Cytology in Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL)

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a chronic lympho-proliferative disease. The disease is clinically characterized by anemia, granulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, monocytopenia, splenomegaly. This leukemia cells have peculiar shape with hairlike projection, and express mature B-cell antigens such as, CD19,CD20 and Ig heavy chain on their surface. Nuclear and cytoplasm area ratio was low. Cell biological observation and chromosome analysis were performed in 12 patients. Translocation at 14q32 was found in 2 patients and loss of chromosome 6 was found in one patient. These cytogenetical results suggest taht HCL is different disease from chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Perspective to precision medicine in scleroderma

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare and heterogeneous disease with no relevant environmental trigger or significant responsible gene. It has been and will continue to be difficult to identify large enough patients to conduct classic population-based epidemiologic exposure/non-exposure studies with adequate power to ascertain environmental and genetic risk factors for these entities. The complexity of pathogenesis and heterogeneity are likely to require personalized/precision medicine for SSc. Since several potential drugs are currently available for specific patients if not whole SSc, classification of SSc seems to form the foundation for a better therapeutic strategy. To date, SSc has been classified based on the extent/severity of the affected area as well as some disease markers, including the autoantibody profile. However, such an analysis should also lead to improvements in the design of appropriately stratified clinical trials to determine the effects and prediction of targeted therapies. An approach based on drug response preclinically conducted using patients’ own fibroblasts in vitro, can provide a precise disease marker/therapeutic selection for clinical practice. Because scleroderma dermal fibroblasts have a persistent hyper-productive phenotype occurring not only in person, but also in cell culture conditions. Thus, an accumulating approach based on disease markers ensures progression and de-escalation to re-establish a better life with a personally optimized drug environment after the onset of SSc

A study on the time-matching in three dimensional cinematography

本研究の目的は,同期しているデータと同期上の誤差を含んだデータの解析結果を比較し,民生用ビデオの定量的動作解析への利用の可能性を検討することであった。フレームカウンターを接続した2台のビデオカメラにより,バレーボールのスパイク動作を撮影した。2台のカメラの2次元座標が同期している場合,No.1カメラとNo.2カメラの2次元座標の時刻が1/120秒ずれている場合,No.1カメラとNo.2カメラの2次元座標の時刻が1/60秒ずれている場合の3通りの同期誤差をもつ2次元座標を準備し,DLT法により身体各部位及びボールの3次元座標を算出した。スティックピクチャーによる視覚的比較,各種測定項目による数値的比較を通して,同期,同期誤差1/2field,同期誤差1fieldのデータ間に大差が見られなかったこと,そして大部分の測定項目の値は先行研究の値の範囲にあったことから,民生用ビデオによる3次元動作解析は可能であると考えられた。The purpose of this study was to compare the analysis results of Time-Matching with Time-Error data and to find the possible utilization for quantitative motion analysis by home videos.It took spiking motions of volleyball by two video cameras with frame counter. After prepared three cases of two-dimensional coordinates that the time of two cameras are matching, different of 1/120 and 1/60 seconds, three-dimensional coordinates of the segment endpoints and a ball were calculated by Direct Linear Transformation Method.There were no great difference in Time-Matching, 1/2 and 1field data through the visual comparison by stick-pictures and the numerically comparison by various kinds of items of measurement. Consequently, the results suggest that it is possible to do three dimensional motion analysis by home videos

Clinical association of serum interleukin 17 levels in systemic sclerosis: Is systemic sclerosis a Th17 disease?

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学

BAFF antagonist attenuates the development of skin fibrosis in Tight-Skin Mice

The tight-skin (TSK/+) mouse, a genetic model for systemic sclerosis (SSc), develops cutaneous fibrosis and autoimmunity. Although immunological abnormalities have been demonstrated in TSK/+ mice, the roles of B-cell-activating factor belonging to the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF), a potent B-cell survival factor, have not been investigated. Serum BAFF levels in TSK/+ mice were examined by ELISA. Newborn TSK/+ mice were treated with BAFF antagonist, and then skin fibrosis of 8-week-old mice was assessed. Serum BAFF levels were significantly elevated in TSK/+ mice. Remarkably, BAFF antagonist inhibited the development of skin fibrosis, hyper-γ-globulinemia, and the autoantibody production in TSK/+ mice. The skin from TSK/+ mice showed upregulated expressions of fibrogenic cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-10, while BAFF antagonist significantly suppressed them. Reciprocally, BAFF antagonist augmented antifibrogenic cytokines, such as IFN-γ, in the skin of TSK/+ mice. Furthermore, TSK/+ B cells with BAFF stimulation had a significantly enhanced ability to produce IL-6. The results suggest that BAFF/BAFF receptor system is critical for the development of skin fibrosis in TSK/+ mice and could be a potent therapeutical target. © 2007 The Society for Investigative Dermatology

Wavefield characterization of nearly diffraction-limited focused hard x-ray beam with size less than 10 nm

In situ wavefront compensation is a promising method to realize a focus size of only a few nanometers for x-ray beams. However, precise compensation requires evaluation of the wavefront with an accuracy much shorter than the wavelength. Here, we characterized a one-dimensionally focused beam with a width of 7 nm at 20 keV using a multilayer mirror. We demonstrate that the wavefront can be determined precisely from multiple intensity profiles measured around the beamwaist. We compare the phase profiles recovered from intensity profiles measured under the same mirror condition but with three different aperture sizes and find that the accuracy of phase retrieval is as small as 12. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.Takashi Kimura, Hidekazu Mimura, Soichiro Handa, Hirokatsu Yumoto, Hikaru Yokoyama, Shota Imai, Satoshi Matsuyama, Yasuhisa Sano, Kenji Tamasaku, Yoshiki Komura, Yoshinori Nishino, Makina Yabashi, Tetsuya Ishikawa, and Kazuto Yamauchi , "Wavefield characterization of nearly diffraction-limited focused hard x-ray beam with size less than 10 nm", Review of Scientific Instruments 81(12), 123704 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3509384

Residual neutron-induced radionuclides in a soil sample collected in the vicinity of the criticality accident site in Tokai-mura, Japan: A progress report

金沢大学理学部Residual neutron-induced radionuclides were measured in a soil sample collected in the vicinity of the location where a criticality accident occurred (in Tokai-mura, from 30 September to 1 October, 1999). Concentrations of 24Na,140La,122Sb,59Fe,124Sb,46Sc,65Zn,134Cs and 60Co in the soil sample were determined by γ-ray spectrometry, and neutron activation analysis was carried out for selected target elements in the sample. Tentative estimates of the apparent thermal and epithermal neutron fluences which reached the sample were obtained through combined analyses of 59Fe/58Fe,124Sb/123Sb,46Sc/45Sc,65Zn/64Zn,134Cs/133Cs and 60Co/59Co. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd

Inflammatory features of pancreatic cancer highlighted by monocytes/macrophages and CD4+ T cells with clinical impact

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most fatal of malignancies with an extremely poor prognosis. The objectives of this study were to provide a detailed understanding of PDAC pathophysiology in view of the host immune response. We examined the PDAC tissues, sera, and peripheral blood cells of PDAC patients using immunohistochemical staining, the measurement of cytokine/chemokine concentrations, gene expression analysis, and flow cytometry. The PDAC tissues were infiltrated by macrophages, especially CD33+CD163+ M2 macrophages and CD4+ T cells that concomitantly express programmed cell death-1 (PD-1). Concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-7, IL-15, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and interferon-γ-inducible protein-1 in the sera of PDAC patients were significantly elevated. The gene expression profile of CD14+ monocytes and CD4+ T cells was discernible between PDAC patients and healthy volunteers, and the differentially expressed genes were related to activated inflammation. Intriguingly, PD-1 was significantly upregulated in the peripheral blood CD4+ T cells of PDAC patients. Correspondingly, the frequency of CD4+PD-1+ T cells was increased in the peripheral blood cells of PDAC patients, and this increase correlated to chemotherapy resistance. In conclusion, inflammatory conditions in both PDAC tissue and peripheral blood cells in PDAC patients were prominent, highlighting monocytes/macrophages as well as CD4+ T cells with influence of the clinical prognosis. © 2015 The Authors. Cancer Science published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association

Combination of gemcitabine and anti-PD-1 antibody enhances the anticancer effect of M1 macrophages and the Th1 response in a murine model of pancreatic cancer liver metastasis

金沢大学疾患モデル総合研究センターBackground Pancreatic ductular adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most dreadful of malignancies, in part due to the lack of efficacious chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including anti-programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD-1) antibodies, are novel promising forms of systemic immunotherapy. In the current study, we assessed whether gemcitabine (GEM) combined with anti-PD-1 antibody treatment was efficacious as immunochemotherapy for advanced PDAC using a murine model of liver metastasis. Methods The murine model of PDAC liver metastasis was established by intrasplenically injecting the murine pancreatic cancer cell line PAN02 into immunocompetent C57BL/6J mice. The mice were treated with an anti-PD-1 antibody, GEM, or a combination of GEM plus anti-PD-1 antibody, and compared with no treatment (control); liver metastases, immune cell infiltration, gene expression, immune cell response phenotypes, and overall survival were investigated. Results In the metastatic tumor tissues of mice treated with GEM plus anti-PD-1 antibody, we observed the increased infiltration of Th1 lymphocytes and M1 macrophages. Gene expression profile analysis of peripheral blood cells obtained from mice treated with GEM plus anti-PD-1 antibody clearly highlighted T cell and innate immune signaling pathways. Survival of PDAC liver metastasis mice was significantly prolonged by the combination therapy (median survival, 66 days) when compared with that of GEM alone treatment (median survival, 56 days). Expanded lymphocytes, which were isolated from the splenocytes of PDAC liver metastasis mice treated with GEM plus anti-PD-1 antibody, had an increased number of M1 macrophages. Conclusion The combination of anti-PD-1 antibody immunotherapy with GEM was beneficial to treat a murine model of PDAC liver metastasis by enhancing the immune response mediated by Th1 lymphocytes and M1 macrophages and was associated with CD8+ T cells.