Pilot Study on Interferon-γ-producing T Cell Subsets after the Protective Vaccination with Radiation-attenuated Cercaria of Schistosoma japonicum in the Miniature Pig Model

CLAWN miniature pig has been shown to serve as a suitable host for the experimental infection of Schistosoma japonicum. In this study, we found that radiation-attenuated cercaria (RAC) vaccine gave CLAWN miniature pigs protective immunity against subsequent challenge infection with S. japonicum cercaria. To characterize the protective immune response of the pig model vaccinated by attenuated cercaria, flow cytometric analysis of the reactive T cell subsets was performed. The intracellular interferon (IFN)-γ and the cell surface markers revealed the peripheral blood CD3+ T-lymphocytes produced significant amounts of IFN-γ during the immunization period and after the challenge infection. CD4+ αβ-T cells as well as CD4+/CD8αmid double positive and/or CD8αhigh αβ-T cells were the major IFN-γ-producing CD3+ T cells. On the contrary, γδ T cells did not produce intracellular IFN-γ. Our results suggested that RAC-vaccinated miniature pigs showed effective protective immunity through the activation of αβ T cells bearing antigen specific T-cell receptors but not through the activation of γδ T cells

Inhibitory effect of Makomotake components on inflammation

Zizania latifolia (wild rice) is native to Eastern and Southeastern Asia. The fungus Ustilago esculenta penetrates this aquatic perennial grass. Makomotake refers to penetration of the Zizania latifolia shoot by Ustilago esculenta. Recent studies demonstrated that Zizania latifolia extracts exhibit diverse biological activities, such as anti–oxidant effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti–inflammatory effect of Makomotake on endotoxin–induced uveitis (EIU) in mice. After the daily oral administration of Makomotake for 5 days, EIU was induced by the injection of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the footpad of mice. At 24 hours–after injection, the eyes were enucleated and cells infiltrating the anterior chamber and vitreous cavity were counted histologically. Makomotake administration significantly reduced the total number of infiltrating cells. In addition, Makomotake suppressed the production of interleukin (IL)–1 β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)–α in murine macrophages induced by LPS. Our findings show that Makomotake can be used as an anti–inflammatory agent against EIU, and that it may be useful for the treatment of acute uveitis

A case of tick-borne Yezo virus infection: Concurrent detection in the patient and tick

A 76-year-old woman infected with Yezo virus (YEZV) developed liver dysfunction and thrombocytopenia following a tick bite. Despite the severity of her elevated liver enzymes and reduced platelet counts, the patient's condition improved spontaneously without any specific treatment. To our knowledge, this represents the first documented case where the YEZV genome was detected simultaneously in a patient's serum and the tick (Ixodes persulcatus) that bit the patient. This dual detection not only supports the hypothesis that YEZV is a tick-borne pathogen but also underscores the importance of awareness and diagnostic readiness for emerging tick-borne diseases, particularly in regions where these ticks are prevalent

Collaborative Simulation Grid: Multiscale Quantum-Mechanical/Classical Atomistic Simulations on Distributed PC Clusters in the US and Japan

A multidisciplinary, collaborative simulation has been performed on a Grid of geographically distributed PC clusters. The multiscale simulation approach seamlessly combines i) atomistic simulation backed on the molecular dynamics (MD) method and ii) quantum mechanical (QM) calculation based on the density functional theory (DFT), so that accurate but less scalable computations are performed only where they are needed. The multiscale MD/QM simulation code has been Grid-enabled using i) a modular, additive hybridization scheme, ii) multiple QM clustering, and iii) computation/communication overlapping. The Gridified MD/QM simulation code has been used to study environmental effects of water molecules on fracture in silicon. A preliminary run of the code has achieved a parallel efficiency of 94% on 25 PCs distributed over 3 PC clusters in the US and Japan, and a larger test involving 154 processors on 5 distributed PC clusters is in progress