CD98 and T Cell Activation

Upon their recognition of antigens presented by the MHC, T cell proliferation is vital for clonal expansion and the acquisition of effector functions, which are essential for mounting adaptive immune responses. The CD98 heavy chain (CD98hc, Slc3a2) plays a crucial role in the proliferation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, although it is unclear if CD98hc directly regulates the T cell effector functions that are not linked with T cell proliferation in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that CD98hc is required for both CD4+ T cell proliferation and Th1 functional differentiation. T cell-specific deletion of CD98hc did not affect T cell development in the thymus. CD98hc-deficient CD4+ T cells proliferated in vivo more slowly as compared with control T cells. C57BL/6 mice lacking CD98hc in their CD4+ T cells could not control Leishmania major infections due to lowered IFN-γ production, even with massive CD4+ T cell proliferation. CD98hc-deficient CD4+ T cells exhibited lower IFN-γ production compared with wild-type T cells, even when comparing IFN-γ expression in cells that underwent the same number of cell divisions. Therefore, these data indicate that CD98hc is required for CD4+ T cell expansion and functional Th1 differentiation in vivo, and suggest that CD98hc might be a good target for treating Th1-mediated immune disorders

Importance of Descriptive Psychopathology in Neuropsychiatric Researches; a Theoretical Proposal

2nd WFSBP Asia-Pacific Congress & 30th Annual Meeting of JSB

Importance of Descriptive Psychopathology in Neuropsychiatric Researches; a Theoretical Proposal

2nd WFSBP Asia-Pacific Congress & 30th Annual Meeting of JSB

Ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of microdose clinical trials

A \u27microdose clinical trial\u27 (microdosing) is one kind of early phase exploratory clinical trial, administeringthe compound at doses estimated to have no pharmacological or toxicological effects, aimed at screeningcandidates for further clinical development. This article\u27s objective is to clarify the ethical, legal, and socialimplications (ELSI) of such an exploratory minimum-risk human trial. The definition and non-clinical studyrequirements for microdosing have been harmonized among the European Union (EU), United States (US),and Japan. Being conducted according to these regulations, microdosing seems to be ethically well justified interms of respect for persons, beneficence, justice, human dignity, and animal welfare. Three big projects havebeen demonstrating the predictability of therapeutic dose pharmacokinetics from microdosing. The articleoffers suggestions as how microdosing can become a more useful and socially accepted strategy

A Tale of Tweo Cities; Struggles through the Economic Recession Give Younger Adults of

Introduction: In Japan, it emerges as a social issue that an increasing number of younger adults have got sick leaves with mental disorder. In particular, depressive disorders among them are intractable because of the nature of such diseases are closely related to the relatively immature personalities of the sufferers and the control-oriented workplace environments nowadays. \nMethods: Case series of depressed patients with instructive episodes in two cities in Japan: one is in metropolis and the other is in rural area. Presentations of each case are slightly modified so long as the clinical essences of each case are kept for sufficient ethical considerations.\nResults: These patients lacked willingness to work though their symptoms of depressive disorders seemed almost fully subsided. The psychiatrist in charge repeatedly advised to return to work, but they wont follow the instruction for prolonged period without definitive reason. Abruptly, those patients successfully returned to work with their own initiatives because of the fear of disemployment due to the world-wide economic recession of year 2008.\nDiscussion and Conclusions: Those cases match the diagnosis of escaping-type depression which is psychopathologically conceptualized by a Japanese psychiatrist, Professor Tetsuya Hirose, in 1977. The escaping-type depression is one of the culture-bound syndromes of Japan with features of workplace phobia, mood swing and mild narcissim only recently grown popular among Japanese psychiatrists. Our cases suggest that mental maturation forced by crunch mode as economic recession is the key to induce remission to the patients of the escaping-type depression irrelevantly with either their residential environments ( urban or rural) or the kind of occupations.第一回亜助亜太平洋ヘルスプロモーション・健康教育学

NEDO MicroDose-PJ Closed International Meeting

NEDO MicroDose-PJ 非公開国際会

Principles of bioethics and radiological protection: What is the common ground?

BackgroundThe System of radiological protection develops gradually integrating advances in knowledge about the effects of radiation, the feedback from its practical implementation in all relevant domains, as well as the evolution of the ethical and social values that shape community life in modern societies. Although there is a long tradition of ICRP to consider such values in the development of its Recommendations, there is a need to make them explicit. This should facilitate the understanding of the system for specialists and non-specialists in radiological protection and allow a renewed dialogue on its foundations, its objectives and rationality. It should also encourage the emergence of informed behaviours in society vis-à-vis radiations.In this perspective, ICRP has initiated a reflection in the recent years on the ethical dimensions of the radiological protection system. This reflection has highlighted the links between the fundamental principles of radiation protection (justification, optimization, limitation) and the theories of normative ethics. The Recommendations of the Commission are designed to respect individual rights (deontological ethics), to promote the collective interest (utilitarian ethics) and favour vigilance and equity (virtue ethics). This reflection also identified the interest for the analysis of the radiological protection system to distinguish the ethical values defining the standards by which action should be taken, the ethical procedures for integrating these values in decision making and in the implementation of the decisions, and the ethical behaviour corresponding to the values that are supposed to guide the conduct of the various actors.,Because the radiation protection system is intended to be international, the reflection also emphasized the importance of promoting through the Recommendations, values common to different cultures such as autonomy,non-maleficence, beneficence and justice.The objective of the Workshop is to explore further the ethical values underlying the system of radiation protection but also to shed some light on different aspects of the practical implementation of the system that raise ethical questions and value judgments. Topics to be discussed will be for example the consideration of scientific uncertainty, the differences in terms of requirements for the protection of workers and the public, the rationality of dose limits,the exposure of future generations or the place to be given to stakeholders in radiation protectionThe Workshop will be an opportunity to:- share the current reflections in Asia about the ethical dimension of the radiological protection system,- contribute to the ICRP reflection on the ethical dimensions associated with the management of radiation risk in the different exposure situations.\nObjectives of the workshopThe Workshop will last for 2 days, starting on Tuesday 27 August at 08:30 and closing on Wednesday 28 August at 18:30. In order to stimulate reflection the Workshop will be structured around a number of invited plenary presentations addressing selected issues related to the ethical dimensions of the system of radiological protection. These presentations will be followed by facilitated working groups that will examine these issues in greater details, particularly their potential implications for the practical implementationof the system.\nWorkshop formatThe Workshop will last for 2 days, starting on Tuesday 27 August at 08:30 and closing on Wednesday 28 August at 18:30. In order to stimulate reflection the Workshop will be structured around a number of invited plenary presentations addressing selected issues related to the ethical dimensions of the system of radiological protection. These presentations will be followed by facilitated working groups that will examine these issues in greater details, particularly their potential implications for the practical implementationof the system.\nStructure of the programmeTuesday 27 August 20138:30 Registration9:00 Welcome addresses9:15 Introductory presentations10:30 – 13:00 Session 1 (Plenary)Ethical theories and radiation protection principles14:00 – 17:00 Session 2 (Plenary)Ethical issues in the implementation of the system of radiological protection17:00 – 18:00 Session 3 (Working groups)Wednesday 28 August 20139:00 - 12:00 Session 3 (Cont.)12:00 – 13:00 Presentations of working group conclusions14:00 – 15:00 Session 4 (Plenary)Keynote lecture15:00 - 17:00 General discussion based on the working group conclusions17:00 – 18:00 Future steps in the process18:00 – 18:30 Conclusion1st Asian Workshop on the Ethical Dimensions of the Radiological Protection Syste