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The tip of the tidal tail, resulting from an encounter between galaxies, features gas concentrations and some star-forming regions, such as tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs). This region provides a unique laboratory for examining the star formation process in a dynamical environment distinct from that of disk galaxies. Using the Nobeyama 45 m telescope, we conducted ^12 CO(1−0) position-switching observations at the tips of the southern tidal tail in the Antennae galaxies. We detected CO emission not only from the two star-forming TDG candidates but also in regions with no significant star formation. Adopting a Galactic CO-to-H _2 conversion factor without helium correction, the H _2 gas surface density is ∼5–12 M _⊙ pc ^−2 . In most regions, the molecular-to-atomic gas ratio is around unity (0.6–1.9), but we find a region with a high ratio with a 3 σ lower limit of >7.2. The star formation efficiency (SFE) of molecular gas is notably low (

The optimal dose of posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) for use in patients undergoing HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation with posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy-haplo) has not been sufficiently examined. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation with a reduced dose of PTCy for patients with a poor prognosis or those with refractory hematological malignancies. We conducted a prospective clinical study of PTCy-haplo with peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) using a modified PTCy dosage regimen consisting of 50 mg/kg on day 3 posttransplantation and a reduced dose of 25 mg/kg on day 4. The cumulative incidences of grades II to III and IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) at day 100 posttransplantation were 30% and 0%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD after transplantation was 7.0%. The cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality at 1 year posttransplantation was 6.1%. Overall survival (OS) at 1 year was 66%. In addition, the restricted cubic-spline Cox regression analysis showed nonlinear relationship between the number of infused CD34 + cells and CD3 + cells, and OS. A graft composition of >4.54 × 10 6 /kg CD34 + cells and >1.85 × 10 8 /kg but ≤3.70 × 10 8 /kg CD3 + cells was significantly associated with better survival, irrespective of the disease status (hazard ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.04–0.41; P < 0.001). These results suggest that PTCy-haplo with PBSCs using a de-escalated dose of 50 mg/kg on day 3 and 25 mg/kg on day 4 posttransplantation is a feasible option.

Abstract Background Medical costs and the burden associated with cardiovascular disease are on the rise. Therefore, to improve the overall economy and quality assessment of the healthcare system, we developed a predictive model of integrated healthcare resource consumption (Adherence Score for Healthcare Resource Outcome, ASHRO) that incorporates patient health behaviours, and examined its association with clinical outcomes. Methods This study used information from a large-scale database on health insurance claims, long-term care insurance, and health check-ups. Participants comprised patients who received inpatient medical care for diseases of the circulatory system (ICD-10 codes I00-I99). The predictive model used broadly defined composite adherence as the explanatory variable and medical and long-term care costs as the objective variable. Predictive models used random forest learning (AI: artificial intelligence) to adjust for predictors, and multiple regression analysis to construct ASHRO scores. The ability of discrimination and calibration of the prediction model were evaluated using the area under the curve and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. We compared the overall mortality of the two ASHRO 50% cut-off groups adjusted for clinical risk factors by propensity score matching over a 48-month follow-up period. Results Overall, 48,456 patients were discharged from the hospital with cardiovascular disease (mean age, 68.3 ± 9.9 years; male, 61.9%). The broad adherence score classification, adjusted as an index of the predictive model by machine learning, was an index of eight: secondary prevention, rehabilitation intensity, guidance, proportion of days covered, overlapping outpatient visits/clinical laboratory and physiological tests, medical attendance, and generic drug rate. Multiple regression analysis showed an overall coefficient of determination of 0.313 (p

The dependence of the star formation efficiency (SFE) on galactic structures—especially whether the SFE in the bar region is lower than those in other regions—has recently been debated. We report the SFEs of 18 nearby gas-rich massive star-forming barred galaxies with large apparent bar major axes (≧75″). We statistically measure the SFE by distinguishing the center, the bar end, and the bar regions for the first time. The molecular gas surface density is derived from archival CO(1–0) and/or CO(2–1) data by assuming a constant CO-to-H _2 conversion factor ( α _CO ), and the star formation rate surface density is derived from a linear combination of far-UV and mid-IR intensities. The angular resolution is 15″, which corresponds to 0.3–1.8 kpc. We find that the ratio of the SFE in the bar to that in the disk was systematically lower than unity (typically 0.6–0.8), which means that the star formation in the bar is systematically suppressed. Our results are inconsistent with similar recent statistical studies, which have reported that the SFE tends to be independent of galactic structures. This inconsistency can be attributed to the differences in the definitions of the bar region, the spatial resolutions, the α _CO , and the sample galaxies. Furthermore, we find a negative correlation between the SFE and the velocity width of the CO spectrum, which is consistent with the idea that the large dynamical effects—such as strong shocks, large shears, and fast cloud–cloud collisions caused by the noncircular motion of the bar—result in a low SFE.

Transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is a fatal complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Previous reports suggest that TA-TMA is caused by complement activation by complement-related genetic variants; however, this needs to be verified, especially in adults. Here, we performed a nested case-control study of allo-HSCT-treated adults at a single center. Fifteen TA-TMA patients and 15 non-TA-TMA patients, matched according to the propensity score, were enrolled. Based on a previous report showing an association between complement-related genes and development of TA-TMA, we first sequenced these 17 genes. Both cohorts harbored several genetic variants with rare allele frequencies; however, there was no difference in the percentage of patients in the TA-TMA and non-TA-TMA groups with the rare variants, or in the average number of rare variants per patient. Second, we measured plasma concentrations of complement proteins. Notably, levels of Ba protein on Day 7 following allo-HSCT were abnormally and significantly higher in TA-TMA than in non-TA-TMA cases, suggesting that complement activation via the alternative pathway contributes to TA-TMA. All other parameters, including soluble C5b-9, on Day 7 were similar between the groups. The levels of C3, C4, CH50, and complement factors H and I in the TA-TMA group after Day 28 were significantly lower than those in the non-TA-TMA group. Complement-related genetic variants did not predict TA-TMA development. By contrast, abnormally high levels of Ba on Day 7 did predict development of TA-TMA and non-relapse mortality. Thus, Ba levels on Day 7 after allo-HSCT are a sensitive and prognostic biomarker of TA-TMA.

Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is a major component of Lewy body-like hyaline inclusion (LBHI) found in the postmortem tissue of SOD1-linked familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) patients. In our recent studies, 14-3-3 proteins have been found in the ubiquitinated inclusions inside the anterior horn cells of spinal cords with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To further investigate the role of 14-3-3 proteins in ALS, we performed immunohistochemical analysis of 14-3-3 proteins and compared their distributions with those of SOD1 in FALS patients and SOD1-overexpressing mice.We examined the postmortem brains and the spinal cords of three FALS cases (A4V SOD1 mutant). Transgenic mice expressing the G93A mutant human SOD1 (mutant SOD1-Tg mice), transgenic mice expressing the wild-type human SOD1 (wild-type SOD1-Tg mice), and non-Tg wild-type mice were also subjected to the immunohistochemical analysis.In all the FALS patients, LBHIs were observed in the cytoplasm of the anterior horn cells, and these inclusions were immunopositive intensely for pan 14-3-3, 14-3-3β, and 14-3-3γ. In the mutant SOD1-Tg mice, a high degree of immunoreactivity for misfolded SOD1 (C4F6) was observed in the cytoplasm, with an even greater degree of immunoreactivity present in the cytoplasmic aggregates of the anterior horn cells in the lumbar spinal cord. Furthermore, we have found increased 14-3-3β and 14-3-3γ immunoreactivities in the mutant SOD1-Tg mice. Double immunofluorescent staining showed that C4F6 and 14-3-3 proteins were partially co-localized in the spinal cord with FALS and the mutant SOD1-Tg mice. In comparison, the wild-type SOD1-Tg and non-Tg wild-type mice showed no or faint immunoreactivity for C4F6 and 14-3-3 proteins (pan 14-3-3, 14-3-3β, and 14-3-3γ) in any neuronal compartments.These results suggest that 14-3-3 proteins may be associated with the formation of SOD1-containing inclusions, in FALS patients and the mutant SOD1-Tg mice.