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Aims/Introduction Sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve renal outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the association of achieved blood pressure with renal outcomes in Japanese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with chronic kidney disease. Materials and Methods We assessed 624 Japanese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with chronic kidney disease taking SGLT2i for >1 year. The patients were classified as those with post‐treatment mean arterial pressure (MAP) of ≥92 mmHg (n = 344) and those with MAP of, Incidence of renal composite outcome and changes in logarithmic value of the albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio and estimated glomerular filtration rate.

This article presents a nonlinear solver combining regression analysis and a multiscale simulation scheme. First, the proposed method repeats microscopic analysis of a local simulation domain, which is extracted from the entire global domain, to statistically estimate the relation(s) between the value of a dependent variable at a point and values at surrounding points. The relation is called regression function. Subsequent global analysis reveals the behavior of the global domain with only coarse-grained points using the regression function quickly at low computational cost, which can be accomplished using a multiscale numerical solver, called the seamless-domain method (SDM). The objective of the study is to solve a nonlinear problem accurately and at low cost by combining the two techniques. We present an example problem of a nonlinear steady-state heat conduction analysis of a heterogeneous material. The proposed model using fewer than 1000 points generates a solution with precision similar to that of a standard finite-element solution using hundreds of thousands of nodes. To investigate the relationship between the accuracy and computational time, we apply the SDM under varying conditions such as the number of iterations of the prior analysis for statistical data learning.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Capsiate is produced by ‘CH-19 Sweet’ (Capsicum annuun L.), a non-pungent cultivar of red pepper. Like capsaicin, capsiate is thought to enhance energy metabolism by activating the sympathetic nervous system and suppressing inflammation, but the underlying mechanisms for this are uncertain. We previously reported that capsiate could activate transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a capsaicin receptor. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether capsinoids activate other TRP channels. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Using Ca2+ imaging and whole-cell patch-clamp methods, we analysed the response of TRP channels to three kinds of capsinoids, capsiate, dihydrocapsiate and nordihydrocapsiate, in HEK293T cells expressing TRP channels or in primary cultures of mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons. KEY RESULTS We found that in both cell types TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) had a slightly weaker response to capsinoids compared with TRPV1, with the capsiate EC50 for TRPA1 activation being more than that for TRPV1 activation, and that the capsinoid-evoked action was blocked by a specific TRPA1 antagonist. TRPA1 was activated by capsinoids, but not by their degradation products. Amino acids known to participate in TRPA1 activation following cysteine covalent modification or zinc treatment were not involved in the activation of TRPA1 by capsinoid. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Taken together, these results indicate that capsinoids activate TRPA1 by an as yet unknown mechanism, and TRPA1 could be involved in physiological phenomena associated with capsinoid treatment.

We report the phenotype of mice with targeted disruption of the Trpv6 (Trpv6 KO) epithelial calcium channel. The mice exhibit disordered Ca(2+) homeostasis, including defective intestinal Ca(2+) absorption, increased urinary Ca(2+) excretion, decreased BMD, deficient weight gain, and reduced fertility. Although our Trpv6 KO affects the closely adjacent EphB6 gene, the phenotype reported here is not related to EphB6 dysfunction. INTRODUCTIOn: The mechanisms underlying intestinal Ca(2+) absorption are crucial for overall Ca(2+) homeostasis, because diet is the only source of all new Ca(2+) in the body. Trpv6 encodes a Ca(2+)-permeable cation channel responsible for vitamin D-dependent intestinal Ca(2+) absorption. Trpv6 is expressed in the intestine and also in the skin, placenta, kidney, and exocrine organs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determine the in vivo function of TRPV6, we generated mice with targeted disruption of the Trpv6 (Trpv6 KO) gene. RESULTS: Trpv6 KO mice are viable but exhibit disordered Ca(2+) homeostasis, including a 60% decrease in intestinal Ca(2+) absorption, deficient weight gain, decreased BMD, and reduced fertility. When kept on a regular (1% Ca(2+)) diet, Trpv6 KO mice have deficient intestinal Ca(2+) absorption, despite elevated levels of serum PTH (3.8-fold) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (2.4-fold). They also have decreased urinary osmolality and increased Ca(2+) excretion. Their serum Ca(2+) is normal, but when challenged with a low (0.25%) Ca(2+) diet, Trpv6 KO mice fail to further increase serum PTH and vitamin D, ultimately developing hypocalcemia. Trpv6 KO mice have normal urinary deoxypyridinoline excretion, although exhibiting a 9.3% reduction in femoral mineral density at 2 months of age, which is not restored by treatment for 1 month with a high (2%) Ca(2+) "rescue" diet. In addition to their deranged Ca(2+) homeostasis, the skin of Trpv6 KO mice has fewer and thinner layers of stratum corneum, decreased total Ca(2+) content, and loss of the normal Ca(2+) gradient. Twenty percent of all Trpv6 KO animals develop alopecia and dermatitis. CONCLUSIONS: Trpv6 KO mice exhibit an array of abnormalities in multiple tissues/organs. At least some of these are caused by tissue-specific mechanisms. In addition, the kidneys and bones of Trpv6 KO mice do not respond to their elevated levels of PTH and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. These data indicate that the TRPV6 channel plays an important role in Ca(2+) homeostasis and in other tissues not directly involved in this process.

Semiconducting glaze insulators show excellent electrical performance under contaminated conditions. In order to mass-produce this type of insulator, it is first necessary to determine the kind of materials that have such semiconducting properties and to decide on an optimum resistivity of the semiconducting glaze from a practical manufacturing standpoint. This paper describes the results of a series of investigations into the macroscopic surface resistivity needed to develop the expected superior electrical characteristics of these insulators, and the optimum distribution of volume resistivity of the glaze over the actual insulator surface, among others. The chemical composition of the glaze ingredients and the manufacturing conditions are critical for realizing the resultant glaze characteristics. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 131(1): 10–18, 2000