Expression of Surface Markers on Mature Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells from Allergic Asthmatics

Dendritic cells (DCs) are one type of important inflammatory cells in the pathogenesis of asthma for early response to allergen exposure. Monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) are characterized by a high antigen uptake capacity and poor T-cell stimulatory activity, both features of immature DCs. By stimulation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) or antigen capture, these cells differentiate into mature DCs with the disappearance of antigen-capturing regions, and increase in stimulatory activity. We measured the expression of some molecules on MoDCs before and after stimulation with TNF-alpha or house dust mite (HDM) antigen, from 9 house dust mite (HDM)-allergic asthmatic patients and 8 normal control subjects by flow cytometry. Primary MoDCs from HDM-allergic asthmatics showed a greater expression of histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR and mannose receptor (MR), but not of CD80, CD86 or intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), than those from normal subjects (P < 0.05). After stimulation with TNF-alpha or HDM, DCs from asthmatic patients showed a greater expression of HLA-DR, CD86 and ICAM-1, than those from normal subjects. In HDM-allergic asthmatic patients, MR expression on DCs significantly declined after stimulation by HDM compared with stimulation by TNF-alpha (P < 0.05). Results suggest that the reduction of MR expression may be characteristic on mature DCs after HDM exposure in allergic asthma

<ORIGINAL ARTICLE>Localization of anti-monocyte/macrophage antibody-positive cells in periodontal tissue of rat maxillary molars after orthodontic tooth movement

To examine the localization of monoclonal anti-monocyte/macrophage (ED1) and macrophage (ED2) antibody-positive cells in periodontium, rat maxillary molar teeth were moved by insertion of band materials. The orthodontic tooth movement was elicited for 5 days, and paraffin-embedded maxillary teeth were stained by fluorescent immunocytochemistry and observed using a confocal laser scanning microscope. The localization of ED1-positive mononuclear cells in the experimental teeth was little different from that in the controls. While ED2-positive mononuclear cells were located throughout the periodontium on the distalside of controls, the number of positive cells decreased on the pressure side of the treated teeth. The present study suggested that most of the immunoreactive mononuclear cells on the distal side of controls are macrophages, while the positive cells on the pressure side of the experimental teeth are osteoclast precursors and a small number of macrophages

Interstitial Pneumonia Developed in HTLV-I Carriers: Report of Two Cases

Two carriers of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) with interstitial pneumonia are described. The first case, a 60-year-old man, was admitted with cough and dyspnea on exertion. Light microscopy of a lung specimen obtained by a transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB ) showed thickening of the alveolar walls with infiltration of lymphocytes and fibrosis of the pulmonary parenchyma. Immunohistochemical analysis of the TBLB specimen showed positive staining in the lymphocytes for UCHL-1. This case was suspected as HTLV-I associated bronchiolo-alveolar disorder. The second case, a 74-year-old man, visited our hospital because of a persistent productive cough and dyspnea on exertion. Light microscopy of the TBLB showed a slight thickening of the alveolar walls and fibrosis of the pulmonary parenchyma with minimal infiltration of lymphocytes. Only 2.2% of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid consisted of lymphocytes. The findings of the second case suggest that some factors other than T-lymphocytes may be related with the development of interstitial pneumonia in HTLV-I carriers. Interstitial pneumonia in HTLV-I carriers may be caused by as yet undiscovered mechanisms. A cohort study involving residents of an area where HTLV-I is endemic should be conducted to clarify the mechanism of pulmonary involvement in HTLV-I carriers

Evaluation and Clinical Validity of a New Questionnaire for Mikulicz's Disease

Objectives. The characteristic features of Mikulicz's disease (MD) are diffuse enlargement of the lacrimal and submandibular glands, elevated levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G4, and abundant infiltration of IgG4-positive plasmacytes into both glands. No disease index is available to properly evaluate MD, so we developed a functional assessment of MD, the Mikulicz's disease activity questionnaire (MAQ), and evaluated its clinical efficacy. Methods. We selected 18 patients who were either being treated for MD or who had presented with recurrence. The patients completed a self-assessment and were scored according to the MAQ sheet during each visit between December 2009 and August 2011. Assessment items were in regard to increases or decreases in lacrimal and salivary gland enlargement and severity of sicca symptoms. Results. On the first visits, MAQ scores were high, but scores decreased rapidly as treatment progressed. When doses of glucocorticoid were reduced, some patients showed increased scores. Dry-symptom scores increased initially. MAQ scores for patients with recurrent MD gradually increased over several months before relapse. However, some patients displayed no elevation in MAQ scores due to relapses at other sites. Conclusion. MAQ score can be used to quantify flares and treatment response and is useful for functional assessment of MD

Massive fermion production in nonsingular superstring cosmology

We study massive spin-1/2 fermion production in nonsingular superstring cosmology, taking into account one-loop quantum corrections to a superstring effective action with dilaton and modulus fields. While no creation occurs in the massless limit, massive fermions can be produced by the existence of a time-dependent frequency. Due to the increase of the Hubble expansion rate during the modulus-driven phase, the occupation of number of fermions continues to grow until the point of the graceful exit, after which fermion creation ceases with the decrease of the Hubble rate.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Cellular HIV-1 DNA levels in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy strongly correlate with therapy initiation timing but not with therapy duration

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Viral reservoir size refers to cellular human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) DNA levels in CD4⁺T lymphocytes of peripheral blood obtained from patients with plasma HIV-1-RNA levels (viral load, VL) maintained below the detection limit by antiretroviral therapy (ART). We measured HIV-1 DNA levels in CD4⁺lymphocytes in such patients to investigate their clinical significance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>CD4⁺T lymphocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood of 61 patients with a VL maintained at less than 50 copies/ml for at least 4 months by ART and total DNA was purified. HIV-1 DNA was quantified by nested PCR to calculate the copy number per 1 million CD4⁺lymphocytes (relative amount) and the copy number in 1 ml of blood (absolute amount). For statistical analysis, the Spearman rank or Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used, with a significance level of 5%.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CD4 cell counts at the time of sampling negatively correlated with the relative amount of HIV-1 DNA (median = 33 copies/million CD4⁺lymphocytes; interquartile range [IQR] = 7-123 copies/million CD4⁺lymphocytes), but were not correlated with the absolute amounts (median = 17 copies/ml; IQR = 5-67 copies/ml). Both absolute and relative amounts of HIV-1 DNA were significantly lower in six patients in whom ART was initiated before positive seroconversion than in 55 patients in whom ART was initiated in the chronic phase, as shown by Western blotting. CD4 cell counts before ART introduction were also negatively correlated with both the relative and absolute amounts of HIV-1 DNA. Only the relative amounts of HIV-1 DNA negatively correlated with the duration of VL maintenance below the detection limit, while the absolute amounts were not significantly correlated with this period.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The amounts of cellular HIV-1 DNA in patients with VLs maintained below the detection limit by the introduction of ART correlated with the timing of ART initiation but not with the duration of ART. In addition, CD4⁺T lymphocytes, which were newly generated by ART, diluted latently infected cells, indicating that measurements of the relative amounts of cellular HIV-1 DNA might be underestimated.</p

Structure and Function of Myosin Isoforms in Adult Chicken Hindlimb Muscles

Although large accumulation of sequence data is published for a variety of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms, the meaning of heterogeneity among the amino acid sequences remains unclear as to the key contractile and biochemical properties of muscle fibres. In the present study, we studied on MHC isoforms in three adult chicken hindlimb muscles: ilio-tibialis, gastrocnemius and femoritibialis) and pectoralis muscle, by means of in vitro motility assay and measurement of ATPase activity. The motility speed of myosins and ATPase activities of myofibrils extracted from the hindlimb muscles were significantly lower than those from the pectoralis muscle consisting of a homogeneous MHC (P-type). ATPase activity of femori-tibialis myofibril was remarkably lower than those of ilio-tibialis and gastrocnemius myofibrils. We found the differential expression of MHC isoforms in these muscles by northern blot analysis. Furthermore, we determined the amino acid sequences of the 23kDa, 50kDa and 20kDa fragments from a major MHC isoform (G-type) found in the three hindlimb muscles. There was approximately 4.3% amino acid difference between G-type and P-type, however the characteristically methylated amino acids were recognized in the G-type at the same residues as in the P-type. In the course of sequencing the 20kDa fragment from femori-tibialis muscle myosin, we found another MHC isoform (F-type). Contentratios of P-type, G-type and F-type were about 3 : 7 : 0 in ilio-tibialis, 2 : 7 : 0 in gastrocnemius, and 1 : 6 : 3 in femori-tibialis, respectively. All these data suggest that the motility speed of myosin and ATPase activity of myofibril correlate with the content-ratio of the MHC isoforms in each muscle

Black hole solutions in Euler-Heisenberg theory

We construct static and spherically symmetric black hole solutions in the Einstein-Euler-Heisenberg (EEH) system which is considered as an effective action of a superstring theory. We considered electrically charged, magnetically charged and dyon solutions. We can solve analytically for the magnetically charged case. We find that they have some remarkable properties about causality and black hole thermodynamics depending on the coupling constant of the EH theory $a$ and $b$, though they have central singularity as in the Schwarzschild black hole.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figures, figures corrected and some comments adde

Clinical Study Evaluation and Clinical Validity of a New Questionnaire for Mikulicz&apos;s Disease

Objectives. The characteristic features of Mikulicz&apos;s disease (MD) are diffuse enlargement of the lacrimal and submandibular glands, elevated levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G4, and abundant infiltration of IgG4-positive plasmacytes into both glands. No disease index is available to properly evaluate MD, so we developed a functional assessment of MD, the Mikulicz&apos;s disease activity questionnaire (MAQ), and evaluated its clinical efficacy. Methods. We selected 18 patients who were either being treated for MD or who had presented with recurrence. The patients completed a self-assessment and were scored according to the MAQ sheet during each visit between December 2009 and August 2011. Assessment items were in regard to increases or decreases in lacrimal and salivary gland enlargement and severity of sicca symptoms. Results. On the first visits, MAQ scores were high, but scores decreased rapidly as treatment progressed. When doses of glucocorticoid were reduced, some patients showed increased scores. Dry-symptom scores increased initially. MAQ scores for patients with recurrent MD gradually increased over several months before relapse. However, some patients displayed no elevation in MAQ scores due to relapses at other sites. Conclusion. MAQ score can be used to quantify flares and treatment response and is useful for functional assessment of MD