The substitution of hydride anions (H−) into transition metal oxides has recently become possible through topotactic reactions or high-pressure synthesis methods. However, the fabrication of ...oxyhydrides is still difficult because of their inherently less-stable frameworks. In this study, we successfully fabricated perovskite SrCoOxHy thin films via the topotactic hydride doping of brownmillerite SrCoO2.5 epitaxial thin films with CaH2. The perovskite-type cation framework was maintained during the topotactic treatment owing to epitaxial stabilization. Structural and chemical analyses accompanied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements revealed that the doped hydride ions form a two-dimensional network of Co-H−-Co bonds, in contrast to other reported perovskite oxyhydrides, SrMO3−xHx (M = Cr, Ti, V). The SrCoOxHy thin film exhibited insulating behavior and had a direct band gap of 2.1 eV. Thus, topotactic hydride doping of transition-metal-oxide thin films on suitable substrates is a promising method for the synthesis of new transition metal oxyhydrides.
Therapeutic strategies that enhance regulatory T (Treg) cell proliferation or suppressive function hold promise for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We previously reported that ...the topical application of the vitamin D3 analog MC903 systemically expands Treg cells by stimulating the production of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) from the skin. Using mice lacking TSLP receptor expression by dendritic cells (DCs), we hereby show that TSLP receptor signaling in DCs is required for this Treg expansion in vivo. Topical MC903 treatment of ear skin selectively increased the number of migratory DCs in skin‐draining lymph nodes (LNs) and upregulated their expression of co‐stimulatory molecules. Accordingly, DCs isolated from skin‐draining LNs but not mesenteric LNs or spleen of MC903‐treated mice showed an enhanced ability to promote Treg proliferation, which was driven by co‐stimulatory signals through CD80/CD86 and OX40 ligand. Among the DC subsets in the skin‐draining LNs of MC903‐treated mice, migratory XCR1−CD11b+ type 2 and XCR1−CD11b− double negative conventional DCs promoted Treg expansion. Together, these data demonstrate that vitamin D3 stimulation of skin induces TSLP expression, which stimulates skin migratory DCs to expand Treg cells. Thus, topical MC903 treatment could represent a convenient strategy to treat inflammatory disorders by engaging this pathway.
Topical application of a vitamin D3 analog MC903 stimulates skin to produce TSLP, which induces Treg expansion through TSLPR signaling in DCs. TSLP preferentially activates skin migratory cDC2s and DN cDCs to facilitate their migration and enhance their ability to promote Treg proliferation by upregulating the expression of co‐stimulatory molecules.
Objectives: To clarify the benefits of switching from a syringe to an autoinjection pen for the administration of adalimumab（ADA; Humira®）in patients with rheumatic diseases, and to explore the ...characteristics of patients who refuse to switch.Methods: Patients with rheumatic diseases using ADA were surveyed to investigate the status of switching from syringe to pen, and to compare the characteristics of patients who agreed to switch with those of patients who refused. In patients who switched, impressions after the use of both devices and changes due to the switch were verified using a questionnaire.Results: A switch from the syringe to the pen for administering ADA was proposed to 21 patients, of whom 15（71.4%）switched. The group who refused to switch had used a syringe significantly longer than those who switched（p=0.02）. In patients who switched, improvement was observed in “anxiety and fear,” “ease of injection,” “ease of handling device,” “pain at injection site,” and “overall satisfaction.” In self-injecting patients, switching also decreased the number of actual and suspected failures of injection, and instances of forgetting or voluntarily avoiding self-injection, while “motivation and positive outlook towards treatment” significantly increased（p=0.01）. A woman who initially refused to switch to the pen but later wanted to switch, showed a characteristic change in her mind.Conclusions: Switching from a syringe to an autoinjection pen for administering ADA may be useful for alleviating anxiety, fear, and pain associated with injections, and improving motivation towards treatment. However, device selection considering patients’ intention is important.
Abstract The side effects and interaction of memantine and donepezil hydrochloride when used concomitantly are currently unknown. We encountered a case of a 77-year-old female with Alzheimer's ...disease in which the concomitant use of memantine exacerbated the prolonged electrocardiogram PR interval which appeared while donepezil hydrochloride was being orally administered. In terms of the cardiac circulation system side effects caused by donepezil hydrochloride and memantine, bradycardia has been reported. However, clinicians should be also aware of PR prolongation associated with the concomitant use of donepezil and memantine.
Lymphomatosis cerebri (LC) is a rare subtype of primary central nervous system malignant lymphoma. The typical features of this disease exhibited on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without contrast ...enhancement are similar to those observed with diffuse leukoencephalopathy, mimicking white matter disorders such as encephalitis. Clinical features and examination findings that are suggestive of inflammatory diseases may indeed confound the diagnosis of LC.
A 66-year-old woman with continuous fever over a two-month period developed left hemiparesis despite presenting in an alert state with normal cognitive function. Sampling tests showed autoantibodies in the serum and inflammatory changes in the cerebrospinal fluid. The results from an MRI demonstrated multiple non-enhanced brain lesions in the splenium of the corpus callosum and deep white matter. Single photon emission computed tomography revealed increases in blood flow in the basal ganglia, thalamus and brainstem. No systemic malignancies were found. The patient was suspected of having a diagnosis of nonvasculitic autoimmune inflammatory meningoencephalitis and treated with intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Her fever transiently dropped to within the normal range. However, she had a sudden seizure and a second MRI exhibited infiltrative lesions gradually extending throughout the whole brain. We performed a brain biopsy, and LC was histologically diagnosed. The patient received whole-brain radiation therapy, which diminished the fever and seizures. The patient died one year after the initial onset of fever.
The present case yields an important consideration that brain neoplasms, especially LC, cannot be ruled out, even in cases with clinical characteristics and examinations consistent with inflammatory diseases. Careful follow-up and histological study are vital for the correct diagnosis of LC.
In vitro degradation behavior of hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticle-coated poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) microspheres, which were fabricated via ‘Pickering emulsion’ route, has been ...examined in terms of weight, molecular weight, thermal property, and morphological changes through incubation in a phosphate buffered saline up to 48 weeks. Gel permeation chromatography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gravimetrical method were employed to characterize their degradation profiles. It was found that molecular weight of PLCL decreased rapidly after immersing the microspheres in the buffered saline and, on the other hand, the weight of the microspheres started to decrease after 16 weeks. These results support bulk degradation for the HAp-coated PLCL microspheres. During the degradation, the enthalpy of melting increased progressively, which should be due to the increase of crystallinity because of chain rearrangement of amorphous region induced by water uptake and the preferential degradation of amorphous regions. The microspheres retained spherical morphology at least for 48 weeks and the HAp nanoparticles detached from the microsphere surface, which was confirmed by SEM study. The microspheres were easy to be broken by external pressure when the molecular weight became below 35,000 g/mol after 24-week incubation.
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