Congenital Anomalies in Human Embryos

Morphogenesis mainly occurs during embryonic stage, and congenital anomalies also occur at that time. The Kyoto Collection, one of the largest collections of human embryos, including a lot of those with congenital anomalies, is significantly helpful for analyzing embryonic growth. From the collection, normal and abnormal embryos have been selectively presented in this chapter. Recently developed imaging technology enabled three-dimensional (3D) imaging of embryos and fetuses in high resolution. The devices available for embryonic and fetal imaging and the results obtained therefrom are introduced in this chapter. In addition, new strategies for diagnosing congenital anomalies, such as autopsy imaging and genetic analyses, are discussed

High‐Density Lipoprotein Engineering for Eye‐Drop Treatment of Age‐Related Macular Degeneration

Eye-drop treatments of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are desirable; however, no clinically approved eye drop has been reported to date. This study aim to evaluate the therapeutic activity of eye-drop instillation of a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) variant bearing a cell-penetrating peptide and neovasculature-targeted peptide (AsnGlyArg [NGR] peptide) in a mouse model at a dose of 0.6–0.85 µg protein/eye drop. The results reveal that the activity of the abovementioned variant was >10-fold higher than that of the previous variant lacking an NGR peptide. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity, cholesterol-efflux capacity, and antiangiogenic activity of reconstituted HDL are significantly augmented by the attachment of these two peptides. The mechanism underlying this dramatic improvement is likely the expression of CD13, an NGR peptide receptor, on the cornea and conjunctiva in mice. CD13 mRNA/protein expression is also detected in cultured human corneal and conjunctival cells. These results demonstrate that NGR peptide is an unprecedented class of an absorption enhancer on the eye surface. Thus, HDL engineering is a potential strategy for developing eye drops to treat neovascular AMD by enhancing the ocular surface absorption and HDL functionalities

Texture Evolution of a Rolled Aluminum Sheet in Multi-Pass Conventional Spinning

This study clarified the evolution of texture in the thickness direction of the cylindrical cup which was spun from a rolled aluminum sheet in 13 passes, using electron backscatter diffraction pattern analysis. The study also obtained the relationship between the strain and layer structure, characterized by the textures. The spun workpiece had three layers in the thickness direction. The layer structure was composed of four types of textures: the Cu texture, “texture-I”, which rotated 20° around <111> from the Cu texture; “texture-II”, which rotated 5° around its <110> from the Cu texture; and “texture-III”, which rotated 10° around its <001> from texture-I. When a blank disk had the sandwich-type layer structure Cu-I-Cu in its thickness direction, the structure changed to the Cu-II-II and Cu-III-III layer structures for the negative and positive thickness directional strains, respectively. A complex-type structure was found in the transition from Cu-I-Cu to Cu-II-II and Cu-III-III

Usefulness of vitrification device having vitrification solution absorber for cryopreservation of mouse embryos at the blastocyst stage

Vitrification is widely used for cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes in applications of assisted reproductive technology globally. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the Kitasato Vitrification System (KVS) as a device for the cryopreservation of mouse embryos and made comparisons with the widely used Cryotop® vitrification device. In Experiment 1, the blastocyst survival rates were significantly higher after vitrification using the KVS than after using Cryotop® devices. In Experiment 2, the cooling and warming rates of Cryotop® increased with decreasing vitrification solution volumes around the embryo and were 336,000 ℃/min and 320,000°C/min at best, respectively. However, the cooling and warming rates of the KVS were 683,000 ℃/min and 612,000 ℃/min, respectively, exceeding those of Cryotop®

Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ)

In this study, we aimed to (1) translate the English version of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ), which assesses motor imagery ability, into Japanese, and (2) investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese KVIQ. We enrolled 28 healthy adults in this study. We used Cronbach’s alpha coefficients to assess reliability reflected by the internal consistency. Additionally, we assessed validity reflected by the criterion-related validity between the Japanese KVIQ and the Japanese version of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised (MIQ-R) with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the KVIQ-20 were 0.88 (Visual) and 0.91 (Kinesthetic), which indicates high reliability. There was a significant positive correlation between the Japanese KVIQ-20 (Total) and the Japanese MIQ-R (Total) (r = 0.86, p < 0.01). Our results suggest that the Japanese KVIQ is an assessment that is a reliable and valid index of motor imagery ability

Green cocoon-derived sericin reduces cellular damage caused by radiation in human keratinocytes

Abstract Radiation therapy used in the treatment of cancer causes skin damage, and no method of care has been established thus far. Recently, it has become clear that sericin derived from silkworm cocoons has moisturizing and antioxidant functions. In addition, green cocoon-derived sericin, which is rich in flavonoids, may have enhanced functions. However, whether this green cocoon-derived sericin can reduce radiotherapy-induced skin damage is unclear. In the present study, we aimed at establishing care methods to reduce skin cell damage caused by X-irradiation using green cocoon-derived sericin. We investigated its effect on human keratinocytes using lactate dehydrogenase activity to indicate damage reduction. Our results showed that green cocoon-derived sericin reduced cell damage caused by X-irradiation. However, this effect was not observed when cells were treated before X-irradiation or with a sericin derived from white cocoons. In addition, green cocoon-derived sericin decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. Our results suggest that green cocoon sericin mitigates the damaging effect of X-irradiation on cells, hence presenting potential usefulness in reducing skin damage from radiation therapy and opening new avenues in the care of cancer patients

Efficient vitrification of mouse embryos using the Kitasato Vitrification System as a novel vitrification device

Abstract Background Currently, the cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes is essential for assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratories worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Kitasato Vitrification System (KVS) as a vitrification device for the cryopreservation of mouse embryos to determine whether this novel device can be adapted to the field of ART. Methods In Experiment 1, blastocysts were vitrified using the KVS. Vitrified blastocysts were warmed and subsequently cultured for 72 h. In Experiment 2, 2-cell-stage embryos were vitrified using the KVS, and vitrified embryos were warmed and subsequently cultured for 96 h. In Experiment 3, we evaluated the in vivo developmental potential of vitrified 2-cell-stage embryos using the KVS, and in Experiment 4, we evaluated the cooling and warming rates for these devices using a numerical simulation. Results In Experiment 1, there were no significant differences between the survival rates of the KVS and a control device. However, re-expanded (100%) and hatching (91.8%) rates were significantly higher for blastocysts vitrified using the KVS. In Experiment 2, there were no significant differences between the survival rates, or rates of development to the blastocyst stage, of vitrified and fresh embryos. In Experiment 3, after embryo transfer, 41% of the embryos developed into live offspring. In Experiment 4, the cooling and warming rates of the KVS were 683,000 and 612,000 °C/min, respectively, exceeding those of the control device. Conclusions Our study clearly demonstrates that the KVS is a novel vitrification device for the cryopreservation of mouse embryos at the blastocyst and 2-cell stage