Geologic connection between Dronning Maud Land and Enderby Land

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OG] Polar Geosciences, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor), National Institute of Polar Researc

α-Tocopheryl succinate stabilizes the structure of tumor vessels by inhibiting angiopoietin-2 expression

α-Tocopheryl succinate (TS) is a tocopherol derivative and has multifaceted anti-cancer effects; TS not only causes cancer cell-specific apoptosis but also inhibits tumor angiogenesis. Although TS has the potential to be used as a well-tolerated anti-angiogenic drug, it is still unclear which step of the angiogenic process is inhibited by TS. Here, we show that TS inhibits the expression of angiopoietin (Ang)-2, which induces destabilization of vascular structure in the initial steps of the angiogenic process. In mouse melanoma cells, TS treatment decreased mRNA and extracellular protein levels of Ang-2; however, the mRNA level of Ang-1, which stabilizes the vascular structure, remained unchanged. Furthermore, aorta ring and Matrigel plug angiogenesis assays indicated that the conditioned medium from TS-treated cells (CM-TS) inhibited neovascularization and blood leakage from the existing blood vessels, respectively. Following immunohistochemical staining of the vessels treated with CM-TS, imaging studies showed that the vascular endothelial cells were highly packed with pericytes. In conclusion, we found that TS inhibits Ang-2 expression and, consequently, stabilizes the vascular structure during the initial step of tumor angiogenesis

Effect of Inducers, Incubation Time and Heme Concentration on IC50 Value Variation in Anti-heme Crystallization Assay

Heme detoxification through crystallization into hemozoin has been suggested as a good target for the development of screening assays for new antimalarials. However, comparisons among the data obtained from different experiments are difficult, and the IC50 values (the concentrations of drug that are required to inhibit 50% of hemozoin formation) for the same drug vary widely. We studied the effects of changes in heme concentration (precursor of β-hematin), incubation time and three inducers (SDS, Tween 20 and linoleic acid) on the IC50 of some antimalarials (chloroquine, quinine, amodiaquine, and clotrimazole). The results showed that increasing both inducer concentration and incubation time raised the IC50 of selected antimalarials. Any change in those factors caused the IC50 value to vary. Standardization of assay conditions is, therefore, necessary to increase reproducibility and reduce discrepancies in assay performance. Considering all of the variables, the best choice of inducers is in the order of SDS > Tween 20 > linoleic acid

Pilot Study on Interferon-γ-producing T Cell Subsets after the Protective Vaccination with Radiation-attenuated Cercaria of Schistosoma japonicum in the Miniature Pig Model

CLAWN miniature pig has been shown to serve as a suitable host for the experimental infection of Schistosoma japonicum. In this study, we found that radiation-attenuated cercaria (RAC) vaccine gave CLAWN miniature pigs protective immunity against subsequent challenge infection with S. japonicum cercaria. To characterize the protective immune response of the pig model vaccinated by attenuated cercaria, flow cytometric analysis of the reactive T cell subsets was performed. The intracellular interferon (IFN)-γ and the cell surface markers revealed the peripheral blood CD3+ T-lymphocytes produced significant amounts of IFN-γ during the immunization period and after the challenge infection. CD4+ αβ-T cells as well as CD4+/CD8αmid double positive and/or CD8αhigh αβ-T cells were the major IFN-γ-producing CD3+ T cells. On the contrary, γδ T cells did not produce intracellular IFN-γ. Our results suggested that RAC-vaccinated miniature pigs showed effective protective immunity through the activation of αβ T cells bearing antigen specific T-cell receptors but not through the activation of γδ T cells

Report on "the Project to Learn from the Field Study on the Affected Area of Great East Japan Earthquake"

This paper reports on "the project to learn from the field study on the affected area of Great East Japan Earthquake" conducted by the Faculty of Safety Science Kansai University. The purposes of the project are to support the students which try to study on site and let them get practical findings through the study. Those are successfully accomplished.平成23年度関西大学特別研究・教育促進費「災害研修プログラムの企画･実施，及び災害対応経験の記録化を通じた実習型授業の充実化」（研究代者・菅磨志保