Modest antiviral activity of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) against

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infections in infants and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the first line of host defense against such infections. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the antiviral effect of TLR3 against RSV infection. The human TLR3 gene was either transiently or stably overexpressed in A549 cells and they were infected with the Long strain of RSV. In both cases, RSV production determined by plaque assay was modestly but significantly decreased in the TLR3-overexpressed cells compared with control cells. Less interferon (IFN)-β, measured by ELISA, was produced in the supernatant of the TLR3- overexpressed cells. Neutralization of IFN-β in the supernatant of the TLR3-overexpressed cells failed to increase RSV production to the same level as controls. These results indicate that TLR3 has modest anti-RSV activity and IFN-β seems not to be a significant mediator of this activity

A Shock-Induced Pair of Superbubbles in the High-Redshift Powerful Radio Galaxy MRC 0406-244

We present new optical spectroscopy of the high-redshift powerful radio galaxy MRC 0406$-$244 at redshift of 2.429. We find that the two extensions toward NW and SE probed in the rest-frame ultraviolet image are heated mainly by the nonthermal continuum of the active galactic nucleus. However, each extension shows a shell-like morphology, suggesting that they are a pair of superbubbles induced by the superwind activity rather than by the interaction between the radio jet and the ambient gas clouds. If this is the case, the intense starburst responsible for the formation of superbubbles could occur $\sim 1 \times 10^9$ yr ago. On the other hand, the age of the radio jets may be of the order of $\sim 10^6$ yr, being much shorter than the starburst age. Therefore, the two events, i.e., the starburst and the radio-jet activities, are independent phenomena. However, their directions of the expanding motions could be governed by the rotational motion of the gaseous component in the host galaxy. This idea appears to explain the alignment effect of MRC 0406$-$244.Comment: 4 pages (emulateapj.sty), Fig. 1 (jpeg) + Fig.2 (eps). Accepted for publications in ApJ (Letters

Integrated genetic and epigenetic analysis defines novel molecular subgroups in rhabdomyosarcoma.

横紋筋肉腫におけるゲノム・エピゲノム異常の全体図を解明 -横紋筋肉腫を4群に分類-. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2015-07-03.Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue sarcoma in childhood. Here we studied 60 RMSs using whole-exome/-transcriptome sequencing, copy number (CN) and DNA methylome analyses to unravel the genetic/epigenetic basis of RMS. On the basis of methylation patterns, RMS is clustered into four distinct subtypes, which exhibits remarkable correlation with mutation/CN profiles, histological phenotypes and clinical behaviours. A1 and A2 subtypes, especially A1, largely correspond to alveolar histology with frequent PAX3/7 fusions and alterations in cell cycle regulators. In contrast, mostly showing embryonal histology, both E1 and E2 subtypes are characterized by high frequency of CN alterations and/or allelic imbalances, FGFR4/RAS/AKT pathway mutations and PTEN mutations/methylation and in E2, also by p53 inactivation. Despite the better prognosis of embryonal RMS, patients in the E2 are likely to have a poor prognosis. Our results highlight the close relationships of the methylation status and gene mutations with the biological behaviour in RMS

Fax +41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail karger@karger

vage solution did not significantly improve bowel cleansing quality. However, statistically significantly fewer uncomfortable abdominal symptoms were found in patients who received mosapride citrate or itopride hydrochloride versus vehicle alone. Conclusion: Prokinetic agents effectively decreased the incidence of uncomfortable abdominal symptoms experienced during colonoscopy preparation