Monitoring of magmatic-hydrothermal system by noble gas and carbon isotopic compositions of fumarolic gases.

We repeatedly measured isotopic compositions of noble gases and CO2 in volcanic gases sampled at six fumaroles around the Kusatsu-Shirane volcano (Japan) between 2014 and 2021 to detect variations reflecting recent volcanic activity. The synchronous increases in 3He/4He at some fumaroles suggest an increase in magmatic gas supply since 2018. The increase in magmatic gas supply is also supported by the temporal variations in 3He/CO2 ratios and carbon isotopic ratios of CO2. The 3He/40Ar* ratios (40Ar*: magmatic 40Ar) show significant increases in the period of high 3He/4He ratios. The temporal variation in 3He/40Ar* ratios may reflect changes in magma vesicularity. Therefore, the 3He/40Ar* ratio of fumarolic gases is a useful parameter to monitor the current state of degassing magma, which is essential for understanding the deep process of volcanic unrest and may contribute to identifying precursors of a future eruption. These results provide additional validation for the use of noble gas and carbon isotopic compositions of fumarolic gases for monitoring magmatic-hydrothermal systems.

Using neodymium isotope ratio in Ruditapes philippinarum shells for tracking the geographical origin.

Geographical traceability of marine bivalves is becoming increasingly important to assure their quality and to defend the interest of consumers and producers. This study verifies the neodymium isotopic ratio (143Nd/144Nd) in Ruditapes philippinarum shells as a tracer of the geographic origin, based on the geochemical aspect that 143Nd/144Nd of their habitats strongly depends on the geology of its catchment areas. The 143Nd/144Nd ratios of clam shells from the Japanese and Chinese coastal areas displayed a heterogeneous pattern from local to international scales, reflecting the geological age of the catchment area. The blind test suggested that a part of Manila clam was sold with mislabeling in the Japanese market, demonstrating the high potential of 143Nd/144Nd to unmask the fraud labeling in a food market. Our findings emphasize the potential of 143Nd/144Nd as a tracer for the geographical origin of marine bivalves, and also as a strong deterrent against mislabeling.

[Relapsed primary intraocular lymphoma treated with intravitreal methotrexate and high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell rescue].

A 58-year-old woman with primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL) of her right eye was treated with combination chemotherapy (methotrexate, procarbazine and vincristine) followed by irradiation to her brain and right eye. However, the disease recurred in the right eye four months later. She was treated with intravitreal injection of methotrexate and high-dose chemotherapy in combination with autologous stem cell transplantation after salvage therapy consisting of cytarabine, etoposide and rituximab. With this treatment strategy, she has been in remission for more than one year with no deterioration of either leukoencephalopathy or cognitive function. Intravitreal injection of methotrexate and high-dose chemotherapy may now be regarded as one of the treatment choices for relapsed PIOL.

Flow cytometric detection of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression in a subpopulation of bone marrow cells.

Telomerase activity has been found in most common cancers, thus indicating that telomerase detection may be a useful marker in cancer diagnosis. The telomeric amplification protocol (TRAP) assay and RT-PCR are customarily used to detect telomerase activity and the expression of the associated genes in cells. However, these methods do not provide any information about telomerase activation at an individual cell level. To analyze cells separately, those cells have to be isolated by sometimes complicated method. The immunohistochemical detection of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is useful to detect telomerase positive cells in a background of non-cancerous cells. A method has been developed for the detection of intranuclear hTERT protein, in a subpopulation of hematopoietic cells, using concurrent staining of a cell surface antigen and multicolor flow cytometry. Only mouse monoclonal anti-hTERT antibody demonstrated the specific positivity in immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescent flow cytometry. Human leukemia and myeloma cell lines showed 100% positivity, whereas normal neutrophils showed 0% positivity. hTERT expression was analyzed in hematopoietic precursor cells of bone marrow samples using concurrent staining of surface CD34 antigen and intracellular hTERT protein and multi-parameter flow cytometry. CD34 positive cells demonstrated higher expression of hTERT than CD34 negative cells. A quick, easy and sensitive assay for determining the hTERT protein expression has been developed. Using this method and the multi-parameter nature of flow cytometry and its ability to identify cellular subpopulations will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms regarding the activation of telomerase.

[Chronic eosinophilic leukemia with symptoms resembling Budd-Chiari syndrome due to liver infiltration].

A 68-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with severe ascites, hepatomegaly and hypereosinophilia. We initially suspected Budd-Chiari Syndrome (BCS), but that was ruled out after confirming the presence of no obstruction in the major veins. A molecular biologic examination proved the clonality of the eosinophils and she was therefore diagnosed as having chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL). The pathologic findings of a liver biopsy showed dilation of the sinusoids with infiltration of eosinophils, portal eosinophilic infiltrations with fibrosis, and biliary damage. These findings thus suggested infiltration of the liver by the CEL. A relationship between myeloproliferative disorders and BCS has been commonly reported, however there have so far been very few reports which describe the pathology of CEL liver infiltrates. As a result, the present case in which CEL occurred while demonstrating symptoms and findings similar to BCS is therefore considered to be extremely rare. Further accumulation of such cases should therefore be carried out in the future.