Clinical significance and therapeutic implication of CD200 in pancreatic cancer.

Background: CD200, a negative regulator of T cells as well as a marker for cancer stem cells, represents a significant prognostic factor and potential therapeutic target in certain cancers. However, its clinical significance remains unknown in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: CD200 was assessed in 220 resected PDAC patients who underwent surgery with or without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT).

CD8 T cell memory induced by successive SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccinations is characterized by shifts in clonal dominance.

mRNA vaccines against the spike glycoprotein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) elicit strong T cell responses. However, a clonal-resolution analysis of T cell responses to mRNA vaccination has not been performed. Here, we temporally track the CD8 T cell repertoire in individuals who received three shots of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine through longitudinal T cell receptor sequencing with peptide-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tetramer analysis.

A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin Motifs 4 Regulates Pulmonary Vascular Hyperpermeability through Destruction of Glycocalyx in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has no specific and effective treatment, and there is an urgent need to understand its pathogenesis. Therefore, based on the hypothesis that molecules whose expression is upregulated in injured pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (VECs) are involved in the pathogenesis of ARDS, we conducted a study to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and identify target factors for treatment. Primary human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-Ls) were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or poly (I:C) and analyzed via a microarray to identify target genes for ARDS.

A Novel Filtration Membrane for Clustered Circulating Tumor Cell Extraction: A Prospective Feasibility Study.

Background/aim: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have garnered attention as biomarkers for therapeutic response and prognosis in malignant neoplasms. Nonetheless, existing literature predominantly relies on surrogate markers of tumor cells or focuses on single-cell CTC, failing to adequately address the challenge of detecting cluster-forming CTCs, which bear considerable prognostic implications. This prospective study aims to validate the efficacy of a novel filtration membrane, namely Soft Micro Pore Filter (S-MPF), for rare cell recovery in detecting CTCs through the analysis of clinical samples.

Antiviral Effect of Candies Containing Persimmon-Derived Tannin against SARS-CoV-2 Delta Strain.

Inactivation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the mouth has the potential to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), due to the virus being readily transmitted by dispersed saliva. Persimmon-derived tannin has strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity owing to its strong adhesion to proteins, and it also exhibited antiviral effects against non-variant and Alpha-variant SARS-CoV-2 in our previous study. In this study, we first demonstrated the antiviral effects of persimmon-derived tannin against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro via the plaque assay method.

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF THE HISTONE MODIFICATION ENZYME SETDB2 IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME.

Introduction: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe hypoxemic respiratory failure with a high in-hospital mortality. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ARDS remain unclear. Recent findings have indicated that the onset of severe inflammatory diseases, such as sepsis, is regulated by epigenetic changes.

Angiopoietin-like 4 Is a Critical Regulator of Fibroblasts during Pulmonary Fibrosis Development.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible interstitial pneumonia caused by the excessive production and deposition of extracellular matrix components, including type I collagen. Activated fibroblasts, called α-SMA (α-smooth muscle actin)-expressing myofibroblasts, are the major source of type I collagen in pulmonary fibrosis (PF), but the mechanisms underlying disease progression have not been fully elucidated. Here, we obtained lung fibroblasts from patients with IPF from both nonfibrotic and fibrotic areas as determined by a lung computed tomography scan and compared gene expression between these areas by DNA microarray.

The spleen is the major site for the development and expansion of inhibitor producing-cells in hemophilia A mice upon FVIII infusion developing high-titer inhibitor.

Background: Hemophilia A (HA) is a hereditary bleeding disorder caused by defects in endogenous factor (F)VIII. Approximately 30 % of patients with severe HA treated with FVIII develop neutralizing antibodies (inhibitors) against FVIII, which render the therapy ineffective. The managements of HA patients with high-titter inhibitors are especially challenging.

Evidence for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and olfactory cell lineage impairment in close-contact infection Syrian hamster models.

Objectives: Close contact with patients with COVID-19 is speculated to be the most common cause of viral transmission, but the pathogenesis of COVID-19 by close contact remains to be elucidated. In addition, despite olfactory impairment being a unique complication of COVID-19, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the olfactory cell lineage has not been fully validated. This study aimed to elucidate close-contact viral transmission to the nose and lungs and to investigate the temporal damage in the olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) lineage caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Pure Solid Pattern of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Clustered Circulating Tumor Cells.

There are two solid patterns of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on computed tomography (CT): pure or mixed with ground-glass opacities (GGOs). They predict the degree of invasiveness, which may suggest the presence of clustered circulating tumor cells (CTCs), a predictor of poor prognosis. In this study, we assessed the implications of the solid patterns on CT and the preoperative clustered CTCs in surgically resected NSCLC.

Transition of Antibody Titers after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination in Japanese Healthcare Workers.

Since February 2021, healthcare workers in Japan have been preferentially vaccinated with a messenger RNA vaccine (BNT162b2; Pfizer/BioNTech) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While many studies have confirmed that this vaccine is highly effective in reducing hospitalization and deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), antibody titers tend to decline at 3 months after vaccination, leading to a risk of breakthrough infections. Thus, information is needed to support the decision regarding the 3rd vaccination.

Verification of A New Filter for Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells by Only Blood Filtration.

Background/aim: Since circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are precursors of metastatic lesions, extracting CTCs from whole blood is useful in obtaining information for cancer treatment. One of the CTC isolation methods is the size selection method; however, since the conventional methods are expensive and cumbersome, we developed an affordable and simple filter, whose usefulness is verified in this study.

Materials And Methods: The new filter [hereafter, soft micropore filter (S-MPF)] is made up of a polyethylene film with a thickness of 15 μm and conical pores having a diameter of 8-10 μm, which are opened uniformly (opening rate, 20%).

Oral SARS-CoV-2 Inoculation Causes Nasal Viral Infection Leading to Olfactory Bulb Infection: An Experimental Study.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections can cause long-lasting anosmia, but the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which can spread to the nasal cavity the oral route, on the olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) lineage and olfactory bulb (OB) remains undetermined. Using Syrian hamsters, we explored whether oral SARS-CoV-2 inoculation can lead to nasal viral infection, examined how SARS-CoV-2 affects the ORN lineage by site, and investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 infection can spread to the OB and induce inflammation. On post-inoculation day 7, SARS-CoV-2 presence was confirmed in the lateral area (OCAM-positive) but not the nasal septum of NQO1-positive and OCAM-positive areas.

TAS-Seq is a robust and sensitive amplification method for bead-based scRNA-seq.

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) is valuable for analyzing cellular heterogeneity. Cell composition accuracy is critical for analyzing cell-cell interaction networks from scRNA-seq data. However, droplet- and plate-based scRNA-seq techniques have cell sampling bias that could affect the cell composition of scRNA-seq datasets.

Vein-first Lobectomy for Lung Cancer Assessed According to the Status of Clustered Circulating Tumour Cells.

Background/aim: Vein-first lobectomy (VFL) in lung cancer might reduce shedding of circulating tumour cells (CTCs). This study assessed the clinical significance of VFL.

Patients And Methods: Lung cancer patients undergoing lobectomy and CTC testing were evaluated.

Persimmon-derived tannin has antiviral effects and reduces the severity of infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a Syrian hamster model.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread across the world. Inactivating the virus in saliva and the oral cavity represents a reasonable approach to prevent human-to-human transmission because the virus is easily transmitted through oral routes by dispersed saliva. Persimmon-derived tannin is a condensed type of tannin that has strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.

Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Ameliorate Elastase-Induced Emphysema in Mice by Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a worldwide problem because of its high prevalence and mortality. However, there is no fundamental treatment to ameliorate their pathological change in COPD lung. Recently, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) have attracted attention in the field of regenerative medicine to repair damaged organs.

Persimmon-derived tannin ameliorates the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis in a murine model through inhibition of the inflammatory response and alteration of microbiota.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) induced by dysregulation of the immune response in the intestinal mucosa. Although the underlying mechanisms of UC development are not fully understood, disruption of gut microbiota, "dysbiosis", is thought to lead to the development of IBD. Persimmon (Ebenaceae Diospyros kaki Thunb.

Abrogated Caveolin-1 expression via histone modification enzyme Setdb2 regulates brain edema in a mouse model of influenza-associated encephalopathy.

Influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE) is a serious complication that can follow influenza virus infection. Once a cytokine storm is induced during influenza virus infection, tight junction protein disruption occurs, which consequently leads to blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown. However, the details of IAE pathogenesis are not well understood.

Osteogenesis of osteogenic matrix cell sheets preserved in culture medium in a rat model.

Osteogenic matrix cell sheets (OMCSs) are ideal for bone regeneration. Transportation of OMCSs may be necessary, during which their osteogenic ability must be maintained. Here, we evaluated different media and temperatures for OMCS preservation.

Persimmon-derived tannin has bacteriostatic and anti-inflammatory activity in a murine model of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), including Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), cause opportunistic chronic pulmonary infections. Notably, MAC susceptibility is regulated by various factors, including the host immune system. Persimmon (Ebenaceae Diospyros kaki Thunb.