Increased Systemic Glucose Tolerance with Increased Muscle Glucose Uptake in Transgenic Mice Overexpressing RXRγ in Skeletal Muscle

BACKGROUND: Retinoid X receptor (RXR) γ is a nuclear receptor-type transcription factor expressed mostly in skeletal muscle, and regulated by nutritional conditions. Previously, we established transgenic mice overexpressing RXRγ in skeletal muscle (RXRγ mice), which showed lower blood glucose than the control mice. Here we investigated their glucose metabolism. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RXRγ mice were subjected to glucose and insulin tolerance tests, and glucose transporter expression levels, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and glucose uptake were analyzed. Microarray and bioinformatics analyses were done. The glucose tolerance test revealed higher glucose disposal in RXRγ mice than in control mice, but insulin tolerance test revealed no difference in the insulin-induced hypoglycemic response. In the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp study, the basal glucose disposal rate was higher in RXRγ mice than in control mice, indicating an insulin-independent increase in glucose uptake. There was no difference in the rate of glucose infusion needed to maintain euglycemia (glucose infusion rate) between the RXRγ and control mice, which is consistent with the result of the insulin tolerance test. Skeletal muscle from RXRγ mice showed increased Glut1 expression, with increased glucose uptake, in an insulin-independent manner. Moreover, we performed in vivo luciferase reporter analysis using Glut1 promoter (Glut1-Luc). Combination of RXRγ and PPARδ resulted in an increase in Glut1-Luc activity in skeletal muscle in vivo. Microarray data showed that RXRγ overexpression increased a diverse set of genes, including glucose metabolism genes, whose promoter contained putative PPAR-binding motifs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Systemic glucose metabolism was increased in transgenic mice overexpressing RXRγ. The enhanced glucose tolerance in RXRγ mice may be mediated at least in part by increased Glut1 in skeletal muscle. These results show the importance of skeletal muscle gene regulation in systemic glucose metabolism. Increasing RXRγ expression may be a novel therapeutic strategy against type 2 diabetes

Pneumonia Caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Influenza Virus: A Multicenter Comparative Study

Background: Detailed differences in clinical information between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia (CP), which is the main phenotype of SARS-CoV-2 disease, and influenza pneumonia (IP) are still unclear. Methods: A prospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted by including patients with CP who were hospitalized between January and June 2020 and a retrospective cohort of patients with IP hospitalized from 2009 to 2020. We compared the clinical presentations and studied the prognostic factors of CP and IP. Results: Compared with the IP group (n = 66), in the multivariate analysis, the CP group (n = 362) had a lower percentage of patients with underlying asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P < .01), lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P < .01), lower systolic blood pressure (P < .01), higher diastolic blood pressure (P < .01), lower aspartate aminotransferase level (P < .05), higher serum sodium level (P < .05), and more frequent multilobar infiltrates (P < .05). The diagnostic scoring system based on these findings showed excellent differentiation between CP and IP (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.889). Moreover, the prognostic predictors were different between CP and IP. Conclusions: Comprehensive differences between CP and IP were revealed, highlighting the need for early differentiation between these 2 pneumonias in clinical settings

A Research on a New Science Curriculum Development Based on ‘Nature Of Science’ Ⅲ : Reconstruction of a Coherence Science Curriculum from Elementary School to Upper Secondary School

本研究は，新しい科学観を取り入れた小学校から高等学校までの理科カリキュラムを開発することを目的としており，今年度は３年次にあたる。これまでの成果と課題をもとに，初等・中等教育で一貫して「科学の本質」を学ぶためのフレームワーク構築に向け，小学校から高等学校を通じて系統的に取り扱うことが可能な内容について検討を行った。 中学校における実践からは，理科教師が，科学者コミュニティーによる知，政策決定者や教師たちによる教えるべき知，児童・生徒の発達段階や文脈などを考慮した教える知，について可能な限り熟知する必要があることが示唆された。また，論証活動を行う際の，教師の振る舞い方も重要であることも明らかとなった。 また，小学校における実践では，学年による差異はあるものの，見たことや考えたことの違いを次第に意識化させることによって，観察や実験等のレポートの書き方の指導にも繋がることが明らかとなった。 以上の実践より，科学の本質を初等・中等教育で一貫して教えるためには，これまでの実践の視点の変容に基づく教師による授業方略の在り方や投げ込み的教材を使用する教師の意図が，いかに重要であるかを示唆している。This study develops a new science curriculum for elementary to upper secondary schools which include the concept of the “Nature of Science”. We examined possible content to build a systematic framework for mentioned above science education. The practice at junior high school shows that teachers should be familiar with scholarly knowledge, knowledge to be taught by the policy makers and teachers, and taught knowledge which students understand through learning along with the students’ ages and contexts. The teacher’s behavior in argumentation by pupils is also important. The practice at elementary school shows that perceptions of the crucial distinction between inference and observation lead students to write good reports. These practices exemplify that teaching Nature of Science consistently to elementary and lower secondary students should largely depend on the teachers’ methods of instruction and what material they develop from a new viewpoint

Cooling system for the soft X-ray spectrometer onboard Astro-H

金沢大学理工研究域数物科学系The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) is a cryogenic high resolution X-ray spectrometer onboard the X-ray astronomy satellite Astro-H which will be launched in 2014. The detector array is cooled down to 50 mK using an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). The cooling chain from the room temperature to the ADR heat-sink is composed of superfluid liquid He, a Joule-Thomson cryocooler, and double-stage Stirling cryocoolers. It is designed to keep 30 l of liquid He for more than 5 years in the normal case, and longer than 3 years even if one of the cryocoolers fails. Cryogen-free operation is also possible in the normal case. It is fully redundant from the room temperature to the ADR heat-sink. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd

サイタイケツ チュウ D4^+ サイボウ, NKサイボウ ノ キモカインリセプター CXCR3 ハツゲン ノ ケントウ

Th1細胞は造血幹細胞移植後の急性移植片対宿主病(graft-versus-hostdisease:GVHD)の発症に深く関与しているといわれている。今回我々はTh1細胞に発現するとされるキモカインリセプターの1つであるCXCR3を測定し,瞬帯血移植で急性GVHDがなぜ軽度なのかを検討した。臍帯血,成人末梢血と移植後患者末梢血中のリンパ球,NK細胞をモノクローナル抗体(抗CD4,抗CD8,抗CD56,抗HLA-DR,抗CD25)で染色し以下の結果を得た。CD^4+T細胞のCXCR3発現,HLA-DRの発現はいずれも末梢血よりも膀帯血の方が少なかった(p<0.05)。NK(CD56^+)細胞ではCXCR3,HLA-DR発現に有意差はなかった。IL-2で刺激したCD4^+T細胞でのCXCR3発現は培養後5日でも謄帯血では末梢血より発現が少なかった(p<0.05)。IL-2で刺激したNK細胞のCXCR3発現には両者に差がなかったが,HLA-DR発現は末梢血と比べて膀帯血で少なかった(p<0.05)。移植1ヶ月後の末梢血CD^+T細胞のCXCR3発現を膀帯血移植例と対照の同種骨髄移植例で比較すると膀帯血移植例で低値であった(p<0.05)。膀帯血のCD^+T細胞.NK細胞でのCXCR3発現の特徴は膀帯血移植で急性GVHDが発症しにくいということに関与していると考えたIn order to know why the development of acute graft-ver-sus-host-disease (aGVHD) is significantly milder after stem cell transplantation (SCT) using cord blood, we studied the CXCR3 expression on CD4^+T cells and NK (CD 56^+) cells, based on the fact that CXCR3 is one of the chemokine receptors on Th1 cells. Cord blood (CB) and peripheral blood (PB) from healthy volunTFFrs and patients who received SCT were treated with monoclonal antibodies against CD4, CD25, CD56, CXCR3, and HLA-DR and the antigen expression was analyzed using flow cytometry. The percentage of CXCR3 antigen on GB and PB CD4^+ T cells was 2.6 ± 1.4% and 30.8 ± 3.9%, respectively, demonstrating a significant difference (p < 0.05). However, that on GB and PB NK cells was not significantly different. CXCR3 expression on CB and PB CD4^+T cells stimulated by IL-2 for 72h and 120h was significantly different (p < 0.05), but that on NK cells was not significant. CXCR3 expression on CD4^+ T cells from patients who received allo-CB-SCT and allo-bone marrow transplantation from HLA-mismatched donor was significantly different at one-month post-SCT (p < 0.05). We concluded that the lower CXCR3 expression on GB CD^+T cells and absence of difference in CXCR3 expression on cord blood NK cells facilitated a milder aGVHD

HIV キャリア ニンプ オヨビ シュッセイ シタ ジ ニ タイスル シュウサンキ カンリ : HIV キャリア ニンプ ヨリ シュッセイ シタ シンセイジ レイ オ ケイケン シテ

獨協医科大学総合周産期母子医療センターで経験したHIVキャリア妊婦の妊娠,分娩,および出生した児の新生児期,乳児期の経過について報告し,当院におけるHIV母子感染予防対策の管理指針について検討した.本例の周産期管理では,AIDS-Clinical-Trial-Group-076のプロトコールを参考とし,妊娠27週から母体にジドブジン400 mg/dayを投与した.分娩形式は選択的帝王切開とし,Level P4の感染対策管理のもと,妊娠35週5日に施行した.出生した児に対しては臍カテーテルよりガンマグロブリン製剤200 mg/kg×1回,およびジドブジンシロップ8 mg/kg分4を6週間投与した.児は生後1歳時にPA法によるHIV抗体検査を施行して陰性であり,母子感染は予防しえた.近い将来,当院においてHIVキャリア妊婦を周産期管理する件数は増加する可能性がある.HIV患者に対する突然の事態にも対応可能な体制を維持し続けることは,栃木県内におけるHIV患者診療拠点病院である本学の重要な役割である.HIV陽性妊娠の周産期管理においては,HIVキャリア妊婦を早期に発見し,NICUをはじめ各科専門家と協力して計画的な管理を励行することが重要である.We report pregnancy and delivery in pregnant HIV carriers and their children whom we encountered at the Perinatal medical center, Dokkyo University School of Medicine. We investigated management guidelines for the prevention of maternal and child infection with HIV in our hospital. For perinatal management in the present patient, 400 mg/day of zidovudine was administered from week 27 of pregnancy in reference to the AIDS-Clinical-Trial-Group-076 protocol. Concerning the mode of delivery, selective cesarean section was performed at week 35 and day 5 of pregnancy under level- P4 infection management. A single dose of gamma globulin preparation at 200 mg/kg and 4 doses of zidovudine syrup at 8 mg/kg were administered to the neonate through an umbilical catheter for 6 weeks. In the infant, the HIV antibody test with the PA method showed a negative reaction at the age of 1 year, so maternal and child infection could be prevented. In the future, perinatal management of increasing number of pregnant HIV carriers may be performed in our hospital. To maintain the system for managing patients infected with HIV is the important role of our university, a main hospital for the treatment of patients with HIV infection in Tochigi Prefecture. In the perinatal management of HIV-positive pregnancy, pregnant HIV carriers should be detected in the early stage, and strategic management including the NICU should be performed in cooperation with specialists from other departments

Isolation, Characterization, and In Situ Detection of a Novel Chemolithoautotrophic Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacterium in Wastewater Biofilms Growing under Microaerophilic Conditions

We successfully isolated a novel aerobic chemolithotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, designated strain SO07, from wastewater biofilms growing under microaerophilic conditions. For isolation, the use of elemental sulfur (S(0)), which is the most abundant sulfur pool in the wastewater biofilms, as the electron donor was an effective measure to establish an enrichment culture of strain SO07 and further isolation. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that newly isolated strain SO07 was affiliated with members of the genus Halothiobacillus, but it was only distantly related to previously isolated species (89% identity). Strain SO07 oxidized elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, and sulfide to sulfate under oxic conditions. Strain SO07 could not grow on nitrate. Organic carbons, including acetate, propionate, and formate, could not serve as carbon and energy sources. Unlike other aerobic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, this bacterium was sensitive to NaCl; growth in medium containing more than 150 mM was negligible. In situ hybridization combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that a number of rod-shaped cells hybridized with a probe specific for strain SO07 were mainly present in the oxic biofilm strata (ca. 0 to 100 μm) and that they often coexisted with sulfate-reducing bacteria in this zone. These results demonstrated that strain SO07 was one of the important sulfur-oxidizing populations involved in the sulfur cycle occurring in the wastewater biofilm and was primarily responsible for the oxidation of H(2)S and S(0) to SO(4)(2−) under oxic conditions