Subcellular localization of glucocorticoid receptor protein in the human kidney glomerulus

Subcellular localization of glucocorticoid receptor protein in the human kidney glomerulus.BackgroundThe detailed mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and progressive glomerulonephritides have not been clearly elucidated. The pharmacological actions of glucocorticoids are mediated by their binding to an intracellular protein, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The determination of GR localization in normal glomerular cells is essential to elucidate the mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in various glomerular diseases.MethodsWe carried out an immunoblot examination using antihuman GR-specific antibody and homogenates of isolated normal human glomeruli and mesangial cells in culture. Immunohistochemical examinations were also performed on normal human kidney specimens at light and electron microscopic levels. The nuclear translocation of GRs elicited by ligand binding was further investigated by confocal laser-scanning microscopic inspection of freshly isolated glomeruli and mesangial cells cultured with dexamethasone.ResultsAn immunoblot examination demonstrated the presence of a 94 kDa protein, a molecular weight consistent with that of GRs, in the homogenates of glomeruli and cultured mesangial cells. By light microscopic examination, GRs were strongly detected in the nucleus and moderately in the cytoplasm of all glomerular cells, parietal and visceral epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and mesangial cells. By electron microscopic examination, the nuclear GRs of all glomerular cells were found to be diffusely distributed in the euchromatin. Additionally, the immunofluorescence intensities of nuclear GRs in isolated glomeruli and mesangial cells in culture became more intense by the addition of dexamethasone.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that all subsets of human glomerular cells definitely express the GR protein, which potentially undergoes translocation by glucocorticoids

Japanese cross-cultural validation study of the Pain Stage of Change Questionnaire.

Introduction:Although evidence supports efficacy of treatments that enhance self-management of chronic pain, the efficacy of these treatments has been hypothesized to be influenced by patient readiness for self-management. The Pain Stage of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) is a reliable and valid measure of patient readiness to self-manage pain. However, there is not yet a Japanese version of the PSOCQ (PSOCQ-J), which limits our ability to evaluate the role of readiness for pain self-management in function and treatment response in Japanese patients with chronic pain.Objective:Here, we sought to develop the PSOCQ-J and evaluate its psychometric properties.Methods:We recruited 201 patients with chronic pain. The study participants were asked to complete the PSOCQ-J and other measures assessing pain severity, pain interference, catastrophizing, self-efficacy, and pain coping strategies.Results:The results supported a 4-factor structure of the PSOCQ-J. We also found good to excellent internal consistencies and good test-retest reliabilities for the 4 scales. The Precontemplation scale had weak to moderate positive correlations with measures of pain-related dysfunction and maladaptive coping. The Action and Maintenance scales had weak to moderate positive correlations with measures of self-efficacy and adaptive coping. The Contemplation scale had weak positive correlations with measures of pain interference and both adaptive and maladaptive coping.Conclusions:The PSOCQ-J demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in a sample of Japanese patients with chronic pain. This measure can be used to evaluate the role that readiness to self-manage pain may play in adjustment to chronic pain in Japanese pain populations

Fe-Pt Thick Film Magnets Prepared by High-Speed PLD Method

Fe 50 Pt 50 film magnets were prepared by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method under the high deposition rate. Increase in a laser power enabled us to increase the deposition rate and obtain Fe-Pt thick films with good mechanical properties. The maximum deposition rate of 50 μm/h can be achieved at the laser power of 9 W. Although a substrate heating system was not comprised in our PLD apparatus, the substrate temperature showed higher than 673 K as the laser power exceeded 5 W. In the as-deposited films prepared under the laser power ranging between 5 and 9 W, order-disorder transformation occurred and the values of coercivity of the samples became higher than 400 kA/m