Primary Tracheal Malignant Lymphoma Detected during a Regular Checkup in an Asbestos Dust-Exposed Smoker

Primary tracheal malignant lymphoma is a rare disease;only 30 cases have been reported to date. A 73-year-old Japanese man with a history of asbestos exposure was undergoing biannual chest computed tomography (CT) twice a year as a routine procedure for those previously exposed to asbestos. He had been smoking since the age of 32. In September 2010, chest CT during this regular checkup revealed a polypoid lesion in his trachea and pleural plaques, which were suspected to be caused by asbestos. Bronchoscopy performed in October revealed a polypoid lesion with granules and nodules in the trachea. A diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and extranodal marginal-zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) was confirmed by histological analysis of the biopsy specimens. To our knowledge, this is the first case of primary tracheal lymphoma associated with a history of asbestos exposure. Several reports have documented no correlation between asbestos and malignant lymphoma. In addition, the correlation between smoking and NHL is weak. Although we cannot exclude the possibility of a simple coincidence of asbestos, smoking, and tracheal lymphoma, this case suggests that asbestos and smoking might have multiplicative effects in the development or progression of tracheal lymphoma

Extension of measurement range in OCDR based on double-modulation scheme

We extend the measurement range of optical correlation-domain reflectometry (OCDR) by modulating the laser output frequency at two frequencies, while preserving spatial resolution. We demonstrate distributed reflectivity sensing with a ten-fold extended measurement range.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Sirt1 expression is associated with CD31 expression in blood cells from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Cigarette smoke induced oxidative stress has been shown to reduce silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1) levels in lung tissue from smokers and patients with COPD patients. Sirt1 is known to inhibit endothelial senescence and may play a protective role in vascular cells. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are mobilized into circulation under various pathophysiological conditions, and are thought to play an important role in tissue repair in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Therefore, Sirt1 and EPC-associated mRNAs were measured in blood samples from patients with COPD and from cultured CD34+ progenitor cells to examine whether these genes are associated with COPD development. Methods: This study included 358 patients with a smoking history of more than 10 pack-years. RNA was extracted from blood samples and from CD34+ progenitor cells treated with cigarette smoke extract (CSE), followed by assessment of CD31, CD34, Sirt1 mRNA, miR-34a, and miR-126-3p expression by real-time RT-PCR. Results: The expression of CD31, CD34, Sirt1 mRNAs, and miR-126-3p decreased and that of miR-34a increased in moderate COPD compared with that in control smokers. However, no significant differences in these genes were observed in blood cells from patients with severe COPD compared with those in control smokers. CSE significantly decreased Sirt1 and increased miR-34a expression in cultured progenitor cells. Conclusion: Sirt1 expression in blood cells from patients with COPD could be a biomarker for disease stability in patients with moderate COPD. MiR-34a may participate in apoptosis and/or senescence of EPCs in smokers. Decreased expression of CD31, CD34, and miR-126-3p potentially represents decreased numbers of EPCs in blood cell from patients with COPD

Observation of Rayleigh scattering by simplified optical correlation-domain reflectometry without frequency shifter

We present a method for measuring the transmission loss of an optical fiber using simplified optical correlation-domain reflectometry. By intentionally lowering the spatial resolution of the system, we observe the Rayleigh scattered signal for the first time without the need for a frequency shifter. Using this method, we simultaneously measure the transmission loss, location, and loss of faulty connections along a 10-km-long fiber under test by performing distributed reflected-power measurements of Rayleigh scattering and Fresnel reflection

Pulmonary and systemic responses of highly pure and well-dispersed single-wall carbon nanotubes after intratracheal instillation in rats

The present study was conducted to assess the pulmonary and systemic responses in rats after intratracheal instillation of highly pure, well-dispersed, and well-characterized SWCNTs. Exposure to SWCNTs up to 2mg/kg did not produce mortality, changes in clinical signs, or body weights during the observation period. Dose-dependent changes were observed in the lung weight, BALF inflammatory cells, and biochemical parameters such as LDH value, protein content, IL-1β and IL-6 activity, and histopathology. In the 0.04 mg/kg SWCNT-exposed group, almost no changes were observed during the observation period. In the 0.2 mg/kg SWCNT-exposed group, pulmonary inflammatory responses were observed after instillation. In the 1 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg SWCNT-exposed group, acute lung inflammation and subsequent granuloma accompanied by increased lung weights were observed. Furthermore, the histopathological findings in the lungs of rats exposed to SWCNTs showed inflammatory responses related with the vital reaction to the foreign substance that was instilled intratracheally, and there were no fibrosis, atypical lesion, or tumor-related findings even at the highest dose (2 mg/kg) of SWCNT-exposed groups up to 6 months after instillation. For all groups, histopathological changes due to the instillation exposure of SWCNTs were observed only in the lungs and lung-associated lymph nodes and not in the other tissues examined (i.e. the liver, kidney, spleen, and cerebrum)

Expression of heat shock proteins in human fibroblast cells under magnetic resonant coupling wireless power transfer

Since 2007, resonant coupling wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has been attracting attention and has been widely researched for practical use. Moreover, dosimetric evaluation has also been discussed to evaluate the potential health risks of the electromagnetic field from this WPT technology based on the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. However, there has not been much experimental evaluation of the potential health risks of this WPT technology. In this study, to evaluate whether magnetic resonant coupling WPT induces cellular stress, we focused on heat shock proteins (Hsps) and determined the expression level of Hsps 27, 70 and 90 in WI38VA13 subcloned 2RA human fibroblast cells using a western blotting method. The expression level of Hsps under conditions of magnetic resonant coupling WPT for 24 h was not significantly different compared with control cells, although the expression level of Hsps for cells exposed to heat stress conditions was significantly increased. These results suggested that exposure to magnetic resonant coupling WPT did not cause detectable cell stress

In vitro evaluation of genotoxic effects under magnetic resonant coupling wireless power transfer

Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology using the resonant coupling phenomenon has been widely studied, but there are very few studies concerning the possible relationship between WPT exposure and human health. In this study, we investigated whether exposure to magnetic resonant coupling WPT has genotoxic effects on WI38VA13 subcloned 2RA human fibroblast cells. WPT exposure was performed using a helical coil-based exposure system designed to transfer power with 85.4% efficiency at a 12.5-MHz resonant frequency. The magnetic field at the positions of the cell culture dishes is approximately twice the reference level for occupational exposure as stated in the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. The specific absorption rate at the positions of the cell culture dishes matches the respective reference levels stated in the ICNIRP guidelines. For assessment of genotoxicity, we studied cell growth, cell cycle distribution, DNA strand breaks using the comet assay, micronucleus formation, and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene mutation, and did not detect any significant effects between the WPT-exposed cells and control cells. Our results suggest that WPT exposure under the conditions of the ICNIRP guidelines does not cause detectable cellular genotoxicity

Expression of Heat Shock Proteins in Human Fibroblast Cells under Magnetic Resonant Coupling Wireless Power Transfer

Since 2007, resonant coupling wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has been attracting attention and has been widely researched for practical use. Moreover, dosimetric evaluation has also been discussed to evaluate the potential health risks of the electromagnetic field from this WPT technology based on the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. However, there has not been much experimental evaluation of the potential health risks of this WPT technology. In this study, to evaluate whether magnetic resonant coupling WPT induces cellular stress, we focused on heat shock proteins (Hsps) and determined the expression level of Hsps 27, 70 and 90 in WI38VA13 subcloned 2RA human fibroblast cells using a western blotting method. The expression level of Hsps under conditions of magnetic resonant coupling WPT for 24 h was not significantly different compared with control cells, although the expression level of Hsps for cells exposed to heat stress conditions was significantly increased. These results suggested that exposure to magnetic resonant coupling WPT did not cause detectable cell stress