Mixed Type of Malignant Mesothelioma in an Aged Male ICR Mouse

Multiple whitish nodules in the thoracic cavity at the site of the thymus were observed in a 101-week-old male ICR mouse. In a histopathological examination, the neoplastic cells were predominantly fusiform in shape and proliferated in sarcomatoid growth patterns. Some neoplastic cells showed epithelial growth patterns, such as the ductal structures. Mitotic figures were frequently seen, and small necrotic foci and invasion to adjacent thoracic organs were noted. In Alcian blue staining, bluish materials were observed between fusiform-shaped cells and in some of the lumens of the ductal structures. In immunohistochemistry, both fusiform-shaped and ductal structure-forming cells were positive for vimentin and weakly positive to positive for cytokeratin. Based on the aforementioned findings, the thoracic nodules were diagnosed as a mixed type of malignant mesothelioma. This case was thought to be rare because of the very low occurrence of spontaneous mesothelioma in mice

Long-term survival with RAS-associated autoimmune leukoproliferative disorder with somatic KRAS mutation:A case report

　RAS -associated autoimmune leukoproliferative disorder (RALD) is a recently reported rare nonmalignant autoimmune disorder. The characteristic clinical findings of RALD include monocytosis, leukocytosis, lymphoproliferation, and autoimmune phenomena. RALD is defined by somatic mutations in KRAS or NRAS . It is a new disease that was reported by Niemela and Takagi in 2011. The prognosis and incidence are currently unknown and the treatment strategy has not yet been established.　Here we describe the long-term survival of a patient with who displayed a somatic KRAS G12D mutation. His clinical features and labolatory data were overlapped with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Mercaptopurine hydrate, hydroxycarbamide and azacitizine were administered to control white blood cell count and improve clinical symptoms. He had a long survival time without hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Effects of Calcination Temperature and Acid-Base Properties on Mixed Potential Ammonia Sensors Modified by Metal Oxides

Mixed potential sensors were fabriated using yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as a solid electrolyte and a mixture of Au and various metal oxides as a sensing electrode. The effects of calcination temperature ranging from 600 to 1,000 °C and acid-base properties of the metal oxides on the sensing properties were examined. The selective sensing of ammonia was achieved by modification of the sensing electrode using MoO3, Bi2O3 and V2O5, while the use of WO3, Nb2O5 and MgO was not effective. The melting points of the former group were below 820 °C, while those of the latter group were higher than 1,000 °C. Among the former group, the selective sensing of ammonia was strongly dependent on the calcination temperature, which was optimum around melting point of the corresponding metal oxides. The good spreading of the metal oxides on the electrode is suggested to be one of the important factors. In the former group, the relative response of ammonia to propene was in the order of MoO3 > Bi2O3 > V2O5, which agreed well with the acidity of the metal oxides. The importance of the acidic properties of metal oxides for ammonia sensing was clarified

Topical insulin-like growth factor 1 treatment using gelatin hydrogels for glucocorticoid-resistant sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a prospective clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a common condition in which patients lose the hearing in one ear within 3 days. Systemic glucocorticoid treatments have been used as standard therapy for SSHL; however, about 20% of patients do not respond. We tested the safety and efficacy of topical insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) application using gelatin hydrogels as a treatment for SSHL.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients with SSHL that showed no recovery to systemic glucocorticoid administration were recruited. We applied gelatin hydrogels, impregnated with recombinant human IGF1, into the middle ear. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients showing hearing improvement 12 weeks after the test treatment. The secondary outcome measures were the proportion of patients showing improvement at 24 weeks and the incidence of adverse events. The null hypothesis was that 33% of patients would show hearing improvement, as was reported for a historical control after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In total, 25 patients received the test treatment at a median of 23 days (range 15-32) after the onset of SSHL, between 2007 and 2009. At 12 weeks after the test treatment, 48% (95% CI 28% to 69%; <it>P </it>= 0.086) of patients showed hearing improvement, and the proportion increased to 56% (95% CI 35% to 76%; <it>P </it>= 0.015) at 24 weeks. No serious adverse events were observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Topical IGF1 application using gelatin hydrogels is well tolerated and may be efficacious for hearing recovery in patients with SSHL that is resistant to systemic glucocorticoids.</p

Formation of pseudomorphic nanocages from Cu2O nanocrystals through anion exchange reactions.

常温・常圧でのイオン性ナノ結晶の結晶構造制御に成功 －新しい光エネルギー変換材料開発に期待－. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2016-03-18.The crystal structure of ionic nanocrystals (NCs) is usually controlled through reaction temperature, according to their phase diagram. We show that when ionic NCs with different shapes, but identical crystal structures, were subjected to anion exchange reactions under ambient conditions, pseudomorphic products with different crystal systems were obtained. The shape-dependent anionic framework (surface anion sublattice and stacking pattern) of Cu2O NCs determined the crystal system of anion-exchanged products of CuxS nanocages. This method enabled us to convert a body-centered cubic lattice into either a face-centered cubic or a hexagonally close-packed lattice to form crystallographically unusual, multiply twinned structures. Subsequent cation exchange reactions produced CdS nanocages while preserving the multiply-twinned structures. A high-temperature stable phase such as wurtzite ZnS was also obtained with this method at ambient conditions

Doxorubicin Delivery Using pH and Redox Dual-Responsive Hollow Nanocapsules with a Cationic Electrostatic Barrier

For the delivery of doxorubicin (DOX), pH and redox dual responsive hollow nanocapsules were prepared through the stabilization of polymer vesicles, which spontaneously formed from polyamidoamine dendron-poly(l-lysine) (PAMAM dendron-PLL), by the introduction of disulfide (SS) bonds between PLLs. The SS-bonded nanocapsules exhibited a very slow release of DOX under an extracellular environment because the cationic PLL membrane acted as an electrostatic barrier against the protonated DOX molecules. However, increasing the glutathione concentration to the intracellular level facilitated the immediate release of DOX through the collapse of nanocapsules by the spontaneous cleavage of SS bonds. SS-bonded nanocapsules also escaped from the endosome by the buffering effect of PAMAM dendrons, and DOX delivery into the cytoplasm was achieved. Furthermore, DOX molecules delivered by SS-bonded nanocapsules exhibited an effective in vitro anticancer effect to HeLa cells

Allergenic importance of 22 species of Japanese chironomid midges

Twenty-two Japanese chironomid species were examined for their allergenicities using ELISA with the sera of 32 asthmatic patients. The species Paratrichocladius rufiventris and Cricotopus sylvestris showed high positive rates of specific IgE, high average IgE reactivities and high frequencies of strong IgE reactivity and the highest IgE reactivity of the 22 species, suggesting a high rate of contact with humans and the possession of highly allergenic components by these two species. In contrast, Tanypus punctipennis and Rheotanytarsus kyotoensis showed low allergenicities, suggesting a low level of human contact and/or a lack of allergenic components. Furthermore, species that emerge from eutrophic waters in a large mass, such as Macropelopia paranebulosa, Paratrichocladius rufiventris and Chironomus yoshimatsui, showed strong allergenicities in all the tests. This suggests that eutrophic water be regarded as an important reservoir to allergenic chironomids

Divergent evolution of rice blast resistance Pi54 locus in the genus Oryza

Abstract Background The rice blast resistance gene Pi54 was cloned from Oryza sativa ssp. indica cv. Tetep, which conferred broad-spectrum resistance against Magnaporthe oryzae. Pi54 allelic variants have been identified in not only domesticates but also wild rice species, but the majority of japonica and some indica cultivars lost the function. Results We here found that Pi54 (Os11g0639100) and its homolog Os11g0640600 (named as #11) were closely located on a 25 kbp region in japonica cv. Sasanishiki compared to a 99 kbp region in japonica cv. Nipponbare. Sasanishiki lost at least six genes containing one other R-gene cluster (Os11g0639600, Os11g0640000, and Os11g0640300). Eight AA-genome species including five wild rice species were classified into either Nipponbare or Sasanishiki type. The BB-genome wild rice species O. punctata was Sasanishiki type. The FF-genome wild rice species O. brachyantha (the basal lineage of Oryza) was neither, because Pi54 was absent and the orientation of the R-gene cluster was reversed in comparison with Nipponbare-type species. The phylogenetic analysis showed that #11gene of O. brachyantha was on the root of both Pi54 and #11 alleles. All Nipponbare-type Pi54 alleles were specifically disrupted by 143 and 37/44 bp insertions compared to Tetep and Sasanishiki type. In addition, Pi54 of japonica cv. Sasanishiki lost nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NBS–LRR) domains owing to additional mutations. Conclusions These results suggest that Pi54 might be derived from a tandem duplication of the ancestor #11 gene in progenitor FF-genome species. Two divergent structures of Pi54 locus caused by a mobile unit containing the nearby R-gene cluster could be developed before domestication. This study provides a potential genetic resource of rice breeding for blast resistance in modern cultivars sustainability