On Left and Right Dislocation: A Dynamic Perspective

The paper argues that by modelling the incremental and left-right process of interpretation as a process of growth of logical form (representing logical forms as trees), an integrated typology of left-dislocation and right-dislocation phenomena becomes available, bringing out not merely the similarities between these types of phenomena, but also their asymmetry. The data covered include hanging topic left dislocation, clitic left dislocation, left dislocation, pronoun doubling, expletives, extraposition, and right node raising, with each set of data analysed in terms of general principles of tree growth. In the light of the success in providing a characterisation of the asymmetry between left and right periphery phenomena, a result not achieved in more wellknown formalisms, the paper concludes that grammar formalisms should model the dynamics of language processing in time.Articl

Right node raising, co-ordination and the dynamics of language processing

This paper proposes an account of Right Node Raising (RNR) within the framework of Dynamic Syntax (DS). The problematic properties of this construction are shown to emerge naturally from a theory that defines natural language syntax as the direct reflection of how Logical Forms are built up in time as the words of a string are processed. Within this framework, all syntactic processes, including lexical actions, are defined in terms of how partial logical structures are updated. An asymmetric account of coordination is given using the concept of linked structures, whereby the (partial) analysis of a tree representing the propositional content of one clause forms the context within which another is constructed. This approach, together with the same mechanism that is used to analyze right dislocated expressions such as subject inversion in pro-drop languages, is shown to provide an analysis of Right Node Raising, under the additional assumption that the distinctive intonation pattern of the construction licenses the postulation of segmentally empty, pronominal-like elements. The identification of the content of these is established through the analysis of the right dislocated expression where crucially the update that this provides is sensitive to the properties of the second conjunct only

Resident Macrophages in SS

Macrophages (MΦs) are critical regulators of immune response and serve as a link between innate and acquired immunity. The precise mechanism of involvement of tissue-resident MΦs in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases is not clear. Here, using a murine model for Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), we investigated the role of tissue-resident MΦs in the onset and development of autoimmunity. Two unique populations of CD11bhigh and CD11blow resident MΦs were observed in the target tissue of the SS model. Comprehensive gene expression analysis of chemokines revealed effective production of CCL22 by the CD11bhigh MΦs. CCL22 upregulated the migratory activity of CD4+ T cells by increasing CCR4, a receptor of CCL22, on T cells in the SS model. In addition, CCL22 enhanced IFN-γ production of T cells of the SS model, thereby suggesting that CCL22 may impair the local immune tolerance in the target organ of the SS model. Moreover, administration of anti-CCL22 antibody suppressed autoimmune lesions in the SS model. Finally, histopathological analysis revealed numerous CCL22-producing MΦs in the minor salivary gland tissue specimens of the SS patients. CCL22-producing tissue-resident MΦs may control autoimmune lesions by enhancing T cell response in the SS model. These results suggest that specific chemokines and their receptors may serve as novel therapeutic or diagnostic targets for SS

Uncovering the Mysteries of Langerhans Cells, Inflammatory Dendritic Epidermal Cells, and Monocyte-Derived Langerhans Cell-Like Cells in the Epidermis

The identity of Langerhans cells (LCs) has been called into question of late due to the increasing evidence that LCs originate from macrophage lineage instead of dendritic cell (DC) lineage as previously thought. For many years, LCs have been assumed to be DCs due to its migratory capabilities. However, recent studies have demonstrated that LCs are from macrophage lineage of the adult fetal liver (FL) progenitor. Bona fide LCs are now considered tissue-resident macrophages as they originate from the FL as shown by fate mapping models. In recent years, studies have shown that there are three types of antigen-presenting cells present in the epidermis, such as LCs, monocyte-derived LC-like cells, and inflammatory dendritic epidermal cells (IDECs). Of these, LC-like cells have been characterized in both human and mouse studies, while IDECs have only been described in human studies. This has shed a new light on the area of epidermal macrophages, suggesting that there might be a misidentification and misclassification of LCs. IDECs and LC-like cells have been shown to be present in both steady state and inflammatory state, but they are present in more significant amounts under inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis, ultra violet injury, and psoriasis. In this review, we discuss what is already known and discuss the possible roles of LCs, LC-like cells, and IDECs during inflammation. Most intriguingly, we discuss the possibility of LCs having a dual identity as both a macrophage and a DC. This is shown as LCs are the only tissue-resident macrophage to have shown migratory property-like DCs

Clinical Characteristics of Low Androgen Status in Males with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

To determine the clinical characteristics of low androgen status in adult males with diabetes, we retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in whom serum free testosterone (FT) levels were examined for 1 year. Among the 46 patients (56 ± 1.5 years old), decreases in serum FT levels to < 8.5 pg/ml (indicating the occurrence of late-onset hypogonadism [LOH]) were detected in 18 (39%). The per-centages of patients with low FT levels were high in the ≥ 50 years age group (83%), the HbA1c < 7% group (67%), and the 25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2 group (56%). The serum FT levels tended to decrease age-dependently. The level of HbA1c was significantly correlated with the Heinemann Aging Male Symptoms (AMS) score (R = 0.47). The low-FT group had decreased levels of hemoglobin. Of note, the serum FSH level (R = −0.32) was negatively correlated with the serum FT level, whereas the serum TSH level (R = 0.36) was positively correlated with the serum FT level. Collectively, these results revealed that many diabetic males may have low FT levels and that the AMS score is related to the HbA1c level. A slightly anemic condition, thyroid dysfunction, and obesity (class 1) might be involved in LOH in middle-aged diabetic males

Possible Protective Effect of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning on Acute Kidney Injury Following Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Secondary Analysis of a Multicenter, Randomized Study

Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a promising strategy for protecting against ischemic reperfusion injury. This study is a secondary analysis of a randomized study that aimed to evaluate the effect of RIPC on the early increase in serum creatinine (SCr) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which is associ-ated with contrast-induced acute kidney injury. Patients with stable angina undergoing elective PCI were assigned to control, RIPC, and continuous infusion of nicorandil (nicorandil) groups. The endpoint of this study was the incidence of the early increase in SCr, a predictor of contrast-induced acute kidney injury, which was defined as either a > 20% or absolute increase by 0.3 mg/dl of SCr levels after 24 h of PCI. This study included 220 patients for whom a dataset of SCr values was available. The incidence of the early increase in SCr was significantly lower in the RIPC than in the control (1.3% vs 10.8%, p = 0.03) group, but was not significantly different between the nicorandil and control groups. In multivariate analysis, RIPC remained a significant fac-tor associated with a reduction in the incidence of early increase in SCr. RIPC reduces the incidence of early increase in SCr in patients with stable angina following elective PCI

Clinical Relevance of Blood Glucose and Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms to Depressive Status in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

A relationship between diabetes and depression is apparent. To clarify the clinical relevance of diabetic patients’ gastroesophageal symptoms to their psychological status, we retrospectively analyzed the data from a Selfrating Depression Scale (SDS) and a Frequency Scale for Symptoms of Gastroesophageal reflux disease (FSSG) among 143 type 2 diabetic patients who visited a general medicine department. Among the 45 Japanese patients enrolled, the group with relatively high SDS scores (≥ 36) showed higher (FSSG) dysmotility symptom scores versus the low-SDS (< 36) group, although the 2 groups’ characteristics and laboratory data were not significantly different. Positive correlations of postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) levels with FSSG scores (R=0.321, p<0.05), particularly with reflux scores (R=0.455, p<0.01) were revealed. PPG and HbA1c levels were not correlated with SDS scores. The patients’ SDS scores were significantly correlated with their FSSG scores (R=0.41, p<0.01), suggesting that depressive status is linked to GERD-related manifestations. Considering that the patients’ PPG levels were correlated with GERD-related symptoms, diabetic patients’ blood glucose levels are associated with depressive status. Collectively, key symptoms related to GERD and glucose level values would be helpfu

Expression of Cyclooxygenase Enhances Tumor Invasion and Metastasis in Human Gastric Carcinoma

Background: Expression of COX-2 in vitro has been shown to have a number of cellular effects including increasing proliferation, reducing apoptosis promoting angiogenesis, decreasing E-cadherin expression and increasing invasive/metastatic potential. Aims: To determine the role of COX-2 in the development and metastasis potential of gastric carcinoma in human subjects. Methods: Tissue samples were obtained from surgically removed specimens of 48 patients with primary gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent gastrectomy from January 1998 to December 1999. The specimens were stained for HE while COX-2 expressions in cancer fold and antrum site were evaluated immunohistochemically. Expression of COX-2 was defined as positive when either one of cancer lesion or antrum site showed immunoreactivity. Results: Preliminary result from 12 out of 48 cases, COX-2 immunoreactivity was detected in 50% (6 of 12 specimens). Expression of COX-2 were more frequent in tumor with serosal invasion (5 of 6 specimens), lymph node metastases (3 of 3 specimens), tumor size more than 4 cm and were significant, statistically (p&lt;0.05). The expression of COX-2 in well differential carcinoma type was similar with in poorly differentiated carcinoma type. Conclusion: COX-2 expression in gastric carcinoma tissue is correlated closely with tumor size, serosal invasion and lymph node metastases, indicating that COX-2 is involved in the growth and metastases of gastric carcinoma