Comparative analysis of T and B-cell subpopulations in normal thymus and thymus of myasthenia gravis

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました。A clinico-pathological investigation was performed, examining T and B-cell subpopulations of normal and myasthenia thymus. The proportion of T-cells in healthy human thymus was found to be high (96-99%), as detected by the cytotoxicity method using the antithymocyte serum plus complement (T-ATS). A second test, likewise, confirmed this with similar results, using the E-rosette method with SRBC (T-E). B-cells in healthy thymus were low (0-3%), when measured by the EAC-rosette method employing SRBC and anti-SRBC antibody with mouse complement. However, in tests on myasthenic thymus cells the proportion of T-cells was low (43-88%). On the other hand, B-cells were found to be significantly higher (10-35%) than for healthy thymus cells. Furthermore, the use of these two testing methods, i.e. T-E and T-ATS, provided a noticeable difference between their results in the total T-cell counts for each group. A further item of interest was detected by the dissociation between the proportion of T-ATS and T-E for myasthenic cells. In most cases, healthy thymus cells were sensitive to even the lowest concentrations of ATS (1 : 2, 408). On the other hand, some myasthenic thymus cells seem to have a low amount of thymic antigen, even at high concentrations, since they were not killed by higher dilutions of ATS. This tendency was similar for both cell samples collected from thymomatous and non-thymomatous areas of myasthenic patients

Tilings from some non-irreducible, Pisot substitutions

A generating method of self-affine tilings for Pisot, unimodular, irreducible substitutions, as well as the fact that the associated substitution dynamical systems are isomorphic to rotations on the torus are established in P. Arnoux and S. Ito. The aim of this paper is to extend these facts in the case where the characteristic polynomial of a substitution is non-irreducible for a special class of substitutions on five letters. Finally we show that the substitution dynamical systems for this class are isomorphic to induced transformations of rotations on the torus

Desenvolvimento de inferências para colunas de destilação de uma unidade de processamento de gás natural

O objetivo básico do processamento do gás natural é separar seus componentes em produtos com especificação definida e controlada, para que possam ser utilizados com alto desempenho em aplicações específicas, permitindo a incorporação de maior valor agregado aos produtos gerados. Em uma Unidade de Processamento de Gás Natural (UPGN), o gás liquefeito de petróleo (GLP) é um dos produtos com grande potencial financeiro e que precisa estar de acordo com normas específicas para ser comercializado. Porém, a determinação das composições das correntes de saída nas colunas de destilação geralmente é realizada utilizando-se cromatógrafos, cujo tempo de análise é elevado, inviabilizando a elaboração de estratégias de controle que melhorem o desempenho da planta. Uma forma de contornar esse problema, e desta forma garantir que a planta continue trabalhando de forma eficiente e segura, é a implementação de inferências que consistem em modelos matemáticos que através de variáveis facilmente mensuráveis conseguem predizer as variáveis desejadas numa alta freqüência de tempo. A aplicação da inferência tem como objetivo minimizar a dificuldade encontrada em determinar a composição dos produtos e facilitar a aquisição destes dados. Neste contexto, será utilizada uma UPGN (pertencente à Petrobrás), simulada no EMSO (Environment for Modeling, Simulation and Optimization), formada pela coluna desetanizadora que é a responsável pela separação de etano dos demais componentes. Esta torre foi escolhida para inferência das composições das correntes de saída de topo afim de que seja possível o melhor controle do processo, minimizando as perdas de GLP (propano e butano) no topo. Desta forma, este trabalho tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento do modelo dinâmico e estacionário de uma coluna de destilação multicomponente segundo o conceito de estágios de equilíbrio e eficiência de estágios para as não idealidades, simulação do processo (dinâmico e estacionário) e obter a validação do modelo (dinâmico e estacionário) capaz de realizar inferências de composição de saída da unidade de destilação

Effect of Hyperprolactinemia Induced by Prolactinoma (MtT/F84) on the Accessory Sexual Organs of Male Rat

A new transplantable prolactinoma, designated MtT/F84 has been serially passaged in female F344 rats. Persistently high levels of serum prolactin could be achieved in male F344 rats by MtT/F84 inoculating under the skin. This investigation deals with the effects of hyperprolactinemia upon the accessory sexual organs of male rats during puberty. The weights and the concentrations of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the dorsal prostate increased significantly in rats with moderate hyperprolactinemia (756 ± 179 ng/ml), but they in rats with marked hyperprolactinemia (3612 ± 1089 ng/ml) were similar t.o those of control rats. In contrast, serum testosterone levels (0.52 ± 0/17 ng/ml) in those of hyperprolactinemic rats were significantly decreased compared to that of controls (1.11± 0.13 ng/ml). These results suggested that the growth-promoting effect of prolactin on the rat prostate mediated through the action of androgen varied according to the degree of hyperprolactinemia

Slc12a8 in the lateral hypothalamus maintains energy metabolism and skeletal muscle functions during aging

Sarcopenia and frailty are urgent socio-economic problems worldwide. Here we demonstrate a functional connection between the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and skeletal muscle through Slc12a8, a recently identified nicotinamide mononucleotide transporter, and its relationship to sarcopenia and frailty. Slc12a8-expressing cells are mainly localized in the LH. LH-specific knockdown of Slc12a8 in young mice decreases activity-dependent energy and carbohydrate expenditure and skeletal muscle functions, including muscle mass, muscle force, intramuscular glycolysis, and protein synthesis. LH-specific Slc12a8 knockdown also decreases sympathetic nerve signals at neuromuscular junctions and β2-adrenergic receptors in skeletal muscle, indicating the importance of the LH-sympathetic nerve-β2-adrenergic receptor axis. LH-specific overexpression of Slc12a8 in aged mice significantly ameliorates age-associated decreases in energy expenditure and skeletal muscle functions. Our results highlight an important role of Slc12a8 in the LH for regulation of whole-body metabolism and skeletal muscle functions and provide insights into the pathogenesis of sarcopenia and frailty during aging

親子ウオッチングの観察記録に付したコメントと観察場所の分析を通して : 保育者養成の教育課程における新たな目標

本研究は、学生による親子ウオッチングの観察記録およびコメントを、親子どちらに着眼し、またどのような視点・態度から書かれたものか分析し、観察場所を分類した結果から、子どもに対して道徳的評価の視点をもつこと、親に対しては認知的・共感的態度をもつことが保育者養成課程における新たな教育目標として設定される必要のあることを示し、その達成には親子と交流する機会を設定することが必要であると提案するものである

Epoprostenol Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by elevation of pulmonary artery pressure caused by pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling, which leads to right heart failure and death. Epoprostenol (prostaglandin I2) has a potent short-acting vasodilator property, and intravenous continuous epoprostenol is therefore used for treatment of PAH. Here we review evidence for the usefulness of intravenous continuous epoprostenol therapy in patients with PAH. Epoprostenol therapy is effective in idiopathic PAH patients and in patients with PAH associated with connective tissue disease, portal hypertension or congenital heart diseases, but it is not effective in patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease or pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis. High-dose epoprostenol therapy markedly improved hemodynamics in some patients with PAH, possibly due to reverse remodeling of pulmonary arteries. This therapy has several side effects and complications such as headache, hypotension and catheter-related infections. Intravenous continuous epoprostenol is an effective treatment, but there are still some problems to be resolved

Advanced Microscopic Evaluation of Parallel Type I and Type II Cell deaths Induced by Multi-functionalized Gold Nanocages in Breast Cancer

Despite aggressive surgical resections and combinatorial chemoradiations, certain highly malignant populations of tumor cells resurrect and metastasize. Mixed-grade cancer cells fail to respond to standard-of-care therapies by developing intrinsic chemoresistance and subsequently result in tumor relapse. Macroautophagy is a membrane trafficking process that underlies drug resistance and tumorigenesis in most breast cancers. Manipulating cellular homeostasis by a combinatorial nanotherapeutic model, one can evaluate the crosstalk between type I and type II cell death and decipher the fate of cancer therapy. Here, we present a multi-strategic approach in cancer targeting to mitigate the autophagic flux with subcellular toxicity via lysosome permeation, accompanied by mitochondrial perturbation and apoptosis. In this way, a nanoformulation is developed with a unique blend of a lysosomotropic agent, an immunomodulating sulfated-polysaccharide, an adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent, and a monoclonal antibody as a broad-spectrum complex for combinatorial nanotherapy of all breast cancers. To the best of our knowledge, this manuscript illustrates for the first time the applications of advanced microscopic techniques such as electron tomography, three-dimensional rendering and segmentation of subcellular interactions, and fate of the multifunctional therapeutic gold nanocages specifically targeted toward breast cancer cells