Dual effect of sympathetic hyperfunction on blood vessels in spontaneously hypertensive and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

The sympathetic nervous system has been considered to be hyperactive from the very beginning after birth in spontaneously hypertensive and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. This is a primary factor for the development and maintenance of hypertension via structural and functional alterations of the arteries and the heart. It is also described that the sympathetic hyperfunction probably play a protective role in necrosis of vascular smooth muscle cells in spontaneously hypertensive and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.Biomedical Reviews 1996; 6: 57-68

自然環境より単離したThibacilus ferroxidansの鉄酸化酵素及び硫化水素酸化酵素活性

It has been reported that both iron oxidase and hydrogen sulfide: ferric ion oxidoreductase (SFORase) were involved in bacterial leaching of metal ions from sulfide ores, and the amount of Cu2+ solubilized from copper ore by iron-oxidizing bacterium differed from strain. The activities of iron oxidase SFORase of iron-oxidizing bacteria isolated from the natural environments were determined. Iron-oxidizing activity and SFORase activity of 200 strains ranged from 1.20-1.65γmol/mg/min and from 0.11-2.80 γmol/mg/min, respectively. The findings that a remarkable difference was observed in the levels of SFORase activity, but not in iron-oxidizing activity, suggest that SFORase, but not iron oxidase, is the enzyme that determines the bacterial leaching activity of this bacterium.鉄酸化酵素と硫化水素酸化酵素の両方が硫化鉱石からの金属イオンのバクテリアリーチングに関与していること、銅鉱石から溶出する銅イオンの量が鉄酸化細菌の菌株間で異なることが知られている。鉄酸化酵素及び硫化水素酸化酵素活性が自然環境から単離した鉄酸化細菌に対して決定された。200株の鉄酸化細菌の鉄酸化酵素及び硫化水素酸化酵素活性は、それぞれ、1.20-1.65γmol/mg/min及び0.11-2.80γmol/mg/minの範囲にあった。これら菌株間において、鉄酸化酵素ではなく硫化水素酸化酵素活性に大きく違いがあるという発見は、前者ではなく後者がこの細菌のバクテリアリーチング活性を決定する酵素であることを示唆している

COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE O MÉTODO CULTURAL CLÁSSICO E O BIND TEST RÁPIDO PARA PESQUISA DE Salmonella sp EM ALIMENTOS

This work is aimed to evaluate two survey methods for Salmonella in food, by means of simple comparison tests between the methods applied. The project was divided in two stages: the first, accomplished with standard strains, was aimed to verify the specificity of the methods, whereas the second part made the confrontation of the results obtained. The methods used were the Classic Cultural Method, indicated by AOAC, FDA, and by Brazilian Legislation as the chosen method for the research of Salmonella, and the BIND fast test, not mentioned as a method of common use, but already accepted by AOAC. The results demonstrated that there were no differences among the results presented by both methods, being the selection of applicable methodology up to the laboratories.Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar dois métodos para a pesquisa de Salmonella sp em alimentos. O projeto foi dividido em duas etapas: a primeira, realizada com cepas padrão, visou a verificação da especificidade dos métodos, enquanto a segunda comparou os resultados obtidos. Os métodos utilizados foram o cultural clássico, indicado pela Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), pela Food and Drug Administration (FDA) e pela legislação brasileira e o BIND test rápido, ainda não citado como método usual, mas já aceito pela AOAC. Os resultados demonstraram que não há diferença entre os métodos, ficando a escolha de utilização a critério dos laboratórios

Signal transduction mechanism of interleukin 6 in cultured rat mesangial cells

AbstractInterleukin 6 (IL-6) is one of the potent autocrine growth factors for mesangial cells. We investigated the signal transduction mechanism or IL-6 in cultured rat mesangial cells. IL-6 induced a transient increase of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins 1,4,5-P3) followed by a transient and sustained increase of intracellular calcium concentration, suggesting that IL-6 stimulates phosphoinositide turnover. IL-6 also stimulated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. The IL-6-concentration dependency in PGE2 production was similar to that in Ins 1,4,5-P3 production. We concluded that the action of IL-6 on mesangial cells is exerted at least partially through the enhancement of phosphoinositide turnover and PGE2 production

Intratumoral peptide injection enhances tumor cell antigenicity recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes: a potential option for improvement in antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy

Antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy is a promising strategy for improving cancer treatment. Recently, many tumor-associated antigens and their epitopes recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) have been identified. However, the density of endogenously presented antigen-derived peptides on tumor cells is generally sparse, resulting in the inability of antigen-specific CTLs to work effectively. We hypothesize that increasing the density of an antigen-derived peptide would enhance antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrated that intratumoral peptide injection leads to additional peptide loading onto major histocompatibility complex class I molecules of tumor cells, enhancing tumor cell recognition by antigen-specific CTLs. In in vitro studies, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02:01-restricted glypican-3(144-152) (FVGEFFTDV) and cytomegalovirus(495-503) (NLVPMVATV) peptide-specific CTLs showed strong activity against all peptide-pulsed cell lines, regardless of whether the tumor cells expressed the antigen. In in vivo studies using immunodeficient mice, glypican-3(144-152) and cytomegalovirus(495-503) peptides injected into a solid mass were loaded onto HLA class I molecules of tumor cells. In a peptide vaccine model and an adoptive cell transfer model using C57BL/6 mice, intratumoral injection of ovalbumin(257-264) peptide (SIINFEKL) was effective for tumor growth inhibition and survival against ovalbumin-negative tumors without adverse reactions. Moreover, we demonstrated an antigen-spreading effect that occurred after intratumoral peptide injection. Intratumoral peptide injection enhances tumor cell antigenicity and may be a useful option for improvement in antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy against solid tumors

Production and characterization of alginate-starch-chitosan microparticles containing stigmasterol through the external ionic gelation technique

Stigmasterol - a plant sterol with several pharmacological activities - is susceptible to oxidation when exposed to air, a process enhanced by heat and humidity. In this context, microencapsulation is a way of preventing oxidation, allowing stigmasterol to be incorporated into various pharmaceutical forms while increasing its absorption. Microparticles were obtained using a blend of polymers of sodium alginate, starch and chitosan as the coating material through a one-stage process using the external gelation technique. Resultant microparticles were spherical, averaging 1.4 mm in size. Encapsulation efficiency was 90.42% and method yield 94.87%. The amount of stigmasterol in the oil recovered from microparticles was 9.97 mg/g. This technique proved feasible for the microencapsulation of stigmasterol.O estigmasterol, um fitoesterol com diversas atividades farmacológicas, é suscetível à oxidação quando exposto ao ar, calor e umidade. Neste contexto, a microencapsulação é uma forma de proteção contra oxidação, permitindo a incorporação do estigmasterol em diversas formas farmacêuticas e aumentar sua absorção. As micropartículas foram obtidas por gelificação iônica externa, em uma etapa, utilizando como revestimento polímeros naturais de alginato de sódio, amido de milho e quitosana. As micropartículas apresentaram formato esférico com tamanho aproximado de 1,4 mm. O rendimento foi de 94,87% e a eficiência média de encapsulação de 90,42%. A quantidade de estigmasterol no óleo recuperado das micropartículas foi de 9,97 mg/g. O método mostrou-se viável para a microencapsulação do estigmasterol

Age- and sex-specific associations between sarcopenia severity and poor cognitive function among community-dwelling older adults in Japan: The IRIDE Cohort Study

IntroductionThis study examined whether the association between sarcopenia severity and cognitive function differed according to sex and age in community-dwelling older adults in Japan.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study of older adults (age ≥ 65 years) consisting of five regional cohorts integrated as the Integrated Research Initiative for Living Well with Dementia (IRIDE) Cohort Study. Sarcopenia severity was determined based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019, which assessed grip strength, walking speed, and skeletal muscle mass index. Poor cognitive function was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≤ 23. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor cognitive function were calculated by sex and age group (65–74 and ≥75 years) using binomial logistic regression models, which were adjusted for age, educational attainment, history of non-communicable diseases, smoking and drinking habits, living alone, frequency of going outdoors, exercise habits, and depressive symptom.ResultsOf the 8,180 participants, 6,426 (1,157 men aged 65–74 and 1,063 men aged 75 or older; 2,281 women aged 65–74 and 1,925 women aged 75 or older) were analyzed. The prevalence ratio of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were 309 (13.9%) and 92 (4.1%) among men and 559 (13.3%) and 166 (3.7%) among women, respectively. A total of 127 (5.8%) men and 161 (3.9%) women had a poor cognitive function. Setting non-sarcopenia as a reference, the adjusted ORs (95% CI) of poor cognitive function were 2.20 (1.54, 3.15) for sarcopenia and 3.56 (2.20, 5.71) for severe sarcopenia. A similar trend was observed in analyses stratified by sex and age, with linear associations (P for trend <0.05) in both categories. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction (P < 0.05) between sex and sarcopenia severity, indicating a stronger linear association of sarcopenia severity with poor cognitive function in women compared with men.Discussion and conclusionSarcopenia severity was linearly associated with poor cognitive function in adults aged ≥ 65 years, with a stronger association in women compared with men