We have reported the isolation and characterization of three factor-dependent macrophage cell lines from bone marrow cells of C3H/HeNmice. We have since isolated a subclone, BDM-1W3, from one of these cell lines. We found previously that BDM-1W3has a different sensitivity to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for growth than its parental cell line, BDM-1. In this report, we show that LPS inhibits BDM-1W3 phagocytosis of antibody-coated sheep erythrocytes (Fc-mediated phagocytosis), whereas it enhanced Fc-mediated phagocytosis by BDM-1. It was observed that a loss of Fc-receptor capacity parallels a loss of phagocytic activity in LPS-treated BDM-1W3cells. LPS stimulated phagocytosis of latex beads by BDM-1and BDM-1W3, suggesting that Fc-mediated phagocytosis and phagocytosis of latex beads differ in their regulatory mechanisms. When BDM-1 cells were cultured with LPS, they underwent drastic morphological changes, whereas LPS-treated BDM-1W3 cells did not change significantly. Gamma interferon enhanced FC-mediated phagocytosis by BDM-1, while it had no significant effect on that by BDM-1W3. These cell lines should be useful for studying signal transduction mechanisms in LPS-mediated macrophage activation.
Dysphagia results from age-related changes in swallowing physiology and contributes to various health status changes, including higher risks for malnutrition, pneumonia, and mortality [1, 2]. It also occurs in age-related diseases, including stroke [3] and cancer [4], and progressive neurological diseases, such as dementia [5] and Parkinson’s disease [6]. These associations, and global aging, have increased the importance of dysphagia management. Artificial nutrition can support patients with dysphagia caused by various clinical conditions. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is an artificial nutrition method that secures an enteral nutrition (EN) route in dysphagia patients [7]. PEG tubes have been widely used in Japan as a convenient and effective EN route since approximately 1990; however, the use of PEG feeding in dementia patients is controversial [8-10]. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is an alternative nutritional management method [11] and has been the most frequently used nutritional support method in Japan since 2010. A comparison of long-term outcomes associated with PEG feeding and TPN in older patients found that older patients, and those with poorer nutritional status and severe dementia, were more likely to receive TPN, whereas patients with cerebrovascular disease were more likely to receive PEG [12]. A 2012 Japan Geriatric Society position statement on end-of-life care for older adults suggested that patients’ families or caregivers should decide whether feeding tubes should be withheld or withdrawn [13]. Although advanced directives are now widely used, the decision of whether to institute enteral tube feeding is an important issue for older patients and their families. However, global clinical evidence for the effect of artificial nutritional support on survival-time, and for differences between administration routes, is lacking. The rate of aging in Japan is more rapid than in any other country, and more research is needed on clinical decision making for the older population. The study aim was to clarify the effects of artificial nutritional support route on survival-time of older terminal patients with dysphagia.
In recent aircraft noise survey in Japan, noise data is associated with each aircraft by flight log or by radio information including transponder signals. Especially, above Tokyo metropolitan area, flight tracks are tangled extremely each other, therefore assessments from various perspectives such as departure / arrival airport, used runway, aircraft model, and operator have been demanded for determining noise policies. However, for military aircrafts, it is not easy to identify their information with the same way as commercial aircrafts, because their flight logs are not disclosed and many of them do not emit transponder signals like commercial aircrafts. Therefore, manned 24 hours survey around air bases have been necessary to obtain flight information of military aircrafts. In this paper, we propose an AI-based analysis using captured aircraft images for obtaining actual flight data of military aircrafts. In the past trials, we could determine the takeoff/landing time and the aircraft model by the above method. Associating these information and noise data measured at monitoring stations, details of noise characteristics around the air base can be clearly grasped. Advanced analysis of the causes of noise impact will lead effective and concrete countermeasures.
The latest guidelines for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) that work groups of the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association have developed1 recommend using amyloid positron emission tomography (aPET)2 and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers.3 Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires autopsy analysis as part of its aPET trials, autopsy confirmation is essential for putting together evidence of actual AD features. Because Japanese clinicians and researchers have had a greater opportunity to study the progression of the disease over a longer period because of patient longevity, cases often have combined neuropathological features, which makes it difficult to diagnose the distinct disease entities involved. The Fukushimura Brain Bank was established in 1990 and has published annual reports for longer than a decade.4 In recent years, a large number of cases have been accumulated, and several of the findings have changed the understanding of newly described neurodegenerative diseases affecting elderly adults, especially dementia with Lewy bodies5 and argyrophilic grain disease.6 The 108 cranial autopsies performed from December 2003 to June 2009 included 43 men and 65 women with an age at death of 84 ± 9.1. The majority of patients satisfied diagnostic criteria for more than one disease. Several had multiple types of changes in their brain. Thirty-seven definite AD cases met National Institute on Aging and Reagan criteria for a high7 likelihood of AD, and many of these had another pathology. Non-AD cases were also complicated. Vascular troubles (VT) were encountered the most frequently (64 cases, 59%). Of neurodegenerative diseases, AD pathology was the most common (37 cases, 34%). As a result, AD and VT were often seen together, and several cases had a third pathological feature. None of these cases had a familial history of AD. There were 10 cases of pure AD, without any other pathological change, and these had a significantly younger onset, shown as diamonds (Group (G) 1) in Figure 1. The other 27 cases had a vascular or other neurodegenerative disease. On looking at the relationship between onset age and duration, individuals with AD with VT (G2, G6, and G7) were aged 70 to 90 and had a 5- to 15-year duration, with no correlation observed. In individuals without VT (G1, G3, G4, and G5), there was a negative correlation between these two factors. Individuals with a later onset had a shorter duration and a tendency to develop more complications. When AD developed before the age of 70, it was generally of longer duration and was not accompanied by any other brain disease. The hypothesis is that younger individuals with AD were admitted for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, so they had an early start at a controlled lifestyle, especially with respect to diet, and this nutritional support was maintained even in cases of advanced AD. Consequently, they had a lower risk of cerebrovascular disease and benefited from nutritional support to the end. Nevertheless, it was not possible to determine precisely why these individuals with younger onset and longer duration did not develop other neurodegenerative diseases. There were no cases with an onset at the age of 70 in individuals with AD with VT. Individuals with earlier onset of VT might have severe risk factors that would affect their prognosis, and they might not survive long enough to develop AD. It was learned that onset age and disease duration have an inverse correlation in cases of AD without VT (Figure 1), which means that AD is not a life-threatening disease per se, but the later onset and longer duration of AD has meant that individuals can develop multiple complications, making the clinical diagnosis of AD difficult. Japan is a super-aging society, and dementia, such as AD, is increasing rapidly in the population aged 80 and older. The older the individuals, the greater the risk of developing multiple dementia complexes with unaccountable clinical features. This study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. The ethical committee of Fukushimura Hospital approved the study protocol, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants or their relatives (approval number 039; June 2, 2000). Conflict of Interest: This study was supported by a grant from the Japanese Brain Bank Network for Neuroscience Research. The results were submitted for presentation at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 14–19, 2012. Author Contributions: All authors participated in study concept and acquisition of data. Sponsor's Role: None.
Arthrigenicity of <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i> subfractions appeared to be remarkably potentiated in oil vehicles such as squalane or mineral oil, while water-in-oil emulsions containing Arlacel A appeared to decrease or suppress their arthritogenicity. It seems that Arlacel A can exert a suppressive effect on the arthritogenicity of the subfractions. Poly I:C and acetylated wax D potentiated the arthritogenicity of lysozyme-solubilized product, while cord factor was unable to do so. When given together with either cell membrane fraction or cell envelope, the lysozyme-solubilized product produced much more severe disease than that of lysozyme-solubilized product alone. Cell walls lost much of their arthritogenicity when mixed with lysozyme-solubilized product.
A single or multiple systemic administrations of aqueous forms instead of water-in-oil emulsion of biological active acyl muramyl dipeptides (acyl MDPs) induced acute polyarthritis in euthymic rats and athymic nude rats except for WKY rats.Histological studies revealed acute exudative inflammatory reactions around joints which consisted of hypertrophy of both synovial villi and tendon sheath, infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and fibrin deposition of the affected joint spaces. During multiple systemic injections of acyl MDPs, this acute arthritis became chronic one in euthymic rats but not in athymic nude rats. It remains uncertain whether chronic polyarthritis results from repeating flare of acute inflammatory reactions by continuing stimulation of adjuvants or whether the chronicity of the disease may require some immunologic process to exogenous substances such as bacterial fragments or autoantigens modified by exogenous substances, such as type II collagen.
Substances cryoprotective for Vibrio cholerae were detected from prawn shells immersed in phosphate-buffered saline. This cryoprotective activity was heat resistant and sensitive to treatment with trypsin. For the exhibition of its full activity, the presence of Mg ion was indispensable. The cryoprotective activity of this substance was more active than that of other known cryoprotectants, like glycerol or serum.
