Functional Roles of Estradiol in the Olfactory and Vomeronasal Mucosae of Mammals: A Working Hypothesis

It has been known that androgens and estrogens, which are referred to as sex steroids, make many effects on two major nasal chemosensory mucosae such as olfactory mucosa and vomeronasal organ. Our studies conducted in rodents have demonstrated that two of the constituent cells in the olfactory mucosa, sustentacular cells and acinar cells in the associated glands of the olfactory mucosa, Bowman’s glands, express four different enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of estradiol-17β (E2). Furthermore, our ongoing study has shown that olfactory sensory cells contain immunoreactivity for an estrogen receptor (beta-type). In case of vomeronasal organ, vomeronasal sensory cells express two enzymes that catalyze conversion of E2 and estrone, and that of testosterone and androstenedione. In addition, vomeronasal sensory cells contain an estrogen receptor (alpha-type). These results strongly suggest that de novo synthesis of E2 and metabolism of E2 take place in the olfactory mucosa and vomeronasal organ, respectively. With special emphasis of subcellular characteristics of steroid-producing cells, such as presence of large amount of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and vesicular mitochondria, we will introduce our findings and present working hypotheses for E2 functions in the olfactory mucosa and vomeronasal organ

The r-Process in Supersonic Neutrino-Driven Winds: The Roll of Wind Termination Shock

Recent hydrodynamic studies of core-collapse supernovae imply that the neutrino-heated ejecta from a nascent neutron star develops to supersonic outflows. These supersonic winds are influenced by the reverse shock from the preceding supernova ejecta, forming the wind termination shock. We investigate the effects of the termination shock in neutrino-driven winds and its roll on the r-process. Supersonic outflows are calculated with a semi-analytic neutrino-driven wind model. Subsequent termination-shocked, subsonic outflows are obtained by applying the Rankine-Hugoniot relations. We find a couple of effects that can be relevant for the r-process. First is the sudden slowdown of the temperature decrease by the wind termination. Second is the entropy jump by termination-shock heating, up to several 100NAk. Nucleosynthesis calculations in the obtained winds are performed to examine these effects on the r-process. We find that 1) the slowdown of the temperature decrease plays a decisive roll to determine the r-process abundance curves. This is due to the strong dependences of the nucleosynthetic path on the temperature during the r-process freezeout phase. Our results suggest that only the termination-shocked winds with relatively small shock radii (~500km) are relevant for the bulk of the solar r-process abundances (A~100-180). The heaviest part in the solar r-process curve (A~180-200), however, can be reproduced both in shocked and unshocked winds. These results may help to constrain the mass range of supernova progenitors relevant for the r-process. We find, on the other hand, 2) negligible roles of the entropy jump on the r-process. This is a consequence that the sizable entropy increase takes place only at a large shock radius (~10,000km) where the r-process has already ceased.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to ApJ, revised following referee's comments,Accepted for publication in Ap

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhances rituximab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity by monocytes

医薬保健研究域医学系Recent studies suggest that monocytes are the dominant effectors by which rituximab induces cell death in B-cell lymphoma. Because macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) can enhance the cytotoxicity of monocytes, the authors examined whether this growth factor can enhance their ability to kill lymphoma cells in vitro. Monocytes derived from a healthy volunteer were cultured for 48 h in the presence or absence of M-CSF. Monocytes stimul ated with M-CSF were significantly more cytotoxic to Daudi B-cell lymphomas than unstimulated monocytes. Flow cytometry revealed that M-CSF increased monocyte expression of Fcγ receptors III and I by 1.6- and 1.5-fold, whereas the expression of Fcγ receptor II remained unchanged. These results suggest that pretreatment with M-CSF can improve the therapeutic efficacy of rituximab against intractable CD20+ lymphoma. © 2007 Japanese Cancer Association

Search for Outer Massive Bodies around Transiting Planetary Systems: Candidates of Faint Stellar Companions around HAT-P-7

We present results of direct imaging observations for HAT-P-7 taken with the Subaru HiCIAO and the Calar Alto AstraLux. Since the close-in transiting planet HAT-P-7b was reported to have a highly tilted orbit, massive bodies such as giant planets, brown dwarfs, or a binary star are expected to exist in the outer region of this system. We show that there are indeed two candidates for distant faint stellar companions around HAT-P-7. We discuss possible roles played by such companions on the orbital evolution of HAT-P-7b. We conclude that as there is a third body in the system as reported by Winn et al. (2009, ApJL, 763, L99), the Kozai migration is less likely while planet-planet scattering is possible.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, PASJ in pres

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation for broncho-bronchiolitis obliterans after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: does bronchiolitis obliterans recur in transplanted lungs?

金沢大学付属病院血液内科We report a successful case of living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) for therapy-resistant broncho-bronchiolitis obliterans (BBO) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is one of the late-onset noninfectious pulmonary complications that occur after allogeneic HSCT and is usually resistant to immunosuppressive therapy. A 17-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) had undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HLA-matched sibling in 1997. Five years later, she relapsed with ALL and was treated with chemotherapy following stem cell rescue and donor lymphocyte infusion from the original BMT donor. Eight months later, BBO resistant to immunosuppressive therapies, including rituximab, developed in combination with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In February 2004, the patient underwent LDLLT from 2 other family members who were mismatched at 3 HLA loci. The patient has been in good health for more than 30 months following LDLLT and shows no sign of BBO in the transplanted lungs, just as with other patients who have undergone lung transplantation for BO associated with chronic GVHD. LDLLT may therefore be considered a viable therapeutic option for the treatment of BO after allogeneic HSCT