Reduced Autophagy in Aged Trigeminal Neurons Causes Amyloid β Diffusion

The relationship between oral health and the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the elderly is not yet well understood. In this regard, the association between aging or neurodegeneration of the trigeminal nervous system and the accumulation of amyloid-β(1-42) (Aβ₄₂) oligomers in the pathogenesis of AD is unknown. We focused on selective autophagy in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus (Vmes) and the diffusion of Aβ₄₂ oligomers with respect to aging of the trigeminal nervous system and whether the degeneration of Vmes neurons affects the diffusion of Aβ₄₂ oligomers. We used female 2- to 8-mo-old transgenic 3xTg-AD mice and App^NL-G-F knock-in mice and immunohistochemically examined aging-related changes in selective autophagy and Aβ₄₂ oligomer processing in the Vmes, which exhibits high amyloid-β (Aβ) expression. We induced degeneration of Vmes neurons by extracting the maxillary molars and examined the changes in Aβ₄₂ oligomer kinetics. Autophagosome-like membranes, which stained positive for Aβ, HO-1, and LC3B, were observed in Vmes neurons of 3xTg-AD mice, while there was weak immunoreactivity of the membranes for intraneuronal Aβ in App^NL-G-F mice. By contrast, there was strong immunopositivity for extracellular Aβ₄₂ oligomers with the formation of Aβ₄₂ oligomer clusters in App^NL-G-F mice. The expression of Rubicon, which indicates age-related deterioration of autophagy, increased the diffusion of Aβ₄₂ oligomer with the age of Vmes neurons. Tooth extraction increased the extracellular immunopositivity for Aβ₄₂ oligomers in App^NL-G-F mice. These results suggest that autophagy maintains homeostasis in Vmes neurons and that deterioration of autophagy due to aging or neurodegeneration leads to the diffusion of Aβ₄₂ oligomers into the extracellular space and possibly the development of AD.

Topological Kagome Magnet Co3Sn2S2 Thin Flakes with High Electron Mobility and Large Anomalous Hall Effect

Magnetic Weyl semimetals attract considerable interest not only for their topological quantum phenomena but also as an emerging materials class for realizing quantum anomalous Hall effect in the two-dimensional limit. A shandite compound Co₃Sn₂S₂ with layered kagome-lattices is one such material, where vigorous efforts have been devoted to synthesize the two-dimensional crystal. Here, we report a synthesis of Co₃Sn₂S₂ thin flakes with a thickness of 250 nm by chemical vapor transport method. We find that this facile bottom-up approach allows the formation of large-sized Co₃Sn₂S₂ thin flakes of high-quality, where we identify the largest electron mobility (∼2600 cm² V^-1 s^-1) among magnetic topological semimetals, as well as the large anomalous Hall conductivity (∼1400 Ω^-1 cm^-1) and anomalous Hall angle (∼32%) arising from the Berry curvature. Our study provides a viable platform for studying high-quality thin flakes of magnetic Weyl semimetal and stimulate further research on unexplored topological phenomena in the two-dimensional limit.

Giant magneto-optical responses in magnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2

The Weyl semimetal (WSM), which hosts pairs of Weyl points and accompanying Berry curvature in momentum space near Fermi level, is expected to exhibit novel electromagnetic phenomena. Although the large optical/electronic responses such as nonlinear optical effects and intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) have recently been demonstrated indeed, the conclusive evidence for their topological origins has remained elusive. Here, we report the gigantic magneto-optical (MO) response arising from the topological electronic structure with intense Berry curvature in magnetic WSM Co₃Sn₂S₂. The low-energy MO spectroscopy and the first-principles calculation reveal that the interband transitions on the nodal rings connected to the Weyl points show the resonance of the optical Hall conductivity and give rise to the giant intrinsic AHE in dc limit. The terahertz Faraday and infrared Kerr rotations are found to be remarkably enhanced by these resonances with topological electronic structures, demonstrating the novel low-energy optical response inherent to the magnetic WSM.

P2477Assessment of intraventricular flow dynamics in acute heart failure studied by Vector Flow Mapping

Background

Although left ventricular (LV) flow dynamics should be closely related to LV morphology and function, little is known about how heart failure (HF) changes it. Pathline Analysis (PA), a recently developed software based on Vector Flow Mapping (VFM, Hitachi), enables us to trace the virtual blood particles entering to the LV in diastole and being ejected in systole. We investigated the change of flow dynamics in HF induced in dogs using PA.

Methods

In 15 open-chest dogs, HF was induced by intracoronary injection of microspheres. Color Doppler images of apical long-axis view were acquired using Prosound F75 (Hitachi) before and after HF and were analyzed by PA. We calculated the ratio of the numbers of entering particles in diastole and ejected particles in systole (ejection rate) and the distance reached by the particles in diastole corrected by the LV long-axis diameter (propagation distance). Apical and basal short axis images were acquired using GE Vivid E9 and were analyzed for peak rotation and peak twist.

Results

After inducing HF, LV end-diastolic pressure increased from 6±2 to 15±5 mmHg (p<0.001) and ejection fraction (EF), apical peak rotation and peak twist decreased significantly (EF; 58±5 to 36±8%, apical peak rotation; 14±5 to 3±2 degree, peak twist; 19±5 to 6±3 degree, p<0.05, respectively). PA showed most of the entering particles to the LV were ejected in the following systole at the control stage, but in HF, a significant part of the entering particles were not ejected and remained in the LV (Figure). Ejection rate decreased from 50±11 to 26±11% (p<0.001) and the propagation distance decreased from 85±9 to 66±13% (p<0.001) after inducing HF. There were significant relationships between indices obtained by PA and EF and peak twist (Table).

Conclusion

A significant part of inflow is not ejected directly to the outflow in the next systole and remains in the LV in HF, suggesting inefficient flow dynamics.

P1470Myocardial dysfunction index: a novel myocardial strain parameter for diagnosing myocardial ischemia

Background and purpose

Peak systolic strain (ε-sys) derived from speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a useful parameter for assessing regional contractile dysfunction during acute ischemia. However, low ε-sys does not always indicate myocardial ischemia because of its relatively large variation in segmental normal ranges and intervendor differences. Therefore, comparison of strain before and after an ischemic event and demonstration of a decrease in ε-sys should be necessary to confirm myocardial ischemia, which is not always possible in clinical situations. It is well known that early systolic lengthening (ESL) and post-systolic shortening (PSS) occur during acute ischemia. We hypothesized that ESL and PSS would correlate with the decrease in ε-sys and integrated analysis of ESL and PSS could be useful to diagnose the presence of myocardial ischemia.

Methods

2D short-axis or 3D full-volume images were acquired by Artida at baseline, during flow-limiting stenosis (mean 50±20% flow reduction), and during complete occlusion of the left circumflex coronary artery in 22 dogs (2D-STE = 12, 3D-STE = 10).Circumferential strain was analyzed in the center of risk area, and the absolute value of peak systolic strain (ε-sys), post-systolic strain index (PSI) as a parameter of PSS, and early systolic strain index (ESI) as a parameter of ESL were measured. A new parameter, myocardial dysfunction index (MDI), which was calculated as follows: (ESL amplitude + PSS amplitude)/maximal strain amplitude during the cardiac cycle, was also calculated. The difference in ε-sys between at baseline and during ischemia (Δε-sys) was measured and the diagnostic accuracy for estimating Δε-sys < −3% was assessed by the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis.

Results

During ischemia, ε-sys decreased from 19±3 to 12±6% and MDI increased from 2±4 to 27±30%. MDI was significantly correlated with Δε-sys (2D-STE: r=−0.80, 3D-STE: r=−0.83, p<0.01, respectively) (Figure). The area under the curve (AUC) of MDI for estimating Δε-sys < −3% tended to be larger than those of ESI and PSI (MDI: 0.9, ESI: 0.73, PSI: 0.85).

Figure 1

Conclusions

The novel parameter, MDI was correlated with the decrease in ε-sys during acute ischemia. Integrated analysis of ESL and PSS may be useful for diagnosing the presence of myocardial ischemia.

Novel pre-therapeutic scoring system using patient and haematological data to predict facial palsy prognosis

OBJECTIVES

We describe a novel scoring system, the facial Palsy Prognosis Prediction score (PPP score), which we test for reliability in predicting pre-therapeutic prognosis of facial palsy. We aimed to use readily available patient data that all clinicians have access to before starting treatment.

DESIGN

Multicenter case series with chart review.

SETTING

Three tertiary care hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

We obtained haematological and demographic data from 468 facial palsy patients who were treated between 2010 and 2014 in three tertiary care hospitals. Patients were categorised as having Bell's palsy or Ramsey Hunt's palsy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We compared the data of recovered and unrecovered patients. PPP scores consisted of combinatorial threshold values of continuous patient data (eg platelet count) and categorical variables (eg gender) that best predicted recovery. We created separate PPP scores for Bell's palsy patients (PPP-B) and for Ramsey Hunt's palsy patients (PPP-H).

RESULTS

The PPP-B score included age (≥65 years), gender (male) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (≥2.9). The PPP-H score included age (≥50 years), monocyte rate (≥6.0%), mean corpuscular volume (≥95 fl) and platelet count (≤200 000 /μL). Patient recovery rate significantly decreased with increasing PPP scores (both PPP-B and PPP-H) in a step-wise manner. PPP scores (ie PPP-B score and PPP-H score) ≥2 were associated with worse than average prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Palsy Prognosis Prediction scores are useful for predicting prognosis of facial palsy before beginning treatment.

The first report of the thyroid function of haemophilic patients with HIV/HCV co-infection in Japan

INTRODUCTION

A high incidence of thyroid dysfunction is reported in patients with HIV or HCV mono-infection. We have conducted a periodic medical examination including the thyroid function for haemophilic patients with HIV/HCV co-infection due to contaminated blood products.

METHODS

We examined the thyroid function (as assessed by the FT3, FT4 and TSH levels) in 45 haemophilic patients, including thyroglobulin and auto-antibody, antithyroglobulin antibody, antithyroid peroxidase antibody and anti-TSH receptor antibody in 28 patients.

RESULTS

All the patients were males (median age: 42 years; range: 29-66). The median values of thyroid function were FT3 3.36 pg mL(-1) , FT4 1.125 ng mL(-1) and TSH 1.65 μIU mL(-1) . Five patients (11.1%) had high TSH levels. In 28 patients in whom the presence of auto-antibodies was examined, the median age was 47 years of age. The median value of thyroglobulin was 16 ng mL(-1) and two patients showed high levels of thyroglobulin. The presence of anti-TSH receptor antibody of all the patients was negative, but one patient (3.5%) was positive of antithyroid peroxidase antibody and antithyroglobulin antibody.

CONCLUSIONS

Since 0.68-3.6% of the general healthy population is reported to show hypothyroidism, our data showed that the proportion of hypothyroidism in haemophilic patients with HIV/HCV co-infection was more frequent than that of the normal population.

New Short-Lived Isotope ^{221}U and the Mass Surface Near N=126

Two short-lived isotopes ^{221}U and ^{222}U were produced as evaporation residues in the fusion reaction ^{50}Ti+^{176}Yb at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. An α decay with an energy of E_{α}=9.31(5)  MeV and half-life T_{1/2}=4.7(7)  μs was attributed to ^{222}U. The new isotope ^{221}U was identified in α-decay chains starting with E_{α}=9.71(5)  MeV and T_{1/2}=0.66(14)  μs leading to known daughters. Synthesis and detection of these unstable heavy nuclei and their descendants were achieved thanks to a fast data readout system. The evolution of the N=126 shell closure and its influence on the stability of uranium isotopes are discussed within the framework of α-decay reduced width.

Evaluation of the operative methods for Graves' disease

AIM

In Japan, surgery for Graves' disease (GD), which is considered to be a radical therapy, has been restricted by various guidelines. Nevertheless, some patients benefit from surgery. We sought to identify a reasonable operative method for GD by comparing the efficacy and safety among patients undergoing different extents of thyroidectomy.

METHODS

A total of 162 patients underwent thyroidectomy for GD between 2003 and 2012 in our department. We compared the clinical factors among those who underwent subtotal thyroidectomy (ST), near-total thyroidectomy (NTT), and total thyroidectomy (TT).

RESULTS

The ST, NTT, and TT groups included 111, 21, and 30 patients, respectively. The patient sex, period between disease onset and surgery, and preoperative thyroidal function were not substantially different among the three groups. With regard to surgical variables, the duration of surgery, amount of blood loss, and postoperative length of hospitalization were not substantially different among the three groups. Postoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy was transient in all cases, but the rate was significantly higher in the TT group compared to the other two groups (P<0.001). The incidences of transient hypocalcemia and permanent hypoparathyroidism were not substantially different among the groups. The proportion of patients who required the postoperative administration of levothyroxine was significantly lower in the ST group compared to the TT and NTT groups. Hyperthyroidism recurrence was noted in eight patients in the ST group (7.2%).

CONCLUSION

NTT for GD is thus considered to be a reasonable operative method regarding both efficacy and safety.

Studies on expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase in normal and cancerous tissues of thyroids

Recently published articles have reported the controversial data regarding expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase isozyme 1A1 (ALDH1A1), a potential candidate marker for normal and cancer stem cells (CSCs), in thyroid tissues. These data prompted us to re-evaluate expression of ALDH1A1 in normal and cancerous thyroid tissues by 2 different means. The first method was immunohistochemistry with 2 different anti-ALDH1A1 antibodies from distinct companies. Following validating the integrity of these 2 antibodies by Western blotting with ALDH-expressing and nonexpressing cancer cell lines and immunohistochemistry with breast and colon tissues, we report here significant and comparable expression of ALDH1A1 in both normal and cancerous thyroid tissues with both antibodies. Next, relative expression levels of ALDH isozymes were evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), revealing that ALDH1A1 was the most highly expressed isozyme followed by ALDH9A1 and relative expression patterns of isozymes were very similar in normal and cancerous tissues. All these data demonstrate that thyroid cells of normal and cancer origins do express ALDH1A1 and to a lesser extent 9A1. Further study will be necessary to study functional significance of ALDH1A1 in the function and behaviors of thyroid normal and cancer stem cells.

Growth hormone ameliorates adipose dysfunction during oxidative stress and inflammation and improves glucose tolerance in obese mice

Patients with adult growth hormone deficiency exhibit visceral fat accumulation, which gives rise to a cluster of metabolic disorders such as impaired glucose tolerance and dyslipidemia. Plasma growth hormone levels are lower in obese patients with metabolic syndrome than in healthy subjects. Here we examined the hypothesis that exogenous growth hormone administration regulates function of adipose tissue to improve glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese mice. Twelve-week-old obese male C57BL/6 J mice received bovine growth hormone daily for 6 weeks. In epididymal fat, growth hormone treatment antagonized diet-induced changes in the gene expression of adiponectin, leptin, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and significantly increased the gene expression of interleukin-10 and CD206. Growth hormone also suppressed the accumulation of oxidative stress marker, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, in the epididymal fat and enhanced the gene expression of anti-oxidant enzymes. Moreover, growth hormone significantly restored glucose tolerance in obese mice. In cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes, growth hormone prevented the decline in adiponectin gene expression in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. These results suggest that growth hormone administration ameliorates glucose intolerance in obese mice presumably by decreasing adipose mass, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation in the visceral fat.

48Ca+249Bk fusion reaction leading to element Z = 117: long-lived α-decaying 270Db and discovery of 266Lr

The superheavy element with atomic number Z=117 was produced as an evaporation residue in the (48)Ca+(249)Bk fusion reaction at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at GSI Darmstadt, Germany. The radioactive decay of evaporation residues and their α-decay products was studied using a detection setup that allowed measuring decays of single atomic nuclei with half-lives between sub-μs and a few days. Two decay chains comprising seven α decays and a spontaneous fission each were identified and are assigned to the isotope (294)117 and its decay products. A hitherto unknown α-decay branch in (270)Db (Z = 105) was observed, which populated the new isotope (266)Lr (Z = 103). The identification of the long-lived (T(1/2) = 1.0(-0.4)(+1.9) h) α-emitter (270)Db marks an important step towards the observation of even more long-lived nuclei of superheavy elements located on an "island of stability."

Aggressive pulmonary calcification developed after living donor kidney transplantation in a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism

Metastatic pulmonary calcification, defined as calcium deposition in the intact lung, is commonly seen in patients with chronic renal failure, and it is known to be a benign clinical condition when detected by chance in an asymptomatic patient. Here we report the case of a 33-year-old woman who developed rapid and aggressive metastatic pulmonary calcification shortly after a living donor kidney transplantation, which induced acute antibody-mediated rejection. The patient's metastatic pulmonary calcification was successfully improved by extensive treatment for graft rejection, the correction of her accompanying primary hyperparathyroidism, and medical treatment with a bisphosphonate and sodium thiosulfate. Aggressive pulmonary calcification is reported as a rare complication seen in patients who have undergone a failed renal transplantation. A failed renal graft and accompanying secondary hyperparathyroidism seem to accelerate metastatic calcification. Most of the patients who develop aggressive pulmonary calcification suffer from the rapid progression of dyspnea and occasionally fever, and they die of respiratory failure. Pulmonary calcification should be considered in a patient developing dyspnea and unexplained pulmonary infiltrate, especially in the context of renal graft rejection; otherwise the prognosis of the patient will be very poor.

A retrospective analysis of 335 Japanese lung cancer patients who responded to initial gefitinib treatment

BACKGROUND

Gefitinib treatment results in considerably better progression-free survival compared with that of platinum doublets in the first line treatment of nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carrying an activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. Some patients who respond to gefitinib have an overall survival (OS) of more than 5 years, whereas other initial responders do less well. Although there has been considerable effort made to elucidate the mechanisms of acquired resistance, there have only been a few studies that addressed the effect of clinical backgrounds and treatment histories on the survival of the patients who had responded to an EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). In this study, we especially focused on the clinical benefit of EGFR-TKI administration after progression.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC who were diagnosed before October 2010, treated with gefitinib after July 2002, and responded to it. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate how clinical backgrounds and treatment histories influence survival of the patients who respond to gefitinib. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the safety of long-term gefitinib use and to establish the optimal treatment sequence using a dynamic treatment regimen analysis (DTRA).

RESULTS

A total of 335 patients were recruited. Twenty-eight (8.4%) patients survived more than 5 years. Sixty-five and 93 patients received gefitinib as rechallenge and beyond progressive disease (BPD), respectively. A statistically significant difference in OS was observed between the patients who underwent gefitinib rechallenge and those who did not rechallenge (median: 1272 days vs. 774 days; p < 0.001), a result supported by a DTRA. Patients treated with gefitinib BPD also showed a tendency of longer survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Gefitinib rechallenge and BPD played a central role in long term survival of the patients who initially responded to gefitinib.

Quantitative evaluation of bone development of the distal phalanx of the cow hind limb using computed tomography

Computed tomography (CT) was performed on 400 claws (200 inner and 200 outer claws) of 100 pairs of bovine hind limbs to investigate the etiological theory that an exacerbating factor for ulceration is exostosis of the tuberculum flexorium within the distal phalanx. A variety of morphological changes of the tuberculum flexorium of bovine hind limb claws was visualized by 3-dimensional CT, and the geometry of these claws suggested a growth pattern of bone development with respect to the assumed daily loading patterns. This growth occurs initially at the abaxial caudal aspect of the distal phalanx and is followed by horizontal progression toward the axial aspect. The length of downward bone development on the solar face of the distal phalanx was 2.73±1.32 mm in the outer claws, significantly greater than in the inner claws (2.38±0.96 mm). Ratios of downward (vertical) bone development to the thickness of the subcutis and the corium (VerBD ratios) did not differ between the outer and inner claws (36.7 vs. 38.3%, respectively). Ratios of horizontal bone development to the axial-to-abaxial line of the tuberculum flexorium (HorBD ratios) were approximately 60% for both outer and inner claws. These quantitative measures regarding horizontal and vertical bone development within the distal phalanx were positively correlated with age and VerBD ratios (r=0.53 and r=0.36 for the inner and outer claws, respectively). Correlations between claw width of the outer claw and length of vertical bone development (r=0.43), the HorBD ratio (r=0.51), and the VerBD ratio (r=0.42) suggested that the relative size difference between the inner and outer claws enhances bone development in the outer claw. Correlation coefficients between VerBD and HorBD ratios (r=0.52 and 0.63 for the inner and outer claws, respectively) suggested that horizontal and vertical bone development occurs as a synchronized process within the tuberculum flexorium. This age-related progress of bone development within the tuberculum flexorium is associated with increased exposure to several exacerbating factors and the laminitic process.

Hydrogen sensing properties of protective-layer-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes with palladium nanoparticle decoration

Protective-layer-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with palladium nanoparticle decoration (Pd-SiO(2)-SWNTs) were fabricated and their sensing properties for hydrogen (H(2)) were investigated. SWNTs were coated with a 3-4 nm thick SiO(2) layer by pulsed laser deposition and subsequently decorated with Pd nanoparticles by electron beam evaporation. Even though the SWNTs were completely surrounded by a protective layer, Pd-SiO(2)-SWNTs responded to H(2) down to a concentration of 1 part per million. Compared with the Pd nanoparticle-decorated SWNTs without a protective layer (Pd-SWNTs), Pd-SiO(2)-SWNTs exhibited highly stable sensor responses with variations of less than 20%; Pd-SWNTs showed a variation of 80%. The density of the Pd-SWNTs significantly decreased after the sensing test, while that of the Pd-SiO(2)-SWNTs with the netlike structure remained unchanged. The hydrogen sensing mechanism of the Pd-SiO(2)-SWNTs was attributed to the chemical gating effect on the SWNTs due to dipole layer formation by hydrogen atoms trapped at the Pd-SiO(2) interface. Moreover, the relationship between H(2) concentration and sensor response can be described by the Langmuir isotherm for dissociative adsorption.

Quantitative investigation and classification by MRI of residual cleft cysts in the pituitary glands of cows

The application of MRI to 167 Holstein cows and 76 Japanese black cows made it possible to distinguish two types of residual cleft cysts (RCCs) in their pituitary glands on the basis of the differences in signal intensity: fluid-filled lesions with an intensity equal to that of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images); and solid lesions that were hypointense compared with cerebral parenchyma and isointense with CSF on T1-weighted images, and hypointense compared with cerebral parenchyma on T2-weighted images. Solid material was observed in lesions with a mean (sd) diameter of 2.09 (1.28) mm in 56 (33.5 per cent) of the Holstein cows, and in lesions with a mean diameter of 1.91 (0.89) mm in 20 (26.3 per cent) of the Japanese black cows. Four of the Holstein cows had RCCs more than 7 mm in diameter. Long-term development of the RCCs was suggested by histological findings of epithelial stratification and a structural shift from having a single to a stratified epithelial layer within the residual clefts of the affected pituitary glands.