Pollution of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in the Airborne Particles in the Developing Countries in Asia Region

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

松本歯科大学病院における小児全身麻酔下集中歯科治療の検討 : 過去11年間の環境要因の変遷について

We investigated the actual child-rearing environment, considering factors such as hygiene training, among 177 children (102 boys, 75 girls) ranging from 1 year and 9 months to 7 years and 2 months in age who underwent intensive dental treatment under general anesthesia in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Matsumoto Dental University Hospital between January 1990 and December 2000. The following results were obtained. 1) The annual number of patients slightly increased between 1992 and 1994. Thereafter, the annual number of patients decreased slightly each year. 2) The mean age attreatmentwas 3 years and 7 months (44.5±12.9 months). 3) Concerning the regional distribution, more than 50% of the children came from Nagano Prefecture areas other than Shiojiri City, where our university is located. 4) With respect to feeding methods during infancy, most children were breast fed or mixed breast and bottle fed. Furthermore, any feeding irregularity was noted. 5) The mean interval from birth until the start of weaning was 7.5±4.1 months. The mean interval until completion of weaning was 16.0±6.3 months. 6) 95.5% of the children habitually brushed their teeth. The frequency of tooth brushing was "once a day" or "sometimes" in 69.5% of the children. 7) Overall, 46.9% of the children had received fluoride application

Molecular imaging of aberrant crypt foci in the human colon targeting glutathione S-transferase P1-1

Aberrant crypt foci (ACF), the earliest precursor lesion of colorectal cancers (CRCs), are a good surrogate marker for CRC risk stratification and chemoprevention. However, the conventional ACF detection method with dye-spraying by magnifying colonoscopy is labor- and skill-intensive. We sought to identify rat and human ACF using a fluorescent imaging technique that targets a molecule specific for ACF. We found that glutathione S-transferase (GST) P1-1 was overexpressed in ACF tissues in a screening experiment. We then synthesized the fluorogenic probe, DNAT-Me, which is fluorescently quenched but is activated by GSTP1-1. A CRC cell line incubated with DNAT-Me showed strong fluorescence in the cytosol. Fluorescence intensities correlated significantly with GST activities in cancer cell lines. When we sprayed DNAT-Me onto colorectal mucosa excised from azoxymethane-treated rats and surgically resected from CRC patients, ACF with strong fluorescent signals were clearly observed. The ACF number determined by postoperative DNAT-Me imaging was almost identical to that determined by preoperative methylene blue staining. The signal-to-noise ratio for ACF in DNAT-Me images was significantly higher than that in methylene blue staining. Thus, we sensitively visualized ACF on rat and human colorectal mucosa by using a GST-activated fluorogenic probe without dye-spraying and magnifying colonoscopy

Paradoxical development of polymyositis-like autoimmunity through augmented expression of autoimmune regulator (AIRE)

Autoimmunity is prevented by the function of the autoimmune regulator [AIRE (Aire in mice)], which promotes the expression of a wide variety of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) from medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and from a subset of peripheral antigen-presenting cells (APCs). We examined the effect of additive expression of human AIRE (huAIRE) in a model of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice. Unexpectedly, we observed that mice expressing augmented AIRE/Aire developed muscle-specific autoimmunity associated with incomplete maturation of mTECs together with impaired expression of Aire-dependent TRAs. This led to failure of deletion of autoreactive T cells together with dramatically reduced production of regulatory T cells in the thymus. In peripheral APCs, expression of costimulatory molecules was augmented. We suggest that levels of Aire expression need to be tightly controlled for maintenance of immunological tolerance. Our results also highlight the importance of coordinated action between central tolerance and peripheral tolerance under the common control of Aire

Serial examination of cardiac function and perfusion in growing rats using SPECT/CT for small animals

金沢大学疾患モデル総合研究センターFew studies have evaluated myocardial perfusion and ventricular function in normal, growing rats. We, therefore, evaluated serial changes in cardiac perfusion and function during the growth of normal rats using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with technetium (99mTc)-sestamibi. Gated SPECT was serially performed in six normal rats. The left ventricular end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF) were calculated with Quantitative Gated SPECT software. The perfusion distribution was calculated as the percentage uptake of each of the 17 segments using Quantitative Perfusion SPECT software. As expected, the body weight (BW) of the rats increased with growth, but their heart rates (HR) did not change over time. EF decreased very slowly over time and showed a negative correlation with BW. EDV, ESV and SV showed strong positive correlations with BW. There were no significant differences in the percentage segmental uptake in 13 of the 17 segments during growth, except for three basal and one apical segments. Therefore, a single normal database could be applied for the evaluation of perfusion abnormalities in rats of at least 8 to 28 weeks old. © 2020, The Author(s)

Ablation of TSC2 Enhances Insulin Secretion by Increasing the Number of Mitochondria through Activation of mTORC1

) mice. The present study examines the effects of TSC2 ablation on insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells. mice and TSC2 knockdown insulin 1 (INS-1) insulinoma cells treated with small interfering ribonucleic acid were used to investigate insulin secretion, ATP content and the expression of mitochondrial genes. mice exhibit hyperinsulinemia due to an increase in the number of mitochondria as well as enlargement of individual beta cells via activation of mTORC1.Activation of mTORC1 by TSC2 ablation increases mitochondrial biogenesis and enhances insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells

ゼイセイ ニオケル カゾク ノ トリアツカイ

Exemption for spouse and special exemption for spouse are at issues in respect of equity on tax burden, according as a view of family undergo changes. In this context, the purpose of this study is to search for directions of exemption for spouse and special exemption for spouse