Ectopic Cilia: A Histopathological Study

Cilia are normally found at the eyelid margin, while ectopic cilia are one or more lash follicles appearing in an abnormal position within the eyelid. We herein report two cases of cilia located in the palpebral conjunctiva. A 31-year-old female and a 46-year-old male presented with ectopic cilia in the superior palpebral conjunctiva. Histopathological study of the excised ectopic cilia and related lesions showed the cilia-related lesion to be located in the epithelial pit that contains goblet cells, which is consistent with the crypts of Henle. The hair follicle was surrounded by granulation tissue, while a dermal papilla and a hair matrix, which are known to produce hair follicles, did not exist in the excised tissue. While anterior ectopic cilia are congenital, ectopic cilia in the palpebral conjunctiva may be acquired, and these aberrant cilia are associated with crypts of Henle and chronic inflammation

Atomic oxygen sensing using a quartz crystal microbalance with a polymer thin film prepared by RF sputtering

金沢大学理工研究域 / 現；岩崎電気株式会社技術研究所Polymer thin films, sputtered using a polyimide target on a quartz crystal, were investigated to determine their suitability for application in active oxygen sensors. Active oxygen generated under an inductively coupled plasma (ICP), particularly atomic oxygen radicals with a flux of 6.93x1013 atoms/cm2/s, was successfully detected from the frequency shift using a polymer-coated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). To investigate the reaction mechanism between the polymer surface and atomic oxygen, chemical bonding was evaluated by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and surface morphology by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We also compared sputtercoated polymers with spin-coated polymers in terms of their sensing characteristics. We found that a sputter-coated polymer QCM has a great potential for atomic oxygen sensing

Male mice, caged in the International Space Station for 35 days, sire healthy offspring

Matsumura, T., Noda, T., Muratani, M. et al. Male mice, caged in the International Space Station for 35 days, sire healthy offspring. Sci Rep 9, 13733 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50128-

Risk and prognostic factors of post-catheterization pseudoaneurysm

Purpose: To evaluate the risk and prognostic factors of post-catheterization pseudoaneurysm (PPA). Material and methods: To identify the risk factors for PPA occurrence, clinical findings were compared between 22 consecutive patients with radiologically confirmed PPAs (PPA group) and 300 randomly extracted patients without PPA, who underwent transarterial angiography or intervention (sample group) between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2020. The PPA group was further divided into those treated successfully with mechanical compression (group A) and those requiring ultrasound-guided thrombin injection after compression failed (group B). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare patient demographics, preoperative laboratory findings, procedure details, PPA diameter, and time interval between the procedure and compression between groups A and B to evaluate the prognostic factors of PPA. Results: The PPA group demonstrated significantly elevated prothrombin time international normalized ratios (PT/INR) (odds ratio [OR]: 6.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.020-19.5; p = 0.00151) and more frequent popliteal access (OR: 14.2, 95% CI: 1.040-195.0; p = 0.0467) compared to the sample group, and radial access decreased the risk of PPA (OR: 0.382, 95% CI: 0.0148-0.987; p = 0.0468). One of the 22 PPAs resolved spontaneously, and 11 others (52.4%) were successfully treated by mechanical compression. An interval exceeding 24 hours between the procedure and compression was the only significant prognostic factor (p = 0.0281) between groups A and B. Conclusions: Elevated PT/INR and popliteal access may predispose patients to PPA; close consideration of the site of access may lower the risk of refractory PPA

Tissue factor expression in human pterygium

Purpose: A pterygium shows tumor-like characteristics, such as proliferation, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Previous reports suggest that tissue factor (TF) expression is closely related to the EMT of tumor cells, and subsequent tumor development. In this study, we analyzed the expression and immunolocalization of TF in pterygial and normal conjunctival tissues of humans. Methods: Eight pterygia and three normal bulbar conjunctivas, surgically removed, were used in this study. Formalinfixed, paraffin-embedded tissues were submitted for immunohistochemical analysis with anti-TF antibody. Double staining immunohistochemistry was performed to assess TF and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in the pterygia. Results: Immunoreactivity for TF was detected in all pterygial tissues examined. TF immunoreactivity was localized in the cytoplasm of basal, suprabasal, and superficial epithelial cells. The number of TF-immunopositive cells in pterygial epithelial cells was significantly higher than in normal conjunctival epithelial cells (p<0.001). TF immunoreactivity was detected in α-SMA-positive or -negative pterygial epithelial cells. EGFR immunoreactivity was detected in pterygial epithelium, which was colocalized with TF. Conclusions: These results suggest that TF plays a potential role in the pathogenesis and development of a pterygium, and that TF expression might be involved through EMT-dependent and -independent pathways

Different populations of Wnt-containing vesicles are individually released from polarized epithelial cells

Accumulating evidence suggests that exosomes are heterogeneous in molecular composition and physical properties. Here we examined whether epithelial cells secrete a heterogeneous population of exosomes, and if that is the case, whether epithelial cell polarity affects release of different populations of exosomes, especially that of those carrying Wnt. Sucrose-density ultracentrifugation and molecular marker analysis revealed that different populations of exosomes or exosome-like vesicles were released from MDCK cells depending on the cell polarity. Wnt3a associated with these vesicles were detectable in culture media collected from both apical and basolateral sides of the cells. Basolaterally secreted Wnt3a were co-fractionated with a typical exosomal protein TSG101 in fractions having typical exosome densities. In contrast, most of apically secreted Wnt3a, as well as Wnt11, were co-fractionated with CD63 and Hsp70, which are also common to the most exosomes, but recovered in higher density fractions. Wnt3a exhibiting similar floatation behavior to the apically secreted ones were also detectable in the culture media of Wnt3a-expressing L and HEK293 cells. The lipidation of Wnt3a was required for its basolateral secretion in exosomes but was dispensable for the apical one. Thus, epithelial cells release Wnt via distinct populations of vesicles differing in secretion polarity and lipidation dependency

Surrounding Gastric Mucosa Findings Facilitate Diagnosis of Gastric Neoplasm as Gastric Adenoma or Early Gastric Cancer

Background and Aim. It is difficult to master the skill of discriminating gastric adenoma from early gastric cancer by conventional endoscopy or magnifying endoscopy combined with narrow-band imaging, because the colors and morphologies of these neoplasms are occasionally similar. We focused on the surrounding gastric mucosa findings in order to determine how to discriminate between early gastric cancer and gastric adenoma by analyzing the characteristics of the gastric background mucosa. Methods. We retrospectively examined 146 patients who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection for gastric neoplasm between October 2009 and January 2015. The boundary of atrophic gastritis was classified endoscopically according to the Kimura-Takemoto classification system. Of 146 lesions, 63 early gastric cancers and 21 gastric adenomas were ultimately evaluated and assessed. Results. Almost all gastric adenomas were accompanied by open-type gastritis, whereas 47 and 16 early gastric cancers were accompanied by open-type and closed-type gastritis, respectively (p = 0.037). Conclusions. The evaluation of the boundary of atrophic gastritis associated with gastric neoplasms appears to be useful for discrimination between early gastric cancer and gastric adenoma. When gastric neoplasm is present in the context of surrounding localized gastric atrophy, gastric cancer is probable but not certain

Male mice, caged in the International Space Station for 35 days, sire healthy offspring

The effect on the reproductive system and fertility of living in a space environment remains unclear. Here, we caged 12 male mice under artificial gravity (approximate to 1 gravity) (AG) or microgravity (MG) in the International Space Station (ISS) for 35 days, and characterized the male reproductive organs (testes, epididymides, and accessory glands) after their return to earth. Mice caged on earth during the 35 days served as a "ground" control (GC). Only a decrease in accessory gland weight was detected in AG and MG males; however, none of the reproductive organs showed any overt microscopic defects or changes in gene expression as determined by RNA-seq. The cauda epididymal spermatozoa from AG and MG mice could fertilize oocytes in vitro at comparable levels as GC males. When the fertilized eggs were transferred into pseudo-pregnant females, there was no significant difference in pups delivered (pups/transferred eggs) among GC, AG, and MG spermatozoa. In addition, the growth rates and fecundity of the obtained pups were comparable among all groups. We conclude that short-term stays in outer space do not cause overt defects in the physiological function of male reproductive organs, sperm function, and offspring viability