Differences in Involucrin Immunolabeling Within Cornified Cell Envelopes in Normal and Psoriatic Epidermis

Epidermal keratinocytes form a cornified cell envelope (CE) beneath the plasma membrane during the late stages of differentiation, This CE is stabilized by cross linking of several precursor proteins, including involucrin, In psoriasis, the expression pattern of the precursor proteins is known to be deranged; involucrin expression is increased and loricrin expression is decreased. However, these changes have not been previously evaluated ultrastructurally. In the present study, we performed light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry in conjunction with conventional transmission electron microscopy to assess the nature of involucrin involvement in normal and psoriatic CEs. In normal epidermis, CEs were observed from the deepest cornified cells or, when present, from the transitional cells, increasing In thickness and changing electron densities with maturation. In psoriatic epidermis, CE formation started earlier, one to several cells below the cornified layer. Psoriatic CEs were generally thinner and showed a constant high electron density. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that the normal CE was involucrin positive only at a very early stage, whereas psoriatic CE showed persistent involucrin immunoreactivity. These results suggest that in normal skin, involucrin is the major constituent of the CE only In its early stages of assembly. In contrast, CE formation seems to be initiated prematurely in psoriatic skin, where involucrin remains the major constituent of the CE during maturation

ハワイ人およびチャモロー人の四肢骨の形態特徴

The metric characteristics of the limb bones of the Hawaiian and Chamorro were investigated. Although there is no difference between the Hawaiian and Chamorro in bone length, the diameters and circumferences of the shafts show a considerable difference. Compared with the skeletal samples from Japan, the Hawaiian are similar to the Jomon and Ainu while the Chamorro are at a good distance from the Japanese series. However, the Jomon and Ainu form a contrast to the Hawaiian in relative length of radius and ulna. Because both the functional adaptations and some genetic factors may contribute to the formation of limb bone morphology, it is necessary to select useful items for understanding human variation

環太平洋地域の人類集団の頭蓋形態小変異 : 太平洋民族の起源を求めて

Cranial nonmetric traits of the Pacific and other Asian populations were investigated. The frequency of the supraorbital foramen in the Hawaiian people is as high as in the Asian peoples with the Chamorro people having low incidence. The Hawaiian and Chamorro peoples have the lowest incidences of transverse zygomatic suture vestige of all populations compared, and distance analyses revealed that although not being very near each other, they are both closer to the East Asian and inland Siberians than to the Jomon-Ainu or to other Siberian or Arctic peoples. The analysis of cranial nonmetric variation failed to support a direct affinity for the Jomon to the Pacific peoples

Persistent increase in the amount of aquaporin-5 in the apical plasma membrane of rat parotid acinar cells induced by a muscarinic agonist SNI-2011

AbstractSNI-2011 induces the long-lasting increase in the amount of aquaporin-5 (AQP5) in apical plasma membranes (APMs) of rat parotid acini in a concentration-dependent manner. This induction was inhibited by p-F-HHSiD, U73122, TMB-8, or dantrolene but not by bisindolmaleimide or H-7, indicating that SNI-2011 acting at M3 muscarinic receptors induced translocation of AQP5 via [Ca2+]i elevation but not via the activation of protein kinase C. In contrast, acetylcholine induced a transient translocation of AQP5 to APMs. SNI-2011 induces long-lasting oscillations of [Ca2+]i in the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Thus, SNI-2011 induces a long-lasting translocation of AQP5 to APMs coupled with persistent [Ca2+]i oscillations

Numerical study of solitary wave propagation in curved channels

金沢大学理工研究域環境デザイン学系A numerical model is developed for the extended Boussinesq equations expressed in the generalized curvilinear coordinate system. The model is applied to the study of solitary wave propagation through circular channels. The general features of solitary wave propagation are described and the effects of channel width and incident wave height on the transmission and reflection properties are examined. It is shown that the wave transformation becomes significant in wide channels. The maximum crest height at the outer wall of channel is then investigated in detail. The maximum crest height can reach almost twice as large as the incident wave amplitude in wide channels. The numerical results indicate that the maximum crest height can be correlated fairy well with a single dimensionless parameter