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Introduction Three randomized controlled trials have resulted in extremely extensive application of the strategy of using neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by interval debulking surgery (IDS) for patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate the status and effectiveness of treatment strategies using NAC followed by IDS in Japanese clinical practice. Patients and methods We conducted a multi-institutional observational study of 940 women with Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages III–IV epithelial ovarian cancer treated at one of nine centers between 2010 and 2015. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between 486 propensity-score matched participants who underwent NAC followed by IDS and primary debulking surgery (PDS) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Results Patients with FIGO stage IIIC receiving NAC had a shorter OS (median OS: 48.1 vs. 68.2 months, hazard ratio [HR]: 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99–1.82, p = 0.06) but not PFS (median PFS: 19.7 vs. 19.4 months, HR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.80–1.31, p = 0.88). However, patients with FIGO stage IV receiving NAC and PDS had comparable PFS (median PFS: 16.6 vs. 14.7 months, HR: 1.07 95% CI: 0.74–1.53, p = 0.73) and OS (median PFS: 45.2 vs. 35.7 months, HR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.65–1.47, p = 0.93). Conclusions NAC followed by IDS did not improve survival. In patients with FIGO stage IIIC, NAC may be associated with a shorter OS.

The methanol extract from the leaves of Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil. (Aquifoliaceae), popularly known as mate, maté, or yerba maté, inhibits the intracellular triglyceride accumulation in HepG2 cells and suppresses the plasma triglyceride elevation in olive oil-treated mice. Three new triterpene saponins, termed mateosides I (1), II (2), and III (3), were isolated from the extract along with 29 known compounds. The structures of 1-3 were elucidated based on chemical and spectroscopic evidence. Among the isolates, principal saponin constituents, 2 and matesaponins 1 (7) and 2 (9), potently inhibited the triglyceride accumulation in HepG2 cells simultaneously treated with oleic acid and high glucose. In vivo assay of the methanol extract of I. paraguariensis revealed that 7 and 9 showed anti-hyperlipidemic activities in olive oil-treated mice. These results suggested that the saponin constituents of I. paraguariensis could be valuable bioactive marker for the anti-obesogenic activity.

Adoptive transfer of MAGE-A4 T-cell receptor gene−transduced lymphocytes in patients with recurrent esophageal cancer.

Disease progression and overall survival of 10 patients who received transfer of TCR-transduced lymphocytes.

Purpose: Preparative lymphodepletion, the temporal ablation of the immune system, has been reported to promote persistence of transferred cells along with increased rates of tumor regression in patients treated with adoptive T-cell therapy. However, it remains unclear whether lymphodepletion is indispensable for immunotherapy with T-cell receptor (TCR) gene–engineered T cells.Experimental Design: We conducted a first-in-man clinical trial of TCR gene-transduced T-cell transfer in patients with recurrent MAGE-A4–expressing esophageal cancer. The patients were given sequential MAGE-A4 peptide vaccinations. The regimen included neither lymphocyte-depleting conditioning nor administration of IL2. Ten patients, divided into 3 dose cohorts, received T-cell transfer.Results: TCR-transduced cells were detected in the peripheral blood for 1 month at levels proportional to the dose administered, and in 5 patients they persisted for more than 5 months. The persisting cells maintained ex vivo antigen-specific tumor reactivity. Despite the long persistence of the transferred T cells, 7 patients exhibited tumor progression within 2 months after the treatment. Three patients who had minimal tumor lesions at baseline survived for more than 27 months.Conclusions: These results suggest that TCR-engineered T cells created by relatively short-duration in vitro culture of polyclonal lymphocytes in peripheral blood retained the capacity to survive in a host. The discordance between T-cell survival and tumor regression suggests that multiple mechanisms underlie the benefits of preparative lymphodepletion in adoptive T-cell therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 21(10); 2268–77. ©2015 AACR.

Peptides which have homologue sequences with MAGE-A4143-151 peptide.

Citrobacter rodentium is a murine pathogenic bacterium that adheres to intestinal epithelial cells, resulting in loss of microvilli and pedestal formation, and alters multiple cellular processes, including actin dynamics. Translocated intimin receptor (Tir), one of its virulence factors, functions as receptor for intimin, a bacterial adhesin, thereby mediating bacterial adhesion to epithelial cells. Although robust immune responses are induced to eliminate pathogenic bacteria in the host, they are suppressed against harmless commensal bacteria. The mechanism(s) underlying such a differentiation remains unclear. This study sought to determine the roles of intimate adhesion in the induction of specific immune responses upon C. rodentium infection. To this end, microbiota-depleted mice were infected with the Tir-F strain expressing full-length Tir or mutant strains expressing the C-terminal truncated Tir that is defective in intimin binding and host cell actin polymerization. There were no differences in the colonization kinetics and Abs responses against C. rodentium LPS among the strains, whereas Abs against the virulence factors were only produced on Tir-F infection. Although there were no differences in the virulence factors mRNA expression levels, colonic hyperplasia, and bacterial translocation to the systemic organs irrespective of the strain, adhesion to colonic epithelial cells was reduced in the mutant strain–infected mice. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis indicated that robust inflammatory and immune responses were only induced in the Tir-F–infected group and were suppressed in the mutant-infected groups. Taken together, these findings suggest that Tir-mediated intimate adhesion induces inflammatory and immune responses, resulting in the induction of virulence factor–specific Abs.

Despite the usefulness of guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) for studies on congenital CMV infection, its viral mechanisms for the evasion of host defense strategies have not been fully elucidated. We reported previously that GPCMV gp38.1 functions as a viral mitochondria-localized inhibitor of apoptosis-like function, and its weak activity suggested the presence of an additional inhibitory molecule(s). Here, we identified gp38.3-2, a 42-amino-acid (aa) reading frame embedded within the gp38.3 gene that encodes a positional homolog of murine CMV (MCMV) m41. Characterization of gp38.3-2 resulted in the following findings: (i) the aa sequence of gp38.3-2 shows some similarity to that of MCMV m41.1, a viral inhibitor of oligomerization of a member of Bcl-2 family protein BAK, but there is no correspondence in their predicted secondary structures; (ii) gp38.3-2, but not gp38.3, showed inhibitory activities against staurosporine-induced apoptosis; (iii) three-dimensional protein complex prediction suggests that the N-terminal α-helix of gp38.3-2 interacts with residues in the BH3 and BH1 motifs of BAK, and analysis of gp38.3-2 and BAK mutants supported this model; (iv) guinea pig fibroblast cells infected with gp38.3-2-deficient GPCMV strain Δ38.3-2 died earlier than cells infected with rescued strain r38.3-2, resulting in lower yields of Δ38.3-2; (v) Δ38.3-2 exhibited a partial but significant decrease in monocyte and macrophage infection in comparison with r38.3-2; and, however, (vi) little difference in the viral infection of guinea pigs was observed between these two strains. Therefore, we hypothesize that gp38.3-2 contributes little to the evasion of host defense mechanisms under the experimental conditions used. IMPORTANCE Although GPCMV provides a useful animal model for studies on the pathogenesis of congenital CMV infection and the development of CMV vaccine strategies, our understanding of the viral mechanisms by which it evades apoptosis of infected cells has been limited in comparison with those of murine and human CMVs. Here, we report a second GPCMV apoptosis inhibitor (42 amino acids in length) that interacts with BAK, a Bcl-2 family proapoptotic protein. Three-dimensional structural prediction indicated a unique BAK recognition by gp38.3-2 via the BH3 and BH1 motif sequences. Our findings suggest the potential development of BH3 mimetics that can regulate inhibition or induction of apoptosis based on short ~40-amino-acid peptide molecules as with GPCMV.

Endometriosis-associated ovarian malignancies have been well documented. Although these malignancies also occur as extraovarian lesions, little is known about them. Thus, this literature review aimed to further explore these rarely experienced tumors. A total of 257 published cases between April 1990 and April 2020 were found using PubMed, and 212 cases were included in the analysis considering Sampson’s criteria and the history of endometriosis. We classified these cases as follows: intestine, abdominal scar, vagina and vulva, peritoneum and deep endometriosis, urinary tract, uterine cervix, and others. Age of patients, history of endometriosis, types of past hormonal therapy, symptoms, histological types, and treatment were identified. The most common tumor site was the intestine. Endometrioid carcinoma was the dominant histological type. Contrary to the ovary, clear cell carcinoma was rare in extraovarian sites. On the other hand, clear cell carcinoma represented the largest number of abdominal scars. This difference may help us to understand the development of endometriosis-related malignancies. Hormonal treatment was mentioned in 67 cases and estrogen replacement therapy in 33 cases. Although risks of estrogen therapy are still controversial, the highly differentiated histological types and hormone-dependent characteristics of endometriosis-associated malignancy should be considered. Physicians should be careful about estrogen monotherapy after hysterectomy and long-term hormone replacement therapy in patients with a history of endometriosis.

Background/Objective Stagnant blood ( oketsu in Japanese) is considered a severe pathological condition in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. Kummerowia striata is known as a weed in Japan; however, in traditional Chinese medicines, it is used for detoxification and for treating colds, fevers, and bruises. To the best of our knowledge, there is no record of this plant, or its parts, being used as an anti-blood stasis agent. Herein, we demonstrated the effect of the 35% ethanol extract (KS) of the aerial part of K. striata on stagnant blood flow (BF) in the peripheral circulation using an in vivo assay. Methods Hen-egg white lysozyme (HEL) was injected into the tail vein of mice to induce stagnant BF, the pathology of which is similar to that of oketsu; then, the changes in BF were observed. Results The oral administration of KS (200 mg/kg) significantly improved HEL-induced BF decrease, suggesting that KS can improve blood stasis. Bioassay-guided fractionation of KS resulted in the isolation of 14 flavone and flavonol derivatives. As apigenin (1) and luteolin (2) reportedly have activity in this assay, here, the effects of isovitexin (3), vitexin (5), rhoifolin (12), and vicenin-1 (14) were examined. Compounds 5, 12, and 14 (20 µmol/kg) more effectively inhibited HEL-induced stagnant BF than 1, which was used as a positive control. Conclusion The aerial part of K. striata could be useful in the discovery of new leads for the prevention of stagnant blood syndrome.

This research proposes a behavioral task to demonstrate the process of evolution of human communication systems based on the Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis, claiming that human sophisticated social intelligence such as linguistic ability has been formed through behaviors that maximize self-interest in a competitive social situation. The proposed task was designed as a dilemma game involving messaging to establish Machiavellian communication. The game was developed based on experimental semiotics, a method that generates novel artificial language and examines language functions. Through the proposed task, pairs of participants attach meanings to arbitral graphic symbols forming novel communication systems. In case studies using this task, participants modified or ambiguated the communication system by means of a dilemma between sharing and monopolizing rewards. The result suggests that the proposed game causes ambiguation of the communication system that functions equivocally.

Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) employ an array of strategies designed to interfere with host defence responses against pathogens. Studies on such evasion mechanisms are important for understanding the pathogenesis of CMV diseases. Although guinea pig CMV (GPCMV) provides a useful animal model for congenital CMV infection, its evasion strategies are not fully elucidated. Here, we analysed a genome locus that may encode gene products for the GPCMV evasion mechanisms and found the following. (1) RACE analyses identified five transcripts in the GP38-gp38.4 locus, one of which was a spliced product encoding gp38.1. Similarities in the splicing pattern and gene position of gp38.1 to human CMV UL37 and its exon 1 encoding vMIA (viral mitochondria-localized inhibitor of apoptosis) suggest that the gp38.1 gene encodes an apoptosis inhibitor. (2) In a transient transfection assay, gp38.1 localized in the mitochondria and relocated BAX from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria, although its co-localization with BAK was not evident. Further, the expression of gp38.1 partially reduced staurosporine-induced apoptosis. (3) GPCMV defective in the gp38.1 ORF (Δ38.1) and the virus that rescues the defect (r38.1) were generated. Guinea pig fibroblast cells infected with Δ38.1 died earlier than r38.1-infected cells, which resulted in the lower yields of Δ38.1. (4) In animals, viral loads in the spleens of r38.1-infected guinea pigs were higher than those in the spleens of Δ38.1-infected animals. In conclusion, although GPCMV gp38.1 exerts a vMIA-like function, its inhibitory effect was not robust, suggesting the presence of additional inhibitory molecule(s), such as a BAK-specific inhibitor.

The nuclear lamina protein, Lamin A and inner nuclear membrane protein, emerin participate in maintaining nuclear morphology. However, their correlations with the nuclear shape in the four representative ovarian epithelial cancer subtypes, high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSCa), clear cell carcinoma (CCCa), endometrioid carcinoma (EMCa) and mucinous carcinoma (MUCa), remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the association between nuclear morphology and nuclear membrane protein expression in four histological subtypes of ovarian epithelial cancer. A total of 140 surgically resected ovarian cancer specimens were subjected to Feulgen staining to evaluate nuclear morphology, and immunohistochemistry analysis to assess Lamin A and emerin expression. The histological images were analyzed via computer-assisted image analysis (CAIA). The results demonstrated that the mean nuclear area of EMCa was significantly smaller compared with CCCa (P=0.0009). The standard deviation of the mean nuclear area was used to assess nuclear size variation, and the results indicated that EMCa lesions were significantly smaller than CCCa lesions (P=0.0006). Regarding the correlation between the Lamin A-positive rate and nuclear morphological factors, positive correlations were observed with nuclear area in CCCa and EMCa (R=0.2855 and R=0.2858, respectively) and nuclear perimeter in CCCa, EMCa and MUCa (R=0.2409, R=0.4054 and R=0.2370, respectively); however, a negative correlation with nuclear shape factor was observed in HGSCa and EMCa (R=−0.2079 and R=−0.3707, respectively). With regards to the correlation between emerin positivity and nuclear morphological factors, positive correlations were observed with nuclear shape factor in HGSCa (R=0.2673) and nuclear area in CCCa (R=0.3310). It is well-known that HGSCa and CCCa have conspicuous nuclear size variation, and EMCa has small nuclei without strong atypia. These findings were verified in the present study via CAIA. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that Lamin A strongly contributes to the maintenance of nuclear morphology in ovarian epithelial cancer compared with emerin, although their contributions differ based on tumor subtype.

Although currently available antivirals against certain herpesviruses are effective, the development of resistance during long-term use has necessitated the search for seed compounds that work against novel target molecules. In this report, we identified a thiourea derivative compound, 147B3, that inhibits the infection of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in fibroblasts and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in Vero cells at a 50% effective concentration of 0.5 μM and 1.9 μM, respectively. Characterization of the compound provided the following clues regarding its mode of action. 1) Time-of-addition and block-release assays showed that 147B3 behaved similarly to ganciclovir. 2) 147B3 reduced the expression of early and late but not immediate-early gene products and the accumulation of viral genomic DNA in both HCMV-infected and HSV-1-infected cells. 3) 147B3 inhibited the HCMV IE2-dependent activation of viral early gene promoters. 4) Four HSV-1 clones resistant to 147B3 were isolated and next-generation sequencing analysis of their genome DNA revealed that all of them had a mutation(s) in the infected cell protein 4 (ICP4) gene, which encodes a viral transcriptional factor. 5) Although 147B3 did not reduce the amount of ICP4 in an immunoblotting analysis, it changed the localization of the ICP4 from the speckles in the nuclei to diffused dots in the cytoplasm. 6) 147B3 did not affect the localization of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies. Our findings suggest that 147B3 targets viral transactivators, potentially through their interaction with factors required for the viral gene expression system.

Permittivity measurement and microwave heating characteristics of rod-shaped SiC (fragmented SiC fiber) mixed with SiO2 or Al2O3 were investigated, comparing with the mixtures of other two kinds of SiC materials. Rod-shaped SiC mixtures had larger permittivity (both real and especially imaginary parts) than the other SiC mixtures, and a broad peak of loss factor (er”) appeared around 1 GHz. Effective permittivity of mixtures was not successfully fitted by Maxwell-Garnett mixing law to the rod-shaped SiC mixtures but well fitted to other kinds of SiC mixtures. The microwave heating ability of rod-shaped SiC mixtures were much superior to that of other SiC mixtures, as expected from the larger loss factors. However, differences were observed between the mixture of rod-shaped SiC with SiO2 and with γ-Al2O3 in heating behavior and in the mixture permittivity. Interactions of the rod SiC are considered different between SiO2 and γ-Al2O3 and influenced the experimental heating data.

Primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy often results in congenital CMV infection with severe clinical complications. IgM antibodies are one of the indices of primary infection. The IgG avidity index (AI) is also known to remain low for 3 months after primary infection. Here, we evaluated and compared the performance of CMV IgM and IgG avidity assays. Because sensitivity and specificity reportedly differ between CMV IgM kits, CMV IgM detection was compared between the two commercially available ELISA kits that are most commonly used in Japan. Sera for CMV IgM were first screened using a traditional indirect ELISA kit. Selected samples were then tested for CMV IgM and CMV AI using a CMV IgM-capture ELISA kit and a CMV IgG avidity assay, respectively. The rate of concordance between the IgM kits was 89% (42/47), indicating the absence of any significant difference. Most of the CMV IgM-positive plasma samples showed high CMV IgG AI; however, 18 commercially available plasma samples with low CMV IgG AI were all CMV IgM-positive. One plausible explanation for this discrepancy is that the duration of low IgG AI is shorter than that of IgM positivity. Alternatively, CMV IgM tests may generate pseudo-positive readouts in cases of congenital infection. Nevertheless, our study confirms that CMV IgG AI can be a reliable indicator of CMV primary infection.

Evaluation of the efficacy of vaccine candidates that prevent enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC/EHEC) infection in mouse models is difficult due to their limited pathogenicity in mice. Citrobacter rodentium, a murine pathogenic bacterium that shares its infection strategy and virulence genes with EPEC/EHEC, has been used as a model pathogen to develop novel vaccine strategies or platforms for these bacteria. However, there are few reports on the comparative effectiveness of novel vaccine platforms as no C. rodentium vaccines have yet been prepared by standard methods such as bacteria attenuation or inactivation. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of the oral administration of formalin-inactivated C. rodentium (Fo-CR) on C. rodentium infection in two mouse strains, C57BL/6 and C3H/HeN, as these strains have different degrees of susceptibility to infection. In C57BL/6 mice, administration of Fo-CR induced significant C. rodentium-specific mucosal and systemic antibody responses, promoted bacterial clearance from the gut and inhibited colonic hyperplasia. Furthermore, in C3H/HeN mice, the administration followed by lethal C. rodentium infection induced significantly high avidity serum IgG specific to C. rodentium and inhibited death, body weight loss, and bacterial invasion to visceral organs. In conclusion, the oral administration of Fo-CR resulted in the protection of mice from C. rodentium infection, indicating that it serves as a reference method for evaluating the efficacy of novel oral vaccine candidates or platforms.

In this study, we focused on five microRNAs (miRNAs) that have been reported to regulate phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) gene expression, namely miR-182, miR-183, miR-200a, miR-200b, and miR-205, and examined their relationships with PTEN protein expression in endometrial cancer tissues.By utilizing paraffin-embedded blocks of normal endometrium (NE) and endometrial carcinoma (EC) tissue (40 cases each), we measured the expression of miRNAs by real-time PCR. Conversely, we examined PTEN protein expression by immunohistochemistry and computer-assisted image analysis.The expression of all five miRNAs was significantly higher in the EC group than in the NE group (all P ≤ 0.0001). There was no inverse correlation between PTEN positivity in glandular and/or stromal areas and the expression of the five miRNAs in both groups. Conversely, miR-182, miR-183, miR-200a, and miR-200b displayed similar expression patterns in the EC group, whereas miR-205 displayed moderate correlations with the other four miRNAs.Using endometrial cancer tissues, we found for the first time that miR-182, miR-183, miR-200a, and miR-200b were strongly correlated with each other, whereas miR-205 was not strongly correlated with the other four miRNAs. In addition, the five miRNAs examined in this study only had weak effects on PTEN protein expression based on the lack of clear inverse correlations.

Placental dysfunction triggers fetal growth restriction in congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. Studies suggest that HCMV infection interferes with the differentiation of human trophoblasts. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been clarified. This study investigated the impact of HCMV infection on gene transcriptomes in cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) associated with placental dysfunction.CTBs were isolated from human term placentas, and spontaneous syncytialization was observed in vitro. The transcriptome profiles were compared between CTB groups with and without HCMV infection by cap analysis gene expression sequencing. The effect of HCMV infection on trophoblast differentiation was evaluated by examining cell fusion status using immunocytochemical staining for desmoplakin and assessing the production of cell differentiation markers, including hCG, PlGF, and soluble Flt-1, using ELISA.The expression of the genes categorized in the signaling pathways related to the cell cycle was significantly enhanced in CTBs with HCMV infection compared with uninfected CTBs. HCMV infection hindered the alteration of the gene expression profile associated with syncytialization. This suppressive effect under HCMV infection was concurrent with the reduction in hCG and PlGF secretion. Immunostaining for desmoplakin revealed that HCMV infection reduced the cell fusion of cultured CTBs. These findings imply that HCMV infection has a negative impact on syncytialization, which is indispensable for the maintenance of villous function.HCMV infection interferes with gene expression profiles and functional differentiation of trophoblasts. Suppression of syncytialization may be a survival strategy for HCMV to expand infection and could be associated with placental dysfunction.

Royal jelly (RJ) is known as an important functional foodstuff that promotes several health benefits and contains various bioactive substances, including major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). Among the MRJPs, MRJP3 possesses both cell proliferation and wound healing effects. As the carboxyl domain of MRJP3 contains tandem penta-peptide repeat (TPR) sequences unique to MRJP3 among the MRJPs, we purified the TPRs as glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-fusion proteins and demonstrated their dose-dependent effects on THP-1 and Vero cell proliferation. The GST-TPR protein with 19 repeats (GST-TPR19) showed cell proliferative activity equivalent to MRJP3 and higher than GST-TPR6. GST-TPR19 also exhibited wound healing activity at a level similar to MRJP3. Digestion of GST-TPR19 with trypsin had no effect on its cell proliferative activity, suggesting that the main digested products; i.e., penta-peptides (Q-N-x-N-[K/R]), maintain the cell proliferative ability of MRJP3. In conclusion, the TPRs of MRJP3 are critical to the beneficial effect(s) of RJ.

Aim The goal of this study was to verify the association between frailty and fall-related efficacy in community-dwelling older people by performing a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis. Methods In this study, 339 people aged 65 years and older participated in a baseline survey. Furthermore, people who were not identified as frail in the baseline survey participated in a follow-up survey 6 months later. Frailty was assessed in the baseline and follow-up surveys after 6 months using the Kihon checklist. Fall-related efficacy was assessed at baseline using the short Falls Efficacy Scale International (short FES-I). Potential confounding factors, such as the lower limb functions and psychological functions, were also investigated at baseline. The association between frailty and short FES-I was analyzed using a logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounding factors. Results At baseline and the follow-up survey, 10.1% and 6.3% of the participants were judged to demonstrate frailty, respectively. The results of the baseline and follow-up data analysis showed that even if potential confounding factors were adjusted for, the short FES-I was significantly associated with frailty. Furthermore, the ability to distinguish the onset of frailty using the short FES-I was analyzed using a receiver operating characteristic curve, and the area under curve, sensitivity, and specificity values were 0.78, 0.92 and 0.56, respectively. Conclusions A clear association between frailty and fall-related efficacy was thus observed, as indicated in the cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis. Furthermore, based on the results of the longitudinal data analysis, the short FES-I was found to be able to predict the progression of frailty and it can thus be a useful screening tool for assessing frailty.

Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) encode various immunoevasins, including viral receptors for the Fc domain of host IgG (vFcγR), to evade host immune responses. Although guinea pig CMV (GPCMV) provides a useful animal model for congenital CMV infection, the GPCMV genes encoding such receptors have not yet been characterized. In this study, we analyzed a locus that may encode gene products for the GPCMV immune evasion mechanisms and identified the following. (a) RACE analyses identified four transcripts in the GP117 to GP122 locus. One of the transcripts contained the GP119.1 ORF, which has weak homologies with human CMV UL119/UL118 encoding a viral FcγR and with guinea pig FcγR. (b) A transient transfection assay with plasmids expressing EGFP-tagged GP119.1 or its mutated forms identified its true translational initiation site, localization mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum, and N-glycosylation. (c) Importantly, GP119.1 bound to guinea pig IgG or the IgG-Fc fragment. (d) GP119.1 is present in the virion with a molecular mass of 15 and 23~30 kDa, and a portion of the GP119.1 products are N-glycosylated. (e) GP119.1 was dispensable for viral growth on guinea pig fibroblasts and epithelial cells in vitro. Taken together, our findings indicate that GP119.1 is an IgG-Fc binding glycoprotein incorporated into the virion, and this finding warrants further studies on the functions of GP119.1 in animal models.

The motor control of individual fingers is an important part of daily life, but there are many people who have difficulty with it, such as elderly people and stroke patients. While continuous rehabilitation is necessary for functional recovery of finger mobility and suppression of functional deterioration, it usually requires the assistance of occupational therapists. Furthermore, the rehabilitation process can be monotonous, which makes it difficult for patients to maintain their motivation. Over a series of studies, we have developed a finger movement training system that incorporates gamification and is based on playing music using a Pressing Evaluation Training System that can measure the force exerted by each finger. One remaining problem was that patients had difficulty recognizing the fingering information, and it took some time for them to get used to locating this information quickly. In this study, we applied augmented reality (AR) technology to display each sound element as close as possible to the position of the corresponding finger so that the user could directly perceive the information for each finger while wearing the head mounted display. We conducted a user study with 10 university students to determine if the distance between the sound element display position and the location of each finger had an effect on performance. The results indicated that incorporating AR allowed the users to recognize the correct finger positions more quickly., 6th International Conference, ITAP 2020, Held as Part of the 22nd HCI International Conference, HCII 2020, Copenhagen, Denmark, July 19–24, 2020, Proceedings, Part II