Immune evasion of the CD1d/NKT cell axis

Many reviews on the CD1d/NKT cell axis focus on the ability of CD1d-restricted NKT cells to serve as effector cells in a variety of disorders, be they infectious diseases, cancer or autoimmunity. In contrast, here, we discuss the ways that viruses, bacteria and tumor cells can evade the CD1d/NKT cell axis. As a result, these disease states have a better chance to establish a foothold and potentially cause problems for the subsequent adaptive immune response, as the host tries to rid itself of infections or tumors

A Potent CD1d-binding Glycolipid for iNKT-Cell-based Therapy Against Human Breast Cancer

Background/Aim: Invariant natural killer T-cells (iNKT) stimulated by CD1d-binding glycolipids have been shown to exert antitumor effects by a number of studies in a mouse model. Breast cancer is a devastating disease, with different types of breast cancer recurring locally or distant as metastatic/advanced disease following initial treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the tumoricidal effect of a CD1d-binding glycolipid, called 7DW8-5, against a highly invasive human breast cancer cell line both in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: Parental MDA-MB-231 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells transduced with human CD1d were labeled with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE), followed by loading with glycolipids. After co-culturing with human iNKT cells, the cells were permeabilized and stained with Alexa Flour 647-conjugated antibody to active caspase-3, and analyzed using a BD LSR II. For the in vivo tumoricidal effect, MDA-MB-231 cells transduced with human CD1d and luciferase genes were injected into the mammary fat pad of female NOD/SCID/IL2rγnull (NSG) mice, followed by the injection of human iNKT cells with or without 7DW8-5, and the levels of luminescence were analyzed with whole-body imaging. Results: Human iNKT cells could kill CD1d-expressing human breast cancer cells in vitro in the presence of 7DW8-5, but not α-GalCer. As for in vivo, the adoptive transfer of human iNKT cells into tumor-challenged NSG mice significantly inhibited the growth of CD1d+ MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells in the presence of 7DW8-5. Conclusion: CD1d-binding, glycolipid-based iNKT-cell therapy is suggested as a potent and effective treatment against breast cancer in humans

The Best Textbook of Japanese-language Teaching in the Late Ch'ing Era; Japanese-language textbook by GUO Zupei & XIONG Jinshou

1899年春,東本願寺が中国の華中方面にいくつかの東文学堂を設立した｡金陵東文学堂はそのなかでもっとも成功した一例である｡本稿は,金陵東文学堂の卒業生により作成された『日語独習書』(1903)を掘り起こし,その著者と成立刊行の経過,作成原則,構成,内容.特徴などを考察し,同時期の植民地台湾の日本語教科書との関連性を検討した｡そして,本書の活末中国の日本語教育における重要な位置と意義を明らかにし,日本語教育史研究における活末東文学堂の口語指導用の教材史料の不十分による研究の空自を埋める

Surgical Treatment for Unstable Distal Clavicle Fracture with Micromovable and Anatomical Acromioclavicular Plate

Between 2006 and 2009, 18 patients of distal clavicle fracture were treated with micro-movable and anatomical acromioclavicular plate (MAAP) in our department. According to the Neer's classification, all cases were unstable with type IIA (12 cases) and type IIB (6 cases). Functional outcome was evaluated using the Karlsson's criteria. The mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36months). No postoperative plate screws complication was observed. Osseous union could be achieved at a mean time of 12 weeks after operation in 18 patients (range, 8 -16 weeks). According to Karlsson's criteria, radiographic appearances and postoperative shoulder functional recovery revealed a good and excellent rate in these cases. We conclude that surgical treatment using MAAP seems to be a good option for unstable type II fractures of the distal clavicle. This technique allows for reliable fixation with early functional exercises and functional recovery

3D Palmprint Recognition Using Dempster-Shafer Fusion Theory

This paper proposed a novel 3D palmprint recognition algorithm by combining 3D palmprint features using D-S fusion theory. Firstly, the structured light imaging is used to acquire the 3D palmprint data. Secondly, two types of unique features, including mean curvature feature and Gaussian curvature feature, are extracted. Thirdly, the belief function of the mean curvature recognition and the Gaussian curvature recognition was assigned, respectively. Fourthly, the fusion belief function from the proposed method was determined by the Dempster-shafer (D-S) fusion theory. Finally, palmprint recognition was accomplished according to the classification criteria. A 3D palmprint database with 1000 range images from 100 individuals was established, on which extensive experiments were performed. The results show that the proposed method 3D palmprint recognition is much more robust to illumination variations and condition changes of palmprint than MCR and GCR. Meanwhile, by fusing mean curvature and Gaussian curvature feature, the experimental results are promising (the average equal error rate of 0.404%). In the future, imaging technique needs further improvement for a better recognition performance

Duplication and Remolding of tRNA Genes in the Mitochondrial Genome of \u3cem\u3eReduvius tenebrosus\u3c/em\u3e (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Most assassin bugs are predators that act as important natural enemies of insect pests. Mitochondrial (mt) genomes of these insects are double-strand circular DNAs that encode 37 genes. In the present study, we explore the duplication and rearrangement of tRNA genes in the mt genome of Reduvius tenebrosus, the first mt genome from the subfamily Reduviinae. The gene order rearranges from CR (control region)-trnI-trnQ-trnM-ND2 to CR-trnQ-trnI2-trnI1-trnM-ND2. We identified 23 tRNA genes, including 22 tRNAs commonly found in insects and an additional trnI (trnI2), which has high sequence similarity to trnM. We found several pseudo genes, such as pseudo-trnI, pseudo-CR, and pseudo-ND2, in the hotspot region of gene rearrangement (between the control region and ND2). These features provided evidence that this novel gene order could be explained by the tandem duplication/random loss (TDRL) model. The tRNA duplication/anticodon mutation mechanism further explains the presence of trnI2, which is remolded from a duplicated trnM in the TDRL process (through an anticodon mutation of CAT to GAT). Our study also raises new questions as to whether the two events proceed simultaneously and if the remolded tRNA gene is fully functional. Significantly, the duplicated tRNA gene in the mitochondrial genome has evolved independently at least two times within assassin bugs