A marker tephra bed close to the Lower-Middle Pleistocene boundary: Distribution of the Ontake-Byakubi Tephra Bed in central Japan

Tephrochronology is an exceptionally important tool in the precise regional correlation of Early and Middle Pleistocene sedimentary strata in Japan. The present study reveals that the Yukawa tephra 5 (YUT5) derived from the Older Ontake volcano, the Nezumigawa (Nzg) and Mitamitajima (Mtj) tephras of the Ina Bazin, and the Byakubi-E tephra (Byk-E) of the Boso Peninsula are the same tephra on the basis of their lithofacies, bulk grain composition, mafic mineral composition, major element composition of hornblende, and stratigraphic relationships with the dated tephras. We propose to call the series of tephras correlated with Byk-E the Ontake-Byakubi Tephra Bed (On-Byk Tephra) following the naming convention in which the tephra name consists of the names of the source volcano and the type location. The Matuyama-Brunhes Chronozone boundary occurs just above Byk-E in the type section of the Kokumoto Formation in the Kazusa Group, which is a candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the lower boundary of the Middle Pleistocene Subseries. Therefore, On-Byk Tephra becomes a critically important marker tephra bed for the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary in central Japan. The present study indicates that the major element composition of hornblende can be a useful tool for identification and correlation of strongly weathered tephra layers such as Nzg and Mtj in which all the volcanic glass shards have been altered.ArticleQuaternary International. 397: 27-38(2016)journal articl

子宮内膜症性嚢胞の悪性転化におけるHO-1発現マクロファージの特徴

Malignant transformation of endometriosis is a rare and still poorly understood event, but is associated with the distortion of the pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant balance. The aim of the present study was to quantify the numbers of macrophages polarized as M1 or M2 phenotypes and the expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in tissue sections from patients with benign ovarian endometrioma (OE) and its malignant transformation (endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer, EAOC). We performed a retrospective study at the Department of Gynecology, Nara Medical University hospital from December 2012 to March 2015. This study included 53 patients with OE (n = 33) and EAOC (n = 20), and we evaluated polarized functional status of macrophages by immunohistochemical staining of CD68, CD11c, CD163 and HO-1. The number of the M1 phenotype (CD11c+, p = 0.001) and the M2 phenotype (CD163+, p = 0.009) was significantly lower in EAOC patients than in OE patients. Analyzing the correlations between the studied markers, the expression of CD68, CD11c, and CD163 proteins significantly correlated with each other (p < 0.001). The number of M2 phenotypes expressing HO-1 was significantly decreased in the EAOC group, compared with the OE group (P < 0.001), demonstrating sustained downregulation of an antioxidant marker, HO-1, in EAOC. In conclusion, reduced number of M2 macrophages expressing HO-1 may have an important role in promoting malignant transformation of OE.博士（医学）・乙第1434号・令和元年9月27日Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH

Neurotropic influenza A virus infection causes prion protein misfolding into infectious prions in neuroblastoma cells

Misfolding of the cellular prion protein, PrPC, into the amyloidogenic isoform, PrPSc, which forms infectious protein aggregates, the so-called prions, is a key pathogenic event in prion diseases. No pathogens other than prions have been identified to induce misfolding of PrPC into PrPSc and propagate infectious prions in infected cells. Here, we found that infection with a neurotropic influenza A virus strain (IAV/WSN) caused misfolding of PrPC into PrPSc and generated infectious prions in mouse neuroblastoma cells through a hit-and-run mechanism. The structural and biochemical characteristics of IAV/WSN-induced PrPSc were different from those of RML and 22L laboratory prions-evoked PrPSc, and the pathogenicity of IAV/WSN-induced prions were also different from that of RML and 22L prions, suggesting IAV/WSN-specific formation of PrPSc and infectious prions. Our current results may open a new avenue for the role of viral infection in misfolding of PrPC into PrPSc and formation of infectious prions

Prediction of postoperative liver regeneration from clinical information using a data-led mathematical model

Although the capacity of the liver to recover its size after resection has enabled extensive liver resection, post-hepatectomy liver failure remains one of the most lethal complications of liver resection. Therefore, it is clinically important to discover reliable predictive factors after resection. In this study, we established a novel mathematical framework which described post-hepatectomy liver regeneration in each patient by incorporating quantitative clinical data. Using the model fitting to the liver volumes in series of computed tomography of 123 patients, we estimated liver regeneration rates. From the estimation, we found patients were divided into two groups: i) patients restored the liver to its original size (Group 1, n?=?99); and ii) patients experienced a significant reduction in size (Group 2, n?=?24). From discriminant analysis in 103 patients with full clinical variables, the prognosis of patients in terms of liver recovery was successfully predicted in 85–90% of patients. We further validated the accuracy of our model prediction using a validation cohort (prediction?=?84–87%, n?=?39). Our interdisciplinary approach provides qualitative and quantitative insights into the dynamics of liver regeneration. A key strength is to provide better prediction in patients who had been judged as acceptable for resection by current pragmatic criteria

Long-Term Follow-Up after Surgical Management for Atypical Endometriosis: A Series of Nine Cases

Background and Objective: Atypical endometriosis is reported to possess a precancerous potential attributed to premalignant changes characterized by cytological atypia and architecture proliferation. Although the coexistence of atypical endometriosis and neoplasms has been reported, cases of atypical endometriosis transformation to carcinoma are rarely reported. The purpose of this case series was to evaluate the prognosis of atypical endometriosis. Subjects and Methods: Data from nine women who underwent surgical treatment including cystectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy and diagnosed with atypical endometriosis was analyzed. Between January 2006 and January 2018, the clinical characteristics and prognosis of atypical endometriosis were evaluated. Results: During the follow-up period, eight of nine patients with atypical endometriosis did not develop malignant epithelial tumors, although one patient developed endometrioid carcinoma, grade 1, 48 months after her right laparoscopic cystectomy. The median overall survival period for all patients was 68 (range 13–131) months. Conclusion: When we encounter the cases of atypical endometriosis, it is necessary to consider the possibility of ovarian cancer and carefully follow those cases for long periods

IgG4-Related Perineural Disease

Aims. To elucidate characteristics of IgG4-related disease involving the peripheral nervous system. Methods. Retrospective review of 106 patients with IgG4-related disease identified 21 peripheral nerve lesions in 7 patients. Clinicopathological and radiological features were examined. Results. Peripheral nerve lesions were commonly identified in orbital or paravertebral area, involving orbital (n = 9), optic (n = 4), spinal (n = 7), and great auricular nerves (n = 1). The predominant radiological feature was a distinct perineural soft tissue mass, ranging 8 to 30 mm in diameter. Histologically, the epineurium was preferentially involved by massive lymphoplasmacytic infiltration rich in IgG4+ plasma cells. All lesions were neurologically asymptomatic and steroid-responsive at the first presentation, but one recurrent lesion around the optic nerve caused failing vision. Conclusion. IgG4-related disease of the peripheral nervous system is characterized by orbital or paravertebral localization, perineural mass formation, and rare neurologic symptoms. The term “IgG4-related perineural disease” seems appropriate to describe this entity

子宮筋層の内外層に発生する子宮腺筋症おける、それぞれの組織学的特徴

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the phenotypic characterization of fibrotic process in adenomyosis occurring at the inner or the outer myometrium. METHODS: Eight cases of adenomyosis occurring at the inner myometrium (Subtype I) and 10 cases of adenomyosis occurring at the outer myometrium (Subtype II), and 10 normal counterparts were used in this study. A immunohistochemical study for smooth muscle cells (SMCs) was performed using cytoskeletal proteins, Type I and III collagen, TGF-β and its signaling molecules. RESULTS: An increased expression of Type I collagen was observed in the extracellular matrix of adenomyotic foci. In normal uteri, immunostaining of SMC differentiation marker proteins (Desmin, Smoothelin, Myosin heavy chain (MHC)) were absent or only found in low numbers at the inner myometrium, while all of these marker proteins were clearly stained at the outer myometrium. In both types of adenomyotic foci, Desmin, Smoothelin, and MHC commonly showed a negative staining at the adjacent area to the glands. A significant staining of Non-muscle myosin IIB, TGF-β, and phosphorylated TGF-β type I receptors were found only at the SMCs of Subtype II adenomyosis. The Smad3/2 ratio of Subtype II adenomyosis was significantly higher than that of Subtype I. CONCLUSIONS: The inner myometrium of normal uteri was composed of undifferentiated phenotypes of SMCs, while the outer myometrium was composed of terminally differentiated SMCs. Various fibrotic processes have been suggested in the development of uterine adenomyosis. Distinct expression patterns of fibrosis related proteins have been shown to be implicated with differences in the subtypes of adenomyosis.博士（医学）・甲第681号・平成30年3月15日Copyright: © 2017 Kishi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited