直接内部改質式固体酸化物形燃料電池の実験的研究：メタン水蒸気改質反応の熱的影響

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(工学)甲第22773号工博第4772号新制||工||1746(附属図書館)京都大学大学院工学研究科航空宇宙工学専攻(主査)教授 岩井 裕, 教授 吉田 英生, 教授 江口 浩一学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering)Kyoto UniversityDFA

Physical Characteristics of Injection Site Pain After COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 Vaccination

Background: BNT162b2, an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, was launched in many countries as an intramuscular vaccination for COVID-19 infection. Few studies have assessed the physical indications of pain at the immunization site. This study aimed to characterize pain at the injection site and investigate morphological attributes using ultrasound. Methods: Forty-three of 211 healthcare workers who received a second dose of BNT162b2 between February 2021 and March 2021 were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 40 years. We evaluated patients’ pain at the injection site using the Numerical Rating Pain Scale (NRPS). We also assessed the thickness of the deltoid muscle fascia at the injection site by ultrasound. Bayesian robust correlation was employed to explore the relationship between the pain intensity scores and ultrasound measurements. Results: All eligible subjects complained of pain at the injection site. A median pain onset of 8 hours post-vaccination and a median peak intensity score of 4 were reported. Onset of relief occurred after 2 days. Ultrasound images demonstrated a 2.5-fold increase in fascia thickness at the injection site without intramuscular echogenicity change in all subjects. A correlation was established between the NRPS score and the non-injection-to-injection-side ratio of fascia thickness at the injection site (rho = 0.66). Conclusion: A sore arm was the most prevalent side effect of BNT162b2 vaccination and could be attributed to temporal fasciitis

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

Transgenerational changes of metabolic phenotypes in two selectively bred mouse colonies for different susceptibilities to diet-induced glucose intolerance

We recently established 2 mouse lines with different susceptibilities (prone and resistant) to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced glucose intolerance by selective breeding (designated selectively bred diet-induced glucose intolerance-prone [SDG-P] and -resistant [SDG-R], respectively). In the present study, we analyzed transgenerational changes in metabolic phenotypes in these 2 mouse colonies to explore how the distinct phenotypes have emerged through the repetitive selection. Using C57BL/6, C3H, and AKR as background strains, mice showing inferior and superior glucose tolerance after HFD feeding were selected and bred repetitively over 20 generations to produce SDG-P and SDG-R, respectively. In addition to the blood glucose levels, HFD intake and body weight were also measured over the selective breeding period. As the generations proceeded, SDG-P mice became more susceptible to HFD-induced glucose intolerance and body weight gain, whereas SDG-R mice had gradually reduced HFD intake. The differences in fasting and post-glucose challenge blood glucose levels, body weight, and HFD intake became more evident between the 2 colonies through the selective breeding, mainly due to the HFD-induced glucose metabolism impairment and body weight gain in SDG-P mice and the reduction of HFD intake in SDG-R mice. These transgenerational changes in the metabolic phenotypes suggest that the genetic loci associated with the quantitative traits have been selectively enriched in SDG-P and SDG-R

Early effects of insulin therapy on cholesterol synthesis and absorption markers in patients with type 2 diabetes

Summary: Background &amp; aim: Metabolic abnormalities in type 2 diabetes affect the production and the clearance of plasma lipoproteins. Although the improvement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are important targets in diabetes, it is not established how changes occur in the production and clearance of plasma lipoproteins in the treatment of diabetes. Serum non-cholesterol sterols are introduced as practical markers to assess endogenous cholesterol synthesis and intestinal cholesterol absorption. This study aimed to investigate the effects of insulin therapy on cholesterol synthesis and absorption markers in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This was a single-center, prospective, 2-week, longitudinal pilot study. Patients with type 2 diabetes who were admitted to start insulin therapy without using lipid-lowering agents were recruited. On the day of hospitalization, the patients discontinued all oral hypoglycemic agents and started with basal-bolus insulin therapy. Cholesterol synthesis (lathosterol) and absorption (campesterol, sitosterol, and cholestanol) markers were assessed at baseline and after 2 weeks of insulin treatment. Results: In eighteen subjects, the mean age of the patients was 56 ± 10 years (mean ± SD). At baseline, body mass index was 24.3 ± 5.0 kg/m2, and HbA1c was 11.6 ± 1.7%. After 2 weeks of insulin therapy, total cholesterol (from 205 ± 48 to 184 ± 43 mg/dL, p = 0.004), lathosterol (from 2.6 ± 1.3 to 2.0 ± 0.7 μg/mL, p = 0.001), campesterol (from 4.3 ± 2.7 to 3.0 ± 2.1 μg/mL, p < 0.0001), and sitosterol (from 2.4 ± 1.6 to 1.7 ± 1.4 μg/mL, p < 0.0001) were significantly decreased, and cholestanol (from 2.5 ± 1.0 to 2.3 ± 0.8 μg/mL, p = 0.05) tended to decrease. Conclusion: This study showed that insulin therapy reduces cholesterol synthesis and absorption markers in patients with type 2 diabetes hospitalized within 2 weeks. The decrease in cholesterol synthesis and absorption seems to be useful for improving lipid metabolism and reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. Further randomized controlled studies are required to confirm the efficacy of insulin therapy for cholesterol synthesis and absorption markers