Lactobacillus helveticus SBT2171 Attenuates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice

We recently reported that Lactobacillus helveticus SBT2171 (LH2171) inhibited the proliferation and inflammatory cytokine production of primary immune cells in vitro, and alleviated collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice, a model of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, we newly investigated whether LH2171 could relieve the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a murine model of multiple sclerosis (MS), which is an autoimmune disease, but develop the symptoms by different mechanisms from RA. In MS and EAE, main cause of the disease is the abnormality in CD4+ T cell immunity, whereas in RA and CIA, is that in antibody-mediated immunity. The intraperitoneal administration of LH2171 significantly decreased the incidence and clinical score of EAE in mice. LH2171 also reduced the numbers of pathogenic immune cells, especially Th17 cells, in the spinal cord at the peak stage of disease severity. Interestingly, before the onset of EAE, LH2171 administration remarkably decreased the ratio of Th17 cells to CD4+ T cells in the inguinal lymph nodes (LNs), where pathogenic immune cells are activated to infiltrate the central nervous system, including the spinal cord. Furthermore, the expression of interleukin (IL)-6, an inflammatory cytokine essential for Th17 differentiation, decreased in the LNs of LH2171-administered mice. Moreover, LH2171 significantly inhibited IL-6 production in vitro from both DC2.4 and RAW264.7 cells, model cell lines of antigen-presenting cells. These findings suggest that LH2171 might down-regulate IL-6 production and the subsequent Th17 differentiation and spinal cord infiltration, consequently alleviating EAE symptoms

Logical design of oral glucose ingestion pattern minimizing blood glucose in humans

Excessive increase in blood glucose level after eating increases the risk of macroangiopathy, and a method for not increasing the postprandial blood glucose level is desired. However, a logical design method of the dietary ingestion pattern controlling the postprandial blood glucose level has not yet been established. We constructed a mathematical model of blood glucose control by oral glucose ingestion in three healthy human subjects, and predicted that intermittent ingestion 30 min apart was the optimal glucose ingestion patterns that minimized the peak value of blood glucose level. We confirmed with subjects that this intermittent pattern consistently decreased the peak value of blood glucose level. We also predicted insulin minimization pattern, and found that the intermittent ingestion 30 min apart was optimal, which is similar to that of glucose minimization pattern. Taken together, these results suggest that the glucose minimization is achieved by suppressing the peak value of insulin concentration, rather than by enhancing insulin concentration. This approach could be applied to design optimal dietary ingestion patterns

Particle therapy for prostate cancer: The past, present and future

Although prostate cancer control using radiotherapy is dose‐dependent, dose–volume effects on late toxicities in organs at risk, such as the rectum and bladder, have been observed. Both protons and carbon ions offer advantageous physical properties for radiotherapy, and create favorable dose distributions using fewer portals compared with photon‐based radiotherapy. Thus, particle beam therapy using protons and carbon ions theoretically seems suitable for dose escalation and reduced risk of toxicity. However, it is difficult to evaluate the superiority of particle beam radiotherapy over photon beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer, as no clinical trials have directly compared the outcomes between the two types of therapy due to the limited number of facilities using particle beam therapy. The Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology organized a joint effort among research groups to establish standardized treatment policies and indications for particle beam therapy according to disease, and multicenter prospective studies have been planned for several common cancers. Clinical trials of proton beam therapy for intermediate‐risk prostate cancer and carbon‐ion therapy for high‐risk prostate cancer have already begun. As particle beam therapy for prostate cancer is covered by the Japanese national health insurance system as of April 2018, and the number of facilities practicing particle beam therapy has increased recently, the number of prostate cancer patients treated with particle beam therapy in Japan is expected to increase drastically. Here, we review the results from studies of particle beam therapy for prostate cancer and discuss future developments in this field

Development of 11 polymorphic microsatellite markers for Xylocarpus granatum (Meliaceae) using next-generation sequencing technology

Human impacts have seriously damaged mangroves, and conservation of mangroves will require information on local and regional population genetic structures. Here, we report the development and polymorphism of eleven novel microsatellite markers, developed using next- generation sequencing on 56 samples of widespread man- grove species Xylocarpus granatum (Meliaceae) from nine populations across the Indo-West Pacific region. All loci were found to be polymorphic, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from four to 19. In a population from Sabah (Malaysia), the mean observed and expected heterozygosity per locus was 0.59 and 0.58, respectively. No null allele, significant linkage disequilibrium or deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was detected among all loci. The eleven markers developed can be valuable tools to conservation genetics of this species across its distributional range

Magnetic resonance and ultrasound image-guided navigation system using a needle manipulator.

PURPOSE:Image guidance is crucial for percutaneous tumor ablations, enabling accurate needle-like applicator placement into target tumors while avoiding tissues that are sensitive to injury and/or correcting needle deflection. Although ultrasound (US) is widely used for image guidance, magnetic resonance (MR) is preferable due to its superior soft tissue contrast. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate an MR and US multi-modal image-guided navigation system with a needle manipulator to enable US-guided applicator placement during MR imaging (MRI)-guided percutaneous tumor ablation.METHODS:The MRI-compatible needle manipulator with US probe was installed adjacent to a 3 Tesla MRI scanner patient table. Coordinate systems for the MR image, patient table, manipulator, and US probe were all registered using an optical tracking sensor. The patient was initially scanned in the MRI scanner bore for planning and then moved outside the bore for treatment. Needle insertion was guided by real-time US imaging fused with the reformatted static MR image to enhance soft tissue contrast. Feasibility, targeting accuracy, and MR compatibility of the system were evaluated using a bovine liver and agar phantoms.RESULTS:Targeting error for 50 needle insertions was 1.6 ± 0.6 mm (mean ± standard deviation). The experiment confirmed that fused MR and US images provided real-time needle localization against static MR images with soft tissue contrast.CONCLUSIONS:The proposed MR and US multi-modal image-guided navigation system using a needle manipulator enabled accurate needle insertion by taking advantage of static MR and real-time US images simultaneously. Real-time visualization helped determine needle depth, tissue monitoring surrounding the needle path, target organ shifts, and needle deviation from the path

HCG産生肺腺癌の1女性例

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系A 72-year-old female was admitted with complaints of cough and sputum. The chest X-ray film revealed a solitary round mass and pleural effusion in the left lower lung field. Laboratory tests demonstrated elevated levels of serum HCG and beta-HCG. Left lower lobectomy with parietal pleurectomy was performed under the diagnosis of primary lung cancer with malignant effusion. The serum HCG level decreased after the operation. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as moderately differentiated papillo-tubular adenocarcinoma of the lung. In the HCG staining using an immunohistochemical method, the tumor cells showed a positive reaction. Thus, this tumor was definitively diagnosed to be HCG-producing adenocarcinoma of the lung