Clinical characteristics of neuro-Behcet’s disease in Japan: a multicenter retrospective analysis

To delineate the clinical characteristics of neuro-Behçet’s disease (NBD), a multicenter retrospective survey was performed in BD patients who had presented any neurological manifestations between 1988 and 2008. The diagnosis of acute NBD, chronic progressive (CP) NBD, and non-NBD was confirmed by retrospective review of clinical records. Data on a total of 144 patients were collected; 76 with acute NBD, 35 with CP NBD, and 33 with non-NBD. High-intensity lesions on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were found in 60.5% of the patients with acute NBD, 54.2% with CP NBD, and 42.4% with non-NBD, whereas brainstem atrophy was observed in 7.5% with acute NBD, 71.4% with CP NBD, and 9.0% with non-NBD. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell count was prominently elevated in patients with acute NBD, but was normal in about 15% of those with CP NBD. The sensitivity and specificity of the CSF cell count for the diagnosis of acute NBD versus non-NBD were 97.4 and 97.0%, respectively (cut-off 6.2/mm3). The sensitivity and specificity of CSF interleukin (IL)-6 for the diagnosis of CP NBD versus the recovery phase of acute NBD were 86.7 and 94.7%, respectively (cut-off 16.55 pg/ml). The results indicate that elevation of the CSF cell count and CSF IL-6 and the presence of brainstem atrophy on MRI are useful for the diagnosis of NBD

IFITM1 Promotes Invasion of HNSCC Cells

Purpose: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), one of the most common types of human cancer, show persistent invasion that frequently leads to local recurrence and distant lymphatic metastasis. However, molecular mechanisms associated with invasion of HNSCC remain poorly understood. We identified Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) as a candidate gene for promoting the invasion of HNSCC by comparing the gene expression profiles between parent and a highly invasive clone. Therefore, we examined the role of IFITM1 in the invasion of HNSCC. Experimental Design: IFITM1 expression was examined in HNSCC cell lines and cases by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. IFITM1 overexpressing and knockdown cells were generated, and the invasiveness of these cells was examined by in vitro invasion assay. Gene expression profiling of HNSCC cells overexpressing IFITM1 versus control cells was examined by microarray. Results: HNSCC cells expressed IFITM1 mRNA at higher levels, while normal cells did not express. By immunohistochemistry, IFITM1 expression was observed in early invasive HNSCC and invasive HNSCC. Interestingly, IFITM1 was expressed at the invasive front of early invasive HNSCC, and higher expression of IFITM1 was found in invasive HNSCC. In fact, IFITM1 overexpression promoted and IFITM1 knockdown suppressed the invasion of HNSCC cells in vitro. Gene expression profiling of HNSCC cells overexpressing IFITM1 versus control cells revealed that several genes including matrix metalloproteinase were up-regulated in IFITM1 overexpressing cells. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that IFITM1 plays an important role for the invasion at the early stage of HNSCC progression, and that IFITM1 can be a therapeutic target for HNSCC

Transcriptome map of plant mitochondria reveals islands of unexpected transcribed regions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plant mitochondria contain a relatively large amount of genetic information, suggesting that their functional regulation may not be as straightforward as that of metazoans. We used a genomic tiling array to draw a transcriptomic atlas of <it>Oryza sativa japonica </it>(rice) mitochondria, which was predicted to be approximately 490-kb long.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Whereas statistical analysis verified the transcription of all previously known functional genes such as the ones related to oxidative phosphorylation, a similar extent of RNA expression was frequently observed in the inter-genic regions where none of the previously annotated genes are located. The newly identified open reading frames (ORFs) predicted in these transcribed inter-genic regions were generally not conserved among flowering plant species, suggesting that these ORFs did not play a role in mitochondrial principal functions. We also identified two partial fragments of retrotransposon sequences as being transcribed in rice mitochondria.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study indicated the previously unexpected complexity of plant mitochondrial RNA metabolism. Our transcriptomic data (<it>Oryza sativa </it>Mitochondrial rna Expression Server: OsMES) is publicly accessible at [<url>http://bioinf.mind.meiji.ac.jp/cgi-bin/gbrowse/OsMes/#search</url>].</p

An Antiproliferative Monoclonal Antibody, 4F9, Reacts with a Subset of Human CD45 Molecules.

The 4F9 monoclonal antibody (IgM) was established for its ability to induce mild growth inhibition to a human T cell line, SUP-T13. The antibody reacted with all hematopoietic cell lines, but not with nonhematopoietic cell lines. Im-munoprecipitation and immunoblotting experiments showed that 4F9 recognized cell surface molecules with apparent molecular weights of between 190 and 220 kDa which varied slightly in size among the cell lines. Therefore, it was strong-ly suggsted that 4F9 recognizes a subset of human CD45 molecules. In immuno-histochemical analysis with paraffin-embedded tissue sections, 4F9 reacted with most lymphocytes except for germinal center B cells in lymph nodes and both medullary and cortical thymocytes. The results of the present study indicated that the anti-CD45, such as 4F9 antibody, affect growth of malignant T cells. The 4F9 antibody is useful in the immunohistochemical analysis of CD45 mole-cules in paraffin-embedded tissue sections

Stereodivergent synthesis and relative stereostructure of the C1-C13 fragment of symbiodinolide

Four possible diastereomers of the C1-C13 fragment of symbiodinolide, which were proposed by the stereostructural analysis of the degraded product, were synthesized in a stereodivergent and stereoselective manner. The key transformations were aldol reaction of methyl acetoacetate with the aldehyde, diastereoselective reduction of the resulting β-hydroxy ketone, and the stereoinversion at the C6 position. Comparison of the (1)H NMR data between the four synthetic products and the degraded product revealed the relative stereostructure of the C1-C13 fragment of symbiodinolide

チョウカン トランス ポーター オ ブンシ ヒョウテキ トシタ ジンシッカン チリョウホウ ノ カクリツ オ メザシテ

The understanding of intestinal function in chronic kidney disease（CKD）has been important elements in the clinical management of CKD with dietary and drug therapy. Numerous studies have indicated that CKD patients or model rats have enzymatic abnormalities and impairments of absorptive function in the small intestine. However, it has been still unclear how different of the intestinal function in CKD. In this study, we demonstrated the microarray analysis of global gene expression in intestine of adenine-induced CKD rat. DNA microarray analysis using Affymextrix rat gene chip revealed that CKD caused great changes in gene expression in the rat duodenum : about４００genes exhibited more than a two-fold change in expression level. Gene ontology analysis showed that a global regulation of genes by CKD involved in iron ion binding, alcoholic, organic acid and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, we found markedly changes of a number of intestinal transporters gene expression. These results suggest that CKD may alter some nutrient metabolism in the small intestine by modifying the expression of specific genes. The intestinal transcriptome database of CKD might be useful to develop the novel drugs or functional foods targeting several intestinal genes including transporters for the management of CKD

Christopher Simpson The Division-Viol, or The Art of PLAYING Ex tempore upon a GROUND. EDITIO SECVNDA Part III "The Method of ordering Division to a Ground" (1)

本訳稿はChristopher Simpson (1605頃－1669) 著 The Division-Viol, or, The Art of PLAYING Ex tempore upon a GROUND. DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS. EDITIO SECVNDA, London, 1665 のPart III "The Method of ordering Division to a Ground" より§1～§6(pp.27-40)の全訳である