Mild inflammation persists in the glenohumeral joint of patients with shoulder instability:Cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: Approximately two-thirds of patients with history of shoulder dislocation may develop osteoarthritis (OA) of the glenohumeral joint. However, the biochemical mechanisms underlying the association between dislocation and OA are largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate macrophage markers and inflammatory cytokine expression associated with shoulder instability (SI) in comparison to rotator cuff tears (RCTs). DESIGN: This study included 30 patients with SI and 30 patients with RCTs. Synovial membrane samples were harvested from the rotator interval during the arthroscopic anatomical repair for both groups. The localization of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and cluster of differentiation (CD) 68 in synovial membranes was determined by immunohistochemistry. Transcript-level expressions of the inflammatory cytokines (TNFA and IL1B) and macrophage markers pan-CD68 and -M1 (CD80 and CD86) were quantified. CD80 and CD86 expression in macrophages from the SI group was confirmed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: TNF-α, IL-1β, and CD68 were expressed in the synovial lining layer of the synovial tissue in both groups. In addition, the mRNA expressions of TNFA, IL1B, CD68, and CD80 were significantly higher in the SI group compared to the RCT group (P ​= ​0.012, 0.014, 0.022, 0.003, respectively). In samples from the SI group, 96.3% of CD68+/CD14+ macrophages were CD86-positive, whereas 2.5% of CD68+/CD14+/CD86+ cells were CD80-positive. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SI had higher mRNA levels of TNFA, IL1B, CD68, and CD80 than those with RCTs. These findings may partially explain the biochemical mechanism underlying the frequent development and progression of osteoarthritis in patients with SI

Increased nerve growth factor expression in the synovial tissues of patients with rotator cuff tears

BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are often associated with severe shoulder pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, not recommended for long-term use, do not effectively manage RCT-induced pain, resulting in reduced quality of life. To improve management, a better understanding of the fundamental properties of RCT pain is needed. Here, we aimed to compare the expression levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA in the synovial tissues of patients with RCT-induced pain and patients with non-painful recurrent shoulder dislocation (RSD). METHODS: The study included 32 patients with RCT who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and 28 patients with non-painful RSD who underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair. Synovial tissue samples were harvested from subacromial bursa and rotator interval of RCT patients and from the rotator interval of RSD patients. Samples were analyzed quantitatively expression levels for NGF and COX2 mRNA and NGF protein. RESULTS: NGF mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in the rotator interval of RCT patients than in the rotator interval of RSD patients (p = 0.0017, p = 0.012, respectively), while COX2 mRNA levels did not differ significantly between the two patient groups. In RCT patients, COX2 mRNA was more highly expressed in the rotator interval than in the subacromial bursa (p = 0.038), whereas the mRNA and protein levels of NGF did not differ between the two tissues. The expression of NGF mRNA in the synovium of the rotator interval was significantly correlated with the numeric rating scale of pain (ρ = 0.38, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: NGF mRNA and protein levels were elevated in patients with painful RCT compared with those in patients with non-painful RSD, whereas COX-2 levels were comparable in the two patient groups. These findings provide insights into novel potential strategies for clinical management of RCT

Hyper-luminous Dust Obscured Galaxies discovered by the Hyper Suprime-Cam on Subaru and WISE

We present the photometric properties of a sample of infrared (IR) bright dust obscured galaxies (DOGs). Combining wide and deep optical images obtained with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) on the Subaru Telescope and all-sky mid-IR (MIR) images taken with Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), we discovered 48 DOGs with $i - K_\mathrm{s} > 1.2$ and $i - [22] > 7.0$, where $i$, $K_\mathrm{s}$, and [22] represent AB magnitude in the $i$-band, $K_\mathrm{s}$-band, and 22 $\mu$m, respectively, in the GAMA 14hr field ($\sim$ 9 deg$^2$). Among these objects, 31 ($\sim$ 65 %) show power-law spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in the near-IR (NIR) and MIR regime, while the remainder show a NIR bump in their SEDs. Assuming that the redshift distribution for our DOGs sample is Gaussian, with mean and sigma $z$ = 1.99 $\pm$ 0.45, we calculated their total IR luminosity using an empirical relation between 22 $\mu$m luminosity and total IR luminosity. The average value of the total IR luminosity is (3.5 $\pm$ 1.1) $\times$ $10^{13}$ L$_{\odot}$, which classifies them as hyper-luminous infrared galaxies (HyLIRGs). We also derived the total IR luminosity function (LF) and IR luminosity density (LD) for a flux-limited subsample of 18 DOGs with 22 $\mu$m flux greater than 3.0 mJy and with $i$-band magnitude brighter than 24 AB magnitude. The derived space density for this subsample is log $\phi$ = -6.59 $\pm$ 0.11 [Mpc$^{-3}$]. The IR LF for DOGs including data obtained from the literature is well fitted by a double-power law. The derived lower limit for the IR LD for our sample is $\rho_{\mathrm{IR}}$ $\sim$ 3.8 $\times$ 10$^7$ [L$_{\odot}$ Mpc$^{-3}$] and its contributions to the total IR LD, IR LD of all ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), and that of all DOGs are $>$ 3 %, $>$ 9 %, and $>$ 15 %, respectively.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, and 3 tables, accepted for publication in PASJ (Subaru special issue

情報科学教育におけるノートPC利用の研究

情報科学科では平成15年度に2年生全員を対象にノートPCを2年間貸し出し、情報教育に利用する施策を実施した。本報告はこのノートPCを利用した教育を研究メンバの教員が実施し、その結果明らかになった有効性や問題点を述べるものである。なお本研究の詳細は本報の原報「神奈川大学理学部情報科学科におけるノートパソコンを利用した情報教育の試み」に述べている。そちらもご参照頂ければ幸いである

First Data Release of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program

The Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) is a three-layered imaging survey aimed at addressing some of the most outstanding questions in astronomy today, including the nature of dark matter and dark energy. The survey has been awarded 300 nights of observing time at the Subaru Telescope and it started in March 2014. This paper presents the first public data release of HSC-SSP. This release includes data taken in the first 1.7 years of observations (61.5 nights) and each of the Wide, Deep, and UltraDeep layers covers about 108, 26, and 4 square degrees down to depths of i~26.4, ~26.5, and ~27.0 mag, respectively (5sigma for point sources). All the layers are observed in five broad bands (grizy), and the Deep and UltraDeep layers are observed in narrow bands as well. We achieve an impressive image quality of 0.6 arcsec in the i-band in the Wide layer. We show that we achieve 1-2 per cent PSF photometry (rms) both internally and externally (against Pan-STARRS1), and ~10 mas and 40 mas internal and external astrometric accuracy, respectively. Both the calibrated images and catalogs are made available to the community through dedicated user interfaces and database servers. In addition to the pipeline products, we also provide value-added products such as photometric redshifts and a collection of public spectroscopic redshifts. Detailed descriptions of all the data can be found online. The data release website is https://hsc-release.mtk.nao.ac.jp/.Comment: 34 pages, 20 figures, 7 tables, moderate revision, accepted for publication in PAS

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

The Hyper Suprime-Cam SSP survey: Overview and survey design

Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) is a wide-field imaging camera on the prime focus of the 8.2-m Subaru telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. A team of scientists from Japan, Taiwan, and Princeton University is using HSC to carry out a 300-night multi-band imaging survey of the high-latitude sky. The survey includes three layers: the Wide layer will cover 1400 deg2 in five broad bands (grizy), with a 5 σ point-source depth of r ≈ 26. The Deep layer covers a total of 26 deg2 in four fields, going roughly a magnitude fainter, while the UltraDeep layer goes almost a magnitude fainter still in two pointings of HSC (a total of 3.5 deg2). Here we describe the instrument, the science goals of the survey, and the survey strategy and data processing. This paper serves as an introduction to a special issue of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, which includes a large number of technical and scientific papers describing results from the early phases of this survey