Cocirculation of Antigenic Variants and the Vaccine-Type Virus during the 2004-2005 Influenza B Virus Epidemics in Japan▿

In the 2004-2005 season, there was a large epidemic of the influenza B virus Yamagata group in Kobe, Japan. In hemagglutination inhibition tests, most of the clinical isolates from Kobe showed antigenicities similar to those of previous isolates (the vaccine-type virus). Only a few antigenic variants were isolated around the peak of the epidemic; however, Kobe residents developed antibodies against the variants during the season. The antigenic variants showed a one-point mutation of a nucleotide in the HA1 gene (C440A or G421A), which resulted in the substitution of one amino acid in the 150 loop of the HA molecule (T147N or G141R). The 150 loop is one of four epitopes of the hemagglutinin molecule of the influenza B virus. We established a system to detect one-point differences in the nucleotides of the 150 loop by means of high-resolution melting curve analysis with LCGreen. With this system, the isolates were determined to be the vaccine-type virus, antigenic variants, or a mixture of both. Some isolates were shown to be mixtures although they had been recognized as the vaccine-type virus with the hemagglutination inhibition tests. Thus, the antigenic variants appeared in the early period of the epidemic and were cocirculating with the vaccine-type virus during the epidemic

Evaluation of insulin sensitivity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Introdução: A doença cardiovascular prematura é uma das maiores causas de morbi-mortalidade no lúpus eritematoso sistêmico (LES) e parece estar relacionada à maior prevalência de fatores de risco clássicos e não clássicos. A resistência à insulina (RI) é um importante fator de risco para doenças cardiovasculares (DCV), podendo ter papel no risco cardiovascular aumentado no LES. Objetivo: Avaliar a sensibilidade à insulina de pacientes com LES em resposta ao teste oral de tolerância à refeição (MTT - Meal tolerance test), controlando por potenciais variáveis intervenientes, a saber, nível de atividade física, composição corporal e consumo alimentar. Metodologia: Pacientes com LES (LES; n=33) recrutadas no ambulatório de Reumatologia do HC-FMUSP e voluntárias saudáveis (CTRL; n = 16), pareadas por idade, gênero e índice de massa corporal foram selecionadas. As participantes foram submetidas ao MTT para determinação de estimativas da sensibilidade à insulina e de função das células beta, nível de atividade física (acelerometria), composição corporal (DXA), consumo alimentar (recordatórios alimentares), concentração de adipocinas e citocinas inflamatórias, atividade da doença e uso de medicamentos. Resultados: LES e CTRL apresentaram glicemia de jejum e em resposta ao MTT similares. Em contrapartida, LES apresentou maior insulinemia de jejum, HOMA RI, razão insulina/glicose de jejum e em resposta ao MTT, glucagonemia de jejum e em resposta ao MTT (p < 0,05) e tendência ao menor Índice de sensibilidade à inulina Matsuda (p = 0,06) e à maior insulinemia em resposta ao MTT (p=0,09) quando comparado ao CTRL. Em relação às estimativas da função das células beta, a razão pró-insulina/insulina de jejum e em resposta ao MTT foram similares entre os grupos, embora o grupo LES tenha apresentado maior índice insulinogênico (p=0,02). Conclusão: O grupo LES apresentou maior RI e hiperglucagonemia apesar de tolerância normal à glicose e função preservada das células beta quando comparado ao grupo controle. Esses resultados sugerem que os pacientes LES possuem maior risco de desenvolver DCV quando comparados a sujeitos saudáveis com composição corporal, ingestão alimentar e nível de atividade física similares, o que reforça a necessidade de estratégias para melhorar a sensibilidade à insulina, potencialmente prevenindo ou retardando o surgimento de DCV no LESBackground: Premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and may be associated with classic and non-classic risk factors. Insulin resistance (IR) is an independent risk factor for CVD and could play a fundamental role in the substantially increased CVD risk in SLE. Objective: To assess insulin sensitivity in a cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) fasting and in response to a meal tolerance test (MTT), controlling by potential intervening components, such as physical activity level, body composition and food intake. Methods: SLE patients (LES; n=33) recruited in the HC-FMUSP ambulatory of rheumatology and 16 age- and BMI-matched healthy women (CTRL) were selected. The participants underwent a mixed meal test for assess insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function. Further measurements included physical activity level (assessed by accelerometry), body composition (assessed by DXA), food intake (assessed by a 3-day food record), inflammatory cytokines and adipokines concentrations, disease activity and drug intake. Results: SLE and CTRL showed similar fasting glucose and glucose response to the MTT. In contrast, SLE showed higher fasting insulin levels, HOMA IR, fasting insulin-to-glucose ratio, insulin-to-glucose ratio response to the MTT, fasting glucagon levels, glucagon response to the MTT (p < 0.05), and a tendency towards a lower Matsuda index of whole-body insulin sensitivity (p = 0.06) and a higher insulin response to the MTT (p = 0.09) when compared with CTRL. With respect to the beta-cell function estimates, fasting proinsulin-to-insulin ratio and proinsulin-to-insulin ratio response to the MTT were similar between groups, although SLE showed a higher insulinogenic index (p = 0.02). Conclusion: SLE group showed increased IR and hyperglucagonemia despite normal glucose tolerance and preserved beta-cell function when compared with healthy controls. These results suggest that SLE patients are at higher risk of developing CVD, when compared with healthy subjects with similar body composition, food intake and physical activity level, which reinforces the need of strategies capable of ameliorating insulin sensitivity, thus, potentially preventing or delaying the onset of CVD in SL

Isochoric heating of solid-density plasmas beyond keV temperature by fast thermal diffusion with relativistic picosecond laser light

The interaction of relativistic short-pulse lasers with matter produces fast electrons with over megaampere currents, which supposedly heats a solid target isochorically and forms a hot dense plasma. In a picosecond timescale, however, thermal diffusion from hot preformed plasma turns out to be the dominant process of isochoric heating. We describe a heating process, fast thermal diffusion, launched from the preformed plasma heated resistively by the fast electron current. We demonstrate the fast thermal diffusion in the keV range in a solid density plasma by a series of one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. A theoretical model of the fast thermal diffusion is developed and we derive the diffusion speed as a function of the laser amplitude and target density. Under continuous laser irradiation, the diffusion front propagates at a constant speed in uniform plasma. Our model can provide a guideline for fast isochoric heating using future kilojoule petawatt lasers

Meson properties from mesic atoms and mesic nuclei

Meson properties are believed to have close connection to the fundamental theory, QCD, and have been studied for a long time both theoretically and experimentally. In this report, we study the recent activities in this field and consider the η(958) mesic nuclei and the deeply bound pionic atoms. We summarize the possible formation of the η(958) mesic nuclei by the (p, d) reactions and report the new possibilities of the spectroscopic study of the pionic atoms using the (d,3He) reactions

Meson properties from mesic atoms and mesic nuclei

Meson properties are believed to have close connection to the fundamental theory, QCD, and have been studied for a long time both theoretically and experimentally. In this report, we study the recent activities in this field and consider the η(958) mesic nuclei and the deeply bound pionic atoms. We summarize the possible formation of the η(958) mesic nuclei by the (p, d) reactions and report the new possibilities of the spectroscopic study of the pionic atoms using the (d,3He) reactions

Acute Kidney Injury Caused by Evans Syndrome with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Systemic Sclerosis

A 65-year-old woman with systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus developed acute kidney injury (AKI), Coombs-positive autoimmune hemolytic anemia and autoimmune thrombocytopenia; therefore, she was diagnosed with Evans syndrome (ES). Intravascular hemolysis was suggested as the cause of AKI based on the presence of acute tubular injury and trace hemosiderin deposits on the renal biopsy. The renal function, hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia were restored by an increased dose of glucocorticoids, hemodialysis, and plasma exchange. Although ES with severe hemolytic anemia is very rare, it is important to detect possible renal dysfunction when encountering patients with severe hemolysis

iPSC-Derived Platelets Depleted of HLA Class I Are Inert to Anti-HLA Class I and Natural Killer Cell Immunity

ゲノム編集技術を用いてiPS細胞から「ユニバーサル」な血小板の作製に成功. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2020-01-07.The ex vivo production of platelets depleted of human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) could serve as a universal measure to overcome platelet transfusion refractoriness caused by HLA-I incompatibility. Here, we developed human induced pluripotent cell-derived HLA-I-deficient platelets (HLA-KO iPLATs) in a clinically applicable imMKCL system by genetic manipulation and assessed their immunogenic properties including natural killer (NK) cells, which reject HLA-I downregulated cells. HLA-KO iPLATs were deficient for all HLA-I but did not elicit a cytotoxic response by NK cells in vitro and showed circulation equal to wild-type iPLATs upon transfusion in our newly established Hu-NK-MSTRG mice reconstituted with human NK cells. Additionally, HLA-KO iPLATs successfully circulated in an alloimmune platelet transfusion refractoriness model of Hu-NK-MISTRG mice. Mechanistically, the lack of NK cell-activating ligands on platelets may be responsible for evading the NK cell response. This study revealed the unique non-immunogenic property of platelets and provides a proof of concept for the clinical application of HLA-KO iPLATs