Regional differences in the prevalence of sensitization to environmental allergens: Analysis on IgE antibody testing conducted at major clinical testing laboratories throughout Japan from 2002 to 2011

BackgroundIdentification of sensitized allergens for patients with respiratory allergy is an important step in disease care and environmental allergen control. The Japanese archipelago belongs to various climate categories due to its length from north to south which transverse the subarctic in the north to the subtropical in the south, suggesting substantial regional differences in dominant environmental allergens. However, few studies have assessed the regional differences in the prevalence of sensitization to environmental allergens.MethodsWe requested three major clinical testing laboratories to provide us with summarized results of antigen-specific IgE-antibody (Ab) measurements. These measurements were collected for clinical purposes throughout Japan from 2002 through 2011. The prevalence of positivity for IgE-Ab against 19 environmental allergens was calculated for each prefecture in order to evaluate regional differences.ResultsTest data on specific IgE-Ab of 19,969,753 orders were analyzed. The prevalence of positivity for house dust mites was high and the regional difference was low, whereas apparent regional differences were found for pollen, insects, and fungi. The prevalence of positivity for Japanese cedar was low in Hokkaido and Okinawa, while those to alder was highest in Hokkaido. Higher prevalence for insects was observed in southern areas (Okinawa and prefectures in Kyusyu).ConclusionsFindings of this study clearly demonstrated regional differences in the prevalence of sensitization to environmental allergens in Japan and the study also provides useful information for the clinician when deciding which allergens should preferentially be measured for IgE-Ab after considering regional difference.     

以肠梗阻为首发症状,DOG-1阳性不典型小肠间质瘤1例

该例中年女性患者以间歇性、自限性肠梗阻为主要表现,既往有多次腹部手术史.在行结肠镜检查的肠道准备时再次诱发上述症状出现,剖腹探查后发现小肠肿块,病检结果提示小肠间质瘤,恶性潜能为高危.虽然原发性小肠肿瘤的发病率低,但对于腹部有多次手术病史的患者,除了需要常规考虑术后肠粘连的可能,还需放开思路考虑到患者小肠肿瘤的可能性.     

急性胸部创伤的X线表现

目的 进一步提高对急性胸部创伤的X线诊断水平。方法 回顾性分析135例急性胸外伤患者的胸部X线表现及其产生的病理基础。结果 肋骨骨折90例,皮下及绷隔积气35例,单纯性气胸5例,单纯性血胸11例,血气胸35例,肺纹理增粗89例,多发斑片影42例,舌片状实变影36例,肺血肿15例,血气囊肿6例,急性肺膨胀4例,结论 急性胸部创伤的X线表现多种多样,伤后连续的X线复查对提高诊断的准确性很有帮助。     

Antiangiogenic and antimetastatic properties of Neovastat (Æ-941), an orally active extract derived from cartilage tissue

A novel naturally occurring antiangiogenic agent isolated from cartilage, referred to as Neovastat (AE-941), was examined for its efficacy against tumor neovascularization and progression. Exposure to Neovastat results in ex ovo antiangiogenic properties in the chorioallantoid membrane of chicken embryo (71% decrease in the angiogenic index as compared to the basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) treated control embryos, P < 0.0001). Oral administration of Neovastat inhibits bFGF-induced angiogenesis in the Matrigel mouse model (87.5% decrease in hemoglobin as compared to the bFGF-treated control implants, P < 0.0001). Neovastat also induces a dose response decrease of lung metastases in the Lewis lung carcinoma model (oral administration; 69.1% of inhibition obtained at the maximal dose of 0.5 ml/day, P < 0.0001). Combined with a sub-optimal dose of cisplatinum (2 mg/kg, i.p.), Neovastat (0.5 ml/day) improved the therapeutic index by increasing the antimetastatic efficacy and by exerting a protective activity against cisplatinum-induced body weight loss and myelosuppression. In summary, our experimental data provide evidence of antiangiogenic and antimetastatic properties of Neovastat, following oral administration.     

Stimulation of serotonin2C receptors elicits abnormal oral movements by acting on pathways other than the sensorimotor one in the rat basal ganglia

Serotonin2C (5-HT_2C) receptors act in the basal ganglia, a group of sub-cortical structures involved in motor behavior, where they are thought to modulate oral activity and participate in iatrogenic motor side-effects in Parkinson's disease and Schizophrenia. Whether abnormal movements initiated by 5-HT_2C receptors are directly consequent to dysfunctions of the motor circuit is uncertain. In the present study, we combined behavioral, immunohistochemical and extracellular single-cell recordings approaches in rats to investigate the effect of the 5-HT_2C agonist Ro-60-0175 respectively on orofacial dyskinesia, the expression of the marker of neuronal activity c-Fos in basal ganglia and the electrophysiological activity of substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) neuron connected to the orofacial motor cortex (OfMC) or the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The results show that Ro-60-0175 (1 mg/kg) caused bouts of orofacial movements that were suppressed by the 5-HT_2C antagonist SB-243213 (1 mg/kg). Ro-60-0175 (0.3, 1, 3 mg/kg) dose-dependently enhanced Fos expression in the striatum and the nucleus accumbens. At the highest dose, it enhanced Fos expression in the subthalamic nucleus, the SNr and the entopeduncular nucleus but not in the external globus pallidus. However, the effect of Ro-60-0175 was mainly associated with associative/limbic regions of basal ganglia whereas subregions of basal ganglia corresponding to sensorimotor territories were devoid of Fos labeling. Ro-60-0175 (1–3 mg/kg) did not affect the electrophysiological activity of SNr neurons connected to the OfMC nor their excitatory-inhibitory-excitatory responses to the OfMC electrical stimulation. Conversely, Ro-60-0175 (1 mg/kg) enhanced the late excitatory response of SNr neurons evoked by the mPFC electrical stimulation. These results suggest that oral dyskinesia induced by 5-HT_2C agonists are not restricted to aberrant signalling in the orofacial motor circuit and demonstrate discrete modifications in associative territories.     

Endoglin (CD105) as a prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Endoglin (CD105) is a proliferation-associated protein abundantly expressed in angiogenic endothelial cells. Recent studies revealed that CD105 is intensively expressed in tumor vasculature, whereas intratumoral microvessel density (MVD) determined with the use of antibodies to CD105 has been found to be an important prognostic indicator for the outcome in a number of malignancies. In the current study, we investigated endoglin expression and evaluated MVD in 108 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Endoglin was intensively expressed in intratumoral blood vessels, whilst lymphatics were rarely positive for CD105. High microvessel density was associated with a more aggressive tumor phenotype, including advanced clinical stage (p=0.008) and the presence of lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis (p=0.02). When microvessel counts were assessed for their prognostic values (high vs low MVD), there was a statistically significant difference in the overall survival among patients with tumors of the oral cavity and larynx (p<0.001) and in the disease-free survival among patients with tumors of the lower lip (p=0.01). The prognostic impact of microvessel density was not dependent on clinical stage or lymph node status. The results of the current study suggest that CD105 is a promising target for tumor imaging and prognosis.     

肺耐药蛋白在子宫内膜癌中表达及其临床意义

目的 探讨肺耐药蛋白(LRP)在子宫内膜癌治疗中的作用及预后关系。方法 采用免疫组化染色SP法，检测30例石蜡包埋的子宫内膜癌中LRP的表达，并对应用化疗后的效果进行分析。结果 (1)LRP阳性表达率80％(24／30)；(2)LRP表达阳性者的化疗有效率约为45．8％，明显低于LRP表达阴性者(83．3％)；(3)LRP的表达与腹水相关，与患者年龄、临床分期、组织分级无关；(4)LRP表达阴性患者预后明显优于阳性。结论 LRP是评价子宫内膜癌化疗耐药性和预后可靠指标。