Gender difference in alcoholic liver injury]

Gender differences of alcoholic liver injury have been described previously, but mechanisms have only partially characterized. For example, it is known that females develop alcoholic liver injury more rapidly and to a greater extent than males. It now appears that estrogen participates in several aspects of this phenomenon. On the other hand, attention has been directed towards the effect of ethanol ingestion on Kupffer cell function, which is stimulated by gut-derived endotoxins via mechanisms dependent on increased gut permeability and the possible relationship between Kupffer cell and alcohol-induced liver injury.     

Long-lasting renal dysfunction following tacrolimus induction therapy in ulcerative colitis patients

Although tacrolimus (TAC) has remarkable effects in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients when given as remission induction therapy, some can develop renal dysfunction during TAC administration, resulting in withdrawal, though related details remain poorly understood. This study was conducted to determine the impact of oral TAC on renal function for remission induction therapy in UC patients. Fifty-five patients (10 elderly, 45 non-elderly) with UC and treated with oral TAC at our hospital were retrospectively evaluated. Renal function was assessed using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Although a high clinical response to TAC was seen in both elderly and non-elderly, a decline in eGFR was noted in nearly all patients regardless of age, with a maximum change of −34.4% from the baseline value at week 11. Furthermore, eGFR decline recovered quickly after TAC discontinuation, though did not return to the baseline at two years following cessation. The rate of eGFR change at week 12 was significantly associated with patient age (β = −0.3242, p = 0.0103) and peak serum trough level during TAC treatment (β = 0.3563, p = 0.0051). Furthermore, the rate of decline in eGFR was significantly greater during treatment with TAC in the elderly as compared to non-elderly, with a large difference in eGFR decline rate between those groups also noted at two years after withdrawal of treatment. Careful attention to renal function when administering oral TAC for UC is important and changes in eGFR should be monitored closely in elderly patients even after treatment cessation.     

Hypoxic status in ovarian serous and mucinous tumors: relationship between histological characteristics and HIF-1α/GLUT-1 expression

Material and methods We analyzed the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) by immunohistochemistry in ovarian serous and mucinous tumors from the point view of the histological characteristics and acquisition of malignancy. A total of 102 ovarian tumors were examined, composed of 31 adenomas (serous 17 and mucinous 14), 32 borderline tumors (serous 13 and mucinous 19), and 39 adenocarcinomas (serous 21 and mucinous 18). Results The overall positive ratios were as follows: HIF-1α, 74% of adenomas, 91% of borderline tumors, and 100% of adenocarcinomas; and GLUT-1, 68% of adenomas, 95% of borderline tumors, and 100% of adenocarcinomas. Comparing serous tumors and mucinous tumors, there was no significant difference in the positive ratios of HIF-1α and GLUT-1 of adenomas, borderline tumors, and adenocarcinomas. However, both markers were more strongly expressed in serous adenocarcinomas (HIF-1α, 3 + 100%; GLUT-1, 3 + 76%) than in mucinous adenocarcinomas (HIF-1α, 3 + 61%; GLUT-1, 3 + 28%). The results of immunoblotting and mRNA expression level analyses corresponded with those of immunohistochemical expression profiles. DNA binding assay also demonstrated that HIF-1 is more commonly activated in serous adenocarcinomas than in mucinous adenocarcinomas. Conclusion HIF-1α and GLUT-1 expressions seemed to be coordinated to adapt ovarian tumor cells into hypoxic conditions in close association with the acquisition of malignancy. We consider that the relatively strong expression of both markers in serous tumors compared with mucinous tumors is related to the difference in their histological characteristics.     

The Simultaneous Onset of Pancreatitis and Colitis as Immune-related Adverse Events in a Patient Receiving Nivolumab Treatment for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which have anti-tumor effects, are currently approved for treatment of several kinds of advanced malignancies. However, with their increasing use, a variety of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in administered patients have been reported. We herein report a rare case of the simultaneous onset of acute pancreatitis and colitis as irAEs during nivolumab treatment given to a patient with renal cell carcinoma, who then shown marked improvement with corticosteroid therapy.     

Precise immunological evaluation rationalizes the design of a self-adjuvanting vaccine composed of glycan antigen,TLR1/2 ligand,and T-helper cell epitope

Sialyl-Tn (STn), overexpressed on various tumors, has been investigated for its application in anti-cancer vaccine therapy. However, Theratope, an STn-based vaccine, failed in the phase III clinical trial due to poor immunogenicity and epitope suppression by the foreign carrier protein. We therefore developed a self-adjuvanting STn based-vaccine, a conjugate of clustered STn (triSTn) antigen, TLR1/2 ligand (Pam₃CSK₄), and T-helper (Th) cell epitope, and found that this three-component self-adjuvanting vaccine effectively resulted in the production of anti-triSTn IgG antibodies. We herein analyzed immune responses induced by this self-adjuvanting vaccine in detail. We newly synthesized two-component vaccines, i.e., Pam₃CSK₄- or Th epitope-conjugated triSTn, as references to evaluate the immune-stimulating functions of Pam₃CSK₄ and Th epitope. Immunological evaluation of the synthesized vaccine candidates revealed that Pam₃CSK₄ was essential for antibody production, indicating that the uptake of triSTn antigen by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) was promoted by the recognition of Pam₃CSK₄ by TLR1/2. The function of the Th epitope was also confirmed. Th cell activation was important for boosting antibody production and IgG subclass switching. Furthermore, flow cytometric analyses of immune cells, including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and other monocytes, were first employed in the evaluation of self-adjuvanting vaccines and revealed that the three-component vaccine was able to induce antigen-specific immune responses for efficient antibody production without excessive inflammatory responses. Importantly, the co-administration of Freund''s adjuvants was suggested to cause excessive myeloid cell accumulation and decreased plasma cell differentiation. These results demonstrate that vaccines can be designed to achieve the desired immune responses via the bottom-up construction of each immune element.

Detailed analysis of a three-component self-adjuvanting vaccine revealed that conjugate vaccines can be designed to achieve the desired immune responses via bottom-up construction of the necessary immune elements.     

A case of venous thoracic outlet syndrome recognized by arm swelling

Most cases of thoracic outlet syndrome are detected by neulogical symptoms, and most of the other symptoms are caused by arterial stenosis. It is rare for the syndrome to be recognized by venous symptoms. We report a 56-year-old woman with thoracic outlet syndrome recognized by arm swelling. She was admitted for radiation therapy of a recurrent tumor of lung cancer at the left apex. Her right arm gradually became swollen. We performed venography from the right median cubital vein because of suspected venous thrombosis. Venography revealed stenosis of the right subclavian vein at the costoclavicular space, and this finding was confirmed by helical CT. These findings strongly support our diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome.     

Multi-center study for the evaluation of clinical usefulness of attenuation and scatter correction on 201Tl myocardial SPECT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of attenuation and scatter correction (AC, SC) on a 201Tl myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography (201Tl SPECT) as a multi-center trial. With a dual-detecter and a triple-detector SPECT systems with a 99mTc transmission source, simultaneous transmission/emission tomography (TCT/ECT) was performed on 38 patients with angiographically coronary heart disease (CHD) and 26 patients without evidence of CHD. Stress and delayed attenuation and scatter corrected images (SAC) and uncorrected images (NC) were reconstructed. On NC images of normal cases, influence of attenuation was greater in male than female. In comparison of 201Tl distribution between male and female, significant decrease in 201Tl activity was observed in the inferoposterior wall in male and that was observed in the anterobasal wall of the left myocardium in female. Such a difference in 201Tl distribution between male and female disappeared on SAC images. On the diagnostic performance for the identification of CHD, SAC images demonstrated improved specificity and accuracy values in the right coronary arterial territory (RCA) with visual analysis statistically. Sensitivity value in the RCA was also improved, but it was not statistically significant. Sensitivity value in the left circumflex arterial territory (LCX) increased without decrease in specificity value on SAC images. In the left anterior descending arterial territory (LAD), sensitivity value increased on SAC images. Although specificity value decreased on SAC images in LAD territory, it was not statistically significant. The difference in 201Tl distribution between male and female is improved in normal cases by attenuation and scatter correction on 201Tl myocardial SPECT. Diagnostic performance of CHD is also improved by attenuation and scatter correction, especially in territories of which specificity in assessing the absence of disease have been suboptimal. In conclusion, attenuation and scatter correction on 201Tl myocardial SPECT is considered to be clinically useful.     

Immune responses of graft mesenteric lymph node in small bowel transplantation

BACKGROUND: The high proportions of lymphoid tissues are thought to be one of the underlying factors inducing severe allograft rejection following small bowel transplantation. Mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) contained in the intestinal graft are not only a source of donor-derived professional antigen-presenting cells, but also offer a field for immune interaction between donor and host cells. We investigated immune responses in graft MLNs with or without FK506 to develop a novel strategy to control small bowel allograft rejection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Heterotopic small bowel transplantations were performed from Brown Norway donors to Lewis recipients. Changes in population of lymphocytes, expressions of costimulatory molecules, apoptosis, and cytokine profiles in graft MLNs were evaluated. RESULTS: The increase in apoptotic cells and cytokine responses relating to rejection in the graft MLNs developed prior to those in graft jejunum. While donor lymphocytes in graft MLNs were rapidly replaced to host-derived lymphocytes independent of FK treatment, increase in CD8(+) T cells in host population was seen only in recipients without FK506 treatment. The expressions of B7 molecules on donor cells in graft MLNs were significantly lower in the recipients with FK treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Immune responses in graft MLNs have significant impact on the outcome of the small bowel allograft. Apoptosis of graft MLN cells was well correlated with and ahead of progression of acute rejection. Modulation of costimulatory molecules on donor-derived MLN cells in the allograft and specific suppression of host CD8(+) T cells are possible ways to control severe rejection after allogeneic small bowel transplantation.