A stereo camera unit which enables the three-dimensional (3D) image acquisition using conventional two-dimensional (2D) rigid endoscopes is proposed. It consists of an afocal optical system, a beam ...splitter, and two cameras. The exit pupil of the endoscope, which exists in the proximity of the eyepiece, is optically transferred to a different position. The beam splitter divides the transferred exit pupil into two identical exit pupils, where the entrance pupils of the two cameras are located. The proposed technique provides a low-cost solution for the construction of 3D endoscopes, because conventional 2D endoscopes can be used and the stereo camera unit can be constructed using off the shelf devices. The preliminary experiments were conducted to verify the proposed technique. The evaluation of the resolution, the subjective evaluation, and task efficiency of 3D images are shown.
HMGA2 is a driver of tumor metastasis Morishita, Asahiro; Zaidi, M Raza; Mitoro, Akira ...
Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.),
07/2013, Volume:
73, Issue:
14
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The non-histone chromatin-binding protein HMGA2 is expressed predominantly in the mesenchyme before its differentiation, but it is also expressed in tumors of epithelial origin. Ectopic expression of ...HMGA2 in epithelial cells induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which has been implicated in the acquisition of metastatic characters in tumor cells. However, little is known about in vivo modulation of HMGA2 and its effector functions in tumor metastasis. Here, we report that HMGA2 loss of function in a mouse model of cancer reduces tumor multiplicity. HMGA2-positive cells were identified at the invasive front of human and mouse tumors. In addition, in a mouse allograft model, HMGA2 overexpression converted nonmetastatic 4TO7 breast cancer cells to metastatic cells that homed specifically to liver. Interestingly, expression of HMGA2 enhanced TGFβ signaling by activating expression of the TGFβ type II receptor, which also localized to the invasive front of tumors. Together our results argued that HMGA2 plays a critical role in EMT by activating the TGFβ signaling pathway, thereby inducing invasion and metastasis of human epithelial cancers.
Although food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is supposed to be caused by inflammation, the role of cytokines has not yet been clarified.
To elucidate the role of cytokines in the ...development of symptoms and abnormal laboratory findings at an oral food challenge (OFC), changes in serum cytokine levels were analyzed for 6 OFCs in 4 patients with FPIES. The result of OFC was judged positive if any gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody stool) were induced.
Among 11 cytokines profiled, serum levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-5, and IL-8 were clearly increased in all 4 positive OFCs in which elevations of the serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP) and peripheral blood neutrophilia were also seen. The level of serum IL-10 also rose in 2 positive OFCs. Remarkable increases in the serum level of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-6, and IL-12 were observed in a positive OFC where the serum level of CRP rose markedly (6.75 mg/dL). The serum levels of IL-5 were also elevated in 2 negative OFCs. No apparent specific correlations were found between cytokines and GI symptoms.
These results suggest that IL-2 and IL-8 are involved in the antigen-specific immune responses in most patients with FPIES. Further studies are needed to elucidate the significance of these cytokine in the pathogenesis of FPIES.
Most cyprinid fish breed from spring to summer. On the other hand, the timing of initiation and duration of gametogenesis in preparation for reproduction vary widely depending on the species. It is ...unclear what factors determine the types of timing and duration of gametogenesis. In order to infer the factors, it is necessary to clarify the gametogenesis process of as many species as possible, categorize them, and explore commonalities and differences between species belonging to different types of gametogenesis. In the present study, we determined the maturity of
Hemigrammocypris neglecta
, a temporary water-spawning fish of the subfamily Oxygastrinae, based on histological observations of the gonads. Female vitellogenesis began in May and continued during the breeding season from May to August. This species was a multiple-spawner that repeatedly ovulates and spawns multiple times during the breeding season. Male spermatogenesis (meiosis) began in April, and a large number of spermatozoa were observed in the testes and sperm duct from May to August, indicating that reproduction is possible during this period. The timing of the initiation of gametogenesis in spring/summer-spawning cyprinid fishes has been roughly divided into three types: autumn type, winter/spring type, and breeding season type. The female
H. neglecta
was the breeding season type. There are few species that belong to this type, suggesting that the type may have evolved independently with reflect the reproductive ecology of each species. The male is the winter/spring type, a characteristic common to the subfamily Oxygastrinae.
A mobile laser-induced fluorescence spectrum (LIFS) lidar was developed for monitoring pollens floating in the atmosphere. The fluorescence spectrum of pollens excited at 355 nm was measured with a ...fluorescence spectrometer and the results suggested that in general they had peaks at around 460 nm and the ranges were 400–600 nm. A fluorescence spectrum database of 25 different pollens was made with the 355 nm excitation. Based on these results, we developed a LIFS lidar that had features in pollen species identification and daytime operation. The former was achieved by the database and the latter was possible by introducing a synchronous-delay detection to a gated CCD spectrometer in an operation time of 200 ns. Fluorescence detection of pollens floating in the atmosphere was performed using the LIFS lidar in a field where cedars grow in the spring and ragweed in the autumn. The LIFS lidar system successfully detected fluorescence spectrums of the pollens at a distance of approximately 20 m away. We discussed the performance of the LIFS lidar by estimating the number of cedar pollens using a lidar equation, introducing a fluorescence cross section of cedar pollens and a sensitivity of the CCD spectrometer that was measured by ourselves.
encodes a cohesin component and is frequently mutated in myeloid neoplasms, showing highly significant comutation patterns with other drivers, including
. However, the molecular basis of ...cohesin-mutated leukemogenesis remains poorly understood. Here we show a critical role of an interplay between STAG2 and RUNX1 in the regulation of enhancer-promoter looping and transcription in hematopoiesis. Combined loss of STAG2 and RUNX1, which colocalize at enhancer-rich, CTCF-deficient sites, synergistically attenuates enhancer-promoter loops, particularly at sites enriched for RNA polymerase II and Mediator, and deregulates gene expression, leading to myeloid-skewed expansion of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in mice. Attenuated enhancer-promoter loops in STAG2/RUNX1-deficient cells are associated with downregulation of genes with high basal transcriptional pausing, which are important for regulation of HSPCs. Downregulation of high-pausing genes is also confirmed in
-cohesin-mutated primary leukemia samples. Our results highlight a unique STAG2-RUNX1 interplay in gene regulation and provide insights into cohesin-mutated leukemogenesis. SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate a critical role of an interplay between STAG2 and a master transcription factor of hematopoiesis, RUNX1, in MDS development, and further reveal their contribution to regulation of high-order chromatin structures, particularly enhancer-promoter looping, and the link between transcriptional pausing and selective gene dysregulation caused by cohesin deficiency.
.
Background
Increased C‐reactive protein (CRP) and fever are observed in some infants with food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) in Japan, but the reproducibility of these findings has ...not yet been confirmed on oral food challenge (OFC).
Methods
Fourteen infants with FPIES induced by cow's milk (CM) formula were enrolled. OFC using CM formula was performed on each infant once or repeatedly (total 18 tests), with a stepwise incremental protocol in an infection‐controlled setting. CRP was measured 24 h after the last ingestion of the CM formula.
Results
Increased CRP was observed in 11 of the 18 OFC conducted (median, 2.60 mg/dL; range, 0.22–4.84 mg/dL). Fever was induced in six occasions during OFC. Serum CRP in the patients with fever increased to median 3.76 mg/dL (range, <0.7–4.84 mg/dL), which was significantly higher than that of the patients without fever (median <0.1 mg/dL; range, <0.1–2.6 mg/dL; P < 0.001). CRP during OFC significantly correlated with that at disease onset (rs = 0.62, P < 0.02). Three of the four patients with fever at disease onset also had fever during OFC.
Conclusions
Increased CRP and fever are reproducible during OFC in some infants with FPIES, suggesting that these are not accidental phenomena, but instead are associated with FPIES itself in Japanese patients.
Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants are highly contagious with enhanced immune escape mechanisms against the initially approved COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, we require stable alternative-platform ...vaccines that confer protection against newer variants of SARS-CoV-2. We designed an Omicron B.1.1.529 specific DNA vaccine using our DNA vaccine platform and evaluated the humoral and cellular immune responses. SD rats intradermally administered with Omicron-specific DNA vaccine via pyro-drive jet injector (PJI) thrice at 2-week intervals elicited high antibody titers against the Omicron subvariants as well as the ancestral strain. Indeed, the Omicron B.1.1.529-specific antibody titer and neutralizing antibody were higher than that of other strains. Longitudinal monitoring indicated that anti-spike (ancestral and Omicron) antibody titers decreased toward 30 weeks after the first vaccination dose. However, neutralization activity remained unaltered. Germinal center formation was histologically detected in lymph nodes in rats immunized with Omicron DNA vaccine. Ancestral spike-specific immune cell response was slightly weaker than Omicron spike-specific response in splenocytes with Omicron-adapted DNA vaccine, evaluated by ELISpot assay. Collectively, our findings suggest that Omicron targeting DNA vaccines via PJI can elicit robust durable antibody production mediated by germinal center reaction against this new variant as well as partially against the spike protein of other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The oncogenic mechanisms underlying acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adolescents and young adults (AYA; 15-39 years old) remain largely elusive. Here we have searched for new oncogenes in ...AYA-ALL by performing RNA-seq analysis of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative AYA-ALL specimens (n = 73) with the use of a next-generation sequencer. Interestingly, insertion of D4Z4 repeats containing the DUX4 gene into the IGH locus was frequently identified in B cell AYA-ALL, leading to a high level of expression of DUX4 protein with an aberrant C terminus. A transplantation assay in mice demonstrated that expression of DUX4-IGH in pro-B cells was capable of generating B cell leukemia in vivo. DUX4 fusions were preferentially detected in the AYA generation. Our data thus show that DUX4 can become an oncogenic driver as a result of somatic chromosomal rearrangements and that AYA-ALL may be a clinical entity distinct from ALL at other ages.
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