Trajectory of criterion symptoms of major depression under newly started antidepressant treatment: sleep disturbances and anergia linger on while suicidal ideas and psychomotor symptoms disappear early

OBJECTIVE

In modern psychiatry, depression is diagnosed with the diagnostic criteria; however, the trajectory of each of the criterion symptoms is unknown. This study aims to examine this.

METHODS

We made repeated assessments of the nine diagnostic criterion symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) among 2011 participants of a 25-week pragmatic randomised controlled trial of sertraline and/or mirtazapine for hitherto untreated major depressive episodes. The changes from baseline were estimated with the mixed-effects model with repeated measures. The time to disappearance of each symptom was modeled using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

RESULTS

The total score on PHQ-9 was 18.5 (SD = 3.9, n = 2011) at baseline, which decreased to 15.3 (5.2, n = 2011) at week 1, to 11.5 (5.9, n = 1953) at week 3, to 7.8 (6.0, n = 1927) at week 9, and to 6.0 (5.9, n = 1910) at week 25. Suicidal ideas, psychomotor symptoms decreased rapidly, while anergia and sleep disturbance also decreased but only slowly. The survival analyses confirmed the primary analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Upon initiation of antidepressant treatment, patients with newly treated major depressive episodes can expect their suicidal ideas and psychomotor symptoms to disappear first but sleep disturbances and anergia to linger on.

Abstract P1-06-11: Microsatellite instability in triple negative breast cancers

Background:Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a phenotype resulting from defect in mismatch repair genes. The Food and Drug Administration approved anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor for any solid tumor with MSI-high (MSI-H). Some tumors had good response to PD-1 blockade and it is a promising treatment for a part of refractory breast cancers. Our goal was to determine the frequency of MSI in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most clinically aggressive subtypes.

Patients and Methods:This study included 228 patients with primary TNBC underwent resection without neoadjuvant chemotherapy between January 2004 and December 2014. Genomic DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue. Tumor and control DNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction at the following 5 microsatellite markers: NR-21, BAT-26, BAT-25, NR-24, MONO-27. We classified the tumors as microsatellite stable(MSS), MSI-low or MSI-H.

Results: The mean age of patients was 59 years (range: 30-89) and all were women. T1 tumors were 57.9% and N0 were 67.5%. Meanwhile, the tumors with nuclear grade 3 were 66.2% and high Ki-67 (> 30%) were 66.7%. Among the 228 tumors, 222 tumors (97.4%) revealed MSS, of which 6 (2.6%) revealed MSI and 2 (0.9%) were MSI-H. Among the MSI tumors, T and N factor were showed as follows: T1: 2 tumors, T2: 3 tumors, T3: 1 tumor, N0: 5 tumors and N1: 1 tumor. Of two MSI-H tumors, one showed T1N0 and another showed T2N0. The both of them showed nuclear grade 3, high Ki-67 (> 30%) and had common following instable markers: NR-21, BAT-26 and BAT-25.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that the frequency of MSI-H was 0.9% (2/228). MSI might not be useful as a biomarker for immune check point inhibitors. MSI should be combined with another biomarker such as tumor mutational burden in TNBC.

Citation Format: Kurata K, Kubo M, Mori H, Kawaji H, Motoyama Y, Kuroki L, Yamada M, Kaneshiro K, Kai M, Nakamura M. Microsatellite instability in triple negative breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-06-11.

Abstract P4-06-22: Transcription factor T-bet and PD-L1 expression in tumor microenvironment of triple-negative breast cancer

Background: Many analyzes regarding immunotherapies using checkpoint blockade has made it clear that tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) plays an important role in treating cancers with high levels of somatic mutations such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We reported the relationship between TILs and PD-L1 expression, and revealed that high-TILs/positive-PD-L1 expression population in TNBC was associated with better prognosis (Oncotarget 2017). However, its molecular mechanism is still unclear. Meanwhile, T-box transcription factor 21 (T-bet) which regulates effecter T-cells activation is derived by stimulation of T-cell receptor and IL-12. Activated T-cells work as antitumor lymphocytes by enhancing the production of cytokines such as INFγ. We focused on T-bet and examined the function of activated T-cells.

Patients and Methods: This study included 242 patients with primary TNBC who underwent resection without neoadjuvant chemotherapy at our three hospitals between January 2004 and December 2014. The immunohistochemistry scoring for CD8 and T-bet expression on TILs was defined as ≥30 per 0.00625mm2. PD-L1 positivity was defined as ≥1% of tumor cells staining positive for PD-L1.

Results: Of the 242 TNBC, CD8 on TILs was expressed as positive in 127 (52.5%) tumors, T-bet on TILs was expressed as positive in 67 (27.7%) tumors, and PD-L1 expression on tumor cells was expressed as positive in 99 (40.9%) tumors. T-bet expression was significantly correlated with CD8 expression (P<0.0001) and PD-L1 expression (P=0.0004). There was no significant difference in recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) regardless of CD8 or PD-L1expression level. Meanwhile, the patients with T-bet-positive tumors had a longer OS, compared to those with T-bet-negative tumors (P = 0.13 in RFS and P = 0.047 in OS). The multivariate analysis revealed that T-bet expression on TILswas an independent and positive prognostic factor for OS(HR = 0.5, 95%CI 0.1-0.9, P = 0.035).

Conclusion: OS was significantly longer among patients with high T-bet expressing TNBC. These results may validate the significance of T-bet as a biomarker for various immunotherapies in TNBC.

Citation Format: Mori H, Kubo M, Kai M, Kurata K, Kawaji H, Kaneshiro K, Motoyama Y, Kuroki R, Yamada M, Nishimura R, Okido M, Oda Y, Nakamura M. Transcription factor T-bet and PD-L1 expression in tumor microenvironment of triple-negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-06-22.

Body odour aldehyde reduction by acetic acid bacterial extract including enzymes: alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase

OBJECTIVE

The major causes of unpleasant human body odour are aldehydes produced by axillary-resident bacteria. There are many methods of body odour prevention; however, they all carry risks of destroying indigenous dermal bacteria that are necessary for the maintenance of the normal physical function of the skin. Furthermore, some methods cannot directly reduce the concentrations of substances that cause body odour. Therefore, a novel method of reducing body odour more safely and effectively is required. We focused on acetic acid bacterial enzymes, which can convert aldehydes into carboxylic acids, and investigated their effect on aldehydes and body odour.

METHODS

Subjects with strong body odour were recruited using screening questionnaires. Acetic acid bacterial extract including enzymes was applied to subjects' skin, and their effects were evaluated by trained panellists and by quantitative aldehyde analysis using thermal detector gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

Acetic acid bacterial extract including enzymes decreased the ratio of dilution to threshold and the concentration of body odour-producing aldehydes dropped by up to 98.7%.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that simply applying acetic acid bacterial enzymes on the skin can reduce the concentration of aldehydes that cause unpleasant body odour by directly converting them into carboxylic acids. Therefore, acetic acid bacterial enzymes can potentially be developed into new products that do not destroy indigenous bacteria and yet can effectively reduce unpleasant body odour.

Time-dependent distinct roles of Toll-like receptor 4 in a house dust mite-induced asthma mouse model

House dust mites (HDMs) are a common source of allergens that trigger both allergen-specific and innate immune responses in humans. Here, we examined the effect of allergen concentration and the involvement of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the process of sensitization to house dust mite allergens in an HDM extract-induced asthma mouse model.　Intranasal administration of HDM extract induced an immunoglobulin E response and eosinophilic inflammation in a dose-dependent manner from 2.5 to 30 μg/dose. In TLR4-knockout mice, the infiltration of eosinophils and neutrophils into the lung was decreased compared with that in wild-type mice in the early phase of inflammation (total of three doses). However, in the late phase of inflammation (total of seven doses), eosinophil infiltration was significantly greater in TLR4-knockout mice than in wild-type mice. This suggests that the roles of TLR4 signaling are different between the early phase and the later phase of HDM allergen-induced inflammation. Thus, innate immune response through TLR4 regulated the response to HDM allergens, and the regulation was altered during the phase of inflammation.

Evaluation of Two Different HEDP Content Kits: Stability Study Against Dilution Both in Vivo and in Vitro

Zwei verschiedene HEDP-Kits (Kit A, HEDP: 1 mg, SnCl2 · 2H2O: 0,5 mg; und Kit B, HEDP: 10 mg, SnCl2 · 2H2O: 0,5 mg) wurden auf ihre Verdünnungs-Resistenz ausgewertet. Die aus den beiden Kits hergestellten 99mTc-HEDP-Lösungen wurden von 10 bis 6000mal mit 0,9% NaCl-Lösung unmittelbar vor der Auswertung sowohl in vivo als auch in vitro verdünnt. Im Falle des Kits A wurden eine signifikante Speicherung in weichem Gewebe in vivo und eine Freisetzung von Pertechnetat in vitro nach der Verdünnung der 99mTc-HEDP-Lösung beobachtet. Andererseits wurde festgestellt, daß die aus Kit B hergestellte 99mTc-HEDP genügend resistent gegenüber einer Verdünnung war. Die Resistenz der beiden verdünnten 99mTc-HEDP-Lösungen wurde stark von ihrer HEDP-Konzentration beeinflußt. Eine vorläufige Analyse der Absorptionsspektren beider Lösungen deutete auf die Bildung von zwei verschiedenen 99mTc-HEDP-Komplexen je nach HEDP-Konzentration hin. Diese Ergebnisse lassen vermuten, daß ein kaltes Reagenz wie Kit A nach seiner Verdünnung in vivo während klinischer Knochenszintigraphien eine höhere Speicherung im weichen Gewebe verursachen könnte.

Tumour-infiltrating CD8 to FOXP3 lymphocyte ratio in predicting treatment responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy of aggressive breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) can be used to monitor the immune response, and are important in predicting treatment responses and outcomes for various types of cancer. Recently, specific TIL subsets have been reported to be clinically useful in predicting treatment responses. The CD8+/FOXP3+ TIL ratio (CFR) may be a more sensitive indicator for monitoring immune function. This study investigated the clinical significance and value of CFR as a biomarker to predict treatment responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

METHODS

Patients with resectable early-stage breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy at Osaka City University Hospital, Japan, between 2007 and 2013 were included. Oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2, Ki-67, CD8 and FOXP3 status were assessed by immunohistochemistry, and correlated with pathological complete response (pCR).

RESULTS

A total of 177 patients were included, of whom 90 had a high CFR and 87 a low CFR. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) was more common in the high-CFR group than in the low-CFR group (46 versus 23 per cent; P = 0·002), as was HER2-enriched breast cancer (HER2BC) (27 versus 14 per cent; P = 0·033). Among these patients, the pCR rate was significantly higher in the high-CFR group than in the low-CFR group (TNBC: P = 0·022; HER2BC: P < 0·001). In multivariable analysis high-CFR status was an independent predictor of a favourable prognosis: hazard ratio 0·24 (95 per cent c.i. 0·05 to 0·72; P = 0·015) for TNBC and 0·10 (0·10 to 0·90; P = 0·041) for HER2BC.

CONCLUSION

The CFR may be a useful biomarker to predict treatment response to neoadjuvant therapy in aggressive breast cancer subtypes, such as TNBC and HER2BC.

Oxidized trilinoleate and tridocosahexaenoate induce pica behavior and change locomotor activity

Pica behavior, a behavior that is characterized by eating a nonfood material such as kaolin and relates to the degree of discomfort in animals, and the variations of locomotor activity of rats after eating deteriorated fat and oil extracted from instant noodles were examined in our previous study. The result shows that oxidized fat and oil with at least 100 meq/kg in peroxide value (PV) increase pica behavior and decrease locomotor activity. In the present study, the same two behaviors were measured using autoxidized trilinoleate (tri-LA) and tridocosahexaenoate (tri-DHA) as a model of vegetable and fish oil, respectively, to compare fatty acid differences against the induction of two behaviors. The oxidized levels of tri-LA and tri-DHA were analyzed with PV and p-anisidine value (AnV), the method to analyze secondary oxidized products. The oxidation levels of respective triacylglycerol (TAG) samples were carefully adjusted to make them having almost the same PV and AnV. As the results, 600 or more meq/kg in PV of both TAGs significantly increased the consumption of kaolin pellets compared to the control group. Furthermore, 300 or more meq/kg in PV of tri-LA and 200 or more meq/kg in PV of tri-DHA demonstrated significant decrease in locomotor activity compared to control group. These results would indicate that the oxidized TAG having the same PV and/or AnV would induce the same type of pica behavior and locomotor activity. Furthermore, that the structure of oxidized products might not be important and the amount of hydroperoxide group and/or aldehyde group in deteriorated fats and oils might affect the pica behavior and locomotor activity were thought.

Measurement of membrane hydraulic conductivity of bovine carotid artery endothelial cells using a perfusion microscope

The osmotic properties of bovine carotid artery endothelial cells (BCAECs) associated with cryobiology were investigated using a perfusion microscope. These properties include the hydraulic conductivity (Lp) and its activation energy (ELp). The response of isolated cells was observed when the extracellular concentration increased from 0.15 M to 0.5 M NaCl at three different temperatures. The transient volumes of the cell were calculated from the measurements of the projected areas with an assumption of a spherical cell. The hydraulic conductivity (Lp) and the osmotically inactive volume (Vb) of BCAECs were simultaneously determined using nonlinear regression to fit the change of cell volume estimated by water transport equations to measured cell volumes. The Lp values were 0.26 +/- 0.08, 0.12 +/- 0.02, and 0.06 +/- 0.02 m/atm/min (mean +/- SD) at 23, 11 and 4 degree C, respectively, yielding the activation energy of Lp of 47.6 kJ/mol according to the Arrhenius relationship.

Induction of Th1 immune responses to Japanese cedar pollen allergen (Cry j 1) in mice immunized with Cry j 1 conjugated with CpG oligodeoxynucleotide

We determined whether a major Japanese cedar pollen allergen (Cry j 1) conjugated with CpG oligodeoxynucleotide would enhance allergen-specific Th1 responses in mice. Cry j 1 conjugated with CpG (Cry j 1-CpG) induced IL-12 in the spleen cells of naïve mice. Cry j 1-CpG immunization of BALB/c mice suppressed anti-Cry j 1 IgE response and enhanced anti-Cry j 1 IgG(2a) to subsequent Cry j 1 and alum adjuvant injection. CD4(+)T cells isolated from the spleens in mice immunized with Cry j 1-CpG produced higher IFN-γ levels than did CD4(+)T cells obtained from mice as negative controls. Our results suggested that Cry j 1-CpG immunization can induce Cry j 1-specific Th1 immune responses, thereby inhibiting IgE response to the pollen allergen.

The clinical characteristics of vitamin D deficiency in childhood: a systematic literature review of Japanese patients

To describe the characteristics of children with vitamin D deficiency, we reviewed the reports of vitamin D deficiency among Japanese children that were published between 1989 and 2008. We identified 25 patients with vitamin D deficiency in 9 published studies and evaluated their clinical characteristics together with those of 3 patients we recently treated. The patients were distributed in two distinct age groups at diagnosis: < 1 year old and > or = 1 year old. The main symptom of the < 1 year old age group was hypocalcemic convulsions and that of the > or = 1 year old age group was bowed legs. Serum calcium, intact PTH, and 1,25(OH)2D levels were significantly lower in the < 1 year age group than in the > or = 1 year age group. It would be useful to find and make early interventions in cases of children at a high-risk of vitamin D deficiency.

HDM2 impairs Noxa transcription and affects apoptotic cell death in a p53/p73-dependent manner in neuroblastoma

HDM2, a human homologue of MDM2, is a major negative regulator of p53 function, and increased expression of HDM2 by its promoter polymorphism SNP309 resulted in p53 inactivation and an increased risk of several tumours, including neuroblastoma (NB). Herein, we show that increased expression of HDM2 is related to a worse prognosis in MYCN-amplified NB patients. HDM2 plays an important role in the expression of Noxa, a pro-apoptotic molecule of the Bcl-2 family, which induces NB cell apoptotic death after doxorubcin (Doxo) treatment. Knockdown of HDM2 by siRNA resulted in the upregulation of Noxa at mRNA/protein levels and improved the sensitivity of Doxo-resistant NB cells, although these were not observed in p53-mutant NB cells. Noxa-knockdown abolished the recovered Doxo-induced cell death by HDM2 reduction. Intriguingly, resistance to Doxo was up-regulated by over-expression of HDM2 in Doxo-sensitive NB cells. By HDM2 expression, p53 was inactivated but its degradation was not accelerated, suggesting that p53 was degraded in a proteasome-independent manner in NB cells; downstream effectors of p53, p21(Cip1/Waf1) and Noxa were suppressed by HDM2. Noxa transcription was considerably regulated by both p53 and p73 in NB cells. Furthermore, in vivo binding of p53 and p73 to Noxa promoter was suppressed and Noxa promoter activation was inhibited by HDM2. Taken together, our results may indicate that the HDM2-related resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs of NB is regulated by p53/p73-dependent Noxa expression in NB.

Osteocyte-derived HB-GAM (pleiotrophin) is associated with bone formation and mechanical loading

HB-GAM (also known as pleiotrophin) is a cell matrix-associated protein that is highly expressed in bone. It affects osteoblast function, and might therefore play a role in bone development and remodeling. We aimed to investigate the role of HB-GAM in bone in vivo and in vitro. The bones of HB-GAM deficient mice with an inbred mouse background were studied by histological, histomorphometrical, radiological, biomechanical and mu-CT analyses and the effect of immobilization was evaluated. HB-GAM localization in vivo was studied. MLO-Y4 osteocytes were subjected to fluid shear stress in vitro, and gene and protein expression were studied by subtractive hybridization, quantitative PCR and Western blot. Human osteoclasts were cultured in the presence of rhHB-GAM and their formation and resorption activities were assayed. In agreement with previous reports, the skeletal structure of the HB-GAM knockout mice developed normally. However, a growth retardation of the weight-bearing bones was observed by 2 months of age, suggesting a link to physical activity. Adult HB-GAM deficient mice were characterized by low bone formation and osteopenia, as well as resistance to immobilization-dependent bone remodeling. HB-GAM was localized around osteocytes and their processes in vivo and furthermore, osteocytic HB-GAM expression was upregulated by mechanical loading in vitro. HB-GAM did not affect on human osteoclast formation or resorption in vitro. Taken together, our results suggest that HB-GAM is an osteocyte-derived factor that could participate in mediating the osteogenic effects of mechanical loading on bone.

Effects of blue light deficiency on acclimation of light energy partitioning in PSII and CO2 assimilation capacity to high irradiance in spinach leaves

Blue light effects on the acclimation of energy partitioning characteristics in PSII and CO2 assimilation capacity in spinach to high growth irradiance were investigated. Plants were grown hydroponically in different light treatments that were a combination of two light qualities and two irradiances,i.e. white light and blue-deficient light at photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFDs) of 100 and 500 micromol m(-2) s(-1). The CO2 assimilation rate, the quantum efficiency of PSII(PhiPSII) and thermal dissipation activity (F(v)/F(m)-F'(v)/F'(m)) in young, fully expanded leaves were measured under 1,600 micromol m(-2) s(-1) white light. The CO2 assimilation rate and (PhiPSII) were higher, while F(v)/F(m)-F'(v)/F'(m) was lower in plants grown under high irradiance than in plants grown under low irradiance. These responses were observed irrespective of the presence or absence of blue light during growth. The extent of the increase in the CO2 assimilation rate and PhiPSII and the decrease in F(v)/F(m)-F'(v)/F'(m) by high growth irradiance was smaller under blue light-deficient conditions. These results indicate that blue light helps to boost the acclimation responses of energy partitioning in PSII and CO2 assimilation to high irradiance. Similarly, leaf N, Cyt f and Chl contents per unit leaf area increased by high growth irradiance, and the extent of the increment in leaf N, Cyt f and Chl was smaller under blue light-deficient conditions. Regression analysis showed that the differences in energy partitioning in PSIIand CO2 assimilation between plants grown under high white light and high blue-deficient light were closely related to the difference in leaf N.

Stress via p53 pathway causes apoptosis by mitochondrial Noxa upregulation in doxorubicin-treated neuroblastoma cells

In this study, we employed a panel of cell lines to determine whether p53-dependent cell death in neuroblastoma (NB) cells is caused by apoptotic cellular function, and we further studied the molecular mechanism of apoptosis induced via the p53-dependent pathway. We obtained evidence that a type of p53-dependent stress, doxorubicin (Doxo) administration, causes accumulation of p53 in the nucleus of NB cells and phosphorylation of several serine residues in both Doxo-sensitive and -resistant cell lines. Upregulation of p53-downstream molecules in cells and upregulation of Noxa in the mitochondrial fraction were observed only in Doxo-sensitive NB cells. Significance of Noxa in the Doxo-induced NB cell death was confirmed by Noxa-knockdown experiments. Mitochondrial dysfunction, including cytochrome-c release and membrane potential disregulation, occurred and resulted in the activation of the intrinsic caspase pathway. However, in the Doxo-resistant cells, the accumulation in the nucleus and phosphorylation of p53 did not induce p53-downstream p21(Cip1/Waf1) expression and the Noxa upregulation, resulting in the retention of the mitochondrial homeostasis. Taken together, these findings indicate that the p53 pathway seems to play a crucial role in NB cell death by Noxa regulation in mitochondria, and inhibition of the induction of p53-downstream effectors may regulate drug resistance of NB cells.

Isolation and characterization of native Cry j 3 from Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen

BACKGROUND

Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollinosis is the most prevalent allergy in Japan. Recently, the Japanese cedar pollen allergen Cry j 3 was cloned as a homologue of Jun a 3, which is a major allergen from mountain cedar (Juniperus ashei) pollen. However, native Cry j 3 has not been isolated and there are no reports on its allergenic activity. The aims of this study were to isolate native Cry j 3 and assess its immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding capacity in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis.

METHODS

Native Cry j 3 was purified from Japanese cedar pollen by multidimensional chromatography. We assessed the IgE-binding capacity using sera from patients allergic to Japanese cedar pollen by immunoblot analysis and ELISA. Moreover, we assayed the capacity of Cry j 3 to induce histamine release from the patients' leukocytes. We cloned cDNA corresponding to purified Cry j 3 from a cDNA library of Japanese cedar pollen.

RESULTS

We isolated native Cry j 3 as a 27-kDa protein. The IgE-binding frequency of Cry j 3 from the sera of patients allergic to Japanese cedar pollen was estimated as 27% (27/100) by ELISA. Cry j 3 induced the release of histamine from leukocytes. We cloned the cDNA and named it Cry j 3.8. Cry j 3.8 cDNA encoded 225 amino acids and had significant homology with thaumatin-like proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

Cry j 3 is a causative allergen in Japanese cedar pollinosis and may play crucial roles in the cross-reactivity with oral allergy syndrome.

Effect of parathyroid hormone administration in a patient with severe hypoparathyroidism caused by gain-of-function mutation of calcium-sensing receptor

Hypoparathyroidism caused by gain-of-function mutations of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) in the transmembrane domain is usually severe and difficult to manage. A patient with severe hypoparathyroidism, caused by CaR activating mutation F821L, was treated for 3 days (Day 1 to Day 3) with synthetic human parathyroid hormone 1-34 (teriparatide, PTH). An Ellsworth-Howard test of the patient revealed normal responses of urine phosphate and cyclic AMP excretion, indicating that the patient's renal tubules normally responded to extrinsic PTH. On Day 1 to Day 3, 0.9 microg/kg/day of PTH was administered subcutaneously twice daily at 0800 and 2000. On Day 1, the serum calcium level that was 1.8 mmol/l before PTH administration increased to 2.1 mmol/l at 1200, and gradually decreased to 1.8 mmol/l at 2000. On Days 2 and 3, the maximum calcium levels were 2.5 and 2.4 mmol/l, respectively, at 1200. At 2000, they returned to or below basal levels at 0800. On Day 4 without PTH administration, the calcium levels were maintained at the basal levels at Day 0. The urine calcium/creatinine (Ca/Cr) ratio that was high (>0.4) before PTH injection decreased after PTH administration (0.4>). Changes in the ionized calcium levels were almost parallel with the total calcium levels. The serum inorganic phosphate (IP) level decreased to 2.4 mmol/l at 1000, but gradually increased before the second PTH injection to the level at 0800 on Day 1. The minimum IP level on Days 2 and 3 was 2.1 mmol/l and 2.0 mmol/l, respectively. In contrast to the remarkable changes in the serum calcium level by PTH treatment, the serum magnesium levels showed few changes. These results indicate that PTH therapy could be effective in correcting serum and urine calcium and the phosphate levels in hypoparathyroidism caused by activating mutation of CaR.

Novel compound heterozygous mutation of the MC2R gene in a patient with familial glucocorticoid deficiency

Familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by glucocorticoid insufficiency without mineralocorticoid deficiency. Here, we report a 2 year-old girl with FGD, showing tall stature and skin pigmentation, but no abnormalities of the external genitalia. Serum sodium, potassium and chloride levels were within normal ranges. Endocrinological analysis revealed low serum cortisol (<5.5 nmol/1), elevated plasma ACTH (875.2 pmol/1) and low 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (< 0.303 nmol/l). We suspected the patient of having FGD type 1. Direct and allele-specific sequence analyses of the melanocortin 2 receptor gene (MC2R) revealed compound heterozygous mutations (C21Y and R146H) in the MC2R gene. Her father and mother each had heterozygous C21Y and R146H mutations, respectively, without symptoms of glucocorticoid deficiency. This is the first report of FGD associated with a compound heterozygous mutation of C21Y and R146H in the MC2R gene.

Fixation-sensitive myoclonus in Lafora disease

The authors report a patient with Lafora disease, whose myoclonus was suppressed by passive eye closure. Neurophysiologic studies disclosed that fixation was the most important enhancer of myoclonus. Magnetoencephalographic studies of visual evoked fields revealed abnormal activation of the visual corticocortical pathway via the insular cortex not seen in controls. The authors hypothesize that abnormal activation of the insular cortex may be involved in triggering the mechanism of fixation-sensitive myoclonus.

Static suspension culture of carrot somatic embryos

Three culture methods of carrot somatic embryos were compared: conventional shake flask culture, static suspension culture using Erlenmeyer flasks, and static suspension culture using petri dishes. Compared with the former two cultures, the last one resulted in an enhanced ratio of torpedo-shaped embryos and suppressed cotyledonary-stage embryo formation.

Dynamic dissolved oxygen concentration control for enhancing the formation rate of torpedo-stage embryos in carrot somatic embryo culture

In utilizing somatic embryogenesis for transplant production, torpedo-stage embryos are harvested. In order to enhance the formation rate of torpedo-stage embryos to total embryos of all developmental stages in the culture at the time of harvest, a dynamic dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) control algorithm is proposed. The algorithm is based on the difference in developmental response of somatic embryogenesis to DO level depending on developmental stages, and the culture period was divided into three phases of different DO levels. The timing of the phase change was determined based on the formation rate of the embryos in each developmental stage in the suspension assessed by noninvasive monitoring of the culture. The induction of carrot (Daucus carroa L.) somatic embryogenesis resulted in doubled formation rate of torpedo-stage embryos by dynamic DO control compared to the 20% oxygen gas aeration, and 1.4 times higher formation rate compared to 6% oxygen gas aeration, while the total number of embryos did not differ among DO treatments. Plant conversion rate of torpedo-stage embryos cultured by the dynamic DO control was 70%, and was approximately the same as that in the control cultures. The relations between variations of medium pH and somatic embryogenesis were also analyzed.

Photosynthetic Characteristics of Rice Leaves Grown under Red Light with or without Supplemental Blue Light

In rice plants grown under red light supplemented with blue light (red/blue-light PPFD ratio was 4/1), photosynthetic rates per unit leaf area measured under white light at 1,600 and 250 micromol m-2) s-1 were higher than those in the plants grown under red light alone. The higher photosynthetic rates were associated with higher total N content of leaves, which was accompanied by larger amounts of key components of photosynthesis-limiting processes, including Rubisco, Cyt f, Chl and LHCII. These results suggested that the increase in total N content of leaves induced by supplemental blue light enhanced both light-saturated and light-limited photosynthesis.

Identification of peptides containing T-cell epitopes of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen allergen (Cry j 1) in dogs

Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, CJ) pollen has been known to cause atopic dermatitis in dogs in Japan. However, since the mechanism of the CJ antigen recognition is not well understood in dogs, it is difficult to develop effective immunotherapy for atopic dermatitis caused by sensitization to CJ pollen. In order to aim at development of a peptide immunotherapy, we tried to identify T-cell epitopes of a major allergen of CJ pollen, Cry j 1, in dogs sensitive to CJ pollen allergen. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from 22 dogs experimentally sensitized to CJ pollen allergen and 5 atopic dogs sensitive to CJ pollen allergen were used for mapping of T-cell epitopes of Cry j 1 using 35 kinds of synthesized overlapping peptides of Cry j 1. Reactive peptides were identified based on the results of blastogenic responses of PBMCs against the peptides when the stimulation indices were beyond 2.0. Three reactive peptides were identical in a relatively high population of experimental dogs, which were Nos. 8 (p71-90) (41%), 10 (p91-110) (50%), and 11 (p101-120) (41%). It was considered that these synthesized peptides should contain T-cell epitopes of Cry j 1 in the dogs. However, there were no reactive peptides identical among the five atopic dogs spontaneously sensitive to CJ pollen. The population of dogs experimentally sensitized to CJ pollen antigen will be used in order to investigate effects of a peptide immunotherapy using the reactive peptides. The results in atopic dogs sensitive to CJ pollen antigen will also provide useful information on necessity to develop a tailor-made immunotherapy using reactive peptides in each dog.

Increase of CC chemokine receptor 4-positive cells in the peripheral CD4+ cells in dogs with atopic dermatitis or experimentally sensitized to Japanese cedar pollen

BACKGROUND

Since dogs frequently develop allergic diseases, similar to those in humans, dogs represent a possible animal model for allergy in humans. In human atopic dermatitis (AD), CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) has been shown to play an important role in the development of allergic inflammation of AD; however, the association between allergic reaction and CCR4 is not well understood in dogs.

OBJECTIVE

To examine CCR4 expression in peripheral blood CD4+ cells in dogs that had AD and were experimentally sensitized with Japanese cedar pollen.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 17 dogs with AD. The proportion of CCR4+ cells in peripheral blood CD4+ cells (CCR4/CD4) was evaluated by flow cytometry and compared with that in 10 healthy dogs. Similarly, in dogs that were experimentally sensitized to Japanese cedar pollen antigen, the proportion of CCR4/CD4 was examined pre- and post-sensitization.

RESULTS

The proportion of CCR4/CD4 in dogs with AD was 40.3+/-3.3%, which was significantly higher than that in normal dogs (23.6+/-4.3%) (P<0.01). In the experimentally sensitized dogs, the proportion of CCR4/CD4 was 25.4+/-2.6% at pre-sensitization and it was significantly increased (29.8+/-2.9%) at post-sensitization (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

The proportion of CCR4+ cells in peripheral blood CD4+ cells was measured in dogs with allergic conditions. The present findings indicate that CCR4+ cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of allergy in dogs as in humans.

Influence of porosity and composition of porous carriers on the uptake of nutrients

The current paper assesses the potential of industrial solid wastes utilization such as blast furnace slag (BFS) and zeolite synthesized from fly ash (ZFA), which are effective as well as economically attractive for the uptake of phosphate and ammonium from polluted seawater. The solidification of BFS and ZFA has been developed in different proportions of BFS/ZFA (30/70, 50/50 and 70/30 (w/w)) with different porosities (25%, 40% and 52%, respectively) to cylindrical porous carriers using a Hydrothermal Hot-Pressing (HHP) method. The concentrations of heavy metals in ZFA and BFS were too low to affect the aquatic environment. The main finding is that the high rate of BFS (70%) in porous carriers enhanced phosphate uptake explained by the higher percentage of calcium (35.7%) in porous carriers and high pH conditions. The efficient ammonium uptake was observed with high rate of ZFA (70%) in porous carriers. Results found through this experimental work imply that porous carriers with BFS/ZFA proportion of 70/30 are suitable for potential practical application in the aquatic environment due to their efficient uptake of phosphate and ammonium. The choice was made upon their porosity (40%) and their compressive strength (56 kgf/cm2) which are relatively higher than those with BFS/ZFA proportion of 30/70 and 50/50.

Short-term and long-term effects of low total pressure on gas exchange rates of spinach

In this study, spinach plants were grown under atmospheric and low pressure conditions with constant O2 and CO2 partial pressures, and the effects of low total pressure on gas exchange rates were investigated. CO2 assimilation and transpiration rates of spinach grown under atmospheric pressure increased after short-term exposure to low total pressure due to the enhancement of leaf conductance. However, gas exchange rates of plants grown at 25 kPa total pressure were not greater than those grown at atmospheric pressure. Stomatal pore length and width were significantly smaller in leaves grown at low total pressure. This result suggested that gas exchange rates of plants grown under low total pressure were not stimulated even with the enhancement of gas diffusion because the stomatal size and stomatal aperture decreased.

A new relative referencing method for crop monitoring using chlorophyll fluorescence

The measurement of plant chlorophyll fluorescence has been used for many years as a method to monitor a plant's health status. These types of methods have been mostly relegated to the laboratory. The newly developed Relative Referencing Method allows for the measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence under artificial lighting conditions. The fluorescence signal can be determined by first taking a reference signal measurement, then a second measurement with an additional fluorescence excitation source. The first signal can then be subtracted from the second and the plant's chlorophyll fluorescence due to the second lighting source can be determined. With this simple approach, a photosynthesizing plant can be monitored to detect signs of water stress. Using this approach experiments on tomato plants have shown that it was possible to detect water stress, while the plants were continuously illuminated by fluorescent lamps. This method is a promising tool for the remote monitoring of crops grown in a CELSS-type application.

Formation of a direction map by projection learning using Kohonen's self-organization map

In this paper, we propose a modification of Kohonen's self-organization map (SOM) algorithm. When the input signal space is not convex, some reference vectors of SOM can protrude from it. The input signal space must be convex to keep all the reference vectors fixed on it for any updates. Thus, we introduce a projection learning method that fixes the reference vectors onto the input signal space. This version of SOM can be applied to a non-convex input signal space. We applied SOM with projection learning to a direction map observed in the primary visual cortex of area 17 of ferrets, and area 18 of cats. Neurons in those areas responded selectively to the orientation of edges or line segments, and their directions of motion. Some iso-orientation domains were subdivided into selective regions for the opposite direction of motion. The abstract input signal space of the direction map described in the manner proposed by Obermayer and Blasdel [(1993) J Neurosci 13: 4114-4129] is not convex. We successfully used SOM with projection learning to reproduce a direction-orientation joint map.

Molecular cloning of canine thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) gene and its expression in various tissues

Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) is known as a functional ligand for CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4), which is selectively expressed on Th2 lymphocytes and induces selective migration of the cells to allergic lesions. In this study, we cloned canine TARC cDNA from canine thymus by RT-PCR with rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) method. The canine TARC clone contained a full-length open reading frame encoding 99 amino acids and included four cysteine residues characteristic to CC chemokine family. The canine TARC cDNA showed 77.5%, 67.4%, and 68.5% amino acid sequence similarity with human, mouse and rat homologues, respectively. Expression of TARC mRNA was detected not only in thymus but also in spleen, lymph node, lung and heart of the various normal dog tissues examined. TARC cDNA clone obtained in this study will be useful for further investigation on allergic diseases in dogs.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of soft tissue producing granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

We treated a rare case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of soft tissue that produced granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The patient, an 80-year-old woman, was admitted because of a feeling of abdominal fullness and leg edema. An elastic, hard, tender tumor was palpated in the right thigh. Histopathological examinations of the tumor revealed atypical and prominent pleomorphic spindle-shaped cells with funicular arrangement, which were compatible with the diagnosis of MFH. Prominent leukocytosis (up to 84,300/microl), a high serum G-CSF concentration (82 pg/ml) and positive immunohistochemical staining of the tumor tissue for G-CSF indicated that G-CSF was produced by the MFH.

Atlantoaxial subluxation in an adult secondary to retropharyngeal abscess

Atlantoaxial subluxation secondary to a retropharyngeal abscess is well described in children, but very rare in adults. Only two adult cases have been reported in the literature. We present a case of severe atlantoaxial subluxation in an adult secondary to retropharyngeal abscess. His atlas-dens interval was very large, up to 10 mm in flexion. We tried external fixation with a neck collar initially, but for remaining instability, surgical fusion was performed. The mechanism of subluxation is attributed to softening of the ligament allowing greater mobility at the joint. The etiology of this process is speculative.

Mechanical strain effect on bone-resorbing activity and messenger RNA expressions of marker enzymes in isolated osteoclast culture

Adaptive modeling and remodeling are controlled by the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are capable of sensing their mechanical environments and regulating deposition or resorption of bone matrix. The effects of mechanical stimuli on isolated osteoclasts have been scarcely examined because it has proven to be difficult to prepare a number of pure osteoclasts and to cultivate them on mineralized substratum during mechanical stimulation. Recently, we developed an apparatus for applying mechanical stretching to the ivory slice/plastic plate component on which cells could be cultured. The loading frequency, strain rate, and generated strain over an ivory surface could be controlled by a personal computer. Using this apparatus, we examined the role of mechanical stretching on the bone-resorbing activity of the osteoclasts. Mature and highly enriched osteoclasts were cultured for 2, 12, and 24 h on the ivory/plate component while being subjected to intermittent tensile strain. The stretched osteoclasts showed enhanced messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of osteoclast marker enzymes, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and cathepsin K and increases of resorbed-pit formation, suggesting that the mechanical stretching up-regulated the bone-resorbing activity of the osteoclasts. A stretch-activated cation (SA-cat) channel blocker significantly inhibited the increases of the mRNA level and pit formation after 24 h of stretching. This study suggested the possibility that the mature osteoclasts responded to mechanical stretching through a mechanism involving a SA-cat channel in the absence of mesenchymal cells and, as a result, up-regulated their bone-resorbing activity.

Effect of beta-estradiol on voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels in rat hippocampal neurons: a comparison with dehydroepiandrosterone

We investigated the effects of beta-estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) increases induced by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), high K(+) and N-methyl-D-aspartate acid (NMDA) in cultured hippocampal neurons. Acute treatment with beta-estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate inhibited the GABA-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases to the similar extent. Tamoxifen, an estrogen receptor antagonist, did not block the inhibitory effects of beta-estradiol. On the other hand, GABA type A (GABA(A)) receptor antagonists, picrotoxin and bicuculline, blocked the GABA-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases. Previously, we demonstrated that GABA- and high K(+)-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases were commonly mediated by voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). Therefore, we examined the effects of these steroids on the high K(+)-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases. The inhibitory effect of beta-estradiol on the high K(+)-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases was much greater than that of dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. beta-Estradiol inhibited the NMDA-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases with an IC(50) of 51.8 microM and NMDA responses were reduced to half in the presence of 10 micro M nifedipine, indicating that the NMDA-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases also involved VGCCs. Further, we examined the inhibitory effect of beta-estradiol on the high K(+)-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases in the presence of a N-type VGCCs antagonist, 1 microM omega-conotoxin, or a L-type VGCCs antagonist, 10 microM nifedipine. The IC(50) value of beta-estradiol alone (45.5 microM) was similar to that of omega-conotoxin (33.1 microM), while the value combined with nifedipine was reduced to 2.2 microM. beta-Estradiol also abolished the positive modulatory effect of L-type VGCCs agonist, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-[2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]pyridine-3-carboxylic acid methyl ester (Bay K 8644). Our results showed that the inhibitory mechanism of beta-estradiol is different from that of dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and beta-estradiol may act primarily at L-type VGCCs.

Effects of antidepressants on gamma-aminobutyric acid- and N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced intracellular Ca(2+) concentration increases in primary cultured rat cortical neurons

We investigated the effects of antidepressants on the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) increases induced by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in primary cultured rat cortical neurons using fluorescence imaging. Acute treatment with imipramine inhibited GABA- and NMDA-induced increases in [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner. Doses of 30 microM clomipramine, desipramine, amoxapine and maprotiline also inhibited both the GABA- and NMDA-induced [Ca2+]i increases significantly. Both inhibitory effects of the five major antidepressants on the GABA- or the NMDA-induced [Ca2+]i increases were well-correlated. Imipramine could inhibit significantly high-K+-induced [Ca2+]i increases. Our previous study has already shown that the GABA-induced [Ca2+]i increase involves a similar pathway to high-K+-induced Ca2+ influx. In conclusion, imipramine and several other antidepressants have acute inhibitory effects on the GABA-, NMDA- and high-K+-induced [Ca2+]i increases, suggesting that these inhibitory effects are not related to specific receptors. One possibility is that these effects may be commonly mediated via part of the high-K+-induced [Ca2+]i pathway.