Features of the Atrophic Corpus Mucosa in Three Cases of Autoimmune Gastritis Revealed by Magnifying Endoscopy

Atrophic gastritis, whether caused by Helicobacter pylori infection or as a result of an autoimmune process, is associated with corpus atrophy. However, whereas atrophic gastritis caused by H. pylori involves the antrum, the antrum is spared in autoimmune gastritis. Here, we report the use of magnifying endoscopy to identify and distinguish atrophic gastritis caused by H. pylori from autoimmune gastritis. The mucosal pattern in autoimmune gastritis is that of closely arranged small round and oval pits, thus differing from the pattern seen in atrophic mucosa due to H. pylori infection. We speculate that this reflects differences in inflammation between the two types of gastritis. In autoimmune gastritis the inflammation is directed primarily against gastric glands, whereas in H. pylori infection the inflammation is directed against the bacteria on or near the surface and the damage initially affects the surface epithelium. During repair, the normal regular round pits are destroyed, whereas they remain largely intact in mucosa with autoimmune-associated atrophy. Confirmation of the features of autoimmune gastritis revealed by magnifying endoscopy would not only make the endoscopic diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis more accurate, but also help to elucidate changes in the surface epithelial structure of gastritis due to various causes

Trace element concentrations in iron type cosmic spherules determined by the SR-XRF method

The X-ray fluorescence method using synchrotron radiation (SR-XRF) was applied to determine trace element abundances in iron type (I-type) cosmic spherules collected at deep-sea sediments. Cr, Co, and Ni were detected from almost all spherules and average concentrations are 1336,2991ppm, and 4.0%, respectively. Ga, Ge, and Mn were detected from 20,30,and 20% of spherules and average concentrations are 4,4 and 486ppm, respectively. Spherules containing metallic cores were enriched in Ni and Co and depleted in volatile elements such as Ga and Ge relative to those without cores. The Ni and Co enrichments resulted from high concentrations of the elements in the metallic cores, while the Ga and Ge depletion might indicate that core-bearing spherules have experienced more severe heating during atmospheric entry than the core-lacking ones. On the basis of Mn concentration we divided spherules into two groups : high and low Mn groups. Trace element abundances of the low Mn group are systematically fractionated relative to those of iron meteorites : volatile elements are depleted and refractory ones are enriched in the spherules. This appears to be consistent with the hypothesis that I-type spherules are ablation products of iron meteorites that have lost volatile elements during melting. Production of the low Mn spherules by ablation of chondritic meteorites is also possible, but chondrite melting should have occurred under a limited range of oxygen fugacity in order to enrich Cr and remove Mn in the spherules. Spherules belonging to high Mn group show a complex trace element pattern when normalized to chondrites. A large Mn excess relative to Cr in this type of spherules can not be explained by any formation process, thus it is difficult to infer the precursor material of the Mn-rich spherules

Evaluation of the Luciferase Assay-Based In Vitro Elicitation Test for Serum IgE

ABSTRACTBackgroundAn in vitro elicitation test employing human high-affinity IgE receptor-expressing rat mast cell lines appears to be a useful method for measuring mast cell activation using a patient's IgE and an allergen; however, such cell lines are sensitive to human complements in the serum. We have recently developed a new luciferase-reporting mast cell line (RS-ATL8) to detect IgE crosslinking-induced luciferase expression (EXiLE) with relatively low quantities of serum IgE.MethodsA total of 30 patients suspected of having egg white (EW) allergy were subjected to an oral food challenge (OFC) test; then, the performances of EW-specific serum IgE (CAP-FEIA), EW-induced degranulation, and EXiLE responses in RS-ATL8 cells were compared using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The patients' sera were diluted to 1:100, which causes no cytotoxicity when sensitizing the RS-ATL8 cells for the degranulation and EXiLE tests.ResultsThe area under the ROC curves was highest in the EXiLE test (0.977), followed by CAP-FEIA (0.926) and degranulation (0.810). At an optimal cutoff range (1.648-1.876) calculated from the ROC curve of the EXiLE test, sensitivity and specificity were 0.944 and 0.917, respectively. A 95% positive predictive value was given at a cutoff level of 2.054 (fold increase in luciferase expression) by logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: In contrast to in vivo tests, the EXiLE test appears to be a useful tool in diagnosing patients suspected of having IgE-dependent EW allergy without the risk of severe systemic reactions

Cigarette smoke extract impairs gingival epithelial barrier function

We previously showed that junctional adhesion molecule 1 (JAM1) and coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CXADR), tight junction-associated proteins, have important roles to maintain epithelial barrier function in gingival tissues. Smoking is considered to be a significant risk factor for periodontal disease. The present study was conducted to examine the effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on JAM1 and CXADR in human gingival epithelial cells. CSE was found to cause translocation of JAM1 from the cellular surface to EGFR-positive endosomes, whereas CXADR did not. Using a three-dimensional multilayered gingival epithelial tissue model, CSE administration was found to increase permeability to lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan, whereas overexpression of JAM1 in the tissue model prevented penetration by those substrates. Furthermore, vitamin C increased JAM1 expression, and inhibited penetration of LPS and PGN induced by CSE. These findings strongly suggest that CSE disrupts gingival barrier function via dislocation of JAM1, thus allowing bacterial virulence factors to penetrate into subepithelial tissues. Furthermore, they indicate that vitamin C increases JAM1 expression and prevents disruption of gingival barrier function by CSE.Yamaga S., Tanigaki K., Nakamura E., et al. Cigarette smoke extract impairs gingival epithelial barrier function. Scientific Reports 13, 9228 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36366-z

Genetic Analysis, Expression in Eschericia coli of Aconitase from Chemolithotrophic Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans

An aconitase from Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans was purified and characterized, and its gene was cloned. The cloned aconitase gene (acn) was expressed in Escherichia coli JM 109; aconitase activity was found in the cell extarct. The acn gene encodes a 646-amino acid polypeptide and is located upstream of the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene (icd). A. thiooxidans aconitase showes high sequence similar to pig heart aconitase and E.coli aconitase B. Twenty-five of twenty-seven active site residues assigned in pig heart aconitase are conserved in A. thiooxidans aconitase. The enzyme was purified by DEAE-Toyopearl 650M column chromatogrophy. The purified enzyme had an optimum pH of 7.5 and an optimum temperature of 60 C. Thermal inactivation studies of the purified enzyme revealed the enzyme activity to be uninfluenced after one hour incubation at 40 c. Enzyme activity was retained 100% after incubation of the enzyme at pH 6.0-9.0 for 60min. The A. thiooxidans aconitase was composed of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular mass of 66 kDa

Quantitative Evaluation of Pain during Electrocutaneous Stimulation using a Log-Linearized Peripheral Arterial Viscoelastic Model

In clinical practice, subjective pain evaluations, e.g., the visual analogue scale and the numeric rating scale, are generally employed, but these are limited in terms of their ability to detect inaccurate reports, and are unsuitable for use in anesthetized patients or those with dementia. We focused on the peripheral sympathetic nerve activity that responds to pain, and propose a method for evaluating pain sensation, including intensity, sharpness, and dullness, using the arterial stiffness index. In the experiment, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and photoplethysmograms were obtained, and an arterial viscoelastic model was applied to estimate arterial stiffness. The relationships among the stiffness index, self-reported pain sensation, and electrocutaneous stimuli were examined and modelled. The relationship between the stiffness index and pain sensation could be modelled using a sigmoid function with high determination coefficients, where R2 ≥ 0.88, p < 0.01 for intensity, R2 ≥ 0.89, p < 0.01 for sharpness, and R2 ≥ 0.84, p < 0.01 for dullness when the stimuli could appropriately evoke dull pain.This work was supported by the Center of Innovation Program from Japan Science and Technology Agency.Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21223-1