Experimental Pulmonary Granuloma Mimicking Sarcoidosis Induced by Propionibacterium acnes in Mice

Propionibacterium acnes has been implicated as an etiologic agent of sarcoidosis since the isolation of this bacterium from sarcoid lesions. We experimentally produced a murine pulmonary granuloma model using P. acnes with several features that simulate sarcoidosis. Mice were sensitized with heat-killed P. acnes and complete Freund's adjuvant and were subsequently challenged with heat-killed P. acnes at 2-week intervals. P. acnes-challenged mice developed epitheloid cell granulomas in the lungs. These mice showed a pulmonary immune response characterized by an increased number of T-lymphocytes, especially CD4 cells, and the ratio of CD4/CD8 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid also increased. Furthermore, significant elevations in both angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) serum levels and antibody titers against P. acnes were observed. Mice sensitized with P. acnes without complete Freund's adjuvant were capable of forming pulmonary granulomas, which appeared to be caused by indigenous P. acnes. The genome of P. acnes was found in the lungs, BAL cells, hilar lymph nodes, liver, and spleen in non-sensitized mice, which were thought to be germ-free. These results suggest that the immune response against indigenous P. acnes may play an important role in the pathogenesis of granuloma formation in a murine model.</p

Prediction markers for respiratory distress syndrome: evaluation of the stable microbubble test, surfactant protein-A and hepatocyte growth factor levels in amniotic fluid.

Surfactant treatment in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) has decreased neonatal mortality. With the advent of this therapy, it has become important to predict accurately the fetal lung maturity of a fetus before delivery. We evaluated the stable microbubble test (SMT), surfactant protein-A (SP-A) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in amniotic fluid as predicting markers for RDS. Of 55 amniotic fluid samples obtained by amniocentesis from women less than 37 weeks pregnant, the SMT values were as follows: sensitivity 76.5%, specificity 84.2%, positive predictive value 68.4%, negative predictive value 88.9% and overall accuracy 81.8%. For SP-A, the values were 88.2%, 65.8%, 53.6%, 92.6% and 72.7%, respectively. If we used both SMT and SP-A, we could diagnose with 100% accuracy that a case with measurements of SMT &#62; or = 2 and SP-A &#62; or = 420 ng/ml would not complicate with RDS (24/24). However, the RDS diagnostic accuracy of HGF does not equal to those of SMT and SP-A levels. We concluded that the rapidity, simplicity and reliability of SMT was very useful during 24-36 weeks of gestation as a bedside procedure to predict fetuses likely to develop RDS. We also noted the additive effect of SP-A in improving the accuracy of lung maturity diagnosis.</p

Formation of SiC Nanocrystals Aligned at the SiO2／Si Interface Aiming at Sample Preparation for Scanning Tunneling Luminescence Spectroscopy

We investigated the synthesis of SiC nanocrystals (NCs) of several nanometers on a crystalline Si(001) surface, aiming at sample preparation for scanning tunneling luminescence using a novel conductive transparency probe. Two methods for C implantation and CO diffusion to SiO2/Si(001) samples were adopred for the formation of nanocrystalline SiC aligned on the Si(001) surface. The characterization of NCs: crystalline structure, shape, size and areal density, were analyzed by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, scanning probe microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The C implantation method could not form sufficient NCs on the surface since the diffusion of C to the interface was not adequarely promoted by thermal annealing. On the other hand, almost an ideal structure of SiC NCs of ~10 nm on the Si(001) surface was realized by CO annealing under 0.2 bar at 1100 ℃ for 0.5 h. The size of NCs primarily depends on the annealing time: the annealing conditions should be optimized for further decrement of the NC size.Full-Length PaperBy a grant from Research Institute for Integrated Science, Kanagawa Universit

CURRENT-VOLTAGE PROPERTIES OF SCHOTTKY CONTACT FORMED BY COPPER LAYER DEPOSITED ON ION-IMPLANTED P-TYPE DIAMONDS

We have formed a Schottky contact on p-type diamond substrates doped only by boron ion implantation process. The doping concertation in the drift layer was 4×10^18 cm^-3 and that beneath the Ohmic contact layer was about 1×10^21 cm^-3 in order to reduce the contact resistance at the Ohmic contact. We investigate the rectifying properties for the Schottky electrode fabricated by copper layer. The observed current between two Ohmic electrodes linearly depended on the applied voltage. From the I-V characteristics between the Ohmic and Schottky contacts, the rectification behavior was not clearly observed for the case of copper electrode, and rectification ratio, which is the current ratio of forward direction to reverse direction, was considerably low

Glucose Metabolism in Cataractous Lens

Since the sorbitol pathway in the lens of a diabetic rat was discovered, the relation between cataract formation and aldose reductase has been studied. We measured glucose, sorbitol and fructose in the human cataractous lens by the gaschromatography. Additionally, we measured sugar and polyols in bovine, pig and rabbit lens. The ratio of sorbitol/glucose is high in rabbit, pig and bovine lens in order. In the human cataractous lens, glucose is increased in accordance with development of cataract. On the other hand, sorbitol content is high in the diabetic lens and low in the senile cataractous lens. The aldose reductase inhibitor may have beneficial effects in the prevention of diabetic cataract formation, but have not the therapeutic effect in the senile cataract

Analysis of Radioactive Elements in Testes of Large Japanese Field Mice Using an Electron Probe Micro-Analyser after the Fukushima Accident

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident drew global attention to the health risks of radiation exposure. The large Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus) are rodents endemic to, and distributed throughout, Japan. This wild rodent live in and around the ex-evacuation zone on the ground surface and/or underground. In this study, we evaluated the effect of chronic radiation exposure associated with FDNPP accident on the testes of large Japanese field mice. Morphological analysis and electron-prove X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) was undertaken on the testes. Morphological analysis of testes based on H&E staining showed that the spermatogenesis was observed normally in the breeding season of wild mice in the heavily contaminated area. However, caesium (Cs) was not detected in all testes of wild mice from FDNPP ex-evacuation zone. In conclusion, even if the testes and the process of spermatogenesis are hypersensitive to radiation, we could not detect radiation effects on the spermatogenesis and Cs in the examined large Japanese field mice testes following chronic radiation exposure associated with the FDNPP accident

First Data Release of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program

The Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) is a three-layered imaging survey aimed at addressing some of the most outstanding questions in astronomy today, including the nature of dark matter and dark energy. The survey has been awarded 300 nights of observing time at the Subaru Telescope and it started in March 2014. This paper presents the first public data release of HSC-SSP. This release includes data taken in the first 1.7 years of observations (61.5 nights) and each of the Wide, Deep, and UltraDeep layers covers about 108, 26, and 4 square degrees down to depths of i~26.4, ~26.5, and ~27.0 mag, respectively (5sigma for point sources). All the layers are observed in five broad bands (grizy), and the Deep and UltraDeep layers are observed in narrow bands as well. We achieve an impressive image quality of 0.6 arcsec in the i-band in the Wide layer. We show that we achieve 1-2 per cent PSF photometry (rms) both internally and externally (against Pan-STARRS1), and ~10 mas and 40 mas internal and external astrometric accuracy, respectively. Both the calibrated images and catalogs are made available to the community through dedicated user interfaces and database servers. In addition to the pipeline products, we also provide value-added products such as photometric redshifts and a collection of public spectroscopic redshifts. Detailed descriptions of all the data can be found online. The data release website is https://hsc-release.mtk.nao.ac.jp/.Comment: 34 pages, 20 figures, 7 tables, moderate revision, accepted for publication in PAS