Interleukin-8 Producing Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma with Prolonged Fever

We present a case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma accompanied by prolonged spiking fevers, which disappeared after tumor resection. Sarcoma with fever as a primary symptom is rare. Furthermore, in this case, fever was closely related to the clinical course of the tumor. In order to detect possible production of febriferous substance(s), we used blood and tumor tissue samples to investigate nine candidate cytokines possibly responsible for the fever. Expression of IL-8 mRNA was detected in preoperative peripheral blood mononuclear cells by RT-PCR. Expressions of IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ and TNF-α mRNAs were also detected in tumor tissue, while IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4 and COX-2 mRNAs were not. We suspected IL-8 to be a causative factor, and examined its localization by immunohistochemical staining, paraffin sections of tumor tissue stained positive for IL-8. Since infiltrating mononuclear cells were positive for IL-8, this may explain the tumor-associated fever. This case involves intratumoral production of IL-8 as a causative factor, and IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ and TNF-α cytokine production might have resulted from stimulation with a substance(s) derived from tumor tissue, since the fever disappeared postoperatively. To date the patient is alive and in good health for 7 years and 2 months since the surgery

Free energy of the Fr\"ohlich polaron in two and three dimensions

We present a novel Path Integral Monte Carlo scheme to solve the Fr\"ohlich polaron model. At intermediate and strong electron-phonon coupling, the polaron self-trapping is properly taken into account at the level of an effective action obtained by a preaveraging procedure with a retarded trial action. We compute the free energy at several couplings and temperatures in three and two dimensions. Our results show that the accuracy of the Feynman variational upper bound for the free energy is always better than 5% although the thermodynamics derived from it is not correct. Our estimates of the ground state energies demonstrate that the second cumulant correction to the variational upper bound predicts the self energy to better than 1% at intermediate and strong coupling.Comment: RevTeX 7 pages 3 figures, revised versio

The future of global environmental assessments: Making a case for fundamental change

Since the late 1970s, over 140 global environmental assessments (GEAs) have been completed. But are they any longer fit for purpose? Some believe not. Compelling arguments have been advanced for a new assessment paradigm, one more focussed on problem-solving than problem-identification. If translated into new assessment practices, this envisaged paradigm could prevail for the next several decades, just as the current one has since the late 1970s. In this paper, it is contended that the arguments for GEAs 2.0 are, in fact, insufficiently bold. Solutions-orientated assessments, often associated with a ‘policy turn’ by their advocates, are undoubtedly necessary. But without a ‘politics turn’ they will be profoundly insufficient: policy options would be detached from the diverse socio-economic explanations and ‘deep hermeneutics’ of value that ultimately give them meaning, especially given the very high stakes now attached to managing human impacts on a fast-changing planet. Here we make the case for GEAs 3.0, where two paradigmatic steps forward are taken at once rather than just one. The second step involves the introduction of political reasoning and structured normative debate about existential alternatives, a pre-requisite to strategic decision-making and its operational expression. Possible objections to this second step are addressed and rebutted. Even so, the case for politically-overt GEAs faces formidable difficulties of implementation. However, we consider these challenges less a sign of our undue idealism and more an indication of the urgent need to mitigate, if not overcome them. In a world of ‘wicked problems’ we need ‘wicked assessments’ adequate to them, preparatory to so-called ‘clumsy solutions’. This paper is intended to inspire more far-reaching debate about the future of GEAs and, by implication, about the roles social science and the humanities might usefully play in addressing global environmental change. </jats:p

Dental Status and Compression of Life Expectancy with Disability

This study examined whether the number of teeth contributes to the compression of morbidity, measured as a shortening of life expectancy with disability, an extension of healthy life expectancy, and overall life expectancy. A prospective cohort study was conducted. A self-reported baseline survey was given to 126,438 community-dwelling older people aged ≥65 y in Japan in 2010, and 85,161 (67.4%) responded. The onset of functional disability and all-cause mortality were followed up for 1,374 d (follow-up rate = 96.1%). A sex-stratified illness-death model was applied to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for 3 health transitions (healthy to dead, healthy to disabled, and disabled to dead). Absolute differences in life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and life expectancy with disability according to the number of teeth were also estimated. Age, denture use, socioeconomic status, health status, and health behavior were adjusted. Compared with the edentulous participants, participants with ≥20 teeth had lower risks of transitioning from healthy to dead (adjusted HR, 0.58 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.50-0.68] for men and 0.70 [95% CI, 0.57-0.85] for women) and from healthy to disabled (adjusted HR, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.44-0.61] for men and 0.58 [95% CI, 0.49-0.68] for women). They also transitioned from disabled to dead earlier (adjusted HR, 1.26 [95% CI, 0.99-1.60] for men and 2.42 [95% CI, 1.72-3.38] for women). Among the participants aged ≥85 y, those with ≥20 teeth had a longer life expectancy (men: +57 d; women: +15 d) and healthy life expectancy (men: +92 d; women: +70 d) and a shorter life expectancy with disability (men: -35 d; women: -55 d) compared with the edentulous participants. Similar associations were observed among the younger participants and those with 1 to 9 or 10 to 19 teeth. The presence of remaining teeth was associated with a significant compression of morbidity: older Japanese adults' life expectancy with disability was compressed by 35 to 55 d within the follow-up of 1,374 d

Role of systemic T-cells and histopathological aspects after subcutaneous implantation of various carbon nanotubes in mice

ArticleCarbon. 44(6):1079-1092 (2006)journal articl

Income or education, which has a stronger association with dental implant use in elderly people in Japan?

OBJECTIVES Although inequalities in dental implant use based on educational level have been reported, no study has used income as a proxy for the socioeconomic status. We examined: (i) income inequalities in implant use; and (ii) whether income or education has a stronger association with implant use in elder Japanese. METHODS In 2016, a self‐reported questionnaire was mailed to participants aged 65 years or older living across Japan as part of the ongoing Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. We used data from 84,718 respondents having 19 or fewer teeth. After multiple imputation, multi‐level logistic regression estimated the association of dental implant use with equivalised income level and years of formal education. Confounders were age, sex, and density of dental clinics in the residential area. RESULTS 3.1% of respondents had dental implants. Percentages of dental implant use among the lowest (≤ 9 years) and highest (≥ 13 years) educational groups were 1.8 and 5.1, respectively, and among the lowest (0 < 12.2 ‘1,000 USD/year’) and highest (≥ 59.4 ‘1,000 USD/year’) income groups were 1.7 and 10.4, respectively. A fully adjusted model revealed that both income and education were independently associated with dental implant use. Odds ratios for implant use in the highest education and income groups were 2.13 [95% CI = 1.94–2.35] and 4.85 [95% CI = 3.78–6.22] compared with the lowest education and income groups, respectively. From a model with standardised variables, income showed slightly stronger association than education. CONCLUSION This study reveals a public health problem that even those with the highest education but low income might have limited accessibility to dental implant services

An Automated Image-Based Method for Rapid Analysis of Chlamydia Infection as a Tool for Screening Antichlamydial Agents

This is the published version. Copyright American Society for MicrobiologyA major limitation in the identification of novel antichlamydial compounds is the paucity of effective methods for large-scale compound screening. The immunofluorescence assay is the preferred approach for accurate quantification of the intracellular growth of Chlamydia. In this study, an immunofluorescence image-based method (termed image-based automated chlamydial identification and enumeration [iBAChIE]) was customized for fully automated quantification of Chlamydia infection using the freely available open-source image analysis software program CellProfiler and the complementary data exploration software program CellProfiler Analyst. The method yielded enumeration of different species and strains of Chlamydia highly comparably to the conventional manual methods while drastically reducing the analysis time. The inhibitory capability of established antichlamydial activity was also evaluated. Overall, these data support that iBAChIE is a highly effective tool for automated quantification of Chlamydia infection and assessment of antichlamydial activities of molecules. Furthermore, iBAChIE is expected to be amenable to high-throughput screening studies for inhibitory compounds and fluorescently labeled molecules to study host-pathogen interactions