筋収縮維持可能なmotor point追従刺激を用いた機能的電気刺激についての研究

　機能的電気刺激(以下FES)により連続的な筋収縮を行うと，FESによる筋収縮が弱化し運動誘発を起こしにくくなるという問題がある．これは臨床において，リハビリテーションを継続する時間やリハビリテーション中の安定的な運動補助に影響を与える可能性がある．　本研究は，FESによる筋収縮を持続的に誘発可能とすることを目的にしている．FESによる筋収縮の持続性向上のためNguyenらはSpatially distributed sequential stimulation (SDSS)を提案している． SDSSは下腿三頭筋において外側筋と内側筋とで刺激する筋肉を時間的に切り替える手法である．しかし，上腕二頭筋や上腕三頭筋，前脛骨筋といった筋肉は外側筋や内側筋が存在しないためSDSSを適用することはできず，SDSSは適用範囲に問題点かあると考えられる．　本研究は，FESによる筋収縮を持続的に誘発可能とするために多点表面電極を用いたMotor Pointの移動に応じた機能的電気刺激手法を提案する(以下Motor Point Tracking Stimulation: MPT)．Motor Pointとは一つの運動神経から複数の運等神経に分岐する分岐点で，Motor Pointの刺激によって筋収縮を生じやすくする位置のことである．Motor Pointに電気刺激することで筋収縮が小さいエネルギーで誘発できることが分かっている．その為Motor Pointの移動に依らずMotor Pointを刺激することで筋収縮を持続的に誘発できることが考えられる．　MPTの筋収縮の持続性を評価するためにMPTによる求心性収縮を継続した際の関節駆動域の時間変化について刺激位置を変化させない刺激及び異なった順序で刺激位置を変化させる刺激に対して比較した．結果としてMPTではほとんどの被験者において(5人7人中)比較対象と比べ関節駆動域の向上が確認できた．　これらの結果からMotor Pointに追従するように刺激位置を変化させることでFESによる筋収縮の持続性は改善することが確認できた．電気通信大学201

Immunological aspects of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), a possible neoplasm of regulatory T-cells

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a distinct disease caused by the first discovered human oncogenic retrovirus, human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1). The peculiarity of this disease is not only in its causative agent HTLV-1 but also in the character of leukemia cells. ATLL cells express the mature helper/inducer T-cell antigens, CD2, CD3, CD4 and CD5 but usually lacking CD8. Despite CD4 expression, it has long been known that ATLL cells exhibit strong immunosuppressive activity in vitro. Notably, ATLL patients are in severely immunosuppressed conditions and this causes higher incidences of opportunistic infections than other types of leukemia and lymphoma. Since ATLL cells constitutively express CD25, this prompted investigators to study ATLL cells from the viewpoint of regulatory T cells (Treg cells). ATLL cells satisfy all the criteria of Treg cells, as they express Foxp3, the master gene of Treg lineage, the glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor (GITR), and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated molecul-4 (CTLA-4). Moreover, other profiles including chemokine receptor expression also support that ATLL is a neoplasm of Treg cell origin. Here we review the immunological aspects of ATLL cells and discuss this cell origin

Abnormality Detection of Persons Living Alone Using Daily Life Patterns Obtained from Sensors

In this research, the goal was construction of a system by which multiple sensors were used to observe the daily life behavior of persons living alone (while respecting their privacy). Using this information to judge such conditions as a bad physical condition or falling in the home, etc., so that these abnormal conditions can be made known to relatives and third parties. The daily life patterns of persons living alone are expressed by the number of responses of sensors each time that a set time period has elapsed. By comparing data for the prior two weeks, it was possible to judge a situation as 'normal' when the person was in a good physical condition or as 'abnormal' when the person was in a bad physical condition

Characteristic expression of HTLV-1 basic zipper factor (HBZ) transcripts in HTLV-1 provirus-positive cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>HTLV-1 causes adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Although there have been many studies on the oncogenesis of the viral protein Tax, the precise oncogenic mechanism remains to be elucidated. Recently, a new viral factor, HTLV-1 basic Zip factor (HBZ), encoded from the minus strand mRNA was discovered and the current models of Tax-centered ATL cell pathogenesis are in conflict with this discovery. HBZs consisting of non-spliced and spliced isoforms (HBZ-SI) are thought to be implicated in viral replication and T-cell proliferation but there is little evidence on the HBZ expression profile on a large scale.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To investigate the role of HBZ-SI in HTLV-1 provirus-positive cells, the HBZ-SI and Tax mRNA loads in samples with a mixture of infected and non-infected cells were measured and then adjusted by dividing by the HTLV-I proviral load. We show here that the HBZ-SI mRNA level is 4-fold higher than non-spliced HBZ and is expressed by almost all cells harboring HTLV-1 provirus with variable intensity. The proviral-adjusted HBZ-SI and Tax quantification revealed a characteristic imbalanced expression feature of high HBZ and low Tax expression levels in primary ATL cells or high HBZ and very high Tax levels in HTLV-1-related cell lines (cell lines) compared with a standard expression profile of low HBZ and low Tax in infected cells. Interestingly, according to the mutual Tax and HBZ expression status, HTLV-1-related cell lines were subcategorized into two groups, an ATL cell type with high HBZ and low Tax levels and another type with high Tax and either high or low HBZ, which was closely related to its cell origin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first comprehensive study to evaluate the mutual expression profile of HBZ and Tax in provirus-positive cells, revealing that there are quantitative and relative characteristic features among infected cells, primary ATL cells, and cell lines.</p

High Human T Cell Leukemia Virus Type-1(HTLV-1) Provirus Load in Patients with HTLV-1 Carriers Complicated with HTLV-1-unrelated disorders

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To address the clinical and virological significance of a high HTLV-1 proviral load (VL) in practical blood samples from asymptomatic and symptomatic carriers, we simultaneously examined VL and clonal expansion status using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quantification (infected cell % of peripheral mononuclear cells) and Southern blotting hybridization (SBH) methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The present study disclosed extremely high VL with highly dense smears with or without oligoclonal bands in SBH. A high VL of 10% or more was observed in 16 (43.2%) of a total of 33 samples (one of 13 asymptomatic carriers, 8 of 12 symptomatic carriers, and 7 of 8 patients with lymphoma-type ATL without circulating ATL cells). In particular, an extremely high VL of 50% or more was limited to symptomatic carriers whose band findings always contained at least dense smears derived from polyclonally expanded cells infected with HTLV-1. Sequential samples revealed that the VL value was synchronized with the presence or absence of dense smears, and declined at the same time as disappearing dense smears. Dense smears transiently emerged at the active stage of the underlying disease. After disappearance of the smears, several clonal bands became visible and were persistently retained, explaining the process by which the clonality of HTLV-1-infected cells is established. The cases with only oligoclonal bands tended to maintain a stable VL of around 20% for a long time. Two of such cases developed ATL 4 and 3.5 years later, suggesting that a high VL with oligoclonal bands may be a predisposing risk to ATL.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The main contributor to extremely high VL seems to be transient emergence of dense smears detected by the sensitivity level of SBH, corresponding to polyclonal expansion of HTLV-1-infected cells including abundant small clones. Major clones retained after disappearance of dense smears stably persist and acquire various malignant characteristics step by step.</p

Paradoxical expression of IL-28B mRNA in peripheral blood in human T-cell leukemia virus Type-1 mono-infection and co-infection with hepatitis C Virus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) carriers co-infected with and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been known to be at higher risk of their related diseases than mono-infected individuals. The recent studies clarified that IL-28B polymorphism rs8099917 is associated with not only the HCV therapeutic response by IFN, but also innate immunity and antiviral activity. The aim of our research was to clarify study whether IL-28B gene polymorphism (rs8099917) is associated with HTLV-1/HCV co-infection.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genotyping and viral-serological analysis for 340 individuals showed that IL-28B genotype distribution of rs8099917 SNP did not differ significantly by respective viral infection status. However, the IL-28B mRNA expression level was 3.8 fold higher in HTLV-1 mono-infection than HTLV-1/HCV co-infection. The high expression level was associated with TT (OR, 6.25), whiles the low expression was associated with co-infection of the two viruses (OR, 9.5). However, there was no association between down-regulation and ATL development (OR, 0.8).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HTLV-1 mono-infection up-regulates the expression of IL-28B transcripts in genotype-dependent manner, whiles HTLV-1/HCV co-infection down-regulates regardless of ATL development.</p