The outcome and a new ISN/RPS 2003 classification of lupus nephritis in Japanese

The outcome and a new ISN/RPS 2003 classification of lupus nephritis in Japanese.BackgroundA considerable diversity in prognosis is seen with lupus glomerulonephritis (LGN). Hence, the clinical usefulness of a recent International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) 2003 classification to judge the long-term outcome of human LGN has been investigated.MethodsWe studied retrospectively 60 subjects with LGN (7 males, 53 females, mean age of 33 years old) who underwent renal biopsies and were followed from 1 to 366 months, with a mean of 187 months. We diagnosed renal pathology as classes, active and sclerosing lesions, according to the new and WHO1995 classification of LGN, and analyzed the clinicopathologic factors affecting to the prognosis of LGN.ResultsNew classification got much higher consensus in the judgment of classes (98% vs. 83%, P = 0.0084). The group of Class IV-S (N = 6) or IV-G (N = 17) at initial biopsies showed higher rate of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) compared with that of Class I, II, III or V (40.9% vs. 2.6%, P < 0.001). The mean 50% renal survival time of Class IV was 189 ± 29 months, and patients with Class IV-S tended to have a poorer prognosis (95 ± 22 months for IV-S vs. 214 ± 35 months for IV-G, P = 0.1495). Class IV was also selected as the most significant risk factor for ESRF by stepwise model (P = 0.002). In subanalysis for ESRF in Class IV (-S or –G), treatment including methylprednisolone pulse therapy was only selected as a significant improving factor for primary outcome (P = 0.034). In addition, activity index was the significant risk factor of death and/or ESRF after initial renal biopsies (P = 0.043). As for actuarial patient death during all follow-up periods, complications with anti-phospholipid syndrome or nephrotic syndrome were significant risk factors (P = 0.013, P = 0.041, respectively).ConclusionNew ISN/RPS 2003 classification provided beneficial pathologic information relevant to the long-term renal outcome and the optimal therapy preventing ESRF and/or death in patients with LGN

DLPFC and KYN in MDD treatment response

Aim: To establish treatment response biomarkers that reflect the pathophysiology of depression, it is important to use an integrated set of features. This study aimed to determine the relationship between regional brain activity at rest and blood metabolites related to treatment response to escitalopram to identify the characteristics of depression that respond to treatment. Methods: Blood metabolite levels and resting-state brain activity were measured in patients with moderate to severe depression (n = 65) before and after 6–8 weeks of treatment with escitalopram, and these were compared between Responders and Nonresponders to treatment. We then examined the relationship between blood metabolites and brain activity related to treatment responsiveness in patients and healthy controls (n = 36). Results: Thirty-two patients (49.2%) showed a clinical response (>50% reduction in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score) and were classified as Responders, and the remaining 33 patients were classified as Nonresponders. The pretreatment fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) value of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and plasma kynurenine levels were lower in Responders, and the rate of increase of both after treatment was correlated with an improvement in symptoms. Moreover, the fALFF value of the left DLPFC was significantly correlated with plasma kynurenine levels in pretreatment patients with depression and healthy controls. Conclusion: Decreased resting-state regional activity of the left DLPFC and decreased plasma kynurenine levels may predict treatment response to escitalopram, suggesting that it may be involved in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder in response to escitalopram treatment

Na content dependence of superconductivity and the spin correlations in Na_{x}CoO_{2}\cdot 1.3H_{2}O

We report systematic measurements using the ^{59}Co nuclear quadrupole resonance(NQR) technique on the cobalt oxide superconductors Na_{x}CoO_{2}\cdot 1.3H_{2}O over a wide Na content range x=0.25\sim 0.34. We find that T_c increases with decreasing x but reaches to a plateau for x \leq0.28. In the sample with x \sim 0.26, the spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T_1 shows a T^3 variation below T_c and down to T\sim T_c/6, which unambiguously indicates the presence of line nodes in the superconducting (SC) gap function. However, for larger or smaller x, 1/T_1 deviates from the T^3 variation below T\sim 2 K even though the T_c (\sim 4.7 K) is similar, which suggests an unusual evolution of the SC state. In the normal state, the spin correlations at a finite wave vector become stronger upon decreasing x, and the density of states at the Fermi level increases with decreasing x, which can be understood in terms of a single-orbital picture suggested on the basis of LDA calculation.Comment: version published in J. Phys. Condens. Matter (references updated and more added

Lipid phosphate phosphatase-1 regulates lysophosphatidic acid- and platelet-derived-growth-factor-induced cell migration

LPPs (lipid phosphate phosphatases) are members of a family of enzymes that catalyse the dephosphorylation of lipid phosphates. The only known form of regulation of this family of enzymes is via de novo expression of LPP isoforms in response to growth factors. In this respect, we evaluated the effect of moderate increases in the expression of recombinant LPP1 on signal transduction by both G-protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases. We present evidence for a novel role of LPP1 in reducing PDGF (platelet-derived growth factor)- and lysophosphatidic acid-induced migration of embryonic fibroblasts. We demonstrate that the overexpression of LPP1 inhibits cell migration by reducing the PDGF-induced activation of p42/p44 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). This appears to occur via a mechanism that involves the LPP1-induced down-regulation of typical PKC (protein kinase C) isoform(s), which are normally required for PDGF-induced activation of p42/p44 MAPK and migration. In this regard, DAG (diacylglycerol) levels are high and sustained in cells overexpressing LPP1, suggesting a dynamic interconversion of phosphatidic acid into DAG by LPP1. This may account for the effects of LPP1 on cell migration, as sustained DAG is known to down-regulate PKC isoforms in cells. Therefore the physiological changes in the expression levels of LPP1 might represent a heterologous desensitization mechanism for attenuating PKC-mediated signalling and regulation of cell migration

Role of exosomes as a proinflammatory mediator in the development of EBV-associated lymphoma

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes various diseases in the elderly, including B-cell lymphoma such as Hodgkin's lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Here, we show that EBV acts in trans on noninfected macrophages in the tumor through exosome secretion and augments the development of lymphomas. In a humanized mouse model, the different formation of lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) between 2 EBV strains (Akata and B95-8) was evident. Furthermore, injection of Akata-derived exosomes affected LPD severity, possibly through the regulation of macrophage phenotype in vivo. Exosomes collected from Akata-lymphoblastoid cell lines reportedly contain EBV-derived noncoding RNAs such as BamHI fragment A rightward transcript (BART) micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and EBVencoded RNA.We focused on the exosome-mediated delivery of BART miRNAs. In vitro, BART miRNAs could induce the immune regulatory phenotype in macrophages characterized by the gene expressions of interleukin 10, tumor necrosis factor-a, and arginase 1, suggesting the immune regulatory role of BART miRNAs.The expression level of an EBV-encoded miRNA was strongly linked to the clinical outcomes in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.These results implicate BART miRNAs as 1 of the factors regulating the severity of lymphoproliferative disease and as a diagnostic marker for EBV1 B-cell lymphoma. (Blood. 2018;131(23):2552-2567)

Results of the search for inspiraling compact star binaries from TAMA300's observation in 2000-2004

We analyze the data of TAMA300 detector to search for gravitational waves from inspiraling compact star binaries with masses of the component stars in the range 1-3Msolar. In this analysis, 2705 hours of data, taken during the years 2000-2004, are used for the event search. We combine the results of different observation runs, and obtained a single upper limit on the rate of the coalescence of compact binaries in our Galaxy of 20 per year at a 90% confidence level. In this upper limit, the effect of various systematic errors such like the uncertainty of the background estimation and the calibration of the detector's sensitivity are included.Comment: 8 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses revtex4.sty The author list was correcte

The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO

DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to open a new window of observation for gravitational wave astronomy especially between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz, revealing various mysteries of the universe such as dark energy, formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and inflation of the universe. The pre-conceptual design of DECIGO consists of three drag-free spacecraft, whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry– Perot Michelson interferometer. We plan to launch two missions, DECIGO pathfinder and pre- DECIGO first and finally DECIGO in 2024

DECIGO pathfinder

DECIGO pathfinder (DPF) is a milestone satellite mission for DECIGO (DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) which is a future space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to provide us fruitful insights into the universe, in particular about dark energy, a formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and the inflation of the universe. Since DECIGO will be an extremely large mission which will formed by three drag-free spacecraft with 1000m separation, it is significant to gain the technical feasibility of DECIGO before its planned launch in 2024. Thus, we are planning to launch two milestone missions: DPF and pre-DECIGO. The conceptual design and current status of the first milestone mission, DPF, are reviewed in this article

Observation results by the TAMA300 detector on gravitational wave bursts from stellar-core collapses

We present data-analysis schemes and results of observations with the TAMA300 gravitational-wave detector, targeting burst signals from stellar-core collapse events. In analyses for burst gravitational waves, the detection and fake-reduction schemes are different from well-investigated ones for a chirp-wave analysis, because precise waveform templates are not available. We used an excess-power filter for the extraction of gravitational-wave candidates, and developed two methods for the reduction of fake events caused by non-stationary noises of the detector. These analysis schemes were applied to real data from the TAMA300 interferometric gravitational wave detector. As a result, fake events were reduced by a factor of about 1000 in the best cases. The resultant event candidates were interpreted from an astronomical viewpoint. We set an upper limit of 2.2x10^3 events/sec on the burst gravitational-wave event rate in our Galaxy with a confidence level of 90%. This work sets a milestone and prospects on the search for burst gravitational waves, by establishing an analysis scheme for the observation data from an interferometric gravitational wave detector

The status of DECIGO

DECIGO (DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) is the planned Japanese space gravitational wave antenna, aiming to detect gravitational waves from astrophysically and cosmologically significant sources mainly between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz and thus to open a new window for gravitational wave astronomy and for the universe. DECIGO will consists of three drag-free spacecraft arranged in an equilateral triangle with 1000 km arm lengths whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry-Perot interferometer, and four units of triangular Fabry-Perot interferometers are arranged on heliocentric orbit around the sun. DECIGO is vary ambitious mission, we plan to launch DECIGO in era of 2030s after precursor satellite mission, B-DECIGO. B-DECIGO is essentially smaller version of DECIGO: B-DECIGO consists of three spacecraft arranged in an triangle with 100 km arm lengths orbiting 2000 km above the surface of the earth. It is hoped that the launch date will be late 2020s for the present