Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen is a major cause of seasonal rhinitis and conjunctivitis in Japan, and an understanding of its full allergen repertoire is prerequisite for the development of future molecular diagnostics and immunotherapeutic strategies. Here we report the identification of a new C. japonica pollen IgE-binding antigen (CJP-8) homologous to lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), a class of plant cross-reactive allergens found in foods, latex, and pollen grains. The cjp-8 cDNA encodes a 165-amino acid polypeptide possessing the conserved eight cysteines characteristic of plant LTP family members. Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant CJP-8 (r-CJP-8) reacted with IgE antibody from Japanese cedar pollinosis patients at a 37.5% frequency (6/16).

Thrombotic microangiopathy is characterised by endothelial cell injury, intravascular platelet-fibrin thrombi, and vascular damage, leading to acute kidney injury, thrombocytopenia, and microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia. Among the autoimmune diseases related to thrombotic microangiopathy, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis-related thrombotic microangiopathy cases have been rarely reported; therefore, the optimal treatment for associated vasculitis-related thrombotic microangiopathy remains unknown. An 84-year-old woman without significant medical history presented with a 1-month history of general fatigue, fever, and deteriorating bilateral leg numbness and was admitted to our hospital. She had elevated myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody levels, polyneuropathy, and rapid progressive glomerulonephritis because of pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis, as revealed by a kidney biopsy. Accordingly, we diagnosed her with microscopic polyangiitis. After administering methylprednisolone pulse therapy, rituximab, and intravenous immunoglobulin, the patient’s mental state deteriorated, presenting signs of thrombotic microangiopathy with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Intermittent haemodialysis and plasma exchange were initiated; however, her condition was not improved, and eculizumab administration was initiated thereafter. The patient’s symptoms showed a remarkable response to eculizumab; thrombotic microangiopathy findings, kidney function, and neurological symptoms improved after only two doses of eculizumab, and she achieved sustained remission. The extremely effective course of eculizumab treatment indicated that overt complement activation affected the development of thrombotic microangiopathy. Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis-related thrombotic microangiopathy may be mediated by complement activation, and prompt induction of eculizumab therapy may be a superior strategy to prevent organ damage. Further studies should elucidate the role of complement activation in associated vasculitis-related thrombotic microangiopathy and the efficacy of eculizumab treatment.

We study the universal covering space M M of a holomorphic family ðM; p; RÞ of Riemann surfaces over a Riemann surface R. The main result is that (1) M M is topologically equivalent to a two-dimensional cell, (2) M M is analytically equivalent to a bounded domain in C 2 , (3) M M is not analytically equivalent to the two-dimensional unit ball B 2 under a certain condition, and (4) M M is analytically equivalent to the twodimensional polydisc D 2 if and only if the homotopic monodoromy group of ðM; p; RÞ is finite.

A general theory of linear viscoelasticity under complex stress is analysed by utilizing the Laplace transformation and is applied to Hertz's contact problem for measuring the creep recovery in the penetration of a steel ball. As in the similar method of uniaxial compression, the temperature dependence of characteristic relaxation times can be computed from the experimental results on (residual depth of penetration creep recovery) ∼θ (temperature) curves by using the analytical results. The temperature dependence is in good agreement with that obtained from the results in uniaxial compression. The method using the RN (Rockwell Number) ∼θ curves obtained at a constant rate of temperature rise (2°C min−1) by a conventional Rockwell testing machine, is recommended as the simplest method and may be successfully used for various polymer solids. The effect of differences in molecular structure on the temperature dependence of mechanical behavior can be demonstrated clearly by this method. The results on thermosetting laminates are also presented. Further, the merits of this creep recovery are discussed.

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