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This paper examines the significance of reading two Korean American novels which address the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery (known as the "comfort women" system) in the context of Japan: Nora Okja Keller's Comfort Woman and Chang-rae Lee's A Gesture Life. I will explore how this act can facilitate the understanding of the militarized sexual violence in the present social and discursive context of Japan, where the issue suffers from a strong backlash. Lee's A Gesture Life with its critique of multiple militarized imperialisms challenges the Japanese revisionists' effort to deny the egregious wrongs of Japan's military sexual slavery; it also responds to popular criticism in Japan that Korean/Americans disregard the practices of Western imperial and military violence and only condemn Japanese war crimes. The paper in turn also reads Keller's Comfort Woman through the frame of Joy Kogawa's Obasan, a Japanese Canadian novel which remembers the internment and U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki. My aim here is to examine both the risks and possibilities which this reading can generate. While it can help us see the comparable acts of remembering war sufferings from the standpoint of diasporas, it can also erase the non-equivalence between the two histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), caused by a toxin‐producing Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain, has become a serious threat to shrimp aquaculture. The need to regulate antibiotic use prompted the development of alternative ways to treat infections in aquaculture including the use of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) for passive immunization. This study evaluated the protective effect of IgY against AHPND infection in Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone). IgY was isolated from eggs laid by hens immunized with recombinant PirA‐like (rPirA) and PirB‐like (rPirB) toxins. Whole‐egg powders having IgY specific to rPirA (anti‐PirA‐IgY) and rPirB (anti‐PirB‐IgY) and IgY from non‐immunized hen (control‐IgY) were mixed with basal diets at 20% concentrations and used to prefeed shrimp 3 days before the bacterial challenge test. Survival rates of the challenged shrimp fed the anti‐PirA‐IgY, anti‐PirB‐IgY and control‐IgY diets were 86%, 14% and 0%, respectively. Only the feed containing anti‐PirA‐IgY protected shrimp against AHPND. Increasing the concentration of rPirA antigen to immunize hens and lowering the amount of egg powder in feeds to 10% consistently showed higher survival rates in shrimp fed with anti‐PirA‐IgY (87%) compared with the control (12%). These results confirm that addition of anti‐PirA‐IgY in feeds could be an effective prophylactic method against AHPND infection in shrimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Plants may trigger hypersensitivity reactions when individuals with allergies consume foods derived from plant materials or inhale plant pollen. As each plant food or pollen contains multiple allergens, proteomics is a powerful tool to detect the allergens present. Allergen-targeted proteomics, termed allergenomics, has been used for comprehensive identification and/or quantification of plant allergens, because it is a simple and inexpensive tool for rapid detection of proteins that bind to IgE. There are increasing numbers of reports on the applications of allergenomics. In this review, we outline some of the applications of proteomics, including: (i) identification of novel allergens, (ii) allergic diagnoses, (iii) quantification of allergens, and (iv) natural diversity of allergens, and finally discuss (v) the use of allergenomics for safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) plants. Biological significance: Recently, the number of allergic patients is increasing. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of allergens (allergenomics) in plants is highly important for not only risk assessment of food plants but also diagnosis of allergic symptoms. In this manuscript, we reviewed the recent progress of allergenomics for identification, quantification and profiling of allergens. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Translational Plant Proteomics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: We performed an in vitro elicitation test to de-termine the ability of different types of wheat-allergic pa-tients' IgE to induce humanized mast cell activation after the addition of various time-treated acid-hydrolyzed wheat pro-teins (HWPs). Methods: The reactivity of heat- and various time-treated acid-hydrolyzed glutens (acid-HGs) and com-mercial acid-HWP (HWP1), using serum IgE from wheat al-lergy accompanied by skin and rhinoconjunctlval sensitiza-tion to HWP1 in the facial soap, pediatric subjects with food allergy to native wheat, adult wheat-dependent exercise-in-duced anaphylaxis subjects, and nonatopic healthy subjects, was elucidated by dot blot and a luciferase assay-based in vitro elicitation test (EXiLE test). Results: Serum from sub-jects sensitized with HWP1 reacted only to acid-HGs (acid-HGs treated for 0.5-3 or 6 h), but not native gluten, in the results of the dot blot. In contrast, sera from pediatric sub-jects sensitized with native wheat reacted to native gluten more strongly and showed only slight reactions to 0.5- to 1-hour-treated acid-HGs. The results of the in vitro elicitation test showed that acid hydrolyzation of the gluten attenuat-ed antigen-induced luciferase expression in a time-depen-dent manner for sera from native-wheat-sensitized pediatric subjects. On the other hand, in the sera from HWP1-sensi-tized subjects, acid hydrolyzation of the gluten for 0.5 h dra-matically increased luciferase expression. Conclusions: Even after prolonged hydrolyzation, acid-HGs still retained the ability to activate mast cells in the case of HWP1-sensitized subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the significance of engaging in Asian American studies in Asia, with examples drawn primarily from Japan. It asks: what happens when this US-based racial minority studies is relocated to the place where Asians do not constitute racial minorities? The paper argues that, on the one hand, the intellectual encounter between Asia and Asian America encourages the US-based minority studies to examine their implications in American imperialism in their perceptions towards Asia. On the other hand, Asian American studies as the racial minority discourse forces ethno-racial majority Asians, with all our ethnic, national, and other differences, to reflect upon the racial, ethnic, and (neo)colonial relations in our own lands while critiquing the inequalities that are taking place in and across Asia. The paper looks at the forms of minority struggles in Japan, zainichi Koreans and Okinawans, in order to propel the US Asian American scholars to decentralize their work and perspectives. It is my hope that this new perspective generated from Asia-based Asian American studies will help construct a place of mutual learning, where we can engage in conversation to ask new questions, to challenge and transform Asian American studies as we know it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Salt-soluble proteins extracted from non-transgenic and transgenic rice were evaluated for the presence of known and potential allergens by proteomic techniques. The salt-soluble proteins were extracted, separated by 1D and 2D electrophoresis, and analyzed by Western blotting. 1D immunoblot analysis with patients’ sera revealed few qualitative differences between the IgE-binding proteins of the non-transgenic and transgenic rice. 1D immunoblot with antigen-specific-animal sera revealed no qualitative or quantitative differences in two known allergens, RAG2 and glyoxalase I, between non-transgenic and transgenic rice. Multiple spots containing known and novel IgE-binding proteins were detected among the salt-soluble proteins of non-transgenic rice by 2D immunoblotting. Two globulin-like proteins, a 52kDa protein and a 63kDa protein, were identified as novel IgE-binding proteins that are candidates for rice allergens. These globulin-like proteins were homologous to Cupin superfamily allergens. Quantitative analysis of 19, 52, and 63kDa globulins with protein-specific-animal sera showed no significant differences in the expression of these proteins between the transgenic rice and non-transgenic rice. These results indicate that none of the known or novel endogeneous IgE-binding proteins detected in this study appear to be altered by genetic modification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Propolis is considered to down-regulate type I allergy, but the effective components of propolis remain unknown. In addition, propolis components vary depending on the area from which they are collected due to variations among wild plants in an area. Therefore, we compared the effects of water and ethanol extracts of propolis from Brazil and China on mast cell degranulation and cytokine production, thereby identifying effective components in propolis. The amount of released β-hexosaminidase via high-affinity IgE receptor I (FcεRI) from rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells was used as an index of degranulation. All propolis extracts inhibited degranulation from antigen-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells, but the effective doses differed according to collection areas. The ethanol extract of Chinese propolis, which was the strongest inhibitor of mast cell degranulation, was divided into compounds using normal- and reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The isolated anti-allergic components were identified as chrysin, kaempferol and its derivative, and chrysin was revealed to inhibit IL-4 and MCP-1 production from antigen-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells. HPLC quantification also revealed the Brazilian propolis extract to contain only small amounts of these flavonoids, which suggested that variation in propolis components could affect anti-allergic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) foods must be tested for safety, including by allergenicity tests to ensure that they do not contain new allergens or higher concentrations of known allergens than the same non-GM foods. In this study experimentally developed EGFP-transgenic chickens were used and evaluated the allergenicity of meat from the chicken based on a serological and two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) analysis. For the serological analysis, a Western blotting with allergen-specific antibodies and a proteomic analysis of chicken meat allergens with patients’ sera, a so-called allergenome analysis, were used. The allergenome analysis allowed us to identify five IgE-binding proteins in chicken meat, including a known allergen, chicken serum albumin, and no qualitative difference in their expressions between the GM and non-GM chicken meat was found. Results of the 2D-DIGE analysis showed that none of the IgE-binding proteins in chicken meat were significantly changed in expression levels between non-GM and GM chicken, and only 3 of the 1500 soluble protein spots including green fluorescence protein were markedly different as a result of gene transfer. These above results showed that the combination of serological and 2D-DIGE analysis is a valid method of evaluating quality and quantity of allergens in GM foods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) foods are beneficial from the standpoint of ensuring a constant supply of foodstuffs, but they must be tested for safety before being released on the market, including by allergenicity tests to ensure that they do not contain new allergens or higher concentrations of known allergens than the same non-GM foods. In this study we used GM-amago salmon into which a growth hormone gene had been introduced and compared the allergens contained in the GM and the non-GM-amago salmons. We used a combination of Western blotting with allergen-specific antibodies and a proteomic analysis of their allergens with patients’ sera, a so-called allergenome analysis, to analyze allergens. Western blotting with specific antibodies showed no increase in the content of the known allergens fish parvalbumin and fish type-I collagen in GM-amago salmon, in comparison with their content in non-GM-amago salmon. The allergenome analysis of two fish-allergic patients allowed us to identify several IgE-binding proteins in amago salmon, including parvalbumin, triose-phosphate isomerase, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A, and serum albumin, and there were no qualitative differences in these proteins between GM and non-GM-amago salmons. These results indicate that amago salmon endogenous allergen expression does not seem to be altered by genetic modification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: OHK cells, a human lymphoma cell line, are known to produce large amounts of hyaluronan. We investigated the effect of 4-methylumbelliferone, an inhibitor of hyaluronan synthesis, on the activity of matrix metalloproteinases in OHK cells. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 was detected on gelatin zymography as the main metalloproteinase excreted into the medium of cultured OHK cells, and 4-methylumbelliferone added to the medium decreased the activity of the enzyme in a dose-dependent manner. Addition of Streptomyces hyaluronidase to the medium during cultivation did not decrease the enzyme activity. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that 4-methylumbelliferone markedly decreased the level of mRNA for matrix metalloproteinase-9 in cultured OHK cells. A similar decrease of the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 by 4-methylumbelliferone was also observed in cultured human breast and colon carcinoma cells. These results suggest that 4-methylumbelliferone suppresses the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in cultured cancer cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Ca2+-promoted Ras inactivator (CAPRI), a Ras GTPase-activating protein, is involved in the inactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. However, a precise role of CAPRI in immune responses is still unknown. Here we showed that overexpression of CAPRI suppresses antigen-induced degranulation and cytokine production in mast cells (RBL cells). Antigen elicited the translocation of CAPRI to the plasma membrane from the cytoplasm, which was concomitant with the increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. The nuclear import of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) occurred after the re-localization of CAPRI to the cytoplasm in the mast cells, suggesting that the early phase of ERK2 activation is eliminated. A mutant of GAP-related domain, CAPRI(R472S), showed a feeble translocation to the plasma membrane but did not affect the degranulation, ERK2 activation, and cytokine production. The results suggested that the translocation of CAPRI to the plasma membranes regulates crucially cellular responses in mast cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The superoxide-generating NADPH oxidase, dormant in resting phagocytes, is activated during phagocytosis following assembly of the membrane-integrated protein cytochrome b558 and cytosolic factors. Among the latter are the three proteins containing Src homology 3 (SH3) domains, p67phox, p47phox and p40 phox. While the first two factors are indispensable for the activity, p40 phox is tightly associated with p67phox in resting cells and is suggested to have some modulatory role. Here we describe a systematic analysis of the interaction between p40 phox and p67phox using the yeast two-hybrid system and in vitro binding assays with recombinant proteins. Both methods unequivocally showed that the minimum requirements for stable interaction are the C-terminal region of p40 phox and the region between the two SH3 domains of p67phox. This interaction is maintained even in the presence of anionic amphiphiles used for the activation of the NADPH oxidase, raising a possibility that it mediates constitutive association of the two factors in both resting and activated cells. The C-terminal region of p40 phox responsible for the interaction contains a characteristic stretch of amino acids designated as the PC motif, that also exists in other signal-transducing proteins from yeast to human. Intensive site-directed mutagenesis to the motif in p40 phox revealed that it plays a critical role in the binding to p67 phox. Thus the PC motif appears to represent a novel module for protein-protein interaction used in a variety of signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Autoantibodies develop in autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus (DM), and atherosclerosis-related diseases. However, autoantibody biomarkers have not been successfully examined for diagnosis and therapy. Methods: Serological identification of antigens through recombinant cDNA expression cloning (SEREX) was used for primary screening of antigens. The cDNA product was expressed in bacteria and purified. Amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay-linked immunosorbent assay (AlphaLISA) was used to evaluate antibody levels in serum samples. Results: Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) was recognized as an antigen by serum IgG antibodies in the sera of patients with atherosclerosis. AlphaLISA showed significantly higher serum antibody levels against recombinant PCK1 protein in patients with DM and cardiovascular disease than in healthy donors, but not in those with acute ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for anti-PCK1 antibodies was 0.7024 for DM. The serum anti-PCK1 antibody levels were associated with age, platelet count, and blood pressure. Anti-PCK1-antibody-positive patients showed significantly lower overall survival than the negative patients. Conclusions: Serum anti-PCK1 antibody levels were found to be associated with DM. The anti-PCK1 antibody marker is useful for predicting the overall survival of patients with DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The 2D-DIGE (2-Dimensional Fluorescence Difference Gel Electrophoresis) method was applied to proteomic phenotyping of natural variants in 10 varieties of rice (Nipponbare, Koshihikari, Sasanishiki, Akitakomachi, Hitomebore, Hinohikari, Kasalath, Rexark, Bleiyo, Cho-ko) from the world rice collection (WRC) in the GenBank of the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), Japan. Salt-soluble protein extracts of Nipponbare brown rice were labeled with Cy2 fluorochrome and used as an internal standard. Protein extracts from nine other rice varieties were labeled with Cy3 or Cy5 fluorochrome and applied to 2D-PAGE (13cm gel length) analysis. Approximately 700 spots of rice proteins were observed. Fluorescence intensities of each of these spots for the nine rice varieties were expressed as relative ratios to that of Nipponbare. Statistical analysis revealed the spot numbers of five Japanese rice varieties above threshold five (relative ratio of each variety to Nipponbare exceeded 5-fold or was less than 1/5) to be less than three, while those of four varieties from other countries were more than five (especially, Kasalath which was 29 and Bleiyo which was 23). The 2D-DIGE method seems to be useful for analyzing natural varieties of different cultivars and also for comparing the expression of allergen proteins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: To compare semen parameters between patients with testicular cancer and other malignancies using various cut‐off values, and to evaluate the correlation between semen parameters and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively investigated semen parameters before cancer treatment in 117 patients with malignancies who cryopreserved sperm at Hirosaki University Hospital between November 1999 and May 2016. We compared semen parameters between patients with testicular cancer and other malignancies (non‐testicular cancer), seminoma and non‐seminoma, and stage I testicular cancer and stage II/III testicular cancer. The assessment of cut‐off values recommended by the World Health Organization and the total motile sperm count was carried out between the testicular cancer and non‐testicular cancer groups. The intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes in those using preserved sperm were assessed. Results: Of the 111 patients enrolled, 29 (26%) had testicular cancer and 82 (74%) had non‐testicular cancer. Patients with testicular cancer showed significantly lower total sperm concentration than non‐testicular cancer patients. The cut‐off value of total sperm concentration distinguished the patient proportions exceeding the cut‐off between patients with testicular cancer (41%) and non‐testicular cancer (66%). The comparison between patients with seminoma versus non‐seminoma and stage I versus stage II/III testicular cancer presented no significant differences in semen parameters. No correlation between pretreatment semen parameters and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes was observed. Conclusions: Although testicular cancer patients show lower total sperm concentration, intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes are acceptable. Further studies on the fertility potential of testicular cancer patients are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: RNAi-mediated suppression of the endogenous storage proteins in MucoRice-CTB-RNAi seeds affects not only the levels of overexpressed CTB and RAG2 allergen, but also the localization of CTB and RAG2. Abstract: A purification-free rice-based oral cholera vaccine (MucoRice-CTB) was previously developed by our laboratories using a cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB) overexpression system. Recently, an advanced version of MucoRice-CTB was developed (MucoRice-CTB-RNAi) through the use of RNAi to suppress the production of the endogenous storage proteins 13-kDa prolamin and glutelin, so as to increase CTB expression. The level of the α-amylase/trypsin inhibitor-like protein RAG2 (a major rice allergen) was reduced in MucoRice-CTB-RNAi seeds in comparison with wild-type (WT) rice. To investigate whether RNAi-mediated suppression of storage proteins affects the localization of overexpressed CTB and major rice allergens, we generated an RNAi line without CTB (MucoRice-RNAi) and investigated gene expression, and protein production and localization of two storage proteins, CTB, and five major allergens in MucoRice-CTB, MucoRice-CTB-RNAi, MucoRice-RNAi, and WT rice. In all lines, glyoxalase I was detected in the cytoplasm, and 52- and 63-kDa globulin-like proteins were found in the aleurone particles. In WT, RAG2 and 19-kDa globulin were localized mainly in protein bodies II (PB-II) of the endosperm cells. Knockdown of glutelin A led to a partial destruction of PB-II and was accompanied by RAG2 relocation to the plasma membrane/cell wall and cytoplasm. In MucoRice-CTB, CTB was localized in the cytoplasm and PB-II. In MucoRice-CTB-RNAi, CTB was produced at a level six times that in MucoRice-CTB and was localized, similar to RAG2, in the plasma membrane/cell wall and cytoplasm. Our findings indicate that the relocation of CTB in MucoRice-CTB-RNAi may contribute to down-regulation of RAG2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem To investigate the role of natural cytotoxicity receptor, NKp46 expression in cytokine-producing NK cells. Method of Study CD56+/ NKp46+ NK cells from the peripheral blood and the uterine endometrium were magnetically separated. IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β1 expressions on NK cells were investigated using multicolor flow cytometry. Results Peripheral blood and uterine endometrial NK cells were grouped into 4 subpopulations based upon the degree of CD56 and NKp46 expressions. NKp46 expression was associated with higher frequency of cytokine-producing NK cells, including CD56dim NK cells. The percentage of TNF-α+ and IL-10+ NK cells per total CD56+/ NKp46+ NK cells in the uterine endometrium showed a significant correlation with those of the peripheral blood in all subpopulations, but that of IFN-γ+, IL-4+, and TGF-β1+ NK cells showed partial correlation. Conclusion Expression of NKp46 is involved in cytokine production of CD56+ NK cells in the peripheral blood and the uterine endometrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An in vitro elicitation test employing human high-affinity IgE receptor-expressing rat mast cell lines appears to be a useful method for measuring mast cell activation using a patient's IgE and an allergen; however, such cell lines are sensitive to human complements in the serum. We have recently developed a new luciferase-reporting mast cell line (RS-ATL8) to detect IgE crosslinking-induced luciferase expression (EXILE) with relatively low quantities of serum IgE. Methods: A total of 30 patients suspected of having egg white (EW) allergy were subjected to an oral food challenge (OFC) test; then, the performances of EW-specific serum IgE (CAP-FEIA), EW-induced degranulation, and EXILE responses in RS-ATL8 cells were compared using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The patients' sera were diluted to 1 : 100, which causes no cytotoxicity when sensitizing the RS-ATL8 cells for the degranulation and EXILE tests. Results: The area under the ROC curves was highest in the EXILE test (0.977), followed by CAP-FEIA (0.926) and degranulation (0.810). At an optimal cutoff range (1.648-1.876) calculated from the ROC curve of the EXiLE test, sensitivity and specificity were 0.944 and 0.917, respectively. A 95% positive predictive value was given at a cutoff level of 2.054 (fold increase in luciferase expression) by logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: In contrast to in vivo tests, the EXILE test appears to be a useful tool in diagnosing patients suspected of having IgE-dependent EW allergy without the risk of severe systemic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to establish whether individual differences exist in the frequency and size of vacuoles found in human sperm and to ascertain whether such vacuoles are involved in causing DNA damage. METHODS Morphologically normal sperm were obtained from 15 IVF and 2 ICSI patients and 3 fertile donors. (i) Sperm heads were analyzed for the presence of vacuoles under a 1000× differential interference contrast microscope. (ii) In three patients and two donor samples, structural chromosomal damage was evaluated in normal sperm containing large vacuoles and selected at 1000× magnification for injection into mouse oocytes. (iii) In 10 patients and two donor samples, confocal laser microscopy detected DNA damage in sperm-exhibiting large vacuoles and stained with an in situ cell death detection kit. RESULTS (i) Vacuoles were observed in almost all normal sperm from patient and donor ejaculates and were mainly located at the tip or middle area of the sperm heads. However, average incidence of normal sperm exhibiting large vacuoles was 4.6 and 4.2% in the patient and donor groups, respectively. (ii) Sperm chromosome assays did not reveal any differences in the incidence of structural chromosome aberrations between sperm exhibiting large vacuoles and those without them (9.1 versus 4.1%). (iii) No significant difference in frequency of TUNEL-positive cells was found between normal sperm with large vacuoles and those without them in the samples examined. Among 227 sperm exhibiting large vacuoles, only 7 cells were TUNEL positive. CONCLUSION The results showed that large vacuoles were not responsible for DNA damage, suggesting that intra-cytoplasmic injection of morphologically selected sperm may not be required for patients who produce high-quality semen. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The buckwheat 16-kDa protein (BWp16), as reported in our previous study, is a major allergen in buckwheat; however, the IgE-binding epitopes of BWp16 have not as yet been identified. Methods: We screened candidates for IgE-binding epitopes on BWp16 by using arrays of overlapping peptides synthesized on activated cellulose membranes (SPOTs membrane). The mimotope method was also used to analyze IgE-binding epitopes of BWp16. Nine single alanine (Ala) mutants of BWp16 expressed in Escherichia coli were used to confirm the epitopes of BWp16. The IgE-binding activity of single Ala mutants of BWp16 was determined by ELISA with mouse anti-BWp16 polyclonal antiserum or ELISA inhibition with sera from buckwheat allergic patients. Results: The SPOTs assay identified amino acid residues 99–110, i.e. EGVRDLKELPSK, as a candidate for the linear IgE-binding epitope of BWp16. The mimotope method indicated that peptides similar to EGVRDLKE were candidate sequences for epitopes of BWp16. Ala scanning of rBWp16 revealed that all EGVRDLKE peptides containing a single amino acid mutation had weaker IgE-binding activity than rBWp16 WT. An ELISA inhibition assay for rBWp16 WT revealed the inhibitory effect of rBWp16 D103A to be less than that of rBWp16 WT. Conclusions: We identified the peptide EGVRDLKE as a very likely candidate for the IgE-binding epitope of BWp16, and Asp103 as the critical amino acid in BWp16. This is the first report on the identification of IgE-binding epitopes of BWp16. Our findings will contribute to the production of BWp16 hypoallergens, and to allergen-specific immunotherapy for buckwheat allergy. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU) are popularly used antithyroid drugs (ATDs) for the treatment of Graves'' hyperthyroidism. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of ATDs on the developing immune system of the rats. Maternal Sprague–Dawley rats were given drinking water containing 200 ppm of MMI, 12 ppm of PTU (high-dose PTU), or 3 ppm of PTU (low-dose PTU) between gestational day (GD) 10 and postnatal week (PNW) 3. Exposure to the ATDs was ceased upon weaning at PNW3, and the male offspring were sampled at PNWs 3 or 11. The serum thyroid-related hormone levels and the hematological components in the offspring were then determined. The expressions of surface markers in the spleen, thymus and peripheral blood were determined using flowcytometry. The weights of the body, spleen and thymus and the splenic and thymic cell numbers were decreased in the MMI-treated and the high-dose PTU-treated animals at PNWs 3 and 11. The serum levels of thyroid-related hormones were depressed in the MMI and high-dose PTU groups. FACS analysis revealed that the ATDs caused proportional changes in the lymphoid cell subpopulations. The proportion of B cells among the total lymphocytes was significantly decreased at PNW3, whereas that of T cells, especially of inactive T cells, was dramatically increased. Moreover, the proportion of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells was significantly increased in the spleen and peripheral blood at PNW3. Most of the above-described changes had recovered to normal levels at PNW11. These results suggest that ATDs might have temporal immunomodulatory effects on the developing immune system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Biomarkers are not available for monitoring the onset and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a major risk factor for arteriosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to test for correlation between circulating anti-Sorting Nexins 16 antibody (SNX16-Ab) levels, CAD history and clinical parameters of patients with OSA. Sixty-four healthy donors, 82 adults with OSA, and 96 with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were studied. Serum samples were collected at diagnostic polysomnography in the OSA group or at the disease onset in the ACS group. Serum SNX16-Ab levels were measured by amplified luminescence proximity homogeneous assay (AlphaLISA), and correlation between SNX16-Ab levels and clinical parameters was analyzed. SNX16-Ab levels and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were weakly correlated. Additionally, logistic regression analyses of OSA group identified that elevated SNX16-Ab level associated with the history of CAD. Circulating SNX16-Ab could increase during CAD pathogenesis in patients with OSA. Further prospective studies are required to prove the predictive potential of SNX16-Ab level in CAD onset of patients with OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]