Isolated chronic cough with sputum eosinophilia caused by Humicola fuscoatra antigen: the importance of environmental survey for fungus as an etiologic agent.

We report here a 35-year-old man with isolated chronic cough associated with sputum eosinophilia in which Humicola fuscoatra (H. fuscoatra) antigen was an etiologic agent. He was admitted for the diagnosis and the treatment of his severe nonproductive cough. Although 80% of the nucleated cells in his induced sputum were eosinophils, he did not have bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine or heightened bronchomotor tone. Bronchodilator therapy was not effective against his coughing. His cough worsened on his return home, suggesting the existence of some etiologic agent in his house. H. fuscoatra was isolated from his house, and the bronchoprovocation test with H. fuscoatra antigen was positive: i.e., development of coughing and decrease in capsaicin cough threshold (capsaicin concentration causing five or more coughs) from the prechallenge value of 31.3 microM to 1.95 microM at 6 and 48 hr, respectively, after the challenge. In addition, repeated environmental survey for fungi was suggestive of the importance of H. fuscoatra in the sputum eosinophilia. This is the first report concerning chronic cough with sputum eosinophilia caused by allergic reaction to H. fuscoatra antigen.     

A prospective study of 3-day versus 2-week immobilization period after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

BACKGROUND: Aggressive early rehabilitation is recommended after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) using a patellar tendon-bone graft. However, rehabilitation after reconstruction of ACL using the multistranded hamstring is controversial. In this study, we compared the clinical results of 3-day immobilization after reconstruction of ACL using the multistranded hamstring, with those of 2-week immobilization prospectively. METHODS: A total of 30 consecutive patients with ruptured ACL underwent single-socket ACL reconstruction. 10 male and 5 female patients (mean age of 29.2+/-10.0 years) were prospectively randomized for a 3-day immobilization period, and 6 male and 9 female patients (mean age of 27.3+/-10.9 years) were randomized for a 2-week immobilization period. We measured the anterior laxity with a KT-2000 arthrometer, joint position sense, and thigh muscle strength at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. We concluded that the post-operative 3-day immobilization period is preferable to the longer 2-week period in our rehabilitation program from the viewpoint of psychological load to the patients and the duration of hospitalization after ACL reconstruction using multistranded hamstring tendons.     

Histopathological investigation of the 1p/19q-codeleted gliomas resected following alkylating agent chemotherapy

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - Lower grade gliomas with 1p/19q codeletion are often responsive to chemotherapy, and several of these have been treated using upfront chemotherapy and subsequent...     

Gene amplification of YB‐1 in castration‐resistant prostate cancer in association with aberrant androgen receptor expression

Although Y‐box binding protein‐1 (YB‐1) is known to be overexpressed in prostate cancer, especially castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), the mechanism of its overexpression remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate the mechanism of YB‐1 overexpression in CRPC. Gene amplification in CRPC cells and tissues was examined by public database analysis, and digital PCR. The significance of YB‐1 amplification for the YB‐1/androgen receptor (AR) axis and prognosis was examined by public database analysis and immunohistochemistry. YB‐1 amplification was mainly observed in CRPC tissues by public database analysis and confirmed in CRPC cells and tissues by digital PCR. Expression of YB‐1 was increased in CRPC tissues compared with treatment‐naïve tissues. Furthermore, YB‐1 and phosphorylated YB‐1 levels were associated with AR and AR V7 expression levels. Finally, YB‐1 amplification was associated with poor outcomes in CRPC. Taken together, the present findings suggest that YB‐1 amplification contributes to progression to CRPC through regulation of AR and AR V7 expressions, and that YB‐1 is a promising therapeutic target in CRPC.     

Strut protrusion and shape impact on endothelial shear stress: insights from pre-clinical study comparing Mirage and Absorb bioresorbable scaffolds

Protrusion of scaffold struts is related with local coronary flow dynamics that can promote scaffold restenosis and thrombosis. That fact has prompted us to investigate in vivo the protrusion status of different types of scaffolds and their relationship with endothelial shear stress (ESS) distributions. Six Absorb everolimus-eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds (Absorb, Abbott Vascular) and 11 Mirage sirolimus-eluting Bioresorbable Microfiber Scaffolds (Mirage, Manli Cardiology) were implanted in coronaries of eight mini pigs. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed post-scaffold implantation and obtained images were fused with angiographic data to reconstruct the three dimensional coronary anatomy. Blood flow simulation was performed and ESS distribution was estimated for each scaffold. Protrusion distance was estimated using a dedicated software. Correlation between OCT-derived protrusion and ESS distribution was assessed for both scaffold groups. A significant difference was observed in the protrusion distances (156?±?137 µm for Absorb, 139?±?153 µm for Mirage; p?=?0.035), whereas difference remained after adjusting the protrusion distances according to the luminal areas. Strut protrusion of Absorb is inversely correlated with ESS (r?=??0.369, p?<?0.0001), whereas in Mirage protrusion was positively correlated with EES (r?=?0.192, p?<?0.0001). Protrusion distance was higher in Absorb than in Mirage. The protrusion of the thick quadratic struts of Absorb has a tendency to lower shear stress in the close vicinity of struts. However, circular shape of the less thick struts of Mirage didn’t show this trend in creating zone of recirculation around the struts. Strut geometry has different effect on the relationship between protrusion and shear stress in Absorb and Mirage scaffolds.     

INDUCTION OF TUMORS IN DOMESTIC RABBITS WITH NUCLEIC ACID PREPARATIONS FROM PARTIALLY PURIFIED SHOPE PAPILLOMA VIRUS AND FROM EXTRACTS OF THE PAPILLOMAS OF DOMESTIC AND COTTONTAIL RABBITS

A deoxyribonucleic acid preparation which showed infectivity and tumorigenic activity in domestic rabbits was isolated from the papillomatous tissue of wild cottontail rabbits by phenolic deproteinization procedure. The activity of the preparation could be completely abolished by its exposure to a minute amount (0.02 µg/ml) of DNAase. Antisera against Shope papilloma virus did not block the tumorigenic activity of the preparation, and trypsin and chymotrypsin had no effect on it. The extraction with phenol of a partially purified virus preparation also yielded extracts with tumorigenic potency. Extracts obtained from the domestic rabbit papilloma and submitted to phenolic deproteinization also proved infective and tumorigenic in rabbits of this sort, although the level of "tumorigenicity" was much lower than that of the cottontail preparations. Tests for intact virus, carried out with half of the extracts yielded wholly negative findings.     

A strategy for efficient cross-presentation of CTL-epitope peptides leading to enhanced induction of in vivo tumor immunity.

The activation of antitumor cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) depends on how efficiently the relevant tumor antigen peptides are delivered into the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I presentation pathway in antigen presenting cells (APCs). An elegant approach to promote the peptide-MHC class I association has been described for enhanced peptide transportation into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by adding an ER insertion signal sequence (Eriss). Nevertheless, this approach does not appear potent enough to induce in vivo tumor protective immunity. Herein, we present a novel peptide-vaccine strategy based on the combined utilization of Eriss and fusogenic liposomes (FLs) capable of directly introducing encapsulated CTL-epitope peptides into the MHC class I pathway of APCs. APCs pulsed with free peptides, FL-encapsulated peptides, or FL-encapsulated Eriss-conjugated peptides exhibited comparable levels of antigen-presenting activity at early phases after pulsing. Interestingly, whereas in the first two methods the APC ability began to decline 40 to 60 h after pulsing, FL-encapsulated Eriss(+) peptides allowed APCs to retain peptide-presentation activity for at least 140 h. This advantage of FL-encapsulated Eriss(+) peptides correlated with the induction of more potent antitumor immunity compared with soluble Eriss(+) or Eriss(-) peptides or FL-encapsulated Eriss(-) peptides when they were administered in vivo. Thus, Eriss-conjugated CTL-epitope peptides encapsulated in FLs provide a highly efficient tumor-vaccine to enhance the induction of in vivo tumor immunity.