This review focuses on inflammatory diseases of female and male genital organs and discusses their epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and imaging findings. The female section covers ...pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) primarily caused by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that affect the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Unusual causes such as actinomycosis and tuberculosis have also been explored. The male section delves into infections affecting the vas deferens, epididymis, testes, prostate, and seminal vesicles. Uncommon causes such as tuberculosis, and Zinner syndrome have also been discussed. In addition, this review highlights other conditions that mimic male genital tract infections such as vasculitis, IgG4-related diseases, and sarcoidosis. Accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of these inflammatory diseases are essential for preventing serious complications and infertility. Imaging modalities such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography play a crucial role in diagnosis. Understanding the diverse etiologies and imaging findings is vital for the effective management of inflammatory diseases of the genital organs.
Although innate immune responses are necessary for the initiation of acquired immune responses and the subsequent successful elimination of pathogens, excessive responses occasionally result in ...lethal endotoxic shock accompanied by a cytokine storm. B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA), a coinhibitory receptor with similarities to cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4 and programmed death (PD)-1, is expressed in not only B and T cells but also dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (Mϕs). Recently, several studies have reported that BTLA-deficient (BTLA ⁻/⁻) mice show enhanced pathogen clearance compared with WT mice in early phase of infections. However, the roles of BTLA expressed on innate cells in overwhelming and uncontrolled immune responses remain unclear. Here, we found that BTLA ⁻/⁻ mice were highly susceptible to LPS-induced endotoxic shock. LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-12 production in DCs and Mϕs was significantly enhanced in BTLA ⁻/⁻ mice. BTLA ⁻/⁻ DCs also produced high levels of TNF-α on stimulation with Pam3CSK4 but not poly(I:C) or CpG, suggesting that BTLA functions as an inhibitory molecule on Toll-like receptor signaling at cell surface but not endosome. Moreover, BTLA ⁻/⁻ DCs showed enhanced MyD88- and toll/IL-1R domain-containing adaptor inducing IFN (TRIF)-dependent signaling on LPS stimulation, which is associated with impaired accumulation of Src homology 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase in lipid rafts. Finally, we found that an agonistic anti-BTLA antibody rescued mice from LPS-induced endotoxic shock, even if the antibody was given to mice that had developed a sign of endotoxic shock. These results suggest that BTLA directly inhibits LPS responses in DCs and Mϕs and that agonistic agents for BTLA might have therapeutic potential for LPS-induced endotoxic shock.
Purpose: We aimed to clarify the relationship between the number of sleep bruxism (SB) bursts at home and in a laboratory equipped with polysomnography with audio-video recording (PSG-AV). We applied ...an identical single-channel wearable electromyography (EMG) device for both types of SB burst scorings.Methods: The subjects were 20 healthy student volunteers (12 men and 8 women; mean age, 21.9 years) who were clinically diagnosed with bruxism based on the criteria set forth by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-2). We used a wearable EMG device attached to the masseteric area (the FLA-500-SD FLA), for scoring SB bursts at home and in the laboratory. PSG-AV was set within the laboratory environment as well. The mean interval for both sleep studies was 28.8 days. EMG bursts with amplitudes greater than twice the baseline amplitude and with durations of longer than 0.25 s were selected. EMG bursts with amplitudes ≥5% MVC (maximum voluntary contraction), ≥10% MVC, and ≥20% MVC were selected as well. A cluster of bursts was defined as an episode.Results: In all the conditions for selecting EMG bursts specified above, the number of SB bursts and episodes recorded under laboratory conditions was statistically significantly smaller than that recorded at home. There were no statistically significant differences between the data obtained on the first and second recording days.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the unfamiliar environment of a sleep laboratory equipped with PSG-AV affects the emergence of SB as compared with home conditions.
Proton motive force (pmf) across thylakoid membranes is not only for harnessing solar energy for photosynthetic CO₂ fixation, but also for triggering feedback regulation of photosystem II antenna. ...The mechanisms for balancing these two roles of the proton circuit under the long-term environmental stress, such as prolonged drought, have been poorly understood. In this study, we report on the response of wild watermelon thylakoid 'proton circuit' to drought stress using both in vivo spectroscopy and molecular analyses of the representative photosynthetic components. Although drought stress led to enhanced proton flux via a ~34% increase in cyclic electron flow around photosystem I (PS I), an observed ~fivefold decrease in proton conductivity, gH⁺, across thylakoid membranes suggested that decreased ATP synthase activity was the major factor for sustaining elevated qE. Western blotting analyses revealed that ATP synthase content decreased significantly, suggesting that quantitative control of the complex plays a pivotal role in down-regulation of gH⁺. The expression level of cytochrome b₆f complex - another key control point in photosynthesis - also declined, probably to prevent excess-reduction of PS I electron acceptors. We conclude that plant acclimation to long-term environmental stress involves global changes in the photosynthetic proton circuit, in which ATP synthase represents the key control point for regulating the relationship between electron transfer and pmf.
Nonobstructive general angioscopy (NOGA) can identify vulnerable plaques in the aortic lumen that serve as potential risk factors for cardiovascular events such as embolism. However, the association ...between computed tomography (CT) images and vulnerable plaques detected on NOGA remains unknown.
We investigated 101 patients (67±11 years; women, 13.8%) who underwent NOGA and contrast-enhanced CT before or after 90 days in our hospital. On CT images, the aortic wall thickness, aortic wall area (AWA), and AWA in the vascular area were measured at the thickest point from the 6th to the 12th thoracic vertebral levels. Furthermore, the association between these measurements and the presence or absence of NOGA-derived aortic plaque ruptures (PRs) at the same vertebral level was assessed. NOGA detected aortic PRs in the aortic lumens at 145 (22.1%) of the 656 vertebral levels. The presence of PRs was significantly associated with greater aortic wall thickness (3.3±1.7 mm versus 2.1±1.2 mm), AWA (1.33±0.68 cm
versus 0.89±0.49 cm
), and AWA in the vascular area (23.2%±9.3% versus 17.2%±7.6%) (
<0.001 for all) on the CT scans compared with the absence of PRs. The frequency of PRs significantly increased as the aortic wall thickness increased. Notably, a few NOGA-derived PRs were detected on CT in near-normal intima.
The presence of NOGA-derived PRs was strongly associated with increased aortic wall thickness, AWA, and AWA in the vascular area, measured using CT. NOGA can detect PRs in the intima that appear almost normal on CT scans.
Epigenetic regulation in starvation is important but not fully understood yet. Here we identified the Rpd3 gene, a Drosophila homolog of histone deacetylase 1, as a critical epigenetic regulator for ...acquiring starvation stress resistance. Immunostaining analyses of Drosophila fat body revealed that the subcellular localization and levels of Rpd3 dynamically changed responding to starvation stress. In response to starvation stress, the level of Rpd3 rapidly increased, and it accumulated in the nucleolus in what appeared to be foci. These observations suggest that Rpd3 plays a role in regulation of rRNA synthesis in the nucleolus. The RT-qPCR and ChIP-qPCR analyses clarified that Rpd3 binds to the genomic region containing the rRNA promoters and activates rRNA synthesis in response to starvation stress. Polysome analyses revealed that the amount of polysomes was decreased in Rpd3 knockdown flies under starvation stress compared with the control flies. Since the autophagy-related proteins are known to be starvation stress tolerance proteins, we examined autophagy activity, and it was reduced in Rpd3 knockdown flies. Taken together, we conclude that Rpd3 accumulates in the nucleolus in the early stage of starvation, upregulates rRNA synthesis, maintains the polysome amount for translation, and finally increases stress tolerance proteins, such as autophagy-related proteins, to acquire starvation stress resistance.
Abstract Cervical cancer affects women worldwide and is the most common human papillomavirus (HPV)‐associated cancer. Carcinogenesis caused by HPV results in specific cancer behavior because of the ...underlying viral infection. The mechanism and timing of the transformation from viral infection to cancer cells have been elucidated in detail. Treatments for this cancer are based on its characteristics and are being implemented. Moreover, HPV infection is widespread worldwide and is transmitted through sexual activity. Although the HPV vaccination is the most effective strategy of preventing cervical cancer, it is not feasible to vaccinate the entire human population especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries. In order to consider the next step for HPV vaccination, we need to understand the characteristics of HPV carcinogenesis and cervical cancer. Additionally, treatment aimed at preservation of reproductive function in patients with cervical cancer is often required, as the cervix is a reproductive organ and because the disease is more prevalent in the adolescent and young adult generation. Thus, there are still many challenges in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cervical cancer.
UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 2A3 belongs to a UGT superfamily of phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes that catalyzes the glucuronidation of many endobiotics and xenobiotics. Previous studies have ...demonstrated that UGT2A3 is expressed in the human liver, small intestine, and kidney at the mRNA level; however, its protein expression has not been determined. Evaluation of the protein expression of UGT2A3 would be useful to determine its role at the tissue level. In this study, we prepared a specific antibody against human UGT2A3 and evaluated the relative expression of UGT2A3 in the human liver, small intestine, and kidney. Western blot analysis indicated that this antibody is specific to UGT2A3 because it did not cross-react with other human UGT isoforms or rodent UGTs. UGT2A3 expression in the human small intestine was higher than that in the liver and kidney. Via treatment with endoglycosidase, it was clearly demonstrated that UGT2A3 was N-glycosylated. UGT2A3 protein levels were significantly correlated with UGT2A3 mRNA levels in a panel of 28 human liver samples (r = 0.64, p < 0.001). In conclusion, we successfully prepared a specific antibody against UGT2A3. This antibody would be useful to evaluate the physiological, pharmacological, and toxicological roles of UGT2A3 in human tissues.
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There is a lack of data regarding the safety and effectiveness of implanting the Pipeline Embolization Device with Shield technology (PED-Shield) compared with the previous generation of Pipeline ...(PED-Flex). This retrospective single-center study aimed to compare treatment outcomes between the PED-Shield and PED-Flex for treating unruptured internal carotid artery aneurysms. The PED-Flex was used in 62 procedures (67 aneurysms, 59 patients) and the PED-Shield in 53 procedures (59 aneurysms, 58 patients). The mean aneurysm diameter was significantly lower in the PED-Shield group than in the PED-Flex group (11.9 ± 7.0 mm vs. 15.2 ± 6.9 mm, p < 0.001). At the 12-month follow-up, the complete angiographic occlusion rate was 72.1% and 72.3% in the PED-Flex and PED-Shield groups, respectively (p = 0.9808). Limited to aneurysms larger than 10 mm, 70.6% and 68.0%, respectively (p = 0.8175). The incidence of more than three high signal intensity areas on diffusion-weighted imaging after treatment was significantly lower in the PED-Shield group than in the PED-Flex group (27.7% vs. 67.7%; p < 0.001). Limited to aneurysms larger than 10 mm, 41.1% and 69.6%, respectively (p < 0.0117). Symptomatic ischemic complications occurred within 30 days of four PED-Flex procedures (6.5%) and one PED-Shield procedure (2.0%) (p = 0.2315). Limited to aneurysms larger than 10 mm, 1.8% and 3.2%, respectively (p = 0.6677). The incidence of mRS score worsening at 6 months was 3.2% and 1.9% in the PED-Flex and PED-Shield groups, respectively (p = 0.6534). The PED-Shield can achieve outcomes equivalent to or better than the PED-Flex. Further large-scale studies are warranted to confirm our findings.
In this work, we propose design parameters for optimized high-density optical cables to control the spatial-mode dispersion (SMD) of randomly coupled multi-core fibers (MCF). The analytical results ...of our proposed cable demonstrated the controllability of the bending and twisting of the implemented optical fibers by means of tension that is applied for a bundled fiber while keeping the sufficient reliability. An optical characterization showed that appropriate cabling parameters resulted in SMD controllability and a 47% reduction of the SMD coefficient while avoiding undesired loss increase. C-L band transmission experiments using our optical cable showed no degradation of the Q-factor or mode-dependent loss (MDL). Our proposed cable design is beneficial for achieving an SMD-managed large-capacity and long-haul transmission link.
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