Tumor necrosis factor- and interleukin-6-producing high-grade B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified in the pleura

A 65-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with left-sided chest and back pain and dyspnea. Computed tomography demonstrated a marked circumferential left pleural thickening. A thoracoscopic pleural biopsy led to a diagnosis of high-grade B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (HGBL, NOS). Lymphoma cells were positive for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-6. This is the first case report of TNF- and IL-6-producing aggressive HGBL, NOS in the pleura, in which radiological findings mimicked pleural mesothelioma. The aggressive tumor progression in the present case may have been caused by abnormal cytokine production from lymphoma cells.

Search for Boosted Dark Matter Interacting with Electrons in Super-Kamiokande

A search for boosted dark matter using 161.9 kt yr of Super-Kamiokande IV data is presented. We search for an excess of elastically scattered electrons above the atmospheric neutrino background, with a visible energy between 100 MeV and 1 TeV, pointing back to the Galactic center or the Sun. No such excess is observed. Limits on boosted dark matter event rates in multiple angular cones around the Galactic center and Sun are calculated. Limits are also calculated for a baseline model of boosted dark matter produced from cold dark matter annihilation or decay. This is the first experimental search for boosted dark matter from the Galactic center or the Sun interacting in a terrestrial detector.

Disruption of the pacemaker activity of interstitial cells of Cajal via nitric oxide contributes to postoperative ileus

BACKGROUND

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) serve as intestinal pacemakers. Postoperative ileus (POI) is a gastrointestinal motility disorder that occurs following abdominal surgery, which is caused by inflammation-induced dysfunction of smooth muscles and enteric neurons. However, the participation of ICC in POI is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the functional changes of ICC in a mouse model of POI.

METHODS

Intestinal manipulation (IM) was performed to induce POI. At 24 h or 48 h after IM, the field potential of the intestinal tunica muscularis was investigated. Tissues were also examined by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopic analysis.

KEY RESULTS

Gastrointestinal transit was significantly decreased with intestinal tunica muscularis inflammation at 24 h after IM, which was ameliorated at 48 h after IM. The generation and propagation of pacemaker potentials were disrupted at 24 h after IM and recovered to the control level at 48 h after IM. ICC networks, detected by c-Kit immunoreactivity, were remarkably disrupted at 24 h after IM. Electron microscopic analysis revealed abnormal vacuoles in the ICC cytoplasm. Interestingly, the ICC networks recovered at 48 h after IM. Administration of aminoguanidine, an inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, suppressed the disruption of ICC networks. Ileal smooth muscle tissue cultured in the presence of nitric oxide donor, showed disrupted ICC networks.

CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES

The generation and propagation of pacemaker potentials by ICC are disrupted via nitric oxide after IM, and this disruption may contribute to POI. When inflammation is ameliorated, ICC can recover their pacemaker function.

Lip b 1 is a novel allergenic protein isolated from the booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila

BACKGROUND

Booklice, belonging to the order Psocoptera, are small household insect pests that are distributed worldwide. Liposcelis bostrychophila, a common home-inhabiting species of booklouse, infests old books, sheets of paper, and stored food. Recent entomological and serological studies demonstrated that L. bostrychophila accounted for the majority of detectable insects in house dust and could be a potent inducer of respiratory allergy. Our recent proteomic analysis identified a potent allergenic protein from L. bostrychophila, designated Lip b 1, and determined its partial amino acid sequences.

METHODS

Cloning of cDNAs for Lip b 1 was performed by large-scale transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) and subsequent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The full-length amino acid sequences deduced from Lip b 1 cDNAs were bioinformatically analyzed. The recombinant proteins of glutathione S-transferase (GST)-fused Lip b 1 were analyzed by Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

Lip b 1 cDNAs encoding two types of 254-amino acid proteins were cloned. The clones shared 87% identity, and the deduced molecular weights and isoelectric points were consistent with those determined in our previous study. The two types of Lip b 1 proteins in the GST-fused form were similarly reactive with sera from allergic patients sensitized with L. bostrychophila.

CONCLUSIONS

Lip b 1 is a novel protein possibly causing booklouse allergy.

Combined Analysis of Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations at T2K

T2K reports its first results in the search for CP violation in neutrino oscillations using appearance and disappearance channels for neutrino- and antineutrino-mode beams. The data include all runs from January 2010 to May 2016 and comprise 7.482×10^{20} protons on target in neutrino mode, which yielded in the far detector 32 e-like and 135  μ-like events, and 7.471×10^{20} protons on target in antineutrino mode, which yielded 4 e-like and 66  μ-like events. Reactor measurements of sin^{2}2θ_{13} have been used as an additional constraint. The one-dimensional confidence interval at 90% for the phase δ_{CP} spans the range (-3.13, -0.39) for normal mass ordering. The CP conservation hypothesis (δ_{CP}=0, π) is excluded at 90% C.L.

Pregnancies with factor V deficiency: a case report and review of the literature

CASE REPORT

A 30-year-old Japanese nulliparous woman visited for pregnancy at 33 weeks with a massive ovarian tumor located in the pouch of Douglas. By preoperative screening, her prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were prolonged, and her FV activity was significantly decreased to 4.8%. After prophylactic FFP 20 ml/kg was administered and her FV factor was 19.3%, cesarean delivery was performed, and her perioperative course was uneventful. One year later, she underwent a dilatation and evacuation because of a missed abortion, although prophylactic FFP was not administered. During a third pregnancy, after prophylactic FFP 20 ml/kg was administered and FV activity increased to 21.1%, elective cesarean delivery was performed, and her postoperative course was uneventful.

CONCLUSION

For surgical therapy or delivery, the goal of therapy is to maintain FV activity above 20%. It is particularly useful to administer prophylactic FFP.

Measurement of Coherent π^{+} Production in Low Energy Neutrino-Carbon Scattering

We report the first measurement of the flux-averaged cross section for charged current coherent π^{+} production on carbon for neutrino energies less than 1.5 GeV, and with a restriction on the final state phase space volume in the T2K near detector, ND280. Comparisons are made with predictions from the Rein-Sehgal coherent production model and the model by Alvarez-Ruso et al., the latter representing the first implementation of an instance of the new class of microscopic coherent models in a neutrino interaction Monte Carlo event generator. We observe a clear event excess above background, disagreeing with the null results reported by K2K and SciBooNE in a similar neutrino energy region. The measured flux-averaged cross sections are below those predicted by both the Rein-Sehgal and Alvarez-Ruso et al.

Fast Heating of Imploded Core with Counterbeam Configuration

A tailored-pulse-imploded core with a diameter of 70  μm is flashed by counterirradiating 110 fs, 7 TW laser pulses. Photon emission (>40  eV) from the core exceeds the emission from the imploded core by 6 times, even though the heating pulse energies are only one seventh of the implosion energy. The coupling efficiency from the heating laser to the core using counterirradiation is 14% from the enhancement of photon emission. Neutrons are also produced by counterpropagating fast deuterons accelerated by the photon pressure of the heating pulses. A collisional two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation reveals that the collisionless two counterpropagating fast-electron currents induce mega-Gauss magnetic filaments in the center of the core due to the Weibel instability. The counterpropagating fast-electron currents are absolutely unstable and independent of the core density and resistivity. Fast electrons with energy below a few MeV are trapped by these filaments in the core region, inducing an additional coupling. This might lead to the observed bright photon emissions.

Foams stabilized with solid particles carrying stimuli-responsive polymer hairs

Submicrometer-sized polystyrene (PS) particles carrying stimuli-responsive poly[2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDEA) hairs with degrees of polymerization of 30, 60 and 90 were synthesized by dispersion polymerization and used as a particulate foam stabilizer. The effects of the composition of these PDEA-PS particles and foam formation conditions on foamability, foam stability and foam microstructures were extensively investigated. The hairy particles were found to work as an effective stabilizer of aqueous foams in basic media, in which the PDEA hairs are not protonated and thus the particle surfaces exhibit suitable wettability at the air-water interface. In contrast, little to no foam or unstable foams were formed in acidic aqueous media, in which the hairs are protonated and are therefore water soluble. Particles carrying longer hairs resulted in greater foamability and more highly stabilized foams that were capable of persisting for more than one month. Foams were found to form in a narrower pH range when using PS particles with longer hairs, due to both entropic and image charge effects. Data obtained from the touch mixer mixing method showed that both foamability and foam stability increased with increases in the concentration of polymer particles up to 10 wt%, because higher concentrations allowed greater air-water interfacial areas to be stabilized. Conversely, only minimal foam was obtained at and above 15 wt% because of the high viscosity of the resulting aqueous particle dispersion. Trials using the homogenizer mixing method showed that foam with a cream-like texture could be formed even at 40 wt% particle concentration as a result of the improved mixing efficiency. Defoamation could be induced by exposing the foams to HCl vapor. Exposure to acidic vapor led to in situ protonation of the 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate residues, rendering the PDEA hairs hydrophilic and water soluble, and desorption of the PDEA-PS particles from the air-water interface.

Measurement of Muon Antineutrino Oscillations with an Accelerator-Produced Off-Axis Beam

T2K reports its first measurements of the parameters governing the disappearance of ν[over ¯]_{μ} in an off-axis beam due to flavor change induced by neutrino oscillations. The quasimonochromatic ν[over ¯]_{μ} beam, produced with a peak energy of 0.6 GeV at J-PARC, is observed at the far detector Super-Kamiokande, 295 km away, where the ν[over ¯]_{μ} survival probability is expected to be minimal. Using a data set corresponding to 4.01×10^{20} protons on target, 34 fully contained μ-like events were observed. The best-fit oscillation parameters are sin^{2}(θ[over ¯]_{23})=0.45 and |Δm[over ¯]_{32}^{2}|=2.51×10^{-3}  eV^{2} with 68% confidence intervals of 0.38-0.64 and 2.26-2.80×10^{-3}  eV^{2}, respectively. These results are in agreement with existing antineutrino parameter measurements and also with the ν_{μ} disappearance parameters measured by T2K.

Role of mast cells in fibrosis of classical Hodgkin lymphoma

The underlying mechanism of fibrosis in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association of fibrosis in the lymph nodes of patients with CHL through histological examination of the expression of cytokines associated with fibrosis and mast cell proliferation. Additionally, we sought to determine the degree of mast cell infiltration in a nodular sclerosis subtype of CHL (NSCHL) compared with that in non-NSCHL. We analyzed lymph nodes from 22 patients with CHL, of which eight were of the NSCHL and 14 of the non-NSCHL subtype, using immunohistochemical staining of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, interleukin (IL)-3, IL-13, and stem cell factor (SCF). Mast cells were positive for TGF-β and IL-13, and FOXP3-positive cells were negative for TGF-β. Only the expression of IL-13 in Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells was significantly more frequently observed in NSCHL than that in non-NSCHL (P = 0.0028) and was associated with a higher rate of fibrosis (P = 0.0097). The number of mast cells was significantly higher in NSCHL than that in non-NSCHL (P = 0.0001). A significantly positive correlation was observed between the rate of fibrosis and the number of mast cells (correlation coefficient, 0.8524; 95% CI, 0.6725-0.9372) (P <0.0001). The number of mast cells was significantly higher in the group with IL-13-positive HRS cells than that in the group with IL-13-negative HRS cells (P = 0.0157). Based on these findings, we hypothesize that IL-13 production by HRS cells may lead to fibrosis, and furthermore, promote mast cell proliferation and infiltration. This in turn might further produce the fibrotic cytokines IL-13 and TGF-β, resulting in fibrosis typical of NSCHL.