Objective: Anti-human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) activity of 5 compounds, especially tricin, isolated from Kumazasa extract were investigated in the human embryonic lung (HEL) fibroblast cell.
Method: This study examined the effect of tricin on HCMV replication, viral-specific major immediate early (IE) gene expression, and protein synthesis.
Results: Pretreatment of HEL cells before HCMV infection with tricin inhibited viral production in a dose-dependent manner, as well as posttreatment of HCMV-infected HEL cells with tricin. Real-time RT-PCR assay and Western blotting analysis indicated that tricin decreased expression of the HCMV IE gene in virus-infected HEL cell.
Conclusion: These date suggest that the primary mechanism of anti-HCMV activity for tricin, isolated from Kumazasa hot water extract, inhibit IE gene expression.

  [Purpose] Acral coldness is a condition in which the fingers and/or toes are cold despite normal central body temperature. Regardless of the presence or absence of disease, many people suffer from acral coldness, especially elderly people. One method of relieving acral coldness is to heat the hands with a disposable warmer called “Kairo,” but this method interferes with daily work. We investigated whether or not heating other upper-limb parts with a pair of warmers can relieve acral coldness.   [Methods] After obtaining informed consent, 30 people who usually had acral coldness without other diseases received the Kairo holders for their necks, elbows, and wrists. Eighteen participants used a pair of Kairo warmers for each area for one week, respectively. The remaining participants wore only the holder to know the heat retention effect of the holders. All participants separately evaluated their acral coldness of the upper limbs and the cumbersomeness of holders and/or Kairo by using a 10cm visual analog scale (VAS). To measure the therapeutic effect of the Kairo, the temperature and blood flow of the surface of both hands were examined by thermography and laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) at the day after finishing each warming period. These evaluations were conducted after a 20-minute adaptation at 24°C.  [Result] The VAS of acral coldness of upper limbs decreased during the periods of warming on the neck and elbows with Kairo compared to the period without Kairo. There was no difference in the VAS value of the cumbersomeness among the neck, elbows, and wrists areas. The hand temperature on the day after the end of warming decreased slightly after elbow warming.  [Conclusion] We found that the coldness of the hand was improved by warming other parts, even if the hand was not warmed, but the effect varied depending on the warming area. No therapeutic effect was detected, but this was considered to be a problem in setting the measurement conditions. We believe these results will lead to new ways to improve acral coldness.

Objective: The development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not uncommon in patients who achieve eradication of the hepatitis C virus through direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment. The aim of this study was to identify the patients at high risk for novel HCC development after a sustained virologic response (SVR) by DAA treatment.Patients and Methods: A total of 518 patients with no history of HCC treatment and who achieved SVR by DAA treatment were evaluated retrospectively. The correlations between HCC development and the patients’ characteristics were evaluated. For patients who underwent gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography, the relationship between the imaging findings and subsequent HCC development was also assessed.Results: HCC developed newly in 22 patients, and the 1-year and 3-year cumulative HCC rates were 2.0% and 8.5%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, a FIB-4 index >4.0 and a post-treatment α-fetoprotein >4.0 ng/ml were significant risk factors for HCC. In 26 of 118 patients who underwent an MRI before DAA treatment, a non-hypervascular hypo-intense nodule was seen in the hepatobiliary phase, and in 6 of 182 patients who underwent a CT, a non-hypervascular hypo-enhanced nodule was seen in the delayed phase. The sensitivity and specificity of the MRI-positive findings for the subsequent development of HCC were 0.92 and 0.87, respectively, and those of the CT were 0.40 and 0.99, respectively. In multivariate analysis of patients who underwent an MRI, a non-hypervascular hypo-intense nodule was the only factor that was significantly related to HCC development (HR 32.4, p = 0.001).Conclusion: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI was found to be reliable for risk evaluation of subsequent HCC development in patients after SVR by DAA treatment. Patients with a non-hypervascular hypo-intense nodule need more careful observation for incident HCC.