NON-SPECIFIC AGGLUTINATION OF BROMELIN-TREATED RED BLOOD CELLS BY NORMAL HUMAN SERUM : REACTION OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS TO MEMBRANE PROTEINS EXPOSED BY BROMELIN-DIGESTION

Although it is known that agglutinins specific for bromelin-treated red blood cell (BrRBC) exist in normal human serum, their immunological and biological characteristics have not yet been elucidated. We have found two different types of agglutinins specific for BrRBC in the normal serum. The one reacts specifically with red blood cell (RBC) pretreated for 15 minutes with lower concentration of bromelin (Br) (1.25 U/ml to 25 U/ml in terms of casein-digestion activity), and thus, it is responsible for the non-specific agglutination encountered in routine works. The other is detected with RBC pretreated with Br of higher activities (>125 U/ml). The former agglutinin was proved to be IgM and the latter to be IgG on the basis of biochemical and immunological criteria, and they are termed NSA-BrRBC-Ⅰ (non-specific agglutinin for BrRBC) and NSA-BrRBC-Ⅱ, respectively. The incidences of NSA-BrRBC-Ⅰ and -Ⅱ in normal human sera were 2.3% and 99.9%, respectively. The binding site for NSA-BrRBC-Ⅰ on RBC was specifically elicited by mild Br-treatment but not by other proteinase digestions. From the Br-digestion products of RBC membrane, we partially purified the protein fraction which exhibited a high inhibitory activity against the agglutination by NSA-BrRBC-Ⅰ without suppressing the agglutination by most of the blood group antibodies examined. This fraction was therefore assumed to contain the target protein of NSA-BrRBC-Ⅰ. Four fragments with different molecular weights (26.000, 61.000, 74.000 and 160.000 dalton) could be detected by Western blotting of the fractions after immunoprecipitation and electrophoresis in the reduced condition. This fraction successfully inhibited non-specific agglutination by NSA-BrRBC-Ⅰ in two-stage Br-method but not in one-stage method. These results indicate that one of the non-specific agglutinations of BrRBC encountered in routine works is caused by the interaction between NSA-BrRBC-Ⅰ and Br-modified membrane protein(s)

Quantized thermoelectric Hall plateau in the quantum limit of graphite as a nodal line semimetal

We performed thermoelectric Hall conductivity $\alpha_{xy}$ measurements on single crystal graphite in the quantum limit up to 13 T. Both electrical and thermoelectric transport measurements were performed on the same crystal to extract pure $\alpha_{xy}$ avoiding any sample quality dependence. The $\alpha_{xy}$ converges to a plateau in the quantum limit with a linear dependence on temperature. This behavior is analogous to the quantized thermoelectric Hall effect (QTHE) observed in 3D Dirac/Weyl nodal point semimetals, and experimentally confirms a theoretical proposal on the QTHE in semimetals with nodal lines like graphite.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, with supplemental informatio

Efficacy and Safety of Esaxerenone in Hypertensive Patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Prospective Study

Introduction Clinical data of esaxerenone in hypertensive patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) are lacking. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of esaxerenone in patients with DKD and an inadequate response to blood pressure (BP)-lowering treatment. Methods In this multicenter, open-label, prospective study, patients were divided into urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio subcohorts (UACR  Results In total, 113 patients were enrolled. Morning home SBP/DBP significantly decreased from baseline to EOT in the total population (− 11.6/− 5.2 mmHg, both p  Conclusion Esaxerenone demonstrated a BP-lowering effect and improved albuminuria. The effects were consistent regardless of the severity of albuminuria without clinically relevant serum potassium elevation and eGFR reduction

Oral intake of rice overexpressing ubiquitin ligase inhibitory pentapeptide prevents atrophy in denervated skeletal muscle

We previously reported that intramuscular injections of ubiquitin ligase CBLB inhibitory pentapeptide (Cblin; Asp-Gly-pTyr-Met-Pro) restored lost muscle mass caused by sciatic denervation. Here, we detected Cblin on the basolateral side of Caco-2 cells after being placed on the apical side, and found that cytochalasin D, a tight junction opener, enhanced Cblin transport. Orally administered Cblin was found in rat plasma, indicating that intact Cblin was absorbed in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, transgenic Cblin peptide-enriched rice (CbR) prevented the denervation-induced loss of muscle mass and the upregulation of muscle atrophy-related ubiquitin ligases in mice. These findings indicated that CbR could serve as an alternative treatment for muscle atrophy

Angioscopic Evaluation of Stabilizing Effects of Bezafibrate on Coronary Plaques in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Background Since long-term administrations of anti-hyperlipidemic agents result in reduction in % stenosis or increase in minimum lumen diameter (MLD) of stenotic coronary segments, it is generally believed that anti-hyperlipidemic agents stabilize vulnerable coronary plaques. However, recent pathologic and angioscopic studies revealed that vulnerability of coronary plaques is not related to severity of stenosis and the rims rather than top of the plaques disrupt, and therefore, angiography is not adequate for evaluation of vulnerability