Expansion effect of romiplostim on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells versus thrombopoietin and eltrombopag.

Romiplostim, a thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist, is a clinically approved drug that is clearly effective in reconstituting hematopoiesis in refractory aplastic anemia and　idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. However, the mechanism underlying its biological effect is unknown, and its differences from other TPO receptor agonists remain unclear. Therefore, we determined the in vitro expansion effect of romiplostim on human CD34 + hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) versus recombinant human TPO (rhTPO) and another clinically available drug, eltrombopag.

The Mechanism of Pertussis Cough Revealed by the Mouse-Coughing Model.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a contagious respiratory disease caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. This disease is characterized by severe and uncontrollable coughing, which imposes a significant burden on patients. However, its etiological agent and the mechanism are totally unknown because of a lack of versatile animal models that reproduce the cough.

Spatial and single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals changes in gene expression in response to drug perturbation in rat kidney.

The kidney is a complex organ that consists of various types of cells. It is occasionally difficult to resolve molecular alterations and possible perturbations that the kidney experiences due to drug-induced damage. In this study, we performed spatial and single-cell transcriptome analysis of rat kidneys and constructed a precise rat renal cell atlas with spatial information.

Identification of the minimum region of Bordetella pertussis Vag8 required for interaction with C1 inhibitor.

An autotransporter of Bordetella pertussis, virulence-associated gene 8 (Vag8), binds and inactivates the complement regulator, C1 inhibitor (C1-Inh), and plays a role in evasion of the complement system. However, the molecular interaction between Vag8 and C1-Inh remains unclear. Here, we localized the minimum region of Vag8 required for interaction with C1-Inh by examining the differently truncated Vag8 derivatives for the ability to bind and inactivate C1-Inh.

A case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection complicated with pseudoaneurysm healed by medical treatment: Follow-up by multidetector computed tomography.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute myocardial ischemia. Identification of intimal flap, true and false lumens in coronary angiogram (CAG) is the standard method to diagnose SCAD. In cases of obscure intimal flap, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a useful method to diagnose, although crossing the wire and IVUS in the dissected lesion is invasive.

Postinfarct cardiac free wall rupture detected by multidetector computed tomography.

Cardiac free wall rupture after myocardial infarction is one of the life-threatening complications, which often results in sudden onset of cardiogenic shock caused by cardiac tamponade. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) provides valuable information in any clinical setting. There have been a few case reports on detecting cardiac rupture by means of CT.