Unraveling the Role of Allo-Antibodies and Transplant Injury.

Alloimmunity driving rejection in the context of solid organ transplantation can be grossly divided into mechanisms predominantly driven by either T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) and antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR), though the co-existence of both types of rejections can be seen in a variable number of sampled grafts. Acute TCMR can generally be well controlled by the establishment of effective immunosuppression (1, 2). Acute ABMR is a low frequency finding in the current era of blood group and HLA donor/recipient matching and the avoidance of engraftment in the context of high-titer, preformed donor-specific antibodies. However, chronic ABMR remains a major complication resulting in the untimely loss of transplanted organs (3-10). The close relationship between donor-specific antibodies and ABMR has been revealed by the highly sensitive detection of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (7, 11-15). Injury to transplanted organs by activation of humoral immune reaction in the context of HLA identical transplants and the absence of donor specific antibodies (17-24), strongly suggest the participation of non-HLA (nHLA) antibodies in ABMR (25). In this review, we discuss the genesis of ABMR in the context of HLA and nHLA antibodies and summarize strategies for ABMR management

A proliferation-inducing ligand sustains the proliferation of human naïve (CD27−) B cells and mediates their differentiation into long-lived plasma cells in vitro via transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor and B-cell mature antigen

AbstractLong-lived plasma cells (PCs) contribute to humoral immunity through an undefined mechanism. Memory B cells, but not human naïve B cells, can be induced to differentiate into long-lived PCs in vitro. Because evidence links a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), a tumor necrosis factor family member, to the ability of bone marrow to mediate long-term PC survival, we reasoned that APRIL influences the proliferation and differentiation of naïve B cells. We describe here the development of a simple cell culture system that allowed us to show that APRIL sustained the proliferation of naïve human B cells and induced them to differentiate into long-lived PCs. Blocking the transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor or B-cell mature antigen shows they were required for the differentiation of naïve B cells into long-lived PCs in vitro. Our in vitro culture system will reveal new insights into the biology of long-lived PCs

Book Reviews

Emi Hamana, Shakespeare Performances in Japan: Intercultural-Multi-cultural-Translingual. Yokohama: Shumpusha, 2019. Pp. 188.Li Jun, Popular Shakespeare in China: 1993-2008. Beijing: University of International Business and Economics Press, 2016. Pp. 199.Soji Iwasaki’s Japanese Translation of Shakespeare, The Sonnets and A Lover’s Complaint. Revised edition. Tokyo: Kokubunsha, 2019. Pp. 242.

Notices about using elementary statistics in psychology

Improper uses of elementary statistics that were often observed in beginners' manuscripts and papers were collected and better ways were suggested. This paper consists of three parts: About descriptive statistics, multivariate analyses, and statistical tests

A Practical Report of an Intensive Japanese Language Program using Dekiru Nihongo

近年，課題解決型・学習者の自律性重視の初級日本語教材が出版され，日本語教育機関で使われているが，大学でそれらの教材を使用した場合の実践報告はあまり見られない。本報告では『できる日本語』初級，初中級（嶋田和子監修，アルク，2011)を大学の集中日本語教育で使用した場合の授業実践結果，教育効果，課題について報告し，大学で使用する際にはコンテンツのアカデミック化が必要であることを，課題の改善方法として提示する。In recent years, task-based Japanese teaching materials, such as Dekiru Nihongo (hereafter referred to as DK) , have been published and widely used at Japanese language schools. However, not many universities have adopted task-based textbooks; hence, there are few reports on how such textbooks are used at a university level. This study provides a practical report on intensive Japanese language classes which used DK as a textbook. The authors explain how the elementary and pre-intermediate courses were structured, how effectively students acquired "listening and speaking" skills, and what challenges arose and how these challenges were dealt with. In order to use the above textbooks at a university, contents must be modified to fit academic lives of university students