The immunology of Sjögren's syndrome: emphasis on the role of salivary gland autoantigen

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) in humans is an autoimmune disease characterized by diffuse lymphoid cell infiltrates in the salivary and lacrimal glands, resulting in symptoms of dry mouth and dry eye due to insufficient secretion. The spectrum of presentation of the disease is broad, ranging from the organ-localized dysfunction of exocrine gland to systemic complications such as liver, kidney and lung involvement. A significant proportion of the SS patients may develop malignant lymphoproliferative disorders such as B cell lymphoma and macroglobulinemia. Although it has been assumed that a combination of immunologic, genetic, and environmental factors may play a key role on the development of autoimmune lesion in the salivary and lacrimal gland, little is known about the pathogenesis of primary SS. The hypofunction of the salivary glands is associated with lymphocytic infiltration, in which autoreactive T cells recognize unknown self-antigen and play a central role in the pathobiology of SS. This disease is also characterized by systemic production of auto antibodies to ribonucleoprotein particles SS-A/Ro and SS-B/La, however, the specificity for this immunogenicity remains to be defined. The 120 kD α-fodrin is an important salivary gland autoantigen implicated in the development of SS in both animal model and SS patients. This article will review recent observations of the immunological aspects of autoimmune sialadenitis as it occurs in SS patients, and in murine model for SS, and particularly emphasize on the role of salivary gland autoantigen during development of auto immune lesions in SS.Biomedical Reviews 1998; 9: 131-141

Elucidation of a conserved RNA stem-loop structure in the packaging signal of human immunodeficiency virus type 1

AbstractA region of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genomic RNA known to interact with the viral nucleocapsid protein is one of the crucial components for retroviral genomic RNA packaging. We have investigated the secondary structure for this RNA packaging signal of HIV-1 using RNA mapping techniques and extensive computer analyses. Our results suggest that the RNA sequence containing the packaging signal conforms to a stable stem-loop structure and that a portion of this structure is conserved among twenty independent HIV-1 isolates. The heterogeneity of the RNA packaging sequence was not correlated with the amino acid sequence variability of the viral nucleocapsid protein. These findings have critical implication in understanding the viral maturation process

Economics and its Impact in Tax Law

O presente artigo oferece uma problematização a respeito da pertinência de conceitos econômico-financeiros no estudo jurídico-tributário, objetivando demonstrar que para o exame do fenômeno jurídico-tributário foi preciso desenvolver uma metodologia própria, longe de ser satisfeita pelos antigos preconceitos da Ciência das Finanças, que pretendia descrever fenômenos tão diversos (econômico-financeiros e jurídicos) com métodos, no mínimo, marcados pelo sincretismo (fazendo miscelânea de conceitos jurídicos e metajurídicos – econômico-financeiros).This article sets forth a discussion concerning the relevancy of financial and economic concepts in the study of tax law, demonstrating the need of developing a proper methodology for the legal tax system examination, apart from the obsolete rules provide by the Financial Science which purpoted to depict such adverse phenomenon (economic, financial and legal) with method, at least, spotted by the object syncretism (blending both legal and meta-legal with economic and financial)

Tax immunity on indirect taxes in the acquisition of goods and services by welfare organizations: dogmatic study and analysis of constitutional case law on the phenomenon of economic rebound

A escolha do tema é justificada pela polêmica acerca da extensão da imunidade tributária impostos se o vendedor não é imune, mas o comprador é entidade de assistência social imune por força do art. 150, inciso VI, alínea “c” da Constituição da República. A proposta do presente estudo é problematizar a questão desde as premissas que embasam a classificação dos tributos em “diretos” e “indiretos” e sua implicação no reconhecimento dos contribuintes “de fato” e “de direito”, cujas origens remontam o próprio desenvolvimento histórico-metodológico da disciplina “Direito Tributário” e sua autonomia da “Ciência” das Finanças. Coerente com as colocações propedêuticas, faz-se observações específicas ao art. 150, inciso VI, alínea “c” da Constituição da República, de acordo com a doutrina e a jurisprudência, a respeito da pertinência jurídica do fenômeno da “repercussão econômica” na classificação dos tributos em “diretos” e “indiretos” e sua consequência no reconhecimento da imunidade tributária às entidades de assistência social quando estas ostentarem a condição de contribuintes “de fato” na aquisição de bens e serviços de fabricantes, vendedores e prestadores não-imunes.The subject is justified by the controversy about the extent of tax exemption to sellers, if the buyer is a social assistance entity immune by virtue of art. 150, VI, “c” of the Federal Constitution. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue from the underlying assumptions of tax tipology on “direct” and “indirect” and the implication in recognition of taxpayers “in fact” and “in-law”, whose origins were in the historical and methodological development of the “Tax Law” subject and in the autonomy of the “science” of Finances. Consistent with propaedeutic placements, specific comments to article 150, VI, “c” of the Federal Constitution, according to the doctrine and case law regarding the legal relevance of the phenomenon of “economic rebound” in the classification of taxes on “direct” and “indirect” and the consequence in recognition of tax immunity to social assistance entities when they bear the capacity of taxpayers “actually” in the acquisition of goods and services from non-immune manufacturers, sellers and providers

Increasing Skeletal Muscle Mass in Mice by Non-Invasive Intramuscular Delivery of Myostatin Inhibitory Peptide by Iontophoresis

Sarcopenia is a major public health issue that affects older adults. Myostatin inhibitory-D-peptide-35 (MID-35) can increase skeletal muscle and is a candidate therapeutic agent, but a non-invasive and accessible technology for the intramuscular delivery of MID-35 is required. Recently, we succeeded in the intradermal delivery of various macromolecules, such as siRNA and antibodies, by iontophoresis (ItP), a non-invasive transdermal drug delivery technology that uses weak electricity. Thus, we expected that ItP could deliver MID-35 non-invasively from the skin surface to skeletal muscle. In the present study, ItP was performed with a fluorescently labeled peptide on mouse hind leg skin. Fluorescent signal was observed in both skin and skeletal muscle. This result suggested that the peptide was effectively delivered to skeletal muscle from skin surface by ItP. Then, the effect of MID-35/ItP on skeletal muscle mass was evaluated. The skeletal muscle mass increased 1.25 times with ItP of MID-35. In addition, the percentage of new and mature muscle fibers tended to increase, and ItP delivery of MID-35 showed a tendency to induce alterations in the levels of mRNA of genes downstream of myostatin. In conclusion, ItP of myostatin inhibitory peptide is a potentially useful strategy for treating sarcopenia

動植物体組織中のアミノ態窒素の微量定量(予報)(B. 生活科学)

1.燐酸銅懸濁液の調製割合は, 試薬No. 1,2,3を1 : 2 : 2,1 : 3 : 2の二種として比較したが, 結果は僅少の差であって, 文献の通り1 : 2 : 2を採用し, 実施の都度, 新調した。2.対照の滴定は必ず行うべきである。3. PHは8∿9或いはそれを超過しても結果に変化がないと思われる。4.同じチオ硫酸ソーダ溶液を用い, 新調したグルタミン酸溶液を検定した結果の誤差は2.6%であった

アミノ酸の微量定量(第一報)(生活科学)

(1) POPE-STEVENS並にWOIWODの方法を参照してグリシン, アスパラギン酸, アルギニン及びヒスチヂンについて銅塩法によってこれらのアミノ酸の微量を定量しうることを知りえた。(2) この場合, アミノ酸の銅塩は可溶性であることが必須条件である。従ってロイシン, シスチンの如きは難溶性の銅塩を形成するが故に, かかるアミノ酸の微量を本法によって定量する場合には別に工夫しなければならない。(3) 本法を実施する場合には供試アミノ酸液中にメタ燐酸, 更に醋酸を除く有機酸類, フェノールなどが夾雑すれば定量が不可能になることを知りえた