Trans-omics landscape of systemic vasculitis identified matrix metalloproteinase 12 as a novel signature molecule.

Objectives: To identify key molecules involved in the disease pathophysiology of systemic vasculitis through trans-omics analysis, with a specific focus on demonstrating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 12 as a potential biomarker in rheumatic entities.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases from June 2013 until September 2022 were enrolled. We screened vasculitis-specific molecules by combining findings from serum proteome analysis and whole-blood RNA sequencing.

Optimized digital workflow for pathologist-grade evaluation in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and ultimately fatal disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by interstitial fibrosis of the lungs. Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model (BLM model) is a widely used animal model to evaluate therapeutic targets for IPF. Histopathological analysis of lung fibrosis is an important method for evaluating BLM model.

PD-L1 and VEGF dual blockade enhances anti-tumor effect on brain metastasis in hematogenous metastasis model.

Immunotherapy improves survival outcomes in cancer patients, but there is still an unmet clinical need in the treatment of brain metastases. Here, we used a mouse model to investigate the antitumor effect of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) dual blockade on metastatic brain tumors and evaluated immune responses during treatment. After establishing hematogenous brain metastasis by transplanting murine bladder carcinoma MBT2 cells stably expressing secNLuc reporter via the internal carotid artery of C3H/HeNCrl mice, we observed the formation of metastases not only in the brain parenchyma but also in the ventricles.

IL-6 receptor antibody treatment improves muscle weakness in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis mouse model.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue. It is caused by pathological autoantibodies against components expressed at neuromuscular junctions, such as acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of MG, and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) antibody treatment may provide a novel therapeutic option.

Digital workflows for pathological assessment of rat estrous cycle stage using images of uterine horn and vaginal tissue.

Assessment of the estrous cycle of mature female mammals is an important component of verifying the efficacy and safety of drug candidates. The common pathological approach of relying on expert observation has several drawbacks, including laborious work and inter-viewer variability. The recent advent of image recognition technologies using deep learning is expected to bring substantial benefits to such pathological assessments.

A simple specimen preparation method for histopathological evaluation of vestibular organs.

Vestibular organs consist of the maculae staticae, which are located in both the utricle and saccule, as well as the semicircular ducts and their ampullas. There have been no reports on specimen preparation methods for vestibular organs, including maculae staticae or semicircular ducts. In this study, we investigated highly reproducible methods of preparing vestibular organ specimens for histopathological examinations.

A case of spontaneous autoimmune skin disease in a cynomolgus monkey ().

Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by lesions on the skin and mucous membranes. To date, no spontaneous cases of this disease have been reported in cynomolgus monkeys. This report describes the histopathological characteristics of spontaneous pemphigus in a cynomolgus monkey.

High drug efflux pump capacity and low DNA damage response induce doxorubicin resistance in canine hemangiosarcoma cell lines.

Canine hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is an aggressive malignant endothelial tumor in dogs and characterized by poor prognosis because of its high invasiveness, high metastatic potential, and poor responsiveness to anti-cancer drugs. Although doxorubicin-based chemotherapy is regularly conducted after surgical treatment, its effects on survival rates are limited. Acquisition of drug resistance is one of the causes of this problem, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.