Quantitative Evaluation of Osteocyte Morphology and Bone Anisotropic Extracellular Matrix in Rat Femur

Osteocytes are believed to play a crucial role in mechanosensation and mechanotransduction which are important for maintenance of mechanical integrity of bone. Recent investigations have revealed that the preferential orientation of bone extracellular matrix (ECM) mainly composed of collagen fibers and apatite crystallites is one of the important determinants of bone mechanical integrity. However, the relationship between osteocytes and ECM orientation remains unclear. In this study, the association between ECM orientation and anisotropy in the osteocyte lacuno-canalicular system, which is thought to be optimized along with the mechanical stimuli, was investigated using male rat femur. The degree of ECM orientation along the femur longitudinal axis was significantly and positively correlated with the anisotropic features of the osteocyte lacunae and canaliculi. At the femur middiaphysis, there are the osteocytes with lacunae that highly aligned along the bone long axis (principal stress direction) and canaliculi that preferentially extended perpendicular to the bone long axis, and the highest degree of apatite c-axis orientation along the bone long axis was shown. Based on these data, we propose a model in which osteocytes can change their lacuno-canalicular architecture depending on the mechanical environment so that they can become more susceptible to mechanical stimuli via fluid flow in the canalicular channel.Ishimoto T., Kawahara K., Matsugaki A., et al. Quantitative Evaluation of Osteocyte Morphology and Bone Anisotropic Extracellular Matrix in Rat Femur. Calcified Tissue International, 109, 4, 434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-021-00852-1

Pathological Examination of Experimentally Induced Periodontal Polyp in Mice

The mechanism in the formation of periodontal polyp has been established in several histological studies but details on cell differentiation and/or proliferation have not been elucidated. In the present study, we established a convenient and possible experimental system using ddY mice. Briefly, pentobarbital sodium (Somnopentyl) was injected into the abdominal cavity of the mouse followed by access cavity preparation on maxillary first molar using low speed ½ round bur (Merufa Inc), exposing the pulp and then allowed to perforate the floor of the pulp chamber. Observation was done over time until 6 months using micro CT (m_CT) image photography. Results with transmission image using m_CT showed theexpansion in the width of the periodontal ligament in the furcation area. The lesion was excised as one mass and examined histopathologically. The granulation tissue was covered with stratified squamous epithelium. The present experimental technique has been confirmed to be effective in analyzing the formation of periodontal polyp induced by mechanical perforation

マウスにおける実験的根尖部炎症病変の確立

Abstract: Although studies on the formation of apical periodontitis have somehow been carried out but detailed cellular dynamics remain unclear. We recently established an experiment that could easily be performed using ddY mice. First, under general anesthesia using isoflurane inhalation, the coronal portion of the maxillary first molar was penetrated using a round bur and drill with water irrigation causing pulp exposure until the root apex. Micro computed tomography (R_mCT) was taken over time during observation. Four weeks later, R_mCT confirmed the presence of a radiolucent image at the apex of the tooth, which was then removed for histological examination. The results showed that granulation tissue with fibrosis had gradually formed at the periphery of the abscess. The present method confirmed the effectiveness of the experimental mode to exmine the formation of chronic inflammatory lesions at the root apex.根尖部炎症病変のマウスモデルを作製した。マウスをイソフラン吸入により麻酔し、上顎第1大臼歯の歯冠部をラウンドバーにより貫通させた後、水の灌注により穴をあけて根尖まで歯髄を露出させた。処置の4週間後、根尖部にX線透過性部位が存在することが、マイクロコンピュータートモグラフィーにより確認された。この部位について組織学的検査を行った結果、線維増生を示す肉芽組織が膿瘍の周辺に徐々に形成されることが明らかになった。以上より、本モデルは根尖部の慢性炎症病変の形成を調べる上で有用であることが示された

de Haas-van Alphen Effect in the Two-Dimensional and the Quasi-Two-Dimensional Systems

We study the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillation in two-dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional systems. We give a general formula of the dHvA oscillation in two-dimensional multi-band systems. By using this formula, the dHvA oscillation and its temperature-dependence for the two-band system are shown. By introducing the interlayer hopping $t_z$, we examine the crossover from the two-dimension, where the oscillation of the chemical potential plays an important role in the magnetization oscillation, to the three-dimension, where the oscillation of the chemical potential can be neglected as is well know as the Lifshitz and Kosevich formula. The crossover is seen at $4 t_z \sim 8 ta b H /\phi_0$, where a and b are lattice constants, $\phi_0$ is the flux quantum and 8t is the width of the total energy band. We also study the dHvA oscillation in quasi-two-dimensional magnetic breakdown systems. The quantum interference oscillations such as $\beta-\alpha$ oscillation as well as the fundamental oscillations are suppressed by the interlayer hopping $t_z$, while the $\beta+\alpha$ oscillation gradually increases as $t_z$ increases and it has a maximum at $t_z/t\approx 0.025$. This interesting dependence on the dimensionality can be observed in the quasi-two-dimensional organic conductors with uniaxial pressure.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure

COMT Val158Met, but not BDNF Val66Met, is associated with white matter abnormalities of the temporal lobe in patients with first-episode, treatment-naïve major depressive disorder: a diffusion tensor imaging study

We investigated the association between the Val158Met polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, the Val66Met polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, and white matter changes in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy subjects using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We studied 30 patients with MDD (17 males and 13 females, with mean age ± standard deviation [SD] =44±12 years) and 30 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (17 males and 13 females, aged 44±13 years). Using DTI analysis with a tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) approach, we investigated the differences in fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity distribution among the three groups (patients with the COMT gene Val158Met, those with the BDNF gene Val66Met, and the healthy subjects). In a voxel-wise-based group comparison, we found significant decreases in fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity within the temporal lobe white matter in the Met-carriers with MDD compared with the controls (P<0.05). No correlations in fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, or radial diffusivity were observed between the MDD patients and the controls, either among those with the BDNF Val/Val genotype or among the BDNF Met-carriers. These results suggest an association between the COMT gene Val158Met and the white matter abnormalities found in the temporal lobe of patients with MDD