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Aim The telomere length of somatic cells is associated with systemic aging. The attrition of somatic telomere length is accelerated in pathological conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases. However, clinical parameters of cardiac function have not been well studied in this regard. The present study examined how cardiac function was affected by telomere length and the subtelomeric methylation of peripheral leukocytes. Methods Telomere length was assessed by Southern blotting analysis of genomic DNA extracted from peripheral leukocytes. Subtelomeric methylation was assessed by comparison between the Southern blotting results with a restriction enzyme Msp I and those with Hpa II, a methylation-sensitive isoschizomer of Msp I. Results The following parameters were associated with telomere length and/or the subtelomeric methylation status in a sex-associated manner: PR interval, the voltage of QRS complex, QRS interval, QT interval and T wave voltage in electrocardiogram; and ejection fraction, the diameter of the left ventricle at the end diastolic phase, aortic root diameter and inferior vena cava diameter in echocardiogram. Conclusions Cardiac function correlates not only with telomere length, but also with the distribution of the telomere length and subtelomeric DNA methylation status. These imply that the loss of young cells, the accumulation of old cells and the acceleration of such changes in the cell population relate to phenotypes of cardiac aging with relative sex specificity. Furthermore, the PR interval showed a very close association with telomeric parameters in both sexes. Hence, PR is the most reliable candidate as an indicator of biological aging in both sexes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1415-1419.

In visual design, harmony refers to the similarity among objects and the components of these objects that appear as if they belong together. Harmony is related to the body, mind, and emotions as we relate to our living space, which means that the harmony of real objects is an important characteristic. Although the appearance harmony in specific materials has been investigated, harmony among different materials has not received adequate attention. In a previous study, we investigated the appearance harmony among various materials by psychophysical experiments. In this study, we correlated the psychophysical evaluations obtained from the experiments and the physical properties of the materials. By analyzing the relationship between psychophysical evaluations and the physical measurements for each material pairs based on cluster analysis, we found that the property of texture represented by the anisotropy histogram and that of reflectance obtained from the data of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function are important indices that can be used to judge the harmony of materials. In particular, the texture properties were more effective in judging the appearance harmony of material pairs in the fixed condition for illumination and viewing angles, and the reflectance properties were superior for the material pairs in the variable condition for illumination and viewing angles.

Gold gives a unique luxurious impression and therefore golden objects are often desired. Since gold is an expensive metal, due to its rarity, it is not feasible to produce objects made of gold at reasonable prices. In this study, we have developed a simple representation method that makes real objects appear to be made of gold using projection mapping technology. In recent years, this technology has been extensively explored, mainly in the field of entertainment. Most of these studies were focused on technologies where a target image was superimposed onto an object. Our method, unlike the conventional approach, does not project a target gold image but simply projects a solid color onto an object, thereby giving the perception that the object is made of gold. We have conducted two psychophysical experiments to substantiate our representation method, using stimuli having the same color. Our results indicate that objects were more easily perceived as golden objects when a solid color was projected onto black objects rather than white objects. Furthermore, a few samples were perceived as metals, even though they were actually paper or fabric. These results suggest that when superimposing a solid color onto an object, a change in material type is perceived along with the change of its color. Moreover, we analyzed the relationship between psychophysical evaluations on the perception of projected gold objects and the physical properties of the materials. The results show that the average and the standard deviation of reflectance generated by black objects can be considered factors that affect the perception of a gold-like color. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 42, 522–530, 2017

Objective To elucidate the clinical and genetic features of patients with TNFRSF1A variants in Japan using data obtained from a nationwide survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan study group for tumor necrosis factor receptor–associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS). Methods Inquiries were sent to 2,900 departments of internal medicine and pediatrics in all hospitals with more than 200 beds in Japan, asking whether they had patients in whom TRAPS was suspected. Genetic tests for TNFRSF1A, MEFV, and MVK were performed on 169 patients. Cell surface expression of TNFRSF1A variants was assessed using 293T cells. Results Ten patients from 10 independent families were found to have TNFRSF1A variants. We collected clinical and genetic information on 41 additional patients with TNFRSF1A variants and symptoms of inflammation from 23 independent families; 17 of these patients had not been described in the literature. The common clinical features of Japanese patients were fever of >38°C (100% of patients), arthralgia (59%), and rash (55%). The prevalence of abdominal pain (36%), myalgia (43%), and amyloidosis (0%) was significantly lower in Japanese patients than in Caucasian patients. The most common variant was T61I (appearing in 49% of patients), and it was identified in 7 of 363 healthy controls. Defects in cysteine residues and the T50M variant were associated with decreased cell surface expression, while other variants, including T61I, were not. Conclusion Patients with TNFRSF1A variants are very rare in Japan, as in other countries, but there are a number of clinical and genetic differences between Japanese and Caucasian patients. The pathogenic significance of the T61I variant remains unclear.

This paper presents a practical prototype of a multi-primary image projector system in which light source spectra can be programmable for suiting any purpose. Our multi-primary projection system is mainly configured with a light source component and an image projection component. The programmable light source can reproduce any spectral curve. Spatial images are then generated using a digital mirror device chip that quickly controls the intensity of the light source spectra in 2D image plane. The multi-primary images in our projection system are reproduced by multiplexing the time-sequential images with different primary colors. Our multi-primary image projector realizes not only wide gamut projection but also spectral projection. To achieve this, we also show how light source spectra of four or six primary colors are designed.

Color breakup (CBU) is an artifact caused by a field-sequential color system. A proper understanding of the CBU-perception mechanism is essential in order to develop high-quality displays. This paper reports on the development of a precise simulator of CBU perception due to saccades using eye-tracking data. In experiments conducted, actual eye speeds were measured through subjective experiments of CBU evaluation. The results indicate that the simulated CBU images based on eye-tracking measurements realize higher reproducibility on human perception than the conventional approach.

Objective N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is involved in the metabolism of various environmental substances, both with and without carcinogenic potential. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic caffeine-rich beverages may be associated with markers of inflammation. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, multifaceted inflammatory disease. We investigated the effects of alcoholic and nonalcoholic caffeine-rich beverages on risk of SLE and determined whether the effects were modified by NAT2 status. Methods The NAT2 polymorphism was genotyped in 152 SLE cases and 427 healthy controls, all women and Japanese. We assessed effect modification by testing an interaction term for the NAT2 polymorphism and consumption of beverages. Results Consumption of black tea (odds ratio [OR] 1.88, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.03–3.41) and coffee (OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.95–2.61), but not green tea, was associated with an increased risk of SLE, while alcohol use (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.20–0.55) was associated with a decreased risk of SLE. There were significant interactions between the NAT2 polymorphism and either alcohol use (Pinteraction = 0.026) or consumption of black tea (Pinteraction = 0.048). Conclusion The NAT2 polymorphism significantly modified the effects of alcohol use and black tea consumption on SLE, emphasizing the importance of incorporating genetic and metabolic information in studies on management of SLE. Additional studies are warranted to confirm the findings suggested in this study.

An integrated spectral imaging system constructed by synchronizing a programmable light source, a high-speed monochrome camera, and a display device is proposed to produce tristimulus images of static and moving objects effectively in real time onto the display. This system is called the CIE-XYZ display. Active spectral illuminants, containing both the device characteristics of camera and display, are projected onto object surfaces as time sequence. The images are captured synchronously by the camera and quickly transmitted to the display device in the RGB signal form so that the accurate tristimulus images are displayed. First, we describe the principle of the CIE-XYZ tristimulus display. The theoretically optimal illuminants contain negative parts in the spectral curves. Second, we design practical illuminants with all positive spectral curves. The color images in our system are composed of the time sequence of RGB component images. Then, the synthesized color images on the display contain color artifacts when objects move fast. An image processing algorithm for correcting the motion color artifact is proposed based on optical flow estimation using a graphics processing unit. The comprehensive performance of the proposed system and algorithms is examined using both static and moving objects. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 329–340, 2015

This article describes a color naming experiment using 2D and 3D rendered color samples. Conventional color naming experiments using a priori clues generally involve 2D clues such as color patches. However, in real-world scenes, most objects have 3D shapes whose colors are affected by illumination effects such as shadows and gloss. We use 2D and 3D rendered samples as clues in the experiments, and analyze the relationship between color terms and object surfaces. First, we develop a color term collection system that can produce 218 test colors. We render the color images of a flat disk as a 2D sample and a sphere as a 3D sample on a calibrated display device. It is supposed that the 2D and 3D surfaces with the same object color are obtained under the same conditions of viewing and illumination. The results of color naming experiments show that there are differences for color terms between 2D and 3D samples. Important findings are as follows: (1) brighter color terms tend to be chosen for the 3D samples than the 2D samples, when observing achromatic colors, (2) achromatic color terms are chosen for 3D samples having low saturation, and (3) for chromatic colors, a darker color term is generally chosen in comparison to the corresponding 2D samples of the same color. These properties become more prominent by changing the illumination angle from 0° to 45° to the surface normal. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 270–280, 2015

TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) is caused by mutations of TNFRSF1A gene and characterized by recurrent febrile episodes of prolonged duration and initial good response to steroids. Etanercept, a TNF blocker, has been used as a putative molecular-targeted agent for TRAPS, with some patients showing limited efficacy. Here, we report a patient with TRAPS who recovered from steroid dependency by etanercept and kept remission with a reduced dose of etanercept. The pathophysiology of TRAPS still remains to be elucidated and several hypotheses have been proposed. In the most recent hypothesis, the concerted action of wild-type and mutant TNF receptors plays an important role in provoking enhanced inflammation in TRAPS. The excellent response to etanercept in our patient suggested that there is heterogeneity in TRAPS patients in terms of the contribution of normal TNF signaling to autoinflammation.

Objective To study the genetic contribution of major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A (MICA), important in natural killer (NK) cell function, in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods Japanese patients with SLE (n = 716), those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n = 327), and healthy control subjects (n = 351) were genotyped for the Val129Met polymorphism (rs1051792) and transmembrane (TM) alanine-encoding GCT repeats, termed A4, A5, A5.1, A6, and A9, in the MICA gene. Recombinant human MICA-GST fusion proteins were tested on the NK cell line NK92MI for the expression of NK group 2, member D (NKG2-D), NK cell–mediated cytotoxicity, and interferon-γ (IFNγ) production. Results The MICA129Met allele, TMA9 allele, and 129Met/Met genotype were positively associated with SLE (corrected P [Pcorr] = 0.01 and odds ratio [OR] 1.3, Pcorr = 0.003 and OR 1.6, and Pcorr = 0.02 and OR 1.8, respectively), while the MICA129Val allele was negatively associated with SLE (Pcorr = 0.01, OR 0.8). The MICA129Met;A9 haplotype was also associated with SLE (Pcorr = 0.0006, OR 1.8), and there was an additive genetic effect between the MICA129Met;A9 haplotype and HLA–DRB1*15:01. When NK92MI cells were incubated in vitro with recombinant human disease-associated 129Met;A9 (the combination of polymorphisms at 129Met and TMA9), expression of NKG2-D on NK92MI cells and cytotoxicity of the NK cells were inhibited, but production of IFNγ from NK92MI cells was enhanced. Conclusion The MICA polymorphism is genetically associated with SLE, and MICA appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE by modulating NK cell function.

Aims/Introduction: Insulinoma-associated protein 2 (IA-2) regulates insulin secretion and the number of dense core vesicles (DCV). However, the mechanism of regulation of DCV number by IA-2 is unknown. We examined the effect of sorting nexin 19 (SNX19), an IA-2 interacting protein, on insulin secretion and the number of dense core vesicles (DCV). Materials and Methods: Stable SNX19 knockdown (SNX19KD) MIN6, a mouse pancreatic β-cell line, and stable SNX19-reintroduced SNX19KD MIN6 were established. Quantification of DCV, and lysosomes was carried out using electron micrographs. The half-life of DCV was detected by pulse-chase experiment. Results: Insulin secretion and content were decreased in stable SNX19KD MIN6 cells compared with those in control MIN6 cells. Electron micrographs showed that DCV number in SNX19KD cells was decreased by approximately 75% and that DCV size was decreased by approximately 40% compared with those in control cells, respectively. Furthermore, when SNX19 was reintroduced in SNX19KD cells, insulin content, insulin secretion and DCV number were increased. The half-life of DCV was decreased in SNX19KD cells, but was increased in SNX19KD cells in which SNX19 was reintroduced. The number of lysosomes and the activity of lysosome enzyme cathepsin D were increased by approximately threefold in SNX19KD cells compared with those in control cells. In contrast, they were decreased to approximately half to one-third in SNX19-reintroduced SNX19KD cells. Conclusions: SNX19 regulates the number of DCV and insulin content by stabilizing DCV in β-cells. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040-1124.2011.00138.x, 2012)

Long-term analysis of infectious complication after high-dose immunosuppressive therapy with CD34-selected autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients with severe autoimmune diseases (AD) was performed. Theoretically, CD34 selection can reduce the risk of reinfusion of autoreactive lymphocytes. However, it is also associated with a significant reduction in T cells, natural killer cells, and monocytes, which in turn may compromise immune reconstitution, thereby increasing the risk of infection. Moreover, AD compromises host immunity and causes organ damage resulting in dysfunction of the cutaneous or mucosal barrier. In this study, the incidence rate of infections is reported in 14 patients who underwent high-dose (200 mg/kg) cyclophosphamide therapy followed by reinfusion of CD34-selected autologous peripheral blood stem cells. Bacterial complication occurred in 3 of 14 (21%) patients. Cytomegalovirus reactivation and adenovirus hemorrhagic cystitis were observed in 9 (64%) and 2 (14%) patients, respectively. As for late infectious complications, 7 patients (50%) developed dermatomal varicella zoster virus infection. No infection-related mortality was seen in this case series. Because the risk for infections approaches that seen in allogeneic transplant recipients, infection surveillance, diagnostic workup, and prophylactic strategies similar to those applicable to allogeneic recipients are warranted.

Apoptosis is involved in both the cellular and humoral immune system destroying tumors. An apoptosis-inducing factor from HL-60 myeloid leukemia cells was obtained, purified, and sequenced. The protein found has been identified as a human complement factor B-derived fragment Bb, although it is known that factor B is able to induce apoptosis in several leukemia cell lines. Monoclonal antibodies against fragment Ba and Bb inhibited the apoptotic activity of factor B. When the purified fragment Bb was used for apoptosis induction, only the anti-Bb antibody inhibited Bb-induced apoptosis, and not the anti-Ba antibody. The apoptosis-inducing activity was found to be enhanced under conditions facilitating the formation of Bb. Blocking TNF/TNFR or FasL/Fas interactions did not interfere with the factor B-induced apoptosis. CD11c (iC3bR) acts as the main subunit of a heterodimer binding to fragment Bb in the apoptosis pathway, and the factor B-derived fragment Bb was found to possess the previously unknown function of inducing apoptosis in leukemic cells through a suicide mechanism of myeloid lineage cells during the differentiation stage.

Production of the third and fourth components of complement (C3, C4) by smooth muscle cells was investigated by using normal human aortic smooth muscle cells (AoSMC), human smooth muscle cell line (G402) and vascular smooth muscle cells obtained from human umbilical cord vein (UVSMC). AoSMC spontaneously produced both C3 and C4 at 15 ng/10(6) cells/72 hr and 22 ng/10(6) cells/72 hr, respectively, and both were enhanced by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Although phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) enhanced C3 production, C4 production was reduced by these agents. On the other hand, G402 produced C4 but not C3 in a dose-dependent manner when cultured with IFN-gamma. UVSMC produced only a small amount of C3 and C4 compared with AoSMC or G402. C3 and C4 produced by AoSMC were confirmed to be identical with their human serum counterparts as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and measurement of haemolytic activity. Northern blotting analysis showed that the expression of mRNA of C3 and C4 was enhanced by TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, respectively, in AoSMC. Our findings suggest the importance of smooth muscle cells as a source of components of complement in vascular diseases including vasculitis.

Expression of CD4 or CD8 on the cell surface is an important guide for discriminating the immunologic functions of T-cells. However, a minor T-cell subset lacking both CD4 and CD8 molecules but bearing the usual form of T-cell receptor (TCR)-alpha beta (CD4-CD8-TCR-alpha beta+ T-cells) has recently been found not only in mice but also in humans, and the clinical relevance of this newly defined subpopulation to human diseases is now of considerable interest. The authors present a patient in whom CD4-CD8-TCR-alpha beta+ T-cells showed monoclonal proliferation in the peripheral blood for more than 3 years, then disappeared spontaneously, followed by subsequent development of Hodgkin's disease. The pathologic roles of double-negative T-cell proliferation in this case are discussed from the viewpoint of premalignancy in lymphoproliferative diseases.

Various optimization methods are considered in image processing and pattern recognition. These methods have hitherto been considered independently; the purpose of this study is to systematize them, despite their difficult natures, and to indicate clearly what features they have in common and where they diverge. As a first step toward this goal, this paper proposes a method called the “extended relaxation matching method,” which is an extension of ordinary relaxation matching. It is shown that dynamic-programming (DP) matching can be treated as a special case of the extended method. The DP matching method is transformed in this paper into an equivalent form called product-type DP matching. The relationship between the extended relaxation matching and the DP matching is discussed on the basis of this equivalent form. It is shown that DP matching constitutes a special case of the extended relaxation matching method. As a consequence, the recurrence formula that is the core of processing by DP matching corresponds to the procedures used in all algorithms extended relaxation matching.

We describe a patient with acute myelogenous leukaemia who developed angina pectoris during pretransplant conditioning for autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT); the conditioning regimen consisted of cytotoxic drugs in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Neutrophilia and hypercoagulability were observed at the time of angina pectoris. Recurrence of angina pectoris was not seen after nitrate and aspirin therapy. Exercise stress testing performed after PBSCT suggested the presence of myocardial ischaemia. Therefore cases at risk of vascular events should be carefully managed with prophylactic treatment during G-CSF administration.

— The retinal adaptation process helps the human visual system to see high-dynamic-range (HDR) scenes in the real world. A simple static local adaptation method for HDR image compression based on a retinal model is presented. The proposed simple model aims at recreating the same sensations of the human visual system between the real-world scene and the range compressed image on the display device when viewed after the human visual system reaches the steady local adaptation state, respectively. In computing scene local adaptation, the use of a non-linear edge-preserving bilateral filter not only presents a better tonal rendition in compressing local contrast and preserving details but also avoids banding artifacts across high-gradient edges. Our new model relates the display adaptation with the scene adaptation based on the retinal model. In order to verify the effectiveness, a subjective evaluation is made by comparing the real scene and the display image using the paired comparison technique.

— The reduction of a structural pattern at specific gray levels caused by digital halftone methods is the subject of this paper. This problem is more severe in some flat-panel displays because their black levels typically are brighter than other display blocks. A patented halftone algorithm, confined error diffusion (CED), that confines the error-carry within the dither mask is described and extended. First, the CED algorithm that dynamically applies random error diffusion or the ordered-dither method, depending upon image content, is described in detail. Finally, we propose an advanced CED algorithm for improving the gradation characteristics of the CED algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithms is compared to the experimental results for natural test images. In order to verify the halftone quality, a structural similarity measure for color images by taking into account the interrelation between color channels is proposed, and the results based on the proposed method, the color similarity measure method, is given.

CO J=1-0 mapping observations of the dark nebula Lynds 227, which is possibly associated with the unidentified EGRET source 2EG J1811-2339, are presented. We detected a large amount of molecular gas along Lynds 227 with a total mass of (1-2)E4 Msun surrounding an X-ray synchrotron nebula, which was detected by the ASCA satellite within the error circle of 2EG J1811-2339. Molecular gas along Lynds 227 shows spatial anti-correlation with the X-ray synchrotron nebula, suggesting that the synchrotron nebula is interacting with the Lynds 227 cloud. We propose a $\gamma$-ray emission mechanism for 2EG J1811-2339: High energy electrons are injected from a rotation-powered pulsar and accelerated further in shock waves generated by the interaction with ambient matter. The high energy electrons move into the molecular cloud at the Lynds 227 and collide with dense interstellar matter to yield high energy $\gamma$-ray photons, mainly through relativistic bremsstrahlung., Comment: To appear in ApJ, 14 pages, 5 figures

(−)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the main polyphenolic constituent of extracts of green tea. EGCG slightly inhibited specific binding of [3H] 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate ([3H]TPA) to a particulate fraction of mouse skin, and caused a prompt decrease in the phorbol ester receptor number in mouse skin. It also inhibited the activation of protein kinase C by teleocidin. In week 25 of a two-stage carcinogenesis experiment in mouse skin, tumors were found in 53% of the mice treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) plus teleocidin, but in only 13% of those treated with DMBA plus teleocidin and EGCG. The average number of tumors per mouse in these groups was 2.1 and 0.1, respectively. No tumors were found in other groups treated with DMBA alone or teleocidin and EGCG alone. Thus EGCG inhibited tumor promotion by teleocidin.