Abstract
For accurate evaluation of the impact of earthquakes to structures in the vicinity of the earthquake faults, it has been required to develop appropriate calculation methods for short‐ and ...long‐period ground motions and permanent displacements. The 2016 Kumamoto, Japan, earthquake provided these kinds of records, and several research papers have been published to propose methods for reproducing or predicting them. I reviewed these papers and summarized probable methods for evaluating fault parameters for broadband‐period ground motions in areas very close to the faults.
Short-period ground motions from earthquakes are calculated by semi-empirical methods such as the empirical Green’s function method or the stochastic Green’s function method. In this review paper, I ...summarized source models developed for reproducing and predicting ground motions in the theoretical methods at first, and reviewed the source models applied to reproducing and predicting ground motions in the empirical Green’s function method in these about 40 years. Finally, I showed some issues to be solved about source modeling in order to predict accurate short-period motions in the near-fault regions.
In Japan, the ‘Recipe’ compiled by the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion, Japan, has been often adopted for estimating fault parameters to predict strong earthquake motions, and applied ...to many practices. However, it does not model the shallow part of the fault of the ruptured area because Dalguer et al. (2001) showed by the dynamic fault rupturing simulations that the fault rupturing reaches the ground surface as fault dislocations after the rupturing of the basement rock, which radiates seismic energy, propagates in the sedimentary rock from the depth of a few kilometers to the ground surface even if the sedimentary rock has little or no stress drop. Hence, the ‘Recipe’ can not predict permanent displacements in the area very close to the fault trace. On the other hand, the 2016 Kumamoto, Japan, earthquake provided precious data of strong motions including the permanent displacements, and these permanent displacements caused severe damage to structures. Since then, several research teams have conducted studies to reproduce and predict these strong motions including permanent displacements. I reviewed these studies, categorizing them into three groups: reproducing strong motions by kinematic source model, extending the ‘Recipe’ in order to model the shallow part of the ruptured area, and reproducing permanent displacement by empirical model. I finally proposed two procedures for modeling the second- and third-stage earthquakes, which have surface fault breakings such as the Kumamoto earthquake, to predict strong motions including permanent displacements in the areas very close to the fault trace on the ground surface.
During disease progression in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), clonal blasts gain a more aggressive nature, whereas nonclonal immune cells become less efficient via an unknown mechanism. Using MDS ...cell lines and patient samples, we showed that the expression of an immunoinhibitory molecule, B7-H1 (CD274), was induced by interferon-γ (IFNγ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) on MDS blasts. This induction was associated with the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and nearly completely blocked by an NF-κB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). B7-H1+ MDS blasts had greater intrinsic proliferative capacity than B7-H1− MDS blasts when examined in various assays. Furthermore, B7-H1+ blasts suppressed T-cell proliferation and induced T-cell apoptosis in allogeneic cocultures. When fresh bone marrow samples from patients were examined, blasts from high-risk MDS patients expressed B7-H1 molecules more often compared with those from low-risk MDS patients. Moreover, MDS T cells often overexpressed programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) molecules that transmit an inhibitory signal from B7-H1 molecules. Taken together, these findings provide new insight into MDS pathophysiology. IFNγ and TNFα activate NF-κB that in turn induces B7-H1 expression on MDS blasts. B7-H1+ MDS blasts have an intrinsic proliferative advantage and induce T-cell suppression, which may be associated with disease progression in MDS.
Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion (2017) compiled an official procedure for evaluating fault parameters for strong motion prediction. It adopted an asperity model as a physical basis, ...and defines the asperity as a strong motion generation area (SMGA) and explaines that the SMGA is a large-slip area and a high-stress-drop area. These three areas coincide on the same region on the fault of the first-stage crustal earthquakes. However, the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake and the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake, categorized as second-stage earthquakes, showed that the shallow part of the ruptured fault had large slip but did not generate strong motions. The technical terminology of asperity has been used in the field of the strong motion prediction, and has different definition such as a locked area, a high-stress-drop area, a strong-motion-generation area, and a large-slip area. I summarized the historical evolution of the technical terminology of asperity. Then, I compiled some technical terminologies relevant to asperity in recent research papers. Finally, I proposed that the high-stress-drop area should be used instead of the asperity, and it corresponds to a strongly locked area and an SMGA. Then, I named each part of the fault by categorizing the slip distribution into six types of faulting as follows: 1) First-stage crustal earthquakes without surface breakings such as the 1997 Kagoshima-Ken-Hokuseibu earthquake (MW 6.1). The fault consists of the high-stress-drop area and background within the seismogenic layer. The location and the size of the high-stress-drop area is almost the same as those of the large-slip area. 2) Transition-stage crustal earthquakes with partial surface breakings such as the 2000 Tottori-Ken-Seibu earthquake (MW 6.6). The fault consists of the high-stress-drop area and background in the seismogenic layer and the small-slip area in the surface layer. The location and the size of the high-stress-drop area is almost the same as those of the large-slip area. 3) Second-stage and third-stage crustal earthquakes with long and clear surface breakings such as the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (MW 7.1) and 1999 Kocaeli, Turkey, earthquake (MW 7.6). The fault consists of the high-stress-drop area and background in the seismogenic layer and the large-slip area (=LMGA: Long-period Motion Generation Area without strong-motion generation) and small-slip areas in the surface layer. The location and the size of the high-stress-drop area is almost the same as those of the large-slip area in the seismogenic layer. 4) First-stage subduction plate-boundary earthquakes without surface breakings such as the 2003 Tokachi-Oki earthquake (MW 8.1). The fault consists of the high-stress-drop area and background within the seismogenic layer. The location of the high-stress-drop area is almost the same as that of the large-slip area, and the size of the high-stress-drop area is almost half of that of the large-slip area. 5) Transition-stage subduction plate-boundary earthquakes without very-large-slip areas such as the 2015 Illapel, Chile, earthquake (MW 8.3). The fault consists of the high-stress-drop area and background in the seismogenic layer and the large- and small-slip areas in the shallow ruptured zone. 6) Second-stage subduction plate-boundary earthquakes with very-large-slip areas such as the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake (MW 9.0). The fault consists of the high-stress-drop area and background in the seismogenic layer and the very-large-, large-, and small-slip areas in the shallow ruptured zone.
Background
The significance of HBV reactivation during immunosuppressive therapy was evaluated in three nationwide cohorts including patients with previously resolved HBV (prHBV) infection.
Methods
...The clinical features of 1061 patients with acute liver failure (ALF) or late-onset hepatic failure (LOHF) were retrospectively examined, focusing on those who experienced HBV reactivation. Additionally, 420 patients with prHBV infection were prospectively enrolled: 203 received immunosuppressive therapies immediately after enrollment, while the remaining 217 were enrolled after having received immunosuppressive therapies without the occurrence of HBV reactivation. The serum HBV-DNA levels were prospectively monitored every month, and the incidences of HBV reactivation, defined as a serum HBV-DNA level of 1.3 log IU/ml or more, were evaluated.
Results
In the retrospective study, persistent HBV infection was found in 90 patients, and HBV reactivation was responsible for liver injuries in 50 patients including 23 receiving immunosuppressive therapies (26 with HBs-antigen positivity, 7 with prHBV infection). None of seven patients with prHBV infection were rescued. In the prospective studies, HBV reactivation occurred in ten patients, but preemptive entecavir administration prevented liver injury. The cumulative reactivation rate was 3.2 % at 6 months, and the increase of the rate compared to that at 6 months was +1.5 % at 48 months.
Conclusions
HBV reactivation during immunosuppression was responsible for liver injuries in a quarter of the ALF/LOHF patients with persistent HBV infection. Early serum HBV-DNA monitoring may improve patient prognosis, since HBV reactivation typically occurs within 6 months of the start of immunosuppressive therapies in patients with prHBV infection.
The diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) without an increase in blasts and ringed sideroblasts (low-grade MDS without ringed sideroblasts LGw/oRS) may be problematic because dysplastic ...features are not specific to MDS and approximately 50% of patients with LGw/oRS lack chromosomal aberrations. Here, we report the usefulness of flow cytometric characteristics of CD34+ cells for LGw/oRS diagnosis. Bone marrow cells from LGw/oRS patients and controls (eg, cytopenic individuals without MDS) were analyzed using 4-color flow cytometry (FCM). We objectively determined reference ranges of 13 parameters related to CD34+ cells with data from controls. In LGw/oRS patients, various abnormalities of CD34+ cells—eg, decrease in CD34+ B-cell precursors, aberrant expression or overexpression of various antigens on CD34+ myeloblasts—were observed. We constructed a reproducible, flow cytometric scoring system for LGw/oRS diagnosis. High scores were observed in 16 of 27 LGw/oRS patients, regardless of the presence or absence of chromosomal aberrations, but not in any of the 90 controls. Among LGw/oRS patients with chromosomal aberrations, patients with trisomy 8 or del20(q) had low FCM scores (P = .002). As a result, most LGw/oRS patients were identified based on high FCM score, chromosomal aberration, or both.
Abstract Short‐period ground motions from earthquakes are calculated by semiempirical methods such as the empirical Green's function method or the stochastic Green's function method. In this review ...paper, I summarized source models developed for reproducing and predicting ground motions in the theoretical methods at first, and then reviewed the source models applied to reproducing and predicting ground motions in the empirical Green's function method in these about 40 years. Finally, I showed some issues to be solved about source modeling in order to predict accurate short‐period motions in the near‐fault regions.
1 Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
2 Department of Hematology Oncology, University of Pavia Medical School and Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San ...Matteo, Pavia, Italy
3 Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School, Chiba, Japan
4 Department of Hematology, Saitama I nternational Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
5 Department of Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan
6 First Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Correspondence: Kiyoyuki Ogata, Division of Hematology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyoku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan. E-mail: ogata{at}nms.ac.jp
Background: The diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes is not always straightforward when patients lack specific diagnostic markers, such as blast excess, karyotype abnormality, and ringed sideroblasts.
Design and Methods: We designed a flow cytometry protocol applicable in many laboratories and verified its diagnostic utility in patients without those diagnostic markers. The cardinal parameters, analyzable from one cell aliquot, were myeloblasts (%), B-cell progenitors (%), myeloblast CD45 expression, and channel number of side scatter where the maximum number of granulocytes occurs. The adjunctive parameters were CD11b, CD15, and CD56 expression (%) on myeloblasts. Marrow samples from 106 control patients with cytopenia and 134 low-grade myelodysplastic syndromes patients, including 81 lacking both ringed sideroblasts and cytogenetic aberrations, were prospectively analyzed in Japan and Italy.
Results: Data outside the predetermined reference range in 2 or more parameters (multiple abnormalities) were common in myelodysplastic syndromes patients. In those lacking ringed sideroblasts and cytogenetic aberrations, multiple abnormalities were observed in 8/26 Japanese (30.8%) and 37/55 Italians (67.3%) when the cardinal parameters alone were considered, and in 17/26 Japanese (65.4%) and 42/47 Italians (89.4%) when all parameters were taken into account. Multiple abnormalities were rare in controls. When data from all parameters were used, the diagnostic sensitivities were 65% and 89%, specificities were 98% and 90%, and likelihood ratios were 28.1 and 8.5 for the Japanese and Italian cohorts, respectively.
Conclusions: This protocol can be used in the diagnostic work-up of low-grade myelodysplastic syndromes patients who lack specific diagnostic markers, although further improvement in diagnostic power is desirable.
Key words: myelodysplastic syndromes, flow cytometry, diagnosis.
Related Article
Flow cytometry immunophenotyping for diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome
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Haematologica 2009 94: 1041-1043.
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