Application of the Mutual Information to the Zn Gauge Model

We introduce the mutual information to the Zn lattice gauge theory for testing the degree of correlations. It is shown that our simulation result for the plaquettes gives a clear peak on the critical point

Conversion of Normal Ly-1-Positive B-Lineage Cells into Ly-1-Positive Macrophages in Long-Term Bone Marrow Cultures

We obtained eight different cell lines in the long-term bone marrow culture system that showed a germ-line configuration of the joining (J) region segments of the Ig heavy-chain (IgH) genes. Their surface markers were CD45R+, Ly-1+, Lyb-2+, cIgM-, sIgM-, Ia-, Thy-1-, Mac-1-, and IL-2R (Tac)+. Use of very young mice and the presence of IL-5 were important for preferential promotion of the survival of B-lineage lymphocytes bearing the Ly-1 markers. When we treated two of them (J8 and J10) with 5-azacytidine for 24 h followed by co-culture with stromal cells and IL-.5, they became Ly-1+, sIgM+ B cells, and Ly-1+, Mac-1+ macrophagelike cells, respectively. After other early lymphoid lines (J1, J8, and J13) were maintained by co-culture with ST2 and IL-5 for more than a year, they showed a heterogeneous DNA rearrangement profile of the J region segment of the IgH gene, although only J13 rearranged the κ-light chain gene. Northern blot analysis revealed that these cell lines expressed Cμ-mRNA, and λ5-mRNA, consistent with normal pre-B cells. Intriguingly, J1, J8, and J13 expressed c-fms mRNA constitutively. When J13 cells were co-cultured with ST2 and GM-CSF in place of ST2 and IL-5, they acquired Mac-1 expression and retained Ly-1 expression. They were morphologically macrophages, nonspecific-esterase-positive, and showed phagocytosis of latex beads. These results support evidence for a close relationship between the myeloid and Ly-1+ B-cell pathways of differentiation, and indicate that our IL- 5-dependent clones are multipotential intermediates in differentiation from pro-B cells to B cells and macrophages

Application of Solid-State and High-Pressure Reactions for Fullerene Derivatization and CO2 Activation (ORGANIC MATERIALS CHEMISTRY-High-Pressure Organic Chemistry)

Under the solid-state reaction conditions, a nucleophilic addition of organozinc reagent occurs on fullerene C60 to give a monoadduct together with a bisadduct and a cyclopropanofullerene. Surprisingly, the fullerene C60 also undergoes a clean [2+2] type dimerization by the action of KCN or Mg powder under the similar reaction conditions. The fullerene dimer thus obtained is the very first example of (C60)2, and its structure has been determined by the X-ray crystallography. The use of high pressure (5000 atm) was also shown to be advantageous for a liquid-phase [4+2] cycloaddition of C60. The high-pressure reaction of CO with supercritical CO2 has been found to effect the C-C bond formation affording an oxalate salt in good yield in the presence of Cs2CO3

Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 contributes to the maintenance of intestinal microbiota diversity early after haematopoietic cell transplantation

Fukushima K., Kudo H., Oka K., et al. Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 contributes to the maintenance of intestinal microbiota diversity early after haematopoietic cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplantation , (2024); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-024-02250-1.In patients undergoing haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), the intestinal microbiota plays an important role in prognosis, transplant outcome, and complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Our prior research revealed that patients undergoing HSCT substantially differed from healthy controls. In this retrospective study, we showed that administering Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 (CBM588) as a live biotherapeutic agent is associated with maintaining intestinal microbiota in the early post-HSCT period. Alpha diversity, which reflects species richness, declined considerably in patients who did not receive CBM588, whereas it remained consistent in those who received CBM588. In addition, β-diversity analysis revealed that CBM588 did not alter the gut microbiota structure at 7–21 days post-HSCT. Patients who developed GVHD showed structural changes in their microbiota from the pre-transplant period, which was noticeable on day 14 before developing GVHD. Enterococcus was significantly prevalent in patients with GVHD after HSCT, and the population of Bacteroides was maintained from the pre-HSCT period through to the post-HSCT period. Patients who received CBM588 exhibited a contrasting trend, with lower relative abundances of both genera Enterococcus and Bacteroides. These results suggest that preoperative treatment with CBM588 could potentially be beneficial in maintaining intestinal microbiota balance

Auditory circuits are visualized in the inferior colliculus of the transgenic mouse

科学研究費補助金研究成果報告書研究種目: 基盤研究(C)研究期間: 2003～2004課題番号: 15500234研究代表者: 工藤 基（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 黒川 清（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助教授）研究分担者: 中村 高秋（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手）研究分担者: 瀧 公介（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助手

Modeling Low Muscle Mass Screening in Hemodialysis Patients

Introduction: Computed tomography (CT) can accurately measure muscle mass, which is necessary for diagnosing sarcopenia, even in dialysis patients. However, CT-based screening for such patients is challenging, especially considering the availability of equipment within dialysis facilities. We therefore aimed to develop a bedside prediction model for low muscle mass, defined by the psoas muscle mass index (PMI) from CT measurement. Methods: Hemodialysis patients (n = 619) who had undergone abdominal CT screening were divided into the development (n = 441) and validation (n = 178) groups. PMI was manually measured using abdominal CT images to diagnose low muscle mass by two independent investigators. The development group’s data were used to create a logistic regression model using 42 items extracted from clinical information as predictive variables; variables were selected using the stepwise method. External validity was examined using the validation group’s data, and the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. Results: Of all subjects, 226 (37%) were diagnosed with low muscle mass using PMI. A predictive model for low muscle mass was calculated using ten variables: each grip strength, sex, height, dry weight, primary cause of end-stage renal disease, diastolic blood pressure at start of session, pre-dialysis potassium and albumin level, and dialysis water removal in a session. The development group’s adjusted AUC, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.81, 60%, and 87%, respectively. The validation group’s adjusted AUC, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.73, 64%, and 82%, respectively. Discussion/Conclusion: Our results facilitate skeletal muscle screening in hemodialysis patients, assisting in sarcopenia prophylaxis and intervention decisions

Tumor-promoting function and prognostic significance of the RNA-binding protein T-cell intracellular antigen-1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA1) is an RNA-binding protein involved in many regulatory aspects of mRNA metabolism. Here, we report previously unknown tumor-promoting activity of TIA1, which seems to be associated with its isoform-specific molecular distribution and regulation of a set of cancer-related transcripts, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Immunohistochemical overexpression of TIA1 ectopically localized in the cytoplasm of tumor cells was an independent prognosticator for worse overall survival in a cohort of 143 ESCC patients. Knockdown of TIA1 inhibited proliferation of ESCC cells. By exogenously introducing each of two major isoforms, TIA1a and TIA1b, only TIA1a, which was localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm, promoted anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent ESCC cell proliferation. Ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation, followed by microarray analysis or massive-parallel sequencing, identified a set of TIA1-binding mRNAs, including SKP2 and CCNA2. TIA1 increased SKP2 and CCNA2 protein levels through the suppression of mRNA decay and translational induction, respectively. Our findings uncover a novel oncogenic function of TIA1 in esophageal tumorigenesis, and implicate its use as a marker for prognostic evaluation and as a therapeutic target in ESCC