The main cause of senile pruritus is said to be dryness of the skin. Therefore, we treated patients with xerosis senilis, a common dry skin condition, using an oral preparation of Toki-inshi and a bath preparation containing licorice extract. The effectiveness of these treatments was determined by measuring changes in the water content of the epidermal horny layer over time using an electrical measuring device. The ability of the skin to retain moisture was expressed as the degree of dryness of the skin, and the results compared with the untreated group.
When the bath preparation was used, the skin dryness improved quickly, but the effects soon disappeared when the treatment was stopped. When Toki-inshi was administered orally, the improvement was slower than with the bath preparation, but the effects did not disappear immediately when the drug was withdrawn as in the case of the bath preparation. However, since there was not necessarily agreement between improvement in skin dryness and alleviation of pruritus, factors other than skin dryness might be involved.

We conducted an overseas mobile clinic in Lao PDR and examined the results of biochemical tests and blood examinations. For the biochemical tests, we used a method involving plasma skimming film and filter paper, called “plasma separation plate.” In this study, we report the usefulness of the plasma separation plate, which is a newly developed method for the screening of biochemical tests in Japan. We were able to apply this method in a mobile clinic in Lao PDR. The quantitative concentration of plasma from blood collected from pricked fingers was measured by this method. Using the plasma skimming film and filter paper, the non-cell components in the blood were separated, and a quantity of the plasma was adsorbed by filter paper. Neither elaborate equipment nor electricity was required. The results of our test data indicated that few inhabitants suffered from adult diseases for which we were screening. We concluded, therefore, that this method is suitable for use in mobile clinics in the rural areas of developing countries.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) are anti-oxidant enzyme genes. Polymorphisms of GSTs, SOD2 and NQO1 have been reported to influence individual susceptibility to various diseases. In an earlier study, we obtained preliminary findings that a subset of glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1)-wt patients with varicocele may exhibit good response to varicocelectomy. In this study, we extended the earlier study to determine the distribution of genotype of each gene in the infertile population and to evaluate whether polymorphism of these genes affects the results of surgical treatment of varicocele. We analyzed 72 infertile varicocele patients, 202 infertile patients without varicocele and 101 male controls. Genotypes of GSTs were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genotyping of SOD2 and NQO1 was performed using the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. A significantly better response to varicocelectomy was found in patients with the GSTT1-wt genotype (63.2%) and NQO1-Ser/Ser genotype (80.0%) than in those with GSTT1-null genotype (35.3%) and NQO1-Pro/Pro or NQO1-Pro/Ser genotype (45.2%), respectively. The frequencies of glutathione S-transferase M1/T1, SOD2 and NQO1 genotypes did not differ significantly among the varicocele patients, idiopathic infertile patients and male controls. GSTT1 genotype is associated with improvement of semen parameters after varicocelectomy. As the number of patients with NQO1-Ser/Ser genotype was not sufficient to reach definite conclusions, the association of NQO1 genotype with varicocelectomy requires further investigation.
Adult ; Genotype ; Glutathione Transferase ; genetics ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; etiology ; genetics ; surgery ; Male ; NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone) ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Superoxide Dismutase ; genetics ; Treatment Outcome ; Varicocele ; complications ; genetics ; surgery

In this study, we examined the molecular and functional characterization of choline uptake in the human esophageal cancer cells. In addition, we examined the influence of various drugs on the transport of [3H]choline, and explored the possible correlation between the inhibition of choline uptake and apoptotic cell death. We found that both choline transporter-like protein 1 (CTL1) and CTL2 mRNAs and proteins were highly expressed in esophageal cancer cell lines (KYSE series). CTL1 and CTL2 were located in the plasma membrane and mitochondria, respectively. Choline uptake was saturable and mediated by a single transport system, which is both Na+-independent and pH-dependent. Choline uptake and cell viability were inhibited by various cationic drugs. Furthermore, a correlation analysis of the potencies of 47 drugs for the inhibition of choline uptake and cell viability showed a strong correlation. Choline uptake inhibitors and choline deficiency each inhibited cell viability and increased caspase-3/7 activity. We conclude that extracellular choline is mainly transported via a CTL1. The functional inhibition of CTL1 by cationic drugs could promote apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, CTL2 may be involved in choline uptake in mitochondria, which is the rate-limiting step in S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthesis and DNA methylation. Identification of this CTL1- and CTL2-mediated choline transport system provides a potential new target for esophageal cancer therapy.
Cell Death ; Cell Line ; Cell Membrane ; Cell Survival ; Choline Deficiency ; Choline* ; DNA Methylation ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Mitochondria ; RNA, Messenger ; S-Adenosylmethionine