Diffusion tensor imaging in elderly patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus or Parkinson’s disease: diagnosis of gait abnormalities

BACKGROUND: Gait abnormalities in the elderly, characterized by short steps and frozen gait, can be caused by several diseases, including idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH), and Parkinson’s disease (PD). We analyzed the relationship between these two conditions and their association with gait abnormalities using laboratory test data and findings from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS: The study involved 10 patients with INPH, 18 with PD, and 10 healthy individuals (control group). Fractional anisotropy (FA) of five brain areas was measured and compared among the three groups. In addition, the association of INPH and PD with gait capability, frontal lobe function, and FA of each brain area was evaluated. RESULTS: The INPH group had significantly lower FA for anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) and forceps minor (Fmin) as compared to the PD group. The gait capability correlated with ATR FA in the INPH and PD groups. We found that adding DTI to the diagnosis assisted the differential diagnosis of INPH from PD, beyond what could be inferred from ventricular size alone. CONCLUSIONS: We expect that DTI will provide a useful tool to support the differential diagnosis of INPH and PD and their respective severities

Inflammatory Cytokine-induced Expression of Vasohibin-1 by Rheumatoid Synovial Fibroblasts

Angiogenesis is an essential event in the development of synovial inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the current study was to investigate the expression of vasohibin-1, a novel endothelium-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-inducible angiogenesis inhibitor, in the RA synovium, and to test the effect of inflammatory cytokines on the expression of vasohibin-1 by RA synovial fibroblasts (RASFs). Synovial tissue samples were obtained at surgery from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and RA, and subjected to immunohistochemistry to investigate the expression and distribution of vasohibin-1 relevant to the degree of synovial inflammation. In an in vitro analysis, RASFs were used to examine the expression of vasohibin-1 and VEGF mRNA by real-time PCR after stimulation with VEGF or inflammatory cytokines under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. The immunohistochemical results showed that vasohibin-1 was expressed in synovial lining cells, endothelial cells, and synovial fibroblasts. In synovial tissue, there was a significant correlation between the expression of vasohibin-1 and histological inflammation score (p0.002, r0.842). In vitro, stimulation with VEGF induced the expression of vasohibin-1 mRNA in RASFs under normoxic conditions, and stimulation with cytokines induced vasohibin-1 mRNA expression under a hypoxic condition. These results suggest that vasohibin-1 was expressed in RA synovial tissue and might be regulated by inflammatory cytokines.</p

Antitumor effects of α-bisabolol against pancreatic cancer.

In the present study, we investigated whether α-bisabolol, a sesquiterpene alcohol present in essential oils derived from a variety of plants, has antitumor effects against pancreatic cancer. α-Bisabolol induced a decrease in cell proliferation and viability in pancreatic cancer cell lines (KLM1, KP4, Panc1, MIA Paca2), but not in pancreatic epithelial cells (ACBRI515). α-Bisabolol treatment induced apoptosis and suppressed Akt activation in pancreatic cancer cell lines. Furthermore, α-bisabolol treatment induced the overexpression of early growth response-1 (EGR1), whereas EGR1 siRNA decreased the α-bisabolol-induced cell death of KLM1 cells. Tumor growth in both subcutaneous and peritoneal xenograft nude mouse models was significantly inhibited by intragastric administration of 1000 mg/kg of α-bisabolol, once a week for three weeks. The results indicate that α-bisabolol could be a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

Switching to Dupilumab from Other Biologics without a Treatment Interval in Patients with Severe Asthma: A Multi-Center Retrospective Study

Background: Dupilumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks interleukin4 and interleukin-13 signals. Several large clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of dupilumab in patients with severe asthma. However, few studies have examined a switch to dupilumab from other biologics. Methods: This retrospective, multi-center observational study was conducted by the Okayama Respiratory Disease Study Group. Consecutive patients with severe asthma who were switched to dupilumab from other biologics without a treatment interval between May 2019 and September 2021 were enrolled. Patients with a treatment interval of more than twice the standard dosing interval for the previous biologic prior to dupilumab administration were excluded. Results: The median patient age of the 27 patients enrolled in this study was 57 years (IQR, 45-68 years). Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS)/chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp (CRSwNP) was confirmed in 23 patients. Previous biologics consisted of omalizumab (n = 3), mepolizumab (n = 3), and benralizumab (n = 21). Dupilumab significantly improved FEV1 (median improvement: +145 mL) and the asthma control test score (median improvement: +2). The overall response rate in patients receiving dupilumab for asthma as determined using the Global Evaluations of Treatment Effectiveness (GETE) was 77.8%. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics of the GETE-improved group vs. the non-GETE-improved group. ECRS/CRSwNP improved in 20 of the 23 patients (87.0%). Overall, 8 of the 27 patients (29.6%) developed transient hypereosinophilia (>1500/ mu L), but all were asymptomatic and able to continue dupilumab therapy. Conclusions: Dupilumab was highly effective for the treatment of severe asthma and ECRS/CRSwNP, even in patients switched from other biologics without a treatment interval

A dehydrated space-weathered skin cloaking the hydrated interior of Ryugu

Without a protective atmosphere, space-exposed surfaces of airless Solar System bodies gradually experience an alteration in composition, structure and optical properties through a collective process called space weathering. The return of samples from near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu by Hayabusa2 provides the first opportunity for laboratory study of space-weathering signatures on the most abundant type of inner solar system body: a C-type asteroid, composed of materials largely unchanged since the formation of the Solar System. Weathered Ryugu grains show areas of surface amorphization and partial melting of phyllosilicates, in which reduction from Fe3+ to Fe2+ and dehydration developed. Space weathering probably contributed to dehydration by dehydroxylation of Ryugu surface phyllosilicates that had already lost interlayer water molecules and to weakening of the 2.7 µm hydroxyl (–OH) band in reflectance spectra. For C-type asteroids in general, this indicates that a weak 2.7 µm band can signify space-weathering-induced surface dehydration, rather than bulk volatile loss

Effect of laminated structure on mechanical properties of composition-modulated Co-Ni laminated plating

A composition-modulated Co–Ni laminated plating has been developed to prolong the lifetime of molds to be employed in continuous steel casting. We have investigated the relationship between the laminated structure and the mechanical properties of the plating films. The tensile strength of as-plated film was enhanced by the thinned thickness of the constituent layers, while the elongation received no effect of the thickness change of the constituent layer and remained almost stable in the range from 3 to 5%. Heat treatment at 400°C have brought about the improvement both in the tensile strength and the elongation. The improvement in the elongation was as remarkable as reached 13% in the film composed of layers with a thickness of 0.8 µm. The layer with low Ni content had an hcp structure, and that with high Ni content produced two phases of the hcp and fcc structures in the as-plated state. By the heat treatment, the high Ni-content layer turned into the single fcc phase, while the low Ni-content layer kept the hcp phase, and accordingly, the film structure changed into the one where the lamination of the hcp and fcc layers was distinct. The fact that the fcc layers, which was easily deformed, were formed continuously in the lateral direction, was seemed to contribute to the significant improvement in the elongation after heat treatment