Optimization of scan timing for aortic computed tomographic angiography using the test bolus injection technique

Background: With fast computed tomography (CT), it is possible for the scanning to outpace the contrast medium bolus during aortic CT angiography (CTA). Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new method for reducing the risk of outpacing in which the scan start timing (ST) and speed can be estimated from the peak enhancement time measured at the femoral artery using a single testbolus injection (femoral artery test injection method [FTI method]). Material and Methods: In 30 cases of aortic CTA, we measured the time to peak enhancement at the femoral artery (TPF) and the ascending aorta (TPA) with test-bolus injection performed twice in each examination. From the resultant linear relationship between TPF and transit time (TTTPF=TPA), we developed a method for determining the ST and TT from TPF. One hundred patients were assigned to two groups: FTI and bolus tracking (BT), each with 50 patients. CT values were measured in main vessels (ascending aorta, descending aorta, femoral artery). The CT values of the vessels and the rate of cases with more than 300 HU (good cases) were compared between the two groups. Results: The enhancement in the FTI method was significantly higher than that of the BT method (average CT values: FTI, 388.352.4; BT, 281.259.1; P<0.001). The rates of good cases for FTI and BT were 86.0% and 46.0%, respectively. Conclusion: The FTI method was very effective in reducing the risk of outpacing of the contrast medium transit in aortic CTA without the need for an additional contrast medium dose. © The Foundation Acta Radiologica 2015.Embargo Period 12 month

Effect of dietary protamine on lipid metabolism in rats

Protamine has been widely used as a pharmaceutical product and natural food preservative. However, few studies have been conducted to assess the beneficial function of dietary protamine. This study examined the effects of dietary salmon protamine on serum and liver lipid levels and the expression levels of genes encoding proteins involved in lipid homeostasis in the liver of rats. Groups of male Wistar rats were fed AIN93G diet containing 2% or 5% protamine. After 4 weeks of feeding these diets, markedly decreased serum and liver cholesterol (CHOL) and triacylglycerol levels were noted. Increased activity of liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase-2 and acyl-CoA oxidase, which are key enzymes of fatty acid β-oxidation in the mitochondria and peroxisomes, was found in rats fed on protamine. Furthermore, rats fed protamine showed enhanced fecal excretion of CHOL and bile acid and increased liver mRNA expression levels of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) G5 and ABCG8, which form heterodimers and play a major role in the secretion of CHOL into bile. The decrease in triacylglycerol levels in protamine-fed rats was due to the enhancement of liver β-oxidation. Furthermore, rats fed protamine exhibited decreased CHOL levels through the suppression of CHOL and bile acid absorption and the enhancement of CHOL secretion into bile. These results suggest that dietary protamine has beneficial effects that may aid in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases such as hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis

Group IIA secreted phospholipase A2 controls skin carcinogenesis and psoriasis by shaping the gut microbiota

Besides promoting inflammation by mobilizing lipid mediators, group IIA secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) prevents bacterial infection by degrading bacterial membranes. Here, we show that, despite the restricted intestinal expression of sPLA2-IIA in BALB/c mice, its genetic deletion leads to amelioration of cancer and exacerbation of psoriasis in distal skin. Intestinal expression of sPLA2-IIA is reduced after treatment with antibiotics or under germ-free conditions, suggesting its upregulation by gut microbiota. Metagenome, transcriptome, and metabolome analyses have revealed that sPLA2-IIA deficiency alters the gut microbiota, accompanied by notable changes in the intestinal expression of genes related to immunity and metabolism, as well as in the levels of various blood metabolites and fecal bacterial lipids, suggesting that sPLA2-IIA contributes to shaping of the gut microbiota. The skin phenotypes in Pla2g2a–/– mice are lost (a) when they are cohoused with littermate WT mice, resulting in the mixing of the microbiota between the genotypes, or (b) when they are housed in a more stringent pathogen-free facility, where Pla2g2a expression in WT mice is low and the gut microbial compositions in both genotypes are nearly identical. Thus, our results highlight a potentially new aspect of sPLA2-IIA as a modulator of gut microbiota, perturbation of which affects distal skin responses

Remielinização em camundongos Knockout para conexina 32 desmielinizados experimentalmente

Este estudo visou avaliar o papel da conexina 32 (Cx 32) durante a remielinização no sistema nervoso periférico. Uma injeção local de 0,1% de solução de brometo de etídio foi realizada no nervo ciático de camundongos deletados para a Cx 32, com eutanásia dos animais aos 1, 2, 3, 7, 15, 21 e 30 dias pós-injeção. Avaliações histoquímicas, imunoistoquímicas, por imunofluorescência e por microscopia eletrônica de transmissão foram utilizadas na análise do desenvolvimento das lesões. Nos nervos ciáticos, células de Schwann mostraram inicialmente sinais de intoxicação e rejeitaram suas bainhas. Após sete dias, observaram-se finas bainhas neoformadas, com compactação desigual e alças redundantes (tomácula). Conclui-se que a regeneração de bainhas de mielina perdidas no SNP seguiu o padrão já relatado deste modelo em outras espécies de laboratório. Portanto, estes resultados sugerem que a ausência da Cx 32 não interferiu com o padrão normal de remielinização em camundongos jovens neste modeloThe aim of this study was to evaluate the role of connexin 32 (Cx 32) during remyelination of the peripheral nervous system, through a local injection of either 0,1% ethidium bromide solution or saline in the sciatic nerve of Cx 32 knockout mice. Euthanasia was performed ranging from 1, 2, 3, 7, 15, 21 to 30 days after injection. Histochemical, immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopical techniques were used to analyze the development of the lesions. Within the sciatic nerves, Schwann cells initially showed signs of intoxication and rejected their sheaths; after seven days, some thin newly formed myelin sheaths with uneven compactness and redundant loops (tomacula) were conspicuous. We concluded that the regeneration of lost myelin sheaths within the PNS followed the pattern already reported for this model in other laboratory species. Therefore, these results suggest that absence of Cx 32 did not interfere with the normal pattern of remyelination in this model in young miceCNPq 475029/2004-6Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES

ER stress transcription factor Xbp1 suppresses intestinal tumorigenesis and directs intestinal stem cells

Unresolved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the epithelium can provoke intestinal inflammation. Hypomorphic variants of ER stress response mediators, such as X-box–binding protein 1 (XBP1), confer genetic risk for inflammatory bowel disease. We report here that hypomorphic Xbp1 function instructs a multilayered regenerative response in the intestinal epithelium. This is characterized by intestinal stem cell (ISC) expansion as shown by an inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (Ire1α)–mediated increase in Lgr5+ and Olfm4+ ISCs and a Stat3-dependent increase in the proliferative output of transit-amplifying cells. These consequences of hypomorphic Xbp1 function are associated with an increased propensity to develop colitis-associated and spontaneous adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)–related tumors of the intestinal epithelium, which in the latter case is shown to be dependent on Ire1α. This study reveals an unexpected role for Xbp1 in suppressing tumor formation through restraint of a pathway that involves an Ire1α- and Stat3-mediated regenerative response of the epithelium as a consequence of ER stress. As such, Xbp1 in the intestinal epithelium not only regulates local inflammation but at the same time also determines the propensity of the epithelium to develop tumors

Structural analysis of crystalline R(+)-α-lipoic acid-α-cyclodextrin complex based on microscopic and spectroscopic studies

R(+)-α-lipoic acid (RALA) is a naturally-occurring substance, and its protein-bound form plays significant role in the energy metabolism in the mitochondria. RALA is vulnerable to a variety of physical stimuli, including heat and UV light, which prompted us to study the stability of its complexes with cyclodextrins (CDs). In this study, we have prepared and purified a crystalline RALA-αCD complex and evaluated its properties in the solid state. The results of 1H NMR and PXRD analyses indicated that the crystalline RALA-αCD complex is a channel type complex with a molar ratio of 2:3 (RALA:α-CD). Attenuated total reflection/Fourier transform infrared analysis of the complex showed the shift of the C=O stretching vibration of RALA due to the formation of the RALA-αCD complex. Raman spectroscopic analysis revealed the significant weakness of the S–S and C–S stretching vibrations of RALA in the RALA-αCD complex implying that the dithiolane ring of RALA is almost enclosed in glucose ring of α-CD. Extent of this effect was dependent on the direction of the excitation laser to the hexagonal morphology of the crystal. Solid-state NMR analysis allowed for the chemical shift of the C=O peak to be precisely determined. These results suggested that RALA was positioned in the α-CD cavity with its 1,2-dithiolane ring orientated perpendicular to the plane of the α-CD ring. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Effect of Superchilling (Hyo-On) Aging on the Total Bacterial Count and Concentration of Taste Components of Pork Loin

氷温を利用した肉類の長期熟成処理の有用性を評価するために、従来の熟成処理温度である4℃および氷温である−1℃で豚ロース肉の熟成処理を行い、一般生菌数、イノシン酸および遊離アミノ酸濃度に及ぼす影響を評価した。−1℃熟成処理の一般生菌数は、4℃熟成処理と比較して、熟成処理7、14および21日で有意に低下した。さらに−1℃熟成処理42日後でも、肉類が腐敗したと判断する一般生菌数である108コロニー形成単位/gには達していなかった。一方、−1℃熟成処理のイノシン酸濃度は、4℃熟成処理と比較して、緩やかな減少がみられた。腐敗の指標の1 つである一般生菌数が同等であった4℃熟成処理14日および−1℃熟成処理42日について遊離アミノ酸濃度の測定および官能評価を実施した。その結果、豚ロース肉の−1℃熟成処理42日は、4℃熟成処理14日と比較して、うま味に関わるグルタミン酸濃度の有意な上昇と嗜好型官能評価において総合的に好ましいと評価された。これらの結果より豚ロース肉の−1℃熟成処理は、4℃熟成処理よりも、一般生菌数の増殖抑制と食味性を向上させることで付加価値の向上に寄与できると考えられる。To evaluate the effects of long-term meat aging at superchilling, the total bacterial count, concentration of taste components, and palatability of pork loin were compared for samples aged at 4 °C and −1 °C. At 7, 14, and 21 days of aging, the total bacterial count of pork aged at −1℃ had significantly decreased compared to that of the sample aged at 4 ℃. Even after aging pork at −1 °C for 42 days, the total bacterial count did not reach 108 colony forming unit/g, which is generally considered to be the spoilage of meat. The concentration of inosinic acid in the pork loin aged at −1 ℃ was s decreased more slowly than that of the sample aged at 4 ℃. Free amino acid analysis and sensory evaluation were performed on the samples aged at 4 °C for 14 days and at −1 ℃ for 42 days, in which the total bacterial count was almost equivalent. Further, the glutamic acid concentration and overall palatability of pork loin sample aged at −1 ℃ for 42 days were significantly increased as compared to those of samples aged at 4 °C for 14 days. From these results, it was concluded that aging at −1 ℃ increased the added value of pork by suppressing the growth of bacteria and improving its palatability over that achieved from samples aged at 4 °C.本研究の一部は、2020年度関西大学若手研究者育成経費（個人研究）において、研究課題「熱成処理温度の違いが食肉の呈味成分の生成に関与するアミノペプチダーゼ活性に及ぼす影響」として研究費を受け、その成果を公表するものである

Beam and SKS spectrometers at the K1.8 beam line

High-resolution spectrometers for both incident beams and scattered particles have been constructed at the K1.8 beam line of the Hadron Experimental Facility at J-PARC. A point-to-point optics is realized between the entrance and exit of QQDQQ magnets for the beam spectrometer. Fine-pitch wire chamber trackers and hodoscope counters are installed in the beam spectrometer to accept a high rate beam up to 107 Hz. The superconducting kaon spectrometer for scattered particles was transferred from KEK with modifications to the cryogenic system and detectors. A missing-mass resolution of 1.9 ± 0.1 MeV/c2 (FWHM) was achieved for the ∑ peaks of (π±, K+) reactions on a proton target in the first physics run of E19 in 2010