Cell-Type-Specific Differentiation and Molecular Profiles in Skin Transplantation: Implication of Medical Approach for Genetic Skin Diseases

Skin is highly accessible and valuable organ, which holds promise to accelerate the understanding of future medical innovation in association with skin transplantation, engineering, and wound healing. In skin transplantation biology, multistage and multifocal damages occur in both grafted donor and perilesional host skin and need to be repaired properly for the engraftment and maintenance of characteristic skin architecture. These local events are more unlikely to be regulated by the host immunity, because human skin transplantation has accomplished the donor skin engraftment onto the immunocompromised or immunosuppressive animals. Recent studies have emerged the importance of α-smooth muscle actin- (SMA-) positive myofibroblasts, via stage- and cell-specific contribution of TGFβ, PDGF, ET-1, CCN-2 signalling pathways, and mastocyte-derived mediators (e.g., histamine and tryptase), for the functional reorganisation of the grafted skin. Moreover, particular cell lineages from bone marrow (BM) cells have been shown to harbour the diferentiation capacity into multiple skin cell phenotypes, including epidermal keratinocytes and dermal endothelial cells and pericytes, undercontrolled by chemokines or cytokines. From a dermatological viewpoint, we review the recent update of cell-type- and molecular-specific action associated with reconstitution of the grafted skin and also focus on the novel application of BM transplantation medicine in genetic skin diseases

Milliwatt-Level Electromagnetic Induction-Type MEMS Air Turbine Generator

In this chapter, an electromagnetic induction-type MEMS air turbine generator that combined with the MEMS technology and the multilayer ceramic technology is proposed. Three types of MEMS air turbine generators that included the different bearing systems, shape of the rotor and shape of the magnetic circuits are discussed to achieve the high output power. In the MEMS air turbine, the purpose is to achieve high-speed rotational motion. As a result of the comparison between the different structures, a rim-type rotor and a miniature ball bearing system showed the high rotational speed than a flat-type rotor and a fluid dynamic bearing system. The maximum rotational speed of the fabricated air turbine was 290,135 rpm. Moreover, it is important to introduce the magnetic flux to the magnetic circuit. By the multilayer ceramic technology, the three-dimensional coil in miniature monolithic structure was fabricated. The magnetic core that was designed to introduce the magnetic flux showed the low magnetic flux loss. The fabricated MEMS air turbine and the multilayer ceramic magnetic circuit were combined, and the miniature electromagnetic induction-type generator was achieved. The output power was 2.41 mVA, when the load resistance and the output voltage were 8 Ω and 139 mV, respectively

Powder Process with Photoresist for Ceramic Electronic Components

This chapter proposed a patterning process for ceramic electronic components. The proposed process uses a photoresist, and it is combined with the photolithography process and the printing process. By using both technologies, a high-aspect-ratio and fine conductive pattern is achieved because the patterned photoresist hold the filling paste during the dry process. Moreover, a different material pattern in a ceramic sheet can be formed simultaneously when the photoresist covers on the ceramic sheet with a through-hole pattern. The examples of the patterning process and the fabricated pattern are shown. The fine conductive pattern was formed by using a liquid photoresist, and the line width and the thickness were 10.3 and 1.85 μm, respectively. In the ceramic pattern, the conductive paste and low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) slurry were filled to the ferrite sheet. As a result, the ceramic sheet that had three different materials was achieved. It realizes the miniature ceramic inductor suppressing the minor loop. However, the photoresist process showed some problems with the fine pattern and the different material pattern. These problems are solved by adjusting the viscosity and the composite ratio of the slurry. The optimization of the type and thickness of the photoresist is required

Novel Point Mutations in the Steroid Sulfatase Gene in Patients with X-Linked Ichthyosis: Transfection Analysis Using the Mutated Genes

X-linked ichthyosis is caused by steroid sulfatase deficiency which results from abnormalities in its coding gene. The majority of X-linked ichthyosis patients (≈90%) have complete or partial deletions of the steroid sulfatase gene. In this study, we examined the mutations of the steroid sulfatase gene in two unrelated X-linked ichthyosis patients without complete deletion of the gene. Polymerase chain reaction–single-strand conformation polymorphism and direct sequencing analyses showed that each patient has a different single base pair substitution within exon 8 encoding the C-terminal half of the steroid sulfatase polypeptide. Both mutations resulted in the transversion of functional amino acids: a G→C substitution at nucleotide 1344, causing a predicted change of a glycine to an arginine, and a C→T substitution at nucleotide 1371, causing a change from a glutamine to a stop codon. In vitro steroid sulfatase cDNA expression using site-directed mutagenesis revealed that these mutations are in fact pathogenic and reflect the levels of steroid sulfatase enzyme activities in each of the X-linked ichthyosis patients

Gait Generation of Multilegged Robots by using Hardware Artificial Neural Networks

Living organisms can act autonomously because biological neural networks process the environmental information in continuous time. Therefore, living organisms have inspired many applications of autonomous control to small-sized robots. In this chapter, a small-sized robot is controlled by a hardware artificial neural network (ANN) without software programs. Previously, the authors constructed a multilegged walking robot. The link mechanism of the limbs was designed to reduce the number of actuators. The current paper describes the basic characteristics of hardware ANNs that generate the gait for multilegged robots. The pulses emitted by the hardware ANN generate oscillating patterns of electrical activity. The pulse-type hardware ANN model has the basic features of a class II neuron model, which behaves like a resonator. Thus, gait generation by the hardware ANNs mimics the synchronization phenomena in biological neural networks. Consequently, our constructed hardware ANNs can generate multilegged robot gaits without requiring software programs

Skin Prick Test with Self-Saliva in Patients with Oral Aphthoses: A New Diagnostic Pathergy for Behcet’s Disease and Recurrent Aphthosis

There may be some difficulties to differentiate Behcet’s disease (BD), recurrent aphthosis (RA), and herpetic aphthous ulceration, from other mimicking oral disorders. Despite of unexpected sensitivity and responsiveness, the skin pathergy test regarding a non-specific hypersensitivity has long been thought as one of auxiliary diagnostic benefits for BD

Role of IL-12B Promoter Polymorphism in Adamantiades–Behcet's Disease Susceptibility: An Involvement of Th1 Immunoreactivity against Streptococcus Sanguinis Antigen

Adamantiades–Behcet's disease (ABD) is a chronic inflammatory multisystem disorder. Although the precise etiology is unclear, high prevalence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B51 predisposition and predominantly involved T-helper type 1 cells (Th1)-type proinflammatory cytokines and extrinsic Streptococcal infection suggest a substantial association with an immunogenetic basis and strengthens the hypothesis that IL-12, a potent inducer of Th-1 immune reaction, is a putative candidate in its pathogenesis. These clinicopathological findings led us to examine interleukin 12 p40 (IL-12B) promoter polymorphism, for which the 4-base pair (bp) heterozygous insertion has been shown to affect the gene transcription and subsequent protein production. We analyzed IL-12B promoter genotypes in 194 Japanese subjects (92 with ABD and 102 normal controls) by PCR-based restriction enzyme digestion. The frequency of the insertion heterozygosity was significantly higher in patients than in controls (49/92, 53.3% vs 39/102, 38.2%, respectively). Comparing these with HLA haplotype data, this trend was more significant in HLA-B51-negative patients (29/42, 69.0% vs 20/50, 40.0%; P=0.005). As assessed by semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR and ELISA, stimulation with Streptococcal antigens specifically increased expression of IL-12 p40 mRNA and protein, in conjunction with IL-12 p70 induction, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from heterozygous patients. Our results provide evidence for anti-bacterial host response toward Th1-immunity mediated by IL-12 in patients with ABD, and the possible insight into the genetic susceptibility that is independent of HLA background

Fast grasp planning for hand/arm systems based on convex model

Abstract—This paper discusses the grasp planning of a multifingered hand attached at the tip of a robotic arm. By using the convex models and the new approximation method of the friction cone, our proposed algorithm can calculate the grasping motion within the reasonable time. For each grasping style used in this research, we define the grasping rectangular convex (GRC). We also define the object convex polygon (OCP) for the grasped object. By considering the geometrical relashionship among these convex models, we determine several parameters needed to define the final grasping configuration. To determine the contact point position satisfying the force closure, we use two approximation models of the friction cone. To save the calculation time, the rough approximation by using the ellipsoid is mainly used to check the force closure. Additionally, approximation by using the convex polyhedral cone is used at the final stage of the planning. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by some numerical examples. I