Residual of 17beta-estradiol in digestion liquid generated from a biogas plant using livestock waste

A biogas plant using livestock waste in which a methane fermentation process is applied is a useful facility for generating energy. The digestion liquid generated from the biogas plant as a residue has high potential for use as a crop fertilizer. However, high-density estrogens such as 17beta-estradiol (E2) are included in livestock waste, and there is little information on the behavior of E2 in the digestion liquid. In this study, a survey of E2 concentration at each process in a biogas plant using livestock waste was carried out. In addition, the efficiencies of E2 removal from the digestion liquid by activated carbon adsorption and soil infiltration were examined. The total concentration of E2 in raw livestock waste was reduced to 2 microg/l after treatment, and the removal efficiency of E2 was about 80% for the plant. The methane fermentation process is important not only for the generation of methane but also for the removal of E2. The proportion of E2 conjugates comprising the total E2 concentration was 10% or less in all treated samples. In the plant, there is no likelihood of an increase in estrogen activity by the cleaving of E2 conjugates. By carrying out activated carbon adsorption to remove E2 from the digestion liquid, a large portion of E2 was removed from the digestion liquid, but an E2 concentration of 0.5 microg/l still remained in the treated digestion liquid. In contrast, it was possible to purify the digestion liquid to an E2 concentration of less than 0.002-0.011 microg/l by soil infiltration. It is thus possible to utilize the digestion liquid as a fertilizer without causing aquatic environmental pollution, but factors such as application rate, soil characteristics, and the E2 concentration of digestion liquid should be considered first.

Validation of a single-channel airflow monitor for screening of sleep-disordered breathing

A simple screening method for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is desirable for primary care practices. In the present study, a simple monitor, which utilises a new type of flow sensor and a novel algorithm, was prospectively validated. Home recording for 2 nights with the monitor only, followed by in-laboratory recording with the monitor together with polysomnography, were carried out in consecutive patients (n = 100) suspected of SDB. A subjective sleep log was also recorded. The signal was analysed using power spectral analysis, which yielded the flow respiratory disturbance index (flow-RDI). There was no recording failure at home. The reproducibility of the flow-RDI between the 2 nights at home was high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.92). The sensitivity and specificity of the in-laboratory flow-RDI to diagnose SDB were 0.96 and 0.82, 0.91 and 0.82, and 0.89 and 0.96, for apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) > or =5, > or =15 and > or =30 events x h(-1), respectively. The diagnostic ability in low-severity subgroups (female, normal weight, AHI <15 events x h(-1)) was almost comparable to that in the entire group. Excluding subjective waking time on the sleep log from the recording time had no significant effect on the flow-RDI. The single-channel monitor is considered feasible for ambulatory sleep disordered breathing monitoring because of its easy applicability, high reproducibility and relatively high agreement with polysomnography results.

Effects of steroid pulse therapy on immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease

BACKGROUND

The use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is well established as an initial therapy for Kawasaki disease (KD), but treatment for IVIG-resistant KD remains uncertain

AIM

To analyse the effects of intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) pulse therapy compared with additional IVIG in IVIG-resistant patients.

METHODS

IVMP was administered to patients with KD who had persistent or recurrent fever after a single dose of IVIG, at Juntendo University Hospital and affiliated medical institutions between May 2003 and March 2006. The effectiveness of the treatment and the incidence of coronary lesions in patients who received IVMP and those who received additional IVIG were retrospectively analysed and compared by chart review.

RESULTS

411 patients with KD were treated with a single dose of IVIG. Of the 63 IVIG-resistant patients, 44 were then given IVMP and 19 were given additional IVIG. Treatment was successful in 34 (77%) of the patients who received IVMP and 12 (63%) who received additional IVIG. Five of the 10 patients who did not respond to IVMP and two of the seven who did not respond to additional IVIG developed coronary artery aneurysms. Although fever initially resolved faster in the IVMP-resistant group, there was a delay in fever recurrence, which ultimately delayed the final resolution of fever.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that IVMP is an effective additional treatment for IVIG-resistant KD. However, there was a tendency for fever to recur later in IVMP-resistant patients, which could potentially delay the therapeutic decision-making process.

Risk factors for acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: retrospective analysis of 73 patients who received cyclosporin A

Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been used most widely as an immunosuppressive agent for preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). To explore the risk factors including CsA blood levels for grades II-IV acute GVHD, we retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in our hospital between March 1989 and July 2001. Seventy-three patients (47 males and 26 females) received CsA and short-term methotrexate for GVHD prophylaxis. CsA 1.5 mg/kg was administered as a 3-h infusion twice daily from day 1 until the patient recovered from the toxic gastrointestinal complication. Methotrexate was given at a dose of 15 mg/m(2) on day 1 and 10 mg/m(2) on days 3, 6 and 11. Grades II-IV acute GVHD occurred in 18 patients (24.7%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that higher C(5) (the whole-blood CsA concentration at 5 h after the start of infusion) before the onset of acute GVHD reduced the onset of grades II-IV acute GVHD with a hazard ratio of 0.994 (95% confidence interval 0.989-0.999) for every increase of 1 ng/ml. Our data indicate that inadequate exposures of CsA can be a vital risk for developing acute GVHD. From our results, we consider that precise monitoring of CsA concentrations and adjustment of CsA dose using the concentration may be effective to prevent the onset of severe acute GVHD. To confirm this finding, further prospective study will be needed.

Automatic detection of sleep-disordered breathing from a single-channel airflow record

Single-channel airflow monitors developed for screening of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) have conflicting results for accuracy. It was hypothesised that the analytical algorithm is crucial for the performance and the present authors tried to develop a novel computer algorithm. A total of 399 polysomnography (PSG) records were employed, including a thermal sensor signal. The first 100 records were used in the development of the algorithm and the remainder for validation. In addition, 119 PSG records, including a thermocouple signal and a nasal pressure signal, were used for the validation. The algorithm was designed to obtain a time series (flow-power) using power spectral analysis, which expresses fluctuation in the airflow signal amplitude. From the time series the algorithm detects transient falls of the flow-power and calculates flow-respiratory disturbance index (RDI), defined as the number of falls per hour. In the validation group, the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for diagnosis of SDB (apnoea/hypopnoea index > or =5) were 0.96, 0.95 and 0.95, for the records of the thermal sensor, thermocouple and nasal pressure system, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity/specificity ratios of the flow-RDI were 96/76, 88/80 and 97%/77%, respectively. The present results suggest that a single-channel airflow monitor can be used to detect sleep-disordered breathing automatically if the analytic algorithm is optimised.

Mismatch of minor histocompatibility antigen contributes to a graft-versus-leukemia effect rather than to acute GVHD, resulting in long-term survival after HLA-identical stem cell transplantation in Japan

We determined the alleles of five polymorphic molecules including HA-1 and four adhesion molecules for 106 patients transplanted with HLA-identical stem cell grafts and investigated the association of mismatches as correlates of relapse and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). All 106 recipients underwent stem cell transplantation (SCT) after myeloablative conditioning between 1985 and 2002. Risk status of disease at SCT was standard (n=63) and high (n=42). After SCT, 36, 49 and 33 developed acute GVHD, chronic GVHD and relapsed, respectively. Our patients relapsed at rates of 16.7 and 38.6% with one or more and without incompatibilities (P=0.013). The relapse rates of patients with CD62L, CD31 codon 563, CD31 codon 125, HA-1 and CD49b incompatibilities were 5.9, 11.8, 15.4, 16.0 and 33.3%, respectively. The frequency of acute GVHD did not differ regardless of incompatibilities. In standard-risk group, the accumulated relapse rates of 19 and 44 patients with and without minor histocompatibility antigen incompatibility were 22% and unexpectedly 66%, respectively (P=0.02). The probability of 12-year survival was 88% in the former and 66% in the latter patients (P=0.03). Our data suggest that incompatibility of CD62L, CD31 codon 563 and CD31 codon 125 contributes to a graft-versus-leukemia effect rather than to GVHD, resulting in prolonged survival after HLA-identical SCT.

Type I IFN-mediated enhancement of anti-leukemic cytotoxicity of gammadelta T cells expanded from peripheral blood cells by stimulation with zoledronate

BACKGROUND

In order to establish efficient gammadelta T-cell based tumor immunotherapy, we explored a method to enhance the cytotoxicity of gammadelta T cells against leukemia cells by stimulating gammadelta T cells with type I IFN.

METHODS

Gammadelta T cells were expanded from normal PBMC by culturing with zoledronate and a low concentration of IL-2 for 2 weeks. For the activation of gammadelta T cells, gammadelta T cells were cultured with type I IFN (HLBI, IFN-alpha2b and IFN-beta) for 1-3 days. The cytotoxicity of HLBI-activated gammadelta T cells against leukemia cell lines and fresh leukemia cells was evaluated by 51Cr-release assay.

RESULTS

Gammadelta T cells, which were expanded and purified with magnetic beads using an anti-gammadelta TCR MAb, were demonstrated to be cytotoxic against leukemia cell lines of both lymphoid and myeloid origin and fresh myeloid leukemia cells. By culturing expanded gammadelta T cells with type I IFN, the expression of the activation marker CD69 was increased and the cytometric bead array showed an elevated production of IFN-gamma by gammadelta T cells. In addition, the cytotoxicity of gammadelta T cells against leukemia cells was definitely enhanced by culturing gammadelta T cells with HLBI.

DISCUSSION

The present study has demonstrated that type I IFN could enhance the anti-leukemic cytotoxicity of expanded gammadelta T cells, which implies that in vitro bisphosphonate (such as zoledronate)-expanded and type I IFN-activated gammadelta T cells could be applied to immunotherapy for hematologic malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma.

FK506 Induces the Atrophy of Enteric Ganglia in Small Bowel Transplantation, Which Can Be Prevented by the Neuropeptide Bombesin

PURPOSE

FK506, which is widely used for immunosuppression, is reported to have neurotoxicity. However, its neurotoxicity for transplanted graft enteric ganglia (TGEG) has never been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate whether FK506 has a neurotoxic effect on TGEG, and whether bombesin (BBS) prevents such atrophy.

METHODS

Eighteen rats that underwent syngertic heterotopic small bowel transplantation (SBTx) using a cuff method were divided into three groups of six rats each; A: SBTx alone, B: SBTx with FK506, C: SBTx with FK506/BBS. Either BBS (10 mg/kg/d) or normal saline was infused continuously from day 14 to 28. Rats in groups B and C were administered FK506 (0.32 mg/kg/day, intramuscularly) daily. Analysis of TGEG was performed using immunohistochemistry with protein gene product (PGP) 9.5. The ganglionic number was obtained by counting PGP9.5-positive ganglia in each graft.

RESULTS

The number of TGEG were reduced significantly in group B (51.5 +/- 7.7 ganglia per cross section (G/CS)) compared with group A (69.7 +/- 6.0 G/CS), but were well preserved in group C (84.8 +/- 10.2 G/CS). There were significant differences between groups B and C (P < .001) and also between groups A and C (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

FK506 showed severe neurotoxicity on transplanted grafts, and bombesin could rescue TGEG against FK506 neurotoxicity.

Prevention of Warm Ischemic Injury by Neuropeptide Bombesin in Small Bowel Transplantation

PURPOSE

This study investigated whether preoperative administration of neuropeptide bombesin (BBS) had a protective effect against IR/I and subsequent acute rejection.

METHODS

Allogeneic SBTx was performed heterotopically in rats (n = 18). That were administered FK506 (0.32 kg/d) daily. The rats were divided into three groups of six rats each: group 1, BBS(-)5: warm ischemic time (WIT); 5 minutes without BBS; group 2, BBS(-)15: WIT; 15 minutes without BBS; group 3, BBS(+)15: WIT; 15 minutes with BBS. The specimens were obtained from the stoma site at 1 hour after reperfusion and on postoperative days (PODs) 1 and 7. The graft mucosal state and degree of acute rejection were evaluated by H and E staining. The apoptotic cells in the crypt lesion were evaluated using TUNEL immunohistochemistry. An apoptotic index (AI) was calculated for quantitative analysis.

RESULTS

H and E staining revealed that on POD 1 the mucosal villi were shortened in the BBS(-)15 group compared with the other two groups. One hour after reperfusion, the AI in BBS(-)15 group was 125.0 per thousand +/- 37.2 per thousand, which was significantly higher (P < .05) than that in the BBS(-)5 group (32.6 per thousand +/- 5.0 per thousand) or the BBS(+)15 group (32.0 per thousand +/- 3.0 per thousand). On POD 7, the AI in the BBS(-)15 group was 63.7 per thousand +/- 5.03 per thousand, which was significantly higher (P < .05) than in the BBS(-)5 (17.3 per thousand +/- 4.6 per thousand) or the BBS(+)15 group (12.3 per thousand +/- 3.06 per thousand).

CONCLUSIONS

Even a short WIT of 15 minutes induced considerable allograft mucosal damage, which also heightened the possibility of acute rejection. Exogenous BBS prevented mucosal damage by IR/I and was also beneficial to prevent acute rejection.

Neuroendocrine-Immune Modulation May Be Useful for Allograft-Specific Immunosuppression in Small Bowel Transplantation

PURPOSE

The authors have previously demonstrated that the neuropeptide bombesin (BBS) prevented allograft mucosal atrophy under tacrolimus (TRL) immunosuppression for rats small bowel transplantation (SBT). The present study investigated whether BBS had immunosuppressive effects on small bowel allografts.

METHODS

Allogeneic SBT was performed heterotopically in rats (n = 12) that received daily administration of 0.1 mg/kg/d TRL from postoperative day 0 to day 14. Rats divided into two groups of six rats each were administered BBS or normal saline as a control. Biopsy of the allograft was performed from the stomal site on postoperative days 6, 10, and 14. The state of the graft mucosal villi was evaluated by H & E staining and TUNEL immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

By postoperative day 14, extensive mucosal destruction accompanied by heavy transmural cellular infiltration had developed in the control group. Lymphocytes and plasma cells infiltrated the lamina propria of the allograft without the distorting villous architecture in the BBS group. The TUNEL index of graft mucosa in the control group was 1.26% +/- 0.37% (mean +/- SD) and that in the BBS group, 0.59% +/- 0.20%, respectively (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated an immunosuppressive effect of bombesin on transplanted allografts, which might dramatically reduce the dose of TRL required for postoperative immunosuppression.

Multicentre prospective study of perinatal depression in Japan: incidence and correlates of antenatal and postnatal depression

A multicentre study on the epidemiology of perinatal depression was conducted among Japanese women expecting the first baby (N = 290). The incidence rate of the onset of the DSM-III-R Major Depressive Episode during pregnancy (antenatal depression) and within 3 months after delivery (postnatal depression) were 5.6% and 5.0%, respectively. Women with antenatal depression were characterised by young age and negative attitude towards the current pregnancy, whereas women with postnatal depression were characterised by poor accommodation, dissatisfaction with sex of the newborn baby and with the emotional undermining. Antenatal depression was a major risk factor for postnatal depression.

AURKA is one of the downstream targets of MAPK1/ERK2 in pancreatic cancer

DUSP6/MKP-3, a specific inhibitor of MAPK1/ERK2, frequently loses its expression in primary pancreatic cancer tissues. This evidence suggests that constitutive activation of MAPK1 synergistically induced by frequent mutation of KRAS2 and the loss of function of DUSP6 plays key roles in pancreatic carcinogenesis and progression. By profiling of gene expressions associated with downregulation of MAPK1 induced by exogenous overexpression of DUSP6 in pancreatic cancer cells, we found that AURKA/STK15, the gene encoding Aurora-A kinase, which plays key roles in cellular mitosis, was among the downregulated genes along with its related genes, which included AURKB, TPX2 and CENPA. An association of expression and promoter activity of AURKA with MAPK activity was verified. Knockdown of ETS2 resulted in a reduction of AURKA expression. These results indicate that AURKA is a direct target of the MAPK pathway and that its overexpression in pancreatic cancer is induced by hyperactivation of the pathway, at least via ETS2.

Measurement of a long electronic spin relaxation time of cesium atoms in superfluid helium

The longitudinal electronic spin relaxation time of Cs atoms optically polarized in superfluid helium (He II, 1.5 K) has been measured with special care to cope with a serious decrease in the number of Cs atoms in the observation region. This decrease, mainly caused by helium convection in introducing the atoms into He II by laser sputtering, was significantly reduced using a new atom implantation method. Combined with a careful correction for the number of atoms, we have determined the relaxation time to be 2.24(19) s or longer, roughly twice as long as that in solid He.

Cloning, functional expression and promoter analysis of xylanase III gene from Trichoderma reesei

In this study, the xyn3 gene from the filamentous mesophilic fungus Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) PC-3-7 was cloned and sequenced. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of XYN III revealed considerable homology with xylanases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 10. These results show that XYN III is distinguishable from XYN I and XYN II, two other T. reesei xylanases that belong to the glycosidase family 11. When xyn3 was expressed in Escherichia coli, significant activity was observed in the cell-free extract, and higher activity (13.2 U/ml medium) was recovered from the inclusion bodies in the cell debris. The sequence of the 5'-upstream region of the gene in the parent strain QM9414 is identical to that of PC-3-7, although the expression level of xyn3 in PC-3-7 has been reported to be at least 1,000 times greater than in QM9414. These results suggest that xyn3 expression in T. reesei QM9414 is silenced. The consensus sequences for ACEI, ACEII, CREI, and the Hap2/3/5 protein complex are all present in the upstream region of xyn3. Deletion analysis of the upstream region revealed that two regions containing consensus sequences for the known regulatory elements play important roles for xyn3 expression.

PTOV1: a novel testosterone-induced atherogenic gene in human aorta

There are gender differences in the development of atherosclerosis, possibly owing to differences in sex steroid hormone action and/or metabolism. One of the atherogenic effects of testosterone is thought to be androgen receptor (AR)-mediated vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. However, the detailed mechanism of this effect, particularly the identity of the genes associated with VSMC proliferation, remains largely unknown. Therefore, we first employed microarray analysis and, subsequently, quantitative RT-PCR to analyse RNA expression in AR-positive human VSMCs treated with testosterone in order to detect testosterone-induced genes associated with cell proliferation. We further examined whether the genes identified were involved in cell proliferation using small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection. Expression of the gene products was then evaluated in human aorta with various degrees of atherosclerosis in order to evaluate the clinical relevance of the findings. Both microarray and quantitative RT-PCR analyses demonstrated marked induction of the human prostate overexpressed protein 1 (PTOV1) gene by testosterone in the cell lines: this gene was recently identified as a novel androgen-induced gene involved in prostate tumour cell proliferation. Inhibition of PTOV1 by transfection of its corresponding siRNA suppressed testosterone-induced cell proliferation. In human aorta, PTOV1 immunoreactivity in the nuclei of neointimal VSMCs was abundantly detected in male aorta with mild atherosclerotic changes compared with female aorta or male aorta with severe atherosclerotic changes. These findings indicate that the PTOV1 gene is androgen-responsive in VSMCs and that it may play an important role in androgen-related atherogenesis in the human aorta, particularly early atherosclerosis in the male aorta, through regulating proliferation of neointimal VSMCs.