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In this study, methylene blue was removed from an aqueous solution using modified waste tea leaves. Temperature, pH, contact time, methylene blue concentration, and other adsorption mechanisms were studied. The characterization of the samples was performed using the FTIR and SEM analyses. The isotherm models were carrying out to analyzed the adsorption mechanisms and for representing data, the Freundlich isotherm model seemed more appropriate. The findings exhibited the highest adsorption capacity was 3.66 mg/g for the untreated biomass at 298 K, 5.46 mg/g for the 0.1 M HCl group at 318 K, and 5.98 mg/g for the 0.05 M NaOH group at 298 K. The adsorption kinetics were used and the pseudo-second-order model performed well for each group. As a natural substitute biomass for methylene blue adsorption from aqueous solution, used tea leaf residue may be employed.

Environmental responses are critical for plant growth and survival under different climate conditions. To elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms of environmental responses in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don), the annual transcriptome dynamics of common clonal trees (Godai1) planted at three different climate sites (Yamagata, Ibaraki, and Kumamoto Prefectures) were analyzed using microarrays. Both principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering of the microarray data indicated the transition to dormant transcriptome status occurred earlier and the transition to active growth status later in the colder region. Interestingly, PCA also indicated that the transcriptomes of trees grown under three different conditions were similar during the growth period (June to September), whereas the transcriptomes differed between sites during the dormant period (January to March). In between-site comparisons, analyses of the annual expression profiles of genes for sites ‘Yamagata vs. Kumamoto’, ‘Yamagata vs. Ibaraki’, and ‘Ibaraki vs. Kumamoto’ identified 1,473, 1,137, and 925 targets exhibiting significantly different expression patterns, respectively. The total of 2,505 targets that exhibited significantly different expression patterns in all three comparisons may play important roles in enabling cuttings to adapt to local environmental conditions. Partial least-squares regression analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient analysis revealed that air temperature and day length were the dominant factors controlling the expression levels of these targets. GO and Pfam enrichment analyses indicated that these targets include genes that may contribute to environmental adaptation, such as genes related to stress and abiotic stimulus responses. This study provided fundamental information regarding transcripts that may play an important role in adaptation to environmental conditions at different planting sites.

Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). Though patients with IMNM were considered to show skin rash, several reports have showed atypical skin conditions in patients with anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) antibody-positive IMNM (HMGCR-IMNM); however, the incidence and phenotype of skin conditions in patients with HMGCR-IMNM are not fully known. This cross-sectional study was a retrospective analysis of the clinical manifestations of 88 patients diagnosed with IIM from April 2015 through August 2022. Patients with cutaneous manifestations were analyzed more specifically. Patients with polymyositis or inclusion body myositis were excluded due to the absence of dermal manifestations in the diagnostic criteria of these two diseases. Among the 88 IIM patients, 34 (39%) presented some form of skin condition, with 27 having typical skin rashes; this included 13 patients with dermatomyositis (DM), 8 with anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS), and 6 with IMNM. Meanwhile, 8 of 19 patients with HMGCR-IMNM (42%) presented atypical skin lesions, but no patients with other IIMs did (p<0.001). Skin eruption with ash-like scales was observed in four HMGCR-IMNM patients, and non-scaly red patches and lumps in the other four patients; accordingly, their skin manifestations were considered as other dermal diseases except for IIM. Skin biopsies from the atypical skin conditions of patients with HMGCR-IMNM revealed Bcl-2-positive lymphocyte infiltrations which were same as their muscle biopsy specimens. HMGCR-IMNM patients frequently have atypical skin conditions of the neck and back. Skin biopsy specimens from these lesions showed the same Bcl-2-positive lymphocytic infiltrations as muscle biopsy specimens regardless of the different gross dermal findings. Thus, such atypical skin conditions may be suggestive for HMGCR-IMNM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). Though patients with IMNM were not considered to show skin rash, several reports have showed atypical skin conditions in patients with anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) antibody-positive IMNM (HMGCR-IMNM). The incidence and phenotype of skin conditions in patients with HMGCR-IMNM are not fully known., Results: Among the 100 IIM patients diagnosed from April 2015 through August 2022, 34 (34%) presented some form of skin condition, with 27 having typical skin rashes; this included 13 patients with dermatomyositis (DM), 8 with anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS), and 6 with IMNM. Meanwhile, 8 of 19 patients with HMGCR-IMNM (42%) presented atypical skin lesions, but no patients with other IIMs did (p < 0.001). Skin eruption with ash-like scales was observed in four HMGCR-IMNM patients, and non-scaly red patches and lumps in the other four patients; accordingly, their skin manifestations were considered as other dermal diseases except for IIM. However, skin and muscle biopsies revealed the atypical skin conditions of patients with HMGCR-IMNM to have the same pathological background, formed by Bcl-2-positive lymphocyte infiltrations., Conclusions: HMGCR-IMNM patients frequently have atypical skin conditions of the neck and back. Skin biopsy specimens from these lesions showed the same Bcl-2-positive lymphocytic infiltrations as muscle biopsy specimens regardless of the different gross dermal findings. Thus, such atypical skin conditions may be suggestive for HMGCR-IMNM., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A 72-year-old male developed neurological symptoms such as difficulty in charging his electronic money card and making his mobile-phone call ten months before admission. On admission, neurological examination revealed extensive higher brain dysfunction such as impairment in recent memory, executive function disorders, constructional disturbance, agraphia and acalculia. Brain MRI revealed a low intensity lesion on the surface of the cerebral cortex diffusely and symmetrically on T 2 *-weighted images. MRI images are consistent with superficial siderosis. However, the lack of hemosiderin deposition in the brain stem and cerebellar hemisphere was atypical of the classical type of superficial siderosis. 123 I-IMP-SPECT revealed hypoperfusion dominantly in the left hemisphere, particularly in the left frontal and parietal lobes. According to the Boston criteria, the patient with the cerebral microbleeds and cortical superficial siderosis was diagnosed with probable CAA (cerebral amyloid angiopathy).