Adalimumab Monotherapy in a Patient with Psoriatic Arthritis Associated with Chronic Renal Failure on Hemodialysis: A Case Report and Literature Review

We report a patient with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who was successfully treated with adalimumab even while under hemodialysis therapy for associated chronic renal failure. Flow cytometry of circulating lymphocytes revealed an obvious decrease in both Th1 and Th17 cells after starting adalimumab. The latter returned to the pretreatment level in the course of adalimumab therapy, while the former did not. Adalimumab is a potent therapeutic option for PsA patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis, and Th1 in peripheral blood may reflect the disease activity

Characteristics of Microbial Mats in Fukushima prefecture, after the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011.

13301甲第4428号博士(理学)金沢大学博士論文要旨Abstract 以下に掲載：1.河北潟総合研究 17 pp.31-45 2014. 河北潟湖沼研究所. 共著者：霜島 康浩, 高橋 直人, 田崎 和江, 竹原 照明, 石垣 靖人, 中川 秀昭 2.河北潟総合研究 18 pp.43-55 2015. 河北潟湖沼研究所. 共著者：霜島 康浩, 加藤 智弘, 奥野 正幸, 大友 幸子, 田崎 和

Characteristics of Microbial Mats in Fukushima prefecture, after the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011.

13301甲第4428号博士(理学)金沢大学博士論文本文Full 以下に掲載：1.河北潟総合研究 17 pp.31-45 2014. 河北潟湖沼研究所. 共著者：霜島 康浩, 高橋 直人, 田崎 和江, 竹原 照明, 石垣 靖人, 中川 秀昭 2.河北潟総合研究 18 pp.43-55 2015. 河北潟湖沼研究所. 共著者：霜島 康浩, 加藤 智弘, 奥野 正幸, 大友 幸子, 田崎 和

A Logical Investigation on Global Reading of Diagrams (Technical Note)

Abstract In graphical or diagrammatic representations, not only a basic component of a diagram, but also a collection of multiple components can form a semantic unit, and it often helps reasoning with that diagram. For example, a row and a column in a table, or transitively closed nodes in a directed graph can be regarded as a semantic unit on its own. Designers have long noticed the importance of information conveyed by these global object

Marked shrinkage of amyloid lymphadenopathy after an intensive chemotherapy in a patient with IgM-associated AL amyloidosis

This is an electronic version of an article published in Amyloid 2009, Vol. 16, No. 3 : Pages 183-185. Amyloid is available online at: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13506120903151825A male patient with primary AL amyloidosis who had been suffering from systemic lymphadenopathy with IgM kappa-type M-proteinemia received two courses of VAD and high-dose melphalan with in vivo elimination of CD20(+) cells using rituximab followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Four years after complete hematological remission he showed marked reduction in size of the amyloid-laden lymph nodes. Deposits of AL amyloid may regress from the tissue if the chemotherapy succeeds in persistent inhibition of the production of amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chains.ArticleAMYLOID. 16(3):183-185 (2009)journal articl

Formation of microbial mats and salt in radioactive paddy soils in Fukushima, Japan

Coastal areas in Minami-soma City, Fukushima, Japan, were seriously damaged by radioactive contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident that caused multiple pollution by tsunami and radionuclide exposure, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, on 11 March 2011. Some areas will remain no-go zones because radiation levels remain high. In Minami-soma, only 26 percent of decontamination work had been finished by the end of July in 2015. Here, we report the characterization of microbial mats and salt found on flooded paddy fields at Karasuzaki, Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan which have been heavily contaminated by radionuclides, especially by Cs (134Cs, 137Cs), 40K, Sr (89Sr, 90Sr), and91 or 95Zr even though it is more than 30 km north of the FDNPP. We document the mineralogy, the chemistry, and the micro-morphology, using a combination of micro techniques. The microbial mats were found to consist of diatoms with mineralized halite and gypsum by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Particular elements concentrated in microbial mats were detected using scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The objective of this contribution is to illustrate the ability of various diatoms associated with minerals and microorganisms which are capable of absorbing both radionuclides and stable isotopes from polluted paddy soils in extreme conditions. Ge semiconductor analysis of the microbial mats detected 134Cs, 137Cs, and 40K without 131I in 2012 and in 2013. Quantitative analysis associated with the elemental content maps by SEM-EDS indicated the possibility of absorption of radionuclide and stable isotope elements from polluted paddy soils in Fukushima Prefecture. In addition, radionuclides were detected in solar salts made of contaminated sea water collected from the Karasuzaki ocean bath, Minami-soma, Fukushima in 2015, showing high Zr content associated with 137Cs and 40K without 131I. The results obtained here provide evidence of the ability of microorganisms to grow in this salty contaminated environment and to immobilize radionuclides. It is possible that the capability of radioactive immobilization can be used to counteract the disastrous effects of radionuclide-polluted paddy soils. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Surgical removal of amyloid-laden lymph nodes: a possible therapeutic approach in a primary systemic AL amyloidosis patient with focal lymphadenopathy

We report a patient with primary systemic AL amyloidosis who suffered from remarkable bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. Intensive chemotherapies, including two cycles of high-dose melphalan with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, were insufficiently effective for both the lymphadenopathy and amyloidogenic IgG lambda lambda-type M-protein in serum, but the patient showed complete haematological remission after extensive surgical removal of enlarged lymph nodes that had massive depositions of lambda lambda-type immunoglobulin light chain-derived amyloid. Lymphadenectomy may be a possible therapeutic approach with regard to both cosmetic and haematological aspects in primary systemic AL amyloidosis patients with focal lymphadenopathy.ArticleAMYLOID-JOURNAL OF PROTEIN FOLDING DISORDERS. 18(2):79-82 (2011)journal articl

Coadministration of Cyclosporin A with Prednisolone in Acute Interstitial Pneumonia Complicating Polymyositis/Dermatomyositis

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Calciphylaxis as a Catastrophic Complication in a Patient with POEMS Syndrome

Calciphylaxis is a vascular calcification-cutaneous necrosis syndrome, usually seen in patients with end-stage renal disease and secondary hyperparathyroidism. We report a 57-year-old polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome patient complicated with extensive skin ulcers due to calciphylaxis. He first noted a painful cutaneous ulcer on his left thigh, and then skin lesions rapidly worsened, resulting in multiple intractable ulcers with gangrene on his legs and trunk in a few months. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was markedly elevated. Biopsy samples from his skin ulcers showed the deposition of calcium in the medial layer of cutaneous vessels, this finding being compatible with calciphylaxis. This is the second reported case with POEMS syndrome complicated with calciphylaxis. Both patients had no evidence of renal failure, hyperparathyroidism, or clotting disorders. The pathogenic link between POEMS syndrome and calciphylaxis is still unclear, but VEGF is known to regulate vascular calcification, in cooperation with bone morphogenetic proteins. Further, corticosteroid and several proinflammatory cytokines activate nuclear factor-κB pathway, known as the final common pathway leading to vascular calcification. Taken together, we consider that POEMS syndrome can be an independent risk condition for calciphylaxis