Bovine abortion and necrotic placentitis by Aspergillus terreus.

A 31-month-old Japanese Black cow (Bos taurus) aborted at 5 months of gestation with no clinical symptoms. Histopathological examination of the placenta and fetus revealed severe necrotic placentitis associated with numerous irregular degenerative fungi and inflammatory cells. Regular filamentous fungi were also detected, without inflammatory response in the fetal digestive and respiratory organs. Both fungi had aleurioconidia and septa in the placenta and fetal organs and immunohistochemically stained with antibodies against Aspergillus spp. Aspergillus terreus was isolated from the fetal lung and abomasal contents as confirmed using mycological and molecular methods. This is the first immunohistochemical, morphological, and molecular identification of A. terreus in bovine placenta and aborted fetuses.

Multidisciplinary Team Care Delays the Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy in Diabetes: A Five-year Prospective, Single-center Study.

Objective Although recent reports have highlighted the benefits of multidisciplinary team care (MTC) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in slowing the progress of renal insufficiency, its long-term effects have not been evaluated for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). We compared the renal survival rate between MTC and conservative care (CC). Methods In this five-year, single-center, prospective, observational study, we examined 24 patients (mean age 65.5±12.1 years old, men/women 18/6) with DM-induced CKD stage ≥3 in an MTC clinic. The control group included 24 random patients with DM (mean age 61.0±12.8 years old, men/women 22/2) who received CC. MTC was provided by a nephrologist and medical staff, and CC was provided by a nephrologist. Results In total, 10 MTC and 20 CC patients experienced renal events [creatinine doubling, initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT), or death due to end-stage CKD]. During the five-year observation period, there were significantly fewer renal events in the MTC group than in the CC group according to the cumulative incidence method (p=0.006). Compared to CC, MTC significantly reduced the need for urgent initiation of hemodialysis (relative risk reduction 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.107-0.964). On a multivariate analysis, MTC (hazard ratio [HR], 0.434, 95% CI 0.200-0.939) and the slope of the estimated glomerular filtration rate during the first year (HR, 0.429 per 1 mL/min/m2/year, 95% CI 0.279-0.661) were negatively associated with renal events. Conclusion MTC for DM-induced CKD is an effective strategy for delaying RRT. Long-term MTC can demonstrate reno-protective effects.

Self-assembly of bacteria cellulose hydrogels carrying multiple carbohydrate appendages to visualize carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions.

Nata de coco was chemically modified to afford the bacterial cellulose hydrogels carrying terminal alkynes. The resultant hydrogels were then converted into hydrogels carrying lactosides or those carrying α-2,3-sialyllactosides by the Cu+-catalyzed alkyne-azide cyclization. The stable homo association of the hydrogels carrying lactosides was observed in an aqueous solution containing Ca2+, thereby demonstrating the Ca2+-mediated lactoside-lactoside interactions. Ca2+ also stabilized the hetero associations among the hydrogels carrying lactosides and those carrying α-2,3-sialyllactosides, thereby also demonstrating the Ca2+-induced interactions between the lactosides and the α-2,3-sialyllactosides. The sizes of these hydrogels were of the order of ca. 5 mm, and their associations could thus be readily monitored with the naked eye.

Synthesis and conformational analysis of poly(phenylacetylene)s with serinol-tethered carbohydrate appendages.

We synthesized phenylacetylenes containing ß-lactoside, ß-cellobioside, or ß-maltoside, and polymerized them to produce the corresponding poly (phenylacetylene)s. In these poly (phenylacetylene)s, the pendent carbohydrates were tethered to the mainchains by serinol spacers. Because similar glycosyl serinol units are found in the natural glycosphingolipids in cell membranes, the densely packed carbohydrate clusters along the poly (phenylacetylene) mainchains act as molecular mimics of cell surface glycoclusters. We analyzed the conformation of the glycosylated poly (phenylacetylene)s using circular dichroism spectroscopy, and found that the spatial carbohydrate packing within the glycoclusters changed on the addition of salts.

Avian Filariasis in Backyard Chickens in Japan.

In May 2017, a hen in a backyard chicken flock in Japan exhibited mild clinical signs, and the bird was examined for diagnosis. Unexpectedly, many microfilariae were observed in the lung by histologic examination, although no adult worms were detected within the body. In a blood test performed in July, microfilaremia was confirmed in a few clinically normal chickens of the same flock. Molecular analysis of the nematode partial 18S ribosomal RNA gene revealed that the gene detected in the lung of the necropsied hen was positioned in the group of the family Onchocercidae in the phylogenetic tree. These data show that avian filarioids that can infect chickens inhabit Japan.

Outbreaks of influenza B infection and pneumococcal pneumonia at a mental health facility in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Japan has an aging population and an increasing number of patients who reside in long-term care and mental health facilities. Both pneumococcal pneumonia and influenza B infection outbreaks have been observed in these populations, although no reports have described concurrent outbreaks of pneumococcal pneumonia and influenza B infection in these facilities. CASE PRESENTATION: Six patients and two staffs were initially diagnosed with influenza B infection at a mental health facility on March 14, 2015. By March 21, influenza B infection was diagnosed in 26 patients and 10 staff; all individuals received anti-influenza drugs. On March 19, two patients were diagnosed with pneumococcal pneumonia, and seven patients had developed pneumococcal pneumonia by March 24. Six of these seven patients also had influenza B infection. All individuals who developed pneumococcal pneumonia were hospitalized and treated using ampicillin/sulbactam at our hospital, and their symptoms subsequently subsided. Among the seven pneumococcal strains that were frozen and stored, two strains were type 3 and five strains were type 11A/E. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis testing revealed that each of the serum types were from the same clone. CONCLUSION: It appears that an outbreak of influenza B infection was followed by the spread of multi-clone pneumococcal pneumonia among elderly patients at a mental health facility. Therefore, it may be prudent to use vaccinations to prevent the spread of pneumococcal pneumonia among elderly patients and this diagnosis should be actively considered during outbreaks of influenza infection at elder care facilities.

In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for the detection of porcine cytomegalovirus.

To establish in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry based-assays for the detection of porcine cytomegalovirus, routinely processed renal tissue sections from 34 diseased piglets suspected of having the infection were obtained and examined. Using hematoxylin and eosin, porcine cytomegalovirus inclusion bodies were found in the nucleus of renal epithelial cells and capillary endothelial cells in the renal medulla in 30 cases. Inclusion bodies corresponding to porcine cytomegalovirus mRNA after in situ hybridization or porcine cytomegalovirus antigens after immunohistochemistry were easily determined. The cells were characterized by cytomegaly and basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies. Using in situ hybridization, porcine cytomegalovirus mRNA were clearly detected in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the cells in 28 of the 30 (93.3%) cases. Using immunohistochemistry, porcine cytomegalovirus antigens were clearly detected in the cytoplasm of the cells in 21 of the 30 (70.0%) cases. Higher specificities and increased intensity of staining was observed with minimal background using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry compared with hematoxylin and eosin. Thus, the two established methods are useful and helpful tools for detecting the presence of a porcine cytomegalovirus infection.

The Akt and ERK activation by platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer is associated with favorable patient outcome.

AIM: To investigate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt and extracellular signal regulated protein kinase (ERK) activation by chemotherapy, and the relationship between the activation of them and patient outcomes. The effect of chemotherapy on the cell proliferation and apoptosis markers and their role in the biology of ovarian cancer were also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out in a series of 10 ovarian (or tubal) cancer patients whose specimens were obtained before and after chemotherapy. PI3K-Akt and ERK activation were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for phosphorylated Akt and ERK. Their correlation with patient outcome was investigated by survival curves using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Ki-67 expression using immunofluorescent staining. Apoptosis was examined by caspase-3 and cleaved Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) using immunofluorescent staining. RESULTS: An increase in Akt and ERK phosphorylation after chemotherapy was observed in 5 and 8 patients, respectively out of 10 patients examined. Akt and ERK activation by chemotherapy were associated with a favorable overall survival. In almost all patients, Ki-67 expression was initially high and largely decreased after chemotherapy. An increase in apoptotic marker expression was observed in almost all patients exposed to chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that Akt and ERK activation by chemotherapy may be associated with favorable prognosis.

Complete remission of ovarian small cell carcinoma treated with irinotecan and cisplatin: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Small cell carcinoma of the ovary is a rare type of ovarian carcinoma with a very poor prognosis. CASE REPORT: We report here a case of a 55-year-old woman with small cell carcinoma of the left ovary. The patient underwent cytoreductive surgery with residual tumors of 6 cm at the cul-de-sac and was found to have stage IIIc disease. After six courses of irinotecan (CPT-11) and cisplatin (CDDP) combination therapy, secondary cytoreductive surgery was performed. The patient showed no evidence of residual tumors. After an additional three courses of chemotherapy, the patient is still alive and well without evidence of disease. CONCLUSION: CPT-11 and CDDP combination chemotherapy may be effective and safe for patients with small cell carcinoma of the ovary.

Endometrioid adenocarcinoma with a functioning stroma.

A case of a 70-year-old woman with endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the ovary with functioning stroma is presented. The symptom was postmenopausal bleeding. The preoperative level of serum estradiol was as high as 162.4 pg/mL, and serum gonadotropin levels were suppressed. The endometrial tissue showed hyperplastic changes. The surgical specimens consisted of a multilocular cystic ovarian tumor of 95 mm in diameter and an enlarged uterus. Histologically, the tumor was composed of proliferating, atypical, columnar cancer cells resembling early secretory endometrial cells, and condensation of plumed stromal cells resembling theca lutein cells. The diagnosis of endometrial adenocarcinoma of the ovary with functioning stroma was made. After surgery, the serum levels of estradiol decreased and of follicle-stimulating hormone increased. Almost all types of ovarian tumor have been reported to be associated with endocrine abnormalities. Mucinous epithelial ovarian tumors most commonly present with estrogenic stroma, although the frequency of endometrioid adenocarcinoma with functioning stroma is very low. Here, a rare case with the patient's clinical course and histopathologic findings is reported.

Raloxifene increases proliferation and up-regulates telomerase activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Vascular endothelial senescence is involved in human atherosclerosis. Telomerase activity is known to be critical in cellular senescence and its level is modulated by regulation of telomerase catalytic subunit (telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT)) at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Since the cardioprotective effect of estrogen itself has not been ruled out, we examined that of raloxifene, which has been classified as a selective estrogen receptor modulator, on the proliferation and telomerase activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Raloxifene, like estrogen, clearly induced the telomerase activity and human TERT (hTERT) expression via estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and ERbeta. Treatment with raloxifene for 5 days significantly induced cell growth, and either cotreatment with a telomerase inhibitor, 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine, or transfection with hTERT-specific small interfering RNA significantly attenuated the raloxifene-induced cell growth. Raloxifene also induced the phosphorylation of Akt, and pretreatment with a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, LY294002, significantly attenuated the raloxifene-induced telomerase activity. In addition, raloxifene induced both the phosphorylation of hTERT and IkappaB. Moreover, cotreatment with an IkappaBalpha phosphorylation inhibitor, BAY-11-7082, or a specific NFkappaB nuclear translocation inhibitor, SN50, significantly attenuated the raloxifene-induced telomerase activity and the association of NFkappaB with hTERT. These results show that raloxifene induced the up-regulation of telomerase activity not only by the transcriptional regulation of hTERT but also by post-translational regulation of the phosphorylation of Akt and hTERT and the association of hTERT with NFkappaB in HUVECs. Thus, the up-regulation of telomerase activity in vascular endothelial cells might be one mechanism contributing to the potential atheroprotective effect of raloxifene.