The Role of Bacteria in the Pathogenesis of Ulcerative Colitis

Factors implicated in the pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis (UC) are an abnormal immune response, defect in intestinal epithelial barrier function, and gut microbiota. Currently, it is unclear whether specific bacterial strains are responsible for the induction of intestinal inflammation, but increased bacterial tissue invasion has been described in affected UC patients. Further, a quantitative and qualitative microbial imbalance in UC, defined as dysbiosis, has been characterized by an increase in Rhodococcus spp., Shigella spp., and Escherichia spp., but a decrease in certain Bacteroides spp.. More specifically, Campylobacter spp., Enterobacteriae, and enterohepatic Helicobacter were more prevalent in tissue sample from UC patients subjected to molecular detection methods, but not controls. In addition, serologic testing identified Fusobacterim varium as a potential contributor to the intestinal inflammation in UC. Interestingly, in-situ hybridization studies have shown anti-inflammatory Lactobacillus spp. and Pediococcus spp. were absent in samples from subjects affected by UC. Therefore, dysbiosis is a factor in the pathogenesis of UC

Trio Webster: Toshi Ichiyanagi’s Fusion of Western and Eastern Music

This document contains a synopsis of Toshi Ichiyanagi’s compositional style, a discussion of his musical philosophy, and an analysis of Trio Webster. Ichiyanagi is a renowned Japanese composer who studied in New York under John Cage’s mentorship. He is also the first composer to introduce Cage’s concept of chance operation to Japanese society. Trio Webster realizes the true exchange of Western and Eastern cultures, and it is accomplished because of Ichiyanagi’s unique experience and philosophy as an international composer. The concept of Japanese classical music and Japanese aesthetics are observed in Trio Webster which is the basis for the depth of the work. Eastern concepts, especially Japanese, can be ambiguous and may be difficult for Westerners to fully appreciate. This study shows the cosmos beyond the practical analysis of Trio Webster and is meant to serve as a guide for those who will perform the works of Ichiyanagi, especially Trio Webster, in the future. This study was facilitated through research and interviews with Ichiyanagi and members of the Webster Trio. Ichiyanagi’s interview is included as an appendix to this document

Network game approach on negotiation process for the case of the Caspian oil allocation

A methodology is shown to analyze phases of player\u27s coalition formation. It can be applied to inter-regional cooperation analysis which is a relevant problem in Japan. Network formation game is used to model the problem with some extensions on a concept of coalition and coalition formative condition. A coalition among more than 3 players is introduced, which is not considered in standard network formation game. A coalition formative condition is also introduced taking into account specific characteristics about infrastructure construction. The methodology is applied to oil allocation problem among Caspian coastal countries, and how the methodology works in the real problem is examined. As a result, it is revealed that considering the coalition among more than 3 players is not sure to produce more social surplus than considering only the coalition between 2 players.2008 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC) : Singapore, Singapore, 2008.10.12-2008.10.1

IMPLEMENTING BOOT CONTROL FOR WINDOWS VISTA

Abstract A digital forensic logging system must prevent the booting of unauthorized programs and the modification of evidence. Our previous research developed Dig-Force2, a boot control system for Windows XP platforms that employs API hooking and a trusted platform module. However, Dig-Force2 cannot be used for Windows Vista systems because the hooked API cannot monitor booting programs in user accounts. This paper describes an enhanced version of Dig-Force2, which uses a TPM and a white list to provide boot control functionality for Windows Vista systems. In addition, the paper presents the results of security and performance evaluations of the boot control system

Effectiveness of Anti-PD-1 Antibody Monotherapy for the Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Esophagus： A Case Report

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus（PMME）is extraordinarily rare with a high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis, and a standard therapy remains to be established. The anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab is a promising agent for various cancers. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of PMME where a complete response was achieved using nivolumab. We report an 80-year-old woman who was diagnosed with PMME with bone metastasis and lymph node metastases. Although dacarbazine combined chemotherapy was performed and continued for six cycles, the primary tumor progressed and liver metastases appeared. The patient then received nivolumab monotherapy. After three cycles, nivolumab monotherapy for PMME resulted in a complete response as shown by positron emission tomography, computed tomography, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. In our case, nivolumab exerted a curative effect on PMME, thus suggesting that nivolumab can be effective in the treatment of this rare disease

Defect of Interferon γ Leads to Impaired Wound Healing through Prolonged Neutrophilic Inflammatory Response and Enhanced MMP-2 Activation.

Interferon (IFN)-γ is mainly secreted by CD4+ T helper 1 (Th1), natural killer (NK) and NKT cells after skin injury. Although IFN-γ is well known regarding its inhibitory effects on collagen synthesis by fibroblasts in vitro, information is limited regarding its role in wound healing in vivo. In the present study, we analyzed how the defect of IFN-γ affects wound healing. Full-thickness wounds were created on the backs of wild type (WT) C57BL/6 and IFN-γ-deficient (KO) mice. We analyzed the percent wound closure, wound breaking strength, accumulation of leukocytes, and expression levels of COL1A1, COL3A1, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). IFN-γKO mice exhibited significant attenuation in wound closure on Day 10 and wound breaking strength on Day 14 after wound creation, characteristics that are associated with prolonged neutrophil accumulation. Expression levels of COL1A1 and COL3A1 mRNA were lower in IFN-γKO than in WT mice, whereas expression levels of MMP-2 (gelatinase) mRNA were significantly greater in IFN-γKO than in WT mice. Moreover, under neutropenic conditions created with anti-Gr-1 monoclonal antibodies, wound closure in IFN-γKO mice was recovered through low MMP-2 expression levels. These results suggest that IFN-γ may be involved in the proliferation and maturation stages of wound healing through the regulation of neutrophilic inflammatory responses

Use of the index of pulmonary vascular disease for predicting long-term outcome of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease

AimsLimited data exist on risk factors for the long-term outcome of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH). We focused on the index of pulmonary vascular disease (IPVD), an assessment system for pulmonary artery pathology specimens. The IPVD classifies pulmonary vascular lesions into four categories based on severity: (1) no intimal thickening, (2) cellular thickening of the intima, (3) fibrous thickening of the intima, and (4) destruction of the tunica media, with the overall grade expressed as an additive mean of these scores. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between IPVD and the long-term outcome of CHD-PAH.MethodsThis retrospective study examined lung pathology images of 764 patients with CHD-PAH aged <20 years whose lung specimens were submitted to the Japanese Research Institute of Pulmonary Vasculature for pulmonary pathological review between 2001 and 2020. Clinical information was collected retrospectively by each attending physician. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular death.ResultsThe 5-year, 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year cardiovascular death-free survival rates for all patients were 92.0%, 90.4%, 87.3%, and 86.1%, respectively. The group with an IPVD of ≥2.0 had significantly poorer survival than the group with an IPVD <2.0 (P = .037). The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for the presence of congenital anomaly syndromes associated with pulmonary hypertension, and age at lung biopsy showed similar results (hazard ratio 4.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.45–13.73; P = .009).ConclusionsThe IPVD scoring system is useful for predicting the long-term outcome of CHD-PAH. For patients with an IPVD of ≥2.0, treatment strategies, including choosing palliative procedures such as pulmonary artery banding to restrict pulmonary blood flow and postponement of intracardiac repair, should be more carefully considered

Does the routine handling affect the phenotype of disease model mice?

The three different mouse handling methods, picking up by tails, tunnels, and open hands were performed using the ICGN glomerulonephritis mouse and the severity of symptoms was evaluated. The handling groups exhibited a tendency of more severe symptoms than the non-handling control group. Female mice handled by their tails showed significantly more severe symptoms than the control group. In addition, we subjected the normal laboratory mice, C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice to tail and tunnel handling to assess the stress conditions. The plasma corticosterone level in the tail-handled mice was higher than that in control mice. These results indicate that handling causes stress and may affect the phenotype of disease model mice

Does the routine handling affect the phenotype of disease model mice?

The three different mouse handling methods, picking up by tails, tunnels, and open hands were performed using the ICGN glomerulonephritis mouse and the severity of symptoms was evaluated. The handling groups exhibited a tendency of more severe symptoms than the non-handling control group. Female mice handled by their tails showed significantly more severe symptoms than the control group. In addition, we subjected the normal laboratory mice, C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice to tail and tunnel handling to assess the stress conditions. The plasma corticosterone level in the tail-handled mice was higher than that in control mice. These results indicate that handling causes stress and may affect the phenotype of disease model mice