Th Subset Balance in Lupus Nephritis

Lupus nephritis, which has various histological patterns and variable clinical outcomes, is one of the most important complications of systemic lupus nephritis (SLE). This pathogenetic mechanism in each histologically different type of lupus nephritis (LN) remains unclear. Although SLE is suggested to be a Th2-driven disease, elevation of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines occurs in both humans and mice, suggesting that SLE is a complex disease driven by different lymphocyte subsets with high heterogeneity of clinical manifestations and organ involvement. Recent findings in LN elucidate an essential role for the Th1, IL-17 producing T cells and Th17 cells in the development of diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis (DPLN), and Th2 cytokine in that of membranous lupus nephritis (MLN). These data support the hypothesis that individual Th1/Th2 balance is one of the critical determinants for histopathology of LN

Middle Power Measurement in Semi-tethered Swimming using Ergometer Attachment

The purposes of this study weie to measure middle power, energy which had been supplied mainly from the lactic acid system, during swimming using an ergometer attachment and to evaluate swimming performance by this middle power To perform these purposes, a middle power measurement test in semi-tethered swimming (STS33) using an ergometer attachment was developed In STS33, the load of the ergometer attachment was set to 7.0kg and the power measurement interval was set at 5.0 seconds The subject was instructed to swim at full strength for 33.0 seconds Power measurements using the ergometer attachment were taken 3 times during the 33.0 seconds at the end of 10s, 20s and 30s respectively The first measurement (1st measured phase) was taken between 5 and 10 seconds from the start of the swim The second measurement (2nd measured phase) was taken between 15 and 20 seconds of the swim, and the third measuiement (3rd measured phase) was taken between 25 and 30 seconds from the start of the swim by the present investigators As in preliminary experiments, the exercise intensity of the STS33 was measured as the average blood lactate concentration produced by the work rate After each STS33, a blood sample was taken by a licensed nurse under supervision of a medical doctor Subjects were 5 junior elite swimmers designated to tram by the N prefecture Swim Association The group mean post exercise blood lactate concentration was 10 5mM/l These concentration of blood lactate was greater than the OBLA measurement of 4mM for lactate accumulation developing in the middle phase of a swim trial This result led to the conclusion that the STS33 test could be used to evaluate the middle power In a main experiment, 21 male elite junior swimmers were measured Middle power in swimming in each subject was measured by the above-mentioned STS33 and the relationship between the group mean middle power and group mean total swim time was analyzed The relationship between the average power (P watt) of the 3 measured phases in STS33 and swimming velocity (V m/sec) in 50m event was P =-134.53 + 87.02 V (r = 0.880, p≦0.001) The relationship between the average power (P) of the 3 phases in STS33 and swimming velocity (V) in 100m event was given by P = - 191.95 + 128.92 V ( r=0 940, p≦O.001) From these results, the middle power in STS33 is appropriate for evaluating swimming performances in 50m and 100m event

A case of IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis concurrent with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis

We describe a 72-year-old man, who had been suffered from Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) several times, presented with hematoproteinuria with granular cast, and general lymphadenopathy. The immunological examination of the serum showed polyclonal hypergammagloburinemia with high value of IgG4. The renal biopsy revealed interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration, including infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells, and segmental glomerulonephritis. Direct immunofluorescence microscopy revealed apparent positive staining with anti-human IgA, and anti-human IgG in glomeruli, anti-human IgG4 antibody staining showed many positive plasma cells in the interstitium. The patient was diagnosed with HSP nephritis that was complicated by IgG4-related nephropathy. As a result of the treatment with 30mg prednisolone, the swelling of the LNs decreased, but the patient continued to have persistent hematoproteinuria

Capsaicin May Improve Swallowing Impairment in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Patients with neurodegenerative diseases are at an increased risk of dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia. In this study, we examined whether ingestion of capsaicin prior to swallowing changes the temporal dynamics of swallowing in such patients. In a crossover, randomized controlled trial, 29 patients with neurodegenerative diseases were given a soluble wafer containing 1.5 μg capsaicin or an identical placebo 20 min prior to testing. For evaluation with video fluoroscopy (VF), patients consumed a barium-containing liquid plus thickening material. The durations of the latency, elevating and recovery periods of the hyoid were assessed from VF. Overall, no significant differences were observed in the duration of each period between capsaicin and placebo treatments. However, reductions in the latency and elevating periods were positively correlated with baseline durations. In subgroup analyses, that correlation was observed in patents with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but not in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The consumption of wafer paper containing capsaicin before the intake of food may be effective in patients with dysphagia related with certain neurodegenerative diseases, particularly ALS patients. Further studies will be needed to validate this finding

Genetic Deletion of Vasohibin-2 Exacerbates Ischemia-Reperfusion-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for transition to chronic kidney disease. Recent evidence suggests that endothelial damage in peritubular capillaries can accelerate the progression of renal injury. Vasohibin-2 (VASH2) is a novel proangiogenic factor that promotes tumor angiogenesis. However, the pathophysiological roles of VASH2 in kidney diseases remain unknown. In the present study, we examined the effects of VASH2 deficiency on the progression of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury-induced AKI. I/R injury was induced by bilaterally clamping renal pedicles for 25 min in male wild-type (WT) andVash2homozygous knockout mice. Twenty-four hours later, I/R injury-induced renal dysfunction and tubular damage were more severe in VASH2-deficient mice than in WT mice, with more prominent neutrophil infiltration and peritubular capillary loss. After induction of I/R injury, VASH2 expression was markedly increased in injured renal tubules. These results suggest that VASH2 expression in renal tubular epithelial cells might be essential for alleviating I/R injury-induced AKI, probably through protecting peritubular capillaries and preventing inflammatory infiltration

Gpr19 is a circadian clock-controlled orphan GPCR with a role in modulating free-running period and light resetting capacity of the circadian clock

Gpr19 encodes an evolutionarily conserved orphan G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) with currently no established physiological role in vivo. We characterized Gpr19 expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the locus of the master circadian clock in the brain, and determined its role in the context of the circadian rhythm regulation. We found that Gpr19 is mainly expressed in the dorsal part of the SCN, with its expression fluctuating in a circadian fashion. A conserved cAMP-responsive element in the Gpr19 promoter was able to produce circadian transcription in the SCN. Gpr19⁻/⁻mice exhibited a prolonged circadian period and a delayed initiation of daily locomotor activity. Gpr19 deficiency caused the downregulation of several genes that normally peak during the night, including Bmal1 and Gpr176. In response to light exposure at night, Gpr19⁻/⁻mice had a reduced capacity for light-induced phase-delays, but not for phase-advances. This defect was accompanied by reduced response of c-Fos expression in the dorsal region of the SCN, while apparently normal in the ventral area of the SCN, in Gpr19⁻/⁻ mice. Thus, our data demonstrate that Gpr19 is an SCN-enriched orphan GPCR with a distinct role in circadian regulation and may provide a potential target option for modulating the circadian clock

Green-Schwarz, Nambu-Goto Actions, and Cayley's Hyperdeterminant

It has been recently shown that Nambu-Goto action can be re-expressed in terms of Cayley's hyperdeterminant with the manifest SL(2,R) X SL(2,R) X SL(2,R) symmetry. In the present paper, we show that the same feature is shared by Green-Schwarz sigma-model for N=2 superstring whose target space-time is D=2+2. When its zweibein field is eliminated from the action, it contains the Nambu-Goto action which is nothing but the square root of Cayley's hyperdeterminant of the pull-back in superspace \sqrt{\hyperdet(\Pi_{i \a\Dot\a})} manifestly invariant under SL(2,R) X SL(2,R) X SL(2,R). The target space-time D=2+2 can accommodate self-dual supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Our action has also fermionic kappa-symmetry, satisfying the criterion for its light-cone equivalence to Neveu-Schwarz-Ramond formulation for N=2 superstring.Comment: 14 pages, no figure

東濃地区における環境水中トリチウム濃度の長期観測

A deuterium plasma experiment is being planned at the Large Helical Device (LHD) at the National Institute for Fusion Sciences (NIFS). To delineate the regional background tritium concentration level before initiation of the experiment, we evaluated tritium concentrations in environmental water samples (river water, pond water, well water, tap water, and rainwater) collected at Tono area, Japan since 1982. Tritium concentrations in environmental water samples ranged widely from N.D. (below the instrumental detection limit of 0.27 Bq L−1) to a maximum of 4.39 Bq L−1. Tritium concentrations at 9 continuous monitoring locations over the 15 years ranged from N.D. to 1.36 Bq L−1. This regional background concentration range will be used to evaluate environmental assessments after the initiation of the deuterium plasma experiment in LHD

Minimal upstream open reading frame of Per2 mediates phase fitness of the circadian clock to day/night physiological body temperature rhythm

全身の体内リズムを調和させるRNA配列の発見 --体温の日内変化に合わせてしなやかに調和させる--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-03-07.Body temperature in homeothermic animals does not remain constant but displays a regular circadian fluctuation within a physiological range (e.g., 35°C–38.5°C in mice), constituting a fundamental systemic signal to harmonize circadian clock-regulated physiology. Here, we find the minimal upstream open reading frame (uORF) encoded by the 5′ UTR of the mammalian core clock gene Per2 and reveal its role as a regulatory module for temperature-dependent circadian clock entrainment. A temperature shift within the physiological range does not affect transcription but instead increases translation of Per2 through its minimal uORF. Genetic ablation of the Per2 minimal uORF and inhibition of phosphoinositide-3-kinase, lying upstream of temperature-dependent Per2 protein synthesis, perturb the entrainment of cells to simulated body temperature cycles. At the organismal level, Per2 minimal uORF mutant skin shows delayed wound healing, indicating that uORF-mediated Per2 modulation is crucial for optimal tissue homeostasis. Combined with transcriptional regulation, Per2 minimal uORF-mediated translation may enhance the fitness of circadian physiology