Sequential control of myeloid cell proliferation and differentiation by cytokine receptor-based chimeric antigen receptors.

As chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has been recently applied in clinics, controlling the fate of blood cells is increasingly important for curing blood disorders. In this study, we aim to construct proliferation-inducing and differentiation-inducing CARs (piCAR and diCAR) with two different antigen specificities and express them simultaneously on the cell surface. Since the two antigens are non-cross-reactive and exclusively activate piCAR or diCAR, sequential induction from cell proliferation to differentiation could be controlled by switching the antigens added in the culture medium.

Proposal of index to evaluate caregivers' fear of care recipient falls.

This study aimed to identify evaluation items that can be used to create an index to evaluate caregivers' fear of care recipient falls. A three-round Delphi method was conducted with medical professionals engaged in discharge support for patients with fall-related fractures. In the first round, a working group brainstormed evaluation items.

Cell fate-inducing CARs orthogonally control multiple signaling pathways.

While chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) has been clinically applied in T cell-mediated cancer therapy, CARs that combinatorially control general cell fates have yet to be practical. In this study, we aim to control multiple cell fates simultaneously by combinatorial activation of multiple cell fate-inducing CARs (cfiCARs). We construct CARs that transduce two different signals using two antigen-specific CARs.

Tailoring minimal synthetic receptors to reconstitute signaling properties through multiple tyrosine motifs.

As intracellular signal transduction is important for determining cell fate, artificial control of signaling properties through engineered receptors is attractive in the fields of synthetic biology and cell therapy. In this study, we tailored minimal synthetic receptors to reconstitute signaling properties by incorporating multiple tyrosine motifs. The size of molecular parts including the linker between the tyrosine motifs was minimized as much as possible to create the minimal synthetic receptors.

Cytokine Profiles of Tear Fluid From Patients With Pediatric Lacrimal Duct Obstruction.

Purpose: This study evaluated the cytokine levels in unilateral tear samples from both sides in patients with pediatric lacrimal duct obstruction.

Methods: Fifteen cases of unilateral lacrimal duct obstruction (mean, 26.9 ± 28.

[Sequential Chemoradiotherapy for Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: A Clinical Study with 33 Cases].

A total of 33 patients with advanced head and neck cancer (AHNC) treated with sequential chemoradiotherapy (SCRT) were retrospectively evaluated at Gunma University Hospital between 2009 and 2011. The regimen of SCRT was docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (TPF)-based induction chemotherapy (ICT), accompanied by docetaxel and cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), and oral administration of TS-1 after that. The response rate was 61%, the 3-year overall survival rate was 42%, the non-tumor-bearing survival rate was 27%, and the tumor-bearing survival rate was 15%.

The ApoA-I mimetic peptide FAMP promotes recovery from hindlimb ischemia through a nitric oxide (NO)-related pathway.

Background/objective: HDL has various atheroprotective functions and improves endothelial function. Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is a major protein of HDL and plays a crucial role in HDL functions. We developed a novel apoA-I mimetic peptide, FAMP (Fukuoka University ApoA-I Mimetic Peptide).

Separation efficiency of a microfluidic sperm sorter to minimize sperm DNA damage.

Objective: To evaluate whether microfluidic sperm sorters (MFSSs) allow effective recovery of sorted motile sperm without DNA damage compared with the centrifugation and swim-up procedure.

Design: Experimental laboratory study. All participants completed questionnaires regarding previous and/or current diseases, surgery, reproductive experiences, lifestyle factors, and date of the preceding ejaculation.

Extranodal soft tissue Rosai-Dorfman disease of the head and neck and its diagnostic difficulty.

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare proliferative histiocytic disorder that is characterized by persistent massive lymphadenopathy mimicking malignant tumors. Extranodal RDD is uncommon, and more severe fibrosis and fewer histiocytes in lesions make the diagnosis of RDD more difficult than that of nodal RDD. We herein described a 31-year-old male patient with isolated soft tissue RDD of the head and neck.

[Prediction of Post-operative Lymph Node Metastasis with a Molecular Biological Test in Head and Neck Cancer].

We assessed herein the post-operative lymph node metastasis in head and neck cancer, using the One-step nucleotide amplification (OSNA) method targeting matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP-7). Compared with the pathological test, the molecular biological test revealed more lymph node metastasis, resulting in poor prognosis. Six cases, of which the number of lymph node metastasis was the same between pathological and molecular biological test, survived.

Intestinal myofibroblast TRPC6 channel may contribute to stenotic fibrosis in Crohn's disease.

Background: Intestinal fibrosis is a frequent complication of Crohn's disease (CD) and often leads to detrimental stricture formation. Myofibroblasts play active roles in mediating fibrotic changes in various tissues. We investigated whether transient receptor potential channels in intestinal myofibroblasts are involved in CD-associated intestinal fibrosis.

A case of pyriform sinus fistula infection with double tracts.

Pyriform sinus fistula is a rare clinical entity and the precise origin remains controversial. The fistula is discovered among patients with acute suppurative thyroiditis or deep neck infection of the left side of the neck and is usually located in the left pyriform sinus. To the best of our knowledge, only a single tract has been reported to be responsible for pyriform sinus fistula infection.

Molecular hierarchy of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor-regulated angiogenesis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is one of several proangiogenic factors and represents a possible therapeutic target for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the role of HB-EGF in promoting tumor aggressiveness in TNBC remains unclear. To investigate specific genes and pathways involved in TNBC tumorigenesis, we profiled gene expression changes in two TNBC cell lines under two-dimensional culture (2DC) and three-dimensional culture (3DC) and in a tumor xenograft model.

Metronomic doxifluridine chemotherapy combined with the anti-angiogenic agent TNP-470 inhibits the growth of human uterine carcinosarcoma xenografts.

Uterine carcinosarcoma is a highly aggressive gynecological neoplasm that responds poorly to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Metronomic chemotherapy is accepted as a new approach for cancer treatment, and its underlying mechanism seems to involve the suppression of angiogenesis. However, the efficacy of metronomic and anti-angiogenic therapies against uterine carcinosarcoma is unknown.

Metronomic irinotecan chemotherapy combined with ultrasound irradiation for a human uterine sarcoma xenograft.

Metronomic chemotherapy is the frequent administration of low doses of chemotherapeutic agents targeting tumor-associated endothelial cells. We examined the efficacy of metronomic irinotecan combined with low-intensity ultrasound (US) in human uterine sarcoma and evaluated its antiangiogenesis mechanism by measuring the circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEP), a surrogate marker of angiogenesis. A human uterine sarcoma cell line, FU-MMT-3, was used in the present study because this tumor is one of the most malignant neoplasms of human solid tumors and it also has a high angiogenesis property.

Contribution of Ca(2+) -dependent protein kinase C in the spinal cord to the development of mechanical allodynia in diabetic mice.

In this paper, we directly demonstrate, for the first time, the activation of Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) in the spinal cord of diabetic mice. In streptozotocin (STZ)-treated (200 mg/kg, i.v.

Expression of thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck: correlation with clinical outcome.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the possibility of using thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and p53 as predictive values of clinical outcome in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). The expressions of TS, DPD, and p53 were examined with immunohistochemistry in 27 ACC patients, and the association with clinicopathological factors was determined. Cases with high DPD expression had significantly higher distant metastasis rates compared to those with low DPD expression (p=0.