Time periodic Navier-Stokes flow with nonhomogeneous boundary condition

Abstract. It is known that the Navier-Stokes initial boundary value problem for non-homogeneous boundary condition has a unique local solution (e.g., O. A. Ladyzhenskay

Adenovirus-mediated gene delivery restores fertility in congenitally infertile female mice

Oogenesis depends on close interactions between oocytes and granulosa cells. Abnormal signaling between these cell types can result in infertility. However, attempts to manipulate oocyte-granulosa cell interactions have had limited success, likely due to the blood-follicle barrier (BFB), which prevents the penetration of exogenous materials into ovarian follicles. Here, we used adenoviruses (AVs) to manipulate the oocyte-granulosa cell interactions. AVs penetrated the BFB and transduced granulosa cells through ovarian microinjection. Although AVs caused transient inflammation, they did not impair fertility in wild-type mice. Introduction of Kitl-expressing AVs into congenitally infertile KitlSl-t/KitlSl-t mutant mouse ovaries, which contained only primordial follicles because of a lack of Kitl expression, restored fertility through natural mating. The offspring showed no evidence of AV integration and exhibited normal genomic imprinting patterns for imprinted genes. These results demonstrate the usefulness of AVs for manipulating oogenesis and suggest the possibility of gene therapies for human female infertility

Spermatogonial stem cell transplantation into nonablated mouse recipient testes

Spermatogonial transplantation has been used as a standard assay for spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). After transplantation into the seminiferous tubules, SSCs transmigrate through the blood-testis barrier (BTB) between Sertoli cells and settle in a niche. Unlike in the repair of other self-renewing systems, SSC transplantation is generally performed after complete destruction of endogenous spermatogenesis. Here, we examined the impacts of recipient conditioning on SSC homing. Germ cell ablation downregulated the expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, which has been shown to attract SSCs to niches, implying that nonablated niches would attract SSCs more efficiently. As expected, SSCs colonized nonablated testes when transplanted into recipients with the same genetic background. Moreover, although spermatogenesis was arrested at the spermatocyte stage in Cldn11-deficient mice without a BTB, transplantation not only enhanced donor colonization but also restored normal spermatogenesis. The results show promise for the development of a new transplantation strategy to overcome male infertility

Regeneration of spermatogenesis by mouse germ cell transplantation into allogeneic and xenogeneic testis primordia or organoids

Gametogenesis requires close interactions between germ cells and somatic cells. Derivation of sperm from spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) is hampered by the inefficiency of spermatogonial transplantation technique in many animal species because it requires a large number of SSCs and depletion of endogenous spermatogenesis. Here we used mouse testis primordia and organoids to induce spermatogenesis from SSCs. We microinjected mouse SSCs into embryonic gonads or reaggregated neonatal testis organoids, which were transplanted under the tunica albuginea of mature testes. As few as 1 × 10⁴ donor cells colonized both types of transplants and produced sperm. Moreover, rat embryonic gonads supported xenogeneic spermatogenesis from mouse SSCs when transplanted in testes of immunodeficient mice. Offspring with normal genomic imprinting patterns were born after microinsemination. These results demonstrate remarkable flexibility of the germ cell-somatic cell interaction and raise new strategies of SSC manipulation for animal transgenesis and analysis of male infertility

現在の英語カリキュラムと新入生の学習者ビリーフに基づく発展的提案

In order to provide students with good teaching, the curriculum needs to be reviewed and revised periodically. Even minor changes can be of benefit. To prepare a better curriculum for students, teachers should know students’ needs and wants. In this report, the present English curriculum at Okayama Prefectural University is described. The present curriculum aims to improve students’ four skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing in addition to increasing vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Then, the results of a survey on 2018 first-year students’ beliefs regarding learning English are reported. Students’ beliefs include attitude toward English learning, motivation, anxiety, and expectation. Last, based on the results of the survey, the strengths and weaknesses of the present curriculum are discussed.平成30年度に実施された英語カリキュラムを説明し、平成30年度入学生の入学直後の学習者ビリーフ（学習への期待、意欲、不安など）を調査した。調査の結果、3つの学部から構成される岡山県立大学は、学部ごとに、学習者ビリーフが大きく異なることが明らかになった。語学教育推進室は、全学を対象とした統一英語カリキュラムを実施しているが、学部ごとに、学生のニーズに合わせた英語カリキュラムを工夫していく必要がある

Reconstitution of Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cell Niches in Culture

SummarySpermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) reside in specific niches within seminiferous tubules. These niches are thought to secrete chemotactic factors for SSCs, because SSCs migrate to them upon transplantation. However, the identity of these chemotactic molecules remains unknown. Here, we established a testis feeder cell culture system and used it to identify SSC chemotactic factors. When seeded on testis cells from infertile mice, SSCs migrated beneath the Sertoli cells and formed colonies with a cobblestone appearance that were very similar to those produced by hematopoietic stem cells. Cultured cells maintained SSC activity and fertility for at least 5 months. Cobblestone colony formation depended on GDNF and CXCL12, and dominant-negative GDNF receptor transfection or CXCL12 receptor deficiency reduced SSC colonization. Moreover, GDNF upregulated CXCL12 receptor expression, and CXCL12 transfection in Sertoli cells increased homing efficiency. Overall, our findings identify GDNF and CXCL12 as SSC chemotactic factors in vitro and in vivo

臨地実習での学生自己評価 : 興味ある課題導入の有無による比較

臨地実習での学びを効果的にするために，３年課程３年次学生を対象に臨地実習固有の学習内容を用いた学生自己評価を継続しているが，自己評価得点は，実習開始前から中期にかけて上昇しても，中期から終了時には上昇しない傾向が続いた．そのため，成人看護学臨地実習（急性期）では，２００３年度後期に学生の興味・関心のあるテーマを課題学習として導入することを試みた．課題学習を導入した２００３年度後期（３６人）と導入しなかった２００１年度後期（３４人）の自己評価得点の差を統計的に検定することにより，課題学習の効果を検討した．その結果，以下の結果が得られた． ① 課題学習のテーマを決定する過程において，学生は，自己の学習状況を振り返り，整理することができた． ② 終了時の自己評価では，課題学習を導入しなかった２００１年度では４．０点以上の高得点の項目が２０項目であったのに対し，課題学習を導入した２００３年度では４０項目もあり，学生は学習内容に到達したと高く評価していた． これらのことより，興味・関心のあるテーマを課題学習として導入することは，学生の自発性を高め，学習内容に対する学生の到達度の認識を高める可能性があると考えられた．Objective : The purpose of this study was to assess the nursing students' recognitions of their achievement degrees for their educational goals in the clinical practices and discuss the effect of setting students the assignments of themes in which they had interested in the clinical practices. Methods : We used the self-evaluation questionnaire（６２ questions）. Self-evaluation was performed three times ; the first was before the clinical practice, at the middle point of the clinical practice and after the clinical practice. And we set the students assignments in which they had interested in the clinical practices at the middle point in２００３．And we didn't set them in２００１．Then we compared２００３with２００１，and we tested for equality between two means（p＜０．０５）． Results : １．The students assessed their clinical practices when they decided their own themes of assignments. ２．In the final evaluation, the students recognized they achieved their educational goals in４０items in２００３， though there were only２０items in２００１． Conclusion : These results suggest that it may be effective to set the students assignments of themes in which they had interested and that their arrival degrees may be raised by these programs

An interplay of NOX1-derived ROS and oxygen determines the spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal efficiency under hypoxia

酸素による活性酸素制御が精子形成に果たす役割を解明 --活性酸素制御の破綻が男性不妊を引き起こす--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-01-15.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH1 oxidase 1 (NOX1) are thought to drive spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) self-renewal through feed-forward production of ROS by the ROS-BCL6B-NOX1 pathway. Here we report the critical role of oxygen on ROS-induced self-renewal. Cultured SSCs proliferated poorly and lacked BCL6B expression under hypoxia despite increase in mitochondria-derived ROS. Due to lack of ROS amplification under hypoxia, NOX1-derived ROS were significantly reduced, and Nox1-deficient SSCs proliferated poorly under hypoxia but normally under normoxia. NOX1-derived ROS also influenced hypoxic response in vivo because Nox1-deficient undifferentiated spermatogonia showed significantly reduced expression of HIF1A, a master transcription factor for hypoxic response. Hypoxia-induced poor proliferation occurred despite activation of MYC and suppression of CDKN1A by HIF1A, whose deficiency exacerbated self-renewal efficiency. Impaired proliferation of Nox1- or Hif1a-deficient SSCs under hypoxia was rescued by Cdkn1a depletion. Consistent with these observations, Cdkn1a-deficient SSCs proliferated actively only under hypoxia but not under normoxia. On the other hand, chemical suppression of mitochondria-derived ROS or Top1mt mitochondria-specific topoisomerase deficiency did not influence SSC fate, suggesting that NOX1-derived ROS play a more important role in SSCs than mitochondria-derived ROS. These results underscore the importance of ROS origin and oxygen tension on SSC self-renewal