A Functional Polymorphism in B and T Lymphocyte Attenuator Is Associated with Susceptibility to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Inhibitory coreceptors are thought to play important roles in maintaining immunological homeostasis, and a defect in the negative signals from inhibitory coreceptors may lead to the development of autoimmune diseases. We have recently identified B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA), a new inhibitory coreceptor expressed on immune cells, and we suggest that BTLA may be involved in the development of autoimmune diseases using BTLA-deficient mice. However, the role of BTLA in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases in humans remains unknown. We, therefore, examined the possible association between BTLA and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Sjögren's syndrome (SS) by conducting a case-control genetic association study. We found that 590C single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of BTLA gene was significantly associated with susceptibility to RA, but not to SLE or SS. Furthermore, RA patients bearing this 590C SNP developed the disease significantly earlier than the patients without this allele. We also found that BTLA with 590C allele lacked the inhibitory activity on concanavalin A- and anti-CD3 Ab-induced IL-2 production in Jurkat T cells. These results suggest that BTLA is an RA-susceptibility gene and is involved in the protection from autoimmunity in humans

柿タンニンは新型コロナウイルスに対する抗ウイルス効果を持ち、シリアンハムスターモデルにおける新型コロナウイルス感染症の重症度および感染伝播を抑制する

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread across the world. Inactivating the virus in saliva and the oral cavity represents a reasonable approach to prevent human-to-human transmission because the virus is easily transmitted through oral routes by dispersed saliva. Persimmon-derived tannin is a condensed type of tannin that has strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. In this study, we investigated the antiviral effects of persimmon-derived tannin against SARS-CoV-2 in both in vitro and in vivo models. We found that persimmon-derived tannin suppressed SARS-CoV-2 titers measured by plaque assay in vitro in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We then created a Syrian hamster model by inoculating SARS-CoV-2 into hamsters' mouths. Oral administration of persimmon-derived tannin dissolved in carboxymethyl cellulose before virus inoculation dramatically reduced the severity of pneumonia with lower virus titers compared with a control group inoculated with carboxymethyl cellulose alone. In addition, pre-administration of tannin to uninfected hamsters reduced hamster-to-hamster transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from a cohoused, infected donor cage mate. These data suggest that oral administration of persimmon-derived tannin may help reduce the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission of the virus.博士（医学）・甲第817号・令和4年3月15日© 2021. The Author(s). Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

An Activity Report on Student-Planed PBL : Considering Sustainable Fisheries Industry in Japan

大阪大学超域イノベーション博士課程プログラムの活動の一環として、著者である鈴木を中心に、同プログラムの準履修生向けにプロジェクト型学習（PBL）を実施した。このPBLは企画から実施に至るまで学生が主体的に関与した活動であることが特徴である。本稿は設定したテーマの活動そのものの報告に加えて、PBLの企画、運営の視点での学びを記載する報告書である。PBLでは日本の水産業の実情を知り、理解を深めることを目的として「日本における持続可能な水産業の実現」をテーマに、水産分野を専門としない大学院生6名で活動を実施した。活動は水産業に関する知識の収集から始まり、チームでの議論を通じて日本の水産業の課題を明確化した後に、その課題に対する解決策を考案した。提案内容の活動場所を長崎県対馬市とし、同市における持続可能な漁業の実現を目指す合同会社フラットアワーの職員や漁師向けに最終発表を行った。本稿では活動の経緯を記したうえで、学内外で実施した活動を報告する。最後にPBLの企画運営を行った観点から、学生がPBLの企画段階から関わることで得られる教育上の効果と活動の反省点を記載する。A project-based learning (PBL) program was organized and implemented by students as part of the activities of the Osaka University Cross Boundary Innovation Program. It is characterized by the proactive involvement of the students from planning to implementation. This paper is a report that describes the learning from the perspective of PBL planning and management, in addition to a report on the activities themselves on the theme. The theme of the project was 'Forming sustainable fisheries in Japan', and six graduate students who did not specialize in the field of fisheries participated in the project. The objective of this activity is to learn about and deepen understanding of the current state of Japan's fishing industry.The activity began with information gathering on the fisheries industry, followed by team discussions to clarify the challenges of Japan's fisheries industry and then devising solutions to these challenges. The activity took place in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, where they made a final presentation to the staff and fishermen of the LLC Flat Hour, which aims to realize a sustainable fishing industry in the city. This paper describes the background of the activity, the activities conducted on and off campus, and the benefits to students when planning a PBL project and points to reflect on in the activity

Mg-Zn-Y合金におけるキンク組織とそれによる強化機構に関する研究

identifier:oai:t2r2.star.titech.ac.jp:5068652