Application of the Adjoint Spectrum to the Frequency Tracking in Spectrometry with Tunable Diode Lasers Suffering from Temperature Drift

A numerical technique called as "adjoint spectrum" has been proposed by the authors in a previous work. Two applications of it are presented here. It is demonstrated that by generalizing the aspect of adjoint spectrum it becomes possible to measure densities of mixed gases simultaneously. An experimental proof of this has been carried on and simultaneous measurement of densities of both methane and dinitrogen oxide was realized. On the other hand, it is also reported that frequency shifting of spectra, which is a cause of error in spectrometric measurements, can be corrected by exploiting the adjoint spectrum technique in connection with the Taylor expansion. Numerical examples showing the success of this method are reported as well

Measurement of Methane Concentration in a Rice Paddy Field with a Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectrometry

A prototype device based on the tunable diode laser absorption spectrometry was constructed and the atmospheric methane concentration near the terrain in a rice paddy field was measured. An open optical path of 50 m length was employed along with a PbSnTe diode laser. Diurnal change of methane density with 30 seconds temporal resolution was recorded associated with meteorological parameters. A feasibility was proven for a practical application for in situ study of atmospheric methane

Second Harmonic Detection of Atmospheric Trace Gases with a Train-Pulse Driven Lead-Salt Tunable Diode Laser for an Operation at Peltier Cooling Temperature

Is proposed a tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer system which employs a pulsed current to drive the diode laser still implementing a second-harmonic detection methods enhancing a signal to noise up to 104 times that the case without it. This system affords the lead-salt diode laser a higher operating temperature which allows a more compact deep cooling system. A principle is based on employing a gated integrator between the preamplifier and the lock-in amplifier. Investigations are made on the optimum selection of the gating aperture time interval as determined by response time of the infrared detector and the pulse width of the laser driving current

Successful voriconazole treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a patient with acute biphenotypic leukemia

A 23-year old woman with acute biphenotypic leukemia (ABL) complained of chest pain with cough, high fever and hemoptysis during induction chemotherapy, although she had been treated with anti-biotics and micafungin. We made a clinical diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) based on a consolidation in the right upper lung field on a chest radiograph as well as a high level of serum beta-D-glucan (with no evidence of tuberculosis and candidiasis). We changed her treatment from micafungin to voriconazole. Later, we discovered an air-crescent sign by CT scan that supported the diagnosis of IPA. Following voriconazole treatment, clinical symptoms ceased and abnormal chest shadows improved gradually and concurrently with a recovery of neutrophils. IPA must be considered in immunocompromised patients with pulmonary infiltrates who do not respond to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Serological tests and CT findings can aid in early diagnosis of IPA, which, along with treatment for IPA, will improve clinical outcomes.</p

Fibrocytes activate fibroblasts by PDGF.

Fibrocytes, which are bone marrow-derived collagen-producing cells, were reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. However, their function in pulmonary fibrosis is unclear. We analyzed their function compared with that of monocytes and localization in fibrotic tissues in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We compared the gene expression profile of monocyte-derived fibrocytes with that of monocytes by microarray analysis. Proliferation and differentiation into myofibroblasts were examined by 3H-thymidine incorporation assay and Western blotting. We measured the level of growth factors in the culture supernatant of fibrocytes by ELISA. The localization of fibrocytes in lung tissues of patients with IPF was determined by immunofluorescence staining. Compared with monocytes, fibrocytes had higher expression of extracellular matrix- and growth factor-encoding genes, including PDGF-B, FGF-2 and VEGF-B. Although fibrocytes did not proliferate in response to PDGF, co-culture of fibrocytes stimulated the growth of lung fibroblasts through the production of PDGF-BB. In the lung of IPF patients, CD45+Collagen-I+FSP-1+ cells, which have a similar phenotype to fibrocytes, were detected and co-stained with anti-PDGF antibody. This study suggested that fibrocytes function in pulmonary fibrosis partly by producing PDGF in the lungs of IPF patients

Prostaglandin F2 receptor negative regulator as a potential target for chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy for glioblastoma

Kuroda H., Kijima N., Tachi T., et al. Prostaglandin F2 receptor negative regulator as a potential target for chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy for glioblastoma. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy 74, 136 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-025-03979-4.Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy targeting novel glioblastoma (GBM)-specific cell surface antigens is a promising approach. However, transcriptome analyses have revealed few GBM-specific target antigens. Methods: A library of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against tumor cell lines derived from patients with GBM was generated. mAbs reacting with tumor cells in resected tissues from patients with GBM but not with nonmalignant human brain cells were detected. The antigens that were recognized were identified through expression cloning. CAR-T cells derived from a candidate mAb were generated, and their functionality was tested in vitro and in vivo. Results: Approximately 3,200 clones were established. Among them, 5E17 reacted with tumor cells in six of seven patients with GBM, but not with nonmalignant human brain cells. Prostaglandin F2 receptor negative regulator (PTGFRN) was identified as an antigen recognized by 5E17. CAR-T cells derived from 5E17 produced cytokines and exerted cytotoxicity upon co-culture with tumor cells from patients with GBM. Furthermore, intracranial injection of 5E17-CAR-T cells demonstrated antitumor effects in an orthotopic xenograft murine model with patient-derived GBM cells. Conclusions: Cell surface PTGFRN is a candidate target for intracranial CAR-T cell therapy for GBM. On-target off-tumor toxicity in alternative normal tissues needs to be carefully tested

ショウガッコウ コウガクネン ジドウ ノ ジソン カンジョウ ト タイイク ジュギョウ ニオケル カチカン オヨビ ウンドウ ユウノウカン トノ カンレン

A purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between Self-esteem of higher grade children in primary school and Values, Motor Competence in physical education class. In ordre to achieve this purpose, four kinds of questionnaires were administered to the 2549 higher grade children in primary school. The questionnaires were composed of following scales; Self-esteem, Reflective Self-esteem, Values in physical education, Sense of attainment in physical education and Motor competence. The scale of Values and the scale of Motor competence were devided into four sub-scales, respectively. The name of these subscales were as follows; Effort and Challenge, Observance of rules, Consideration and Investigation, Self-superiority (the foregoings were in Values scale), Cognition of physical competence, Sense of control, Sense of acceptance (the foregoings were in Motor Competence scale). As a result of correlation analysis, the significant correlation coefficients between the self-esteem acale and the other scales were indicated (p unstable high self-esteem > unstable low self-esteem > stable low self-esteem. From these results, it was suggested that the following points were important for teachers in physical education class. The first point was to make children to feel motor competence, and the second point was to praise children for their rule observance behaviors. And through these attentions of teachers, the self-recognition of unstable low self-esteem children could be improved.国立情報学研究所『研究紀要公開支援事業』により電子化

Antitumor effects of intracranial injection of B7-H3-targeted Car-T and Car-Nk cells in a patient-derived glioblastoma xenograft model

The version of record of this article, first published in Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-024-03808-0.Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal primary brain tumor for which novel therapies are needed. Recently, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been shown to be effective against GBM, but it is a personalized medicine and requires high cost and long time for the cell production. CAR-transduced natural killer (NK) cells can be used for "off-the-shelf" cellular immunotherapy because they do not induce graft-versus-host disease. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the anti-GBM effect of CAR-T or NK cells targeting B7-H3, which is known to be highly expressed in GBM. Methods: CAR-T cells targeting B7-H3 were generated using previously reported anti-B7-H3 scFv sequences. Cord blood (CB)-derived NK cells transduced with the B7-H3 CAR were also generated. Their anti-GBM effect was analyzed in vitro. The antitumor effect of intracranial injection of the B7-H3 CAR-T or NK cells was investigated in an in vivo xenograft model with patient-derived GBM cells. Results: Both B7-H3 CAR-T cells and CAR-NK cells exhibited marked cytotoxicity against patient-derived GBM cells in vitro. Furthermore, intracranial injection of CAR-T cells and CAR-NK cells targeting B7-H3 resulted in a significant antitumor effect against patient-derived GBM xenografts. Conclusion: Not only CAR-T cells but also CB-derived CAR-NK cells targeting B7-H3 may have the potential to eliminate GBM cells

Super-responder to pirfenidone therapy in IPF

Background : Pirfenidone (PFD), an anti-fibrosis drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), suppresses disease progression and delays decline of forced vital capacity. However, this drug rarely makes marked improvement of pulmonary function, chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings and hypoxia. Case presentation : A 59 year-old-man, who was a former smoker and had a history of alcoholic liver cirrhosis, developed exertional dyspnea and was referred to our hospital. HRCT showed honeycomb changes with surrounding ground-glass opacity (GGO) in a predominantly basal and subpleural distribution. He was diagnosed with IPF and the treatment with PFD was started. At 16 months after the start of treatment, the predicted forced vital capacity value markedly improved from 82.9% to 98.6%. His resting-state partial pressure of arterial oxygen while breathing room air increased from a minimum of 54.7 mmHg (at 2 months treatment) to 72.5 mmHg. The GGO observed at diagnosis disappeared in HRCT. But after 32 months of treatment, his general condition got worse gradually, and he died from chronic progression of IPF after 48 months of treatment. Conclusion : Our case suggests that a complication of chronic liver disease and the existence of GGO may be characteristics of super-responder to PFD treatment for IPF patients