Propylthiouracil-Induced Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis after COVID-19 Vaccination

We report the case of a patient who developed antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) after receiving the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine BNT162b (Pfizer–BioNTech). A 37-year-old Japanese woman had been taking propylthiouracil for Graves’ disease. She had erythema on her forearm on the 12th day after receiving the first dose of the vaccine, fever on the 13th day, and redness and swelling of her left auricle on the 25th day. Her serum myeloperoxidase-ANCA and proteinase 3-ANCA levels, which were negative before the Graves’ disease treatment, were elevated. She had unilateral auricular symptoms but no other typical relapsing polychondritis findings. She was diagnosed with propylthiouracil-induced AAV. She was treated with oral glucocorticoids, and her symptoms improved. Propylthiouracil is considered to be the main cause of the onset of AAV in this case, but it cannot be ruled out that BNT162b may have had some effect on the onset of the disease. Although the development of propylthiouracil-induced AAV in this case may have been incidental and unrelated to the vaccination, this report provides important data for evaluating the safety of the vaccine

Framework of the Weddell Basin inferred from the new geophysical and geological data

Results of geological and geophysical survey in the Weddell Sea suggest that the sea has two sedimentary basins. The eastern one may extend to the Queen Maud Basin off the Queen Maud Land of East Antarctica, and the western one is developed at the back of the Antarctic Peninsula. The age of the basements of the basins is tentatively assigned to Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. The "Weddell Sea Unconformity" by HINZ is recognized on the continental slope off the Princess Martha Coast. The unconformity is well developed on the outer margin of the basement of the basin on the continental shelf. From these geological and geophysical data, the authors discuss two hypotheses about generation of the Weddell Sea floor in this paper. One is that the Weddell Sea seems to have been a marginal sea at the back of the island arcs during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, judging from paleontological and seismic reflection data. The other is that the sea floor may have spread during Late Jurassic to Early Tertiary, judging from weak magnetic lineations in the ENE-WSW trend

Legislative Documents

Also, variously referred to as: Senate bills; Senate documents; Senate legislative documents; legislative documents; and General Court documents

Antiepileptic Drugs Elevate Astrocytic Kir4.1 Expression in the Rat Limbic Region

Inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channel subunits Kir4.1 are specifically expressed in astrocytes and regulate neuronal excitability by mediating spatial potassium buffering. In addition, it is now known that astrocytic Kir4.1 channels are closely involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Here, to explore the role of Kir4.1 channels in the treatment of epilepsy, we evaluated the effects of the antiepileptic drugs, valproate, phenytoin, phenobarbital and ethosuximide, on Kir4.1 expression in astrocytes using immunohistochemical techniques. Repeated treatment of rats with valproate (30–300 mg/kg, i.p., for 1–10 days) significantly elevated the Kir4.1 expression levels in the cerebral cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. Up-regulation of Kir4.1 expression by valproate occurred in a dose- and treatment period-related manner, and did not accompany an increase in the number of astrocytes probed by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). In addition, repeated treatment with phenytoin (30 mg/kg, i.p., for 10 days) or phenobarbital (30 mg/kg, i.p., for 10 days) also elevated Kir4.1 expression region-specifically in the amygdala. However, ethosuximide (100 mg/kg, i.p., for 10 days), which can alleviate absence but not convulsive seizures, showed no effects on the astrocytic Kir4.1 expression. The present results demonstrated for the first time that the antiepileptic drugs effective for convulsive seizures (valproate, phenytoin, and phenobarbital) commonly elevate the astrocytic Kir4.1 channel expression in the limbic regions, which may be related to their antiepileptic actions

Univariate analyses for comparisons between the modified LANZA score and each independent variable.

<p>Univariate analyses for comparisons between the modified LANZA score and each independent variable.</p

A multivariate analysis to determine the relationship between the modified LANZA score and independent risk factors.

<p>A multivariate analysis to determine the relationship between the modified LANZA score and independent risk factors.</p

A comparison of the modified LANZA score based on the NSAIDs and PSL treatment status.

<p>Values are shown as the mean±SEM (standard error of the mean). Data were analyzed using Tukey-Kramer test, **p<0.01. PSL, prednisolone; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.</p