Enhancement of norepinephrine-induced transient contraction in aortic smooth muscle of diabetic mice.

Changes in norepinephrine-induced transient contractions in Ca2+-deficient solution were investigated in the aortic smooth muscles of diabetic ALS (alloxan-induced diabetes susceptible) mice. The transient contractions in diabetic mice were significantly larger than those in normal mice. The longer incubation of the muscle preparations in Ca2+-deficient solution made the transient contractions smaller, probably due to the leakage and decrease in norepinephrine-releasable stored Ca2+. The rate of this reduction in contraction was slower in diabetic mice. These results suggest that the leakage of intracellular stored Ca2+ caused by extracellular Ca2+ deficiency is attenuated in diabetic mice, contributing to enhanced norepinephrine-induced transient contractions.</p

Effects of heat treatment on human hair keratin film

5ArticleJOURNAL OF JAPANESE COSMETIC SCIENCE SOCIETY. 37(3):165-170 (2013)journal articl

The lectin‐like domain of thrombomodulin is a drug candidate for both prophylaxis and treatment of liver ischemia and reperfusion injury in mice

Ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) can occur in any tissue or organ. With respect to liver transplantation, the liver grafts from donors by definition experience transient ischemia and subsequent blood reflow. IRI is a problem not only in organ transplantation but also in cases of thrombosis or circulatory disorders such as mesenteric ischemia, myocardial, or cerebral infarction. We have reported that recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rTM), which is currently used in Japan to treat disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), has a protective effect and suppresses liver IRI in mice. However, rTM may not be fully safe to use in humans because of its inherent anticoagulant activity. In the present study, we used a mouse liver IRI model to explore the possibility that the isolated lectin-like domain of rTM (rTMD1), which has no anticoagulant activity, could be effective as a therapeutic modality for IRI. Our results indicated that rTMD1 could suppress ischemia and reperfusion-induced liver damage in a dose-dependent manner without concern of associated hemorrhage. Surprisingly, rTMD1 suppressed the liver damage even after IR insult had occurred. Taken together, we conclude that rTMD1 may be a candidate drug for prevention of and therapy for human liver IRI without the possible risk of hemorrhage

Radiofrequency Ablation with the Real-Time Virtual Sonography System for Treating Hepatocellular Carcinoma Difficult to Detect by Ultrasonography

Radiofrequency ablation has been applied to treat hepatocellular carcinoma, with favorable therapeutic outcomes. Nevertheless, practitioners have approached radiofrequency ablation with some reluctance due to the difficulty of identifying isoechoic tumors and recurrent tumors. The aim of the present study is to investigate the efficacy of Real-time Virtual Sonography to treat hepatocellular carcinoma difficult to detect by conventional ultrasonography. Real-time Virtual Sonography is a system generating multiplanar reconstruction images in real-time using the Hitachi medico EUB-8500 equipped with a probe. The system included following components: 1) digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) data from dynamic CT, 2) a magnetic field generator to match the multiplanar reconstruction image on the monitor and the actual ultrasonography image, 3) the cross section with the tumor displayed as a multiplanar reconstruction image. Total twenty-five nodules of twenty-one patients underwent radiofrequency ablation monitored by Real-time Virtual Sonography. All nodules difficult to detect via conventional ultrasonography were clearly visualized in real-time. The average nodule diameter was 2.4 ± 1.6 cm, and punctures and coagulation were performed an average of 2.2 and 3 times per session. Dynamic CT after session confirmed effective coagulation of each nodule. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the present system is capable of effectively and accurately treating tumors difficult to detect by conventional ultrasonography

Complement-5 Inhibition Deters Progression of Fulminant Hepatitis to Acute Liver Failure in Murine Models

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a life-threatening condition with limited treatment alternatives. ALF pathogenesis seemingly involves the complement system. However, no complement-targeted intervention has been clinically applied. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential of Complement-5 (C5)-targeted ALF treatment. METHODS: ALF was induced in C5-knockout (KO, B10D2/oSn) mice and their wild-type (WT) counterparts (B10D2/nSn) through intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and d-galactosamine (D-GalN) administration. Thereafter, monoclonal anti-C5 antibody (Ab) or control immunoglobulin was administered intravenously. Furthermore, a selective C5a-receptor (C5aR) antagonist was administered to WT mice to compare its efficacy with that of anti-C5-Ab-mediated total C5 inhibition. We clarified the therapeutic effect of delayed anti-C5-Ab administration after LPS/D-GalN challenge. We also assessed the efficacy of anti-C5-Ab in another ALF model, using concanavalin-A. RESULTS: Liver injury was evident 6 hours after LPS/D-GalN administration. C5-KO and anti-C5-Ab treatment significantly improved overall animal survival and significantly reduced serum transaminase and high-mobility group box-1 release with decreased histological tissue damage. This improvement was characterized by significantly reduced CD41+ platelet aggregation, maintained F4/80+ cells, and less infiltration of CD11+/Ly6-G+ cells with lower cytokine/chemokine expression. Furthermore, C5-KO and anti-C5-Ab downregulated tumor necrosis factor-α production by macrophages before inducing marked liver injury. Moreover, single-stranded-DNA cells and caspase activation were reduced, indicating significant attenuation of apoptosis. Anti-C5-Ab treatment protected the liver more effectively than the C5aR antagonist, and its delayed doses were hepatoprotective. In addition, anti-C5-Ab treatment was effective against concanavalin-A-induced ALF. CONCLUSIONS: C5 inhibition effectively suppresses progression to ALF in mice models of fulminant hepatitis, serving as a new potential treatment strategy for ALF

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration as a presentation of breast cancer – a case report and review of the literature

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is part of a rare spectrum of neurological syndromes whereby gynaecological, lung or breast cancers present primarily with neurological manifestations. The presence of onconeural antibodies and PET scanning help in the challenging diagnosis of these conditions but despite the treatment of the primary cancer, the prognosis for the neurological symptoms is poor

Quantitative resistance and its components in 16 barley cultivars to yellow rust, Puccinia striiformis f.sp. hordei

Sixteen barley cultivars with a susceptible infection type (IT = 7-8) in the seedling stage to an isolate of race 24 of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. hordei were planted at two locations in México. Disease severity (DS) parameters were assessed for the flag leaf and for the upper three leaves. The cultivars represented at least five levels of quantitative resistance ranging from very susceptible to quite resistant. ¿Granado¿, ¿Gloria/Copal¿ and ¿Calicuchima-92¿ represented the most resistant group and had an IT of 7 or 8. The cultivar × environment interaction variance, although significant, was very small compared with the cultivar variance. The disease severity parameters were highly correlated. The monocyclic parameter DSm, measured when the most susceptible cultivar had reached its maximum DS, was very highly correlated with the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), r being 0.98. Components of quantitative resistance were evaluated in two plant stages. In the seedling stage small cultivar effects for the latency period were observed, which were not correlated with the quantitative resistance measured in the field. In the adult plant stage the latency period (LP), infection frequency (IF) and colonization rate (CR) were measured in the upper two leaves. The LP was much longer than in the seedling stage and differed strongly between cultivars. The differences in IF were too large, those in CR varied much less. The components showed association with one another. The LP and IF were well correlated with the AUDPC (r = 0.7-0.8)