Search

To improve the integrated pest management (IPM) of hot pepper, field study was conducted in Hwasung from 2010 to 2012 and an IPM system was developed to help growers decide when to apply pesticides to control anthracnose, tobacco budworm, Phytophthora blight, bacterial wilt, and bacterial leaf spot. The three field treatments consisted of IPM sprays following the forecast model advisory, a periodic spray at 7-to-10-day intervals, and no spray (control). The number of annual pesticide applications for the IPM treatment ranged from six to eight, whereas the plots subjected to the periodic treatment received pesticide 11 or 12 times annually for three years. Compared to the former strategy, our improved IPM strategy features more intense pest management, with frequent spraying for anthracnose and mixed spraying for tobacco budworm or Phytophthora blight. The incidences for no pesticide control in 2010, 2011, and 2012 were 91, 97.6, and 41.4%, respectively. Conversely, the incidences for the IPM treatment for those years were 7.6, 62.6, and 2%, and the yields from IPM-treated plots were 48.6 kg, 12.1 kg, and 48.8 kg. The incidence and yield in the IPM-treated plots were almost the same as those of the periodic treatment except in 2011, in which no unnecessary sprays were given, meaning that the IPM control was quite successful. From reviewing eight years of field work, sophisticated forecasts that optimize pesticide spray timing reveal that reliance on pesticides can be reduced without compromising yield. Eco-friendly strategies can be implemented in the pest management of hot pepper.

BackgroundWe investigated the relationship between endothelial dysfunction and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe used a cross-sectional design to examine 167 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. All patients underwent biochemical and ophthalmological examination. We assessed endothelial dysfunction by a flow-mediated vasodilation method of the brachial artery. Changes in vasodilation (flow-mediated vasodilatation, %FMD) were expressed as percent change over baseline values.ResultsThe mean±standard deviation of patient age was 54.1±8.6 years. The %FMD was significantly lower in patients with DR than without DR. The prevalence of retinopathy decreased across increasing tertiles of %FMD. After adjusting for patients' age, sex, diabetes duration, use of insulin, use of antihypertensive, antiplatelet, and lipid lowering medications, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, 2-hour plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and urinary albumin excretion, participants with a reduced %FMD were more likely to have DR (odds ratio, 11.819; 95% confidence interval, 2.201 to 63.461; P=0.004, comparing the lowest and highest tertiles of %FMD).ConclusionEndothelial dysfunction was associated with DR, which was most apparent when the endothelial dysfunction was severe. Our study provides insights into the possible mechanism of the influence of endothelial dysfunction on the development of DR.

This study aimed to explore the utility of arterial spin labeling perfusion-weighted imaging (ASL-PWI) in patients with suspected seizures in acute settings. A total of 164 patients who underwent ASL-PWI for suspected seizures in acute settings (with final diagnoses of seizure [n = 129], poststroke seizure [n = 18], and seizure mimickers [n = 17]), were included in this retrospective study. Perfusion abnormality was analyzed for: (1) pattern, (2) multifocality, and (3) atypical distribution against vascular territories. Perfusion abnormality was detected in 39% (50/129) of the seizure patients, most (94%, 47/50) being the hyperperfusion pattern. Of the patients with perfusion abnormality, multifocality or hemispheric involvement and atypical distribution against vascular territory were revealed in 46% (23/50) and 98% (49/50), respectively. In addition, seizures showed characteristic features including hyperperfusion (with or without non-territorial distribution) on ASL-PWI, thus differentiating them from poststroke seizures or seizure mimickers. In patients in whom seizure focus could be localized on both EEG and ASL-PWI, the concordance rate was 77%. The present study demonstrates that ASL-PWI can provide information regarding cerebral perfusion status in patients with seizures in acute settings and has the potential to be used as a non-invasive imaging tool to identify the cerebral perfusion in patients with seizures.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Arterial spin-labeling (ASL) was recently introduced as a noninvasive method to evaluate cerebral hemodynamics. The purposes of this study were to assess the ability of ASL imaging to detect crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) in patients with their first unilateral supratentorial hyperacute stroke and to identify imaging or clinical factors significantly associated with CCD. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We reviewed 204 consecutive patients who underwent MRI less than 8 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms. The inclusion criteria were supratentorial abnormality in diffusion-weighted images in the absence of a cerebellar or brain stem lesion, bilateral supratentorial infarction, subacute or chronic infarction, and MR angiography showing vertebrobasilar system disease. For qualitative analysis, asymmetric cerebellar hypoperfusion in ASL images was categorized into 3 grades. Quantitative analysis was performed to calculate the asymmetric index (AI). The patients' demographic and clinical features and outcomes were recorded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed. RESULTS:A total of 32 patients met the inclusion criteria, and 24 (75%) presented CCD. Univariate analyses revealed more frequent arterial occlusions, higher diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesion volumes and higher initial NIHSS and mRS scores in the CCD-positive group compared with the CCD-negative group (all p < .05). The presence of arterial occlusion and the initial mRS scores were related with the AI (all p < .05). Multivariate analyses revealed that arterial occlusion and the initial mRS scores were significantly associated with CCD and AI. CONCLUSION:ASL imaging could detect CCD in 75% of patients with hyperacute infarction. We found that CCD was more prevalent in patients with arterial occlusion, larger ischemic brain volumes, and higher initial NIHSS and mRS scores. In particular, vessel occlusion and initial mRS score appeared to be significantly related with CCD pathophysiology in the hyperacute stage.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of resin infiltration technique on color and surface hardness of white spot lesion (WSL) with various degrees of demineralization. Materials and Methods Ten human upper premolars were cut and divided into quarters with a 3 × 4 mm window on the enamel surface. Each specimens were separated into four groups (n = 10) and immersed in demineralization solution to create WSL: control, no treatment (baseline); 12 h, 12 hr demineralization; 24 h, 24 hr demineralization; 48 h, 48 hr demineralization. Resin infiltration was performed to the specimens using Icon (DMG). CIEL*a*b* color parameters of the enamel-dentin complex were determined using a spectroradiometer at baseline, after caries formation and after resin infiltration. Surface hardness was measured by Vickers Micro Hardness Tester (Shimadzu, HMV-2). The differences in color and hardness among the groups were analyzed with ANOVA followed by Tukey test. Results Resin infiltration induced color changes and increased the hardness of demineralized enamel. After resin infiltration, there was no difference in color change (ΔE*) or microhardness among the groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion There was no difference in the effect of resin infiltration on color and hardness among groups with different extents of demineralization.

To analyze the enhancement patterns and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of non-measurable surgical cavity wall enhancement pattern, newly appearing after completion of standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with temozolomide in glioblastoma patients for the prognosis prediction.From January 2010 to April 2014, among 190 patients with histopathologically confirmed glioblastoma, a total of 33 patients with non-measurable wall enhancement on post-CCRT MR imaging were enrolled and divided into two subgroups: non-progression (n = 18) and progression groups (n = 15). We analyzed the wall enhancement patterns, which were categorized into three patterns: thin, thick and nodular enhancement. ADC values were measured in the enhancing portions of the walls. The progression-free survival (PFS) related to the wall enhancement was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and survival curves were compared using the log-rank test.Statistically significant differences in the surgical cavity wall enhancement patterns was shown between the progression and non-progression groups (P = 0.0032). Thin wall enhancement was more frequently observed in the non-progression group, and thick or nodular wall enhancement were observed in the progression group (P = 0.0016). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean ADC values between the progression and non-progression groups. The mean PFS was longer in patients with thin wall enhancement than in those with nodular or thick wall enhancement (35.5 months vs. 15.8 months, P = 0.008).Pattern analysis of non-measurable surgical cavity wall enhancement on post-CCRT MR imaging might be useful tool for predicting prognosis of GBM patient before clear progression of non-measurable disease.

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of cerebral blood flow (CBF) by using arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to differentiate glioblastoma (GBM) from brain metastasis.The institutional review board of our hospital approved this retrospective study. The study population consisted of 128 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection and were diagnosed as either GBM (n = 89) or brain metastasis (n = 39). All participants underwent preoperative MR imaging including ASL. For qualitative analysis, the tumors were visually graded into five categories based on ASL-CBF maps by two blinded reviewers. For quantitative analysis, the reviewers drew regions of interest (ROIs) on ASL-CBF maps upon the most hyperperfused portion within the tumor and upon peritumoral T2 hyperintensity area. Signal intensities of intratumoral and peritumoral ROIs for each subject were normalized by dividing the values by those of contralateral normal gray matter (nCBFintratumoral and nCBFperitumoral, respectively). Visual grading scales and quantitative parameters between GBM and brain metastasis were compared. In addition, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ASL-driven CBF to differentiate GBM from brain metastasis.For qualitative analysis, GBM group showed significantly higher grade compared to metastasis group (p = 0.001). For quantitative analysis, both nCBFintratumoral and nCBFperitumoral in GBM were significantly higher than those in metastasis (both p < 0.001). The areas under the curve were 0.677, 0.714, and 0.835 for visual grading, nCBFintratumoral, and nCBFperitumoral, respectively (all p < 0.001).ASL perfusion MR imaging can aid in the differentiation of GBM from brain metastasis.

Background. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is diagnostic standard for thyroid nodules. However, the influence of size on FNAC accuracy remains unclear especially in too small or too large thyroid nodules. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the effect of nodule size on FNAC accuracy. Methods. All consecutive patients who underwent thyroidectomy for nodules in 2010 were enrolled. FNAC results (according to the Bethesda system) were compared to pathological diagnosis. The nodules were categorized into groups A–E on the basis of maximal diameter on ultrasound (≤0.5, >0.5–1, >1-2, >2–4, and >4 cm, resp.). Results. There were 502 cases with 690 nodules. Overall FNAC sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 95.4%, 98.2%, 99.4%, 86.4%, and 96.0%, respectively. False-negative rates (FNRs) of groups A–E were 3.2%, 5.1%, 1.3%, 13.3%, and 50%, respectively. Accuracy rates of groups A–E were 96.8%, 94.8%, 99%, 94.7%, and 87.5%, respectively. Conclusion. Although accuracy rates of FNAC in thyroid nodules smaller than 0.5 cm are comparable to the other group, thyroid nodules larger than 4 cm with benign cytology carry a higher risk of malignancy, which suggest that those should be considered for intensive follow-up or repeated biopsy.

The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency and severity of intracerebral hemorrhages and T2 hyperintense white matter lesions (WMLs) following radiation therapy for brain tumors in adult patients. Of 648 adult brain tumor patients who received radiation therapy at our institute, magnetic resonance (MR) image data consisting of a gradient echo (GRE) and FLAIR T2-weighted image were available three and five years after radiation therapy in 81 patients. Intracerebral hemorrhage was defined as a hypointense dot lesion appearing on GRE images after radiation therapy. The number and size of the lesions were evaluated. The T2 hyperintense WMLs observed on the FLAIR sequences were graded according to the extent of the lesion. Intracerebral hemorrhage was detected in 21 (25.9%) and 35 (43.2) patients in the three- and five-year follow-up images, respectively. The number of intracerebral hemorrhages per patient tended to increase as the follow-up period increased, whereas the size of the intracerebral hemorrhages exhibited little variation over the course of follow-up. T2 hyperintense WMLs were observed in 27 (33.3%) and 32 (39.5) patients in the three and five year follow-up images, respectively. The age at the time of radiation therapy was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the patients with T2 hyperintense WMLs than in those without lesions. Intracerebral hemorrhages are not uncommon in adult brain tumor patients undergoing radiation therapy. The incidence and number of intracerebral hemorrhages increased over the course of follow-up. T2 hyperintense WMLs were observed in more than one-third of the study population.

The object of this study was to discover an alternative therapeutic agent with fewer side effects against acne vulgaris, one of the most common skin diseases. Acne vulgaris is often associated with acne-related bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Some of these bacteria exhibit a resistance against commercial antibiotics that have been used in the treatment of acne vulgaris (tetracycline, erythromycin, and lincomycin). In the current study, we tested in vitro antibacterial effect of chitosan-phytochemical conjugates on acne-related bacteria. Three chitosan-phytochemical conjugates used in this study exhibited stronger antibacterial activity than that of chitosan (unmodified control). Chitosan-caffeic acid conjugate (CCA) showed the highest antibacterial effect on acne-related bacteria along with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC; 8 to 256 μg/mL). Additionally, the MIC values of antibiotics against antibiotic-resistant P. acnes and P. aeruginosa strains were dramatically reduced in combination with CCA, suggesting that CCA would restore the antibacterial activity of the antibiotics. The analysis of fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) indices clearly revealed a synergistic antibacterial effect of CCA with antibiotics. Thus, the median sum of FIC (∑FIC) values against the antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains ranged from 0.375 to 0.533 in the combination mode of CCA and antibiotics. The results of the present study suggested a potential possibility of chitosan-phytochemical conjugates in the control of infections related to acne vulgaris.

To assess the prognosis predictability of a measurable enhancing lesion using histogram parameters produced by the normalized cerebral blood volume (nCBV) and normalized apparent diffusion coefficient (nADC) after completion of standard concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) medication in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients.This study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB), and the requirement for informed consent was waived. A total of 59 patients with newly diagnosed GBM who received standard CCRT with TMZ and adjuvant TMZ for six cycles underwent perfusion-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging. Twenty-seven patients had a measurable enhancing lesion and 32 patients lacked a measurable enhancing lesion based on the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria in the follow-up MRI, which was performed within 3 months after adjuvant TMZ therapy was completed. We measured the nCBV and nADC histogram parameters based on the measurable enhancing lesion. The progression free survival (PFS) was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method with the use of the log-rank test.The median PFS of patients lacking measurable enhancing lesion was longer than for those with measurable enhancing lesions (17.6 vs 3.3 months, P

Accurate diagnosis of lymph node metastasis is crucial in treatment planning for cancer patients. Despite the use of various parameters, making correct diagnosis of a small metastatic or a hyperplastic benign node is still a challenge. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of detecting lymph node metastasis using a new ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particle, PJY10, in a rabbit model.To make metastatic and benign lymph nodes, either VX2 carcinoma or fecal material suspension was inoculated into thighs of 56 rabbits three weeks or three days before magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, respectively. T2*-weighted 3T MR imaging was performed before and 24 hours after PJY10 injection (5.2 [n = 15], 7.8 [n = 17], and 10.4 [n = 24] mg Fe/kg). MR images were correlated with pathologic results to calculate sensitivity and specificity. Quantitative analysis of the signal intensity (SI)--number of voxels[low] (the fraction of the number of voxels with the normalized SI on the postcontrast image lower than that on the precontrast image) and mean SI ratio--was also performed for each lymph node.Sensitivities were 100% at all three dosages, whereas specificity increased with increasing dosage (89% at 10.4 mg Fe/kg). The benign nodes had a significantly higher number of voxels[low] and a lower mean SI ratio than the metastatic nodes at the dosage of 10.4 mg Fe/kg (P

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether adding a contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence to routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect additional abnormalities in the brains of symptomatic patients with mild traumatic brain injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-four patients with persistent symptoms following mild closed head injury were included in our retrospective study (M ∶ F = 32 ∶ 22, mean age: 59.8 ± 16.4, age range: 26-84 years). All MRI examinations were obtained within 14 days after head trauma (mean: 3.2 ± 4.1 days, range: 0.2-14 days). Two neuroradiologists recorded (1) the presence of traumatic brain lesions on MR images with and without contrast-enhanced FLAIR images and (2) the pattern and location of meningeal enhancement depicted on contrast-enhanced FLAIR images. The number of additional traumatic brain lesions diagnosed with contrast-enhanced FLAIR was recorded. Correlations between meningeal enhancement and clinical findings were also evaluated. RESULTS: Traumatic brain lesions were detected on routine image sequences in 25 patients. Three additional cases of brain abnormality were detected with the contrast-enhanced FLAIR images. Meningeal enhancement was identified on contrast-enhanced FLAIR images in 9 cases while the other routine image sequences showed no findings of traumatic brain injury. Overall, the additional contrast-enhanced FLAIR images revealed more extensive abnormalities than routine imaging in 37 cases (p

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To apply a texture analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps to evaluate glioma heterogeneity, which was correlated with tumor grade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with glioma (WHO grade II (n = 8), grade III (n = 10) and grade IV (n = 22)) underwent diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and the corresponding ADC maps were obtained. Regions of interest containing the lesions were drawn on every section of the ADC map containing the tumor, and volume-based data of the entire tumor were constructed. Texture and first order features including entropy, skewness and kurtosis were derived from the ADC map using in-house software. A histogram analysis of the ADC map was also performed. The texture and histogram parameters were compared between low-grade and high-grade gliomas using an unpaired student's t-test. Additionally, a one-way analysis of variance analysis with a post-hoc test was performed to compare the parameters of each grade. RESULTS: Entropy was observed to be significantly higher in high-grade gliomas than low-grade tumors (6.861±0.539 vs. 6.261±0.412, P = 0.006). The fifth percentiles of the ADC cumulative histogram also showed a significant difference between high and low grade gliomas (836±235 vs. 1030±185, P = 0.037). Only entropy proved to be significantly different between grades III and IV (6.295±0.4963 vs. 7.119±0.3165, P

To evaluate the usefulness of dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) enhanced perfusion MR imaging in predicting major genetic alterations in glioblastomas.Twenty-five patients (M:F = 13∶12, mean age: 52.1±15.2 years) with pathologically proven glioblastoma who underwent DSC MR imaging before surgery were included. On DSC MR imaging, the normalized relative tumor blood volume (nTBV) of the enhancing solid portion of each tumor was calculated by using dedicated software (Nordic TumorEX, NordicNeuroLab, Bergen, Norway) that enabled semi-automatic segmentation for each tumor. Five major glioblastoma genetic alterations (epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN), Ki-67, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and p53) were confirmed by immunohistochemistry and analyzed for correlation with the nTBV of each tumor. Statistical analysis was performed using the unpaired Student t test, ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve analysis and Pearson correlation analysis.The nTBVs of the MGMT methylation-negative group (mean 9.5±7.5) were significantly higher than those of the MGMT methylation-positive group (mean 5.4±1.8) (p = .046). In the analysis of EGFR expression-positive group, the nTBVs of the subgroup with loss of PTEN gene expression (mean: 10.3±8.1) were also significantly higher than those of the subgroup without loss of PTEN gene expression (mean: 5.6±2.3) (p = .046). Ki-67 labeling index indicated significant positive correlation with the nTBV of the tumor (p = .01).We found that glioblastomas with aggressive genetic alterations tended to have a high nTBV in the present study. Thus, we believe that DSC-enhanced perfusion MR imaging could be helpful in predicting genetic alterations that are crucial in predicting the prognosis of and selecting tailored treatment for glioblastoma patients.

PURPOSE: To compare the reproducibilities of manual and semiautomatic segmentation method for the measurement of normalized cerebral blood volume (nCBV) using dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced (DSC) perfusion MR imaging in glioblastomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients (11 male, 11 female; 27 tumors) with histologically confirmed glioblastoma (WHO grade IV) were examined with conventional MR imaging and DSC imaging at 3T before surgery or biopsy. Then nCBV (means and standard deviations) in each mass was measured using two DSC MR perfusion analysis methods including manual and semiautomatic segmentation method, in which contrast-enhanced (CE)-T1WI and T2WI were used as structural imaging. Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility were assessed according to each perfusion analysis method or each structural imaging. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plot, and coefficient of variation (CV) were used to evaluate reproducibility. RESULTS: Intraobserver reproducibilities on CE-T1WI and T2WI were ICC of 0.74-0.89 and CV of 20.39-36.83% in manual segmentation method, and ICC of 0.95-0.99 and CV of 8.53-16.19% in semiautomatic segmentation method, repectively. Interobserver reproducibilites on CE-T1WI and T2WI were ICC of 0.86-0.94 and CV of 19.67-35.15% in manual segmentation method, and ICC of 0.74-1.0 and CV of 5.48-49.38% in semiautomatic segmentation method, respectively. Bland-Altman plots showed a good correlation with ICC or CV in each method. The semiautomatic segmentation method showed higher intraobserver and interobserver reproducibilities at CE-T1WI-based study than other methods. CONCLUSION: The best reproducibility was found using the semiautomatic segmentation method based on CE-T1WI for structural imaging in the measurement of the nCBV of glioblastomas.

OBJECTIVE: In this multicenter study, we investigated the management algorithm for thyroid nodules with benign cytology using US features from data collected from 7 institutions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Data on 700 focal thyroid nodules in 673 consecutive patients were collected from 7 university-affiliated hospitals. This study included nodules that were diagnosed as benign at initial cytologic evaluation and that underwent pathologic or follow-up study. The risk of malignancy was compared according to the US assessments of each institution as well as looking at all the nodules together as a whole. RESULTS: Of the 700 nodules, 688 (98.3%) were benign and 12 (1.7%) were malignant. If initial cytologic results were benign, the likelihood of the nodule actually being malignant was from 1 to 3%, varying by institution. The likelihood of a cytologically benign nodule with positive US being malignant (4.7%, 8/169) was higher than that of one without positive US (0.8%, 4/531) (P = .002). CONCLUSION: Based on our multicenter study, repeat FNA should be performed in thyroid nodules with initial benign cytology showing suspicious US features in order to decrease the number of false negative cases.

BACKGROUND: Glioma grading assumes significant importance in that low- and high-grade gliomas display different prognoses and are treated with dissimilar therapeutic strategies. The objective of our study was to retrospectively assess the usefulness of a cumulative normalized cerebral blood volume (nCBV) histogram for glioma grading based on 3 T MRI. METHODS: From February 2010 to April 2012, 63 patients with astrocytic tumors underwent 3 T MRI with dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion-weighted imaging. Regions of interest containing the entire tumor volume were drawn on every section of the co-registered relative CBV (rCBV) maps and T2-weighted images. The percentile values from the cumulative nCBV histograms and the other histogram parameters were correlated with tumor grades. Cochran's Q test and the McNemar test were used to compare the diagnostic accuracies of the histogram parameters after the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Using the parameter offering the highest diagnostic accuracy, a validation process was performed with an independent test set of nine patients. RESULTS: The 99th percentile of the cumulative nCBV histogram (nCBV C99), mean and peak height differed significantly between low- and high-grade gliomas (P =

In dendritic cell (DC)-CD4(+) T cell interaction, Notch signaling has been implicated in the CD4(+) T cell activation, proliferation, and subset differentiation. However, there has been a lot of debate on the exact role of Notch signaling. Here, we observed that expression of Mind bomb-1 (Mib1), a critical regulator of Notch ligands for the activation of Notch signaling, increases gradually as precursor cells differentiate into DCs in mice. To clarify the role of Mib1 in DC-CD4(+) T cell interactions, we generated Mib1-null bone marrow-derived DCs. These cells readily expressed Notch ligands but failed to initiate Notch activation in the adjacent cells. Nevertheless, Mib1-null DCs were able to prime the activation and proliferation of CD4(+) T cells, suggesting that Notch activation in CD4(+) T cells is not required for these processes. Intriguingly, stimulation of CD4(+) T cells with Mib1-null DCs resulted in dramatically diminished Th2 cell populations, while preserving Th1 cell populations, both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that Mib1 in DCs is critical for the activation of Notch signaling in CD4(+) T cells, and Notch signaling reinforces Th2 differentiation, but is not required for the activation or proliferation of the CD4(+) T cells.

The Hg atom in the title compound, [HgCl2(C12H19N3)], adopts a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry, being ligated by two Cl atoms and three N atoms of the N,N-diethyl-N′-(2-pyridylmethylene)ethane-1,2-diamine ligand. The dihedral angle between the HgN3 and HgCl2 least-squares planes is 88.6 (1)°. The Hg—N distances including the pyridine N and the ammonium N atom are about 0.20 Å longer than the Hg—N distance including the imino N atom.

The Cu atom in the title compound, [Cu(NO3)2(C12H10N2)(CH3OH)], adopts a square-pyramidal geometry, being ligated by two N atoms of the bidentate N-(2-pyridylmethylene)aniline (ppma) ligand, two O atoms of NO3 ligands and one O atom of a methanol molecule, which occupies the apical position. The phenyl ring on the ppma ligand is twisted out of the pyridine plane, forming a dihedral angle of 42.9 (1)°. In the crystal, intermolecular O—H...O hydrogen bonds between methanol and NO3 ligands form an extensive one-dimensional network extending parallel to [100].