ヒト血清中の抗β-グルカン抗体に関する研究

In this study, we found that anti-β-glucan IgG antibodies were present in sera from the peripheral blood (PB) of normal adult donors and the umbilical cord blood (UCB) of neonates using a novel enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) developed in our laboratories. The titers of anti-β-glucan IgG antibodies from the PB of normal adult donors were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those from the UCB of neonates. These findings suggest that anti-β-glucan IgG antibodies in sera from the UCB of neonates may be transferred from the mothers to the neonates via the placenta. The reactivity of serially diluted purified IgG antibody prepared from the serum of a normal adult donor (human purified IgG antibody) was also positive against β-glucan in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, a standard rabbit anti-β-glucan IgG antibody completely blocked the reactivity of human purified IgG antibody to β-glucan in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these findings show that human sera contain specific anti-β-glucan IgG antibodies and suggest that these anti-β-glucan IgG antibodies may have unique actions in various immunological responses

Modulation of CD93 molecule in a human monocyte-like cell line (U937) treated with nickel

ニッケルで処理されたヒト単球系細胞株(U937)におけるCD93 分子の動態を解析した。ニッケル処理はU937 細胞に対してインターロイキン-8(IL-8) の産生を増強しながらアポトーシスを誘導した。また、ニッケル処理によりU937 細胞表面上のCD93 分子(mCD93)の発現は有意に減少し、可溶性CD93 分子(sCD93)の産生は有意に増強した。以上の結果は、CD93 分子の動態が金属(ニッケル)アレルギーの発症メカニズムを解析するための新たなバイオマーカーに成り得ることを示唆している。In this study, we demonstrated the modulation of CD93 molecules (both membrane-bound and soluble-form) in a human monocyte-like cell line, U937 treated with nickel (Ni2+) to model contact hypersensitivity (CHS), such as metal allergy. Ni2+ induced the apoptosis of the U937 cells accompanied by the enhanced secretion of an inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-8 (IL-8). The percentages and mean fluorescence intensities (MFIs) of membrane-bound CD93 (mCD93) expressed on U937 cells were significantly decreased after treatment with Ni2+ when examined using flow cytometry with a CD93 monoclonal antibody (mAb) (mNI-11), which was established in our laboratories. In contrast, the secretion of soluble-form CD93 (sCD93) from U937 cells increased markedly after treatment with Ni2+. Taken together, these findings suggest that the modulation of CD93 molecules (both mCD93 and sCD93) might serve as a new biomarker for analyzing the inflammatory reaction in CHS induced by Ni2+

松本歯科大学病院における小児全身麻酔下集中歯科治療の検討 : 過去11年間の環境要因の変遷について

We investigated the actual child-rearing environment, considering factors such as hygiene training, among 177 children (102 boys, 75 girls) ranging from 1 year and 9 months to 7 years and 2 months in age who underwent intensive dental treatment under general anesthesia in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Matsumoto Dental University Hospital between January 1990 and December 2000. The following results were obtained. 1) The annual number of patients slightly increased between 1992 and 1994. Thereafter, the annual number of patients decreased slightly each year. 2) The mean age attreatmentwas 3 years and 7 months (44.5±12.9 months). 3) Concerning the regional distribution, more than 50% of the children came from Nagano Prefecture areas other than Shiojiri City, where our university is located. 4) With respect to feeding methods during infancy, most children were breast fed or mixed breast and bottle fed. Furthermore, any feeding irregularity was noted. 5) The mean interval from birth until the start of weaning was 7.5±4.1 months. The mean interval until completion of weaning was 16.0±6.3 months. 6) 95.5% of the children habitually brushed their teeth. The frequency of tooth brushing was "once a day" or "sometimes" in 69.5% of the children. 7) Overall, 46.9% of the children had received fluoride application

大学生の体力レベルについて : 文部科学省・新体力テストによる評価

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical fitness levels of university students. A total of 162 subjects (113 males and 49 females, mean aged 18.2 ± 1.04 yr) participated in the study. The subjects performed 6 tests including a 20-m shuttle run, hand grip strength, and hamstring and lower back flexibility tests, sit-ups, a side-to-side jump and a forward standing jump. Compared with All Japan physical fitness tests performed in 2009, the hand grip strength among male students was significantly lower (48.0 ± 7.2 kg vs. 45.1 ± 8.7kg, p<0.001), the 20-m shuttle run was significantly faster in both male and female students. The flexibility of the male students was significantly higher (46.0 ± 10.2 cm vs. 51.1 ± 10.8 cm, p<0.001) and the number of sit-ups performed by female students was significantly higher (20.1 ± 5.5 times vs. 22.3 ± 4.7 times, p<0.001). All subjects participated in a sports and physical fitness class at university, which may be the reason why their physical fitness levels were partly higher than those observed in the previous research

Identification of CD93 expression on hematopoietic stem cells in human neonatal umbilical cord blood cells

臍帯血由来造血幹細胞表面上のCD93の発現を我々が開発したCD93モノクローナル抗体(mNI-11)、既存のCD34抗体、CD45抗体を組み合わせたフローサイトメトリー法で解析した。その結果、臍帯血由来造血幹細胞(CD34+細胞およびCD34+CD45dim+細胞)表面上にはCD93が発現していることが分かった。以上の結果は、CD93が未熟な造血幹細胞の新たな細胞表面マーカーに成り得ると共に、造血幹細胞におけるCD93の免疫学的な機能解析に非常に有益な情報と考えられる。Human CD93 is a heavily O-glycosylated type I transmembrane protein consisting of unique C-type lectin domains (CTLDs) containing glycoprotein. CD93 is mainly expressed on myeloid cells (monocytes and granulocytes) and endothelial cells. However, the expression patterns of CD93 on various other kinds of cells are not well understood. In this study, we found that CD93 was recognized by a CD93 monoclonal antibody (mAb) (mNI-11) that was established in our laboratories and was expressed on a broad hematopoietic stem cell population (CD34+ cells) from human neonatal umbilical cord blood cells (UCBCs), as shown using a two-color flow cytometric analysis. In addition, the CD93 recognized by mNI-11 was also expressed on a narrow hematopoietic stem cell population(CD34+CD45dim+ cells) in which the non-specific reactivity of CD34 mAb from human neonatal UCBCs was excluded using a three-color flow cytometric analysis. Taken together, these results provide the first evidence concerning the identification of CD93 expression on hematopoietic stem cells. These cell populations (CD34+CD93+ and CD34+CD45dim+CD93+ cells) in human neonatal UCBCs are thought to have an important role in cell biology, transplantation, and immature/mature immune responses

Secretion of soluble-form CD93 from human endothelial progenitor cells

ヒト血管内皮前駆細胞(Human endothelial progenitor cells :HEPCs)から分泌される可溶性CD93(sCD93)分子の動態を自主開発した抗ヒトCD93 抗体(mNI-11)を用いて解析した。HEPCs は低濃度であるが、sCD93 分子を培養液中に自然分泌していることがわかった。HEPCs をPKC 活性剤であるPMAで処理したところ、sCD93 分子の分泌は有意に増強した(P < 0.01)。また、PMA 処理の初期段階からsCD93 分泌の増強は認められた。次に、PMA 処理HEPCs にPKC 活性阻害剤であるGo6976 を添加したところ、sCD93 分子の分泌は有意に抑制された(P < 0.01)。一方、HEPCs をアクチンフィラメントの脱重合剤(サイトカラシンE)で処理したところ、sCD93 分子の分泌が有意に増強した(P < 0.01)。HEPCs から分泌されるsCD93 分子は、PKC によるリン酸化とアクチンフィラメントの脱重合が密接に関与していることがわかった。In this study, we examined the secretion of soluble-form CD93 (sCD93) from human endothelial progenitor cells (HEPCs) expressing cell surface CD93 by enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) using CD93 monoclonal antibody (mAb) (mNI-11) established in our laboratories. We found that a small amount of sCD93 was spontaneously secreted into the culture supernatants of HEPCs. Furthermore, significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced secretion of sCD93 was found in the culture supernatants of HEPCs treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, which was significantly (P < 0.01) suppressed by treatment of the cells with the protein kinase (PKC) inhibitor Go6976. Interestingly, depolymerization of the actin filaments in the cells by cytochalasin E (CyE) also significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced the sCD93 secretion into the culture supernatants of HEPCs. Taken together, these findings suggest that the sCD93 might serve as a new biomarker for analyzing the biological and immunological functions of HEPCs

Serum levels of soluble CD93 in patients with chronic renal failure

慢性腎不全（CRF）患者における可溶性CD93（sCD93）の血清レベルを自主開発した抗ヒトCD93抗体（mNI-11）とオリジナル構築酵素抗体法（EIAキット）を用いて検討した。その結果、CRF患者血清中のsCD93は健康人と比較して有意に高値を示した。また、血清中インターロイキン-6（IL-6）もCRF患者は健康人に比較して有意に高値を示した。CRF患者血清中のsCD93と腎機能マーカーである尿素窒素、血清クレアチニン、血清シスタチンCとの相関を解析したところ、いずれも強い相関を示した。特に血清シスタチンCとはより強い相関を示した（r＝0.903、P＜0.001）。以上の結果から、CRF患者血清中のsCD93は、特に血清シスタチンCとの相関性がより強いことから、早期の腎障害を検出する新規のバイオマーカーになることがわかった。In this clinical study, we examined the serum levels of soluble CD93 (sCD93) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) by an originally constructed enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) using a CD93 monoclonal antibody (mAb) (mNI-11) established in our laboratories. The serum concentrations of sCD93 in patients with CRF were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those in normal healthy controls. Furthermore, the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were also significantly higher in the patients with CRF (P < 0.05) than in the normal healthy controls. In addition, the serum levels of sCD93 were strongly correlated with the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (r = 0.797, P < 0.001), serum creatinine (r = 0.784, P < 0.001) and serum cystatin C (r = 0.913, P < 0.001). Taken together, these findings suggest that the serum sCD93 may serve as a new biomarker for analyzing or measuring renal function

Accuracy of step count of five pedometers under free-living conditions

本研究の目的は、5種類の歩数計の精度を自由な生活環境下で検証することである。7名の被験者(年齢20.4+/-0.5才)は、2種類の歩数計を5日間装着した。一つは基準となる歩数計で、もう一つの歩数計は腰部装着型3種類(EC-200; Yamasa tokei, Welsupport; Nipro Co., HJA-350IT; Omron Co.)、腕時計型(HK-800; Yamasa tokei)、ポケットイン型(HJ-710; Omron Co.)のいずれかをランダムに、それぞれ1日間装着した。1日の歩数は6,123+/-2,027歩、1,974〜10,815歩であった。基準となる歩数計と比較した際、HJA-350ITとHJ-710に有意差が認められた。ポケットイン型の歩数計はポケットの中で動くため、我々はHJ-710の精度は低いと予測していた。しかし、HJA-350ITの歩数が有意に低値を示したことは説明できない。最後に、日常身体活動の調査に歩数計を利用する際には、精度の高い歩数計を使用する必要があると思われた。The purpose of this study was to investigate accuracy of step count of the 5 pedometers under free-living conditions. Seven young subjects wore two pedometers for 5 days, excluding bath and sleep time. One of the two pedometers, the Lifecorder (LC, Suzuken Co.) was worn on the right side of the waist for 5 days as a criterion. Each subject wore one of the five pedometers randomly for one day each. The 3 waist-type pedometers (EC-200; Yamasa tokei, Welsupport; Nipro Co., HJA-350IT; Omron Co.) were worn on the left side of the waist. A wrist-type pedometer (HK-800; Yamasa tokei) was worn on the right wrist. A pocket-in-type pedometer (HJ-710; Omron Co.) was kept in the left pocket of the subject\u27s trousers. The daily steps of the LC were 6,123+/-2,027 counts (range: 1,974-15,815). Comparing with LC, a significant difference in the daily steps were found using the HJ-710 (p<0.001) and the HJA-350IT (p<0.05). We predicted that the accuracy of HJ-710 was low because the pocket-in pedometer moved in the pocket. However, it is unclear why the daily steps measured by HJA-350IT were significantly low. We concluded that a high accurate pedometer must be used to measure daily physical activity

保健・福祉系大学生への発達障害スクリーニング検査の信頼性と妥当性の検討

The purpose of this study was to verify the reliability and validity of a screening test for developmental disorders in students at a health and welfare university. A total of 632 students completed a questionnaire about difficulties. We classified 38 questions for 5 factors with factor analysis. The analysed factors were as follows: attention-deficit disorder factor, learning disorder factor, pervasive developmental disorder factor, depression and anxiety factor and control difficulty factor

Actions of Taimatsu fermented rice germ solution on human immune responses

本研究では、我々が独自に開発したGABA およびIP6 含有たいまつ米胚芽発酵液(T-FRGS)のヒト末梢血単核球(PBMCs) に対する形態変化およびサイトカイン産生能を解析した。その結果、T-FRGS はPBMCs に形態変化(細胞間凝集)を誘導した。さらに、Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) を用いた解析から、T-FRGS はPBMCs からIL-1β、IL-6、IL-8、TNF-α、GM-CSF、G-CSF の産生を有意に増強させた(P<0.001)。以上の結果から、T-FRGS にはヒト免疫応答を増強させる作用があることがわかった。In this study, we examined the immunological actions of Taimatsu fermented rice germ solution (designated as T-FRGS), containing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and inositol hexaphosphate (IP6). The morphology of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from normal healthy donors cultured with T-FRGS was dramatically altered (inducement of cell aggregation) as compared with that of the control cells (cultured without T-FRGS) at 24 hrs. In addition, the PBMCs from normal healthy donors cultured with T-FRGS showed strongly enhanced ability to produce some cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1 β ,IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) but not others, such as IL-2 or IL-12. Taken together, these findings clearly indicate that T-FRGS has stimulatory effects on some human immune responses