The small intestine harbors a substantial number of commensal bacteria and is sporadically invaded by pathogens, but the response to these microorganisms is fundamentally different. We identified a discriminatory sensor by using Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3). Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) of one major commensal species, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), triggered interferon-β (IFN-β) production, which protected mice from experimental colitis. The LAB-induced IFN-β response was diminished by dsRNA digestion and treatment with endosomal inhibitors. Pathogenic bacteria contained less dsRNA and induced much less IFN-β than LAB, and dsRNA was not involved in pathogen-induced IFN-β induction. These results identify TLR3 as a sensor to small intestinal commensal bacteria and suggest that dsRNA in commensal bacteria contributes to anti-inflammatory and protective immune responses.

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Evaluation of hemolysis within a blood pump on a computer is useful for developing rotary blood pumps. The flow fields in the axial flow blood pump were analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A blood damage index was calculated based on the changes in shear stress with time along 937 streamlines. Hemolysis of the pumps was measured using bovine blood. A good correlation between the computed and measured hemolysis results was observed. CFD analysis is useful for estimating hemolysis of rotary blood pumps on a computer.

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Th221 can be expected to safely improve the symptoms of PAR.

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Hyperpolarized [1‐13C]fumarate is a promising magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarker for cellular necrosis, which plays an important role in various disease and cancerous pathological processes. To demonstrate the feasibility of MRI of [1‐13C]fumarate metabolism using parahydrogen‐induced polarization (PHIP), a low‐cost alternative to dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (dDNP), a cost‐effective and high‐yield synthetic pathway of hydrogenation precursor [1‐13C]acetylenedicarboxylate (ADC) was developed. The trans‐selectivity of the hydrogenation reaction of ADC using a ruthenium‐based catalyst was elucidated employing density functional theory (DFT) simulations. A simple PHIP set‐up was used to generate hyperpolarized [1‐13C]fumarate at sufficient 13C polarization for ex vivo detection of hyperpolarized 13C malate metabolized from fumarate in murine liver tissue homogenates, and in vivo 13C MR spectroscopy and imaging in a murine model of acetaminophen‐induced hepatitis.

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