Accelerating effects of silk fibroin on wound healing in hairless descendants of Mexican hairless dogs

Abstract: We examined the safety of silk fibroin in the subcutaneous tissues. In addition, we macroscopically and histopathologically evaluated its healing effect on the full-thickness wounds in hairless dogs. We prepared 3 types of matrices including amorphous silk fibroin films, and á-and â-type silk fibroin powder. No toxicity was found in the sites injected with silk fibroin solutions. Macroscopically, silk fibroin films had accelerating effects on wound repair, as compared with occlusive dressings (dried porcine skin and hydrocolloid dressings). Histopathological examinations revealed that silk fibroin films facilitate reepithelialization and the formation of granulation tissues, collagens and elastic fibers. The sites treated with the á-type silk fibroin powder were faster in wound repair than those treated with the â-type silk fibroin powder. The á-type silk fibroin powder absorbed excessive exudate. Microscopically, there are epidermal and dermal regeneration in the sites treated with the á-type silk fibroin powder. These results show that silk fibroin is inert in biological tissues, indicating excellent biocompatibility. Silk fibroin films facilitate reepithelialization, remodeling of connective tissues and collagenization. The á-type fibroin powder is a wound dressing that regulates excessive exudate from the wound and provides a proper moist environment. These results suggest that silk fibroin is a useful dressing material in veterinary clinical medicine

Homovanillic acid in human cerebrospinal fluid.--Its concentration gradient and reduced levels in patients with epilepsy

The homovanillic acid (HVA) concentrations in the lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were determined in 38 epileptic and 39 control patients. The mean concentration of HVA was 23.9 ng/ml +/- 2.8 SEM for the epileptic group and 30.2 ng/ml +/- 2.1 SEM for the control group, respectively. Thus, HVA was significandly reduced in the patients with epilepsy compared with the controls. The mean HVA in the female patients was higher than in the male patients in both groups but this failed to reach statistical significance. There was no apparent relationship between the degree of reduced HVA concentration and other clinical indexes of the epilepsy (age, type and frequency of seizures, and anticonvulsant medication). For the determination of concentration gradient of HVA three fractions of the spinal CSF were obtained from 11 patients. A pronounced gradient of HVA concentration was found with a ratio of 1 : 1.46 : 1.97 for the first, second and third fractions. This suggests that a standardized conditions for collecting CSF should be employed to study HVA levels in humans.</p

PLEIAD/SIMC1/C5orf25, a Novel Autolysis Regulator for a Skeletal-Muscle-Specific Calpain, CAPN3, Scaffolds a CAPN3 Substrate, CTBP1

AbstractCAPN3/p94/calpain-3 is a skeletal-muscle-specific member of the calpain protease family. Multiple muscle cell functions have been reported for CAPN3, and mutations in this protease cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that allow CAPN3 to be so multifunctional. One hypothesis is that the very rapid and exhaustive autolytic activity of CAPN3 needs to be suppressed by dynamic molecular interactions for specific periods of time. The previously identified interaction between CAPN3 and connectin/titin, a giant molecule in muscle sarcomeres, supports this assumption; however, the regulatory mechanisms of non-sarcomere-associated CAPN3 are unknown. Here, we report that a novel CAPN3-binding protein, PLEIAD [Platform element for inhibition of autolytic degradation; originally called SIMC1/C5orf25 (SUMO-interacting motif containing protein 1/chromosome 5 open reading frame 25)], suppresses the protease activity of CAPN3. Database analyses showed that PLEIAD homologs, like CAPN3 homologs, are evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates. Furthermore, we found that PLEIAD also interacts with CTBP1 (C-terminal binding protein 1), a transcriptional co-regulator, and CTBP1 is proteolyzed in COS7 cells expressing CAPN3. The identified cleavage sites in CTBP1 suggested that it undergoes functional modification upon its proteolysis by CAPN3, as well as by conventional calpains. These results indicate that PLEIAD can shift its major function from CAPN3 suppression to CAPN3-substrate recruitment, depending on the cellular context. Taken together, our data suggest that PLEIAD is a novel regulatory scaffold for CAPN3, as reflected in its name

Expression and localization of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) in osteoarthritic cartilage

AbstractObjectiveThe investigation of the expression and localization of connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24/CCN family member 2 (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) in normal and osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage, and quantification of CTGF/Hcs24-positive cells.MethodsCartilage samples of patients (n=20) with late stage OA were obtained at total joint replacement surgery. Morphologically normal cartilage was harvested for comparison purposes from the femoral heads of 6 other patients with femoral neck fracture. Paraffin-embedded sections were stained by Safranin O. The severity of the OA lesions was divided into four stages (normal, early, moderate, and severe). The localization of protein and mRNA for CTGF/Hcs24 was investigated by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, respectively. The population of CTGF/Hcs24-positive chondrocytes in OA cartilage and chondro-osteophyte was quantified by counting the number of the cells under light microscopy.ResultsSignals for CTGF/Hcs24 were detected in a small percentage of chondrocytes throughout the layers of normal cartilage. In early stage OA cartilage, the CTGF/Hcs24-positive chondrocytes were localized mainly in the superficial layer. In moderate to severe OA cartilage, intense staining for CTGF/Hcs24 was observed in proliferating chondrocytes forming cell clusters next to the cartilage surface. In chondro-osteophyte, strong signals were found in the chondrocytes of the proliferative and hypertrophic zones.ConclusionCTGF/Hcs24 expression was detected in both normal and OA chondrocytes of human samples. The results of the current study suggested that expression of CTGF/Hcs24 was concomitant with development of OA lesions and chondrocyte differentiation in chondro-osteophyte

The Subaru Deep Field Project: Lymanα\alpha Emitters at Redshift of 6.6

We present new results of a deep optical imaging survey using a narrowband filter ($NB921$) centered at $\lambda =$ 9196 \AA ~ together with $B$, $V$, $R$, $i^\prime$, and $z^\prime$ broadband filters in the sky area of the Subaru Deep Field which has been promoted as one of legacy programs of the 8.2m Subaru Telescope. We obtained a photometric sample of 58 Ly$\alpha$ emitter candidates at $z \approx$ 6.5 -- 6.6 among $\sim 180$ strong $NB921$-excess ($z^\prime - NB921 > 1.0$) objects together with a color criterion of $i^\prime - z^\prime > 1.3$. We then obtained optical spectra of 20 objects in our $NB921$-excess sample and identified at least nine Ly$\alpha$ emitters at $z \sim 6.5$ -- 6.6 including the two emitters reported by Kodaira et al. (2003). Since our Ly$\alpha$ emitter candidates are free from strong amplification of gravitational lensing, we are able to discuss their observational properties from a statistical point of view. Based on these new results, we obtain a lower limit of the star formation rate density of $\rho_{\rm SFR} \simeq 5.5 \times 10^{-4}$ $h_{0.7}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ at $z \approx 6.6$, being consistent with our previous estimate. We discuss the nature of star-formation activity in galaxies beyond $z=6$.Comment: 49 pages, 16 figures, PASJ, Vol. 57, No. 1, in pres

Secretion of soluble-form CD93 from human endothelial progenitor cells

ヒト血管内皮前駆細胞(Human endothelial progenitor cells :HEPCs)から分泌される可溶性CD93(sCD93)分子の動態を自主開発した抗ヒトCD93 抗体(mNI-11)を用いて解析した。HEPCs は低濃度であるが、sCD93 分子を培養液中に自然分泌していることがわかった。HEPCs をPKC 活性剤であるPMAで処理したところ、sCD93 分子の分泌は有意に増強した(P < 0.01)。また、PMA 処理の初期段階からsCD93 分泌の増強は認められた。次に、PMA 処理HEPCs にPKC 活性阻害剤であるGo6976 を添加したところ、sCD93 分子の分泌は有意に抑制された(P < 0.01)。一方、HEPCs をアクチンフィラメントの脱重合剤(サイトカラシンE)で処理したところ、sCD93 分子の分泌が有意に増強した(P < 0.01)。HEPCs から分泌されるsCD93 分子は、PKC によるリン酸化とアクチンフィラメントの脱重合が密接に関与していることがわかった。In this study, we examined the secretion of soluble-form CD93 (sCD93) from human endothelial progenitor cells (HEPCs) expressing cell surface CD93 by enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) using CD93 monoclonal antibody (mAb) (mNI-11) established in our laboratories. We found that a small amount of sCD93 was spontaneously secreted into the culture supernatants of HEPCs. Furthermore, significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced secretion of sCD93 was found in the culture supernatants of HEPCs treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, which was significantly (P < 0.01) suppressed by treatment of the cells with the protein kinase (PKC) inhibitor Go6976. Interestingly, depolymerization of the actin filaments in the cells by cytochalasin E (CyE) also significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced the sCD93 secretion into the culture supernatants of HEPCs. Taken together, these findings suggest that the sCD93 might serve as a new biomarker for analyzing the biological and immunological functions of HEPCs

Hyper-luminous Dust Obscured Galaxies discovered by the Hyper Suprime-Cam on Subaru and WISE

We present the photometric properties of a sample of infrared (IR) bright dust obscured galaxies (DOGs). Combining wide and deep optical images obtained with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) on the Subaru Telescope and all-sky mid-IR (MIR) images taken with Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), we discovered 48 DOGs with $i - K_\mathrm{s} > 1.2$ and $i - [22] > 7.0$, where $i$, $K_\mathrm{s}$, and [22] represent AB magnitude in the $i$-band, $K_\mathrm{s}$-band, and 22 $\mu$m, respectively, in the GAMA 14hr field ($\sim$ 9 deg$^2$). Among these objects, 31 ($\sim$ 65 %) show power-law spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in the near-IR (NIR) and MIR regime, while the remainder show a NIR bump in their SEDs. Assuming that the redshift distribution for our DOGs sample is Gaussian, with mean and sigma $z$ = 1.99 $\pm$ 0.45, we calculated their total IR luminosity using an empirical relation between 22 $\mu$m luminosity and total IR luminosity. The average value of the total IR luminosity is (3.5 $\pm$ 1.1) $\times$ $10^{13}$ L$_{\odot}$, which classifies them as hyper-luminous infrared galaxies (HyLIRGs). We also derived the total IR luminosity function (LF) and IR luminosity density (LD) for a flux-limited subsample of 18 DOGs with 22 $\mu$m flux greater than 3.0 mJy and with $i$-band magnitude brighter than 24 AB magnitude. The derived space density for this subsample is log $\phi$ = -6.59 $\pm$ 0.11 [Mpc$^{-3}$]. The IR LF for DOGs including data obtained from the literature is well fitted by a double-power law. The derived lower limit for the IR LD for our sample is $\rho_{\mathrm{IR}}$ $\sim$ 3.8 $\times$ 10$^7$ [L$_{\odot}$ Mpc$^{-3}$] and its contributions to the total IR LD, IR LD of all ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), and that of all DOGs are $>$ 3 %, $>$ 9 %, and $>$ 15 %, respectively.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, and 3 tables, accepted for publication in PASJ (Subaru special issue

The Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS) - VI. Properties of Active Galactic Nuclei Selected by Optical Variability

We present the properties of active galactic nuclei (AGN) selected by optical variability in the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field (SXDF). Based on the locations of variable components and light curves, 211 optically variable AGN were reliably selected. We made three AGN samples; X-ray detected optically non-variable AGN (XA), X-ray detected optically variable AGN (XVA), and X-ray undetected optically variable AGN (VA). In the VA sample, we found a bimodal distribution of the ratio between the variable component flux and the host flux. One of these two components in the distribution, a class of AGN with a faint variable component $i'_{\rm{vari}}\sim25$ mag in bright host galaxies $i'\sim21$ mag, is not seen in the XVA sample. These AGN are expected to have low Eddington ratios if we naively consider a correlation between bulge luminosity and black hole mass. These galaxies have photometric redshifts $z_{\rm{photo}}\sim0.5$ and we infer that they are low-luminosity AGN with radiatively inefficient accretion flows (RIAFs). The properties of the XVA and VA objects and the differences from those of the XA objects can be explained within the unified scheme for AGN. Optical variability selection for AGN is an independent method and could provide a complementary AGN sample which even deep X-ray surveys have not found.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Ap