Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D, nasopharyngeal airway metabolome, and bronchiolitis severity

Low circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels are a risk factor for acute respiratory infection (eg, bronchiolitis) in children. However, little is known about the relation of circulating 25OHD with the many downstream functional molecules in target organs-such as the airway-and with clinical outcomes. In this prospective multicenter study of infants (age <1 year) hospitalized with bronchiolitis, we measured serum 25OHD levels and profiled the metabolome of 144 nasopharyngeal airway samples. Among 254 metabolites identified, we defined a set of 20 metabolites that are related to lower serum 25OHD and higher vitamin D-binding protein levels. Of these metabolites, 9 metabolites were associated with a significantly higher risk of positive pressure ventilation use. These metabolites were glycerophosphocholines esterified with proinflammatory fatty acids (palmitate, arachidonate, linoleate, and stearate), sphingomyelins, alpha-hydroxyisovalerate, 2-hydroxybutyrate, and 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)lactate (all FDR<0.05). Based on the multicenter data, vitamin D-related airway metabolites were associated with risks of bronchiolitis severity.

New paste for severe stomatitis in patients undergoing head-and-neck cancer radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy with oral appliance

Background

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physical properties of “admixture paste”, which is a commercially available gel containing hinokitiol for use against severe stomatitis, and its characteristics as a moisturizing gel and denture adhesive.

Methods

The admixture paste, which contained dexamethasone (Dexaltin®), gel for oral care (Refrecare H®) and petrolatum, and its 3 components, either alone or in different combinations, were subjected to viscosity, adhesiveness and elution testing to compare their physical properties. Viscosity was measured with a stress-controlled rheometer. Adhesive force was measured by tension test. Elution under a simulated oral environment was evaluated by monitoring with a fixed-point camera and absorbance. Both adhesiveness and elution were evaluated every hour for 6 h. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess differences in the time course of elution between samples. In 3 og-rank test was used to compare time to elution into saliva among samples.

Results

The results of viscosity testing demonstrated that the admixture paste had similar viscosity to cream-type denture adhesives and this was temperature independent. In the adhesiveness tests, the admixture paste showed stronger adhesiveness than that of cream-type denture adhesives. In the elution test, the admixture paste demonstrated gradual dissolution and apparent temporal changes for 6 h in a simulated oral environment.

Conclusions

The results of the present study demonstrated that the admixture paste has adhesive force similar to those of denture adhesives and good local retention in saliva, and that it might be suitable for therapeutic use in patients with severe stomatitis derived from radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy for cancer.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-018-4017-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 is a myokine induced by palmitate and is required for myogenesis in mouse satellite cells

AIM

The functional significance of the myokines, cytokines and peptides produced and released by muscle cells has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to identify a myokine with increased secretion levels in muscle cells due to saturated fatty acids and to examine the role of the identified myokine in the regulation of myogenesis.

METHODS

Human primary myotubes and mouse C2C12 myotubes were used to identify the myokine; its secretion was stimulated by palmitate loading. The role of the identified myokine in the regulation of the activation, proliferation, differentiation and self-renewal was examined in mouse satellite cells (skeletal muscle stem cells).

RESULTS

Palmitate loading promoted the secretion of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) in human primary myotubes, and it also increased CXCL1 gene expression level in C2C12 myotubes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Palmitate loading increased the production of reactive oxygen species along with the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signalling. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB signalling attenuated the increase in CXCL1 gene expression induced by palmitate and hydrogen peroxide. Palmitate loading significantly increased CXC receptor 2 gene expression in undifferentiated cells. CXCL1 knockdown attenuated proliferation and myotube formation by satellite cells, with reduced self-renewal. CXCL1 knockdown also significantly decreased the Notch intracellular domain protein level.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that secretion of the myokine CXCL1 is stimulated by saturated fatty acids and that CXCL1 promotes myogenesis from satellite cells to maintain skeletal muscle homeostasis.

Analysis of respiratory movements in a mouse model of late Parkinson's disease submitted to stress

Parkinson's disease (PD) is known to cause tremor and rigidity, but other symptoms such as respiratory and autonomic dysfunctions are a major cause of disability and mortality in patients. In this study, we examined respiratory movements by using cineradiography on a murine model of late/advanced PD. Under surgical anesthesia, C57BL/6J mice received an injection of either 6-OHDA or vehicle solution to the right striatum. Two weeks after surgery, the animals had their respiratory movements recorded by video X-ray without any restraint. During recordings the animals were submitted to a mild acute-stress challenge. Behavioral tests were performed to assess the severity of the 6-OHDA lesion. As a result, behavioral tests confirmed severe motor impairments in 6-OHDA mice as compared to controls. 6-OHDA mice showed a predominantly thoracic respiratory pattern with reduced diaphragmatic excursion, and reduced respiratory frequency after stress. These results suggest that advanced nigrostrial degeneration may cause respiratory alterations with the features of obstructive-type respiratory disorders.

The activated conformation of integrin β7 is a novel multiple myeloma-specific target for CAR T cell therapy

Cancer-specific cell-surface antigens are ideal targets for monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based immunotherapy but are likely to have previously been identified in transcriptome or proteome analyses. Here, we show that the active conformer of an integrin can serve as a specific therapeutic target for multiple myeloma (MM). We screened >10,000 anti-MM mAb clones and identified MMG49 as an MM-specific mAb specifically recognizing a subset of integrin β₇ molecules. The MMG49 epitope, in the N-terminal region of the β₇ chain, is predicted to be inaccessible in the resting integrin conformer but exposed in the active conformation. Elevated expression and constitutive activation of integrin β₇ conferred high MMG49 reactivity on MM cells, whereas MMG49 binding was scarcely detectable in other cell types including normal integrin β₇⁺ lymphocytes. T cells transduced with MMG49-derived chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) exerted anti-MM effects without damaging normal hematopoietic cells. Thus, MMG49 CAR T cell therapy is promising for MM, and a receptor protein with a rare but physiologically relevant conformation can serve as a cancer immunotherapy target.

The relationship between nasopharyngeal CCL5 and microbiota on disease severity among infants with bronchiolitis

Emerging evidence suggests that the airway microbiota plays an important role in viral bronchiolitis pathobiology. However, little is known about the combined role of airway microbiota and CCL5 in infants with bronchiolitis. In this multicenter prospective cohort study of 1005 infants (age <1 year) hospitalized for bronchiolitis during 2011-2014, we observed statistically significant interactions between nasopharyngeal airway CCL5 levels and microbiota profiles with regard to the risk of both intensive care use (P_interaction =.02) and hospital length-of-stay ≥3 days (P_interaction =.03). Among infants with lower CCL5 levels, the Haemophilus-dominant microbiota profile was associated with a higher risk of intensive care use (OR, 3.20; 95%CI, 1.18-8.68; P=.02) and hospital length-of-stay ≥3 days (OR, 4.14; 95%CI, 2.08-8.24; P<.001) compared to the Moraxella-dominant profile. Conversely, among those with higher CCL5 levels, there were no significant associations between the microbiota profiles and these severity outcomes (all P≥.10).

Kinetics in directional drying of water that contains deformable non-volatile oil droplets

Herein, we report assessments of the kinetics in directional drying of water that contains non-volatile oil droplets, based on direct observations using a confocal microscope. The water was found to evaporate at a constant rate during the initial stage of drying, after which the evaporation rate decreased. The dispersed oil droplets were compressed and distorted as the surrounding water was lost. Further evaporation of water resulted in coalescence of the oil droplets, with the eventual formation of an oil layer at the drying interface. However, it was apparent that the drying rate decreased even before the formation of this oil layer. We propose that the restricted transport of water via the narrow paths between the distorted oil droplets was responsible for the decreased drying rate. A mathematical model based on foam drainage theory is proposed and describes the experimental data very well. This work also determined that the critical disjoining pressure for the oil droplets is affected by the drying rate, such that higher pressure values are associated with slow drying conditions. The drying kinetics and stability of the dispersed oil droplets are discussed.

Displacement of native white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis by non-native brown trout Salmo trutta after resolution of habitat fragmentation by a migration barrier

After resolution of habitat fragmentation by an erosion-control dam, non-native brown trout Salmo trutta invaded the upstream side of the dam and displaced native white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis in Monbetsu stream, Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Change in tongue pressure in patients with head and neck cancer after surgical resection

Tongue pressure is reportedly associated with dysphagia. This study investigated relationships among characteristics of head and neck cancer, tongue pressure and dysphagia screening tests performed in patients with head and neck cancer during the acute phase after surgical resection. Fifty-seven patients (36 men, 21 women; age range 26-95 years) underwent surgical resection and dysphagia screening tests (Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test, Water Swallowing Test, Modified Water Swallowing Test and Food Test) and pre- and postoperative measurement of tongue pressure at 5 time points (preoperatively, and 1-2 weeks and 1, 2, and 3 months postoperatively). Progression of cancer (stage), tracheotomy, surgical reconstruction, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and neck dissection were factors associated with postoperative tongue pressure. Data were analyzed by linear mixed-effect model, Spearman correlation coefficient and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Tongue pressure was significantly reduced 1-2 weeks after surgery, and recovered over time. Changes in tongue pressure were significantly associated with stage, radiotherapy and reconstruction. All screening tests showed a significant relationship with tongue pressure. Analysis of ROC and area under the effect curve suggested that a tongue pressure of 15 kPa can be used as a cut-off value to detect dysphagia after surgery for head and neck cancer. Our results suggest that tongue pressure evaluation might offer a safe, useful and objective tool to assess dysphagia immediately postoperatively in patients with head and neck cancer.

Density-dependent effects of non-native brown trout Salmo trutta on the species-area relationship in stream fish assemblages

The spatial scale and density-dependent effects of non-native brown trout Salmo trutta on species richness of fish assemblages were examined at 48 study sites in Mamachi Stream, a tributary of Chitose River, Hokkaido, Japan. The density of age ≥1 year S. trutta was high in the upstream side of the main stem of Mamachi Stream. Fish species richness increased with increasing area of study sites (habitat size), but the increasing magnitude of the species richness with area decreased with increasing age of ≥1 year S. trutta density. The relationships between age ≥1 year S. trutta, however, and presence-absence of each species seemed to be different among species. Species richness was also determined by location and physical environmental variables, i.e. it was high on the downstream side and in structurally complex environments.