Abstract A peptide, 7B2, originally isolated from pituitary, is present in endocrine tumors, with high concentrations in pancreatic islet tumors. Plasma from most of these patients showed very high immunoreactivity to 7B2 (IR-7B2). To assess whether or not there is any alteration in circulating 7B2 concentrations due to age, sex, etc., we measured concentrations in plasma in 96 fasting healthy subjects, ages three months to 91 years; in patients with various other conditions, including pregnancy; and in cord blood. The response of circulating IR-7B2 to oral glucose was also evaluated. We found particularly high IR-7B2 concentrations in cord blood. Postnatally the concentrations were lower and decreased gradually with age to values for adults [15.6 (SE 2.9) pmol/L], increasing again significantly (P less than 0.01) in persons older than 70 years [37.1 (SE 32) pmol/L]. There was no significant sex-related difference in values for plasma. For the pathological conditions studied, we observed significantly supranormal values in patients with chronic renal failure [175.1 (SE 35.9) pmol/L]. Some of the pregnant patients in their third trimester also showed high values. A small but significant increase in plasma IR-7B2 was observed after a glucose load, both in control subjects and diabetics. Perhaps the kidney plays a major role in 7B2 degradation.
ABSTRACT A 57‐year‐old Japanese male patient with an 18‐year history of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) presented with alopecia on his scalp, and was clinically diagnosed to have alopecia areata. He was started on topical immunotherapy with squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE) for the treatment of alopecia areata. The patient was first sensitized with the application of 2% SADBE on the right upper arm, followed subsequently by re‐exposure to a low concentration of SADBE to provoke contact dermatitis on the scalp as treatment. Approximately 2 months later, he developed multiple red scaly lesions on his scalp and face, which were diagnosed histopathologically as DLE. DLE is known to be exacerbated by a variety of factors, including sunlight, X‐rays, tattoos, burns, and some forms of cutaneous trauma, including dermatitis. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have only been two reported cases of DLE exacerbated by contact dermatitis.
In this paper, we present an integrating sphere instrument for absolute luminescence quantum yield measurements from the visible to near-infrared (NIR) spectral region (λ = 350–1650 nm). The integrating sphere is equipped with a Xe light source and two spectrally corrected multichannel analyzers using a back-thinned charge-coupled device (CCD) and InGaAs detector, one for measurements in the visible to NIR wavelength region (λ = 350–1100 nm) and the other for the NIR wavelength region (λ = 900–1650 nm). The combination of the two optical multichannel analyzers allows measurement of the absolute quantum yield of NIR emissions with good sensitivity. Using this new instrument and platinum(II) meso-tetra(pentafluorophenyl)porphine (PtTFPP) as a sensitizer, we performed the first absolute measurements of quantum yield (Φp1Δ) of the a1Δg (v′ = 0) → X3Σg– (v″ = 0) emission at 1270 nm from molecular oxygen in different solvents. The quantum yields Φp1Δ in CCl4 and CS2 under infinite dilution of sensitizer were determined to be 2.2 × 10–2 and 6.4 × 10–2, respectively. Using the Φp1Δ value in CCl4, the quantum yields in other solvents were determined based on the relative method. From the phosphorescence quantum yields and the lifetimes of O2(a1Δg) taken under identical experimental conditions, we evaluated the radiative and nonradiative rate constants of O2(a1Δg), which are key parameters to understand the photophysical properties of singlet oxygen in solution. The quantum yields and radiative and nonradiative rate constants obtained in the present study were compared with the literature values determined based on the relative method.
Animals frequently eat less after a test-article treatment in nonclinical toxicological studies, and it can be difficult to distinguish test article-derived toxicities from secondary changes related to this reduced food intake. Therefore, in this study, we restricted the food intake of cynomolgus monkeys (Cambodian, male, n=2 or 3, 48 ± 3 months old) to 25% of the control for two weeks and evaluated the effects on toxicological parameters (general conditions, body weight, electrocardiography, urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry, bone marrow analysis, pathological examination). After 2 weeks, the monkeys exhibited decreases in bone marrow erythropoiesis (e.g., decreases in reticulocytes and bone marrow erythrocytes), as well as glycogenesis induction (e.g., increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) and malnutrition (e.g., decrease in triglyceride and systemic adipocytes atrophy). Additionally, histopathological analysis revealed granuloma and inflammatory cell infiltration in coronary fat, which had never been found in previous food restriction studies using other animal species. These findings will enable researchers to more accurately evaluate the toxicological risks of test articles that simultaneously induce food intake reduction.
Data S1. Published work review of lymphangiosarcoma of the scalp. Table S1. Summary of the published reports of scalp lymphangiosarcomas. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
Despite the significant impairment associated with degenerative disc disease, a clear understanding of pathogenesis of disc degeneration is still lacking. In order to clarify the relationship between degenerative disc disease and morphological and biomechanical properties, an accurate measurement method is needed. Recent advancement of medical imaging has allowed us to create an in vivo three dimensional (3D) computer model with high accuracy. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the disc height distribution and changes in stress distribution under compression loading of the rabbit lumbar intervertebral disc using a 3D computer model created from micro computer tomography images. The results of the study showed the contribution of 3D geometry of the endplate to stress concentration which may cause disc degeneration.
