Role of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Past, Present, and Future

Before the concept of history began, humans undoubtedly acquired life benefits by discovering medicinal and aromatic plants that were food and medicine. As our early ancestors learned to recognize and consume selected plants, civilization and personal and group health could advance. Traditional medicine would become part of every civilization with medicinal and aromatic plants widely used and applied to maintain life. Undoubtedly, the variety of available plant materials would be tasted and tested to determine whether a plant was valuable as a food or medicine. Today, a variety of available herbs and spices are used and enjoyed throughout the world and continue to promote good health. As the benefits from medicinal and aromatic plants are recognized, these plants will have a special role for humans in the future

Culture, History and Applications of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Japan

Historically, the Japanese began to use aromatic and medicinal plants for ritual activities, food flavor, and treatment of their bodies. The exotic plants, new ideas, and culture associated with medicinal and aromatic plants were introduced to Japan from other countries, primarily via Korea. In this way, experience and knowledge of uses were accumulated, and applications of aromatic and medicinal plants were expanded. The oldest Japanese medicine “Wa ho” leads the way to folk medicine today, and traditional Japanese medicine (Kampo) has spread into modern use. The elegance tradition of “Kodo,” an incense ceremony of Japan, was developed because of the use of aromatic incensed wood in sixteenth century as recreation. Paired along with this ceremony is the Japanese sa-do tea ceremony that the spirituality and esthetic sense are inherited to Japanese today. Japanese green tea is becoming popular in many countries due to the constituent, catechins, that medically treats vascular disease, several cancers, and type II diabetes. Today, the Japanese medical system has new direction, integrating medicine with the adoption of modern western and alternative medicine. Scientific data must continue to be collected for interactions between the two medicinal systems for integrative medicine to be ideal for body, mind, and spirit of humans and nature

Adaptation-induced collective dynamics of a single-cell protozoan

We investigate the behavior of a single-cell protozoan in a narrow tubular ring. This environment forces them to swim under a one-dimensional periodic boundary condition. Above a critical density, single-cell protozoa aggregate spontaneously without external stimulation. The high-density zone of swimming cells exhibits a characteristic collective dynamics including translation and boundary fluctuation. We analyzed the velocity distribution and turn rate of swimming cells and found that the regulation of the turing rate leads to a stable aggregation and that acceleration of velocity triggers instability of aggregation. These two opposing effects may help to explain the spontaneous dynamics of collective behavior. We also propose a stochastic model for the mechanism underlying the collective behavior of swimming cells

Higher Sensitivity in Induction of Apoptosis in Fibroblast Cell Lines Derived from LEC Strain Rat to Ultraviolet B Radiation

LECラット由来繊維芽細胞のUVBに対する感受性をコロニー形成法を用いて調べた結果、LECラット細胞はWKAHラット細胞に比べてUVBに対して高い感受性を示した。D37値からLECラット細胞ではWKAH細胞の1.5倍以上高い感受性が認められた。ラジカルスキャベンジャーとして働く0.5MDMSOの存在下で細胞にUVBを照射するとLEC、WKAH細胞ともにUVB照射のみと比べて生存率に大きな違いは認められなかった。この結果からUVB照射によって生じるフリーラジカルはUVB誘発細胞死にはあまり関与しないと考えられる。LECラット細胞においてUVB照射後のアポトーシスをフローサイトメーターで検出したところ、照射線量に依存して増加した。一方、WKAHラット細胞ではUVB照射後アポトーシスの増加は認められなかった。これらの結果からLECラット細胞のUVBに対する高い感受性はUVB誘発アポトーシスに依拠していることが示唆された

Salivary Biomarkers May Be Useful to Assess Stress State in Patients with Lung Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy

ABSTRAC

A clinically applicable and scalable method to regenerate T-cells from iPSCs for off-the-shelf T-cell immunotherapy

動物由来の成分を含まないより安全な製法でiPS細胞から大量の再生T細胞を培養する方法の開発 --T細胞を使ったがん免疫療法での利用も--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-01-18.Clinical successes demonstrated by chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy have facilitated further development of T-cell immunotherapy against wide variety of diseases. One approach is the development of “off-the-shelf” T-cell sources. Technologies to generate T-cells from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) may offer platforms to produce “off-the-shelf” and synthetic allogeneic T-cells. However, low differentiation efficiency and poor scalability of current methods may compromise their utilities. Here we show improved differentiation efficiency of T-cells from induced PSCs (iPSCs) derived from an antigen-specific cytotoxic T-cell clone, or from T-cell receptor (TCR)-transduced iPSCs, as starting materials. We additionally describe feeder-free differentiation culture systems that span from iPSC maintenance to T-cell proliferation phases, enabling large-scale regenerated T-cell production. Moreover, simultaneous addition of SDF1α and a p38 inhibitor during T-cell differentiation enhances T-cell commitment. The regenerated T-cells show TCR-dependent functions in vitro and are capable of in vivo anti-tumor activity. This system provides a platform to generate a large number of regenerated T-cells for clinical application and investigate human T-cell differentiation and biology

Effects of texture modification on the flavor of foods for elderly people with dysmasesis

The aroma and flavor of food before and during eating is a major determinant of the pleasure which drives us to eat. The aim of this study was to investigate how texture modification influences the aroma and flavor of two types of texture-modified teriyaki-based salmon foods (chopped salmon teriyaki and steamed salmon teriyaki-paste) as compared to original salmon teriyaki using gas chromatographyolfactometry and retronasal olfactometry analyses. The results indicated that the odor of soy sauce was weaker in the modified foods as compared to the original, with the past having even less odor than the chopped salmon teriyaki. The sensory evaluation corresponded with the gas chromatography results, and showed that odor was an important factor contributing to preference. Steamed salmon teriyaki-paste is suitable for elderly people with dysmasesis because it is easy to chew and swallow ; thus, optimal cooking conditions to improve its odor should be developed.研究ノー

Harmonizing solubility measurement to lower inter-laboratory variance – progress of consortium of biopharmaceutical tools (CoBiTo) in Japan

The purpose of the present study was to harmonize the protocol of equilibrium solubility measurements for poorly water-soluble drugs to lower inter-laboratory variance. The “mandatory” and “recommended” procedures for the shake-flask method were harmonized based on the knowledge and experiences of each company and information from the literature. The solubility of model drugs was measured by the harmonized protocol (HP) and the non-harmonized proprietary protocol of each company (nonHP). Albendazole, griseofulvin, dipyridamole, and glibenclamide were used as model drugs. When using the nonHP, the solubility values showed large inter-laboratory variance. In contrast, inter-laboratory variance was markedly reduced when using the HP

Is Estrogen Effective for Full-Thickness Cutaneous Wound Healing in Young Male Mice ?

The aim of this study is to show the effects of estrogen upon its topical application on the wound healing process in young male mice. Fifty-six male mice aged 7 weeks old were divided into 4 groups: sham operation, castration, estrogen treatment after sham operation, and estrogen treatment after castration. Wound healing was observed daily until day 14 after wounding. Specimens were harvested on days 3, 7, 10, and 14, and stained to evaluate reepithelialization, inflammation, contraction, and collagen accumulation. Wound healing periods of all groups were almost the same, although the concentration of serum estrogen in the estrogen-applied mice was very high, and that in the nonapplied groups was low. The numbers of macrophages in the castrated, estrogen-treated after sham operation, and estrogen-treated after castration groups were significantly decreased compared with that in the sham group in the inflammatory phase; however, the ratio of wound area in these groups did not decrease, and other histological data did not reveal any effects of estrogen. These results indicate that estrogen may show limited effectiveness for full-thickness cutaneous wound healing in young male mice, and decreased inflammation may not always be associated with decreased wound area