Integral Effects of Systemic Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibition on Carotid Arterial Compliance

Decreased arterial compliance (increased arterial stiffness) is associated with cardiovascular events. Nitric oxide regulates vascular tone, which can influence arterial compliance. We previously investigated the effects of systemic nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition on arterial compliance under the systemic α-adrenergic receptor blocking. In the present study, we investigated the effect of systemic NOS inhibition alone on central arterial compliance (via carotid arterial ultrasound imaging and applanation tonometry). Eighteen apparently healthy young adults (26±1 years) underwent intravenous infusions of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) or placebo (saline) on separate days. In the placebo control condition, no significant changes were observed in mean arterial pressure, cross-sectional compliance, and β-stiffness index. Mean arterial pressure increased significantly (84±2 vs. 96±3 mmHg) after the administration of L-NMMA, whereas there were no significant changes in cross-sectional compliance (0.11±0.01 vs. 0.12±0.01 mm2/mmHg), β-stiffness index (6.44±0.37 vs. 5.51±0.41 unit), or isobaric arterial compliance. Theses results in young healthy adults are not consistent with the idea that carotid arterial compliance is modulated by nitric oxide. Grant Support: This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (18300215, 18650186), JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research Abroad, and NIH grant AG20966

Pyrene is highly emissive when attached to the RNA duplex but not to the DNA duplex: the structural basis of this difference

Through binding and fluorescence studies of oligonucleotides covalently attached to a pyrene group via one carbon linker at the sugar residue, we previously found that pyrene-modified RNA oligonucleotides do not emit well in the single-stranded form, yet the attached pyrene emits with a significantly high quantum yield upon binding to a complementary RNA strand. In sharp contrast, similarly modified pyrene–DNA probes exhibit very weak fluorescence both in the double-stranded and single-stranded forms. The pyrene-modified RNA oligonucleotides therefore provide a useful tool for monitoring RNA hybridization. The purpose of this paper is to present the structural basis for the different fluorescence properties of pyrene-modified RNA/RNA and pyrene-modified DNA/DNA duplexes. The results of absorption, fluorescence anisotropy and circular dichroism studies all consistently indicated that the pyrene attached to the RNA duplex is located outside of the duplex, whereas the pyrene incorporated into the DNA duplex intercalates into the double helix. (1)H NMR measurements unambiguously confirmed that the pyrene attached to the DNA duplex indeed intercalates between the base pairs of the duplex. Molecular dynamics simulations support these differences in the local structural elements around the pyrene between the pyrene–RNA/RNA and the pyrene–DNA/DNA duplexes

Jun Dimerization Protein 2 (JDP2), a Member of the AP-1 Family of Transcription Factor, Mediates Osteoclast Differentiation Induced by RANKL

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells that resorb bones, and are derived from hematopoietic cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. The receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL, also called ODF/TRANCE/OPGL) stimulates both osteoclast differentiation from osteoclast progenitors and activation of mature osteoclasts. To identify genes responsible for osteoclast differentiation, we used a molecular indexing technique. Here, we report a clone of one of these genes whose transcription is induced by soluble RANKL (sRANKL) in both the RAW264.7 cells of the mouse macrophage cell line and the mouse primary bone marrow cells. The predicted protein was found to be a mouse homologue of Jun dimerization protein 2 (JDP2), a member of the AP-1 family of transcription factors, containing a basic region-leucine zipper motif. Transient transfection experiments revealed that overexpression of JDP2 leads to activation of both tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K gene promoters in RAW264.7 cells. Infection of mouse primary bone marrow cells with retroviruses expressing JDP2-facilitated sRANKL-mediated formation of TRAP-positive multinuclear osteoclasts. Importantly, antisense oligonucleotide to JDP2 strongly suppressed sRANKL-induced osteoclast formation of RAW264.7 cells. Our findings suggest that JDP2 may play an important role in the RANK-mediated signal transduction system, especially in osteoclast differentiation

The right temporoparietal junction during a cooperation dilemma: An rTMS study

Cooperation enhances interpersonal communication and nurtures society. However, efforts to socially cooperate may often evoke conflict. Individuals may selfishly pursue a greater reward or success by exploiting the efforts of other individuals or taking unnecessary risk to oneself. Such a cooperation dilemma is highly prevalent in real life; thus, it has been studied in various disciplines. Although published functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown the involvement of the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) in resolving a dilemma through cooperation, a causal relationship between the two has rarely been explored. Hence, we investigated this issue by combining repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with a priority game task (modified snowdrift game). In this game task, participants and opponent players jointly faced a problem whereby their collaboration was anticipated to defuse the situation. This conflicted with a choice in the participant's self-interest that was more rewarding but risky. We further included conditions with and without explicit social cues using figures describing elderly/pregnant passengers in the game opponent's car, and measured participants' prosocial traits to examine any cue-induced effect as well as the personality-cooperation relationship, respectively. The cooperation ratio was not statistically different in both the no-cue and with-cue conditions between the sham stimulation and inhibitory continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS). However, after cTBS, in the no-cue condition, the strength of the association between cooperation ratio and empathy traits decreased significantly. These results add to our knowledge about the right TPJ's role in social cognition, which may be extraordinarily complex. This topic is deserving of further examination

Patent Foramen Ovale: Current Pathology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Status

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is experiencing increased clinical interest as a congenital cardiac lesion persisting into adulthood. It is implicated in several serious clinical syndromes, including stroke, myocardial infarction, and systemic embolism. The PFO is now amenable to percutaneous interventional therapies, and multiple novel technologies are either available or under development for lesion closure. The PFO should be better understood to take advantage of emerging percutaneous treatment options. This paper reviews PFO anatomy, pathology, pathophysiology, and clinical impact and discusses current therapeutic options

An automatic video meteor observation using UFOCapture at the Showa station

第2回極域科学シンポジウム/第35回極域宙空圏シンポジウム 11月15日（火） 国立極地研究所 2階大会議室前フロ

Current Performance and On-Going Improvements of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope

An overview of the current status of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope constructed and operated at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is presented. The basic design concept and the verified performance of the telescope system are described. Also given are the status of the instrument package offered to the astronomical community, the status of operation, and some of the future plans. The status of the telescope reported in a number of SPIE papers as of the summer of 2002 are incorporated with some updates included as of 2004 February. However, readers are encouraged to check the most updated status of the telescope through the home page, http://subarutelescope.org/index.html, and/or the direct contact with the observatory staff.Comment: 18 pages (17 pages in published version), 29 figures (GIF format), This is the version before the galley proo