Increased Myosin light chain 9 expression during Kawasaki disease vasculitis.

Introduction: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis that predominantly afflicts children. KD development is known to be associated with an aberrant immune response and abnormal platelet activation, however its etiology is still largely unknown. Myosin light chain 9 (Myl9) is known to regulate cellular contractility of both non-muscle and smooth muscle cells, and can be released from platelets, whereas any relations of Myl9 expression to KD vasculitis have not been examined.

Elevated Myl9 reflects the Myl9-containing microthrombi in SARS-CoV-2-induced lung exudative vasculitis and predicts COVID-19 severity.

The mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is strongly correlated with pulmonary vascular pathology accompanied by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection-triggered immune dysregulation and aberrant activation of platelets. We combined histological analyses using field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses of the lungs from autopsy samples and single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to investigate the pathogenesis of vasculitis and immunothrombosis in COVID-19. We found that SARS-CoV-2 accumulated in the pulmonary vessels, causing exudative vasculitis accompanied by the emergence of thrombospondin-1-expressing noncanonical monocytes and the formation of myosin light chain 9 (Myl9)-containing microthrombi in the lung of COVID-19 patients with fatal disease.

Clinical and Histological Effects of Partial Blood Flow Impairment in Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer.

Regarding vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) for lymphedema, partial blood flow impairment in transferred lymph node (LN) flaps may adversely affect the therapeutic results. We investigated the clinical and histological effects of partial blood flow impairment in LN flaps. In upper extremity lymphedema cases, based on ultrasonographic examination at 2 weeks after VLNT, we compared the treatment results depending on whether the postoperative blood flow in transferred LNs was good (Group G) or poor (Group P).

Calcification in Werner syndrome associated with lymphatic vessels aging.

In addition to the symptoms of aging, the main symptoms in Werner syndrome (WS), a hereditary premature aging disease, include calcification of subcutaneous tissue with solid pain and refractory skin ulcers. However, the mechanism of calcification in WS remains unclear. In this study, the histological analysis of the skin around the ulcer with calcification revealed an accumulation of calcium phosphate in the lymphatic vessels.

Noninvasive, objective evaluation of lower extremity lymphedema severity using shear wave elastography: A preliminary study.

Background: Increased skin and subcutaneous tissue stiffness in patients with early-stage lymphedema has been reported. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of shear wave elastography (SWE) for evaluating lower extremity lymphedema (LEL).

Methods: For 10 lower extremities of normal controls and 72 limbs of patients with gynecological cancer whose lymphatic function was categorized into six stages based on the range of dermal backflow (DBF) observed in indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography, SWE was performed and shear wave velocity (SWV) of the dermis and three layers of subcutaneous tissue at the thigh and calf were recorded.

Detection of Nonpalpable Tiny Axillary Lymph Nodes Surrounded by Adipose Tissue Using a Near-Infrared Camera.

It is not always possible to detect nonpalpable small lymph nodes (LNs) surrounded by adipose tissue under the wavelength of visible light. A newly developed near-infrared camera with InGaAs element was able to capture photographs using light at >1000-nm wavelength, at which the difference in absorbance between water and lipids is large. This study investigated the ability to detect nonvisible small LNs using light at 1300-nm wavelength.

Ang II-stimulated migration of vascular smooth muscle cells is dependent on LR11 in mice.

Medial-to-intimal migration of SMCs is critical to atherosclerotic plaque formation and remodeling of injured arteries. Considerable amounts of the shed soluble form of the LDL receptor relative LR11 (sLR11) produced by intimal SMCs enhance SMC migration in vitro via upregulation of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) expression. Here, we show that circulating sLR11 is a novel marker of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and that targeted disruption of the LR11 gene greatly reduces intimal thickening of arteries through attenuation of Ang II-induced migration of SMCs.

CD44 signaling through focal adhesion kinase and its anti-apoptotic effect.

Adhesion molecules can initiate intracellular signaling. Engagement of CD44 either by its natural ligand hyaluronan or a specific antibody on a cell line induced tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which then associated with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and activated mitogen-activated protein kinase at its downstream. However, the introduction of dominant negative Rho into the cells inhibited the CD44-stimulated FAK phosphorylation.