To analyze the curative effects of moxibustion for rat diabetic hepatic injuries caused by the administration ofsteptozotocin (STZ), the authors designed ultrastructural studies using light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and image processing.
Wistar male rats (44 animals) were divided into 4 groups. The first group (10 animals) was used as the control. The second group (14 animals) was a diabetic group injected I.P. with 50 mg/kg BW of STZ on the first experimental day. The third and fourth groups (10 animals each) were the curative groups, which were given moxibustion treatments of 5 half-rice grains of moxa, three times a week following STZ administration. Used acupoints were Tian Men (3rd group) and Tian Ping (4th group) according to the animal acupoint chart.
First, light and electron microscopices were used to observe, the hepatic parenchymal cells, and light and electron micrographs were obtained. The electron micrographs were used to analyze the distribution of glycogen granules including its glycogen areas, fat droplets and autophagic vacuoles using an image processing method.
The results were as follows : Normal control hepatocytes contained moderate volumes of glycogen areas and glycogen granules, but a few hepatocytes were without fat droplets or autophagic vacuoles. On the other hand, thehepatocytes, that had been treated with only STZ, were injured, and contained a number of fat droplets andautophagic vacuoles, but glycogen areas and glycogen granules had decreased. The hepatocytes of the rats treatedwith both STZ and moxibustion recovered to their normal state, suggesting that moxibustion treatment had curativeeffects for the rat hepatic dabetic injuries caused by the administration of STZ.

We evaluated the anti-tumor activity of fermented grain extracts using a mouse tumor model. An experimental diet containing materials from fermented rice germ, wheat germ, hulled rice, soybean and seaweed (fermented materials, FM) was fed to 4-week-old female C57BL6 mice for 14 days prior to and 21 days following the subcutaneous implantation of B16 melanoma (5×10 ⁵ cells/mouse). FM retarded tumor growth and increased the duration of host survival. We further examined the anti-tumor activity of FM using the B16 metastasis model. An experimental diet containing FM was fed to C57BL6 mice for 14 days prior to and 21 days following B16 tail vein administration (5×10⁴ cells/mouse). The decrease in observed metastasis in the lungs of mice treated with FM was also significant. In order to identify this anti-tumor activity of FM, NK-activity in the FM fed mice was evaluated. However, the values were comparable to the control mice. These results suggest that the fermented grain extracts induce anti tumor activity in vivo, although the mechanism of this activity is not yet clear.

OBJECTIVE: Some, but not all, granulosa cell tumors are characterized by estrogen production. This study was designed to determine whether there are clinical or pathological variations in granulosa cell tumors in relation to the expression of sex steroid synthesis enzymes. METHODS: Clinical symptoms, serum hormonal values, and histology of 30 granulosa cell tumor patients who underwent surgery between 2002 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Most patients presented with abnormal genital bleeding including abnormal menstrual cycles. Eight of 16 patients older than 50 years had endometrial hyperplasia and one had endometrial cancer. Serum 17β-estradiol (E2) levels tended to be higher in patients over 50 years of age (p=0.081). Serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were low in all patients irrespective of serum E2 levels. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a thicker endometrium in older as compared to younger patients (p<0.05). Tumor cells in the majority of cases were positive for inhibin α and P450 aromatase, irrespective of age and serum E2 levels. P450 17α-hydroxylase (P450c17) expression varied among cases. P450c17 was strongly positive in luteinized tumor cells and weakly positive in theca cells and fibroblasts. High E2 levels were associated with P450c17-positive cells in the tumor (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of hormone-synthesizing enzymes divides granulosa cell tumors into 2 distinct types; tumors with P450c17-positive cells show elevated serum E2 and related clinical symptoms, while tumors without these cells show symptoms related to FSH suppression by inhibin.
Adult* ; Aromatase ; Endometrial Hyperplasia ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Endometrium ; Estrogens ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Granulosa Cell Tumor* ; Granulosa Cells* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inhibins ; Lutein ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Menstrual Cycle ; Ovary* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Steroid Hydroxylases ; Theca Cells

Background/Aims: Recently, a three-plane symmetric nee-dle with Franseen geometry was developed for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB). In this ret-rospective study, tissue acquisition per pass was compared between 22-gauge Franseen FNB and standard fine needle aspiration (FNA) needles in patients with solid pancreatic le-sions. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent EUSFNA or EUS-FNB for solid pancreatic lesions between Octo-ber 2014 and March 2018 were retrospectively studied. The tissue acquisition rate and the diagnostic performance per session, per pass, and at first pass were compared. Results: A total of 663 passes (300 by the FNB needle and 363 by the standard FNA needle) were performed in 154 patients (71 FNB and 83 FNA). The tissue acquisition rate per session and at first pass in the FNB and FNA groups was 100% and 95% (p=0.13) and 87% and 69% (p=0.007), respectively. The multivariate analysis revealed that among the patients, EUS-FNB (odds ratio, 3.07; p=0.01) was associated with a higher first-pass tissue acquisition rate. While the tissue ac-quisition rate reached a plateau after the 4th pass with FNA, it reached a plateau after the 2nd pass with FNB. Among the 129 malignant cases, the histological tissue acquisition rate per session was similar (100% and 94%), but the sensitivity by histology alone per session was higher for FNB than for FNA (93% and 73%, p<0.01). Conclusions The results of our retrospective analysis indicated that compared with a standard FNA needle, a 22-gauge Franseen FNB needle was associated with a higher first-pass tissue acquisition rate.