Three-dimensional analysis of perineural invasion in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using tissue clearing

Perineural invasion (PNI) is a characteristic invasion pattern of distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC). Conventional histopathologic examination is a challenging approach to analyze the spatial relationship between cancer and neural tissue in full-thickness bile duct specimens. Therefore, we used a tissue clearing method to examine PNI in DCC with three-dimensional (3D) structural analysis. The immunolabeling-enabled 3D imaging of solvent-cleared organs method was performed to examine 20 DCC specimens from five patients and 8 non-neoplastic bile duct specimens from two controls. The bile duct epithelium and neural tissue were labeled with CK19 and S100 antibodies, respectively. Two-dimensional hematoxylin/eosin staining revealed only PNI around thick nerve fibers in the deep layer of the bile duct, whereas PNI was not identified in the superficial layer. 3D analysis revealed that the parts of DCC closer to the mucosa exhibited more nerves than the normal bile duct. The nerve fibers were continuously branched and connected with thick nerve fibers in the deep layer of the bile duct. DCC formed a tubular structure invading from the epithelium and extending around thin nerve fibers in the superficial layer. DCC exhibited continuous infiltration around the thick nerve fibers in the deep layer. This is the first study using a tissue clearing method to examine the PNI of DCC, providing new insights into the underlying mechanisms

The Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) for AKARI

The Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) is one of two focal plane instruments on the AKARI satellite. FIS has four photometric bands at 65, 90, 140, and 160 um, and uses two kinds of array detectors. The FIS arrays and optics are designed to sweep the sky with high spatial resolution and redundancy. The actual scan width is more than eight arcmin, and the pixel pitch is matches the diffraction limit of the telescope. Derived point spread functions (PSFs) from observations of asteroids are similar to the optical model. Significant excesses, however, are clearly seen around tails of the PSFs, whose contributions are about 30% of the total power. All FIS functions are operating well in orbit, and its performance meets the laboratory characterizations, except for the two longer wavelength bands, which are not performing as well as characterized. Furthermore, the FIS has a spectroscopic capability using a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). Because the FTS takes advantage of the optics and detectors of the photometer, it can simultaneously make a spectral map. This paper summarizes the in-flight technical and operational performance of the FIS.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, and 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the AKARI special issue of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japa

Quantitative evaluation of maxillary bone deformation by computed tomography in patients with leprosy.

Facial deformation as a sequela of leprosy is caused not only by a saddle nose but also by regression of the maxilla, as well documented in paleopathological observations of excavated skeletal remains of patients with leprosy. However, maxillary changes in living patients have been evaluated only by the subjective visual grading. Here, we attempted to evaluate maxillary bone deformation in patients with leprosy using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT).Three-dimensional images centered on the maxilla were reconstructed using multiplanar reconstruction methods in former patients with leprosy (n = 10) and control subjects (n = 5); the anterior-posterior length of the maxilla (MA-P) was then measured. The difference between the MA-P of the patients and those of controls was evaluated after compensating for individual skull size. These findings were also compared with those from previous paleopathological studies.Three former patients with lepromatous leprosy showed marked atrophy of the maxilla at the prosthion (-8.6, -11.1 and -17.9 mm) which corresponded with the visual appearance of the maxillary deformity, and these results were consistent with paleopathological findings of excavated skeletal remains. Additionally, the precise bone defects of the maxilla could be individually calculated for accurate reconstructive surgery.We have successfully illustrated maxillary bone deformities in living patients with leprosy. This study also confirmed the maxillary regression described in paleopathological studies

A low-power digital matched filter for spread-spectrum systems

A Digital Matched Filter (DMF) is an essential device for Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum (DS-SS) communication systems. Reducing the power consumption of a DMF is especially critical for battery-powered terminals. The reception registers and the correlation-calculating unit dissipate the majority of the power in a DMF. In this paper we discuss this problem and propose a low-power architectural approach to a DMF. The total switching activity factor and the switched capacitance are reduced. As a result of power analysis at the gate level, the implementation of the proposed architecture in a standard 0.18-µm CMOS technology achieved a reduction in the power consumption of more than 70 %

Vitamin E-Coated Polysulfone Membrane-Based Hemodiafiltration Attenuates Inflammation in a Rat Model of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Systemic Inflammation

Background: Acute blood purification (ABP) therapy is used regularly in the clinical setting and reportedly alleviates organ failure associated with severe systemic inflammatory responses, leading to reduced mortality. The present study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in efficacy between polysulfone (PS) membranes, which are currently used regularly in the clinical setting, and vitamin E-coated polysulfone (VEPS) membranes, which are anticipated to exhibit the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin E. Methods: Male Wistar rats (n=15/group) were intravenously administered 10 mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish a systemic inflammatory response model. Six hours after LPS administration, hemodiafiltration (HDF) was performed for 30 minutes using a PS or VEPS membrane under general anesthesia. Blood was collected at various time points, lung tissue was evaluated histologically, and 24-hour survival was assessed. Results: The rats in the VEPS group tended to have a higher survival rate than those in the PS group when undergoing HDF, although the difference was not significant. With respect to lung tissue, the inflammatory response was suppressed to a greater extent in the VEPS group than the PS group. Serum interleukin (IL)-6 levels were reduced at an early stage, plasma antioxidant activity was increased, and oxidative stress was reduced in the VEPS group compared to the PS group. Conclusion: Relative to PS membrane-based HDF, the survival rate tended to improve and inflammation was subdued earlier due to the antioxidant activity and early attenuation of inflammation associated with VEPS membrane-based HDF

Mycolactone cytotoxicity in Schwann cells could explain nerve damage in Buruli ulcer

Buruli ulcer is a chronic painless skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The local nerve damage induced by M. ulcerans invasion is similar to the nerve damage evoked by the injection of mycolactone in a Buruli ulcer mouse model. In order to elucidate the mechanism of this nerve damage, we tested and compared the cytotoxic effect of synthetic mycolactone A/B on cultured Schwann cells, fibroblasts and macrophages. Mycolactone induced much higher cell death and apoptosis in Schwann cell line SW10 than in fibroblast line L929. These results suggest that mycolactone is a key substance in the production of nerve damage of Buruli ulcer