VARIATION IN RADIATION DOSE RATES FROM RADIONUCLIDES DISCHARGED BY THE SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL REPROCESSING PLANT IN ROKKASHO UNDER DIFFERENT YEARLY WEATHER CONDITIONS

The radiation dose rate from radionuclides released by the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Japan, was assessed for a year specified in the safety review during which the weather conditions were not significantly different from those of the other 10 y. However, the actual year-by-year variation in annual radiation dose rate was not examined. A model system for evaluating the dose rate from the radionuclides released into the atmosphere was constructed. In this study, the radiation dose rate in the weather conditions of 24 weather bins was estimated for a standard year by the model. The annual maximum dose rate from 1959 to 2012 was estimated using a simplified method that integrated the dose rates of each weather bin in the standard year by estimating the annual frequency of the bin in the target year. We obtained ~1.3 as the maximum/minimum ratio of the annual maximum dose rate.

Alveolar heparan sulfate shedding impedes recovery from bleomycin-induced lung injury

The pulmonary epithelial glycocalyx, an anionic cell surface layer enriched in glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, contributes to the alveolar barrier. Direct injury to the pulmonary epithelium induces shedding of heparan sulfate into the air space; the impact of this shedding on recovery after lung injury is unknown. Using mass spectrometry, we found that heparan sulfate was shed into the air space for up to 3 wk after intratracheal bleomycin-induced lung injury and coincided with induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), including MMP2. Delayed inhibition of metalloproteinases, beginning 7 days after bleomycin using the nonspecific MMP inhibitor doxycycline, attenuated heparan sulfate shedding and improved lung function, suggesting that heparan sulfate shedding may impair lung recovery. While we also observed an increase in air space heparanase activity after bleomycin, pharmacological and transgenic inhibition of heparanase in vivo failed to attenuate heparan sulfate shedding or protect against bleomycin-induced lung injury. However, experimental augmentation of airway heparanase activity significantly worsened post-bleomycin outcomes, confirming the importance of epithelial glycocalyx integrity to lung recovery. We hypothesized that MMP-associated heparan sulfate shedding contributed to delayed lung recovery, in part, by the release of large, highly sulfated fragments that sequestered lung-reparative growth factors such as hepatocyte growth factor. In vitro, heparan sulfate bound hepatocyte growth factor and attenuated growth factor signaling, suggesting that heparan sulfate shed into the air space after injury may directly impair lung repair. Accordingly, administration of exogenous heparan sulfate to mice after bleomycin injury increased the likelihood of death due to severe lung dysfunction. Together, our findings demonstrate that alveolar epithelial heparan sulfate shedding impedes lung recovery after bleomycin.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of human herpesvirus-6 encephalitis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

In this retrospective analysis using the Transplant Registry Unified Management Program, we identified 145 patients with human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 encephalitis among 6593 recipients. The cumulative incidences of HHV-6 encephalitis at 100 days after transplantation in all patients, recipients of bone marrow or PBSCs and recipients of cord blood were 2.3%, 1.6% and 5.0%, respectively. Risk factors identified in multivariate analysis were male sex, type of transplanted cells (relative risk in cord blood transplantation, 11.09, P<0.001; relative risk in transplantation from HLA-mismatched unrelated donor, 9.48, P<0.001; vs transplantation from HLA-matched related donor) and GvHD prophylaxis by calcineurin inhibitor alone. At 100 days after transplantation, the overall survival rate was 58.3% and 80.5% among patients with and without HHV-6 encephalitis, respectively (P<0.001). Neuropsychological sequelae remained in 57% of 121 evaluated patients. With both foscarnet and ganciclovir, full-dose therapy (foscarnet ⩾180 mg/kg, ganciclovir ⩾10 mg/kg) was associated with better response rate (foscarnet, 93% vs 74%, P=0.044; ganciclovir, 84% vs 58%, P=0.047). HHV-6 encephalitis is not rare not only in cord blood transplant recipients but also in recipients of HLA-mismatched unrelated donors. In this study, development of HHV-6 encephalitis was associated with a poor survival rate, and neurological sequelae remained in many patients.

Surface Protonics Promotes Catalysis

Catalytic steam reforming of methane for hydrogen production proceeds even at 473 K over 1 wt% Pd/CeO₂ catalyst in an electric field, thanks to the surface protonics. Kinetic analyses demonstrated the synergetic effect between catalytic reaction and electric field, revealing strengthened water pressure dependence of the reaction rate when applying an electric field, with one-third the apparent activation energy at the lower reaction temperature range. Operando–IR measurements revealed that proton conduction via adsorbed water on the catalyst surface occurred during electric field application. Methane was activated by proton collision at the Pd–CeO₂ interface, based on the inverse kinetic isotope effect. Proton conduction on the catalyst surface plays an important role in methane activation at low temperature. This report is the first describing promotion of the catalytic reaction by surface protonics.

Structural alterations of the superior temporal gyrus in schizophrenia: Detailed subregional differences

BACKGROUND

Reduced gray matter volumes in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) have been reported in patients with schizophrenia. Such volumetric abnormalities might denote alterations in cortical thickness, surface area, local gyrification or all of these factors. The STG can be anatomically divided into five subregions using automatic parcellation in FreeSurfer: lateral aspect of the STG, anterior transverse temporal gyrus of Heschl gyrus (HG), planum polare (PP) of the STG, planum temporale (PT) of the STG and transverse temporal sulcus.

METHODS

We acquired magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3T scans from 40 age- and sex-matched patients with schizophrenia and 40 healthy subjects, and the scans were automatically processed using FreeSurfer. General linear models were used to assess group differences in regional volumes and detailed thickness, surface area and local gyrification.

RESULTS

As expected, patients with schizophrenia had significantly smaller bilateral STG volumes than healthy subjects. Of the five subregions in the STG, patients with schizophrenia showed significantly and marginally reduced volumes in the lateral aspect of the STG and PT of the STG bilaterally compared with healthy subjects. The volumetric alteration in bilateral lateral STG was derived from both the cortical thickness and surface area but not local gyrification. There was no significant laterality of the alteration in the lateral STG between patients and controls and no correlation among the structures and clinical characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that of five anatomical subregions in the STG, the lateral STG is one of the most meaningful regions for brain pathophysiology in schizophrenia.

p38γ MAPK is required for inflammation-associated colon tumorigenesis

Chronic inflammation has long been considered to causatively link to colon cancer development. However, signal transduction pathways involved remain largely unidentified. Here, we report that p38γ mitogen-activated protein kinase mediates inflammatory signaling to promote colon tumorigenesis. Inflammation activates p38γ in mouse colon tissues and intestinal epithelial cell-specific p38γ knockout (KO) attenuates colitis and inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Significantly, p38γ KO inhibits tumorigenesis in a colitis-associated mouse model. The specific p38γ pharmacological inhibitor pirfenidone also suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and colon tumorigenesis. The tumor-promoting activity of epithelial p38γ was further demonstrated by xenograft studies. In addition, p38γ is required for β-catenin/Wnt activities and p38γ stimulates Wnt transcription by phosphorylating β-catenin at Ser605. These results show that p38γ activation links inflammation and colon tumorigenesis. Targeting p38γ may be a novel strategy for colon cancer prevention and treatment.

A survival case of severe liver failure caused by acetylsalicylic acid that was treated with living donor liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

Severe liver dysfunction caused by acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is quite rare. The purpose is to describe a patient with severe liver dysfunction due to excessive intake of ASA in a suicide attempt, who was successfully treated with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

DESCRIPTION OF CASE

We report a 20-year-old woman who took 66 g of ASA in a suicide attempt. She was admitted to our hospital and received forced alkaline diuresis. However, her liver and renal functions worsened after admission. On the 6th day after intake of ASA, she was transferred to the intensive care unit, and plasma exchange (PE) and continuous hemodiafiltration were performed. Since her liver function did not recover despite repeated PE, she was transferred to another hospital for LDLT on the 8th day. She underwent LDLT with a portion of the liver donated from her mother on the 11(th) day. After the operation, her renal dysfunction continued. Her renal parameters gradually improved, and she was discharged on the 44th post-operative day without renal dysfunction.

CONCLUSION

PE is effective in removing ASA from blood. Liver transplantation is the only effective treatment if liver function does not recover in spite of repeated PE.

Dysregulation of BMI1 and microRNA-16 collaborate to enhance an anti-apoptotic potential in the side population of refractory mantle cell lymphoma

The proto-oncogene BMI1 and its product, Bmi1, is overexpressed in various types of tumors, particularly in aggressive tumors and tumors resistant to conventional chemotherapy. BMI1/Bmi1 is also crucially involved in cancer-initiating cell maintenance, and is recurrently upregulated in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), especially aggressive variants. Recently, side population (SP) cells were shown to exhibit tumor-initiating characteristics in various types of tumors. In this study, we show that recurrent MCL cases significantly exhibit upregulation of BMI1/Bmi1. We further demonstrate that clonogenic MCL SP shows such tumor-initiating characteristics as high tumorigenicity and self-renewal capability, and that BMI1 was upregulated in the SP from recurrent MCL cases and MCL cell lines. On screening for upstream regulators of BMI1, we found that expression of microRNA-16 (miR-16) was downregulated in MCL SP cells by regulating Bmi1 in the SPs, leading to reductions in tumor size following lymphoma xenografts. Moreover, to investigate downstream targets of BMI1 in MCL, we performed cross-linking/chromatin immunoprecipitation assay against MCL cell lines and demonstrated that Bmi1 directly regulated pro-apoptotic genes such as BCL2L11/Bim and PMAIP1/Noxa, leading to enhance anti-apoptotic potential of MCL. Finally, we found that a proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which has been recently used for relapsed MCL, effectively induced apoptosis among MCL cells while reducing expression of Bmi1 and increasing miR-16 in MCL SP. These results suggest that upregulation of BMI1 and downregulation of miR-16 in MCL SP has a key role in the disease's progression by reducing MCL cell apoptosis. Our results provide important new insight into the pathogenesis of MCL and strongly suggest that targeting BMI1/Bmi1 might be an effective approach to treating MCL, particularly refractory and recurrent cases.

Septic shock caused by Klebsiella oxytoca: An autopsy case and a survival case with driving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

We report two cases of Klebsiella oxytoca bacteremia. Case 1 was a 56-year-old man who was transferred to our hospital by ambulance due to diarrhea and general fatigue. On arrival, he was clearly conscious. However he was in septic shock. We injected broad spectrum antibacterial agents and started intensive care. Though intensive care included continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF), he died 22 hours after admission. Case 2 was a 69-year-old man with a history of gastrectomy for gastric cancer. He had been admitted to a previous hospital due to ileus. His ileus tube was removed on the eighth day, and he then developed a fever of 38 ºC on the following day. He went into shock and became unconscious; he was therefore transferred to our hospital. We diagnosed septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). We injected broad spectrum antibacterial agents, and recombinant thrombomodulin alpha (rTM). Although he was started in intensive care, his hemodynamics were unstable on the day following admission. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) were started to maintain his hemodynamics. His condition gradually improved, and he was transferred to the previous hospital for rehabilitation on the 28(th) day. ECMO for septic shock in adults is unusual; however ECMO can be introduced even in patients with severe sepsis under careful monitoring. The new anti-DIC agent rTM is useful for safe driving of ECMO in patients with DIC.

Hyperbilirubinemia in the early phase after allogeneic HSCT: prognostic significance of the alkaline phosphatase/total bilirubin ratio

Hyperbilirubinemia in the early phase after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) is due to various causes. One of the most important causes of hyperbilirubinemia is veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstructive syndrome (VOD/SOS). However, the prognosis of patients who are clinically diagnosed as SOS varies. We retrospectively evaluated 82 patients who underwent their first allogeneic HSCT. GVHD prophylaxis was a combination of short-term MTX and CsA (n=77) or tacrolimus (n=5). Thirty-three patients developed hyperbilirubinemia, with a bilirubin level of at least 2 mg/dL, within 20 days after HSCT. Of these patients, 24 were diagnosed as VOD/SOS using the modified Seattle criteria. Twenty-six recovered to a bilirubin level of <2 mg/dL. We focused on the serum alkaline phosphatase/total bilirubin ratio (ALP/TB) at the onset of hyperbilirubinemia and found that it significantly predicted the recovery from hyperbilirubinemia. OS was significantly higher in patients with a lower ALP/TB ratio (P=0.00056). In addition, a lower ALP/TB ratio was associated with better survival even in patients who were clinically diagnosed as SOS (P<0.001). The ALP/TB ratio at the onset of hyperbilirubinemia may be a useful predictor for the prognosis of hyperbilirubinemia and SOS early after HSCT.

Varicella zoster virus meningoencephalitis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Although the reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), VZV meningoencephalitis is a rare life-threatening infectious disease after HSCT. We describe here a patient who developed VZV meningoencephalitis 2 years after human leukocyte antigen-matched unrelated HSCT for acute myeloblastic leukemia. She developed chronic graft-versus-host disease, and cyclosporine (CSA) was continued until 17 months after HSCT. Low-dose acyclovir (ACV) at 200 mg/day was administered to prevent the reactivation of VZV from day -7 to the termination of CSA. At 22 months, she suddenly developed fever, loss of consciousness, and seizure, with generalized skin rash. A high level of VZV DNA was detected in her cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). She was diagnosed to have VZV meningoencephalitis. Intravenous ACV at 30 mg/kg/day was given for 2 months. Although loss of consciousness was quickly resolved, some neurologic symptoms persisted. She did not have any known risk factors for VZV reactivation. Therefore, we should keep in mind that any HSCT recipient may develop VZV meningoencephalitis, and examination of CSF for VZV infection with an empiric administration of ACV may be recommended for HSCT recipients with central nervous system symptoms, even in the absence of skin manifestations.

Low energy Fe+ beam irradiation to C60 thin film

We have developed an electron cyclotron resonance ion source apparatus, which is designed for the production of endohedral fullerene. In this study, we irradiated the Fe(+) beam to the C(60) thin film. We changed the experimental condition of the dose and the ion energy. We could observe the Fe + C(60) peak by analysis of the time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The highest intensity of the Fe + C(60) peak was observed at the ion energy of 200 eV. The Fe + C(60) peak intensity tended to become high in the case of long irradiation time and large dose.

Effect of pulse-modulated microwaves on fullerene ion production with electron cyclotron resonance ion source

Fullerene plasmas generated by pulse-modulated microwaves have been investigated under typical conditions at the Bio-Nano electron cyclotron resonance ion source. The effect of the pulse modulation is distinct from that of simply structured gases, and then the density of the fullerene plasmas increased as decreasing the duty ratio. The density for a pulse width of 10 μs at the period of 100 μs is 1.34 times higher than that for CW mode. We have studied the responses of fullerene and argon plasmas to pulsed microwaves. After the turnoff of microwave power, fullerene plasmas lasted ∼30 times longer than argon plasmas.

Study on the beam transport from the Bio-Nano ECRIS

The beam transport of N(+) ion and C(60)(+) ion in the Bio-Nano ECRIS with min-B configuration was investigated based on the ion beam profiles. The N(+) beam could be focused under the low-beam current conditions. Also the C(60)(+) beam could be focused in spite of the large space-charge effect which will lead the divergence of the beam. We confirmed that our beam transport system works well even for the C(60)(+) ion beam. We estimated the highest C(60)(+) beam current with the focused beam profile by comparing the N(+) ion beam.

Immune recovery after autologous PBSC transplantation without in vitro graft manipulation for refractory systemic lupus erythematosus

Autologous hematopoietic SCT (ASCT) has been investigated as salvage therapy for refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although immune recovery after ASCT with in vitro purging of lymphocytes has been extensively studied, little information is available about immune recovery after ASCT without in vitro purging. Therefore, we analyzed the immune recovery of a patient who successfully underwent ASCT without in vitro purging for refractory SLE. In addition to the numbers of PBL subsets, T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TRECs) and the T-cell receptor repertoire diversity of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were sequentially analyzed. All SLE-related symptoms disappeared within 3 months after ASCT and the serum anti-dsDNA Ab became undetectable. The number of CD4+CD45RO+ memory T cells remained lower than that in healthy adult controls, but the number of CD4+CD45RA+ naïve T cells showed a rapid increase after ASCT. TRECs of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were strongly suppressed before ASCT, but consistently increased after ASCT. The T-cell receptor repertoire of CD8+ T cells was skewed before ASCT, but the diversity recovered after ASCT. ASCT with the reinfusion of a large number of autologous T cells did not impair the recovery of naive T cells or resetting of the immune system.

Hyper IgM syndrome and complement Clq deficiency in an individual with systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease

Many immunedeficiency syndromes are associated with autoimmune disorders. We here report on a girl with a systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease who suffered from both hyperimmunoglobulin M syndrome (HIGMS) and C1q deficiency. Despite severe central nervous system-lupus like disease, probably due to C1q deficiency, kidney function was relatively spared. IgM autoantibody might play a protective role against lupus-glomerulonephritis.

Ataxia-telangiectasia in a patient presenting with hyper-immunoglobulin M syndrome

Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) and hyper-immunoglobulin M (HIGM) syndrome are both primary immunodeficiency diseases caused by different genetic defects. While a small proportion of AT patients have increased serum immunoglobulin (Ig) M concentrations during the course of a disease, a high level of IgM at onset is rare. We report the case of an 8-year-old girl who had experienced recurrent respiratory infection, cutaneous abscesses, and hepatosplenomegaly since the age of 2 years. She was diagnosed with HIGM based on the results of immunological studies, including low IgG and IgA levels and raised serum IgM concentrations. However, at the age of 4 years, a neurological examination revealed gait disturbance and telangiectatic lesions on the conjunctiva; therefore, a diagnosis of AT was suggested. In spite of regular intravenous immunoglobulin infusions and antimicrobial prophylaxis, the patient experienced several episodes of respiratory infection and eventually died of respiratory failure at the age of 8 years. Further molecular analysis revealed a novel homozygous missense mutation in exon 53 (c.8250C>T, p.2622Ala>Val) of the ATM gene. Patients with AT and the HIGM phenotype may not develop clinical characteristics of AT for some time. While patients with AT and increased serum IgM levels could have a considerably more severe disease course and a shorter survival, IgM levels could be considered a prognostic factor.

Bovine C-terminal octapeptide of RFamide-related peptide-3 suppresses luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion from the pituitary as well as pulsatile LH secretion in bovines

Gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), observed in quail as a member of the RFamide neuropeptide family, suppresses luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion from the avian pituitary. Rats and cattle have an active gene of another member of the RFamide neuropeptide family, termed RFamide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3), although bovine RFRP-3 is different from that of rats in both length and amino-acid sequence. A single injection of GnIH or RFRP-3 inhibited LH secretion in rodents, which continued for various periods. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of bovine C-terminal octapeptide of RFRP-3 (RFRP-3-8) on LH secretion from cultured anterior pituitary (AP) cells of cattle, and the effects of RFRP-3-8 injections on pulsatile LH secretion in castrated male calves. The suppressive effect of RFRP-3-8 on LH secretion from AP cells was observed in the presence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), but not in the absence of GnRH in culture media. In another experiment collecting blood samples serially from castrated male calves with repeated intravenous injections of RFRP-3-8 (n=6) or saline (n=6), the RFRP-3-8 group showed suppressed LH pulse frequency during the injection period (P<0.05); however, the RFRP-3-8 group showed no difference from the saline group in all measures of LH secretion in the postinjection period. In conclusion, our results suggested that RFRP-3-8 suppresses LH secretion from cultured AP cells, as well as LH pulse frequency in cattle.