Induction of cellular immune responses to tumor cells and peptides in colorectal cancer patients by vaccination with SART3 peptides.

The tumor-rejection antigen SART3 possesses two antigenic epitopes (SART3(109-118) and SART3(315-323)) capable of inducing HLA-A24-restricted and tumor-specific CTLs. To determine its safety and ability to generate antitumor immune responses, 12 patients with advanced colorectal cancer were administered s.c. vaccinations of these peptides. No severe adverse events were associated with the vaccinations. Significant levels of increased cellular immune responses to both HLA-A24+ colon cancer cells and the vaccinated peptide were observed in the postvaccination peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 7 of 11 and 7 of 10 patients tested, respectively, and the higher responses were observed in those patients vaccinated with the highest dose (3 mg/injection) of the peptides. These results encourage further development of SART3 peptide vaccine for colorectal cancer patients.

[Effects of signals on memory and comprehension of history text: insertion of signals that relate the main text with corresponding information in the margins].

History texts for elementary school children have unique discourse structures that involve variety of information and style. This study investigated the effects of signals that relate the main text with corresponding information in the margins on memory and comprehension of the text. One hundred thirty-five undergraduate students were assigned to read the text being divided into two groups: texts with signals, and texts without signals. The text with signals contained four signals, for example, "look at the picture above". After reading the text, subjects recalled the text content (written information only) and took a comprehension test. The result of recall task suggested that students who read the text with signals remembered more information in the margins than those who read the text without signals. In the comprehension test, those in the former group indicated integrated comprehension of the two parts of the text.

Diminution of biological reactivity of ethanol by changing the solution structure by weak ultrasonication.

The weak ultrasonication (40 kHz, 12 mW, 1 week) of ethanol solutions was found to reduce stimulation of the senses of smell and taste by the ethanol on the basis of blind tests with an aqueous ethanol solution (33.0% w/v) and an immature distilled spirit (25.0% v/v). Experiments on mice also demonstrated that a treated aqueous ethanol solution had a weaker depressant effect on the central nervous system, as evaluated by the relative frequency with which mice regained the righting reflex at a dose of either 4.0 or 4.5 g/kg (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01, respectively) and by the reduction in rectal temperature at a dose of 5.0 g/kg (p < 0.05) soon after ethanol administration. Analyses of both the ethanol concentration by head-space gas chromatography and the free radicals by electron spin resonance spectrometer failed to reveal any chemical changes in aqueous ethanol solutions subjected to weak ultrasonication. However, measurement of the spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) of the 2H of water molecules by 2H-NMR showed that the treatment slightly accelerated the thermal motion of water molecules in the solutions. Treated solutions were also found to have a slightly higher density than untreated ones. These physical data demonstrate that weak ultrasonication induces a structural change, such as a more compact and homogeneous structure by changing the microdynamic behavior of the solution. These biological and physical studies suggest that only a slight structural change in an ethanol solution induces a marked change in the biological reactivity of ethanol without any chemical modification of the solution itself.