A new attempt in the practical course of human dissection of Tokushima University

Usually, in the practical course of human dissection medical students learn the structure and the position of a variety of organs in a human body. Recently we have afforded medical students an opportunity to carry on human dissection while referring to CT images of human body. This new attempt can contribute to their progress in medical diagnosis via images

視覚認知に重要な機能ユニットの形成メカニズムの解明研究

Ocular dominance（OD）columns, alternating regions of left and right eye input in the primary visual cortex of higher mammals, have thought to be fundamental units of processing visual information to sense depth. Molecular cues set up coarse OD columns around birth, which are subsequently remodeled to the functional structure by visual activity after eye open. Our final goal is to explicate the comprehensive molecular and cellular mechanisms to form functional OD columns

Oxygen Limitation Enhances the Antimicrobial Activity of Fosfomycin in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Following Overexpression of glpT Which Encodes Glycerol-3-Phosphate/Fosfomycin Symporter

Fosfomycin is resurfacing as a “last resort drug” to treat infections caused by multidrug resistant pathogens. This drug has a remarkable benefit in that its activity increases under oxygen-limited conditions unlike other commonly used antimicrobials such as β-lactams, fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. Especially, utility of fosfomycin has being evaluated with particular interest to treat chronic biofilm infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa because it often encounters anaerobic situations. Here, we showed that P. aeruginosa PAO1, commonly used in many laboratories, becomes more susceptible to fosfomycin when grown anaerobically, and studied on how fosfomycin increases its activity under anaerobic conditions. Results of transport assay and gene expression study indicated that PAO1 cells grown anaerobically exhibit a higher expression of glpT encoding a glycerol-3-phosphate transporter which is responsible for fosfomycin uptake, then lead to increased intracellular accumulation of the drug. Elevated expression of glpT in anaerobic cultures depended on ANR, a transcriptional regulator that is activated under anaerobic conditions. Purified ANR protein bound to the DNA fragment from glpT region upstream, suggesting it is an activator of glpT gene expression. We found that increased susceptibility to fosfomycin was also observed in a clinical isolate which has a promoted biofilm phenotype and its glpT and anr genes are highly conserved with those of PAO1. We conclude that increased antibacterial activity of fosfomycin to P. aeruginosa under anaerobic conditions is attributed to elevated expression of GlpT following activation of ANR, then leads to increased uptake of the drug

4.Rocks and minerals

金沢大学COEポストドクターDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science, Tokyo Institute of technology鹿児島大学Editor : Tazaki, Kazue, Cover:Scanning electoron microscopic photograph of Gallionella sp. in biomats of Aso caldera, Kyusyu, Japan. Various shapes of Gallonella sp. are shown (image:Moriichi, Shingo).COE, 金沢大学 水・土壌環境領域シンポジウム「地球環境における微生物の役割」, 日時：2002年12月4日（水）13：00～, 場所：金沢大学理学部3階第一実験

Detection of reverse transcriptase activity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using biotin-labelled oligo-dT primer and digoxigenin (Dig)-dUTP was designed to measure the reverse transcriptase (RT) activity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The ELISA system involves the selective detection step of a newly synthesized cDNA by two specific bindings, biotin-streptavidin binding and alkaline phosphatase (AP)-conjugated anti-Dig-Dig binding, and the enzymatic amplification step to increase coloring generated by AP. This method was used to measure the activity of RT in the culture supernatants of peripheral leukocytes obtained from four anti-HIV-1-positive persons cocultivated with those from four anti-HIV-1-negative persons. RT activity was detected in all of four anti-HIV-1-positive culture supernatants but not in those cultivated with anti-HIV-1-negative supernatants alone. Thus, our improved ELISA for detection of HIV-1 appears to be sensitive enough and useful for routine laboratory work. This non-radioactive method will also be useful for detecting other retroviruses and for screening of RT inhibitors.</p

Regulation of the Enterococcus faecalis pAD1-related sex pheromone response: analyses of traD expression and its role in controlling conjugation functions

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73438/1/j.1365-2958.1998.01074.x.pd

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Systems Including Clay, Water and Organic Matters

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科Tokyo Institute of Technology鹿児島大学Scedule:17-18 March 2003, Vemue: Kanazawa, Japan, Kanazawa Citymonde Hotel, Project Leader : Hayakawa, Kazuichi, Symposium Secretariat: XO kamata, Naoto, Edited by:Kamata, Naoto

Mammalian hairy and Enhancer of Split Homolog 1 Regulates Differentiation of Retinal Neurons and Is Essential for Eye Morphogenesis

AbstractMammalian hairy and Enhancer of split homolog 1 (HES1), a basic helix-loop-helix factor gene, is expressed in retinal progenitor cells, and its expression decreases as differentiation proceeds. Retinal progenitor cells infected with HES1-transducing retrovirus did not differentiate into mature retinal cells, suggesting that persistent expression of HES1 blocks retinal development. In contrast, in the retina of HES1-null mutant mice, differentiation was accelerated, and rod and horizontal cells appeared prematurely and formed abnormal rosette-like structures. Lens and cornea development was also severely disturbed. Furthermore, in the mutant retina, bipolar cells extensively died and finally disappeared. These studies provide evidence that HES1 regulates differentiation of retinal neurons and is essential for eye morphogenesis

Establishment of “surgical training and research center” using fresh cadavers in Tokushima Hospital

Tokushima University Hospital founded “Clinical Anatomy Education and Research Center” on August, １st, ２０１４. This center was established according to “Guidelines for Autopsy in Clinical Medicine Education and Research”. Fresh cadavers still have the same stiffness or viscosity as biological bodies. Surgical training using fresh cadavers is the nearest simulation of the surgical procedures such as color of fatty tissue, muscle, artery, vessel or nerves. Although shortening of the surgical learning curve should be obtained outside the operation room, sufficient training using the plastic model or an animal could not be provided. Surgical training, especially minimally invasive surgery, using fresh cadaver can provide useful way to obtain a skill for surgeon