BMCs and periodontal tissue healing

Bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) are considered to be a major source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in adults and are known to be effective in periodontal tissue regeneration. However, whether endogenous BMCs are involved in periodontal tissue repair process is uncertain. We therefore created periodontal tissue defects in the buccal alveolar bone of mandibular first molars in bone marrow chimeric mice, and immunohistochemically examined the expression of stromal cell derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and the mobilization of BMCs. We found that SDF-1 expression was increased around the defects at as early as 1 week after injury and that BMCs were mobilized to the defects, while GFP+/CD45+ were rarely observed. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis demonstrated that the number of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (pdgfr) α+/Sca-1+ (PαS) cells in the bone marrow decreased after injury. Taken together, these results suggest that BMCs are mobilized to the periodontal tissue defects. Recruitment of BMCs, including a subset of MSCs could be a new target of periodontal treatment

Inhibition of vacuolar-type (H+)-ATPase by the cytostatic macrolide apicularen A and its role in apicularen A-induced apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells

AbstractApicularen A and the known vacuolar-type (H+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) inhibitor bafilomycin A1 induced apoptosis of RAW 264.7 cells, while apicularen B, an N-acetyl-glucosamine glycoside of apicularen A, was far less effective. Apicularen A inhibited vital staining with acridine orange of the intracellular organelles of RAW 264.7 cells, inhibited the ATP-dependent proton transport into inside-out microsome vesicles, and inhibited the bafilomycin A1-sensitive ATP hydrolysis. The IC50 values of the proton transport were 0.58nM for apicularen A, 13nM for apicularen B, and 0.95nM for bafilomycin A1. Furthermore, apicularen A inhibited the bafilomycin A1-sensitive ATP hydrolysis more potently than apicularen B. F-ATPase and P-ATPase were not inhibited by apicularen A. We concluded that apicularen A inhibits V-ATPase, and thus induces apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells

Autoamplification of NFATc1 expression determines its essential role in bone homeostasis

NFATc1 and NFATc2 are functionally redundant in the immune system, but it was suggested that NFATc1 is required exclusively for differentiation of osteoclasts in the skeletal system. Here we provide genetic evidence that NFATc1 is essential for osteoclast differentiation in vivo by adoptive transfer of NFATc1−/− hematopoietic stem cells to osteoclast-deficient Fos−/− mice, and by Fos−/− blastocyst complementation, thus avoiding the embryonic lethality of NFATc1−/− mice. However, in vitro osteoclastogenesis in NFATc1-deficient cells was rescued by ectopic expression of NFATc2. The discrepancy between the in vivo essential role of NFATc1 and the in vitro effect of NFATc2 was attributed to selective autoregulation of the NFATc1 gene by NFAT through its promoter region. This suggested that an epigenetic mechanism contributes to the essential function of NFATc1 in cell lineage commitment. Thus, this study establishes that NFATc1 represents a potential therapeutic target for bone disease and reveals a mechanism that underlies the essential role of NFATc1 in bone homeostasis

Olfactory Response in Patients with Cerebral Palsy: Investigation of the Possible Use of Olfactory Testing to Evaluate Patients and Reduce Anxiety of Their Parents

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a developmental disorder associated with lifelong motor impairment and disability. Several studies have investigated the effects of CP on sensory responses, but there has been no research on olfactory function in CP. This study had two specific aims. First, by observing respiratory responses which serve as an index for the ability to detect and recognize odors, we aimed to estimate the patients\u27 ability to distinguish pleasant from unpleasant odors. These responses can also indicate the capacity for an emotional response to pleasant or unpleasant stimuli. Second, we aimed to investigate the psychological response in the parents as they observed the respiratory response in their children during the odor test. Parents were assessed with the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure their state anxiety levels before and after they had observed their children being tested. In patients with CP, respiratory rate (RR) significantly decreased during pleasant odor stimuli (P < 0.05). There was a significant increase in RR during the presentation of the unpleasant odor (P < 0.05). All the CP patients showed respiratory changes in response to both pleasant and unpleasant smells, and we found that the parents\u27 anxiety levels decreased after the test. We intend to develop this olfactory test technique to contribute to the neurological rehabilitation for CP patients and to reduce anxiety of their parents

Технологічні рішення і технічні засоби підвищення екологічної безпеки проведення бурових робіт

Рассмотрено влияние проведения буровых работ на окружающую среду. Приведены рекомендации для повышения экологической безопасности проведения буровых работ. Описаны технологические решения и технические средства уменьшения неблагоприятного влияния бурения нефтегазовых скважин на окружающую среду. В комплексе решены и эффективно внедрены на практике вопросы экологической безопасности проведения буровых работ, утилизации, размещения и захоронения отходов бурения. Дказано, что безамбарное бурение на месторождениях возможно при наличии шламонакопителя и нагнетательной скважины.The environmental impacts of drilling works are considered. A range of recommendations for environmental safety enhancement of drilling works is given. Technological solutions and technical means to reduce adverse environmental impacts of oil and gas wells drilling are described. The issues of drilling works environmental safety, utilization, disposal and burial of waste are jointly solved and successfully implemented. The pit less drilling is proved to be possible for any field under the condition of slurry pond and injection well use

TGF-β regulates isoform switching of FGF receptors and epithelial–mesenchymal transition

Both TGF-β and FGF signalling regulate the epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Here, TGF-β is found to promote myofibroblast differentiation, while concomitant FGF pathway activation instead drives cells towards an invasive mesenchymal fate

BioHackathon series in 2011 and 2012: penetration of ontology and linked data in life science domains

The application of semantic technologies to the integration of biological data and the interoperability of bioinformatics analysis and visualization tools has been the common theme of a series of annual BioHackathons hosted in Japan for the past five years. Here we provide a review of the activities and outcomes from the BioHackathons held in 2011 in Kyoto and 2012 in Toyama. In order to efficiently implement semantic technologies in the life sciences, participants formed various sub-groups and worked on the following topics: Resource Description Framework (RDF) models for specific domains, text mining of the literature, ontology development, essential metadata for biological databases, platforms to enable efficient Semantic Web technology development and interoperability, and the development of applications for Semantic Web data. In this review, we briefly introduce the themes covered by these sub-groups. The observations made, conclusions drawn, and software development projects that emerged from these activities are discussed