Phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor rolipram potentiates the inhibitory effect of calcitonin on osteoclastogenesis

金沢大学医学部附属病院薬剤部To assess the combination effect of calcitonin and the phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor rolipram on osteoclastogenesis, adherent cell-depleted bone marrow cells from mouse tibia and femur (ACD-BMCs), which were cultured in the presence of 25 ng/ml colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) and 100 ng/ml soluble receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (sRANKL), were utilized. Calcitonin inhibited formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cells, as mature osteoclasts, by 70% even at 20 pM, whereas rolipram (10 μM) scarcely affected osteoclast formation; in contrast, the combination of both agents led to significant inhibition of multinucleation and pit formation ability of osteoclasts. The combined administration of calcitonin and rolipram attenuated calcitonin receptor mRNA expression in comparison to treatment with either agent alone, whereas expression of RANK and CSF-1 receptor mRNAs was unchanged. Alone, these agents scarcely elevated intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) concentration; however, combination treatment with both agents significantly increased cAMP concentration in osteoclast progenitors and osteoclasts. The combination effect was abolished by H-89, an inhibitor of protein kinase A. It appears that rolipram inhibited hydrolysis of cAMP formed by calcitonin in cells and potentiated the inhibitory effect of calcitonin on osteoclastogenesis. The escape phenomenon following calcitonin treatment may also be prevented by concomitant treatment with the phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor. © Springer-Verlag Tokyo 2006

The roles of information and communication technology in solutions offering: The concept of JCT-enabler and value creation activities

Information and communication technology (JCT) is used in every value chain activity, including upstream procurement, internal production, downstream sales, and customer services. However, the theoretical and practical contributions of ICT to businesses have not yet been clarified. Through a literature review, this article attempts to (1) show the theoretical contributions of ICT and (2) clarify the roles of JCT in the context of a service-oriented approach under a business-to-business setting. The literature review shows that the resource-based view appropriately explains the roles of JCT. The review also indicates that JCT can be regarded as an enabler that has indirect rather than direct effects on firms\u27activities. Specifically, we identified four roles of JCT as an enabler in terms of offering superior value to customers. These findings contribute to both the emerging theory of service innova-tion and the management of value creation in business marketing

Issues in Market-driven Supply Chain Management

Focusing on fashion industry, this paper attempts to clarify the relationship between SCM (supply chain management) and marketing. Recent research streams indicate that the importance of the supply chain system no longer lies in efficient delivery of materials and products but in rapid response to market demand. Successful supply chain management therefore requires the ability to integrate external suppliers as well as a firm\u27s internal functioning. This study focuses on the concept of marketorientation and business resources, explaining the importance of managing inter-firm relationships in SCM. Literature reviews show that business resources developed through collaborations with external actors provide sustainable competitive advantages for supply chain systems. Therefore, studies should focus on comprehensive activities within a supply chain network, rather than on a dyadic relationship. This paper shows how existing forecast-driven strategies are do not address recent business circumstances, with their turbulent and volatile market demands. In contrast. supply chain systems need to respond to real market demand and penetrate information into all activities through the integration of suppliers, thus helped by a new generation of Web-based information systems. The paper points to the importance of upstream activities (coordinating inter-firm relationships in a supply chain) and advocates the presence of a facilitator who can bridge both upstream and downstream activities. This study should contribute to both SCM and marketing in academia, as well as business practices

The determinant of ICT enabling service developmen in B to B contexts

The paper aims to clarify the determinants of ICT (Information and Communication　Technology) enabled service development in the business-to-business context and to develop a framework for innovative business systems. Two Japanese companies are selected for the inductive case study based on the type of B2B relationships; an EC platform provider for industrial manufacturers and a servitized manufacturer dealing with agricultural machines. Both cases features the usage ICT to evolve their business to target business customers, especially focusing on customization and user-friendly interfaces. These case studies reveals that scalability and flexibility are the antecedent of developing a service system on service innovation. The study emphasizes visualizing processes and autonomy on real-time basis to be the determinants of ICT-enabled service development

Cesium Implant for Tongue Carcinoma with a Thickness of 1.5 cm or More: Cases Successfully Treated with a Modified Manchester System

∙The authors have no financial conflicts of interest. Purpose: Deciding on treatment carcinoma of the tongue when the tumor has a thickness of 1.5 cm or more is difficult. Surgery often requires wide resection and re-construction, leading to considerable functional impairment. A cesium implant is an attractive option, but according to the Manchester System, a two plane implant is needed. Materials and Methods: According to the textbook, a tumor is sandwiched between the needles, which are implanted at the edge of the tumor. This may cause an unnecessarily high dose to the outer surface of the tongue, which sometimes leads to a persistent ulcer. To avoid this complication, we invented a modified implantation method, and applied the method to five consecutive patients. Results: With a minimum follow-up of 2 years, all primary tumors in 5 consecutive patients have been controlled. No complications occurred in soft tissu

Classcial Bifurcation and Enhancement of Quantum Shells --- Systematic Analysis of Reflection-Asymmetric Deformed Oscillator ---

Correspondence between classical periodic orbits and quantum shell structure is investigated for a reflection-asymmetric deformed oscillator model as a function of quadrupole and octupole deformation parameters. Periodic orbit theory reveals several aspects of quantum level structure for this non-integrable system. Good classical- quantum correspondence is obtained in the Fourier transform of the quantum level density, and importance of periodic orbit bifurcation is demonstrated. Systematic survey of the local minima of shell energies in the two-dimensional deformation parameter space shows that prominent shell structures do emerge at finite values of the octupole parameter. Correspondences between the regions exhibiting strong shell effects and the classical bifurcation lines are investigated, and significance of these bifurcations is indicated.Comment: 17 pages, REVTeX. 23 PostScript figures (not appended due to excessive size, 3,860kb in total) are avalilable from K.A. ([email protected]) upon reques

Selective drug delivery to bone using acidic oligopeptides

金沢大学附属病院薬剤