Case Report Ataxic Form of Guillain-BarréSyndrome: Di#erential Diagnosis of Acute Cerebellar Ataxia

Abstract A 52-year-old man experienced fever, sore throat, and rhinorrhea for several days. Some days after resolution he developed dizziness, paresthesia on the hands, and unsteady gait. Ocular movement was not limited. His gait was ataxic and no limb weakness on Romberg sign was evident. Muscle stretch reflexes were absent. Acute cerebellar ataxia was suspected. Anti-GQ1b antibody, however, was detected in his serum during the acute phase of the illness. Ataxic form of Guillain-Barré syndrome was diagnosed. Ataxic Guillain-Barrésyndrome is one of the di#erential diagnoses for acute cerebellar ataxia

Vibrational and rotational structure and excited-state dynamics of pyrene.

Vibrational level structure in the S(0) (1)A(g) and S(1) (1)B(3u) states of pyrene was investigated through analysis of fluorescence excitation spectra and dispersed fluorescence spectra for single vibronic level excitation in a supersonic jet and through referring to the results of ab initio theoretical calculation. The vibrational energies are very similar in the both states. We found broad spectral feature in the dispersed fluorescence spectrum for single vibronic level excitation with an excess energy of 730 cm(-1). This indicates that intramolecular vibrational redistribution efficiently occurs at small amounts of excess energy in the S(1) (1)B(3u) state of pyrene. We have also observed a rotationally resolved ultrahigh-resolution spectrum of the 0(0) (0) band. Rotational constants have been determined and it has been shown that the pyrene molecule is planar in both the S(0) and S(1) states, and that its geometrical structure does not change significantly upon electronic excitation. Broadening of rotational lines with the magnetic field by the Zeeman splitting of M(J) levels was very small, indicating that intersystem crossing to the triplet state is minimal. The long fluorescence lifetime indicates that internal conversion to the S(0) state is also slow. We conclude that the similarity of pyrene's molecular structure and potential energy curve in its S(0) and S(1) states is the main cause of the slow radiationless transitions

Three Types of Broadly Reacting Antibodies against Influenza B Viruses Induced by Vaccination with Seasonal Influenza Viruses

We analyzed the antibody (Ab) repertoire against influenza B viruses induced by vaccination with seasonal influenza viruses in one individual who had never been vaccinated until 2009. The vaccine used in this study comprised B/Massachusetts/2/2012 (Yamagata lineage), A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2), and A/California/7/2009 (H1N1). One month after the subject received two vaccinations, blood (200 ml) was obtained and peripheral mononuclear cells were prepared, and a large Ab library was constructed using phage display technology. The library was screened with HA-enriched fraction of B/Massachusetts/2/2012 and B/Brisbane/60/2008 (Victoria lineage) virus, and a total of 26 Abs that potentially bound to hemagglutinin (HA) molecules were isolated. Their binding activities to six influenza B viruses, three of Yamagata lineage and three of Victoria lineage, and two influenza A viruses, H1N1 and H3N2, were examined. The Abs showed cross-reactivity at three different levels. The first type bound to all Yamagata lineage viruses. The second type bound to both Yamagata and Victoria lineage viruses. The third type bound to both influenza A and B viruses. These results indicate that common epitopes exist on HA molecules of influenza virus at various levels, and humans have capability to produce Abs that bind to such common epitopes

Comprehensive Analysis of Antibodies Induced by Vaccination with 4 Kinds of Avian Influenza H5N1 Pre-Pandemic Vaccines

Four kinds of avian-derived H5N1 influenza virus, A/Vietnam/1194/2004 (Clade 1), A/Indonesia/5/2005 (Clade 2.1), A/Qinghai/1A/2005 (Clade 2.2), and A/Anhui/1/2005 (Clade 2.3), have been stocked in Japan for use as pre-pandemic vaccines. When a pandemic occurs, these viruses would be used as vaccines in the hope of inducing immunity against the pandemic virus. We analyzed the specificity of antibodies (Abs) produced by B lymphocytes present in the blood after immunization with these vaccines. Eighteen volunteers took part in this project. After libraries of Ab-encoding sequences were constructed using blood from subjects vaccinated with these viruses, a large number of clones that encoded Abs that bound to the virus particles used as vaccines were isolated. These clones were classified into two groups according to the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) activity of the encoded Abs. While two-thirds of the clones were HI positive, the encoded Abs exhibited only restricted strain specificity. On the other hand, half of the HI-negative clones encoded Abs that bound not only to the H5N1 virus but also to the H1N1 virus; with a few exceptions, these Abs appeared to be encoded by memory B cells present before vaccination. The HI-negative clones included those encoding broadly cross-reactive Abs, some of which were encoded by non-VH1-69 germline genes. However, although this work shows that various kinds of anti-H5N1 Abs are encoded by volunteers vaccinated with pre-pandemic vaccines, broad cross-reactivity was seen only in a minority of clones, raising concern regarding the utility of these H5N1 vaccine viruses for the prevention of H5N1 pandemics