Ultrastructural Localization of Endogenous Peroxidase Activity in Hashunoto's Thyroiditis

Ultrastructural localization and intensity of endogenous thyroid peroxidase (TPO) in Hashimoto's thyroiditis were examined in relation to the serum thyroid hormone level, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration and anti-thyroid autoantibody titer. In Hashimoto's thyroiditis, TPO activity on the microvilli of follicular cells was more intense than that of normal thyroid tissue, but the intensity of the intracytoplasmic peroxidase reaction was generally weaker than that of Graves' or normal thyroid tissue. Microvillar TPO reaction products were positive in all thyroid follicular cells in patients with increased TSH levels, but no TPO activity was observed on the microvilli of patients with normal or low TSH levels, irrespective of their histological type or serum anti-microsomal antibody titer. It is suggested that TPO activity on the surface of microvilli of thyroid follicular cells in Hashimoto's thyroid gland is modulated by thyrotropin but is not affected by anti-thyroid autoantibodies

Primary Duodenal Follicular Lymphoma Treated With Rituximab Monotherapy and Followed-up for 15 Years

A 41-year-old woman was diagnosed with duodenal follicular lymphoma. She had no other lesions and was assigned to a "watch and wait" policy. Swelling of the inguinal lymph nodes appeared 45 months later, and rituximab monotherapy resulted in complete remission. However, follicular lymphoma recurred in the stomach, rectum and mesenteric and external iliac lymph nodes 81 months after the therapy. The patient received rituximab monotherapy again and has remained in complete remission in the fifteenth year after the initial diagnosis. This case suggests the usefulness of rituximab monotherapy in the long-term management of intestinal follicular lymphoma

Characterization of a Murine Anti-laminin-1 Monoclonal Antibody (AK8) Produced by Immunization with Mouse-derived Laminin-1

Laminin-1 is a structural glycoprotein that forms an integral part of the scaffolding of basement membranes, and plays an important role during embryonic development. We have recently demonstrated a significant association between anti-laminin-1 antibodies (Abs) and reproductive failure, such as recurrent spontaneous abortions and infertility-associated endometriosis in both human and mouse studies. In the present study, we established an IgM (μ,κ) monoclonal anti-laminin-1 Ab (AK8) by immunizing mice with mouse Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm sarcoma (EHS)-derived laminin-α1. The AK8 monoclonal antibody (mAb) reacted with particular peptide sequences from the globular G domain of mouse laminin-α1 chain of using ELISA and Western blot techniques. The peptide tertiary structure of the epitope recognized by AK8 mAb was predicted using eight synthesized domain peptide sequences and three consensus sequences obtained by phage displayed random peptide library. Basement membranes of endometrium of pregnant mice and humans were immunostained with AK8 mAb. Thus, AK8 mAb recognized a common structure present in the G domain of the laminin-1 chain in both mice and humans. The passive immunization of mice with AK8 mAb may represent a suitable animal model for anti-laminin-1 Ab-mediated reproductive failure

長崎国際大学生における食生活の現状と骨密度の関係

日本人はカルシウムの摂取量が慢性的に不足していることから、骨粗鬆症、骨軟化症、さらにくる病などの骨関連疾患が大きな問題となっている。一方で、その予防には食生活が重要性な要因であると認識されている。そこで今回、大学生の生活状況を調査するため、骨形成に関与する栄養素に注目し、長崎国際大学健康管理学部健康栄養学科で実施されている「健康栄養調査プロジェクト」の結果を解析した。男子学生のカルシウム（Ca）摂取量は、目標量（６５０mg/日）をほぼ満たす量（６４７±７９mg/日）であったが、女子学生の Ca 摂取量（４８０±１１mg/日）は目標量（６００mg/日）の８０％と不足していた。食品群別にみると、女子学生においてミネラル分が豊富な海藻類、小魚の摂取頻度が少なく、このことが女子学生でみられた Ca 摂取不足の主たる原因と考えられた。また、牛乳の摂取頻度が週７回以上の群は、７回未満の群に比べ骨密度の高い傾向がみられ、このことから若年期においても牛乳の摂取頻度が骨密度に影響している可能性が示唆された。Japanese people is chronically low level of calcium ingestion, therefore it is increased disorders related bone, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets and other. On the other hand their prevention is closely related to dietary habit. In this study, to see about dietary habit on young people, we analyzed the result of "The Health and Nutritional Survey Project" conducted in Department of Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health Management, Nagasaki International University about nutrient factor relative to bone formation. The calcium ingestion on male students (647±79mg/day) was close on tentative dietary goal for preventing life-style related diseases (DG) (650mg/day) by dietary reference intakes for Japanese [2005]. But calcium ingestion on female students (480±11mg/day) was lower, about 80% compared with DG (600mg). From the results of food group frequency, this low level of calcium ingestion on female students is likely to be caused by that frequency of sea vegetable and fingerling was few. And bone density evaluation was significantly high in group over 7 times/week compared with group below 7 times/week about frequency of milk. This result suggests that frequency of milk has an affect on bone density in early life

学生の健康及び食生活意識と血液検査値の関係に対する一考察 - 健康栄養調査ﾌﾟﾛｼﾞｪｸﾄ報告 第２報 -

長崎国際大学健康管理学部健康栄養学科に所属する学生を対象に平成１７年度に実施した「健康栄養プロジェクト」の結果のうち、学生（男子４３名、女子２８５名）の食生活意識、身体状況および血液生化学検査（総コレステロール、トリアシルグリセロール、ヘモグロビン A１c、血清鉄）の関係について検討を加えた。その結果、欠食頻度が高い者ほど疲労愁訴を有する割合が高くなる傾向があった。また、欠食回数及び食生活意識と血液生化学検査値との関係に男女差が見られた。男子学生では欠食がある場合は検査値が低くなる傾向がみられたが、女子学生では欠食が無いにもかかわらず低値を示す者が多かった。このことから、今後食生活指導を行う際には、食事内容を具体的に把握し、適正な食事量を認識させる重要性が示唆された。This study, "The Health and Nutrition Survey Project" for the undergraduates (43 males and 285 females) who belong to the department of health and nutrition in Nagasaki International University, was examined to grasp their life style, physical condition, eating-habits consciousness and blood biochemical levels. We focused on their physical condition, eating-habits, especially skipping-a-meal and some blood biochemical levels (total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, hemoglobin A1c and serum iron). First of all, the complaint of physical fatigue is more on much skipping-a-meal undergraduates. Moreover, the relation the times of skipping a meal and some blood biochemical levels was different between male and female. In male undergraduates, triacylglycerol and hemoglobin A1c levels were lower on skipping a meal. In female undergraduates, although no skipping a meal, much low total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, hemoglobin A1c and serum iron levels had shown on. It was suggested we have to instruct the proper amount of meals in them, grasping not only the habit of skipping-a-meal, but also concretely their meal contents

Indian Monsoonal Variations During the Past 80 Kyr Recorded in NGHP-02 Hole 19B, Western Bay of Bengal: Implications From Chemical and Mineral Properties

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系Detailed reconstruction of Indian summer monsoons is necessary to better understand the late Quaternary climate history of the Bay of Bengal and Indian peninsula. We established a chronostratigraphy for a sediment core from Hole 19B in the western Bay of Bengal, extending to approximately 80 kyr BP and examined major and trace element compositions and clay mineral components of the sediments. Higher δ 18 O values, lower TiO 2 contents, and weaker weathering in the sediment source area during marine isotope stages (MIS) 2 and 4 compared to MIS 1, 3, and 5 are explained by increased Indian summer monsoonal precipitation and river discharge around the western Bay of Bengal. Clay mineral and chemical components indicate a felsic sediment source, suggesting the Precambrian gneissic complex of the eastern Indian peninsula as the dominant sediment source at this site since 80 kyr. Trace element ratios (Cr/Th, Th/Sc, Th/Co, La/Cr, and Eu/Eu*) indicate increased sediment contributions from mafic rocks during MIS 2 and 4. We interpret these results as reflecting the changing influences of the eastern and western branches of the Indian summer monsoon and a greater decrease in rainfall in the eastern and northeastern parts of the Indian peninsula than in the western part during MIS 2 and 4. © 2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection