Systemic and Ocular Determinants of Choroidal Structures on Optical Coherence Tomography of Eyes with Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy

Knowledgeof the choroidal structures in eyes with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) should provide information on the pathogenesis of DR. A prospective study was performed to determine the systemic and ocular factors that affect the choroidal structures in eyes with diabetes. Two-hundred consecutive diabetic subjects consisted of 160 treatment-naïve patients with different stages of DR and 40 patients with proliferative DR with prior panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). All underwent blood and urine tests and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). The cross-sectional EDI-OCT images of the subfoveal choroid were binarized to measure the total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area, and stromal area. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine the systemic and ocular factors that were significantly correlated with the choroidal structures. The subfoveal choroidal thickness, TCA, luminal area, and stromal area were larger at more advanced stage of DR, and smaller in eyes with PRP than those without (P < 0.001). The TCA and stromal area were significantly and positively correlated with the degree of albuminuria (P = 0.034, P = 0.025, respectively). The choroidal lumen and stroma may increase as the stages of DR progress and decrease after PRP. Albuminuria may be associated with the choroidal stromal edema

Simultaneous disruption of two DNA polymerases, Polη and Polζ, in Avian DT40 cells unmasks the role of Polη in cellular response to various DNA lesions

Replicative DNA polymerases are frequently stalled by DNA lesions. The resulting replication blockage is released by homologous recombination (HR) and translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). TLS employs specialized TLS polymerases to bypass DNA lesions. We provide striking in vivo evidence of the cooperation between DNA polymerase η, which is mutated in the variant form of the cancer predisposition disorder xeroderma pigmentosum (XP-V), and DNA polymerase ζ by generating POLη−/−/POLζ−/− cells from the chicken DT40 cell line. POLζ−/− cells are hypersensitive to a very wide range of DNA damaging agents, whereas XP-V cells exhibit moderate sensitivity to ultraviolet light (UV) only in the presence of caffeine treatment and exhibit no significant sensitivity to any other damaging agents. It is therefore widely believed that Polη plays a very specific role in cellular tolerance to UV-induced DNA damage. The evidence we present challenges this assumption. The phenotypic analysis of POLη−/−/POLζ−/− cells shows that, unexpectedly, the loss of Polη significantly rescued all mutant phenotypes of POLζ−/− cells and results in the restoration of the DNA damage tolerance by a backup pathway including HR. Taken together, Polη contributes to a much wide range of TLS events than had been predicted by the phenotype of XP-V cells

Systemic Epstein–Barr Virus-Positive T/NK Lymphoproliferative Diseases With SH2D1A/XIAP Hypomorphic Gene Variants

X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is one of the X-linked primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) with defective immune response to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. Chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) and EBV-hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) are recognized as systemic EBV-positive T-cell and natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (LPDs) arising from the clonal proliferations of EBV-infected T cells and NK cells. A high incidence of CAEBV in East Asia implies the unknown genetic predisposition. In patients with XLP, EBV-infected cells are generally B cells. No mutation of SH2D1A/XIAP genes has ever been identified in patients with systemic EBV-positive T-cell and NK-cell LPD. We report herewith a male case of NK-cell type CAEBV with SH2D1A hypomorphic mutation (c.7G &gt; T, p.Ala3Ser), two male cases of CAEBV/EBV-HLH with XIAP hypomorphic variant (c.1045_1047delGAG, p.Glu349del), and another female case of CD4+CAEBV with the same XIAP variant. The female underwent bone marrow transplantation from an HLA-matched sister with the XIAP variant and obtained a complete donor chimerism and a cure of laryngeal LPD lesion, but then suffered from donor-derived CD4+ T cell EBV-LPD. These observations demonstrated that SH2D1A and XIAP genes are critical for the complete regulation of EBV-positive T/NK cell LPD. X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is one of the X-linked primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) reported to have a defective immune response to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. Mutations in SH2D1A and XIAP genes cause XLP. Systemic EBV-positive T-cell and natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (LPDs) consist of three major types: EBV-positive hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV), and EBV-positive T-cell/NK-cell lymphoma. CAEBV is recognized as a poor prognostic disease of EBV-associated T-cell and NK-cell LPD arising from the clonal proliferation of EBV-infected T cells (CD4+, CD8+, and TCRγδ+) and/or NK cells. The majority of cases with CAEBV were reported from East Asia and South America. In Caucasian patients with CAEBV disease, the target of infection is exclusively B cells. These imply a genetic predisposition to EBV-positive T/NK cell LPD according to ethnicity. In reported cases with XLP, EBV-infected cells are B cells. On the other hand, no mutation of SH2D1A/XIAP genes have been determined in patients with T/NK-cell-type (Asian type) CAEBV. We here describe, for the first time, four case series of CAEBV/EBV-HLH patients who carried the hypomorphic variants of XLP-related genes. These cases included a male patient with CAEBV carrying SH2D1A hypomorphic mutation (c.7G &gt; T, p.Ala3Ser) and two male patients with CAEBV/EBV-HLH carrying the XIAP hypomorphic variant (c.1045_1047delGAG, p.Glu349del), along with another female patient with CAEBV carrying the same XIAP variant. The female case underwent bone marrow transplantation from a healthy HLA-matched sister having the same XIAP variant. Although a complete donor chimerism was achieved with the resolution of laryngeal LPD lesions, systemic donor-derived CD4+ T-cell EBV-LPD developed during the control phase of intractable graft- vs. -host-disease. These observations demonstrated that SH2D1A and XIAP genes are critical for the complete regulation of systemic EBV-positive T/NK-cell LPD

中国上海市小児における乳歯列形態の検討 : 正常咬合児72例の模型から

To obtain the dimensional data of the dental casts of growing and developing Chinese children, and to compare the data to the Japanese, we have performed dental examinations on children in the kindergarten attached to Shanghai Teachers\u27 University in Shanghai since 1996. As study materials, dental casts obtained between 1996 and 1999 from 72 Chinese children aged 3 to 6 years with normal primary occlusion were used to evaluate the mesio-distal crown diameters of the primary teeth, the sizes of the primary dental arch, and the standard values and frequency distributions of primary occlusion. 1. Males showed higher values in mesio-distal crown diameters in deciduous teeth, and the size of dental arch than females. 2. In regard to the interdental spaces both in the maxilla and mandible, primate and developmental spaces together were most frequently observed. 3. In regard to the occlusal relationship, the incidence of terminal planes was higher in the order of Vertical type > Mesial step type > Distal step type, and the incidence of primary canine occlusal relationship was higher in the order of type I>type III>type II. 4. The items that were thought to be characteristic of Chinese children were the frequency of only primate spaces, and the incidence of the Mesial step type of terminal plane and type III primary canine occlusal relationship

Measurement of low-energy antiproton detection efficiency in BESS below 1 GeV

An accelerator experiment was performed using a low-energy antiproton beam to measure antiproton detection efficiency of BESS, a balloon-borne spectrometer with a superconducting solenoid. Measured efficiencies showed good agreement with calculated ones derived from the BESS Monte Carlo simulation based on GEANT/GHEISHA. With detailed verification of the BESS simulation, the relative systematic error of detection efficiency derived from the BESS simulation has been determined to be $\pm$5%, compared with the previous estimation of $\pm$15% which was the dominant uncertainty for measurements of cosmic-ray antiproton flux.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Precise Measurement of Cosmic-Ray Proton and Helium Spectra with the BESS Spectrometer

We report cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra in energy ranges of 1 to 120 GeV and 1 to 54 GeV/nucleon, respectively, measured by a balloon flight of the BESS spectrometer in 1998. The magnetic-rigidity of the cosmic-rays was reliably determined by highly precise measurement of the circular track in a uniform solenoidal magnetic field of 1 Tesla. Those spectra were determined within overall uncertainties of +-5 % for protons and +- 10 % for helium nuclei including statistical and systematic errors.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Efficacy and safety of cold forceps polypectomy utilizing the jumbo cup: a prospective study

Background/Aims There are few prospective studies on cold forceps polypectomy (CFP) using jumbo cup forceps. Therefore, we examined patients with diminutive polyps (5 mm or smaller) treated with CFP using jumbo cup forceps to achieve an adenoma-free colon and also assessed the safety of the procedure and the recurrence rate of missed or residual polyp after CFP by performing follow-up colonoscopy 1 year later. Methods We included patients with up to 5 adenomas removed at initial colonoscopy and analyzed data from a total of 361 patients with 573 adenomas. One-year follow-up colonoscopy was performed in 165 patients, at which 251 lesions were confirmed. Results The one-bite resection rate with CFP was highest for lesions 3 mm or smaller and decreased significantly with increasing lesion size. Post-procedural hemorrhage was observed in 1 of 573 lesions (0.17%). No perforation was noted. The definite recurrence rate was 0.8% (2/251 lesions). The probable recurrence rate, which was defined as recurrence in the same colorectal segment, was 17%. Adenoma-free colon was achieved in 55% of patients at initial resection. Multivariate analysis revealed that achievement of an adenoma-free colon was significantly associated with number of adenomas and years of endoscopic experience. Conclusions CFP using jumbo biopsy forceps was safe and showed a high one-bite resection rate for diminutive lesions of 3 mm or smaller. The low definite recurrence rate confirms the reliability of CFP using jumbo biopsy forceps. Number of adenomas and years of endoscopic experience were key factors in achieving an adenoma-free colon

中国人小児の歯科疾患実態調査 : 天津(市内・郊外)および日本との比較

Dental health checkups of children were conducted in Tianjin, China (central and suburban areas of the city). The prevalence of dental disease in Tianjin was compared with that in Japan as reported in a 1999 survey report. The following results were obtained. 1. There was no marked difference in the prevalence of dental disease between central and suburban areas of Tianjin. 2. The caries incidence ratio and the average number of decayed teeth per child were significantly higher in Tianjin than in Japan, but the treated teeth rate was significantly lower in Tianjin than in Japan. This indicates that the treatment of dental caries is not sufficient in China. 3. Dental caries tended to be more severe among Japanese than Chinese children. As the economy develops and living conditions change in China, dental caries may become more prevalent there, coming to resemble Japan\u27s present condition. Follow-up sur-veys are needed