Involvement of autophagy in trypsinogen activation within the pancreatic acinar cells

Autophagy is mostly a nonselective bulk degradation system within cells. Recent reports indicate that autophagy can act both as a protector and killer of the cell depending on the stage of the disease or the surrounding cellular environment (for review see Cuervo, A.M. 2004. Trends Cell Biol. 14:70–77). We found that cytoplasmic vacuoles induced in pancreatic acinar cells by experimental pancreatitis were autophagic in origin, as demonstrated by microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 expression and electron microscopy experiments. To analyze the role of macroautophagy in acute pancreatitis, we produced conditional knockout mice lacking the autophagy-related 5 gene in acinar cells. Acute pancreatitis was not observed, except for very mild edema in a restricted area, in conditional knockout mice. Unexpectedly, trypsinogen activation was greatly reduced in the absence of autophagy. These results suggest that autophagy exerts devastating effects in pancreatic acinar cells by activation of trypsinogen to trypsin in the early stage of acute pancreatitis through delivering trypsinogen to the lysosome

Differences in Trocar Positioning within the Vertebral Body Using Two Different Positioning Methods: Effect on Trainee Performance

Purpose. To evaluate the educational effect of the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology 7th Academic Summer Seminar from a technical perspective. Materials and Methods. Nineteen trainees participated in the seminar. The seminar consisted of vertebroplasty trainings using swine with the single-plane landmark method and with the ISOcenter Puncture (ISOP) method. All trainees were advised by an instructor as they operated the instruments and punctured the vertebra. For each trainee, the accuracy in the final position of the needle tip of the initial puncture in each swine training was evaluated. Results. Error in the final position of the needle tip of ≥5 mm from the target puncture site occurred in the lateral direction in 42% (8/19) of trainees with the landmark method and 5% (1/19) with the ISOP method. No error ≥5 mm occurred in the vertical or anteroposterior directions. In terms of puncture accuracy, error in the lateral direction was significantly lower with the ISOP method than with the landmark method (2.2 ± 1.5 mm versus 5.6 ± 3.2 mm). Conclusion. This seminar was effective training for trocar placement for beginners. The puncture was more accurate with the ISOP method than with the landmark method

Seasonal level of hemoagglutinin inhibitinlt and its 2-mercaptoethanol sensitive antibody in the sera of swine (Epidemiological Study on Japanese Encephalitis, 67)

Seasonal level of hemoagglutinin inhibiting and its 2 -mercaptoethanol sensitive antibody in the sera of swine were researched and the following results were obtained. 1. The positive rate of hemoagglutination inhibit reaction (HI reaction) on swine showed 100% at maximum in the middle of September. 1980. The positive rate of 2-ME sensitive antibody showed the titer of over 1 : 40 with all swine examined in the middle of August, 1980. 2. The positive rate of HI reaction of inhabitants at Mukaiyama in Kurashiki City was 76.0% (on 8th in July, 1980) indicating the rather big decrease being compared with annual value of 90.6%, in 1976. Date indicated that increase In JE virus in swine as source of infection thought to be a vector of JE, caused a genuine case of JE, in 1980, as described below. 3. Higher positive rate of HI reaction and 2-ME sensitive positive rate of swine were observed in 1980. 4. One patient who suffered from JE was found In Kurashiki City in 1980. 5. Henceforth and continuously, Japanese Encephalitis should be investigated, above all on its occurance order with the number or Ct or the positive rate of hemoagglutination inhibit reaction in inhahitants and swine, etc. considering that J.E. has a high lethality rate and often leaves the terrible J. E. residue to patients

Mercury uptake by Natto Hay Bacillus extract

Crude Natto Hay Bacillus extract of catalase without hydrogen peroxide showed a 22% decrease with hydrogen peroxide. With hydrogen peroxide plus potassium cyanide, a 48% decrease occurred with hydrogen peroxide, in regard to the ability to take up mercury from air saturated with mercury vapour. Purified extract without hydrogen peroxide showed a 63% decrease with hydrogen peroxide compared to hydrogen peroxide plus potassium cyanide which showed a 76% decrease with hydrogen peroxide alone. Hydrogen peroxide plus sodium azide showed a 97% decrease with hydrogen peroxide alone. The results were similar to human and mouse normal and acatalasemic erythrocytes or mouse lung and liver homogenates. Natto Hay Bacillus extract of catalase took up mercury from air saturated with mercury vapour. This indicates that the catalase-hydrogen peroxide system plays a role in mercury uptake presumably by oxidation

Mercury uptake by Mushroom (Shiitake) and its extract

Mushroom (Shiitake) grown on wood (Kashi) was exposed to mercury vapor and the mercury uptake was measured. With lapse of time, mushroom (Shiitake) took up metallic mercury at the plait of the cap and this increased daily. After about ten days, it reached a level of 4.5 μg/g, at which it remained constant. Shiitake crude extract took up mercury. Catalase and peroxidase inhibitor Potassium cyanide (KCN), Sodium azide (NaN(3)) and specific catalase inhibitor 3-Amino-1,2,4 Triazole (AT) inhibited mercury uptake respectively. Crude Shiitake extract without hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) showed a 53% decrease with H(2)O(2), and with H(2)O(2) plus KCN a 47% (5mM KCN), a 60% (10mM KCN), a 65% (20mM KCN) decrease occurred with H(2)O(2), in regard to the ability to take up mercury from air saturated with mercury vapor. Shiitake crude extract with H(2)O(2) plus NaN(3) inhibited mercury uptake almost completely, and with L-Ascorbic acid (VC) plus AT a 72% (5mM AT), a 89% (10mM AT), a 90% (20mM AT) decrease occurred, and with H(2)O(2) plus VC plus AT a 77% (5mM AT), a 90% (10mM AT), a 90% (20mM AT) decrease occurred. 3-Amino-1,2,4 Triazole, a specific catalase inhibitor, inhibited catalase activity and mercury uptake. This showed that Shiitake crude extract takes up mercury from air saturated with mercury vapor by hydrogen peroxide and catalase