Connective tissue mast cells store and release noradrenaline

Mast cells are present in mucosal and connective tissues throughout the body. They synthesize and release a wide variety of bioactive molecules, such as histamine, proteases, and cytokines. In this study, we found that a population of connective tissue mast cells (CTMCs) stores and releases noradrenaline, originating from sympathetic nerves. Noradrenaline-storing cells, not neuronal fibers, were predominantly identified in the connective tissues of the skin, mammary gland, gastrointestinal tract, bronchus, thymus, and pancreas in wild-type mice but were absent in mast cell-deficient W-sash c-kit mutant KitW-sh/W-sh mice. In vitro studies using bone marrow-derived mast cells revealed that extracellular noradrenaline was taken up but not synthesized. Upon ionomycin stimulation, noradrenaline was released. Electron microscopy analyses further suggested that noradrenaline is stored in and released from the secretory granules of mast cells. Finally, we found that noradrenaline-storing CTMCs express organic cation transporter 3 (Oct3), which is also known as an extraneuronal monoamine transporter, SLC22A3. Our findings indicate that mast cells may play a role in regulating noradrenaline concentration by storing and releasing it in somatic tissues

Lateral Earth Pressure on Retaining Wall

President Cheryl B. Schrader discuses the recent report by a variety of Ohio higher institutions. The study assesses the economic impact of higher education in Ohio. She gives many details about the impact that Wright State has on the economy

Dual-radionuclide simultaneous gastric emptying and bile transit study after gastric surgery with double-tract reconstruction

金沢大学医学部附属病院核医学診療科木南, 伸一Objective: The physiology of gastrointestinal transfer function after proximal gastrectomy with bypass-tract reconstruction is not well understood. We applied a simultaneous dual-radionuclide method with a hepatobiliary imaging and gastric emptying study to evaluate physiologic alterations occurring after surgery. Methods: Nineteen patients with early gastric cancer, including 9 preoperative control patients and 10 who had proximal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction surgery were examined by dual-radionuclide hepatobiliary and gastric emptying studies (99mTc PMT and 111In DTPA). Retention fraction in the stomach at 3 minutes (R3) and 60 minutes (R60) and gastric emptying half-time (GET) were calculated. Bile reflux and mixture of bile and food were also evaluated. Results: The retention fractions of R3 and R60 were significantly lower in the double-tract reconstruction group than those in the preoperative group. GET differed significantly between the double-tract and preoperative groups (20.7 min ± 7.1 min and 36.2 min ± 11.0 min, p = 0.0018). The mixture of bile and food was not good in the double-tract reconstruction group (p = 0.014 vs. preoperative). Patients with a large residual stomach showed slower initial emptying (p = 0.0068) and a better mixture of bile and food (p = 0.058) compared to those with a small residual stomach. The bile reflux was not significantly increased after surgery. Conclusion: The dual-radionuclide gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary imaging was feasible and could demonstrate characteristic transit patterns of the foods and bile in the double-tract reconstruction procedure. A larger residual stomach, if possible, is desirable to provide better transfer and mixing of bile and foods

Angiotensin II induces tumor progression and fibrosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma through an interaction with hepatic stellate cells

富山県立中央病院金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系金沢大学附属病院胃腸外科Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is characterized as a highly fatal tumor with poor prognosis because of its strong progression, early invasion, widespread metastasis and rich cancerous stroma. Although it is widely accepted that fibroblasts facilitate stromal fibrosis and tumor progression, the mechanisms of the interaction between cancer cells and activated fibroblasts have not been fully elucidated thus far. In this study, we demonstrate the presence of angiotensin II (AngII) in ICC tissues and explore the interaction between hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and ICC cells as one of the sources of stromal fibrosis and tumor progression through the interaction of the AngII/AngII type 1 receptor (AT-1) axis. The concentrations of AngII in ICC tissues were significantly higher than those of HCC and normal liver. Two human ICC cell lines (HuCCT-1, CCKS-1) and a human HSC cell line (LI-90) expressed AT-1 mRNA and protein. The proliferative activity of ICC cells and HSCs to which AngII was added dose-dependently increased and AT-1 antagonist inhibited the proliferative effects. HSCs to which AngII was added showed a higher expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA, a marker of activated HSCs and myofibroblasts), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, a specific marker of HSCs) and collagen type I than control cells. AT-1 antagonist also inhibited the activation and transformation of HSCs stimulated by AngII. These findings suggested that locally formed AngII in ICC tissues plays a role in the proliferation and activation of ICC cells and HSCs expressing AT-1 as a growth factor in autocrine and paracrine fashions. Our mechanistic findings provide the first insight into an autocrine and paracrine AngII-initiated signaling pathway that regulates ICC proliferation and fibrosis

Research environment and research evaluation in the university: Expect for the desirable development of the humanities and social sciences Proceedings of the 46th R.I.H.E. Annual Study Meeting (Oct.12, 2018)

The 46th Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE) Annual Study Meeting was held in combination with the annual symposium of the RIHE-chaired “Humanities and Social Science” section of the Council for Research Institutes and Centers of Japanese National Universities. The meeting was opened by two keynote addresses which tackled the topic of “Research environment and research evaluation in the university: Expect for the desirable development of the humanities and social sciences.” The Council is a network of Research Institutes and Centers from across Japan, some of which are officially designated as Joint Usage/Research Centers by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), while others are not. It is difficult to speculate what criteria are used to evaluate their research and identify those deserving of an official designation. We could easily speculate that authorities must make use of bibliometric data in the assessment of institutes and centers in the humanities and social sciences, in line with the norms of research assessment in the natural sciences. However, it appears difficult to express the quality of research in the humanities and social sciences in this manner. Therefore, developing alternative methods for research evaluation in the humanities and social sciences is a critical issue for higher education studies. While time is short to develop such methods, it falls to the field of higher education studies to apply itself to this important task.はしがき… 小林 信一 i 研究員集会の趣旨… iii 基調講演 人文・社会科学研究者の研究環境と研究評価の現状と課題－経済学者の立場から－… 溝端 佐登史 1 日本の高等教育政策と研究環境・研究評価… 羽田 貴史 25 第1部（シンポジウム）コメント… 小林 信一 41 論点提起 研究評価とは何か－指標としてのインパクト・ファクター… 山崎 茂明 45 研究は競争で改善するか… 山口 裕之 51 大学教員の活動環境と仕事全般への満足度－なぜ国立大学教員は現状に不満足なのか－… 大膳 司 65 第2部 論点提起の司会を担当して… 藤村 正司 75 人文・社会科学と大学自治… 大場 淳 77 研究員集会の概要… 8

Relationship between cardiac allograft vasculopathy and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in heart transplant recipients

POSTER PRESENTATION12th Annual SCMR Scientific Sessions – 2009 / Orlando, FL, USA / 29 January–1 February 200

Aprepitant plus granisetron and dexamethasone for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with gastric cancer treated with S-1 plus cisplatin

Background: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a new combination antiemetic therapy comprising aprepitant, granisetron, and dexamethasone in gastric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with cisplatin and S-1. Methods: Gastric cancer patients scheduled to receive their first course of chemotherapy with cisplatin (60 mg/m2) and S-1 (80 mg/m2) were treated with a new combination antiemetic therapy aprepitant, granisetron, and dexamethasone on day 1; aprepitant and dexamethasone on days 2 and 3; and dexamethasone on day 4. The patients reported vomiting, nausea, use of rescue therapy, and change in the amount of diet intake, and completed the Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE) questionnaire. The primary endpoint was complete response (CR; no emesis and use of no rescue antiemetics) during the overall study phase (0-120 h after cisplatin administration). The secondary endpoints included complete protection (CP; CR plus no significant nausea); change in the amount of diet intake; and the impact of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) on daily life during the overall, acute (0-24 h), and delayed (24-120 h) phases. Results: Fifty-three patients were included. CR was achieved in 88.7, 98.1, and 88.7 % of patients in the overall, acute, and delayed phases, respectively. The corresponding rates of CP were 67.9, 96.2, and 67.9 %. Approximately half of the patients had some degree of anorexia. FLIE results indicated that 79.5 % of patients reported "minimal or no impact of CINV on daily life". Conclusions: Addition of aprepitant to standard antiemetic therapy was effective in gastric cancer patients undergoing treatment with cisplatin and S-1. © 2013 Springer Japan