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The phonon transport properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) undergo significant changes when shaped into individuals, bundles, or films. Among these, SWCNT films are the most useful for industrial applications; however, their phonon transport properties have not been thoroughly investigated. This study estimated the phonon transport properties—specifically, the sound velocity, lattice thermal conductivity, and phonon mean free path (MFP)—of SWCNT films by conducting tensile tests and thermal conductivity measurements. The SWCNT films were prepared through vacuum filtering, with their structures modified by adjusting the ultrasonic dispersion amplitude during SWCNT ink production. The average sound velocity of the SWCNT films reached a maximum of 692 m/s at the lowest dispersion amplitude of 30 % (nominal value of 200 W), decreasing as the dispersion amplitude increased. The maximum values of lattice thermal conductivity and phonon MFP were 50.9 W/(m⋅K) and 119 nm, respectively, observed at dispersion amplitudes of 50 % and 90 %. These results arise from the complex interaction of factors such as defect density, mass density, SWCNT bundle diameter, and SWCNT length. This analytical method provides a straightforward approach to determine the detailed phonon transport properties of CNT films.

Abstract Background Oxidative stress is associated with atrial fibrillation recurrence following catheter ablation. Urinary isoxanthopterin (U‐IXP) is one of the noninvasive markers which reflect the reactive oxygen species; however, its ability to predict atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATAs) occurrence following catheter ablation remains uncertain. Methods Among the patients who received scheduled catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, baseline U‐IXP levels were measured just before the procedure. The prognostic impact of baseline U‐IXP upon postprocedural ATAs occurrence was investigated. Results Among 107 patients (71 years old, 68% men), baseline U‐IXP level was 0.33 nmol/gCr on the median. During a mean of 603 days of follow‐up, 32 patients had ATAs. Baseline higher U‐IXP was independently associated with the occurrence of ATAs following catheter ablation with a hazard ratio of 4.69 (95% confidence interval: 1.82–12.37, p = .001) adjusted for the left atrial diameter, a persistent type, and hypertension which were potential confounders, with a cutoff of 0.46 nmol/gCr, which stratified cumulative incidence of ATAs occurrence ( p

The composition of medium components is crucial for achieving the best performance of synthetic construction in genetically engineered cells. Which and how medium components determine the performance, e.g., productivity, remain poorly investigated. To address the questions, a comparative survey with two genetically engineered Escherichia coli strains was performed. As a case study, the strains carried the synthetic pathways for producing the aromatic compounds of 4-aminophenylalanine (4APhe) or tyrosine (Tyr), common in the upstream but differentiated in the downstream metabolism. Bacterial growth and compound production were examined in hundreds of medium combinations that comprised 48 pure chemicals. The resultant data sets linking the medium composition to bacterial growth and production were subjected to machine learning for improved production. Intriguingly, the primary medium components determining the production of 4PheA and Tyr were differentiated, which were the initial resource (glucose) of the synthetic pathway and the inducer (IPTG) of the synthetic construction, respectively. Fine-tuning of the primary component significantly increased the yields of 4APhe and Tyr, indicating that a single component could be crucial for the performance of synthetic construction. Transcriptome analysis observed the local and global changes in gene expression for improved production of 4APhe and Tyr, respectively, revealing divergent metabolic strategies for producing the foreign and native metabolites. The study demonstrated that ML-assisted medium optimization could provide a novel point of view on how to make the synthetic construction meet the designed working principle and achieve the expected biological function.

Background: The safety and efficacy of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in individuals with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (EF), particularly concerning the occurrence of post-procedural adverse events necessitating hospitalization, including anticoagulant-associated major bleeding, still lack conclusive determination. Methods: Data from patients with HF and AF who underwent catheter ablation for AF between 2019 and 2022 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. All participants were divided into an EF < 50% group or an EF ≥ 50% group according to their baseline left ventricular EF. The composite incidence of the clinical events following catheter ablation was compared between the two groups: (1) all-cause death, (2) HF hospitalization, (3) stroke or systemic embolism, and (4) major bleeding. Results: A total of 122 patients (75 years old, 68 male) were included. Of them, 62 (50.8%) patients had an EF ≥ 50%. EF ≥ 50% was an independent predictor of the composite endpoint (adjusted odds ratio 6.07, 95% confidence interval 1.37–26.99, p = 0.018). The incidences of each adverse event were not significantly different between the two groups, except for a higher incidence of major bleeding in the EF ≥ 50% group (12.7% vs. 0%, p = 0.026). Conclusions: Among patients with HF coupled with AF, the incidence of adverse events following AF ablation proved notably elevated in patients with EF ≥ 50% in contrast to their counterparts with EF < 50%. This disparity primarily stems from a heightened occurrence of major bleeding within the EF ≥ 50% cohort. The strategy to reduce adverse events, especially in patients with EF ≥ 50%, remains the next concern.

Abstract Background Early-onset sarcoidosis (EOS) and Blau syndrome (BS) are systemic inflammatory granulomatous diseases without visible pulmonary involvement, and are distinguishable from their sporadic and familial forms. The diseases are characterized by a triad of skin rashes, symmetrical polyarthritis, and recurrent uveitis. The most common morbidity is ocular involvement, which is usually refractory to conventional treatment. A gain-of-function mutation in the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) gene has been demonstrated in this disease; however, little is known about the relationship between the activation of NOD2 and the pathophysiology of EOS/BS. Here we describe EOS/BS with a novel mutation in the NOD2 gene, as well as detection of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) in the granulomatous inflammation. Case presentation An 8-year-old Japanese girl presented with refractory bilateral granulomatous panuveitis. Although no joint involvement was evident, she exhibited skin lesions on her legs; a skin biopsy revealed granulomatous dermatitis, and P. acnes was detected within the sarcoid granulomas by immunohistochemistry with P. acnes-specific monoclonal (PAB) antibody. Genetic analyses revealed that the patient had a NOD2 heterozygous D512V mutation that was novel and not present in either of her parents. The mutant NOD2 showed a similar activation pattern to EOS/BS, thus confirming her diagnosis. After starting oral prednisolone treatment, she experienced an anterior vitreous opacity relapse despite gradual prednisolone tapering; oral methotrexate was subsequently administered, and the patient responded positively. Conclusions We presented a case of EOS/BS with a novel D512V mutation in the NOD2 gene. In refractory granulomatous panuveitis cases without any joint involvement, EOS/BS should be considered as a differential diagnosis; genetic analyses would lead to a definite diagnosis. Moreover, this is the first report of P. acnes demonstrated in granulomas of EOS/BS. Since intracellular P. acnes activates nuclear factor-kappa B in a NOD2-dependent manner, we hypothesized that the mechanism of granuloma formation in EOS/BS may be the result of NOD2 activity in the presence of the ligand muramyl dipeptide, which is a component of P. acnes. These results indicate that recognition of P. acnes through mutant NOD2 is the etiology in this patient with EOS/BS.

Abstract Background The number of reports on sarcoidosis complicated by hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is limited, and most describe cases complicated by chronic bird-related HP. Here, we present for the first time a case with Propionibacterium acnes-associated sarcoidosis complicated by acute bird-related HP. Case presentation A 62-year-old man with a past medical history of sarcoidosis was admitted to our department, and chest computed tomography showed diffuse ground-glass opacities, which appeared as he rapidly increased the number of pigeons he kept for a competition. Random transbronchial lung biopsy revealed well-formed non-caseating epithelioid granulomas, which contained positively stained substances on immunohistochemistry using the PAB antibody, a specific monoclonal antibody against P. acnes lipoteichoic acid. Poorly formed non-caseating granulomas without positively stained substances were also detected. Conclusion We describe the successful identification of this exceptionally rare case of sarcoidosis complicated by acute bird-related HP in which two morphologically and immunohistologically different types of granulomas were present in the same lung.

Background. Cag A-positive Helicobacter pylori isolated from human gastric mucosa is categorized as a Western or East Asian allele-type based on whether the cagA gene encodes an EPIYA-C or EPIYA-D motif. We aimed to differentiate between the 2 types of H. pylori by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) gastric biopsy samples. Materials and Methods. We developed 2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that detect either the EPIYA-C or EPIYA-D motif of the H. pylori CagA protein by IHC using FFPE tissues. FFPE tissue sections from 30 Japanese and 39 Brazilian gastric biopsy samples with H. pylori infection confirmed by Giemsa staining (moderate/severe in the Sydney classification system) were examined by IHC with the novel mAbs followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for EPIYA-C or EPIYA-D using DNA extracted from adjacent tissue sections. Results. Differentiation among Western and East Asian types and CagA-negative H. pylori was successful in most (97%) samples by IHC with the novel mAbs and commercially available mAbs that react with a species-specific lipopolysaccharide or a common CagA motif of H. pylori. The detection status of EPIYA-C/D motifs by IHC with the novel mAbs was consistent with the PCR results in 61 (88%) of 69 samples: EPIYA-C(+)/D(−) in zero Japanese and 26 Brazilian samples, EPIYA-C(−)/D(+) in 26 Japanese and 1 Brazilian sample, and EPIYA-C(−)/D(−) in 1 Japanese and 7 Brazilian samples. The detection sensitivity and specificity of IHC with each novel mAb compared with the PCR results were, respectively, 84% and 97% for EPIYA-C, and 97% and 95% for EPIYA-D. Conclusions. The novel mAbs specific to each EPIYA-C or EPIYA-D motif differentiated between Western and East Asian types of CagA-positive H. pylori by IHC using FFPE tissues. Applying these novel mAbs to large numbers of archived pathology samples will contribute to elucidating the association of these allele types with gastric cancer.

Abstract Background Hypertrophic pachymeningitis (HP) is a rare disorder that involves localized or diffuse thickening of the dura mater. HP is associated with various inflammatory, infectious, and malignant diseases, such as rheumatic arthritis, sarcoidosis, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, IgG4-related disorders, syphilis, tuberculosis, bacterial and fungal infections, cancer, and idiopathic diseases, when evaluation fails to reveal a cause. Among them, chronic infection with Propionibacterium acnes is a rare etiology of HP, and its pathology remains unclear. Case presentation An 80-year-old man having refractory otitis media with effusion of the right ear presented with progressive right-sided headache and nausea. Post-contrast brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed right mastoiditis and remarkable thickening of the dura mater and enhancement of pia mater extending from the right middle cranial fossa to the temporal lobe. HP secondary to middle ear infection was suspected, and a biopsy of the right mastoid was performed. An anaerobic culture of the biopsied right mastoid showed the growth of P. acnes, and histopathological examination using P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) revealed the infiltration of inflammatory cells with P. acnes. Moreover, using PAB antibody, P. acnes was detected in the biopsy specimen of the thickening dura mater. No granulomas were identified in either specimen. HP was resolved with long-term administration of antibiotics and steroids. Conclusion This is the first documentation of pathologically demonstrated chronic HP associated with P. acnes infection followed by refractory otitis media. This report showed that chronic latent P. acnes infection induces chronic inflammation.

Several studies demonstrated that Propionibacterium acnes may be involved in sarcoidosis pathogenesis. Presence of P. acnes was found in granulomas of the majority of Japanese sarcoidosis patients. However, presence of P. acnes in tissue has never been related to sarcoidosis phenotypes and clinical outcome. Therefore, the aims of our study were to demonstrate whether P. acnes can be detected in granulomas of Dutch sarcoidosis patients and to investigate whether its presence is related to a clinical phenotype and/or course of disease. Sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 76 sarcoidosis patients were examined by immunostaining with a P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) using a Ventana BenchMark ULTRA. Clinical outcome status (COS) was determined and classified into two phenotype groups: A: resolved, minimal or persistent disease without treatment (COS 1–6) and B: persistent disease with need for treatment (COS 7–9). P. acnes was detected in samples of 31 patients (41%) and located within granulomas in samples of 13 patients (17%). The frequency of P. acnes detected in granulomas at diagnosis was significantly higher in patients with phenotype B compared to patients with phenotype A (29% versus 0%, p=0.021). Presence of P. acnes in granulomas can be confirmed in Dutch sarcoidosis patients. It is intriguing that presence of P. acnes in granulomas is more frequently found in patients with chronic disease requiring treatment. This adds to the rationale that a subgroup of sarcoidosis patients might benefit from antibiotic therapy.

Abstract is missing (Short communication)

Cichlids include hundreds of species with a high economic value for aquaculture. These fish are subjected to intensive trade and farming that expose them to the risk of infectious diseases. This work focuses on ornamental cichlids held in an aquarium commercial facility presenting emaciation, in order to evaluate the presence of lesions in fish skin and organs. The fish were sampled during routine management activities and subjected to pathological and molecular investigations. The presence of lymphocystis disease virus, typically associated with cutaneous nodular disease, was ruled out. Histologically, they presented granulomas in the spleen, sometimes extending to the other visceral organs. Bacterial heat-shock protein 65 PCR products were detected in tissues associated, in the majority of cases, with granulomas; molecular investigation identified Mycobacterium spp. in two cases and Cutibacterium acnes in seven cases. Immunoreactivity to anti-Mycobacterium and anti-C. acnes antibodies was detected within granulomas. The presence of C. acnes within granuloma is elucidated for the first time in fish; however, similarly to what is found in humans, this bacterium could be harmless in normal conditions, whereas other contributing factors would be required to trigger a granulomatogenous response. Further confirmation by bacterial culture, as well as using large-scale studies in more controlled situations, is needed.

Nitrogenase—whose cofactor consists of a metal–sulfur cluster—catalyzes the production of NH3 from N2, but designing metal–sulfur complexes capable of promoting this conversion remains challenging. Here, the authors report on the activation of N2 by a metal–sulfur cluster containing [Mo3S4Ti] cubes, demonstrating NH3 and N2H4 production.

Propionibacterium acnes is a potential etiologic agent of sarcoidosis and a dysregulated immune response to the commensal bacterium is suspected to cause granuloma formation. P. acnes-derived insoluble immune complexes were recently demonstrated in sinus macrophages of sarcoidosis lymph nodes, suggesting local proliferation of the bacterium in affected organs. In the present study, we developed a method for detecting P. acnes-derived immune complexes in human blood by measuring the concentration of P. acnes-specific lipoteichoic acid (PLTA) detectable after an antigen retrieval pretreatment of plasma samples. Before pretreatment, anti-PLTA antibody was detected and PLTA could not be detected, in all plasma samples from 51 sarcoidosis patients and 35 healthy volunteers. After pretreatment, however, a significant level of PLTA (>105 ng/mL) was detected in 33 (65%) sarcoidosis patients and 5 (14%) control subjects, with 86% specificity and 65% sensitivity for sarcoidosis. In both groups, plasma anti-PLTA antibody titers did not differ between samples with and without detection of PLTA. PLTA levels were abnormally increased (>202 ng/mL) in 21 (41%) sarcoidosis patients. These findings suggest that P. acnes-derived circulating immune complexes present in human blood are abnormally increased in many sarcoidosis patients, presumably due to local proliferation of the bacterium in the affected organs.

Abstract Background Avian antigen is a common cause of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). Inhalation challenge with pigeon serum and pigeon dropping extract (PDE) elicits a hypersensitivity reaction in patients with bird-related hypersensitivity pneumonitis (BRHP), but the antigenic components in these materials have yet to be fully elucidated. Method Pigeon serum, pigeon intestine homogenates, and PDE were immunoblotted with serum samples from 8 patients with BRHP, 2 patients with summer-type HP, 2 patients with humidifier lung, and 3 healthy volunteers. Among the protein spots found in both pigeon serum and PDE, those that reacted with sera from BRHP patients were identified by mass spectrometry. Immunoassays using recombinant protein were performed to confirm the antigenicity of the identified protein. Cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with recombinant protein was also assessed. Results Immunoglobulin lambda-like polypeptide-1 (IGLL-1) was identified from all spots on 2-DE immunoblots of both pigeon serum and PDE. The BRHP patients exhibited higher levels of serum IgG antibody against the recombinant IGLL-1 (rIGLL-1) compared to the control subjects, as well as a stronger PBMCs proliferative response to rIGLL-1. Cytokine production by PBMCs from BRHP patients after rIGLL-1 exposure indicated that the protein could induce Th1 prone immune responses: an increase in TNF-α and an absence of elevated IL-10 production. Conclusions Pigeon IGLL-1 was identified as the BRHP antigen present in both pigeon serum and PDE.

Background and objectives: Current guidelines criteria do not satisfactorily discriminate responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). QRS amplitude is an established index to recognize the severity of myocardial disturbance and might be a key to optimal patient selection for CRT. Materials and Methods: (1) Initial R-wave amplitude, (2) S-wave amplitude, and (3) a summation of maximal R- or R′-wave amplitude and S-wave amplitude were measured at baseline. These parameters were averaged according to right (V1 to V3) or left (V4 to V6) precordial leads. The impact of these parameters on response to CRT, which was defined as a decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume ≥15% at six-month follow-up, was investigated. Results: Among 47 patients (71 years old, 28 men) who received guideline-indicated CRT implantation, 25 (53%) achieved the definition of CRT responder. Among baseline electrocardiogram parameters, only the higher S-wave amplitude in right precordial leads was an independent predictor of CRT responders (odds ratio: 2.181, 95% confidence interval: 1.078–4.414, p = 0.030) at a cutoff of 1.44 mV. The cutoff was independently associated with cumulative incidence of heart failure readmission and appropriate electrical defibrillation following CRT implantation (p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: Prominent S-wave in right precordial leads might be a promising index to predict left ventricular reverse remodeling and greater clinical outcomes following CRT implantation.

Propionibacterium acnes is implicated in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. We investigated the usefulness of immunohistochemistry (IHC) with a commercially available P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) for differentiating sarcoidosis from other granulomatous diseases. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 94 sarcoidosis patients and 30 control patients with other granulomatous diseases were examined by the original manual IHC method. We also compared the detection frequency of P. acnes in sarcoid granulomas between manual and automated IHC methods. P. acnes was detected in sarcoid granulomas of samples obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy (64%), video-associated thoracic surgery (67%), endobronchial-ultrasound-guided transbronchial-needle aspiration (32%), lymph node biopsy (80%), and skin biopsy (80%) from sarcoidosis patients, but not in any non-sarcoid granulomas of the samples obtained from control patients. P. acnes outside granulomas, however, was frequently detected in both groups. The detection status of P. acnes in granulomas did not correlate with the clinical characteristics of sarcoidosis patients. The automated Leica system exhibited the best detection sensitivity (72%) and almost an identical localization for P. acnes in sarcoid granulomas compared with the manual method. IHC with a PAB antibody is useful for differentiating sarcoidosis from other granulomatous diseases by detecting P. acnes in granulomas. An automated method by the Leica system can be used in pathology laboratories for differential diagnosis of granulomas by IHC with the PAB antibody.

A 77-year-old female underwent screening mammography with abnormal results. Core needle biopsy revealed a granulomatous lesion without necrosis, and sarcoidosis was considered although tuberculosis and granulomatous mastitis could not be ruled out. Three months later, the patient detected breast and axillary masses. Malignancy was suspected and both lesions were excised. The specimens contained epithelioid cell granulomas with no necrosis. Her angiotensin-converting enzyme level was normal, and radiographic examination revealed no evidence of involvement of other organs, including the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes. Although sarcoidosis was highly suspected, it was not definitive. Immunohistochemistry with the PAB antibody, which specifically reacts with Propionibacterium acnes, the most commonly implicated causative agent of sarcoidosis, showed positive signals in granulomatous inflammation of the breast and within granulomas of the sentinel lymph node. This is the first case report of primary sarcoidosis of the breast involving the draining lymph node with confirmed P. acnes infection. Keywords: Immunohistochemistry, Mammary sarcoidosis, Isolated sarcoidosis, PAB antibody, Granulomatous mastitis, Tuberculosis mastitis

Propionibacterium acnes is thought to be a causative agent of sarcoidosis. Patients with sarcoidosis have circulating immune complexes. We attempted to detect P. acnes-derived immune complexes in sarcoid lesions.We evaluated formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded lymph node samples from 38 sarcoidosis patients and 90 non-sarcoidosis patients (27 patients with necrotizing lymphadenitis, 28 patients with reactive lymphadenitis, 16 patients with colon cancer, 19 patients with gastric cancer) by immunohistochemistry using anti-human immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM) and complement (C1q and C3c) antibodies, and a P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) that reacts with the membrane-bound lipoteichoic acid of P. acnes.Small round bodies (SRBs) bound to IgA, IgM, or IgG were detected in sinus macrophages, in 32 (84%), 32 (84%), or 11 (29%) sarcoid samples, respectively, and in 19 (21%), 26 (29%), or no (0%) control samples, respectively. Some of these insoluble immune complexes (IICs) also bound to C1q and C3c. We developed a microwave treatment followed by brief trypsin digestion (MT treatment) to detect PAB-reactive SRBs bound to immunoglobulins (IIC-forming P. acnes). MT treatment revealed abundant IIC-forming P. acnes in most (89%) of the sarcoid samples and sparse distribution in some (20%) of the control samples with lymphadenitis, but no IIC-forming P. acnes was detected in control samples without inflammation. IIC-forming P. acnes were mostly bound to both IgA and IgM. The PAB-reactive antigen and immunoglobulins were both located at the peripheral rim of the IIC-forming P. acnes. Conventional electron microscopy identified many SRBs (0.5-2.0 μm diameter) in sinus macrophages of sarcoid lymph nodes with many IIC-forming P. acnes, some of which were in phagolysosomes with a degraded and lamellar appearance.P. acnes-derived IICs in sinus macrophages were frequent and abundant in sarcoid lymph nodes, suggesting a potential etiologic link between sarcoidosis and this commensal bacterium.

BACKGROUND:Although rare, cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is potentially fatal. Early diagnosis and intervention are essential, but histopathologic diagnosis is limited. We aimed to detect Propionibacterium acnes, a commonly implicated etiologic agent of sarcoidosis, in myocardial tissues obtained from CS patients. METHODS AND RESULTS:We examined formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded myocardial tissues obtained by surgery or autopsy and endomyocardial biopsy from patients with CS (n = 26; CS-group), myocarditis (n = 15; M-group), or other cardiomyopathies (n = 39; CM-group) using immunohistochemistry (IHC) with a P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody. We found granulomas in 16 (62%) CS-group samples. Massive (≥14 inflammatory cells) and minimal (

Propionibacterium acnes has recently been implicated as a cause of chronic prostatitis and this commensal bacterium may be linked to prostate carcinogenesis. The occurrence of intracellular P. acnes infection in prostate glands and the higher frequency of P. acnes-positive glands in radical prostatectomy specimens from patients with prostate cancer (PCa) than in those from patients without PCa led us to examine whether the P. acnes-positive gland frequency can be used to assess the risk for PCa in patients whose first prostate biopsy, performed due to an increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) titer, was negative.We retrospectively collected the first and last prostate biopsy samples from 44 patients that were diagnosed PCa within 4 years after the first negative biopsy and from 36 control patients with no PCa found in repeated biopsy for at least 3 years after the first biopsy. We evaluated P. acnes-positive gland frequency and P. acnes-positive macrophage number using enzyme-immunohistochemistry with a P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAL antibody).The frequency of P. acnes-positive glands was higher in PCa samples than in control samples in both first biopsy samples and in combined first and last biopsy samples (P < 0.001). A frequency greater than the threshold (18.5 and 17.7, respectively) obtained by each receiver operating characteristic curve was an independent risk factor for PCa (P = 0.003 and 0.001, respectively) with odds ratios (14.8 and 13.9, respectively) higher than those of serum PSA titers of patients just before each biopsy (4.6 and 2.3, respectively). The number of P. acnes-positive macrophages did not differ significantly between PCa and control samples.These results suggested that the frequency of P. acnes-positive glands in the first negative prostate biopsy performed due to increased PSA titers can be supportive information for urologists in planning repeated biopsy or follow-up strategies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical stability of unilateral pedicle screw and rod system fixation (unilateral PS fixation) using the Tadpole system fixation for an unstable lumbar spine. We used 5 lumbar spines (L3/4) of a functional spinal unit (FSU) obtained from wild boar cadaver specimens. Damage or instrumentation was sequentially administered to each specimen, and 6 models were prepared: (1) an intact model, (2) an injury model with facet joint resection, (3) a unilateral PS fixation model, (4) a bilateral PS fixation model, (5) a Tadpole system fixation model, and (6) a combination of the unilateral PS and Tadpole system fixation models. We conducted a bending test in 8 directions by using a 6-axis material tester, and the range of motion (ROM) of each model in all directions was measured. The ROM of the combined fixation model of the unilateral PS and Tadpole system was considerably decreased in all directions. These findings indicate that the combination unilateral PS and Tadpole system fixation is a minimally invasive method that has the same stability as bilateral PS fixation.

BackgroundSarcoidosis is caused by Th1-type immune responses to unknown agents, and is linked to the infectious agent Propionibacterium acnes. Many strains of P. acnes isolated from sarcoid lesions cause intracellular infection and autophagy may contribute to the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. We examined whether P. acnes induces autophagy.MethodsThree cell lines from macrophages (Raw264.7), mesenchymal cells (MEF), and epithelial cells (HeLa) were infected by viable or heat-killed P. acnes (clinical isolate from sarcoid lymph node) at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100 or 1000 for 1 h. Extracellular bacteria were killed by washing and culturing infected cells with antibiotics. Samples were examined by colony assay, electron-microscopy, and fluorescence-microscopy with anti-LC3 and anti-LAMP1 antibodies. Autophagy-deficient (Atg5-/-) MEF cells were also used.ResultsSmall and large (≥5 μm in diameter) LC3-positive vacuoles containing few or many P. acnes cells (LC3-positive P. acnes) were frequently found in the three cell lines when infected by viable P. acnes at MOI 1000. LC3-positive large vacuoles were mostly LAMP1-positive. A few small LC3-positive/LAMP1-negative vacuoles were consistently observed in some infected cells for 24 h postinfection. The number of LC3-positive P. acnes was decreased at MOI 100 and completely abolished when heat-killed P. acnes was used. LC3-positive P. acnes was not found in autophagy-deficient Atg5-/- cells where the rate of infection was 25.3 and 17.6 times greater than that in wild-type Atg5+/+ cells at 48 h postinfection at MOI 100 and 1000, respectively. Electron-microscopic examination revealed bacterial cells surrounded mostly by a single-membrane including the large vacuoles and sometimes a double or multi-layered membrane, with occasional undigested bacterial cells in ruptured late endosomes or in the cytoplasm.ConclusionAutophagy was induced by intracellular P. acnes infection and contributed to intracellular bacterial killing as an additional host defense mechanism to endocytosis or phagocytosis.

BackgroundRecent reports on Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) suggest that this bacterium is prevalent in the prostate, is associated with acute and chronic prostatic inflammation, and might have a role in prostate carcinogenesis.MethodsTo evaluate the pathogenic role of this indigenous bacterium, we screened for the bacterium in radical prostatectomy specimens using enzyme immunohistochemistry with a novel P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAL antibody), together with an anti-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) antibody. We examined formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections of radical prostatectomy specimens from 28 patients with prostate cancer and 18 age-matched control patients with bladder cancer, but without prostate cancer.ResultsImmunohistochemistry with the PAL antibody revealed small round bodies within some non-cancerous glandular epithelium and stromal macrophages in most prostate samples. Prostate cancer samples had higher frequencies of either cytoplasmic P. acnes or nuclear NF-κB expression of glandular epithelium and higher numbers of stromal macrophages with P. acnes than control samples. These parameters were also higher in the peripheral zone than in the transitional zone of the prostate, especially in prostate cancer samples. Nuclear NF-κB expression was more frequent in glands with P. acnes than in glands without P. acnes. The number of stromal macrophages with the bacterium correlated with the grade of chronic inflammation in both the PZ and TZ areas and with the grade of acute inflammation in the TZ area.ConclusionsImmunohistochemical analysis with a novel monoclonal antibody for detecting P. acnes in the prostate suggested that intraepithelial P. acnes infection in non-cancerous prostate glands and inflammation caused by the bacterium may contribute to the development of prostate cancer.

We developed two types of liquid-crystal spatial light modulators: an improved device by modifying each layer of the device and a large active area for industrial infrared lasers to demonstrate innovative manufacturing and fabrication techniques in smart manufacturing. The reconstruction of computer-generated holograms was demonstrated to prove the concept of the proposed device in the IR region. The incident phase performance characteristics of the device under high-power laser irradiation were obtained using a 1030 nm ultrashort pulse laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]