Controllable Immunosuppression in Pigs as a Basis for Preclinical Studies on Human Cell Therapy

Along with a growing interest in regenerative medicine, pigs are becoming a popular model for preclinical studies on human cell therapy. Due to pharmaceutical species difference and inability to self-medicate, specific modification and care are necessary in immunosuppressive regimen for pigs. Here, we summarize recent literature on immunosuppression in pigs for experimental transplantation. Based on literature and our own experiences, a practical protocol has been proposed in this report. In early studies of allogeneic organ transplantation, recipient pigs were administered cyclosporine or tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil at slightly higher dose than that in human cases, because of relatively poor effectiveness of the drugs in pigs. Steroids may be effective but sometimes can cause debilitating side effects. Cell transplantation studies follow the basic protocol, but it remains to be clarified whether the smaller graft mass, even if it is xenogeneic, requires the same scale of immunosuppression as organ transplantation. To obtain reliable results, the use of gastrostomy tube and blood trough level monitoring are highly recommended. Nonpharmaceutical immunosuppression such as thymic intervention and the use of severe combined immunodeficient pigs have also been discussed

158AGeVの鉛・鉛衝突におけるK中間子の方位角方向の非等方的放出

Thesis (Ph. D. in Science)--University of Tsukuba, (A), no. 2063, 1999.3.25Study of the Azimuthally Anisotropic Emission of Kaons in 158 A GeV Pb+Pb Collisions at CERN-SPS ~ 絵野澤，和

Apocytochrome c

The cytochrome c import pathway differs markedly from the general route taken by the majority of other imported proteins, which is characterized by the import involvement of namely, surface receptors, the general insertion protein (GIP), contact sites and by the requirement of a membrane potential (Δψ). Unique features of both the cytochrome c precursor (apocytochrome c) and of the mechanism that transports it into mitochondria, have contributed to the evolution of a distinct import pathway that is not shared by any other mitochondrial protein analysed thus far. The cytochrome c pathway is particularly unique because i) apocytochrome c appears to have spontaneous membrane insertion-activity; ii) cytochrome c heme lyase seems to act as a specific binding site in lieu of a surface receptor and; iii) covalent heme addition and the associated refolding of the polypeptide appears to provide the free energy for the translocation of the cytochrome c polypeptide across the outer mitochondrial membrane

Gender-related differences of renal mass supply and metabolic demand after living donor kidney transplantation

Kidney donation from female donors to male recipients has been reported to be associated with decreased allograft survival. Whether there was a gender-related inadequacy between donor nephron supply and recipient functional demand was investigated in this study. One hundred ninety-five living donor kidney transplant recipients that had neither ischemic injury, episode of rejection, nor any complication were included. Weights and heights of both donors and recipients were recorded to calculate body surface area, lean body weight, and body mass index. The donated kidney was weighed just after cold flush, and the recipient's serum creatinine (Scr) was measured on a daily basis post-operatively. When the recipient's Scr reached the baseline, a 24-h urine was collected for the amount of proteinuria (Upr), creatinine excretion (Ucr) and creatinine clearance (Ccr) calculation. The effect of donor and recipient gender was analysed by independent sample t -test. On average, male donors and recipients were heavier and taller than females. However, the mass of kidneys donated from men and women were not statistically different. The gender-related differences in post-transplant Scr and Ucr of recipients were associated with the differences in the parameters of metabolic demands of recipients rather than with the weight of implanted kidney (renal mass supply) or with pre-operative renal functions of donors (functional supply). The early graft function is not determined by donor gender. The effect of recipient gender on the graft function depends on the metabolic demands, which are higher in male recipients.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73185/1/j.1399-0012.2005.00459.x.pd

Particle density fluctuations

Event-by-event fluctuations in the multiplicities of charged particles and photons at SPS energies are discussed. Fluctuations are studied by controlling the centrality of the reaction and rapidity acceptance of the detectors. Results are also presented on the event-by-event study of correlations between the multiplicity of charged particles and photons to search for DCC-like signals.Comment: Talk presented at Quark Matter 2002, Nantes, Franc

Azimuthal Anisotropy of Photon and Charged Particle Emission in Pb+Pb Collisions at 158 A GeV/c

The azimuthal distributions of photons and charged particles with respect to the event plane are investigated as a function of centrality in Pb + Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c in the WA98 experiment at the CERN SPS. The anisotropy of the azimuthal distributions is characterized using a Fourier analysis. For both the photon and charged particle distributions the first two Fourier coefficients are observed to decrease with increasing centrality. The observed anisotropies of the photon distributions compare well with the expectations from the charged particle measurements for all centralities.Comment: 8 pages and 6 figures. The manuscript has undergone a major revision. The unwanted correlations were enhanced in the random subdivision method used in the earlier version. The present version uses the more established method of division into subevents separated in rapidity to minimise short range correlations. The observed results for charged particles are in agreement with results from the other experiments. The observed anisotropy in photons is explained using flow results of pions and the correlations arising due to the decay of the neutral pion

Interferometry of Direct Photons in Central 280Pb+208Pb Collisions at 158A GeV

Two-particle correlations of direct photons were measured in central 208Pb+208Pb collisions at 158 AGeV. The invariant interferometric radii were extracted for 100<K_T<300 MeV/c and compared to radii extracted from charged pion correlations. The yield of soft direct photons, K_T<300 MeV/c, was extracted from the correlation strength and compared to theoretical calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Suppression of High-p_T Neutral Pion Production in Central Pb+Pb Collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.3 GeV Relative to p+C and p+Pb Collisions

Neutral pion transverse momentum spectra were measured in p+C and p+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.4 GeV at mid-rapidity 2.3 < eta_lab < 3.0 over the range 0.7< p_T < 3.5 GeV/c. The spectra are compared to pi0 spectra measured in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.3 GeV in the same experiment. For a wide range of Pb+Pb centralities (N_part < 300) the yield of pi0's with p_T > 2 GeV/c is larger than or consistent with the p+C or p+Pb yields scaled with the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions (N_coll), while for central Pb+Pb collisions with N_part > 350 the pi0 yield is suppressed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure