AIM To determine whether the presence of columnar-lined esophagus(CLE) is associated with the presence of esophageal varices(EVs) in male Japanese alcoholics. METHODS The subjects were 1614 Japanese alcohol-dependent ...AIM To determine whether the presence of columnar-lined esophagus(CLE) is associated with the presence of esophageal varices(EVs) in male Japanese alcoholics. METHODS The subjects were 1614 Japanese alcohol-dependent men(≥ 40 years of age) who had undergone upper gastrointestinal endoscopic screening. Digitalized records of high-quality endoscopic images that included the squamocolumnar junction and esophagogastric junction were retrospectively jointly reviewed by four expert endoscopists for the purpose of diagnosing CLE. The authors investigated whether and to what extent there were associations between the presence of CLE and the presence of EVs, especially in the group with liver cirrhosis(LC).RESULTS CLE ≥ 5 mm in length was found in 355 subjects(≥ 30 mm in 6 of them), LC without EVs in 152 subjects, LC with EVs in 174 subjects, and EVs without LC in 6 subjects. Advanced EVs, i.e., nodular, large or coiled forms, red color sign, or post-treatment, were found in 88 subjects. The incidence of CLE ≥ 5 mm decreased in the following order(P < 0.0001): 23.3% in the group without EVs, 17.4% in the group with small and straight EVs, and 5.7% in the group with advanced EVs. The multivariate ORs(95%CI) for EVs and advanced EVs in the group with LC were lower when CLE ≥ 5 mm was present [0.46(0.23-0.93) and 0.24(0.08-0.74), respectively, vs 0-4 mm CLE]. CONCLUSION The presence of CLE in male Japanese alcoholics was negatively associated with the presence of EVs.展开更多
Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and are shorten with aging or various causes. Shortened telomere plays an important role for chromosomal instability in carcinogenesi...Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and are shorten with aging or various causes. Shortened telomere plays an important role for chromosomal instability in carcinogenesis, or a number of diseases in relation to aging. FISH using peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) probe is suitable for analyzing telomeres, because telomere is a part of DNA molecule and localized in chromosomal end in loop shape structure (T-loop). We introduce our telomere analysis for tissue sections and cultured cells in this paper. On the tissue sections, we analyze telomere length with telomere intensity to centromere intensity ratio (TCR), centromere as an inner control. In the cultured cells, we analyze telomere lengths on each chromosome with karyotyping. Those Q-FISH methods by PNA probe are an accurate and reliable tool for research on telomere lengths in various conditions in biology.展开更多
文摘AIM To determine whether the presence of columnar-lined esophagus(CLE) is associated with the presence of esophageal varices(EVs) in male Japanese alcoholics. METHODS The subjects were 1614 Japanese alcohol-dependent men(≥ 40 years of age) who had undergone upper gastrointestinal endoscopic screening. Digitalized records of high-quality endoscopic images that included the squamocolumnar junction and esophagogastric junction were retrospectively jointly reviewed by four expert endoscopists for the purpose of diagnosing CLE. The authors investigated whether and to what extent there were associations between the presence of CLE and the presence of EVs, especially in the group with liver cirrhosis(LC).RESULTS CLE ≥ 5 mm in length was found in 355 subjects(≥ 30 mm in 6 of them), LC without EVs in 152 subjects, LC with EVs in 174 subjects, and EVs without LC in 6 subjects. Advanced EVs, i.e., nodular, large or coiled forms, red color sign, or post-treatment, were found in 88 subjects. The incidence of CLE ≥ 5 mm decreased in the following order(P < 0.0001): 23.3% in the group without EVs, 17.4% in the group with small and straight EVs, and 5.7% in the group with advanced EVs. The multivariate ORs(95%CI) for EVs and advanced EVs in the group with LC were lower when CLE ≥ 5 mm was present [0.46(0.23-0.93) and 0.24(0.08-0.74), respectively, vs 0-4 mm CLE]. CONCLUSION The presence of CLE in male Japanese alcoholics was negatively associated with the presence of EVs.
文摘Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and are shorten with aging or various causes. Shortened telomere plays an important role for chromosomal instability in carcinogenesis, or a number of diseases in relation to aging. FISH using peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) probe is suitable for analyzing telomeres, because telomere is a part of DNA molecule and localized in chromosomal end in loop shape structure (T-loop). We introduce our telomere analysis for tissue sections and cultured cells in this paper. On the tissue sections, we analyze telomere length with telomere intensity to centromere intensity ratio (TCR), centromere as an inner control. In the cultured cells, we analyze telomere lengths on each chromosome with karyotyping. Those Q-FISH methods by PNA probe are an accurate and reliable tool for research on telomere lengths in various conditions in biology.
