Brain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyū no shinpo
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The complement was named after "a complement", a protein molecule that supports an antibody. It was considered previously that the complement mainly participates in protecting against microbial infections. But later, as research on biological functions in complement activation advanced drastically, it was elucidated that the complement could be involved in the onset of various diseases. ⋯ In Japan, ECZ was approved for PNH and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) in 2010 and 2013, respectively. The success of ECZ created an opportunity for drug companies to develop new therapeutics targeting the complement system; development of complement therapeutics is now a major venture of pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Here, I will provide an outline of the approved complement therapeutics and those that are in development and clinical trial phase currently.
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The field of natural language processing (NLP) has seen rapid advances in the past several years since the introduction of deep learning techniques. A variety of NLP tasks including syntactic parsing, machine translation, and summarization can now be performed by relatively simple combinations of general neural network models such as recurrent neural networks and attention mechanisms. This manuscript gives a brief introduction to deep learning and an overview of the current deep learning-based NLP technology.
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Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a disorder characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity and painful spasms that occur spontaneously or are triggered by diverse stimuli. Partial or segmental forms of the disorder, such as stiff-limb syndrome (SLS) and a more severe disease called progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM), are usually considered within the spectrum of SPS. ⋯ Most patients with SPS have a high-titer of antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and up to 15% have antibodies to the glycine receptor α-subunit. This review explains milestones in defining SPS including autoantibodies.
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Recent reserch has successfully identified several autoantibodies in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Most of those identified were IgG4 antibodies targeting cell adhesion molecules around the node of Ranvier of myelinated fibers. ⋯ Growing evidence has revealed that patients with CIDP with these antibodies are characterized by IVIg-resistance and lack typical demyelinating findings on biopsied nerve fibers, both of which could make diagnosis and treatment difficult without autoantibody measurement. Clinicians should recognize that it is now essential to measure autoantibodies in CIDP and utilize antibody testing.
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Recent studies revealed an association between Zika virus infection and a variety of neurological disorders, including microcephaly, meningoencephalitis, myelitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Following the first report of a patient diagnosed with GBS after Zika virus infection in December 2013, the number of GBS patients significantly increased in endemic countries, such as French-Polynesia and Latin American countries. Electrophysiological studies suggested that patients suffering from GBS associated with Zika virus infection manifest acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), rather than acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN). ⋯ However, a recent study revealed a high level of peptide sharing between Zika virus polyprotein and human proteins related to myelin, demyelination, and axonal neuropathies. Additionally, another study reported significant peptide overlap between Zika virus and Cytomegalovirus, which is also related to microcephaly and AIDP. Further reserch is needed to elucidate the pathogenesis of GBS associated with Zika virus infection.