Abstract. Gastric acid inhibition during treatment is important for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. A novel potassium-competitive acid blocker, vonoprazan (VPZ), has been demonstrated to achieve high eradication rates; however, the efficacy of second-line treatment in failures of VPZ-based triple therapy has not been well studied.The aim of the current study was to determine the efficacy of VPZ in a first-line regimen for H. pylori eradication, and the efficacy of a second-line regimen using metronidazole (MTZ) in failures with the first-line regimen. Of 580 subjects enrolled in the study, 524 patients completed first-line treatment (275 patients who received VPZ and 249 patients who received LPZ). First-line regimens consisted of a combination of clarithromycin (CAM) 200 or 400 mg twice a day, amoxicillin (AMPC) 750 mg twice a day, and either LPZ 30 mg or VPZ 20 mg twice a day, administered orally for 7 days. CAM and VPZ/LPZ were replaced with metronidazole (MTZ) 250 mg and rabeprazole 10 mg in the second-line regimens. The eradication of H. pylori was assessed by the H. pylori stool antigen test. The overall first-line eradication rate with VPZ was significantly higher than that with LPZ [91.0% (250/275) vs. 84.7% (211/249), respectively, P=0.030]. The dose of CAM (400 vs. 800 mg) did not affect the eradication rate in either the VPZ or LPZ regimens. The overall eradication rates of the second-line regimens with MTZ did not differ significantly between the VPZ-failure and LPZ-failure groups [87.0% (20/23) vs. 87.9% (29/33), respectively, P= 0.700]. Therefore, VPZ was significantly more effective than LPZ for first-line treatment. In patients with failure of first-line eradication therapy, successful results of second-line eradication therapy did not differ between the VPZ-and LPZ-failure groups. In conclusion, VPZ-based triple therapy should be recommended for eradication of H. pylori.

A complete 4 x 4 diallel cross of CF#1 (C), C57BL/6NCrj (B) C3H/HeNCrj (H) and Yonakuni wild mice (Y, Mus musculus molossinus yonakuni) has been conducted to estimate the effects of sex, degree of heterosis, general combining ability (gca), specific combining ability (sca), maternal ability, and reciprocal cross on body weight at 1 (Wk1), 3 (Wk3), 6 (Wk6) and 10 (Wk10) weeks of age. A least squares analysis was performed on 828 mice and all sources of variation showed significant effects (P < 0.01) on body weight but not sex at Wk1 (P > 0.05). Males were heavier than females (P < 0.01) at Wk3, Wk6 and Wk10. C and Y were the heaviest and lightest in body weight, whereas H and B were intermediate. Differences in body weight were observed between linebred and linecross at all ages studied: 6.57%, 10.22%, 8.70% and 5.89% heterosis for the respective ages. The degree of gca and maternal effects can be ranked as C > H > B > Y. Crossing between C and H had greater sca than other combinations at all ages studied, whereas B x Y had the smallest. Mean body weight of the offspring from two-line reciprocal cross differed according to their dam. A relatively large proportion of additive genetic effects in contributing to the variation in offspring body weight was indicated.

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Background Gut pathological microbial imbalance or dysbiosis is closely associated with colorectal cancer. Although there are observable differences in molecular and clinical characteristics between patients with right- and left-sided colon cancer, differences in their gut microbiomes have not been thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, subsequent changes in microbiota status after partial colectomy remain unknown. We examined the human gut microbiota composition to determine its relationship with colon cancer and partial colon resection according to location. Methods Stool samples from forty-one subjects (10 in the control group, 10 in the right-sided colon cancer [RCC] group, 6 in the sigmoid colon cancer [SCC] group, 9 in the right colon resection [RCR] group and 6 in the sigmoid colon resection [SCR] group) were collected, and DNA was extracted. After terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, the samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and the metabolic function of the microbiota was predicted using PICRUSt2. Results T-RFLP analysis showed a reduced ratio of clostridial cluster XIVa in the SCC patients and clostridial cluster IX in the RCC patients, although these changes were not evident in the RCR or SCR patients. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing demonstrated that the diversity of the gut microbiota in the RCC group was higher than that in the control group, and the diversity in the SCR group was significantly higher than that in the RCR group. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed significant differences according to the group. Analyses of the microbiota revealed that Firmicutes was significantly dominant in the RCC group and that the SCC group had a higher abundance of Verrucomicrobia. At the genus level, linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) revealed several bacteria, such as Ruminococcaceae, Streptococcaceae, Clostridiaceae, Gemellaceae, and Desulfovibrio, in the RCC group and several oral microbiomes in the SCC group. Metabolic function prediction revealed that cholesterol transport- and metabolism-related enzymes were specifically upregulated in the RCC group and that cobalamin metabolism-related enzymes were downregulated in the SCC group. Conclusion Gut microbial properties differ between RCC and SCC patients and between right hemicolectomy and sigmoidectomy patients and may contribute to clinical manifestations.

A cross-fostering experiment was conducted on two quite distinct subspecies of mice, domesticated laboratory mouse of CF#1 (Mus musculus domesticus) and Yonakuni wild mouse (Yk, Mus musculus molossinus yonakuni), to estimate the prenatal and postnatal maternal effects on body weight of offspring. Mating was done between subspecies, two or three females being mated to a male at nine-ten weeks of age. Two dams of different subspecies that littered at the same day were used as a group of foster dams. Litters were standardized to six young mice in order that a dam nursed three mice of her own litter and three mice from that of another subspecies dam. The litters were weaned at 3 weeks of age. The body weight of individual mice was determined at 1, 3, 6 and 10 weeks of age. The result demonstrated that prenatal maternal effects were more important than postnatal maternal effects in contributing to the variation in body weight at all ages examined. Prenatal maternal effects accounted for 61-96% and 35-92% of total variance in males and females, respectively; whereas postnatal effects accounted for 1-7% for males and 3-23% for females. Analysis for between postnatal within prenatal, and between prenatal within postnatal indicated that expression of the body weight of offspring was limited by the genetic type of their prenatal dam and influenced by the postnatal environment of nursing dam. The greatest body weight was attained by offspring born to prenatal CF#1 dams and nursed by postnatal CF#1 dams, followed by CF#1 offspring born to CF#1 dams and nursed by Yk dams, Yk offspring born to Yk dams and nursed by CF#1 dams and the lightest ones were Yk offspring born to Yk dams and nursed by Yk dams.

A 79-year-old male was referred to the hospital with a history of abdominal discomfort. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a cystic tumor with irregular wall thickness, approximately 50 mm in diameter, along the lesser curvature of the gastric body. Magnetic resonance imaging visualized the mass as signal-hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a submucosal tumor with normal mucosa. Surgery was performed and the 60 × 50 × 50 mm mass was resected. The resected tumor comprised cystic and solid regions; the cystic region was filled by light bloody serous fluid. On histological examination, a solid region of the resected tumor showed a spindle-cell appearance. The diagnosis was gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with predominant cystic formation. GISTs are usually solitary tumors, but in this case the tumor demonstrated extremely predominant cystic formation. Lesions with a hemorrhage or necrosis may form large cystic spaces. GISTs may show extensive cystic changes in response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment; however, this patient had not undergone any such treatment before diagnosis. This represents an interesting case of a gastric GIST with predominant cystic formation occupying most of the tumor volume. Care should be taken to differentiate between GISTs and actual intra-abdominal cystic lesions.

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SummaryA study has been conducted to compare the three growth curve models for fitting to growth data in wild and laboratory mice. Body weight data from birth to ten weeks of age were taken weekly from two subspecies of mice, Yonakuni wild mouse (Yk, Mus musculus molossinus yonakuni) and laboratory outbred mouse of CF#1(Mus musculus domesticus) . The numbers of Yk were 44 males and 45 females, whereas of CF#1 were 45 males and 45 females. Three growth curve models, namely Gompertz, logistic and Asymptotic models, were used to describe growth patterns within each subspecies-sex subclass. All models were fitted to weight data by Gauss-Newton method of SAS. A criterion based on coefficient of determination (R2) has been used for comparing the three growth curve models. High value of R2 indicates goodness of fit attained by the model. Mean R2 values in fitting Gompertz model were 0.999 for both subspecies at two sexes, indicating that this model was the best fit to body weight data in mice used. The objectives of this study were to describe differences of growth patterns in wild and laboratory mice using Gompertz, logistic and Asymptotic models,and to compare which model provided the best fit to the data. Materials and Methods . AnimalsThe basic materials used in the experiment were two subspecies of mice: domesticated laboratory mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) and Yonakuni wild mouse (Mus musculus molossinus yonakuni) . As the laboratory mouse, CF#1 strain was used. The CF#lmay be described as an outbred albino mouse, and known as a European strain. This mouse has large body weight and apparently to be prolific throughout the experiment. Mean large body weights were about 40 g for males and 34g for females when matured, and Corresponding Address: Akihisa SHINJO