Medium-term impact of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine against disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

全身性エリテマトーデスへのコロナワクチンの影響を分析 --中期的な疾患活動性と再燃への影響について--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-10-25.OBJECTIVES: Numerous case reports have referred to new onset or flare of SLE after SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Several observational studies showed that the short-term flare rate of SLE after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is low. However, well-controlled clinical surveys are unavailable and the medium-term impact of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines against the flare of SLE is uncertain. Therefore, we aimed to analyse the association between vaccination and medium-term subjective and objective disease activities of SLE and flares using matched pair methods. METHODS: Altogether, 150 patients with SLE from the Kyoto Lupus Cohort were included. Patients who received two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines were 1:1 matched with unvaccinated patients based on the first vaccination date. The outcome measures were the SLE Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI-2K), the Japanese version of the SLE Symptom Checklist Questionnaire (SSC-J) and the Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-SLEDAI flare index at 30, 60 and 90 days after vaccination. RESULTS: SLEDAI-2K levels were not significantly different in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients with SLE at 30, 60 and 90 days after the second vaccination (adjusted estimate (95% CI): 30 days: -0.46 (-1.48 to 0.56), p=0.39; 60 days: 0.38 (-0.64 to 1.40), p=0.47; 90 days: 0.40 (-0.54 to 1.34), p=0.41). Similar results were observed in the SSC-J score (adjusted estimate (95% CI), 30 days: 0.05 (-1.46 to 1.56), p=0.95; 60 days: -0.63 (-2.08 to 0.82), p=0.40; 90 days: 0.27 (-1.04 to 1.58), p=0.69) and flare index (adjusted OR (95% CI), 30 days: 0.81 (0.36 to 1.85), p=0.62; 60 days: 1.13 (0.50 to 2.54), p=0.77; 90 days: 0.85 (0.32 to 2.26), p=0.74). CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination did not significantly influence the medium-term subjective and objective disease activities or flares of SLE until 90 days after the second vaccination

Dietary fermented products using koji mold and sweet potato-shochu distillery by-product promotes hepatic and serum cholesterol levels and modulates gut microbiota in mice fed a high-cholesterol diet

It has been reported that fermented products (FPs) prepared from sweet potato-shochu distillery by-product suppressed weight gain and decreased serum cholesterol levels in mice under normal dietary conditions. Furthermore, from the information gained from the above data regarding health benefits of the FPs, the aim of this study was evaluating the effects of dietary FPs on lipid accumulation and gut microbiota in mice with or without cholesterol-load in the diet. C57BL/6N mice were fed normal (CO) diet, CO with 10% FPs (CO + FPs) diet, cholesterol loaded (HC) diet, or HC with 10% FPs (HC + FPs) diet for 8 weeks. The mice were then euthanized, and blood samples, tissue samples, and feces were collected. The adipose tissue weight and liver triglyceride levels in the HC + FPs diet groups were significantly reduced compared to that in the HC diet groups. However, FPs significantly increased the serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, the ratio of non-HDL-C to HDL-C and hepatic total cholesterol levels in mice fed cholesterol-loaded diet compared with that of the HC diet group. Since dietary FPs significantly decreased the protein expression levels of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase 1 in the HC + FPs diet groups, the cholesterol accumulation in FPs group may be explained by insufficient catabolism from cholesterol to bile acid. In addition, the dietary FPs tended to increase Clostridium cluster IV and XIVa, which are butyrate-producing bacteria. Related to the result, n-butyrate was significantly increased in the CO + FPs and the HC + FPs diet groups compared to their respective control groups. These findings suggested that dietary FPs modulated the lipid pool and gut microbiota

Light-curing efficiency of dental adhesives by gallium nitride violet-laser diode determined in terms of ultimate micro-tensile strength

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether violet-laser diode (VLD) can be used as light-curing source. The ultimate (micro-)tensile strength (μTS) of three adhesives was determined when cured by VLD in comparison with curing by two different types of commercial LED light-curing units. One VLD (VLM 500) and two LED units (Curenos and G-Light Prima) were used to cure the adhesive resin of the two-step self-etch adhesives Clearfil SE Bond, Tokuso Mac Bond II, and FL-Bond II. A 0.6-mm thick acrylic mould was filled with adhesive resin and cured for 60 s. After 24-h water storage, specimens were trimmed into an hourglass shape with a width of 1.2 mm at the narrowest part, after which the μTS was determined (n=10). In addition, the light transmittance of each adhesive was characterized using a UV-vis-NIR spectrometer. No significant difference in curing efficiency between VLD and LED were observed for both Tokuso Mac Bond II and FL-Bond II (p>0.05). For Clearfil SE Bond, the μTS of VLD-cured specimens was higher than that of the specimens cured by the LED Curenos unit (p<0.05). Spectrometry revealed that this marked difference must be attributed to a different light transmittance of Clearfil SE Bond for visible blue light versus for the lower area of UV and visible violet light. In conclusion, A GaN-based violet laser diode can be used as light-curing source to initiate polymerization of dental resins.status: publishe

Isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies against 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/isomerase family provide markers for subclassification of human primary aldosteronism.

[Context]: Therapeutic management of primary aldosteronism requires accurate differentiation between aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA). However, little is known about the molecular features that delineate the difference between APA and IHA. Two different isoforms of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B1 and HSD3B2) are thought to be expressed in the human adrenal gland, but the lack of isoform-specific antibody has so far hampered mapping of these isoforms in APA and IHA. [Objectives]: The aim of our study is to develop and characterize isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies against HSD3B1 and HSD3B2. Using these antibodies, we determined for the first time the immunolocalization of HSD3B1 and HSD3B2 in normal human adrenal cortex as well as in adrenal specimens from APA and IHA. [Results]: Immunohistochemical analysis with isoform-specific antibodies revealed zone-specific expression of HSD3B1 and HSD3B2 in the adrenal cortex. HSD3B1 immunoreactivities were essentially confined to the zona glomerulosa (ZG), in which aldosterone is produced. In contrast, HSD3B2 was not confined to the ZG but was found across the zona fasciculata, which is where cortisol is produced. Moreover, immunohistopathological analysis of primary aldosteronism revealed a previously uncharacterized difference between APA and IHA. Notably, hyperplasia of ZG seen for IHA was accompanied by a robust expression of ZG isoform HSD3B1. In contrast, tumor cells in APA were not immunopositive to HSD3B1. Rather, a strong and dominant expression of HSD3B2 characterized APA. Moreover, perhaps due to compensatory responses to excess aldosterone, APA had an adjacent ZG whose immunoreactivities to HSD3B1 and HSD3B2 were profoundly reduced. [Conclusions]: Isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies against HSD3B1 and HSD3B2 may be of great value for immunohistochemical differentiation between APA and IHA