The Basophil-specific Protease mMCP-8 Provokes an Inflammatory Response in the Skin with Microvascular Hyperpermeability and Leukocyte Infiltration.

Basophils have often been erroneously considered to be minor relatives or blood-circulating precursors of tissue-resident mast cells because of some phenotypic similarity between them, including basophilic secretory granules in the cytoplasm. However, recent studies revealed that the repertoire of serine proteases stored in secretory granules is distinct in them. Particularly, mouse mast cell protease 8 (mMCP-8) is specifically expressed by basophils but not mast cells despite its name.

IL-27 promotes nitric oxide production induced by LPS through STAT1, NF-κB and MAPKs.

Interleukin (IL)-27, a member of the IL-6/IL-12 heterodimeric cytokine family, induces pro-inflammatory responses including early T helper (Th)1 differentiation and generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and also anti-inflammatory responses including the differentiation to IL-10-producing regulatory T cells, inhibition of Th2 and Th17 differentiation, and suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent source of reactive nitrogen species that play an important role in killing intracellular pathogens and forms a crucial component of host defense. Inducible NO synthase (iNOS), which catalyzes the production of NO, is induced by a range of stimuli including cytokines and microbes.

Bcl6 is required for the development of mouse CD4+ and CD8α+ dendritic cells.

Th2-type inflammation spontaneously shown in Bcl6-knockout (KO) mice is mainly caused by bone marrow (BM)-derived nonlymphoid cells. However, the function of dendritic cells (DCs) in Bcl6-KO mice has not been reported. We show in this article that the numbers of CD4(+) conventional DCs (cDCs) and CD8α(+) cDCs, but not of plasmacytoid DCs, were markedly reduced in the spleen of Bcl6-KO mice.

Enterolithiasis in a cat.

An 8-year-old female Persian cat was brought in for evaluation of chronic vomiting. The presence of opaque enteric foreign bodies and intestinal obstruction along with azotaemia, hyperphosphataemia, moderate anaemia and peritoneal fluid were revealed following appropriate diagnostic work-up. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed jejunoileal dilation, ileocaecal stenosis, and numerous foreign objects in the jejunoileum.

[A development of the network for functional trainings in daycare services in a large district].

After the Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) regulation has been enacted, all the daycare agencies/institutions must provide functional trainings to their clients as one of the standard services. However, the regulation is limited only to their personnel arrangement rather than the service content, which is left to each agency/institution. We feel that functional trainings as a daycare service need more attention so that we can bridge the content gaps between agencies/institutions.

[A development of the network for functional trainings in daycare services in a large district].

After the Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) regulation has been enacted, all the daycare agencies/institutions must provide functional trainings to their clients as one of the standard services. However, the regulation is limited only to their personnel arrangement rather than the service content, which is left to each agency/institution. We feel that functional trainings as a daycare service need more attention so that we can bridge the content gaps between agencies/institutions.