Gene expression signatures associated with chronic endometritis revealed by RNA sequencing

IntroductionChronic endometritis (CE) is a persistent inflammatory condition of the endometrium characterized by the infiltration of plasma cells in the endometrial stroma. CD138 immunohistochemistry is considered to improve the CE diagnosis rate.MethodsUsing the number of CD138-positive cells equal or greater than five as a diagnostic criterion for CE, we identified 24 CE and 33 non-CE cases among women with infertility. We conducted RNA-sequencing analysis for these 57 cases in total as an attempt to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of CE and to search for new biomarkers for CE.Results and DiscussionBy comparing CE and non-CE groups, we identified 20 genes upregulated in the endometria of CE patients, including 12 immunoglobulin-related genes and eight non-immunoglobulin genes as differentially expressed genes. The eight genes were MUC5AC, LTF, CAPN9, MESP1, ACSM1, TVP23A, ALOX15, and MZB1. By analyzing samples in the proliferative and secretory phases of the menstrual cycle separately, we also identified four additional non-immunoglobulin genes upregulated in CE endometria: CCDC13 by comparing the samples in the proliferative phase, and OVGP1, MTUS2, and CLIC6 by comparing the samples in the secretory phase. Although the genes upregulated in CE may serve as novel diagnostic markers of CE, many of them were upregulated only in a limited number of CE cases showing an extremely high number of CD138-positive cells near or over one hundred. Exceptionally, TVP23A was upregulated in the majority of CE cases regardless of the number of CD138-positive cells. The upregulation of TVP23A in the endometria of CE cases may reflect the pathophysiology of a cell-type or cell-types intrinsic to the endometrium rather than the accumulation of plasma cells. Our data, consisting of clinical and transcriptomic information for CE and non-CE cases, helped us identify gene expression signatures associated with CE

Approach to novel functional foods for stress control : 2. Microarray assessment of exercise in healthy volunteers

DNA microarray was used to measure stress response by exercise inperipheral blood leukocytes. Aerobic exercise did not alter mRNA pattern or urinary secretion of 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Strenuous exercise increased urinary secretion of 8-OHdG and altered mRNA pattern in microarray. These results suggest that moderate exercise, i. e. aerobic exercise, did not show any change in 8-OHdG, an oxidative stress marker, or mRNA expression in the leukocytes, which might reflect whole body neurohormanal changes. In addition, strenuous exercise produced quite different expression pattern from those of psychological stress

Comprehensive phenotypic and genomic characterization of venous malformations

Hirose K., Hori Y., Ozeki M., et al. Comprehensive phenotypic and genomic characterization of venous malformations. Human Pathology 145, 48 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humpath.2024.02.004.Venous malformations (VMs) are the most common vascular malformations. TEK and PIK3CA are the causal genes of VMs, and may be involved in the PI3K/AKT pathway. However, the downstream mechanisms underlying the TEK or PIK3CA mutations in VMs are not completely understood. This study aimed to identify a possible association between genetic mutations and clinicopathological features. A retrospective clinical, pathological, and genetic study of 114 patients with VMs was performed. TEK, PIK3CA, and combined TEK/PIK3CA mutations were identified in 49 (43%), 13 (11.4%), and 2 (1.75%) patients, respectively. TEK-mutant VMs more commonly occurred in younger patients than TEK and PIK3CA mutation-negative VMs (other-mutant VMs), and showed more frequent skin involvement and no lymphocytic aggregates. No significant differences were observed in sex, location of occurrence, malformed vessel size, vessel density, or thickness of the vascular smooth muscle among the VM genotypes. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the expression levels of phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) were higher in the TEK-mutant VMs than those in PIK3CA-mutant and other-mutant VMs. The expression levels of p-mTOR and its downstream effectors were higher in all the VM genotypes than those in normal vessels. Spatial transcriptomics revealed that the genes involved in “blood vessel development”, “positive regulation of cell migration”, and “extracellular matrix organization” were up-regulated in a TEK-mutant VM. Significant genotype-phenotype correlations in clinical and pathological features were observed among the VM genotypes, indicating gene-specific effects. Detailed analysis of gene-specific effects in VMs may offer insights into the underlying molecular pathways and implications for targeted therapies

富山県で栽培されているジャノヒゲ(クサスギカズラ科) の染色体数

ジャノヒゲ（Ophiopogon japonicus）は，わが国では本州以南に自生しており，園芸植物または薬用植物として栽培もされている。ジャノヒゲの染色体数には，2n= 36, 67, 68, 70,72 が知られている。栽培されているジャノヒゲでは日光植物園において2n= 36 (Satô 1942)が，2n=67は東京都，神奈川県，石川県，岐阜県，滋賀県，大阪府，奈良県，和歌山県，福岡県，佐賀県，熊本県の栽培株で報告されていた （Nagamatsu and Noda 1971）。本研究では，富山県内の民家，公園，寺院・神社，合わせて26カ所で栽培されていた82株のジャノヒゲの染色体数を調査した。その結果77株（94%）は2n=68，５株（6%）は2n=67であった。富山県内で栽培されているジャノヒゲは報告されている他の地域の栽培ジャノヒゲとは異なり，2n=68が一般的であることが判った

Association between the presence of bacteria in prostate tissue and histopathology in biopsies from men not complaining of lower urinary tract symptoms

Objective: To investigate the presence of bacteria in prostate tissue, and relationships between the bacteria and histopathological findings. Methods: Samples were collected from prostate biopsy patients with no obvious lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Detection and identification of bacterial species in the prostate tissues were performed with PCR for 16SrDNA and DNA sequencing. Histopathology was also evaluated. LUTS and lower urinary tract function were assessed by questionnaires, uroflowmetry, and ultrasonography. Results: DNA was extracted from 97 prostate biopsies, with 5 bacterial species detected among samples from 7 patients (7.2%). The stroma-to-gland ratio in the prostate tissues from patients with bacteria was lower than in those without bacteria (p < 0.01). Glandular epithelial hyperplasia was also identified in the prostates harboring bacteria. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), IPSS-quality of life (IPSS-QOL), Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), maximum flow rate, urine volume by uroflowmetry, and post-voided residual urine were not significantly different when comparing patients with and without bacteria in their prostate samples. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that 7.2% of men without obvious LUTS had bacteria in their prostate tissues. The presence of such bacteria might induce glandular hyperplasia and contribute to pathological changes in the early stages of benign prostate enlargement before affecting LUTS

Seaweed intake and blood pressure levels in healthy pre-school Japanese children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few studies have examined whether dietary factors might affect blood pressure in children. We purposed to investigate whether seaweed intake is associated with blood pressure level among Japanese preschool children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The design of the study was cross-sectional and it was conducted in autumn 2006. Subjects were healthy preschoolers aged 3-6 years in Aichi, Japan. Blood pressure and pulse were measured once by an automated sphygmomanometer, which uses oscillometric methods. Dietary data, including seaweed intake, were assessed using 3-day dietary records covering 2 consecutive weekdays and 1 weekend day. Of a total of 533 children, 459 (86.1 percent) agreed to be enrolled in our study. Finally, blood pressure measurement, complete dietary records and parent-reported height and weight were obtained for 223 boys and 194 girls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When we examined Spearman's correlation coefficients, seaweed intake was significantly negatively related to systolic blood pressure in girls (<it>P </it>= 0.008). In the one-way analysis of covariance for blood pressure and pulse after adjustments for age and BMI, the boys with the lowest, middle and highest tertiles of seaweed intake had diastolic blood pressure readings of 62.8, 59.3 and 59.6 mmHg, respectively (<it>P </it>= 0.11, trend <it>P </it>= 0.038). Girls with higher seaweed intake had significantly lower systolic blood pressure readings (102.4, 99.2 and 96.9 mmHg for girls with the lowest, middle and highest tertiles of seaweed intake, respectively; <it>P </it>= 0.037, trend <it>P </it>= 0.030).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study showed that seaweed intake was negatively related to diastolic blood pressure in boys and to systolic blood pressure in girls. This suggests that seaweed might have beneficial effects on blood pressure among children.</p

Comparative genome and transcriptome analyses of the social amoeba Acytostelium subglobosum that accomplishes multicellular development without germ-soma differentiation

Background Social amoebae are lower eukaryotes that inhabit the soil. They are characterized by the construction of a starvation-induced multicellular fruiting body with a spore ball and supportive stalk. In most species, the stalk is filled with motile stalk cells, as represented by the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum, whose developmental mechanisms have been well characterized. However, in the genus Acytostelium, the stalk is acellular and all aggregated cells become spores. Phylogenetic analyses have shown that it is not an ancestral genus but has lost the ability to undergo cell differentiation. Results We performed genome and transcriptome analyses of Acytostelium subglobosum and compared our findings to other available dictyostelid genome data. Although A. subglobosum adopts a qualitatively different developmental program from other dictyostelids, its gene repertoire was largely conserved. Yet, families of polyketide synthase and extracellular matrix proteins have not expanded and a serine protease and ABC transporter B family gene, tagA, and a few other developmental genes are missing in the A. subglobosum lineage. Temporal gene expression patterns are astonishingly dissimilar from those of D. discoideum, and only a limited fraction of the ortholog pairs shared the same expression patterns, so that some signaling cascades for development seem to be disabled in A. subglobosum. Conclusions The absence of the ability to undergo cell differentiation in Acytostelium is accompanied by a small change in coding potential and extensive alterations in gene expression patterns

「イメージ体験」としての文学教育 : 「児童の言語生態研究会」の『きつねの窓』実践からの展望 <論文>

共同体単位の「イメージ体験」によって,子どもの存在様式に根源的な変容をもたらしていた近代以前の成人儀礼が形骸化してしまった現代において,文学教育とイメージ療法における「イメージ体験」は,その機能を今日に受け継ぐものであると言われる。しかし,近代以前の成人儀礼と比較すると,両者はそれぞれの特性と課題を持ち,その機能は十全とは言えない。特に文学教育における学習者の「イメージ体験」は往々にして,その教材の筋書きや読解指導などによって疎外されがちである。 こうした問題に対する展望を得るために,「イメージ体験」を主軸とした文学教育を展開する「児童の言語生態研究会」の『きつねの窓』の実践を考察した。その結果,「イメージ体験」を誘発する装置そのものを民俗学的視点によって作中から取り出し,教材化することによって,個々の子どもたちの「イメージ体験」過程を保障していく文学教育の在り方が見出された

The Possibility of Developing the “Image-Folklor” to the Language Arts : A Practical Lesson of Haiku by ‘Pedagogical Association for Children’s Linguistic Ecology' as an Example <Research Article>

上原輝男は心意伝承論の国語教育への展開によって，今日の子どもたちの自信の欠如や人間関係に対する不安の強さなどの問題への対応を試みていた人物である。しかしその実践で採られている教材や方法の多くは，具体的にどのような心意伝承研究に由来するのかが不明であり，他に開かれたものとなっていない。　　 そこで上原が主宰していた「児童の言語生態研究会」の俳句創作指導をとり上げて考察しその教材や方法の背景にある心意伝承論的な観点を推測して，心意伝承論を国語教育へ展開する道程を探った。その結果，上原が心意伝承の具象を教材化することによって子どもたちの「意識」と「普遍的無意識」との間に通路を聞き，普遍性と独創性を兼ねそなえた創造活動を導いていたことが判った。またそうした実践の積み重ねが，子どもたちの内に他者との連帯感と自己同一感とを同時に叶え，創造力や自己成長力を育むことへつながる可能性が見出された