高リスクの小児T細胞性急性リンパ芽球性白血病において繰り返し認められるSPI1（PU.1）融合遺伝子

広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(医学)Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciencedoctora

Alteration of chemokine production in bovine endometrial epithelial and stromal cells under heat stress conditions

After parturition, cows frequently develop uterine bacterial infections, resulting in the onset of endometritis. To eliminate the bacteria, bovine endometrial cells secrete chemokines, such as IL-6 and MCP1, which attract macrophages (M Phi s) to the subepithelial stroma. These attracted M Phi s are not only involved in bacterial elimination but also the orchestration of inflammation and tissue repair. These immune responses aid in the recovery from endometritis; however, the recovery from endometritis takes longer in summer than in any other season. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that heat stress (HS) affects the chemokine production in endometrial cells. To confirm this hypothesis, we compared IL-6 and MCP1 production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in bovine endometrial epithelial and stromal cells under normal (38.5 degrees C) and HS conditions (40.5 degrees C). In the endometrial epithelial cells, IL-6 production stimulated by LPS was significantly (p < .05) suppressed under HS conditions. MCP1 production in endometrial epithelial cells was not detected under both the control and HS conditions regardless of the presence of LPS. Moreover, LPS significantly (p < .05) stimulated IL-6 and MCP1 production in endometrial stromal cells. Moreover, HS significantly (p < .05) enhanced their production compared to that under the control conditions. In addition, HS did not affect the migration ability of M Phi s; however, the supernatant of the endometrial stromal cells cultured under the HS condition significantly (p < .05) attracted the M Phi s when compared to the control condition. These results suggest that HS disrupts chemokine production in two types of endometrial cells and alters the distribution of M Phi s in the endometrium during the summer

Human movement decisions during Coronavirus Disease 2019

To predict epidemics' future course in changing situations, understanding human mobility patterns is important, notwithstanding decision-making process uncertainties owing to difficulties in quantifying people's mobility change decision timings, which make the mobility-epidemic causal relationship unclear. We used the 'mobility avoidance index' to investigate time-series changes during Japan's Coronavirus Disease 2019 (eight waves until February 2023) as a previous study, which measured this index using accommodation reservation data-booking/cancellation timings-was able to quantify the timing of decision-making for mobility changes. Our analyses revealed two general patterns: 1) the index increased/decreased proportional to logarithms of reported cases during the first wave, conforming with Weber-Fechner's psychophysics law; 2) its slope against the change in the number of reported cases had similar values among the waves, but its intercepts changed as the waves passed, suggesting that people neglected reported cases lower than a certain threshold for behavioural decision-making. We shifted the threshold level as the waves passed, and named this pattern 'shift of negligible epidemic' rule. It is the first pattern quantitatively observed, that possesses decision making tendencies for future mobility avoidance. Our findings contribute to constructing a mathematical model, which simultaneously considers epidemics and human mobility dynamics

Measurements of neutron total and capture cross sections of 139^{139}La and evaluation of resonance parameters

Neutron total and capture cross sections of Lanthanum(La)-139 were measured at the Accurate Ne-utron-Nucleus Reaction measurement Instrument (ANNRI) of the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The total cross section was largely different from that in evaluated libraries, such as JENDL-5, in the energy range from 80 to 900~eV. Resonance parameters for four resonances including one negative resonance were obtained using a resonance analysis code, REFIT. The resonance analysis revealed discrepancies in several resonance parameters with the evaluated libraries. Furthermore, the information about the scattering radius was also extracted from the results of the total cross section. The obtained scattering radius was larger than that recorded in the evaluated libraries.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure

Holographic Pepper’s Ghost: Upright Virtual-Image Screen Realized by Holographic Mirror

A holographic mirror is a reflection-type holographic optical element that works as an off-axis mirror. It realizes an upright see-through screen serving as a virtual-image display and virtual camera. Such screen enables to realize virtual-image-based attractive applications like Pepper’s ghost only with a thin optical system. This chapter describes the concept of a holographic-mirror-based virtual-image display and virtual camera, an experimental method for exposing the holographic mirror based on holographic printing, methods for dispersion compensation, and experimental results for the proposed virtual-image display and camera

Oncogenic FGFR1 mutation and amplification in common cellular origin in a composite tumor with neuroblastoma and pheochromocytoma

Neuroblastoma (NB) and pheochromocytoma (PCC) are derived from neural crest cells (NCCs); however, composite tumors with NB and PCC are rare, and their underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. To address this issue, we performed exome and transcriptome sequencing with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from the NB, PCC, and mixed lesions in a patient with a composite tumor. Whole-exome sequencing revealed that most mutations (80%) were shared by all samples, indicating that NB and PCC evolved from the same clone. Notably, all samples harbored both mutation and focal amplification in the FGFR1 oncogene, resulting in an extraordinarily high expression, likely to be the main driver of this tumor. Transcriptome sequencing revealed undifferentiated expression profiles for the NB lesions. Considering that a metastatic lesion was also composite, most likely, the primitive founding lesions should differentiate into both NB and PCC. This is the first reported case with composite-NB and PCC genetically proven to harbor an oncogenic FGFR1 alteration of a common cellular origin

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a risk factor for further surgery in short-segment lumbar interbody fusion.

First online: 01 October 2014[Purpose] To elucidate the effect of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) on the clinical results of short-segment lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spinal diseases. [Methods] The 208 patients who underwent one- or two-level LIF were selected as the subjects of this study. Patients with prior lumbar fusion surgery or follow-up <1 year were excluded. Outcome measures were surgery-free survival or the need for further surgery for pseudoarthrosis and/or adjacent segment disease (ASD). The Cox proportional-hazards model was used to identify possible risk factors (DISH, age, sex, number of levels fused, level of the lowest instrumented vertebra, and laminectomy adjacent to the index fused levels) for further surgery. [Results] Among the 208 patients (39 with DISH), 21 patients required further surgery during follow-up. Cox analysis showed that DISH (hazard ratio = 5.46) and two-level fusion (hazard ratio = 2.83) were significant independent predictors of further surgery. Age, sex, level of the lowest instrumented vertebra, and laminectomy adjacent to the index fused levels were not significant predictors. [Conclusions] DISH after short-segment LIF surgery is a significant risk factor for further surgery because of pseudoarthrosis or ASD

Am80, a retinoic acid receptor agonist, activates the cardiomyocyte cell cycle and enhances engraftment in the heart

ヒトiPS細胞由来心筋細胞の生着能改善に向けた新しい方法. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-07-14.Am80, a retinoic acid receptor agonist, activates cell cycle in induced cardiomyocytes and enhances heart tissue engraftment. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-07-14.Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (hiPSC) cardiomyocytes are a promising source for regenerative therapy. To realize this therapy, however, their engraftment potential after their injection into the host heart should be improved. Here, we established an efficient method to analyze the cell cycle activity of hiPSC cardiomyocytes using a fluorescence ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) system. In vitro high-throughput screening using FUCCI identified a retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonist, Am80, as an effective cell cycle activator in hiPSC cardiomyocytes. The transplantation of hiPSC cardiomyocytes treated with Am80 before the injection significantly enhanced the engraftment in damaged mouse heart for 6 months. Finally, we revealed that the activation of endogenous Wnt pathways through both RARA and RARB underlies the Am80-mediated cell cycle activation. Collectively, this study highlights an efficient method to activate cell cycle in hiPSC cardiomyocytes by Am80 as a means to increase the graft size after cell transplantation into a damaged heart