19 research outputs found
A Novel Pollen-Pistil Interaction Conferring High-Temperature Tolerance during Reproduction via CLE45 Signaling
SummaryFlowering plants in the reproductive stage are particularly vulnerable to ambient temperature fluctuations [1â6]. Nevertheless, they maintain seed production under certain levels of exposure to temperature change. The mechanisms underlying this temperature tolerance are largely unknown. Using an in vitro Arabidopsis pollen tube culture, we found that a synthetic CLV3/ESR-related peptide, CLE45, prolonged pollen tube growth. A subsequent screen of Arabidopsis mutants of leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase genes identified two candidate receptors for CLE45 peptide, STERILITY-REGULATING KINASE MEMBER1 (SKM1) and SKM2. The double loss-of-function mutant was insensitive to CLE45 peptide in terms of pollen tube growth in vitro. The SKM1 protein actually interacted with CLE45 peptide. CLE45 was preferentially expressed in the stigma in the pistil at 22°C, but upon temperature shift to 30°C, its expression expanded to the transmitting tract, along which pollen tubes elongated. In contrast, both SKM1 and SKM2 were expressed in pollen. Disturbance of CLE45-SKM1/SKM2 signaling transduction by either RNAi suppression of CLE45 expression or introduction of a kinase-dead version of SKM1 into skm1 plants reduced seed production at 30°C, but not at 22°C. Taken together with the finding that CLE45 peptide application alleviated mitochondrial decay during the in vitro pollen tube culture, these results strongly suggest that the pollen-pistil interaction via the CLE45-SKM1/SKM2 signaling pathway sustains pollen performance under higher temperatures, leading to successful seed production
Incidence and Risk Factors for Infections Requiring Hospitalization, Including Pneumocystis Pneumonia, in Japanese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Objective. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be complicated by different infections, but risk factors for these are not fully elucidated. Here, we assessed the incidence of and risk factors for infections requiring hospitalization (IRH) including pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in patients with RA. Methods. We retrospectively surveyed all RA patients treated at our hospital from 2009 to 2013, for whom data were available on demographic features, medications, comorbidities, and severity of RA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for factors associated with the occurrence of IRH. Results. In a total of 9210 patient-years (2688 patients), there were 373 IRH (3.7/100 patient-years). Respiratory tract infections were most frequent (, and additionally 16 PCP), followed by urinary tract infections (). Significant factors for PCP included higher age (â„70 years; OR 3.5), male sex (6.6), underlying lung disease (3.0), use of corticosteroids (4.8), and use of biologics (5.4). Use of methotrexate (5.7) was positively associated with PCP but negatively with total infections (0.7). Additionally, functional disorders and higher RA disease activity were also related to total infections. Conclusions. Risk factors for infection should be taken into account when deciding treatment for the individual RA patient
A randomized phase III study of short-course radiotherapy combined with Temozolomide in elderly patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma; Japan clinical oncology group study JCOG1910 (AgedGlio-PIII)
BACKGROUND: The current standard treatment for elderly patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma is surgery followed by short-course radiotherapy with temozolomide. In recent studies, 40âGy in 15 fractions vs. 60âGy in 30 fractions, 34âGy in 10 fractions vs. 60âGy in 30 fractions, and 40âGy in 15 fractions vs. 25âGy in 5 fractions have been reported as non-inferior. The addition of temozolomide increased the survival benefit of radiotherapy with 40âGy in 15 fractions. However, the optimal regimen for radiotherapy plus concomitant temozolomide remains unresolved. METHODS: This multi-institutional randomized phase III trial was commenced to confirm the non-inferiority of radiotherapy comprising 25âGy in 5 fractions with concomitant (150âmg/m2/day, 5âdays) and adjuvant temozolomide over 40âGy in 15 fractions with concomitant (75âmg/m2/day, every day from first to last day of radiation) and adjuvant temozolomide in terms of overall survival (OS) in elderly patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. A total of 270 patients will be accrued from 51 Japanese institutions in 4âyears and follow-up will last 2âyears. Patients 71âyears of age or older, or 71-75âyears old with resection of less than 90% of the contrast-enhanced region, will be registered and randomly assigned to each group with 1:1 allocation. The primary endpoint is OS, and the secondary endpoints are progression-free survival, frequency of adverse events, proportion of Karnofsky performance status preservation, and proportion of health-related quality of life preservation. The Japan Clinical Oncology Group Protocol Review Committee approved this study protocol in April 2020. Ethics approval was granted by the National Cancer Center Hospital Certified Review Board. Patient enrollment began in August 2020. DISCUSSION: If the primary endpoint is met, short-course radiotherapy comprising 25âGy in 5 fractions with concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide will be a standard of care for elderly patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry number: jRCTs031200099 . Date of Registration: 27/Aug/2020. Date of First Participant Enrollment: 4/Sep/2020
Use of an arm weight-bearing combined with upper-limb reaching apparatus to facilitate motor paralysis recovery in an incomplete spinal cord injury patient: a single case report
Proposal criteria of paradoxical low-flow low-gradient aortic stenosis for predicting prognosis in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation
Incidence and Risk Factors for Infections Requiring Hospitalization, Including Pneumocystis Pneumonia, in Japanese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Objective. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be complicated by different infections, but risk factors for these are not fully elucidated. Here, we assessed the incidence of and risk factors for infections requiring hospitalization (IRH) including pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in patients with RA. Methods. We retrospectively surveyed all RA patients treated at our hospital from 2009 to 2013, for whom data were available on demographic features, medications, comorbidities, and severity of RA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for factors associated with the occurrence of IRH. Results. In a total of 9210 patient-years (2688 patients), there were 373 IRH (3.7/100 patient-years). Respiratory tract infections were most frequent (n=154, and additionally 16 PCP), followed by urinary tract infections (n=50). Significant factors for PCP included higher age (â„70 years; OR 3.5), male sex (6.6), underlying lung disease (3.0), use of corticosteroids (4.8), and use of biologics (5.4). Use of methotrexate (5.7) was positively associated with PCP but negatively with total infections (0.7). Additionally, functional disorders and higher RA disease activity were also related to total infections. Conclusions. Risk factors for infection should be taken into account when deciding treatment for the individual RA patient
A Novel Pollen-Pistil Interaction Conferring High-Temperature Tolerance during Reproduction via CLE45 Signaling
Combined stent-graft and surgical treatment for a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm in a high risk patient
Predictors of outcome after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: Group analysis categorized by age and type of atrial fibrillation
Abstract Background The outcome of catheter ablation could probably differ among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), depending on age and AF type. We aimed to investigate the difference in predictors of outcome after catheter ablation for AF among the patient categories divided by age and AF type. Methods and Results A total of 396 patients with AF (mean age 65.69â±â11.05âyears, 111 women [28.0%]) who underwent catheter ablation from January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. We divided the patients into four categories: patients with paroxysmal AF (PAF) or persistent AF (PeAF) who were 75âyears or younger (â€75âyears) or older than 75âyears (>75âyears). KaplanâMeier survival analysis demonstrated that patients with PAF aged â€75âyears had the lowest AF recurrence among the four groups (logârank test, p = .0103). In the patients with PAF aged â€75âyears (N = 186, 46.7%), significant factors associated with recurrence were female sex (p = .008) and diabetes (p = .042). In the patients with PeAF aged â€75âyears (N = 142, 35.9%), the only significant factor associated with no recurrence was medication with a reninâangiotensin system inhibitor (p = .044). In the patients with PAF aged >75âyears (N = 53, 14.4%), diabetes was significantly associated with AF recurrence (p = .021). No significant parameters were found in the patients with PeAF aged >75âyears (N = 15, 4.1%). Conclusions Our findings indicate that the risk factors for AF recurrence after catheter ablation differed by age and AF type