Construction of an infectious cDNA clone of radish mosaic virus, a crucifer-infecting comovirus

Radish mosaic virus (RaMV) is a crucifer-infecting comovirus that has been detected worldwide. Here, we report the successful construction of a full-length infectious cDNA clone of RaMV. The full-length cDNA clones corresponding to RNA1 and RNA2 of a Japanese isolate of RaMV were cloned into the pBlueScript plasmid or the binary vector pCAMBIA1301 downstream of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Mechanical inoculation or agroinoculation of Nicotiana benthamiana with these vectors resulted in systemic RaMV infections causing symptoms similar to those caused by the wild-type parental virus. The presence of progeny virus was verified by western blot analysis and electron microscopy.     

Effect of impression holding time and tray removal speed on the dimensional accuracy of impressions for artificial abutment tooth inclined

Odontology - Oral scanners allow dental impressions to be taken in a short time without the use of an impression material. However, it has been noted that high impression accuracy cannot be...     

Study for determination of the optimal cessation period of therapy with anti-platelet agents prior to invasive endoscopic procedures

Background Anti-platelet agents are widely used for the treatment and prevention of thrombotic diseases. On the other hand, continuation of anti-platelet agents increases the risk of hemorrhagic complications in gastrointestinal endoscopy, and cessation of anti-platelet agents exposes the patient to the risk of thromboembolism. Only a few studies have actually studied the whether a cessation period is required prior to endoscopic procedures and if so, the optional duration of the period. The present study assessed the time course of primary hemostasis after the cessation of anti-platelet agents.Methods Eleven healthy men (age range, 19–29 years) were assigned to each of the following regimens: aspirin (ASA; 100 mg/day), ticlopidine (TP; 300 mg/day), and a combination of ASA (100 mg/day) and TP (300 mg/day) for 7 days. There was a washout period of more than 3 weeks between each regimen. A quantitative bleeding time test (QBT test) and platelet aggregation test were performed before the beginning of administration, on the last day of administration, and at 1, 3, and 5 days after cessation, and also at 7 days after cessation for the combination regimen.Results The average bleeding time (BT) and total bleeding loss volume (Tv) of the 11 subjects after administration of the three regimens were significantly increased compared with those before administration. With the administration of ASA, increases of BT and Tv at 3 days after cessation were not significant. The Tv at 5 days after cessation of TP was not significantly increased. With the combination regimen, the BT and Tv at 7 days after cessation were not significantly increased.Conclusions A 3-day cessation period for ASA, a 5-day cessation period for TP, and a 7-day cessation period for ASA + TP administration seem to be sufficient.     

A murine model of acute liver injury induced by human monoclonal autoantibody

We have previously reported an immunoglobulin (Ig) M autoantibody to hepatocyte-related 190-kd molecules in patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). This molecule was first isolated by hepatocyte-specific human monoclonal antibody (MoAb). To elucidate the role of this IgM autoantibody in hepatocyte injury, we examined the reactivity of this MoAb to murine hepatocytes and then questioned whether acute hepatic injury could be induced in mice via injection of this MoAb. The reactivity of MoAb was examined via both FACS analysis using murine hepatocytes and immunostaining of liver tissues. We then identified the murine hepatocyte membrane molecule recognized by this MoAb. The role of this MoAb in the immunopathogenesis of AIH was assessed by testing whether its injection into mice could increase serum aminotransferase levels as well as cause changes in liver histology. The present results demonstrate that this MoAb cross-reacted with murine hepatocytes and recognized a 190-kd molecule on the murine hepatocyte membrane just as in human hepatocytes. One hour after the injection of MoAb, the deposition of both IgM and complement component 3 was found in liver tissues. At 8 hours after the injection, serum aminotransferase levels were significantly increased in MoAb-injected mice compared with controls. Histological study revealed massive hepatocyte necrosis in MoAb-injected mice. In conclusion, human MoAb recognized a 190-kd molecule of both human and murine hepatocytes, and the injection of this MoAb to mice resulted in acute liver injury, indicating that this type of autoantibody may play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of AIH.     

Transient elastography-derived liver stiffness measurements were found to be useful for predicting liver infiltration in a case of mature T-cell neoplasm involving liver dysfunction

Transient elastography (TE) is a novel, non-invasive imaging technique for measuring liver stiffness (LS). It is considered to be useful for predicting the severity of fibrosis and the risk of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the association between the presence of diffuse regions of increased cell density in the liver and elevated LS values has not been assessed. We experienced a case in which a mature T-cell neoplasm had invaded the liver, but the infiltrating lesion was not detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) or fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT scans. Instead, the tumor’s presence was indicated by the change in the patient’s TE-derived LS values after chemotherapy. At diagnosis liver dysfunction was detected in a biochemical examination, and mean LS value was as high as 25.4 kPa [interquartile range (IQR): 0.3, success rate (SR):100%]. After chemotherapy, the patient’s mean LS value fell to 4.3 kPa (IQR: 0.8, SR:100%). A follow-up pathological investigation demonstrated that proliferating abnormal T-cells were no longer present in the patient’s liver. This is the first report to describe the use of LS data to support a diagnosis of liver infiltration by tumor cells exhibiting a portal and sinusoidal distribution pattern rather than a focal pattern. Elevated TE-derived LS values should lead to hepatic tumor infiltration being considered during initial examinations or a suspicion of recurrence during follow-up examination of lymphoma patients who achieve complete remission, even when radiological investigations do not detect abnormalities in the liver.