Right adrenal vein identification using unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Purpose: Unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is known to be useful in characterizing adrenal adenomas through the implementation of in-phase (IPI) and opposed-phase imaging (OPI) based on chemical shift artifacts. However, whether unenhanced MRI can contribute to the identification of right adrenal vein (RAV) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of unenhanced MRI for the identification of RAV. Material and methods: This retrospective study reviewed 30 patients (16 men; median age 60 years; range 34-76 years) who underwent MRI and subsequent adrenal venous sampling (AVS). Chemical shift MRI was acquired using echo times of 2.3 ms (OPI) and 4.6 ms (IPI) with a slice thickness of 3 mm and a gap of 1 mm. T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) was also performed. Identification of RAVs was performed by 2 independent radiologists. Inter-observer agreement on a 3-point rating scale was evaluated using κ statistics. The identification rate of RAVs was compared between OPI, IPI, and T2WI using McNemar’s test. Results: Good inter-observer agreement was found for the OPI (κ = 0.744), whereas fair agreement was obtained for both other sequences (IPI: κ = 0.375; T2WI: 0.348). For both raters, the identification rate of RAVs was higher with OPI (36/60; 60.0%) than with other sequences (IPI: 16/60, 26.7%; T2WI: 9/60, 15.0%; p < 0.05, each). Conclusions: OPI may play a screening role in the identification of RAVs preceding AVS, which could reduce the required radiation exposure and doses of contrast agent

Optical Properties of (162173) 1999 JU3: In Preparation for the JAXA Hayabusa 2 Sample Return Mission

We investigated the magnitude-phase relation of (162173) 1999 JU3, a target asteroid for the JAXA Hayabusa 2 sample return mission. We initially employed the international Astronomical Union's H-G formalism but found that it fits less well using a single set of parameters. To improve the inadequate fit, we employed two photometric functions, the Shevchenko and Hapke functions. With the Shevchenko function, we found that the magnitude-phase relation exhibits linear behavior in a wide phase angle range (alpha = 5-75 deg) and shows weak nonlinear opposition brightening at alpha< 5 deg, providing a more reliable absolute magnitude of Hv = 19.25 +- 0.03. The phase slope (0.039 +- 0.001 mag/deg) and opposition effect amplitude (parameterized by the ratio of intensity at alpha=0.3 deg to that at alpha=5 deg, I(0.3)/I(5)=1.31+-0.05) are consistent with those of typical C-type asteroids. We also attempted to determine the parameters for the Hapke model, which are applicable for constructing the surface reflectance map with the Hayabusa 2 onboard cameras. Although we could not constrain the full set of Hapke parameters, we obtained possible values, w=0.041, g=-0.38, B0=1.43, and h=0.050, assuming a surface roughness parameter theta=20 deg. By combining our photometric study with a thermal model of the asteroid (Mueller et al. in preparation), we obtained a geometric albedo of pv = 0.047 +- 0.003, phase integral q = 0.32 +- 0.03, and Bond albedo AB = 0.014 +- 0.002, which are commensurate with the values for common C-type asteroids.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figure, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Association of antithrombin with development of trauma-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation and outcomes

IntroductionTrauma activates the innate immune system to modulate hemostasis and minimize the damage caused by physiological bodily responses, including the activation of coagulation. Sufficiently severe trauma overwhelms physiological responses and elicits the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which leads to the onset of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), characterized by dysregulated inflammatory coagulofibrinolytic responses. Impaired anticoagulant mechanisms, including antithrombin, constitutes the pathology of DIC, while the dynamics of antithrombin and relevance to outcomes in trauma-induced coagulopathy have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the associations of antithrombin activity with DIC onset and outcomes in severely injured patients.MethodsThis retrospective sub-analysis of a multicenter, prospective study included patients with an injury severity score ≥16. We characterized trauma patients with low antithrombin activity (antithrombin &lt;80% on hospital arrival, n = 75) in comparison with those who had normal antithrombin activity (antithrombin ≥80%, n = 200). Global markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis, molecular biomarkers for thrombin generation (soluble fibrin [SF]), and markers of anticoagulation (antithrombin) were evaluated to confirm the associations of antithrombin with DIC development and outcomes, including in-hospital mortality and the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).ResultsPatients with low antithrombin activity had higher prevalence of shock, transfusion requirements, and in-hospital mortality. Higher DIC scores and more severe organ dysfunction were observed in the low AT group compared to that in the normal AT group. Antithrombin activity on arrival at the hospital was an independent predictor of the development of DIC in trauma patients, and levels of SF increased with lower antithrombin values (antithrombin activity &gt; 85%). Antithrombin activity at 3 h showed good predictive performance for in-hospital mortality, and a multivariable Cox proportional-hazard regression model with a cross-product term between the antithrombin and DIC showed that the in-hospital mortality in patients with DIC increased with decreased antithrombin activity. A multivariable logistic regression model showed that the odds for the development of MODS in patients with DIC increased with lower antithrombin values.ConclusionDecreased antithrombin activity in trauma-induced coagulopathy is associated with poor outcomes through worsening of DIC

Activation of Sympathetic Signaling in Macrophages Blocks Systemic Inflammation and Protects against Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Background: The sympathetic nervous system regulates immune cell dynamics. However, the detailed role of sympathetic signaling in inflammatory diseases is still unclear because it varies according to the disease situation and responsible cell types. This study focused on identifying the functions of sympathetic signaling in macrophages in LPS-induced sepsis and renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI).Methods: We performed RNA sequencing of mouse macrophage cell lines to identify the critical gene that mediates the anti-inflammatory effect of β2-adrenergic receptor (Adrb2) signaling. We also examined the effects of salbutamol (a selective Adrb2 agonist) in LPS-induced systemic inflammation and renal IRI. Macrophage-specific Adrb2 conditional knockout (cKO) mice and the adoptive transfer of salbutamol-treated macrophages were used to assess the involvement of macrophage Adrb2 signaling.Results: In vitro, activation of Adrb2 signaling in macrophages induced the expression of T cell Ig and mucin domain 3 (Tim3), which contributes to anti-inflammatory phenotypic alterations. In vivo, salbutamol administration blocked LPS-induced systemic inflammation and protected against renal IRI; this protection was mitigated in macrophage-specific Adrb2 cKO mice. The adoptive transfer of salbutamol-treated macrophages also protected against renal IRI. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that this protection was associated with the accumulation of Tim3-expressing macrophages in the renal tissue.Conclusions: The activation of Adrb2 signaling in macrophages induces anti-inflammatory phenotypic alterations partially via the induction of Tim3 expression, which blocks LPS-induced systemic inflammation and protects against renal IRI

JASMINE: Near-infrared astrometry and time-series photometry science

The Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration (JASMINE) is a planned M-class science space mission by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. JASMINE has two main science goals. One is Galactic archaeology with a Galactic Center survey, which aims to reveal the Milky Way’s central core structure and formation history from Gaia-level (∼25 ${\mu}$as) astrometry in the near-infrared (NIR) Hw band (1.0–1.6 ${\mu}$m). The other is an exoplanet survey, which aims to discover transiting Earth-like exoplanets in the habitable zone from NIR time-series photometry of M dwarfs when the Galactic Center is not accessible. We introduce the mission, review many science objectives, and present the instrument concept. JASMINE will be the first dedicated NIR astrometry space mission and provide precise astrometric information on the stars in the Galactic Center, taking advantage of the significantly lower extinction in the NIR. The precise astrometry is obtained by taking many short-exposure images. Hence, the JASMINE Galactic Center survey data will be valuable for studies of exoplanet transits, asteroseismology, variable stars, and microlensing studies, including discovery of (intermediate-mass) black holes. We highlight a swath of such potential science, and also describe synergies with other missions

Common anion rule in oxide heterointerfaces: Experimental verification by in situ photoemission spectroscopy

The band alignment at the interface is one of the fundamental parameters for designing electronic devices and artificial functional materials. However, there is no firmly established guideline for oxide heterostructures, limiting the functional design of oxide heterostructures. Here, we provide spectral evidence that the band diagram of oxide heterointerfaces is well described by the Zhong and Hansmann scheme based on the common anion rule [Z. Zhong and P. Hansmann, Phys. Rev. X 7, 011023 (2017)]. By utilizing the elemental selectivity of Ti 2p–3d resonant photoemission for the Ti 3d state near the Fermi level, we directly visualize the presence or absence of charge transfer from the overlayer films to SrTiO3 in prototypical heterointerfaces of SrVO3/SrTiO3 and SrNbO3/SrTiO3. It is found that the charge transfer occurs in SrNbO3/SrTiO3 but not in SrVO3/SrTiO3, as predicted by the Zhong and Hansmann scheme, indicating that the presence or absence, as well as the sign and amount, of interfacial charge transfer is predicted by this scheme. Our findings provide guidelines for designing and controlling the functionalities in oxide nanostructures

Association of antithrombin with development of trauma-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation and outcomes

IntroductionTrauma activates the innate immune system to modulate hemostasis and minimize the damage caused by physiological bodily responses, including the activation of coagulation. Sufficiently severe trauma overwhelms physiological responses and elicits the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which leads to the onset of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), characterized by dysregulated inflammatory coagulofibrinolytic responses. Impaired anticoagulant mechanisms, including antithrombin, constitutes the pathology of DIC, while the dynamics of antithrombin and relevance to outcomes in trauma-induced coagulopathy have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the associations of antithrombin activity with DIC onset and outcomes in severely injured patients. MethodsThis retrospective sub-analysis of a multicenter, prospective study included patients with an injury severity score >= 16. We characterized trauma patients with low antithrombin activity (antithrombin = 80%, n = 200). Global markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis, molecular biomarkers for thrombin generation (soluble fibrin [SF]), and markers of anticoagulation (antithrombin) were evaluated to confirm the associations of antithrombin with DIC development and outcomes, including in-hospital mortality and the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). ResultsPatients with low antithrombin activity had higher prevalence of shock, transfusion requirements, and in-hospital mortality. Higher DIC scores and more severe organ dysfunction were observed in the low AT group compared to that in the normal AT group. Antithrombin activity on arrival at the hospital was an independent predictor of the development of DIC in trauma patients, and levels of SF increased with lower antithrombin values (antithrombin activity > 85%). Antithrombin activity at 3 h showed good predictive performance for in-hospital mortality, and a multivariable Cox proportional-hazard regression model with a cross-product term between the antithrombin and DIC showed that the in-hospital mortality in patients with DIC increased with decreased antithrombin activity. A multivariable logistic regression model showed that the odds for the development of MODS in patients with DIC increased with lower antithrombin values. ConclusionDecreased antithrombin activity in trauma-induced coagulopathy is associated with poor outcomes through worsening of DIC

Sepsis-related coagulopathy treatment based on the disseminated intravascular coagulation diagnostic criteria : a post-hoc analysis of a prospective multicenter observational study

BackgroundThe development of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in patients with sepsis has been repeatedly confirmed as a factor associated with poor prognosis. Anticoagulant therapy has been expected to improve sepsis patient outcomes, whereas no randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the survival benefit of anticoagulant therapies in non-specific overall sepsis. Patient selection based on the component of high disease severity in addition to sepsis with DIC has recently proved important in identifying appropriate targets for anticoagulant therapy. The aims of this study were to characterize severe sepsis DIC patients and to identify the patient population benefiting from anticoagulant therapy.MethodsThis retrospective sub-analysis of a prospective multicenter study included 1,178 adult patients with severe sepsis from 59 intensive care units in Japan from January 2016 to March 2017. We examined the association of patient outcomes, including organ dysfunction and in-hospital mortality, with the DIC score and prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR), one of the components of the DIC score, using multivariable regression models including the cross-product term between these indicators. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis with non-linear restricted cubic spline including a three-way interaction term (anticoagulant therapy x the DIC score x PT-INR) was also performed. Anticoagulant therapy was defined as the administration of antithrombin, recombinant human thrombomodulin, or their combination.ResultsIn total, we analyzed 1013 patients. The regression model showed that organ dysfunction and in-hospital mortality deteriorated with higher PT-INR values in the range of = 5 and PT-INR >= 1.5 as the clinical threshold for identification of optimal targets for anticoagulant therapy.ConclusionsThe combined use of the DIC score and PT-INR helps in selecting the optimal patient population for anticoagulant therapy in sepsis-induced DIC. The results obtained from this study will provide valuable information regarding the study design of randomized controlled trials examining the effects of anticoagulant therapy for sepsis.Trial registration: UMIN-CTR, UMIN000019742. Registered on November 16, 2015

DataSheet_1_Association of antithrombin with development of trauma-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation and outcomes.docx

IntroductionTrauma activates the innate immune system to modulate hemostasis and minimize the damage caused by physiological bodily responses, including the activation of coagulation. Sufficiently severe trauma overwhelms physiological responses and elicits the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which leads to the onset of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), characterized by dysregulated inflammatory coagulofibrinolytic responses. Impaired anticoagulant mechanisms, including antithrombin, constitutes the pathology of DIC, while the dynamics of antithrombin and relevance to outcomes in trauma-induced coagulopathy have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the associations of antithrombin activity with DIC onset and outcomes in severely injured patients.MethodsThis retrospective sub-analysis of a multicenter, prospective study included patients with an injury severity score ≥16. We characterized trauma patients with low antithrombin activity (antithrombin ResultsPatients with low antithrombin activity had higher prevalence of shock, transfusion requirements, and in-hospital mortality. Higher DIC scores and more severe organ dysfunction were observed in the low AT group compared to that in the normal AT group. Antithrombin activity on arrival at the hospital was an independent predictor of the development of DIC in trauma patients, and levels of SF increased with lower antithrombin values (antithrombin activity > 85%). Antithrombin activity at 3 h showed good predictive performance for in-hospital mortality, and a multivariable Cox proportional-hazard regression model with a cross-product term between the antithrombin and DIC showed that the in-hospital mortality in patients with DIC increased with decreased antithrombin activity. A multivariable logistic regression model showed that the odds for the development of MODS in patients with DIC increased with lower antithrombin values.ConclusionDecreased antithrombin activity in trauma-induced coagulopathy is associated with poor outcomes through worsening of DIC.</p

Preliminary Research on the Excretion of Urinary 8-Hydroxyguanosine（8-OHdG）as a Marker of Protozoan Parasites Infection in Captive Western

Urinary 8-liydroxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a common biomarker of oxidative stress, was measured in 9 captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) by EL1SA kit. T1ie data showed that urinary 8-OHdG ranged from 4.3 to 193.1 ng/mg creatinine. An individual range of median value was 6.8-52.4ng/mg creatinine. No statistically significant effect was found for infection of protozoan parasites (Balanitidium coil and Isospora sp.) without any symptoms (> 0.05). 生体内の酸化ストレスを評価する一般的な生体指標である尿中 8-hydroxyguanosine (以下・8-OHdG)量を国内飼育下の9頭のニシローランドゴリラにおいて定量した。検査対象個体に原虫感染が認められたが,臨床症状は観察されなかった。全個体の8-OHdG値 (ng/mg creannine)の範囲は4.3～193.1,各個体の中央値の幅は6.8～52.4であった。原虫陽性と陰性個体との8-OHdG値の比較を行い,有意差は認められなかった(>0.05)