain of S. cordis is PAGU 1467^T ( = CCUG 65564^T = NBRC 109998^T).     

Proton magnetic resonance studies on conformation and association of oligo-γ-benzyl-L-glutamates in solution

The proton magnetic resonance spectra of o-nitrophenylthio-tetra- and hexa-γ-benzyl-L -glutamate ethylamides have been measured at different concentrations in CDCl₃ and CD₂₂C1. The NH and α-CH resonances of the tetrapeptide show downfield shifts with increasing concentration, accompanying disappearance of their fine structure and line broadening. The apparent feature of chemical shifts against concentration is sigmoidal, and it can be interpreted by assuming the presence of a step or more of association–dissociation equilibria of tetrapeptide. With increasing concentration, small aggregates are formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding, the size of which is not sufficiently large to exhibit critical micelle concentrations. In contrast to the tetrapeptide, the hexapeptide has constant chemical shifts of the NH and α-CH resonances, independent of concentration, which implies that only the unassociated molecules show observable sharp resonances. In the hexapeptide, the phenyl CH and benzyl CH₂ groups of the side chains exhibit new resonances above certain critical concentrations, indicating the restriction of rotational freedom of the side chains in the aggregated states.     

Induction of ornithine decarboxylase in the liver and spleen of mice by interleukin 1-like factors produced from a macrophage cell line

Injection of culture medium of P388D1 cells, a murine macrophage cell line, into mice produced a rapid induction of ornithine decarboxylase in the liver and spleen. The ornithine decarboxylase-inducing factor in the medium was purified by gel-filtration and chromatofocusing. With these procedures, the factor was usually found in the fraction of interleukin 1 (a lymphocyte-activating factor), indicating that the factor is identical with interleukin 1 or a molecule closely related to interleukin 1. The ornithine decarboxylase induction by the factor was suppressed by cycloheximide, but actinomycin D did not suppress the induction, or rather enhanced it. These findings may provide valuable information on the important roles of macrophages in immune responses or in inflammatory reactions.     

D-Cysteine desulfhydrase of Escherichia coli. Purification and characterization

D-Cysteine-specific desulfhydrase is found in some intestinal bacteria. Escherichia coli W3110 delta trpED102/F' delta trpED102 was found to have the highest enzyme activity. The enzyme was purified from E. coli W3110 delta trpED102/F' delta trpED102 in six steps. After the last step the enzyme appeared to be homogeneous by the criteria of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, analytical ultracentrifugation and double diffusion in agarose. The enzyme has a molecular mass of about 67 000 Da and consists of two subunits identical in molecular mass. The enzyme exhibits absorption maxima at 278 nm and 418 nm, which are independent of pH (6.5-10.5), and contains 2 mol pyridoxal phosphate/mol enzyme. The holoenzyme is resolved to the apoenzyme by incubation with phenylhydrazine, and reconstituted on the addition of pyridoxal phosphate. D-Cysteine desulfhydrase also catalyzes the beta-replacement reaction of the chlorine of 3-chloro-D-alanine with thioglycolic acid to yield S-carboxymethyl-D-cysteine. Its catalytic and immunological properties are compared with those of 3-chloro-D-alanine dehydrochlorinase.     

Postmortem Changes in Catecholamines, Indoleamines, and Their Metabolites in Rat Brain Regions: Prevention with 10-kW Microwave Irradiation

Postmortem changes in catecholamines, indoleamines, and their metabolites in rat brain regions following decapitation were determined by LCEC. In the three regions studied neurotransmitter levels declined after decapitation, whereas the metabolite levels increased. Microwave irradiation at 10 kW rapidly inactivated brain enzymes and thus prevented the postmortem changes.     

Studies of Sites of Action of a New Plant Growth Retardant (E)-1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-1-penten-3-ol (S-3307) and Comparative Effects of Its Stereoisomers in a Cell-Free System from Cucurbita maxima

(E)-1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-1-penten-3-ol(S-3307), a new plant growth retardant, was investigated todetermine the inhibitory sites in gibberellin biosynthesis andthe comparative effects of its stereoisomers in a cell-freesystem from Cucurbita maxima. After treatment with S-3307, theincorporation of [¹⁴C]mevalonic acid into GA₁₂-aldehyde andGA₁₂ clearly was inhibited, and kaurene accumulated. Feedingexperiments showed that S-3307 inhibited the oxidation of kaurene,kaurenol and kaurenal, but did not affect the oxidation of kaurenoicacid. Thus the reaction sites of S-3307 in gibberellin biosynthesiswere shown to be the three oxidation steps from kaurene to kaurenoicacid. Because S-3307 has an asymmetric center and a tri-substituteddouble bond, there are four stereoisomers; two optical isomersand two geometrical isomers. The activities of these isomersas a growth retardant and gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitorwere examined with a rice seedling assay and the cell-free system.The relative activity of these isomers was basically the samein the two assay methods. The (S)-(E) form was the most active,being 7-fold more active in the cell-free system and 70-foldmore active in the bioassay than the (R)-(E) form. The (RS)-(Z)form showed no activity in the cell-free system, but weak dwarfingeffects in the rice seedling assay. (Received January 19, 1985; Accepted April 13, 1985)