Acute- or Subacute-Onset Lung Complications in Treating Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

AbstractRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common systemic disease that manifests as inflammatory arthritis of multiple joints and produces a wide variety of intrathoracic lesions, including pleural diseases, diffuse interstitial pneumonia, rheumatoid nodules, and airway disease. Patients treated for RA can have associated lung disease that commonly manifests as diffuse interstitial pneumonia, drug-induced lung injury, and infection. The purpose of this pictorial review is to illustrate the radiographic and clinical features of lung complications of acute or subacute onset in patients treated for RA and to show the computed tomography features of these complications

Ensuring Access to Dental Care for Pregnant Women in Vermont

Introduction. In Vermont, $2.7 million is spent annually caring for children ages 0-5 with early childhood caries (ECC) who require hospitalization for treatment. Nationwide, obstetricians are often not familiar with published prenatal oral health guidelines. It is unclear how providers in Vermont address prenatal oral health. Recently, the$495 Medicaid cap on reimbursement for perinatal dental care was lifted and now extends coverage 60 days after delivery, making the prenatal period an ideal time to intervene.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1200/thumbnail.jp

Biological roles of anti-GM1 antibodies in patients with Guillain–Barré syndrome for nerve growth factor signaling

AbstractTo reveal the biological and pathological roles of anti-GM1 antibody in Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), we examined its effects on nerve growth factor (NGF) induced TrkA autophosphorylation (NGF-TrkA signaling) in PC12 cells, a sympathetic nerve cell line. The NGF-TrkA signaling is enhanced by exogenous GM1 ganglioside and this phenomenon is regarded as one of the functional aspects of GM1. The IgGs purified from patients' sera inhibited the NGF-TrkA signaling in GM1 pre-incubated PC12 cells. The degrees of inhibition by IgGs from patients paralleled their immunological reactivity to GM1. In addition, the IgGs also inhibited the neurite outgrowth of NGF-treated PC12 cells. Immunoglobulins in the rabbit sera, which were immunized by GM1, also caused a similar suppressive phenomenon. These results suggested that the anti-GM1 antibody could play roles in pathophysiology in anti-GM1 antibody positive GBS through interfering with the neurotrophic action of NGF and GM1 mediated signal modulation including NGF-TrkA signaling. It is suggested that the modulation of GM1 function is one important action of antibodies and could be one of the important mechanisms in GBS

Chitinase 3-Like 1 Promotes Macrophage Recruitment and Angiogenesis in Colorectal Cancer

Chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1), one of mammalian members of the chitinase family, is expressed in several types of human cancer, and elevated serum level of CHI3L1 is suggested to be a biomarker of poor prognosis in advanced cancer patients. However, the overall biological function of CHI3L1 in human cancers still remains unknown. Studies were performed to characterize the role of CHI3L1 in cancer pathophysiology utilizing human colorectal cancer samples and human cell lines. Plasma protein and tissue mRNA expression levels of CHI3L1 in colorectal cancer were strongly upregulated. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that CHI3L1 was expressed in cancer cells and CHI3L1 expression had a significant association with the number of infiltrated macrophages and microvessel density. By utilizing trans-well migration and tube formation assays, overexpression of CHI3L1 in SW480 cells (human colon cancer cells) enhanced the migration of THP-1 cells (human macrophage cells) and HUVECs (human endothelial cells), and the tube formation of HUVECs. The knockdown of CHI3L1 by RNA interference or the neutralization of CHI3L1 by anti-CHI3L1 antibody displayed strong suppression of CHI3L1-induced migration and tube formation. Cell proliferation assay showed that CHI3L1 overexpression significantly enhanced the proliferation of SW480 cells. ELISA analysis showed that CHI3L1 increased the secretion of inflammatory chemokines, IL-8 and MCP-1, from SW480 cells through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Both neutralization of IL-8 or MCP-1 and inhibition or knockdown of MAPK in SW480 cells significantly inhibited CHI3L1-induced migration and tube formation. In a xenograft mouse model, overexpression of CHI3L1 in HCT116 cells (human colon cancer cells) enhanced the tumor growth as well as macrophage infiltration and microvessel density. In conclusion, CHI3L1 expressed in colon cancer cells promotes cancer cell proliferation, macrophage recruitment and angiogenesis. Thus, the inhibition of CHI3L1 activity may be a novel therapeutic strategy for human colorectal cancer

フウリョクハツデンシセツ ノ カンキョウアセスメント ニ オケル シキヘンカ ガ ケイカン ノ インショウヒョウカ ニ アタエル エイキョウ

近年，風力発電導入加速のため環境アセスメントの迅速化目標が掲げられている。環境アセスメントの期間短縮が課題とされる中，四季変化に伴う風力発電施設の印象評価の基礎的データを得ることは重要な知見を得ることになると考えた。そこで本研究では，既存の風力発電施設サイトから規模別の9サイトを選定し，各サイトの四季変化に伴う印象評価実験を実施し，季節ごとの印象の特徴を明らかにした。その結果，春季・夏季・秋季と冬季の印象に差異があることが明らかとなった。またそれらは積雪や植生の状態が印象に影響を与えていることがわかった。Recently the accelerated introduction of wind-generated electricity facilities has been demanded in Japan. In this regard, it is necessary to shorten the period of the Environmental Impact Assessment. We obtained the basic data of the impression evaluation of those wind-generated electricity facilities with change in the four seasons. In this study, we carried out an impression evaluation experiment of each facility. The results showed that the characteristic of the impressions were clarified every season. It became clear that spring, summer, fall and the impression of the winter season all showed a difference

Geographic and Temporal Trends in Influenzalike Illness, Japan, 1992–1999

Kriging analysis improved visualization and understanding of trends in seasonal ILI activity in Japan

中年女性の骨盤底筋訓練における収縮時の収縮感覚と筋運動について

本研究の目的は、骨盤底筋訓練時の筋肉の収縮感覚と実際の骨盤底筋の動きを客観的に比較することである。対象は、本研究への参加に同意のあった、腹圧性尿失禁群（以下失禁群）16名（年齢48.3±8.3歳）、正常群18名（年齢49.4±10.2歳）である。骨盤底筋の動きは、シネMRIによる膀胱頚部の移動距離で測定した。本人の筋肉収縮の感覚と実際の骨盤底筋の収縮には両群に差が有った。また、失禁群には収縮感覚が分からない者が多かった。さらに失禁群には骨盤底筋の収縮時に、腹圧が加わっている者が多い傾向にあった