RISING beamline (BL28XU) for rechargeable battery analysis

The newly installed BL28XU beamline at SPring-8 is dedicated to in situ structural and electronic analysis of rechargeable batteries. It supports the time range (1 ms to 100 s) and spatial range (1 µm to 1 mm) needed for battery analysis. Electrochemical apparatus for battery charging and discharging are available in experimental hutches and in a preparation room. Battery analysis can be carried out efficiently and effectively using X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Here, the design and performance of the beamline are described, and preliminary results are presented.

The redox-associated adaptive response of brain to physical exercise

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are continuously generated during metabolism. ROS are involved in redox signaling, but in significant concentrations they can greatly elevate oxidative damage leading to neurodegeneration. Because of the enhanced sensitivity of brain to ROS, it is especially important to maintain a normal redox state in brain and spinal cord cell types. The complex effects of exercise benefit brain function, including functional enhancement as well as its preventive and therapeutic roles. Exercise can induce neurogenesis via neurotrophic factors, increase capillarization, decrease oxidative damage, and enhance repair of oxidative damage. Exercise is also effective in attenuating age-associated loss in brain function, which suggests that physical activity-related complex metabolic and redox changes are important for a healthy neural system.

Zoledronate-pulsed dendritic cell-based anticancer vaccines

The addition of zoledronate to tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-loaded dendritic cells (DCs) promotes the activation of interferon γ-secreting Vγ9 γδ T cells, in turn eliciting TAA-specific CD8⁺ T-cell responses. Immunological responses induced by zoledronate-pulsed DC-based vaccines have been associated with therapeutic effects in clinical trials.

Immunotherapy of autologous tumor lysate-loaded dendritic cell vaccines by a closed-flow electroporation system for solid tumors

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines with the use of various antigen loading methods have been developed for cancer immunotherapy. Electroporation (EP) of a whole tumor cell lysate into DCs was previously found to be more potent for eliciting antigen-specific CD8 + T-cells compared to co-incubation of tumor cell lysates with DCs in vitro. In the present report, we studied the feasibility, safety and antitumor effect in the clinical use of an EP-DC vaccine for the immunotherapy of various types of human solid tumors. We successfully prepared an autologous tumor lysate-loaded EP-DC vaccine with high cell viability by the closed-flow electroporation system. In the phase I clinical trial, mild adverse events associated with the EP-DC vaccine were found during the treatment of advanced or recurrent cancer, or during the adjuvant therapy of some types of cancer; no autoimmune responses were observed after treatment with the autologous tumor lysate-loaded EP-DC vaccines. For the antitumor effect of the EP-DC vaccine against the 41 various types of solid tumor, the overall response rate [complete remission (CR) + partial response (PR)] was 4.9% (2/41) and the clinical benefit rate [CR+ PR + long stable disease (SD)] was 31.7% (13/41). Furthermore, the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactivity was positive in most cases of long SD and the positive rate of DTH was 91.7% (11/12) for the patients with clinical benefit. In conclusion, the safety and feasibility of the EP-DC vaccine with autologous tumor lysates were confirmed, and it was found that the antitumor effect might be associated with the immunological response induced by the EP-DC vaccine for cancer immunotherapy.

A patient with scirrhous stomach cancer treated with combination of hyperthermotherapy and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)

A 35-year-old female with scirrhous stomach cancer (stage IV) was treated with a combination of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), sodium dichloroacetate (DCA), hyperthermotherapy, and immunotherapy as terminal care. The patient survived for one year and seven months, during which her quality of life was markedly improved and she returned to work. The patient was diagnosed with poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma and progressive signet-ring cell carcinoma, accompanied by left ovarian metastasis, peritoneal dissemination, and right hydronephrosis stage IV, and treated with combination chemotherapy with tegafur-gimeracil-oteracil potassium (TS-1) and docetaxel. Oral ALA and DCA were concomitantly administered at 50 mg each three times a day (150 mg/day, respectively). In addition, hyperthermotherapy using thermotron was concomitantly performed at 2- to 3-week intervals. Cellular immunotherapy with αβ T- and immature dendritic cells was also performed. The disease did not progress for 11 months, her quality of life was markedly improved, and she was able to return to work. However, the signs of enlargement of the ovarian metastatic lesion were noted later, for which chemotherapy with four cycles of second-line paclitaxel and a half dose of irinotecan and cisplatin as third-line treatment were performed. Combination of ALA/DCA, hyperthermotherapy, and cellular immunotherapy may be a low-invasive palliative therapy superior in maintaining quality of life of tumor-bearing terminally ill individuals.

Prediction of contralateral inguinal hernias in children: a prospective study of 357 unilateral inguinal hernias

Purpose

Previously, we established a pre-operative risk scoring system to predict contralateral inguinal hernia in children with unilateral inguinal hernias. The current study aimed to verify the usefulness of our pre-operative scoring system.

Methods

This was a prospective study of patients undergoing unilateral inguinal hernia repair from 2006 to 2009 at a single institution. Gender, age at initial operation, birth weight, initial operation side, and the pre-operative risk score were recorded. We analyzed the incidence of contralateral inguinal hernia, risk factors, and the usefulness of our pre-operative risk scoring system. The follow-up period was 36 months. We used forward multiple logistic regression analysis to predict contralateral hernia.

Results

Of the 372 patients who underwent unilateral hernia repair, 357 (96.0 %) were completely followed-up for 36 months, and 23 patients (6.4 %) developed a contralateral hernia. Left-sided hernia (OR = 5.5, 95 %, CI = 1.3–24.3, p = 0.023) was associated with an increased risk of contralateral hernia. The following covariates were not associated with contralateral hernia development: gender (p = 0.702), age (p = 0.215), and birth weight (p = 0.301). The pre-operative risk score (cut-off point = 4.5) of the patients with a contralateral hernia was significantly higher, compared with the patients without a contralateral hernia using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (p = 0.024).

Conclusions

Using multivariate analysis, we confirmed usefulness of our pre-operative scoring system and initial side of the inguinal hernia, together, for the prediction of contralateral inguinal hernia in children.

The effect of lipopolysaccharide on enhanced inflammatory process with age: Modulation of NF-κB

Oxidative stress is thought to be a causative factor for age-related damage in a wide variety of cellular constituents that can lead to dysfunction and various pathological conditions, including the inflammatory process. At the molecular level, the redox-sensitive transcription factor, NF-κB plays a key role in the regulation of the inflammatory process, along with cytokines, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). We studied the mechanism underlying the modulation of the inflammatory reaction with age by investigating NF-κB activation and the expression of COX-2, iNOS, and cytokines genes in hepatic tissues isolated from young and old rats. We expanded our investigation of these factors in rats injected with the inflammatory activator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Data showed that NF-κB activity was up-regulated with age and was further enhanced by LPS injection, indicating an increased susceptibility and sensitivity to the inflammatory stimulus with age. To explore further the molecular events leading to NF-κB activation, we investigated the inhibitory component of NF-κB complex, IκB. Cytosolic IκBα, but not IκBβ, was significantly decreased in both old and LPS-treated rats, signifying the enhanced migration of cytosolic NF-κB complex into the nucleus following dissociation from the inhibitor. The appearance of the polypeptide, p65, as determined in the nucleus, corresponded with the change in IκBα, providing further supporting evidence for the molecular process involved in NF-κB activation. Our additional investigation of two proinflammatory-related enzymes, COX-2 and iNOS, and three cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α, clearly showed aged-related increases, in corroboration with the NF-κB activation. Our results demonstrated that LPS injection caused the enhanced gene expression of inducible proinflammatory proteins, COX-2 and iNOS through NF-κB activation.

Sagittal focusing of synchrotron radiation X-rays using a winged crystal

A Si(111) winged crystal has been designed to minimize anticlastic bending and improve sagittal focusing efficiency. The crystal was thin with wide stiffening wings. The length-to-width ratio of the crystal was optimized by finite element analysis, and the optimal value was larger than the `golden value'. The analysis showed that the slope error owing to anticlastic bending is less than the Darwin width. The X-rays were focused two-dimensionally using the crystal and a tangentially bent mirror. The observed profiles of the focal spot agreed well with the results of a ray-tracing calculation in the energy range from 8 to 17.5 keV. X-ray diffraction measurements with a high signal-to-noise ratio using this focusing system were demonstrated for a small protein crystal.

Safety and efficacy of protease-activated receptor-1 antagonists in patients with coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

BACKGROUND

Thrombin receptor antagonists blocking protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) on platelets represent a new class of oral antiplatelet agents for patients with atherothrombotic disease manifestations.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated the safety and efficacy of PAR-1 antagonists in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

PATIENTS/METHODS

Randomized, placebo-controlled trials of the PAR-1 antagonists atopaxar or vorapaxar in CAD patients were identified. The primary safety endpoint was the composite of Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) clinically significant bleeding. The primary efficacy endpoint was the composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke.

RESULTS

A total of 41 647 patients from eight trials were included. PAR-1 antagonists were associated with higher risks of TIMI clinically significant (odds ratio [OR] 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.39-1.57, P < 0.001), major (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.28-1.67, P < 0.001) and minor (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.40-2.00, P < 0.001) bleeding than placebo in the fixed-effects model. PAR-1 antagonists reduced the composite of death, MI or stroke as compared with placebo (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81-0.92, P < 0.001), driven by a lower risk of MI (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.78-0.92, P < 0.001). Conversely, PAR-1 antagonists and placebo did not differ in terms of risk of death (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.90-1.09, P = 0.81) or stroke (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.84-1.10, P = 0.59).

CONCLUSIONS

PAR-1 antagonists decrease ischemic events in patients with CAD as compared with placebo, mainly driven by a reduction in MI, at the cost of an increased risk of clinically significant bleeding.

Quick-scanning x-ray absorption spectroscopy system with a servo-motor-driven channel-cut monochromator with a temporal resolution of 10 ms

We have developed a quick-scanning x-ray absorption fine structure (QXAFS) system and installed it at the recently constructed synchrotron radiation beamline BL33XU at the SPring-8. Rapid acquisition of high-quality QXAFS data was realized by combining a servo-motor-driven Si channel-cut monochromator with a tapered undulator. Two tandemly aligned monochromators with channel-cut Si(111) and Si(220) crystals covered energy ranges of 4.0-28.2 keV and 6.6-46.0 keV, respectively. The system allows the users to adjust instantly the energy ranges of scans, the starting angles of oscillations, and the frequencies. The channel-cut crystals are cooled with liquid nitrogen to enable them to withstand the high heat load from the undulator radiation. Deformation of the reflecting planes is reduced by clamping each crystal with two cooling blocks. Performance tests at the Cu K-edge demonstrated sufficiently high data quality for x-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended x-ray absorption fine-structure analyses with temporal resolutions of up to 10 and 25 ms, respectively.

Effect of Reveromycin A on experimental tooth movement in OPG-/- mice

In osteoprotegerin-deficient (OPG-/-) mice, osteoclast activity causes bone resorption to outpace bone formation, leading to the development of severe osteoporosis. Such mice are therefore useful for investigating the alveolar bone of patients with osteoporosis. Reveromycin A (RM-A) was recently identified as the unique agent acting on osteoclast activation. This study aimed to analyze the effect of RM-A on the orthodontic treatment of OPG-/- mice (a model of osteoporosis patients with high levels of bone turnover). We examined alveolar bone remodeling in OPG-/- and wild-type (WT) mice during continuous tooth movement. The orthodontic force was induced by means of a Ni-Ti closed-coil spring to move the maxillary first molar for 14 days. RM-A sodium salt (1 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally twice daily. In OPG-/- mice, the tooth movement distance was longer, alveolar bone resorption was enhanced, the osteoclast count was greater, and serum alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase levels were higher relative to those in WT mice. However, the administration of RM-A in OPG-/- mice reduced these parameters. We conclude that RM-A normalizes bone metabolism and loss of alveolar bone during continuous tooth movement in OPG-/- mice.

Extended survival observed in adoptive activated T lymphocyte immunotherapy for advanced lung cancer: results of a multicenter historical cohort study

Purpose

To clarify the long-term effect of immunotherapy, the effect of adoptive activated T lymphocyte immunotherapy on advanced lung cancer was evaluated in terms of survival time. In addition, the performance status of cancer patients under immunotherapy was examined.

Experimental design

Over 5 × 10⁹ alpha–beta T lymphocytes cultured ex vivo with an immobilized anti-CD3 antibody and interleukin-2 were injected intravenously into patients, once every 2 weeks for 3 months or longer. Follow-up of these patients was carried out using clinical records and by telephone interview questionnaire. Patients undergoing immunotherapy in immunotherapy clinics and those undergoing other anticancer therapies without immunotherapy in seven hospitals in Tokyo were enrolled in this study. Data were analyzed by a third-party statistician. Performance status was studied on another series of various cancer patients who underwent immunotherapy.

Results

The overall median survival time of the patients with the best supportive care, which was obtained using Kaplan–Meier’s model, was 5.6 months, and those with immunotherapy alone, chemotherapy alone, and immuno-chemotherapy were 12.5, 15.7, and 20.8 months, respectively. Using Cox’ proportional hazard model, we examined the possible factors on survival time by univariate analysis. Then, the patients were stratified by gender and histological type for multivariate analysis. Significantly low hazard ratios were observed for immunotherapy and radiotherapy in males with squamous cancer; for chemotherapy and radiotherapy in male with adenocarcinoma; and for immunotherapy in females with adenocarcinoma. Addition of immunotherapy to chemotherapy resulted in a statistically significant decrease in hazard ratio in females with adenocarcinoma. Studies on the performance status (PS), determined according to the European Cooperative Oncology Group criteria, revealed a continuous high level of PS under immunotherapy until around 2 months before death, in contrast to the gradual increase of tumor marker level.

Conclusions

The effectiveness of immunotherapy on advanced lung cancer is limited but may extend life span under certain conditions. Immunotherapy itself provided no clinical benefit by itself as compared with chemotherapy, but a significant additive effect of immunotherapy on chemotherapy was observed in females with adenocarcinoma. Moreover, immunotherapy can maintain good quality of life of the patients until near the time of death.

Cell type-specific localization of optineurin in the striatal neurons of mice: implications for neuronal vulnerability in Huntington's disease

Striatal neuropathology of Huntington's disease (HD) involves primary and progressive degeneration of the medium-sized projection neurons, with relative sparing of the local circuit interneurons. The mechanism for such a patterned cell loss in the HD striatum continues to remain unclear. Optineurin (OPTN) is one of the proteins interacting with huntingtin and plays a protective role in several neurodegenerative disorders. To determine the cellular localization pattern of OPTN in the mouse striatum, we employed a highly sensitive immunohistochemistry with the tyramide signal amplification system. In this study, we show that OPTN appeared as a cytoplasmic protein within the subsets of the striatal neurons. Of particular interest was that OPTN was abundantly expressed in the interneurons, whereas low levels of OPTN were observed in the medium projection neurons. This cell type-specific distribution of OPTN in the striatum is strikingly complementary to the pattern of neuronal loss typically observed in the striatum of patients with HD. We suggest that OPTN abundance is an important cellular factor in considering the cell type-specific vulnerability of striatal neurons in HD.

Immuno-cell therapy with antecedent surgery has superior actuarial survival to immuno-cell therapy without antecedent surgery for advanced cancers

BACKGROUND

Immuno-cell therapy using activated lymphocytes (ALs) and/or dendritic cells (DCs) is considered one of the less toxic supportive therapies compared with conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, especially for the treatment for advanced cancers. To improve the efficacy of immuno-cell therapy for such cancer, clinical data were analyzed in this preliminary study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The clinical data of 38 consecutive patients with advanced cancer who underwent at least one course of treatment with ALs and/or matured DCs, with or without antecedent surgery or additional conventional chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of the 23 patients who received surgery before immuno-cell therapy, 2 (8.7%) showed a complete response (CR) and 15 (65%) showed a partial response (PR) or prolonged stable disease (SD). Of the 15 remaining patients who did not undergo antecedent surgery, there was no CR but 7 (46%) showed PR or prolonged SD. Actuarial survival is one of the important indices for the evaluation of anticancer therapies that present longer durable efficacy of immunotherapy compared with conventional anticancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and actuarial survival analysis revealed that immuno-cell therapy with antecedent surgery afforded significantly longer survival than immuno-cell therapy without antecedent surgery (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Antecedent surgical resection of tumors is advisable for obtaining better efficacy of immuno-cell therapy, even in advanced cancer patients.

A lateral transzygomatic-transtemporal approach to the infratemporal fossa: technical note for mobilization of the second and third branches of the trigeminal nerve

This report describes an alternative approach to the infratemporal fossa lesions through a lateral zygomato-temporal craniotemy, which modifies the extradural temporopolar technique for cavernous sinus surgery. First, an L-shaped osteotomy of the zygoma from the frontozygomatic suture attaching the zygomatre arch and low positioned temporal cramotomy are made. Through this zygomato-temporal craniotomy and orbitotemporal drilling, leaving the lateral orbital rim and orbital roof intact, skeletonization of the foramens rotundum and ovale are carried out. The key element of this infratemporal exposure is the dissection and mobilization of the trigeminal nerve, trigeminal second branch rostrally, and the third branch caudally, which facilitates a wide exposure of the infratemporal fossa with preserving trigeminal function. The corridor between the mobilized trigeminal branches provides direct access to the lateral and medial pterygoid plate, internal maxillary artery, sphenoid and maxillary sinuses, maxilla and, finally, the parapharyngeal area. Our experiences have demonstrated that this lateral transzygomatic-transtemporal exposure is satisfactory for use with infratemporal fossa tumors. This approach has an advantage for cranial-base exposure with decreased risks of cosmetic deformity and of trigeminal nerve dysfunction.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 with phosphorylation of tyrosine 15 residue is enriched in striatal matrix compartment in adult mice

Accumulating evidence suggests that the striosome-matrix systems have a tight link with motor and behavioral brain functions and their disorders. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a versatile protein kinase that plays a role in synaptic functions and cell survival in adult brain, and its kinase activity is stimulated by phosphorylation at tyrosine 15 residue (pY15). In this study, we used an immunohistochemical method to show differential localization of Cdk5-pY15 in the striatal compartments of adult mice, with a heightened density of Cdk5-pY15 labeling in the matrix relative to the striosomes. Our findings indicate that Cdk5-pY15 can be a new marker for the striatal matrix compartment, and suggest a possible involvement of Cdk5-mediated signaling in compartment-specific neurotransmission and disease pathology in the striatum.

Identification and localization of a neuron-specific isoform of TAF1 in rat brain: implications for neuropathology of DYT3 dystonia

The neuron-specific isoform of the TAF1 gene (N-TAF1) is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of DYT3 dystonia, which leads to progressive neurodegeneration in the striatum. To determine the expression pattern of N-TAF1 transcripts, we developed a specific monoclonal antibody against the N-TAF1 protein. Here we show that in the rat brain, N-TAF1 protein appears as a nuclear protein within subsets of neurons in multiple brain regions. Of particular interest is that in the striatum, the nuclei possessing N-TAF1 protein are largely within medium spiny neurons, and they are distributed preferentially, though not exclusively, in the striosome compartment. The compartmental preference and cell type-selective distribution of N-TAF1 protein in the striatum are strikingly similar to the patterns of neuronal loss in the striatum of DYT3 patients. Our findings suggest that the distribution of N-TAF1 protein could represent a key molecular characteristic contributing to the pattern of striatal degeneration in DYT3 dystonia.

Abstract 5523: Adoptive cellular immunotherapy contributes to better survival for NSCLC patients: Case-control study of 395 Japanese patients with advanced NSCLC

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy (ITx) targeting various types of carcinoma including the lung is widely used, yet the clinical effectiveness has not been evaluated in large cases of lung carcinoma. So we carried out a case-control study to investigate the effect of ITx for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in Japanese population.

Between 2001 and 2006, 163 patients were identified as having advanced NSCLC with ECOG performance status (PS) 0/1 who underwent ITx with or without standard chemotherapy (CTx). The controls were 232 advanced NSCLC patients with PS 0/1 who had standard CTx or BSC alone. Overall survival (OS) and 1- and 2-year survival were obtained with Kaplan-Meyer survival curves and compared using log-rank and generalized Wilcoxon analysis. Multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazard models was also performed to analyze survival.

The mean age of total population was 64.8 + 10.6 years. There were 251 males and 144 females and 295 adenocarcinoma (Ad) and 74 squamous cell carcinoma (Sq) patients. The mean period and frequency of ITx was 10.2 months and 8.7 times, respectively. Median OS for CTx and ITx + CTx was 15.7 and 20.8 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazard model showed that sex (male vs female) (HR=0.33, p&lt;0.001) and histology (Ad vs Sq) (HR=0.14, p=0.045) were independent predictors of OS. It is revealed that ITx when administered as monotherapy was effective compared to BSC in male with Sq (HR=0.47, p=0.038) and female with Ad (HR=0.53, p=0.016). Additional effect of ITx on CTx was obtained in Ad histology, especially in female (p=0.039).

The present findings suggest that ITx may contribute to better survival for advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients under certain circumstances. These results should be confirmed in large prospective clinical trials.