Tumor-infiltrating effector cells of α-galactosylceramide-induced antitumor immunity in metastatic liver tumor

BACKGROUND: α-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) can be presented by CD1d molecules of antigen-presenting cells, and is known to induce a potent NKT cell-dependent cytotoxic response against tumor cells. However, the main effector cells in α-GalCer-induced antitumor immunity are still controversial. METHODS: In order to elucidate the cell phenotype that plays the most important role in α-GalCer-induced antitumor immunity, we purified and analyzed tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) from liver metastatic nodules of a colon cancer cell line (Colon26), comparing α-GalCer- and control vehicle-treated mice. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze cell phenotype in TILs and IFN-γ ELISA was performed to detect antigen-specific immune response. RESULTS: Flow cytometry analysis showed a significantly higher infiltration of NK cells (DX5+, T cell receptor αβ (TCR)-) into tumors in α-GalCer-treated mice compared to vehicle-treated mice. The DX5+TCR+ cell population was not significantly different between these two groups, indicating that these cells were not the main effector cells. Interestingly, the CD8+ T cell population was increased in TILs of α-GalCer-treated mice, and the activation level of these cells based on CD69 expression was higher than that in vehicle-treated mice. Moreover, the number of tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs) was increased in α-GalCer-treated mice. IFN-γ ELISA showed stronger antigen-specific response in TILs from α-GalCer-treated mice compared to those from vehicle-treated mice, although the difference between these two groups was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In α-GalCer-induced antitumor immunity, NK cells seem to be some of the main effector cells and both CD8+ T cells and DCs, which are related to acquired immunity, might also play important roles in this antitumor immune response. These results suggest that α-GalCer has a multifunctional role in modulation of the immune response

Discovery of the Inner Ring around PSR B1509-58

A Chandra study of pulsar wind nebula around the young energetic pulsar PSR B1509-58 is presented. The high resolution X-ray image with total exposure time of 190 ks reveals a ring like feature 10'' apart from the pulsar. This feature is analogous to the inner ring seen in the Crab nebula and thus may correspond to a wind termination shock. The shock radius enables us to constrain the wind magnetization, sigma>= 0.01. The obtained sigma is one order of magnitude larger than that of the Crab nebula. In the pulsar vicinity, the southern jet appears to extend beyond the wind termination shock, in contrast to the narrow jet of the Crab. The revealed morphology of the broad jet is coincident with the recently proposed theoretical model in which a magnetic hoop stress diverts and squeezes the post-shock equatorial flow towards the poloidal direction generating a jet.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, submitted to PAS

【資料】『南信新聞』掲載の日本新八景関係記事目録--1927（昭和 2）年 4 月～12 月

departmental bulletin pape

Winter longitudinal variation in the body size of larval fishes in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

This study revealed the spatial variation in abun-dance and body size of larval fishes in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, in January 2014 and 2015. Fish larvae were col-lected by a 1.3-m-diameter ring net towed at the surface and at 10-m depth at 21 stations. The most dominant spe-cies was the sandlance Ammodytes japonicus, constituting 82% of total larval fish caught. The body size of A. japoni-cus was greater [ca. 9 mm total length (TL) in 2014] in eastern areas than in western areas (ca. 5 mm TL in 2014). This trend was also observed in rockfishes (Sebastiscus marmoratus and Sebastes inermis species complex), sug-gesting a common phenomenon in this region. Because the water temperature was lower in eastern areas, it is likely that the longitudinal differences in larval body size are attributable to earlier spawning in eastern areas caused by different temperature conditions.This work was partly supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (S-13) granted by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.Electronic supplementary material: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12562-017-1076-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.アクセプト後にアブストラクト・キーワードの変更あり

A Clinical Trial of Kampo Formulae for the Treatment of Symptoms of Yusho, a Poisoning Caused by Dioxins and Related Organochlorine Compounds

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional herbal medicines (Kampo) on the symptoms of Yusho. Yusho is a mass food poisoning that was caused by ingestion of rice oil contaminated with dioxins and related organochlorines in 1968. Patients with Yusho suffer from skin symptoms (acneform eruptions, liability to suppuration and pigmentation), respiratory symptoms (cough and expectoration of sputum), neurological symptoms (numbness and paresthesia of extremities), arthralgia and general fatigue, and no effective treatment has yet been developed. In this clinical trial, four Kampo formulae (Bakumondo-to, Keigai-rengyo-to, Gosha-jinki-gan and Hochu-ekki-to) were administered to four representative Yusho symptoms (respiratory, skin, neurological symptoms and general fatigue), respectively. Twenty-seven Yusho patients were enrolled and two formulae were administered to each patient for half-a-year each. The effectiveness of Kampo formulae was estimated by changes in the intensity of symptoms measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS) of 100 mm recorded at baseline and after administration of each formula. The influence of Kampo formulae on patients' quality of life (QOL) was also assessed by the SF-36 (NBS). Twenty-five patients completed the treatment. Bakumondo-to significantly improved respiratory symptoms as well as patients' QOL in the context of vitality, compared with other formulae. In contrast, Hochu-ekki-to impaired patients' QOL in the context of physical functioning and vitality, compared with other formulae. This study demonstrated for the first time that a Kampo formula Bakumondo-to is useful for treating respiratory symptoms caused by dioxins

Estivation grounds of the sand lance Ammodytes japonicus (Ammoditidae) in the Mihara Strait, mid-western Seto Inland Sea, Japan

瀬戸内海西部水域は過去に大規模な海砂利採取が為され，潜砂習性を持ち砂中で夏眠するイカナゴ資源の減少が明白な状況にあることから，イカナゴの生息底質の環境悪化が懸念されている。そこで，イカナゴの主要生息地の1つであった安芸灘三原瀬戸において，2014年と2015年の夏期にドレッジ調査を実施し，イカナゴの生息状況と底質性状を分析した。夏眠イカナゴは竹原沖から大三島南部の三原瀬戸西部エリア（3地点）と三原湾細島周辺の三原瀬戸東部エリア（2地点）で確認された。これら5 地点はいずれもイカナゴが好むとされる粒径0.25mm–4.0mmの砂粒子をおよそ80％の重量割合で含む砂底質であった。一方，イカナゴの出現が確認できなかった地点 の砂粒子成分の含有率は有意に低かった。三原瀬戸におけるイカナゴの夏眠生息に適した砂底質の分布は地理的に限られた状態にあり，イカナゴ資源回復を制約する要因になっている可能性が示唆された。The sand lance Ammodytes japonicus in the Seto Inland Sea is known to estivate in fine sandy grounds when water temperatures reach above 19ºC, usually from late June to early December. Catches of the sand lance have decreased drastically since the mid-1980s, coinciding with large-scale quarrying for bottom sands, which strongly suggests that sand lance populations have been seriously impacted as a result of deterioration and disturbances to sandy-bottom habitats. Mihara Strait was once a major fishing ground for sand lance and has also suffered from quarrying. To evaluate the present condition of the sandy areas of Mihara Strait as potential estivation grounds of the sand lance, we sampled sediments at 11 survey points, using a square-shaped dredge towed by the training vessel Toyoshio-maru of Hiroshima University, in 2014 and 2015. We then analyzed the physical characteristics of the sediment samples. Sand lance individuals were observed in the sediments collected from five survey points: three on the western side and two on the eastern side of the strait. Sediments at these five survey points comprised sandy elements of 0.25–4.0 mm diameter, which constituted over 80% of the weight ratio of the sediment samples. Sediments from the other survey points included pebble elements and had significantly lower weight ratios of sandy elements, suggesting the unsuitability of the substrate at those points for burrowing by the sand lance. Thus, it is suggested that sandy grounds for estivation of the sand lance are geographically limited in Mihara Strait at present, a situation that may restrict population recovery of this species in these waters.本研究は，環境省環境研究総合推進費S-13「持続可能な沿岸海域実現を目指した沿岸海域管理手法の開発（2014-2018年度；代表 柳 哲雄）」の助成を受け，サブテーマ「閉鎖性海域・瀬戸内海における栄養塩濃度管理法の開発（テーマリーダー 西嶋 渉）」のプロジェクト事業の一環として実施したものである