Longitudinal trajectories of anterior cingulate glutamate and subclinical psychotic experiences in early adolescence: the impact of bullying victimization.

Previous studies reported decreased glutamate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. However, ACC glutamatergic changes in subjects at high-risk for psychosis, and the effects of commonly experienced environmental emotional/social stressors on glutamatergic function in adolescents remain unclear. In this study, adolescents recruited from the general population underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the pregenual ACC using a 3-Tesla scanner. We explored longitudinal data on the association of combined glutamate-glutamine (Glx) levels, measured by MRS, with subclinical psychotic experiences. Moreover, we investigated associations of bullying victimization, a risk factor for subclinical psychotic experiences, and help-seeking intentions, a coping strategy against stressors including bullying victimization, with Glx levels. Finally, path analyses were conducted to explore multivariate associations. For a contrast analysis, gamma-aminobutyric acid plus macromolecule (GABA+) levels were also analyzed. Negative associations were found between Glx levels and subclinical psychotic experiences at both Times 1 (n = 219, mean age 11.5 y) and 2 (n = 211, mean age 13.6 y), as well as for over-time changes (n = 157, mean interval 2.0 y). Moreover, effects of bullying victimization and bullying victimization × help-seeking intention interaction effects on Glx levels were found (n = 156). Specifically, bullying victimization decreased Glx levels, whereas help-seeking intention increased Glx levels only in bullied adolescents. Finally, associations among bullying victimization, help-seeking intention, Glx levels, and subclinical psychotic experiences were revealed. GABA+ analysis revealed no significant results. This is the first adolescent study to reveal longitudinal trajectories of the association between glutamatergic function and subclinical psychotic experiences and to elucidate the effect of commonly experienced environmental emotional/social stressors on glutamatergic function. Our findings may deepen the understanding of how environmental emotional/social stressors induce impaired glutamatergic neurotransmission that could be the underpinning of liability for psychotic experiences in early adolescence.

Subcortical volumetric alterations in four major psychiatric disorders: a mega-analysis study of 5604 subjects and a volumetric data-driven approach for classification.

Differential diagnosis is sometimes difficult in practical psychiatric settings, in terms of using the current diagnostic system based on presenting symptoms and signs. The creation of a novel diagnostic system using objective biomarkers is expected to take place. Neuroimaging studies and others reported that subcortical brain structures are the hubs for various psycho-behavioral functions, while there are so far no neuroimaging data-driven clinical criteria overcoming limitations of the current diagnostic system, which would reflect cognitive/social functioning. Prior to the main analysis, we conducted a large-scale multisite study of subcortical volumetric and lateralization alterations in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder using T1-weighted images of 5604 subjects (3078 controls and 2526 patients). We demonstrated larger lateral ventricles volume in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, smaller hippocampus volume in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia-specific smaller amygdala, thalamus, and accumbens volumes and larger caudate, putamen, and pallidum volumes. In addition, we observed a leftward alteration of lateralization for pallidum volume specifically in schizophrenia. Moreover, as our main objective, we clustered the 5,604 subjects based on subcortical volumes, and explored whether data-driven clustering results can explain cognitive/social functioning in the subcohorts. We showed a four-biotype classification, namely extremely (Brain Biotype [BB] 1) and moderately smaller limbic regions (BB2), larger basal ganglia (BB3), and normal volumes (BB4), being associated with cognitive/social functioning. Specifically, BB1 and BB2-3 were associated with severe and mild cognitive/social impairment, respectively, while BB4 was characterized by normal cognitive/social functioning. Our results may lead to the future creation of novel biological data-driven psychiatric diagnostic criteria, which may be expected to be useful for prediction or therapeutic selection.

Cerebral cortical structural alteration patterns across four major psychiatric disorders in 5549 individuals.

According to the operational diagnostic criteria, psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are classified based on symptoms. While its cluster of symptoms defines each of these psychiatric disorders, there is also an overlap in symptoms between the disorders. We hypothesized that there are also similarities and differences in cortical structural neuroimaging features among these psychiatric disorders. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed for 5,549 subjects recruited from 14 sites. Effect sizes were determined using a linear regression model within each protocol, and these effect sizes were meta-analyzed. The similarity of the differences in cortical thickness and surface area of each disorder group was calculated using cosine similarity, which was calculated from the effect sizes of each cortical regions. The thinnest cortex was found in SZ, followed by BD and MDD. The cosine similarity values between disorders were 0.943 for SZ and BD, 0.959 for SZ and MDD, and 0.943 for BD and MDD, which indicated that a common pattern of cortical thickness alterations was found among SZ, BD, and MDD. Additionally, a generally smaller cortical surface area was found in SZ and MDD than in BD, and the effect was larger in SZ. The cosine similarity values between disorders were 0.945 for SZ and MDD, 0.867 for SZ and ASD, and 0.811 for MDD and ASD, which indicated a common pattern of cortical surface area alterations among SZ, MDD, and ASD. Patterns of alterations in cortical thickness and surface area were revealed in the four major psychiatric disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cross-disorder analysis conducted on four major psychiatric disorders. Cross-disorder brain imaging research can help to advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders and common symptoms.

Helminth-induced impairment of humoral immunity differently contribute to their anti-arthritic effects in mice: Comparison of Schistosoma mansoni and Trichinella spiralis.

AIMS: We have previously reported reduction of anti-type II collagen (IIC) IgG levels in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) by Schistosoma mansoni (Sm) and Trichinella spiralis (Ts). To clarify the contribution of the impairment of humoral immunity to their anti-arthritic activities, we herein investigated the relationship between anti-IIC IgG levels and arthritic swelling in Sm- or Ts-infected mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male DBA/1J mice were infected with Sm cercariae or Ts muscle larvae prior to the IIC immunization. In the Sm-infected mice, paw swelling and anti-IIC IgG levels were continuously lower than those of non-infected control group. In contrast, arthritic swelling in the Ts-infected mice only decreased in the early phase of CIA progression, despite the continued impairment of anti-IIC IgG production throughout the experimental period. Correlation coefficients between residual paw swelling and anti-IIC IgG titers were similar or higher in the Sm group than in the control group, but were similar or lower in the Ts group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: The down-modulations of anti-IIC IgG levels by the two parasitic infections and the correlation analyses suggest that the anti-arthritic activity of Sm was primarily attributed to the modulation of IgG-independent arthritogenic mechanisms and secondarily to the impairment of anti-IIC IgG production. In contrast, Ts could alleviate CIA mainly via the impairment of antibody production.

Non-lethal rodent malarial infection prevents collagen-induced arthritis in mice via anti-arthritic immunomodulation.

AIMS: Immunomodulatory effects of parasitic infections on the outcomes of allergic or autoimmune disorders have been addressed in many experimental studies. We examined the effects of Plasmodium yoelii 17X NL (Py) infection on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS AND RESULTS: Male DBA/1J mice were immunized with bovine type II collagen (IIC). Py inoculation was induced at three different time points (1, 4 weeks after or 4 weeks before the immunization). Only the inoculation at 4 weeks after IIC immunization significantly inhibited arthritis development. Non-malarial anaemia induced by phenylhydrazine hydrochloride (PHZ) did not affect arthritis development. In the infected mice, anti-IIC IgG levels were transiently reduced. In addition, splenic production of pro-arthritic cytokines (IL-17 and TNF-α) and IFN-γ decreased, whereas IL-10 production increased. Flow cytometric analysis clarified that the main IL-10 producers in Py-infected mice had the CD4+ CD25- Foxp3- phenotype, presumably Tr1 cells. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that experimental malarial infection alleviated autoimmune arthritis via immunomodulation, suggesting the importance of malaria in the hygiene hypothesis and the significance of searching for therapeutic immunomodulatory molecules from malarial parasites.

Size-dependent growth tactics of a partially migratory fish before migration.

In many migratory species, smaller migrants suffer higher mortality rates during the risky migration. To minimize the size-selective mortality, migrants with smaller body sizes would need to accelerate growth rates or delay migration timing to attain a large enough body size prior to migration. To test these predictions, we investigated size-dependent patterns of growth rates and migration timing of juvenile masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) before their oceanic migration. We tracked uniquely marked individuals in a study population consisted of oceanic migrants and river-dwelling residents using mark-recapture surveys and PIT-tag antenna-reader system. Data supported our predictions about size-dependent growth rates and migration timing. For approximately 6 months before outmigration (i.e., between the decision of migration and the start of migration), eventual migrants grew more than residents if their initial size was smaller, but such a difference in growth rate diminished for fish with larger initial sizes. In addition, smaller eventual migrants delayed the timing of outmigration compared to larger individuals, to attain a larger body size in the river prior to migration. These results suggest that size-selective mortality during migration has shaped size-dependent patterns of the pre-migration growth in migratory masu salmon. Size-conditional changes in growth rate and duration of pre-migration period may be an adaptive tactic for the migratory animals.

Current Genetic Status of Nagaremon-charr, a Threatened Morphotype of Salvelinus leucomaenis in the Ane River, Lake Biwa System, Central Japan, With Comments on Its Conservation.

Stream-dwelling white-spotted charr, Salvelinus leucomaenis, populations tend to have unique color and spot patterns in different regions and may even display stream-specific patterns. An extreme edge of such diversity, found in individuals with atypical body color patterns (so-called nagaremon-type charr, a rare morphotype of Salvelinus leucomaenis [hereafter termed nagaremon-charr]), sympatrically occurring with normal-charr, has been reported from only six small isolated populations in Japan. Based on morphological and ecological perspectives, nagaremon-charr has been considered as an intraspecific color variant of white-spotted charr, although the genetic status of nagaremon-charr has not been determined. In this study, genetic diversity and population structure of the nagaremon-charr in a tributary of the Ane River (Lake Biwa system) were investigated through microsatellite and mtDNA analyses. Nagaremon-charr and sympatric normal-charr in the tributary shared the mtDNA haplotypes and were assigned to the same cluster in the STRUCTURE analysis and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC). These results suggested that nagaremon-charr in the Ane River is an intra-populational specific color variant of white-spotted charr. Above a waterfall, nagaremon-charr specimens exhibited extremely reduced genetic diversity, indicating that genetic drift may account for the fixation of the nagaremon-morphotype. Normal-charr below the waterfall clustered separately from hatchery-reared charr, indicative of native status of the former. Thus, both nagaremon-charr and normal-charr in the entire Ane River tributary should be conserved.

Culture-dependent and universal constructs and promoting factors for the process of personal recovery in users of mental health services: qualitative findings from Japan.

BACKGROUND: The conceptualization of personal recovery began in Europe and North America and has spread worldwide. However, the concept of personal recovery in addition to recovery-promoting factors may be influenced by culture. We explored how users of mental health services in Japan perceive their own personal recovery and the factors that promote it. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with individuals using mental health services. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis with a grouped framework analysis approach. We used a coding framework based on the existing CHIME framework (connectedness, hope and optimism about the future, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment). RESULTS: Data were obtained from 30 users of mental health services (mean age: 40.4 years; 46.7% women; 50.0% with schizophrenia). "Compassion for others" was newly extracted in "Connectedness", and "Rebuilding/redefining identity not being as shaped by social norms" was newly extracted in "Identity" as personal recovery. "Positive experiences in childhood" (including positive parenting support from neighbours) was newly extracted as a recovery-promoting factor. CONCLUSIONS: Our unique findings on the rebuilding identity/defining identity free from conformity to social norms due to interactions with familiar people, including peers, may be culture dependent. This study raises overarching questions regarding how socio-cultural values influence the development of identity and personal values and how they are in turn reflected in personal recovery.

The association between clinical symptoms and later subjective quality of life in individuals with ultra-high risk for psychosis and recent-onset psychotic disorder: A longitudinal investigation.

AIM: Subjective quality of life is a clinically relevant outcome that is strongly associated with the severity of clinical symptoms in individuals with ultra-high risk for psychosis and patients with recent-onset psychotic disorder. Our objective was to examine whether longitudinal changes in clinical symptoms are associated with quality of life in ultra-high risk individuals and patients with recent-onset psychotic disorder. METHODS: Individuals with ultra-high risk and patients with recent-onset psychosis disorder were recruited in the same clinical settings at baseline and were followed up with more than 6 months and less than 5 years later. We assessed five factors of clinical symptoms using the positive and negative syndrome scale, and quality of life using the World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire-short form. We used multiple regression to examine the relationships between clinical symptoms and quality of life while controlling for diagnosis, follow-up period, age, and sex. RESULTS: Data were collected from 22 individuals with ultra-high risk and 27 patients with recent-onset psychosis disorder. The multiple regression analysis results indicated that the more severe anxiety/depression was at baseline, the poorer the quality of life at follow-up. Further, improvement of anxiety/depression and disorganized thoughts were associated with improvement in quality of life. The difference in diagnosis did not affect the association between clinical symptoms and quality of life. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the improvement of anxiety/depression and disorganized thoughts is important in the early stages of psychosis before it becomes severe, affecting the quality of life.

Cross-scanner reproducibility and harmonization of a diffusion MRI structural brain network: A traveling subject study of multi-b acquisition.

Characterization of brain networks by diffusion MRI (dMRI) has rapidly evolved, and there are ongoing movements toward data sharing and multi-center studies. To extract meaningful information from multi-center data, methods to correct for the bias caused by scanner differences, that is, harmonization, are urgently needed. In this work, we report the cross-scanner differences in structural network analyses using data from nine traveling subjects (four males and five females, 21-49 years-old) who underwent scanning using four 3T scanners (public database available from the Brain/MINDS Beyond Human Brain MRI project (http://mriportal.umin.jp/)). The reliability and reproducibility were compared to those of data from another set of four subjects (all males, 29-42 years-old) who underwent scan-rescan (interval, 105-147 days) with the same scanner as well as scan-rescan data from the Human Connectome Project database. The results demonstrated that the reliability of the edge weights and graph theory metrics was lower for data including different scanners, compared to the scan-rescan with the same scanner. Besides, systematic differences between scanners were observed, indicating the risk of bias in comparing networks obtained from different scanners directly. We further demonstrate that it is feasible to reduce inter-scanner variabilities while preserving the inter-subject differences among healthy individuals by modeling the scanner effects at the level of network matrices, when traveling-subject data are available for calibration between scanners. The present data and results are expected to serve as a basis for developing and evaluating novel harmonization methods.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases are involved in cucurbitacin D-induced antitumor effects on adult T-cell leukemia cells.

Adult T cell leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive and malignant blood disease. We previously reported that steroid-structured cucurbitacin D (CuD) induces apoptosis in ATL cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling inhibitors on CuD-induced cell death in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) isolated from ATL/acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients and two human leukemia cell lines (MT-1 and MT-4). PBLs were isolated from an ATL/ALL patient as well as from a healthy donor. Cell surface markers were examined using flow cytometry. Serum cytokine levels were estimated using LEGENDplex or analyzed at the Center for Clinical and Translational Research of Kyushu University Hospital. Cell proliferation was assessed using the Cell Titer-Glo luminescent cell viability assay. Protein expression was determined by western blotting. PBLs from patients highly expressed CD4 and CD5. Serum from the patient contained high levels of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-10, IL-18, and interferon-γ compared to the healthy donor. CuD-induced cell death was enhanced by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)1/2 inhibitor U0126. However, a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor prevented CuD-induced cell death. Immunoblot analyses revealed that CuD reduced the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and JNK, and co-treatment with CuD and U0126 did not affect the phosphorylation of ERK. MEK1/2 and p38 inhibitors enhanced CuD-induced cell death, and U0126 enhanced the CuD-induced de-phosphorylation of ERK in MT-1 and MT-4 cells. We conclude that CuD reduces ERK activation, resulting in enhanced antitumor effects on leukemic cells.

White matter microstructural alterations across four major psychiatric disorders: mega-analysis study in 2937 individuals.

Identifying both the commonalities and differences in brain structures among psychiatric disorders is important for understanding the pathophysiology. Recently, the ENIGMA-Schizophrenia DTI Working Group performed a large-scale meta-analysis and reported widespread white matter microstructural alterations in schizophrenia; however, no similar cross-disorder study has been carried out to date. Here, we conducted mega-analyses comparing white matter microstructural differences between healthy comparison subjects (HCS; N = 1506) and patients with schizophrenia (N = 696), bipolar disorder (N = 211), autism spectrum disorder (N = 126), or major depressive disorder (N = 398; total N = 2937 from 12 sites). In comparison with HCS, we found that schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder share similar white matter microstructural differences in the body of the corpus callosum; schizophrenia and bipolar disorder featured comparable changes in the limbic system, such as the fornix and cingulum. By comparison, alterations in tracts connecting neocortical areas, such as the uncinate fasciculus, were observed only in schizophrenia. No significant difference was found in major depressive disorder. In a direct comparison between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, there were no significant differences. Significant differences between schizophrenia/bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder were found in the limbic system, which were similar to the differences in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder relative to HCS. While schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may have similar pathological characteristics, the biological characteristics of major depressive disorder may be close to those of HCS. Our findings provide insights into nosology and encourage further investigations of shared and unique pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.

Functional connectomes linking child-parent relationships with psychological problems in adolescence.

The child-parent relationship is a significant factor in an adolescent's well-being and functional outcomes. Epidemiological evidence indicates that relationships with the father and mother are differentially associated with specific psychobehavioral problems that manifest differentially between boys and girls. Neuroimaging is expected to bridge the gap in understanding such a complicated mapping between the child-parent relationships and adolescents' problems. However, possible differences in the effects of child-father and child-mother relationships on sexual dimorphism in children's brains and psychobehavioral problems have not been examined yet. This study used a dataset of 10- to 13-year-old children (N â€‹= â€‹93) to reveal the triad of associations among child-parent relationship, brain, and psychobehavioral problems by separately estimating the respective effects of child-father and child-mother relationships on boys and girls. We first fitted general linear models to identify the effects of paternal and maternal relationships in largely different sets of children's resting-state functional connectivity, which we term paternal and maternal functional brain connectomes (FBCs). We then performed connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to predict children's externalizing and internalizing problems from these parental FBCs. The models significantly predicted a range of girls' internalizing problems, whereas the prediction of boys' aggression was also significant using a more liberal uncorrected threshold. A series of control analyses confirmed that CPMs using FBCs associated with peer relationship or family socioeconomic status failed to make significant predictions of psychobehavioral problems. Lastly, a causal discovery method identified causal paths from daughter-mother relationship to maternal FBC, and then to daughter's internalizing problems. These observations indicate sex-dependent mechanisms linking child-parent relationship, brain, and psychobehavioral problems in the development of early adolescence.

Neurometabolic underpinning of the intergenerational transmission of prosociality.

Parent-child personality transmission can occur via biological gene-driven processes as well as through environmental factors such as shared environment and parenting style. We recently revealed a negative association between prosociality, a highly valued personality attribute in human society, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in children at the age of 10 years. We thus hypothesized that prosociality would be intergenerationally transmitted, and that transmission would be underwritten by neurometabolic heritability. Here, we collected prosociality data from children aged 10 years and their parents in a large-scale population-based birth cohort study. We also measured ACC GABA+ and glutamate plus glutamine (Glx) levels in a follow-up assessment with a subsample of the participants (aged 11 years) using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We analyzed the associations among children's and parents' prosociality and GABA+/Glx ratios. We also examined the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) and verbalized parental affection (VPA) on these associations. We found a significant positive parent-child association for prosociality (N â€‹= â€‹3026; children's mean age 10.2 years) and GABA+/Glx ratio (N â€‹= â€‹99; children's mean age 11.4 years). There was a significant negative association between GABA+/Glx ratio and prosociality in both children (N â€‹= â€‹208) and parents (N â€‹= â€‹128). Our model accounting for the effects of neurometabolic heritability on prosociality transmission fitted well. Moreover, in this model, a significant positive effect of VPA but not SES on children's prosociality was observed independently of the effect of neurometabolic transmission, while SES but not VPA was significantly associated with parental prosociality. Our results provide novel insights into the neurometabolic substrates of parent-child transmission of social behavior.

Smaller anterior subgenual cingulate volume mediates the effect of girls' early sexual maturation on negative psychobehavioral outcome.

Early-maturing girls are relatively likely to experience compromised psychobehavioral outcomes. Some studies have explored the association between puberty and brain morphology in adolescents, while the results were non-specific for females or the method was a region-of-interest analysis. To our knowledge, no large-scale study has comprehensively explored the effects of pubertal timing on whole-brain volumetric development or the neuroanatomical substrates of the association in girls between pubertal timing and psychobehavioral outcomes. We collected structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of a subsample (N â€‹= â€‹203, mean age 11.6 years) from a large-scale population-based birth cohort. Tanner stage, a scale of physical maturation in adolescents, was rated almost simultaneously with MRI scan. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire total difficulties (SDQ-TD) scores were rated by primary parents some duration after MRI scan (mean age 12.1 years). In each sex group, we examined brain regions associated with Tanner stage using whole-brain analysis controlling for chronological age, followed by an exploration of brain regions also associated with the SDQ-TD scores. We also performed mediation analyses. In girls, Tanner stage was significantly negatively correlated with gray matter volumes (GMVs) in the anterior/middle cingulate cortex (ACC/MCC), of which the subgenual ACC (sgACC) showed a negative correlation between GMVs and SDQ-TD scores. Smaller GMVs in the sgACC mediated the association between higher Tanner stages and higher SDQ-TD scores. We found no significant results in boys. Our results from a minimally biased, large-scale sample provide new insights into neuroanatomical correlates of the effect of pubertal timing on developmental psychological difficulties emerging in adolescence.

Association between duration of breastfeeding based on maternal reports and dorsal and ventral striatum and medial orbital gyrus volumes in early adolescence.

Maternal breastfeeding has an impact on motor and emotional development in children of the next generation. Elucidating how breastfeeding during infancy affects brain regional structural development in early adolescence will be helpful for promoting healthy development. However, previous studies that have shown relationships between breastfeeding during infancy and cortical brain regions in adolescence are usually based on maternal retrospective recall of breastfeeding, and the accuracy of the data is unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between breastfeeding duration and brain regional volume in a population-neuroimaging study of early adolescents in Japan (N â€‹= â€‹207; 10.5-13.4 years) using voxel-based morphometry, which enabled us to analyze the whole brain. We evaluated breastfeeding duration as indexed by maternal and child health handbook records during infancy. The results showed a significant positive correlation between the duration of breastfeeding and gray matter volume in the dorsal and ventral striatum and the medial orbital gyrus. Post hoc exploratory analyses revealed that the duration of breastfeeding was significantly correlated with emotional behavior. Additionally, the volume in the medial orbital gyrus mediated an association between breastfeeding duration and emotional behavior. This is the first study to evaluate the effect of breastfeeding during infancy on regional brain volumes in early adolescence based on maternal and child health handbook records. Our findings shed light upon the importance of maternal breastfeeding for brain development related to emotional and motivational processing in early adolescence.

Th2 signals are not essential for the anti-arthritic effects of Trichinella spiralis in mice.

AIMS: Many parasitic helminths are known to alter host immune responses and consequently affect the progression of autoimmune and allergic diseases. The parasitic nematode Trichinella sp has been reported to suppress several experimental diseases in rodents, including experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, type 1 diabetes, colitis, airway inflammation and autoimmune arthritis. We tried to clarify requirement of Th2 cytokines in the anti-arthritic effects of Trichinella spiralis (Ts) against collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS AND RESULTS: We infected Ts and then induced CIA in STAT6KO DBA/1 mice, comparing the disease progression with that in wild-type (WT) DBA/1 mice, Ts significantly mitigated arthritis in WT mice, in addition to the impairment of anti-type II collagen (IIC) IgG production in a subclass-independent manner. The genetic absence of STAT6 in the mice did not abrogate the anti-arthritic effects of Ts. Alteration of splenic cytokines was not related to the anti-arthritic effects of the parasite. Moreover, lack of IL-10 did not abrogate the anti-arthritic effects of Ts. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the anti-arthritic effects of Ts do not require host Th2 signals.

Particulate Matter, Asian Sand Dust Delays Cyclophosphamide-induced Type 1 Diabetes in NOD Mice.

Although it is known that desert dust exacerbates allergic diseases, how it affects the onset of autoimmune diseases is unclear. No epidemiological investigations or animal experiments have been conducted so far to elucidate the effects of desert dust on autoimmune diseases. Here, we focused on particulate matter, such Asian sand dust (ASD) that has been known to cause adverse health effects in East Asian countries, and conducted animal experiments to examine how ASD influences type 1 diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disease. An ASD suspension was intratracheally administered into NOD mice, which spontaneously develop T1D, for 4 times at 2-week intervals. Subsequently, the incidence of cyclophosphamide (CY)-induced diabetes was examined, which was then quantified using adoptive splenocyte-transfer assays. Kaplan-Meier curves of the cumulative T1D incidence were compared using the log-rank test, and unpaired two-tailed t tests were used for comparing the other data. We observed that ASD administration delayed T1D, and adoptive splenocytes derived from ASD-administered donor NOD mice also delayed the onset of T1D in recipient NOD mice. We further found that ASD increases concanavalin A-induced IFN-γ production and decreases regulatory T cells. Consequently, ASD suppresses the onset of T1D, activates spleen cells, and affects T-cell differentiation.

Correction to: The Japanese version of the questionnaire about the process of recovery: development and validity and reliability testing.

After publication of our article [1] we were notified that the 5-point Likert-type scale in Additional file 1 needs to change from "1 to 5" to "0 to 4". The updated Additional file 1 is included in this correction.

In vivo immune activation of splenocytes following exposure to tar from Asian sand dust.

Air pollution, especially that initiated by particulate matter (PM), has been implicated as a risk factor for several inflammatory diseases. Previously, it was reported that PM enhances immune responses. PM includes the tar fraction that contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which produce adverse health effects in exposed individuals. However, the influence of the tar fraction (as a component of PM) on splenocytes is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the tar fraction extracted from PM collected from the atmosphere in Fukuoka, Japan, on mouse splenocytes. ICR mice were administered tar (1 or 5 µg/mouse) intratracheally 4 times at 2-week intervals, and splenocytes from the tar-treated mice were extracted and examined. The parameters determined were proliferation, cytokine concentrations and transcription factors activation. Following tar treatment, splenocyte proliferation increased relative to controls. Concanavalin A (ConA)-induced interleukin (IL)-2 formation and ConA- or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced interferon-γ production were elevated in splenocytes from tar-exposed mice. However, the production of tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-6 induced by LPS was not markedly changed following tar treatment. Further, nuclear factor of activated T cells, but not nuclear factor-κB, was enhanced in splenocytes of tar-exposed mice. Data indicate that tar-activated splenocytes and PM-bound PAHs might contribute to T cell activation in the spleen.