Emergency pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease: a case report.
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Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗
Biomedical subjects
Satoshi Ito
Publications and source records attributed to Satoshi Ito.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 inhibits LPS-induced IL-1beta production in cultured rat astrocytes.
Glia play an important role in neurotoxicity in neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we investigated the expression of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and its receptor, and the effects of GLP-1 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IL-1beta mRNA expression and IL-1beta production in glia. GLP-1-like immunoreactivity was observed in amoeboid microglia, but not ramified microglia or astrocytes. GLP-1 binding and GLP-1 receptor mRNA expression were observed in both astrocytes and microglia. GLP-1-induced morphological changes in microglia from the ramified type to the amoeboid type, suggesting an increase in production and release of endogenous GLP-1. GLP-1 prevented the LPS-induced IL-1beta mRNA expression, which effect was, in turn, inhibited by pretreatment with SQ22536, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor. GLP-1 also increased cAMP concentration and cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation in astrocytes. These results suggest that GLP-1 may be a modulator of inflammation in the central nervous system.
Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors↗
[Ovarian cancer with swelling of the right upper arm, amyopathic dermatomyositis, and elevated serum KL-6].
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Aged↗
Diagnosis of chlamydia-induced reactive arthritis.
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Arthritis, Reactive↗
Overexpression of phosphorylated STAT-1alpha in the labial salivary glands of patients with Sjögren's syndrome.
OBJECTIVE: To clarify the molecular mechanisms of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), we analyzed the functional role of the STAT-1 gene, one of the interferon-gamma (IFNgamma)-inducible genes, in labial salivary glands (LSGs) from SS patients. METHODS: The expression of STAT-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, and the phosphorylation of STAT-1 protein (Tyr(701) and Ser(727) pSTAT-1) was investigated by Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. The expression of IFNgamma-inducible 10-kd protein (IP-10), IFN regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), and Fas was also examined by real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analyses. RESULTS: STAT-1alpha and STAT-1beta mRNA were highly expressed in LSGs from SS patients. The level of STAT-1alpha protein in SS LSGs was higher than that in 3 control LSGs, whereas STAT-1beta protein was not clearly detected by Western blot analysis. Moreover, Tyr(701) and Ser(727) pSTAT-1alpha proteins were specifically detected in SS LSGs. Immunohistochemical analysis showed localization of Tyr(701) pSTAT-1 in infiltrating lymphocytes and the adjacent ductal epithelium from SS patients. Ser(727) pSTAT-1 was localized only in the ductal epithelium of SS LSGs. The STAT-1-inducible genes IP-10 and IRF-1 and the Fas genes were highly expressed in SS LSGs and were colocalized with Ser(727) pSTAT-1-positive, but not Tyr(701) pSTAT-1-positive, cells. CONCLUSION: We found evidence of the up-regulation of STAT-1alpha mRNA and protein in LSGs from SS patients, as well as the presence of pSTAT-1alpha in ductal epithelium from SS patients. Our findings suggest that STAT-1alpha, especially Ser(727) pSTAT-1, may function as a key molecule in the pathogenesis of SS.
Gene Expression↗
Low-field compact magnetic resonance imaging system for the hand and wrist in rheumatoid arthritis.
PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of an originally developed compact MRI system for evaluating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and determine its advantages and disadvantages as an imaging modality for evaluating RA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively studied 13 healthy controls with no clinical symptoms of arthritis, and 13 patients with hand and wrist pains (including pain from RA) with a 0.2 T permanent-magnet compact MR imager. All MR images were obtained while the subjects were in a sitting position. Coronal three-dimensional spin-echo T1-weighted images and coronal two-dimensional short tau inversion recovery (STIR) images were obtained with image matrix = 256 x 128 and field of view (FOV) = 20.48 cm. Plain radiograph findings and MRI findings of patients were compared. RESULTS: In three of the patients with suspected early RA (N = 7), early RA was evaluated based on STIR images. All RA patients showed morphologic or signal intensity changes that allowed an evaluation of RA from MR findings. Four of five RA patients showed high signal intensity on STIR images in the wrist, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint, or metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint that suggested synovitis. Multiple erosions in the hand and wrist were seen in four RA patients, with low signal intensity on T1-weighted images. CONCLUSION: RA was correctly evaluated, and early RA could be identified with the compact MRI system. However, the current system has limitations, such as the nonselective STIR sequence used and magnetic field inhomogeneity.
Adult↗
Protection against influenza virus infection by intranasal vaccine with surf clam microparticles (SMP) as an adjuvant.
A safe and effective adjuvant is necessary to enhance mucosal immune responses for the development of an inactivated intranasal influenza vaccine. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of surf clam microparticles (SMP) derived from natural surf clams as an adjuvant for an intranasal influenza vaccine. The adjuvant effect of SMP was examined when co-administered intranasally with inactivated A/PR8 (H1N1) influenza virus hemagglutinin vaccine in BALB/c mice. Administration of the vaccine with SMP induced a high anti-PR8 haemagglutinin (HA)-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) response in the nasal wash and immunoglobulin G (IgG) response in the serum, resulting in protection against both nasal-restricted infection and lethal lung infection by A/PR8 virus. In addition, administration of SMP with A/Yamagata (H1N1), A/Beijing (H1N1), or A/Guizhou (H3N2) vaccine conferred complete protection against A/PR8 virus challenge in the nasal infection model, suggesting that SMP adjuvanted vaccine can confer cross-protection against variant influenza viruses. The use of SMP is suggested as a new safe and effective mucosal adjuvant for nasal vaccination against influenza virus infection.
Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
Significance of antiprothrombin antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: clinical evaluation of the antiprothrombin assay and the antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin assay, and comparison with other antiphospholipid antibody assays.
Antibodies against prothrombin are detected by enzyme immunoassays (EIA) in sera of patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). However, there are two methods for antiprothrombin EIA; one that uses high binding plates (aPT-A), and another that utilizes phosphatidylserine bound plates (aPS/PT). We aimed to evaluate and compare aPT-A and aPS/PT in a clinical setting. We performed EIA for anti-PT, anti-PS/PT, IgG, and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), and IgG beta2-glycoprotein I-dependent aCL (abeta2GPI/CL) with serum samples from 139 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (16 with history of at least one thrombotic episode) and 148 controls. We observed that: (1) although titers of anti-PT and anti-PS/PT were significantly related with each other (P < 0.0001, rho = 0.548), titer of anti-PT and anti-PS/PT differed greatly in some samples; (2) odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for each assay was 3.556 (1.221-10.355) for aPT-A, 4.591 (1.555-15.560) for aPS/PT, 4.204 (1.250-14.148) for IgG aCL, 1.809 (0.354-9.232) for IgM aCL, and 7.246 (2.391-21.966) for abeta2GPI/CL. We conclude that, while all EIA performed in this study except IgM aCL are of potential value in assessing the risk of thrombosis, aPS/PT and abeta2GPI/CL seemed to be highly valuable in clinical practice, and that autoantibodies detected by anti-PT and anti-PS/PT are not completely identical.
Antibodies, Antiphospholipid↗
Altered peptide ligands control type II collagen-reactive T cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients.
We previously reported that peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HLA-DRB1*0101 Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were highly reactive to 256-271 peptide of type II collagen (CII). In this report, we tried to regulate the CII reactivity of T cells from RA patients with HLA-DRB1*0101 by altered peptide ligand (APL), which is a single amino acid substitution of the T-cell epitope on CII 256-271 peptide. Antagonistic activity of 21 APLs was assessed using three different T-cell lines. Results showed that 262 (G-->A) APL of CII 256-271 exhibited antagonistic activity in all T-cell lines and it was suggested that the application of CII APL might be a new therapeutic strategy in the regulation of RA.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
T cell receptor BV gene repertoire of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of polymyositis/dermatomyositis patients with interstitial pneumonitis.
We analyzed the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) lymphocytes from polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) patients with interstitial pneumonitis (IP) to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of IP in these disorders. Samples from 2 PM patients, 1 DM patient and 3 healthy controls were used. RNA was isolated from BALF, cDNAs were synthesized, and family PCR and Southern blot analysis were performed by primers specific for TCR BV1-25 and TCR BC to determine TCR repertoire. We examined single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) to evaluate T cell clonality. The CDR3 region of TCR BV genes in BALF T cells were determined by DNA sequencer. Our examination showed that TCR repertoire of T cells in BALF was heterogeneous both in patients with PM/DM and control subjects. SSCP analysis demonstrated an increased number of accumulated T cell clones in BALF of three PM/DM patients, but not in the healthy subjects and the junctional sequence analysis showed the presence of conserved amino acid motifs (RGS, GLA, LQG, SGG, DRG, GTS, TSGR, GGS, GQA, GAG, GTG) in the TCR-CDR3 region of BALF lymphocytes from PM/DM patients, which were not detected in the control. Our findings suggest that T cells in BALF may recognize the restricted antigen and accumulate via antigen-driven stimulation, suggesting that T cells may play a crucial role in the development of IP in patients with PM/DM.
Adult↗
Gene transduction of tristetraprolin or its active domain reduces TNF-alpha production by Jurkat T cells.
Tristetraprolin (TTP) is a physiological regulator of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha production. It destabilizes TNF-alpha mRNA by binding to the AU-rich element located in the 3' region of TNF-alpha mRNA. We wished to determine how transducing the TTP gene or its fragment gene encoding its biological active site, the tandem zinc finger (TZF) domain, affects TNF-alpha production, cell viability and growth of Jurkat T cells. Jurkat T cells were transduced with either the TTP or the TZF gene using retrovirus vectors. Cell growth and apoptosis was analyzed. Expression of genes before or after appropriate stimuli was measured by real-time PCR. In addition, production of the TNF-alpha protein was measured by enzyme immunoassay. The transduction of either gene reduced TNF-alpha mRNA levels under unstimulated conditions, and reduced the response to phytohemagglutinin stimulation. Production of TNF-alpha protein upon stimulation was also decreased in TTP/TZF-transduced cells. Transduction of either gene also affected the expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor mRNA in a similar fashion, but not that of c-myc. The growth rate of TTP-transduced Jurkat T cells tended to be slower than that of TZF- or mock-transduced cells. TTP-transduced cells were more susceptible to campthothecin-induced apoptosis than others. Our results indicate that either TTP or TZF gene transduction using retrovirus vectors can reduce the production of TNF-alpha in Jurkat T cells although some differences were noted between TTP and TZF in cell growth and occurrence of apoptosis. These results suggest that TTP may be a potential target for new therapies against RA.
Animals↗
Expression of TNF-alpha, tristetraprolin, T-cell intracellular antigen-1 and Hu antigen R genes in synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Post-transcriptional regulation through the AU-rich element (ARE) by ARE binding proteins (ARBPs) has an important role in controlling the production of cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Therefore, expression of ARBPs may influence, or may be influenced, by the severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We measured the gene expression of ARBPs, including tristetraprolin, T-cell intracellular antigen (TIA)-1 and Hu antigen R (HuR), in synovial tissues from RA and osteoarthritis patients. cDNA was constructed from synovial tissues obtained from 21 patients with RA, and those from 12 patients with osteoarthritis. Gene expression was measured using the TaqMan PCR real-time quantification method. No significant differences were observed in the expression of tristetraprolin, TIA-1 or HuR genes between RA and osteo-arthritis synovium samples. No significant relationships between expression of tristetraprolin, TIA-1 or HuR genes and TNF-alpha gene expression serum CRP levels in samples from RA patients were observed. A significant positive relationship was observed between gene expression levels of TIA-1 and HuR. While HuR stabilizes TNF-alpha mRNA and enhances TNF-alpha production, TIA-1 acts as a post-transcriptional silencer, and suppresses the production of the TNF-alpha protein. The clear positive relationship between the expression of these two ARBPs may imply that the expression of either gene affects the expression of the other, or the mechanisms that control the expression of these genes have some factors in common.
Aged↗
Monolithic wavelength converter for ultraviolet light by use of a Gd(x)Y(1-x)Ca4O(BO3)3 crystal.
Gd(x)Y(1-x)Ca4O(BO3)3 (GdYCOB) is a promising nonlinear optical crystal that shows high effective nonlinearity d(eff), noncritical phase matching, and high chemical stability. We report on the fabrication and characteristics of a monolithic wavelength converter, which generates ultraviolet light by the incidence of a 1.064 microm near-infrared laser. The converter consists of GdYCOB for third-harmonic generation, KTiOPO4 (KTP) for second-harmonic generation, and a wave plate. GdYCOB has the advantage of an extremely wide angular acceptance bandwidth, whereas KTP exhibits a high effective nonlinear coefficient and a broad temperature bandwidth. Consequently the combination of these crystals results in highly efficient and stable ultraviolet conversion for constructing a compact and robust ultraviolet laser.
Journal Article↗
Seasonal changes in canopy photosynthesis and respiration, and partitioning of photosynthate, in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under free-air CO2 enrichment.
An increase in atmospheric CO(2) concentration ( [CO(2)]) is generally expected to enhance photosynthesis and biomass. Rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) were grown in ambient CO(2) (AMB) or free-air CO(2)-enrichment (FACE), in which the target [CO(2)] was 200 micromol mol(-1) above AMB. (13)CO(2) was fed to the plants at different stages so we could examine the partitioning of photosynthates. Furthermore, canopy photosynthesis and respiration were measured at those stages. The ratio of (13)C content in the whole plant to the amount of fixed (13)C under FACE was similar to that under AMB at the vegetative stage. However, the ratio under FACE was greater than the ratio under AMB at the grain-filling stage. At the vegetative stage, plants grown under FACE had a larger biomass than those grown under AMB owing to enhancement of canopy photosynthesis by the increased [CO(2)]. On the other hand, at the grain-filling stage, CO(2) enrichment promoted the partitioning of photosynthate to ears, and plants grown under FACE had a greater weight of ears. However, enhancement of ear weight by CO(2) enrichment was not as great as that of biomass at the vegetative stage. Plants grown under FACE did not necessarily show higher canopy photosynthetic rates at the grain-filling stage. Therefore, we concluded that the ear weight did not increase as much as biomass at the vegetative stage owing to a loss of the advantage in CO(2) gain during the grain-filling period.
Air↗
A functional variant of Fcgamma receptor IIIA is associated with rheumatoid arthritis in individuals who are positive for anti-glucose-6-phosphate isomerase antibodies.
Anti-glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) antibodies are known to be arthritogenic autoantibodies in K/BxN mice, although some groups have reported that few healthy humans retain these antibodies. The expression of Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs) is genetically regulated and has strong implications for the development of experimental arthritis. The interaction between immune complexes and FcgammaRs might therefore be involved in the pathogenesis of some arthritic conditions. To explore the relationship between functional polymorphisms in FcgammaRs (FCGR3A-158V/F and FCGR2A-131H/R) and arthritis in individuals positive for anti-GPI antibodies, we evaluated these individuals with respect to FCGR genotype. Genotyping for FCGR3A-158V/F and FCGR2A-131H/R was performed by PCR amplification of the polymorphic site, followed by site specific restriction digestion using the genome of 187 Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (including 23 who were anti-GPI antibody positive) and 158 Japanese healthy individuals (including nine who were anti-GPI antibody positive). We report here on the association of FCGR3A-158V/F functional polymorphism with anti-GPI antibody positive status. Eight out of nine healthy individuals who were positive for anti-GPI antibodies possessed the homozygous, low affinity genotype FCGR3A-158F (odds ratio = 0.09, 95% confidence interval 0.01-0.89; P = 0.0199), and probably were 'protected' from arthritogenic antibodies. Moreover, among those who were homozygous for the high affinity genotype FCGR3A-158V/V, there were clear differences in anti-human and anti-rabbit GPI titres between patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy subjects (P = 0.0027 and P = 0.0015, respectively). Our findings provide a molecular model of the genetic regulation of autoantibody-induced arthritis by allele-specific affinity of the FcgammaRs.
Adult↗
Regularity in an environment produces an internal torque pattern for biped balance control.
In this paper, we present a control method for achieving biped static balance under unknown periodic external forces whose periods are only known. In order to maintain static balance adaptively in an uncertain environment, it is essential to have information on the ground reaction forces. However, when the biped is exposed to a steady environment that provides an external force periodically, uncertain factors on the regularity with respect to a steady environment are gradually clarified using learning process, and finally a torque pattern for balancing motion is acquired. Consequently, static balance is maintained without feedback from ground reaction forces and achieved in a feedforward manner.
Biomechanical Phenomena↗
Marked attenuation of production of collagen type I from cardiac fibroblasts by dehydroepiandrosterone.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a type of adrenal steroid. The concentrations of DHEA and its sulfate (DHEA-S) in serum reach a peak between the ages of 25 and 30 yr and thereafter decline steadily. It was reported that DHEA-S concentration in humans is inversely related to death from cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we examined the effects of DHEA on regulation of collagen mRNA and collagen synthesis in cultured cardiac fibroblasts. Treatment with DHEA (10(-6) M) resulted in a significant decrease in procollagen type I mRNA expression compared with controls. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in procollagen type I protein accumulation in the medium and also a significant decrease in procollagen type I protein synthesis in the cellular matrix. Furthermore, to confirm in vitro results, we administered DHEA to Sprague-Dawley rats, which were treated with angiotensin II for 8 wk to induce cardiac damage. Procollagen type I mRNA expression was significantly decreased and cardiac fibrosis significantly inhibited in DHEA-treated rat hearts without lowering the systolic blood pressure. These results strongly indicate that DHEA can directly attenuate collagen type I synthesis at the transcriptional level in vivo and in vitro in cardiac fibroblasts.
Animals↗
Protection against influenza virus infection by intranasal administration of hemagglutinin vaccine with chitin microparticles as an adjuvant.
Chitin in the form of microparticles (chitin microparticles, CMP) has been demonstrated to be a potent stimulator of macrophages, promoting T-helper-1 (Th1) activation and cytokine response. In order to examine the mucosal adjuvant effect of CMP co-administered with influenza hemagglutinin (HA) vaccine against influenza infection, CMP were intranasally co-administered with influenza HA vaccine prepared from PR8 (H1N1) virus. Inoculation of the vaccine with CMP induced primary and secondary anti-HA IgA responses in the nasal wash and anti-HA IgG responses in the serum, which were significantly higher than those of nasal vaccination without CMP, and provided a complete protection against a homologous influenza virus challenge in the nasal infection influenza model. In addition, CMP-based immunization using A/Yamagata (H1N1) and A/Guizhou (H3N2) induced PR8 HA-reactive IgA in the nasal washes and specific-IgG in the serum. The immunization with A/Yamagata and CMP resulted in complete protection against a PR8 (H1N1) challenge in A/Yamagata (H1N1)-vaccinated mice, while that with A/Guizhou (H3N2) and CMP exhibited a 100-fold reduction of nasal virus titer, demonstrating the cross-protective effect of CMP and influenza vaccine. It is suggested that CMP provide a safe and effective adjuvant for nasal vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine.
Adjuvants, Immunologic↗