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Background/Aims: In 2019, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) established clinical predictors for choledocholithiasis. Our study was designed to evaluate these predictors within the Korean clinical context, establish cutoff values, and develop a predictive model. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The relationships between choledocholithiasis and predictors including age, blood tests, and imaging findings were assessed through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. We established Korean cutoff values for these predictors and developed a scoring system for choledocholithiasis using a multivariate logistic regression. The performance of this scoring system was then compared with that of the 2019 ASGE guidelines through a receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: We established Korean cutoff values for age (>70 years), alanine aminotransferase (>26.5 U/L), aspartate aminotransferase (>28.5 U/L), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT; >82.5 U/L), alkaline phosphatase (ALP; >77.5 U/L), and total bilirubin (>0.95 mg/dL). In the multivariate analysis, only age >70 years, GGT >77.5 U/L, ALP >77.5 U/L, and common bile duct dilatation remained significant. We then developed a new Korean risk stratification model from the multivariate analysis, with an area under the curve of 0.777 (95% confidence interval, 0.75 to 0.81). Our model was stratified into the low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk groups with the scores being 5.5, respectively. Conclusions: Predictors of choledocholithiasis in cholecystectomy patients and their cutoff values in Korean should be adjusted and further studies are needed to develop appropriate guidelines.

Background : /Aims: Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a life-threatening condition, despite advances in diagnostic technology and strategies for treatment. A strong predictor of mortality in this condition is septic shock. This study describes clinical, biochemical, and radiologic features in patients with PLA with or without septic shock, with the intent of describing risk factors for septic shock. Methods : : Of 358 patients with PLA enrolled, 30 suffered septic shock and the remaining 328 did not. We reviewed the medical records including etiologies, underlying diseases, laboratory, radiologic and microbiologic findings, methods of treatment and treatment outcomes. Results : : The case fatality rate was 6.1%. In univariate analysis, the presence of general weakness, mental change, low platelet level, prolonged PT, high BUN level, high creatinine level, low albumin level, high AST level, high CRP level, abscess size ＞6 cm, the presence of gas-forming abscess, APACHE II score ≥20, and the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae infection were significantly associated with septic shock. Multivariate analysis showed the presence of mental change (p=0.004), gas-forming abscess (p=0.012), and K. pneumoniae infection (p=0.027) were independent predictors for septic shock. Conclusion : s: The presence of mental change, gas-forming abscess, and K. pneumoniae infection were independent predictors for septic shock in patients with PLA. (Korean J Gastroenterol 2016;67:245-252)

Abstract Carbon corrosion poses a significant challenge in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), leading to reduced cell performance due to catalyst layer degradation and catalyst detachment from electrodes. A promising approach to address this issue involves incorporating an anticorrosive carbon material into the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrode, even in small quantities (≈3 wt% in electrode). Herein, the successful synthesis of fluorine‐doped graphene nanoribbons (F‐GNR) incorporated with graphitic carbon nanotubes (F‐GNR@CNT), demonstrating robust resistance to carbon corrosion is reported. By controlling the synthesis conditions using an exfoliation method, the properties of the composite are tailored. Electronic structural studies, employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations, to elucidate the roles of fluorine dopants and graphitic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in mitigating carbon corrosion are conducted. Physicochemical and electrochemical characterization of F‐GNR@CNT reveal its effectiveness as a cathode additive at the single‐cell scale. The addition of F‐GNR@CNT to the Pt/C cathode improves durability by enhancing carbon corrosion resistance and water management, thus mitigating the flooding effect through tailored surface properties. Furthermore, advanced impedance analysis using a transmission line model is performed to gain insights into the internal resistance and capacitive properties of electrode structure.

Abstract In this study, a sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) having cardo-type fluorenyl groups (FL-SPES) was investigated as a cathodic binder to improve fuel cell performance via increased the oxygen diffusion in the cathode. The maximum power density achieved by using the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) prepared with FL-SPES with a low ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 1.31 meq g–1 was 520 mW cm–2, which is more than twice as high as that of BP-SPES (210 mW cm–2) having typical biphenyl groups with a similar IEC. At high IEC of 1.55 meq g–1, the power density obtained by using BP-SPES was improved to 454 mW cm–2 but remained lower than that of FL-SPES. In addition, although the IEC, swelling degree, and specific resistance were similar to each other, the gas permeability of FL-SPES was improved by approximately three times compared to that of BP-SPES. The steric structure of cardo-type FL-SPES increased the free volume between the polymer backbones, leading to an increase in gas transfer. Consequently, oxygen diffusion was promoted at the cathode, resulting in improved fuel cell performance.

Background/Aims: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins may exhibit differential expression in intestinal type or pancreatobiliary type ampulla of Vater carcinomas (AVCs). We evaluated the expression of E-cadherin, b-catenin, and S100A4 in intestinal and nonintestinal type AVCs and analyzed their relationships with clinicopathological variables and survival. Methods: A clinicopathological review of 105 patients with AVCs and immunohistochemical staining for E-cadherin, β-catenin, and S100A4 were performed. The association between clinicopathological parameters, histological type, and expression of EMT proteins and their effects on survival were analyzed. Results: Sixty-five intestinal type, 35 pancreatobiliary type, and five other types of AVCs were identified. The severity of EMT changes differed between the AVC types; membranous loss of E-cadherin and β-catenin was observed in nonintestinal type tumors, whereas aberrant nonmembranous β-catenin expression was observed in intestinal type tumors. EMT-related changes were more pronounced in the invasive tumor margin than in the tumor center, and these EMT-related changes were related to tumor aggressiveness. Among the clinicopathological parameters, a desmoplastic reaction was related to overall survival, and the reaction was more severe in nonintestinal type than in intestinal type AVCs. Conclusions: Dysregulation of E-cadherin, β-cadherin, and S100A4 expression may play a role in the carcinogenesis and tumor progression of AVCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pore-filling membranes using three monomers, i.e., styrene, N-vinyl pyrrolidone (VP), and divinylbenzene (DVB), are prepared for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) applications. A porous polyethylene (PE) film substrate is used to enhance the dimensional stability of the prepared membranes. The proton conductivity and the water uptake of the styrene/VP/DVB membranes are similar to those of the styrene/DVB membranes, even though their ion exchange capacity is slightly lesser than that of the styrene/DVB membranes. Furthermore, the thermal stability of the styrene/VP/DVB membranes is higher than that of the styrene/DVB membranes, and, for the same DVB content, the membranes containing VP exhibit better oxidative stability. VP increases the membrane's water-absorbing ability due to its intrinsic hydrophilic property and decreases weak α-hydrogen derived from the sulfonated styrene. Finally, the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) using the 80/10/10 (Styrene/VP/DVB in weight percentage) membrane shows better performance than that using the 90/0/10 membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature tolerant new anhydrous Nafion-1,2,3-triazole blend membranes were prepared by room temperature (RT) and autoclave (AC) solution processing. Both blend membranes were very flexible and stable up to 260°C. Interestingly, they showed very different physico-chemical properties. In this paper, the properties of both the blend membranes were compared by Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, dynamic elastic modulus, X-ray diffraction, small angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, and proton conductivity. 1,2,3-Triazole was successfully incorporated into the nanostructure of Nafion. The blend membranes were more conductive than Nafion at 200°C under anhydrous conditions, and the conductivity was about 1 mS/cm. The blend membrane using AC solution processing showed higher thermal stability, density, and conductivity than that of RT solution processing. Therefore, an AC solution processing can be expected as a new synthesis method to get electrolyte membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysosomes are a cell organelle type processing antimicrobial activity. Here, we investigate the lysosomal activity in a primary cell line, bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs), during cellular aging, based on the antimicrobial activity of lysosomes isolated from BAECs at cell passages 4, 6, 8, and 10. Cytochemical analysis of lysosomes with LysoTracker reagent revealed the number of lysosome-like organelles surrounding the nucleus initially increased drastically in the BAECs and continued increasing gradually until passage 10. The lysosomes isolated from each successive passage of BAECs exhibited increased antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, and, in addition, an age-dependent increase in lysosome intensity coincided with increased lysosomal antimicrobial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ion selective electrode (ISE) for the measurement of Cr(VI), using supported liquid membranes (SLMs), containing tricaprylmethyl ammonium chloride (Aliquat336), was investigated in this study. Aliquat336, as a carrier, had a high selectivity for Cr(VI) in the presence of interfering ions, in the order SO42- > CO32- > Cl- > NO2- > NO3- > I- > SCN-. The composition of the SLM for the detection of Cr(VI) was optimized at 0.169 mL Aliquat336 mL-1 NPOE (o-nitrophenyl octyl ether) 0.5 g Poly (vinyl chloride), for the preparation of a 19.6 cm² sheet. The Cr(VI) concentrations were measured, using the SLM prepared in the study, in the range 2.023 × 10-5 to 0.1 M (1.052 to 5200 ppm). It seemed that the Cr(VI) was transported as a negatively charged monovalent ion, as indicated by the slope of the electromotive force (emf) response. The selectivity coefficients and detection limits for the Cr(VI), against the interfering ions, were determined experimentally using the fixed interference (FIM) and the separate solution methods (SSM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene moiré superlattices are outstanding platforms to study correlated electron physics and superconductivity with exceptional tunability. However, robust superconductivity has been measured only in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MA-TBG) and magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene (MA-TTG). The absence of a superconducting phase in certain moiré flat bands raises a question on the superconducting mechanism. In this work, we investigate electronic structure and electron-phonon coupling in graphene moiré superlattices based on atomistic calculations. We show that electron-phonon coupling strength λ is dramatically different among graphene moiré flat bands. The total strength λ is very large (λ>1) for MA-TBG and MA-TTG, both of which display robust superconductivity in experiments. However, λ is an order of magnitude smaller in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG) and twisted monolayer-bilayer graphene (TMBG) where superconductivity is reportedly rather weak or absent. We find that the Bernal-stacked layers in TDBG and TMBG induce sublattice polarization in the flat-band states, suppressing intersublattice electron-phonon matrix elements. We also obtain the nonadiabatic superconducting transition temperature Tc that matches well with the experimental results. Our results clearly show a correlation between strong electron-phonon coupling and experimental observations of robust superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the electrochemical and mechanical durabilities of two types of cast membranes and a reinforced composite membrane based on sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) were evaluated by OCV test and wet--dry cycle test. The composite membrane with electrospun microporous polyimide substrates showed higher mechanical stability than the cast membranes. Also, the higher the molecular weight of polymer membrane, the greater the electrochemical stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, new polyelectrolytes with highly crosslinkable and proton-conducting properties for pore filling membranes with no external solvents were introduced. It was found that the liquid monomers show more facile copolymerization as well as crosslinking than solid monomers dissolved in a solvent. Moreover, the membranes exhibited better durability due to extensive crosslinking and proton conductivity due to facile copolymerization. The resulting membrane exhibits proton conductivity of 0.09 S cm-1 at room temperature with stable fuel cell operation for 1000 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims Microorganisms in the body affect metabolism, and the representative one is the intestinal microbiota. Ley et al. suggested that obesity is associated with changes in the intestinal microbiota. Bile acids are known to act on the growth and inhibition of intestinal microorganisms. Therefore, the administration of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is expected to change the microbial environment in the intestine. This study aims to investigate the metabolic indices in the animal model when UDCA is administered. Methods The first study was conducted for 8 weeks by comparing three groups: control, high fat diet (HFD) and HFD+UDCA. The second study compared the two groups of HFD and HFD+UDCA for 5 weeks to confirm reproducibility, and as another control, synthetic bile acid (obeticholic acid) was added. Results Compared to the control group, the weight gain rate of the HFD group was significantly increased, but the increase was slowed in the group receiving the UDCA (Fig. 1). There was no statistically significant difference in blood glucose in the UDCA group, but significantly decreased in the obeticholic acid group. HOMA-IR also decreased in the UDCA group, but more significantly in the obeticholic group. Conclusions The high fat diet speeds up the rat's weight gain. Concurrent administration of UDCA in high fat diet slows weight gain. Concurrent administration of UDCA does not have a positive effect on blood glucose but reduces insulin resistance. Weight gain due to high fat diet may be slowed down by bile acids, which may have the effect of suppressing obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is one of the best antivirals for treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). As one's viral load decrease with TDF therapy, the liver function is expected to be improved. Bone marrow density (BMD), body composition (skeletal muscle mass and body fat mass) and pulmonary functions are also expected to be improved as a result of systemic effect of improved liver function. Methods The fourteen cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B virus on TDF therapy were enrolled. We checked their blood chemistry, hepatitis B virus DNA, PFT and body composition every 6 month and BMD every 12 month. Patients' Child-Pugh scores were calculated every 6 month. Using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, we analyzed baseline, 6 month and 12 month values of all the tests. Results Alanine aminotransferase normalization rate was 93% and virological response was 78.6% after using TDF for a year. The Child's score also improved. BMD was decreased significantly in the femur but not in the whole lumbar spine. The renal function was significantly worse than the baseline value, but not enough to reduce or discontinue the drug. Body weight was decreased significantly at 12 months compared to baseline. Muscle weight and fat content also showed a tendency to decrease. Diffusion capacity was improved compared to baseline, but not statistically significant. Conclusions Liver cirrhosis due to CHB was treated with TDF for 1 year, and good biochemical and virological responses were observed. Diffusion capacity of lung was improved, body weight decreased, and femur bone density decreased. Long-term studies with larger numbers of patients will be needed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims Acute hepatitis A was not commonly noticed before 1990. This is because all of the childhood passed through a inapparent infection. But, acute hepatitis A began to emerge in the late 1990s, centering on Daejeon and Gyeongin. Although it is currently managed as a legal infectious disease, it increased sharply again from the end of 2018. Therefore, we investigated the change of patients with acute hepatitis A who admitted in our hospital since 2001. Methods Patients with acute hepatitis A who have been hospitalized since 2001 were surveyed. We retrospectively reviewed sex, age, hospital stay, anti-HAV IgM at admission and follow-up anti-HAV IgM. Results As you see Table 1, In the past, the proportion of men was higher than women, but the gap narrowed. And the average age decreased from the early 40s to the late 30s. The youngest inpatients also fell from late twenties to late teens. The hospital stay was reduced. Among the 882 excluding the missing values, 75 were anti-HAV IgM negative at admission and turned positive at follow-up test. Conclusions In the past, the prevalence of men was higher than women. This was thought to be because men had more social activity. In the recent results, the sex ratio is almost same. This may be due to increased social activity of women or changes in the pathway of HAV infection. The patient's age was contrary to expectations. We expected that over time, the age of high risk groups would increase. But the result was the opposite. Especially, the youngest patient ages fell to late teens. When diagnosing patients, acute hepatitis A should be considered even if they are late teens or anti-HAV IgM negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims We examined the effect of each bile acids on various microbiotas in vitro and tried to find out whether similar changes occurred in the intestines by artificially increasing the fraction of specific bile acids, especially on different parts of colon. Methods We analyzed the effects of each bile acids on the various microbiotas using the disk diffusion method. In the subsequent animal experiments, bile acids were delivered by transgastric rout. And fecal samples were collected from the cecum and other colon. Results From the disk diffusion study results, microbiotas found in the bile or intestinal tract were less inhibited than the trains found in other organ. And most of repressed strains were inhibited by DCA and CDCA. In the subsequent animal experiments, cecum showed opposite of disk diffusion study. And rest of colon showed similar result of disk diffusion study. Conclusions Bile acids have inhibitory effect on microbiotas, which varies according to the type of strain and bile acid. And the effect of bile acids on microbiotas in the intestinal tract is similar to that of microbial susceptibility tests and this result was significant in the colon except the cecum. So, the artificial control of bile acid composition can read to change the environment of bowel microbiotas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron-doped high-Tc FeSe reportedly has a strong electron correlation that is enhanced with doping. It has been noticed that significant electric fields exist inevitably between FeSe and external donors along with electron transfer. However, the effects of such fields on the electron correlation are yet to be explored. Here we study potassium- (K-) dosed FeSe layers using density-functional theory combined with dynamical mean-field theory to investigate the roles of such electric fields on the strength of the electron correlation. We find, very interestingly, that the electronic potential-energy difference between the topmost Se and Fe atomic layers, generated by local electric fields of ionized K atoms, weakens the Se-mediated hopping between Fe d orbitals. Since it is the dominant hopping channel in FeSe, its reduction narrows the Fe d bands near the Fermi level, enhancing the electron correlation. This effect is orbital dependent and occurs in the topmost FeSe layer only. We also find the K dosing may increase the Se height, enhancing the electron correlation further. These results shed new light on the comprehensive study of high-Tc FeSe and other low-dimensional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural products with high antioxidant activity are considered as innovative prevention strategies to effectively prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the early stage because the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to the development of drusen is reported as an important cause of this disease. To investigate the prevention effects of the methanol extracts of Euphorbia heterophylla L. (MEE) on AMD, its effects on the antioxidant activity, inflammatory response, apoptosis pathway, neovascularization, and retinal tissue degeneration were analyzed in N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E)-landed spontaneously arising retinal pigment epithelia (ARPE)-19 cells and BALB/c mice after exposure to blue light (BL). The MEE contained 10 active components and showed high free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and nitric oxide (NO) radicals. The pretreatments of high-dose MEE remarkably suppressed the production of intracellular ROS (88.2%) and NO (25.2%) and enhanced (SOD) activity (84%) and the phosphorylation of nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) in A2E + BL-treated ARPE-19 cells compared to Vehicle-treated group. The activation of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mediated pathway, inflammasome activation, and expression of inflammatory cytokines was significantly inhibited in A2E + BL-treated ARPE-19 cells after the MEE pretreatment. The activation of the apoptosis pathway and increased expression of neovascular proteins (36% for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9) were inhibited in the MEE pretreated groups compared to the Vehicle-treated group. Furthermore, the thickness of the whole retina (31%), outer nuclear layer (ONL), inner nuclear layer (INL), and photoreceptor layer (PL) were significantly increased by the MEE pretreatment of BALB/c mice with BL-induced retinal degeneration. Therefore, these results suggest that the MEE, with its high antioxidative activity, protects against BL-induced retinal degeneration through the regulation of the antioxidative system, inflammatory response, apoptosis, and neovascularization in the AMD mouse model.

Influenza A virus (IAV) infection frequently causes hospitalization and mortality due to severe immunopathology. Annual vaccination and antiviral drugs are the current countermeasures against IAV infection, but they have a limited efficacy against new IAV variants. Here, we show that intranasal pretreatment with Fc-fused interleukin-7 (IL-7-mFc) protects mice from lethal IAV infections. The protective activity of IL-7-mFc relies on transcytosis via neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) in the lung and lasts for several weeks. Introduction of IL-7-mFc alters pulmonary immune environments, leading to recruitment of T cells from circulation and their subsequent residency as tissue-resident memory-like T (TRM-like) cells. IL-7-mFc-primed pulmonary TRM-like cells contribute to protection upon IAV infection by dual modes. First, TRM-like cells, although not antigen specific but polyclonal, attenuate viral replication at the early phase of IAV infection. Second, TRM-like cells augment expansion of IAV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), in particular at the late phase of infection, which directly control viruses. Thus, accelerated viral clearance facilitated by pulmonary T cells, which are either antigen specific or not, alleviates immunopathology in the lung and mortality from IAV infection. Depleting a subset of pulmonary T cells indicates that both CD4 and CD8 T cells contribute to protection from IAV, although IL-7-primed CD4 T cells have a more prominent role. Collectively, we propose intranasal IL-7- mFc pretreatment as an effective means for generating protective immunity against IAV infections, which could be applied to a potential prophylaxis for influenza pandemics in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering thermoplastics, such as poly(arylene ether sulfone), are more often synthesized using F-containing monomers rather than Cl-containing monomers because the F atom is considered more electronegative than Cl, leading to a better condensation polymerization reaction. In this study, the reaction’s spontaneity improved when Cl atoms were used compared to the case using F atoms. Specifically, sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) was synthesized by reacting 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl with two types of biphenyl sulfone monomers containing Cl and F atoms. No significant difference was observed in the structural, elemental, and chemical properties of the two copolymers based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. However, the solution viscosity and mechanical strength of the copolymer synthesized with the Cl-terminal monomers were slightly higher than those of the copolymer synthesized with the F-terminal monomers due to higher reaction spontaneity. The first-principle study was employed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these reactions.

Composite separators comprising ceramic filler and thermoplastic polymer are widely used in alkaline electrolyzers due to their stability in harsh conditions. The ceramic filler should possess high chemical stability and strong interaction with the polymer binder. TiO 2 is a good filler candidate due to its hydrophilicity and potential capabilities. However, the impact of TiO 2 size on composite separator properties has yet to be studied. Herein, we investigated the size effect of various TiO 2 nanoparticles (18, 40, and 100 nm) on the performance of the titania/polysulfone-based separators. Smaller TiO 2 nanoparticles increased bubble point pressure (BPP) and decreased H 2 permeability. Meanwhile, the ohmic resistance decreased with increasing TiO 2 size. The interaction between TiO 2 nanoparticles and polysulfone increased with the smaller sizes of TiO 2 nanoparticles. Robust interactions increased resistance by reducing the pore size distribution. We selected 100TiO 2 /PSU (445 ± 5 μ m thickness) as a suitable separator due to its low ohmic resistance (0.15 Ω cm2) and high BPP (3.0 ± 0.2 bar). The cell operated stably, maintaining a cell voltage of 2.10–2.12 V for 1000 h at 2.0 A cm−2 at 80 °C. This study will help select the optimal size of the inorganic filler of the composite separator in alkaline water electrolyzers. [Display omitted] • TiO 2 /PSU-based separators of various TiO 2 sizes (18, 40, and 100 nm) were synthesized. • The prepared separators showed low ohmic resistance, low hydrogen gas permeability, and high bubble point pressure. • The polarization characteristics of a cell containing TiO 2 /PSU separators were studied. • A long-term durability test for 1000 h was conducted to evaluate the separator's thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are specialized providers of cognate B cell help, which is important in promoting the induction of high-affinity antibody production in germinal centers (GCs). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-21 have been known to play important roles in Tfh cell differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that IL-7 plays a pivotal role in Tfh generation and GC formation in vivo, as treatment with anti-IL-7 neutralizing antibody markedly impaired the development of Tfh cells and IgG responses. Moreover, codelivery of mouse Fc-fused IL-7 (IL-7-mFc) with a vaccine enhanced the generation of GC B cells as well as Tfh cells but not other lineages of T helper cells, including Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells. Interestingly, a 6-fold-lower dose of an influenza virus vaccine codelivered with Fc-fused IL-7 induced higher antigen-specific and cross-reactive IgG titers than the vaccine alone in both mice and monkeys and led to markedly enhanced protection against heterologous influenza virus challenge in mice. Enhanced generation of Tfh cells by IL-7-mFc treatment was not significantly affected by the neutralization of IL-6 and IL-21, indicating an independent role of IL-7 on Tfh differentiation. Thus, IL-7 holds promise as a critical cytokine for selectively inducing Tfh cell generation and enhancing protective IgG responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the clinical characteristics of left primary epiploic appendagitis and to compare them with those of left colonic diverticulitis., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records and radiologic images of the patients who presented with left-sided acute abdominal pain and had computer tomography (CT) performed at the time of presentation showing radiological signs of left primary epiploic appendagitis (PEA) or left acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD) between January 2001 and December 2011. A total of 53 consecutive patients were enrolled and evaluated. We also compared the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, treatments, and clinical results of left PEA with those of left ACD., Results: Twenty-eight patients and twenty-five patients were diagnosed with symptomatic left PEA and ACD, respectively. The patients with left PEA had focal abdominal tenderness on the left lower quadrant (82.1%). On CT examination, most (89.3%) of the patients with left PEA were found to have an oval fatty mass with a hyperattenuated ring sign. In cases of left ACD, the patients presented with a more diffuse abdominal tenderness throughout the left side (52.0% vs 14.3%; P = 0.003). The patients with left ACD had fever and rebound tenderness more often than those with left PEA (40.0% vs 7.1%, P = 0.004; 52.0% vs 14.3%, P = 0.003, respectively). Laboratory abnormalities such as leukocytosis were also more frequently observed in left ACD (52.0% vs 15.4%, P = 0.006)., Conclusion: If patients have left-sided localized abdominal pain without associated symptoms or laboratory abnormalities, clinicians should suspect the diagnosis of PEA and consider a CT scan.