Complex Analysis of a Piece of Toda Lattice

We study a small piece of two dimensional Toda lattice as a complex dynamical system. In particular the Julia set, which appears when the piece is deformed, is shown analytically how it disappears as the system approaches to the integrable limit.Comment: 17 pages, LaTe

Associations between dietary n-6 and n-3 fatty acids and arachidonic acid compositions in plasma and erythrocytes in young and elderly Japanese volunteers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We reported that the compositions of arachidonic acid (ARA) in erythrocytes and plasma phospholipids (PL) in the elderly were lower than those in the young, though the ARA intake was nearly identical.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>We further analyzed data in four study groups with different ages and sexes, and determined that the blood ARA levels were affected by the kinds of dietary fatty acids ingested.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and four healthy young and elderly volunteers were recruited. Dietary records together with photographic records from 28 consecutive days were reviewed and the fatty acid composition in plasma lipid fractions and erythrocyte PL was analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No correlations for ARA between dietary fatty acids and blood lipid fractions were observed. A significant negative correlation between eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake and ARA composition in erythrocyte PL was observed. ARA composition in erythrocyte PL was significantly lower in elderly subjects than in young subjects, because EPA and DHA intake in elderly subjects was higher than in young subjects. However, after removing the effect of dietary EPA+DHA intake, the ARA composition in erythrocyte PL in elderly subjects was significantly lower than that in young subjects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Changes in physical conditions with aging influenced the low ARA composition of erythrocyte in elderly subjects in addition to the effects of dietary EPA and DHA.</p

Outer membrane vesicles of Porphyromonas gingivalis: Novel communication tool and strategy

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been recognized as a universal method of cellular communications and are reportedly produced in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. Bacterial EVs are often called "Outer Membrane Vesicles" (OMVs) as they were the result of a controlled blebbing of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). Bacterial EVs are natural messengers, implicated in intra-and inter-species cell-to-cell communication among microorganism populations present in microbiota. Bacteria can incorporate their pathogens into OMVs; the content of OMVs differs, depending on the type of bacteria. The production of distinct types of OMVs can be mediated by different factors and routes. A recent study highlighted OMVs ability to carry crucial molecules implicated in immune modulation, and, nowadays, they are considered as a way to communicate and transfer messages from the bacteria to the host and vice versa. This review article focuses on the current understanding of OMVs produced from major oral bacteria, P. gingivalis: generation, characteristics, and contents as well as the involvement in signal transduction of host cells and systemic diseases. Our recent study regarding the action of P. gingivalis OMVs in the living body is also summarized

T cell self-reactivity forms a cytokine milieu for spontaneous development of IL-17+ Th cells that cause autoimmune arthritis

This report shows that highly self-reactive T cells produced in mice as a result of genetically altered thymic T cell selection spontaneously differentiate into interleukin (IL)-17–secreting CD4+ helper T (Th) cells (Th17 cells), which mediate an autoimmune arthritis that clinically and immunologically resembles rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The thymus-produced self-reactive T cells, which become activated in the periphery via recognition of major histocompatibility complex/self-peptide complexes, stimulate antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to secrete IL-6. APC-derived IL-6, together with T cell–derived IL-6, drives naive self-reactive T cells to differentiate into arthritogenic Th17 cells. Deficiency of either IL-17 or IL-6 completely inhibits arthritis development, whereas interferon (IFN)-γ deficiency exacerbates it. The generation, differentiation, and persistence of arthritogenic Th17 cells per se are, however, insufficient for producing overt autoimmune arthritis. Yet overt disease is precipitated by further expansion and activation of autoimmune Th17 cells, for example, via IFN-γ deficiency, homeostatic proliferation, or stimulation of innate immunity by microbial products. Thus, a genetically determined T cell self-reactivity forms a cytokine milieu that facilitates preferential differentiation of self-reactive T cells into Th17 cells. Extrinsic or intrinsic stimuli further expand these cells, thereby triggering autoimmune disease. Intervention in these events at cellular and molecular levels is useful to treat and prevent autoimmune disease, in particular RA

Outer membrane vesicles of Porphyromonas gingivalis : Novel communication tool and strategy

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been recognized as a universal method of cellular communications and are reportedly produced in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. Bacterial EVs are often called “Outer Membrane Vesicles” (OMVs) as they were the result of a controlled blebbing of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). Bacterial EVs are natural messengers, implicated in intra- and inter-species cell-to-cell communication among microorganism populations present in microbiota. Bacteria can incorporate their pathogens into OMVs; the content of OMVs differs, depending on the type of bacteria. The production of distinct types of OMVs can be mediated by different factors and routes. A recent study highlighted OMVs ability to carry crucial molecules implicated in immune modulation, and, nowadays, they are considered as a way to communicate and transfer messages from the bacteria to the host and vice versa. This review article focuses on the current understanding of OMVs produced from major oral bacteria, P. gingivalis: generation, characteristics, and contents as well as the involvement in signal transduction of host cells and systemic diseases. Our recent study regarding the action of P. gingivalis OMVs in the living body is also summarized

Measurement of the total neutron scattering cross section ratios of noble gases of natural isotopic composition using a pulsed neutron beam

Precision measurements of slow neutron cross sections with atoms have several scientific applications. In particular the n-$^{4}$He s-wave scattering length is important to know both for helping to constrain the nuclear three-body interaction and for the proper interpretation of several ongoing slow neutron experiments searching for other types of neutron-atom interactions. We present new measurements of the ratios of the neutron differential scattering cross sections for natural isotopic-abundance mixtures of the noble gases He, Ar, Kr, and Xe to natural isotopic abundance Ne. These measurements were performed using a recently developed neutron scattering apparatus for gas samples located on a pulsed slow neutron beamline which was designed to search for possible exotic neutron-atom interactions and employs both neutron time of flight information and a position-sensitive neutron detector for scattering event reconstruction. We found agreement with the literature values of scattering cross sections inferred from Ar/Ne, Kr/Ne and Xe/Ne differential cross section ratios over the $q$ range of $1 - 7$ nm$^{-1}$. However for the case of He/Ne we find that the cross section inferred differs by 11.3% (7.6 $\sigma$) from previously-reported values inferred from neutron phase shift measurements, but is in reasonable agreement with values from other measurements. The very large discrepancy in the He/Ne ratio calls for a new precision measurement of the n-$^{4}$He scattering length using neutron interferometry

Dengue virus type 2 unresponsive to the current PCR primer; : construction of a new PCR primer to detect all strains of Dengue virus type 2.

We found that one strain of dengue virus (Trinidad 1751; TR) did not respond to the PCR primer for Jamaica/83. We investigated such property with other 10 strains of dengue virus type 2 and found 2 more unresponsive strains. All 3 strains were isolated from the central America. To detect the envelope gene of those 3 strains by PCR, we synthesized primers based on TR strain as the reference sequence. Using these primers, we could detect the 3 strains by PCR at the usual annealing temperature. We recommed the new primer for diagnosis of DEN 2

Preferential recruitment of CCR6-expressing Th17 cells to inflamed joints via CCL20 in rheumatoid arthritis and its animal model

This report shows that interleukin (IL) 17–producing T helper type 17 (Th17) cells predominantly express CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 6 in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Th17 cells induced in vivo in normal mice via homeostatic proliferation similarly express CCR6, whereas those inducible in vitro by transforming growth factor β and IL-6 additionally need IL-1 and neutralization of interferon (IFN) γ and IL-4 for CCR6 expression. Forced expression of RORγt, a key transcription factor for Th17 cell differentiation, induces not only IL-17 but also CCR6 in naive T cells. Furthermore, Th17 cells produce CCL20, the known ligand for CCR6. Synoviocytes from arthritic joints of mice and humans also produce a large amount of CCL20, with a significant correlation (P = 0.014) between the amounts of IL-17 and CCL20 in RA joints. The CCL20 production by synoviocytes is augmented in vitro by IL-1β, IL-17, or tumor necrosis factor α, and is suppressed by IFN-γ or IL-4. Administration of blocking anti-CCR6 monoclonal antibody substantially inhibits mouse arthritis. Thus, the joint cytokine milieu formed by T cells and synovial cells controls the production of CCL20 and, consequently, the recruitment of CCR6+ arthritogenic Th17 cells to the inflamed joints. These results indicate that CCR6 expression contributes to Th17 cell function in autoimmune disease, especially in autoimmune arthritis such as RA

A role for fungal β-glucans and their receptor Dectin-1 in the induction of autoimmune arthritis in genetically susceptible mice

A combination of genetic and environmental factors can cause autoimmune disease in animals. SKG mice, which are genetically prone to develop autoimmune arthritis, fail to develop the disease under a microbially clean condition, despite active thymic production of arthritogenic autoimmune T cells and their persistence in the periphery. However, in the clean environment, a single intraperitoneal injection of zymosan, a crude fungal β-glucan, or purified β-glucans such as curdlan and laminarin can trigger severe chronic arthritis in SKG mice, but only transient arthritis in normal mice. Blockade of Dectin-1, a major β-glucan receptor, can prevent SKG arthritis triggered by β-glucans, which strongly activate dendritic cells in vitro in a Dectin-1–dependent but Toll-like receptor-independent manner. Furthermore, antibiotic treatment against fungi can prevent SKG arthritis in an arthritis-prone microbial environment. Multiple injections of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid double-stranded RNA also elicit mild arthritis in SKG mice. Thus, specific microbes, including fungi and viruses, may evoke autoimmune arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis by stimulating innate immunity in individuals who harbor potentially arthritogenic autoimmune T cells as a result of genetic anomalies or variations