Prevalence of tuberculosis in small pulmonary nodules obtained by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

SummaryThe prevalence of tuberculosis in small solitary lesions of the lung obtained by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is still unclear. Of 103 lung lesions resected by VATS in 98 patients (47 men, 51 women), 19 were identified macroscopically as inflammatory changes, 78 were neoplastic, and 6 were undefined. Presumptive diagnosis based on microscopic analysis of fresh specimen smears treated with Papanicolaou stain was performed in 19 lesions. Of these, 11 lesions had epithelioid cells, granulomas with caseous necrosis and Langerhans-type giant cells. The 6 undefined lesions were non-inflammatory benign changes. Isolation and identification of tuberculosis were based on microscopic findings of fresh material smears and sections of fixed specimens stained with Ziehl–Neelsen's dye, cultivation using egg-based Ogawa medium, and in situ hybridization between polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of each of the 11 lesions and specific DNA sequences for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. avium, and M. intracellulare. Of these 11 lesions, M. tuberculosis was confirmed in one (0.96%) by PCR and M. avium was confirmed in four by culture and PCR. Of the 78 malignant lesions, final pathologies were primary lung cancer (n=59, 70.2%) and pulmonary metastatic cancer (n=19, 22.6%). The most frequent primary malignant cancer was adenocarcinoma, which was found in 19 men and 28 women in the present study. Eight lesions in 8 men were squamous cell carcinomas. The results of the present study suggested that even though the prevalence of lung tuberculosis is low, attention should be paid to the presence of M. tuberculosis in specimens obtained by VATS

Effects of enzymatically modified isoquercitrin in supplementary protein powder on athlete body composition: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial

BackgroundEnzymatically modified isoquercitrin (EMIQ), a water-soluble quercetin, has been shown to intensify muscle hypertrophy in mice. We investigated the effect of EMIQ in supplementary protein powder on athlete body composition.MethodsForty Japanese males who played American football (age: 19.8 ± 1.4 years; body height: 174.1 ± 6.0 cm; body mass: 75.5 ± 10.7 kg) were assigned to a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of parallel group. Participants received either EMIQ in whey protein (EW, n = 19) or contrast whey protein (W, n = 20) 6 days per week over 4 months. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Markers of oxidative stress, derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP), were assessed using a free radical analytical system. Data were analyzed using a univariate and repeated measures general model statistics.ResultsAfter 4 months, changes in lower limb fat-free mass and muscle mass were significantly greater in the EW group than in the W group (mean change ±95% CI; W: 324.1 ± 284.3, EW: 950.3 ± 473.2, p = 0.031, W: 255.7 ± 288.6, EW: 930.9 ± 471.5, p = 0.021, respectively). Moreover, the EW group exhibited a significantly higher BAP/d-ROMs ratio, antioxidation index, than the W group after 4 months (mean change ± SD; W: 8.8 ± 1.1, EW: 10.3 ± 2.8; p = 0.028). No significant differences in body mass, lean body mass, fat mass, or lower limb fat mass were observed between the groups.ConclusionIngestion of EMIQ in supplementary protein powder for 4 months exerts antioxidant effects and increases muscle mass among American football players

Enterokinase and IAV Infection

Cleavage and activation of hemagglutinin (HA) by trypsin-like proteases in influenza A virus (IAV) are essential prerequisites for its successful infection and spread. In host cells, some transmembrane serine proteases such as TMPRSS2, TMPRSS4 and HAT, along with plasmin in the bloodstream, have been reported to cleave the HA precursor (HA0) molecule into its active forms, HA1 and HA2. Some trypsinogens can also enhance IAV proliferation in some cell types (e.g., rat cardiomyoblasts). However, the precise activation mechanism for this process is unclear, because the expression level of the physiological activator of the trypsinogens, the TMPRSS15 enterokinase, is expected to be very low in such cells, with the exception of duodenal cells. Here, we show that at least two variant enterokinases are expressed in various human cell lines, including A549 lung-derived cells. The exogenous expression of these enterokinases was able to enhance the proliferation of IAV in 293T human kidney cells, but the proliferation was reduced by knocking down the endogenous enterokinase in A549 cells. The enterokinase was able to enhance HA processing in the cells, which activated trypsinogen in vitro and in the IAV-infected cells also. Therefore, we conclude that enterokinase plays a role in IAV infection and proliferation by activating trypsinogen to process viral HA in human cell lines

金沢大学共通中国語補助教材に求められる補足内容と二外教師が備えるべき文法知識

金沢大学における共通中国語A (1年次学生を主な対象とする)の授業は2022年現在、凡そ200人規模で推移している。これだけの数の学生が履修する「共通教育」という性質を鑑み、近年、中国語班では統一教科書である『アカンサス中国語』(附帯のドリルも含む、以下『アカンサス』)の作成及び利用が実現された。しかし言うまでもなく、統一教科書には中長期的な視点からの改訂作業が常に求められる。本稿では、中でも文法解説の部分について、新年度のより良い指導に繋げるために追加が必要と思われる内容及びその中で実際に使用されている例文などを挙げながら、問答形式で指導のポイントを記述していく