Spread spectrum mobile communication experiment using ETS-V satellite

The spread spectrum technique is attractive for application to mobile satellite communications, because of its random access capability, immunity to inter-system interference, and robustness to overloading. A novel direct sequence spread spectrum communication equipment is developed for land mobile satellite applications. The equipment is developed based on a matched filter technique to improve the initial acquisition performance. The data rate is 2.4 kilobits per sec. and the PN clock rate is 2.4552 mega-Hz. This equipment also has a function of measuring the multipath delay profile of land mobile satellite channel, making use of a correlation property of a PN code. This paper gives an outline of the equipment and the field test results with ETS-V satellite

Genetic Factors of Low-responsiveness to Hepatitis B Virus Vaccine Confirms the Importance of Human Leukocyte Antigen Class II Types in a Japanese Young Adult Population

We investigated the genetic mechanisms underlying the association between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types and the immune response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination in 84 healthy Japanese adults, and found that the HLA-DRB1＊04 and HLA-DQB1＊03 frequencies were higher in the low responders (<10 mIU/ml; n=9, 10.7%) compared to the responders (≥10 mIU/ml, n=75, 89.3%). The combination of DRB1＊04 and DQB1＊03 was associated with a low response to vaccination. The DRB1＊04 and DQB1＊03 haplotypes’ frequencies were significantly higher in the low responders compared to responders. Novel candidate HLA types may be important in Japanese individuals

Differences in Cytokine Gene Expression after a Stimulation with Escherichia Coli and Porphyromonas Gingivalis or Lipopolysaccharides Derived from these Bacteria

Monocytes are important cells in innate immunity. The early stage of the innate immunity is regulated by various cytokines produced by monocytes. We conducted a preliminary study to investigate TNFα expression by stimulating THP-1 cells with several bacterial species. The TNFα mRNA levels significantly varied, with the most potent stimulatory effects observed with P. gingivalis. In the present study, we focused on P. gingivalis and compared differences in cytokine expression profiles after the stimulation of THP-1 with E. coli. Bacterial antigen stimulation increased various cytokine gene expressions in THP-1. P. gingivalis had significantly more potent effects on the mRNA expressions of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-10, but not of IL-12p40, than E. coli. This result suggests the potent ability of P. gingivalis to induce inflammation. THP-1 stimulated with LPS derived from both bacterial species showed that E. coli had significantly more potent effects on the expressions of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-12p40 than P. gingivalis. The differences in the bacterial antigens and the LPS stimulation effects suggest involvements of different receptors, such as TLR-2 and -4, which recognize bacterial components. The present results suggest that the P. gingivalis somatic cell antigen stimulates a number of pattern recognition receptors at the same time as the synthesis of bacterial components, except LPS. The potent virulence of P. gingivalis and persistence of infection might be affected by differences in cytokine production. Pro-inflammatory responses are dependent not only on the bacterial type, but also bacterial components

Influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms of cytokine genes on anti-HBs antibody production after hepatitis B vaccination in a Japanese young adult population

Hepatitis B (HB) vaccination is one of the most efficient tools to prevent the transmission of the virus. Considerable variability exists in HB vaccine responses, with 5-10% of healthy Japanese adults demonstrating no response following a standard vaccination. Recently, polymorphisms of immune-regulatory genes, such as cytokine genes, have been reported to influence the immune response to HB vaccine. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the genetic association between several cytokine gene polymorphisms and the immune response to HB vaccination in a Japanese population. One hundred and twenty three vaccinated young adults were classified according to the level of antibody-titer (anti-HBs). Single nucleotide polymorphism typing for IFN-γ(+874, 3’-UTR), IL-10 (−591, −819, −1082), and TNF-α(−308, −857), was accomplished using the PCR-RFLP or SSP-PCR method. The TNF-α(−857) CC type and the IL-10 (−1082) AG type were present more frequently in the low titer group than in the high titer group. The TNF-α(−857) CC type was found to be significantly associated with low response of serum anti-HBs. The anti-HBs antibody was not readily produced in the IL-10 (−1082) AG and TNF-α(−857) CC haplotype. Conversely, the antibody was readily produced in the IL-10 (−1082) AA and TNF-α(−857) CC haplotype, and the IL-10 (−1082) AA and TNF-α(−857) CT haplotype, suggesting a high likelihood of the IL-10 (−1082) AG type to be included in the low anti-HBs group, and high anti-HBs antibody production in those with the TNF-α(−857) CT type. These SNPs may produce ethnically-specific differences in the immune response to HB vaccine in the Japanese population

Two cases of Taeniasis Infection.

We report two cases of taeniasis caused by tapeworm infection. The first was a Japanese female, 23 years old, who had a history of eating raw meat during a visit to Thailand. She was referred to our hospital with a history of passing proglottids in feces. Taenia saginata or T. asiatica was suspected based on the proglottid morphologic features in addition to supportive information regarding her travel and dietary history. The patient was given praziquantel and the tapeworm was excreted. The second was a 35-year-old Thai male who had lived in Japan since 2000 and not left the country since that time. He had consumed beef cooked in the so-called yakiniku style and also sometimes raw, because of nostalgia for that Thai custom. The patient passed proglottids several times and then came to us. The proglottids were compatible with those of T. saginata. Praziquantel was prescribed and the tapeworm was excreted. In both cases, mitochondrial DNA analysis identified the worm species as T. saginata. Since morphological discrimination of three human-infecting Taenia species, T. saginata, T. solium, and T. asiatica, is not always possible, it is necessary to employ DNA analysis for diagnosis of taeniasis to confirm the worm species

米の研ぎ汁の水質汚濁負荷および無洗米使用による汚濁抑制の可能性

無洗米の認知度や使用実態ならびに普通精白米の洗米回数などに関するアンケート調査、洗米回数と汚濁負荷との関係の把握、河川水による研ぎ汁由来汚濁物質の分解実験、官能試験による無洗米と普通精白米の好まれ方の比較などを行い、普通精白米の使用による環境汚濁負荷の実態や無洗米への転換による台所排水の水質汚濁負荷低減の可能性を検討した。アンケート結果から、通常の一回の洗米作業では研ぎ汁を3～4回排出していることなどが分かった。一定の条件化ではあるが、米の研ぎ汁から排出されるCOD、窒素、リンの濃度および汚濁負荷を定量的に把握した。室内実験により、米の研ぎ汁中のCODは河川水中の微生物によって90%が分解されるが、微生物に分解されない難分解性の有機物に由来するCODも10%含まれており、これらが処理の困難な汚濁負荷となると推測された。また、無機態窒素やリン酸態リンは河川水中でほとんど除去されないことを定量的に確認した。通常の調理法では研ぎ汁の出ない無洗米と普通精白米の嗜好性試験を行い、無洗米は普通精白米と同様に食すことができるとの結果を得た。普通精白米を研がずに用いた米飯は、4回研いでから炊いた米飯より評価が低かった。アンケートでは無洗米の使用割合は多くないのが現状であるが、コスト面・環境面で有利であれば無洗米を使いたいという回答も多かった。したがって、今後、無洗米の使用が増えれば、汚濁負荷の低減につながるものと考えられる

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target