Research Activities in the Department of Medical Engineering

The Department of Medical Engineering is dedicated to the research and educational activities to fulfill its mission as educating medical professionals in medical engineering under the diploma policy and curriculum policy, that is, "research and education aiming for fostering professionals competent in comprehensive resolving capacity based upon a wide field of knowledge and vision in clinical engineering, which can be attained by wearing the basic knowledge of medical science and engineering." For this reason, the Faculty of the Department of Medical Engineering is composed of the two areas; PhDs in engineering-based clinical medicine, and mainly MDs in medical sciences and clinical medicine. To summarize the research activities at the Department of Medical Engineering, the authors will describe the overview of research activities being performed in the Department of Medical Engineering Fields, by dividing into 1) Research in Biomedical Engineering Fields, and 2) Research in Medical Science and Clinical Engineering Fields

Structural and Immunocytochemical Characterization of the Synthesis and Accumulation of Starch in Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) Tuberous Root

The structural changes in the plastid-amyloplast system in the parenchyma cells of sweet potato tuberous roots during thickening were examined by electron microscopy. In the tuberous roots, proplastids and plastids that contain starch granules propagated in young parenchyma cells adjacent to the meristem, but amyloplasts did not in parenchyma cells. It was suggested that the number of amyloplasts in a parenchyma cell is determined by the propagation of the proplastids and plastids. The form of amyloplasts and the number, size and form of starch granules in them were various. Tubular membranes containing the electron-dense substance were formed in plastids and extended from the envelope membranes of plastids to the starch granules. The electron-dense substance also existed around the starch granules. Tubular membranes are converted into membrane-bound inclusion bodies as a result of loading of the electron-dense substance into these tubes in the plastids. The inclusion bodies were also at the periphery of the amyloplasts. In this study, the functions of both tubular membrane and the inclusion were discussed. The localization of starch branching enzyme in tuberous roots was examined by immunogold electron microscopy. The label for branching enzyme was localized predominantly throughout the surface of each starch granule, suggesting that this is the branching for amylopectin synthesis, but not throughout the stroma in the plastid-amyloplast system. Small and round starch granules were often formed at parts of the periphery in the amyloplast. Dense labeling for the enzyme was detected around the granules. The increase of the number of starch granules in an amyloplast is certainly made by means of the formation of new starch granules at the periphery of the amyloplast. It is likely that the new granules are intensively formed there

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of disproportionating enzyme from potato

Disproportionating enzyme from potato was crystallized and preliminarily analyzed using X-ray diffraction

Intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct (IPNBs) with high- and low- mucin production and the expression profiles of MUC mucin core protein.

<p>A) An example of IPNB with high- mucin production. IPNB with high- mucin production is composed of tall columnar tumor cells showing abundant mucin production in double mucin stain with periodic acid Schiff stain after diastase-digestion and alcian blue (pH2.5) (d-PAS/AB) (scores; surface 3, cytoplasmic 3). The tumor cells show extensive immunoreactivity for MUC2 and MUC5AC. B) An example of IPNBs with low-mucin production. IPNB with low-mucin production is composed of cuboidal tumor cells showing less mucin production (scores; surface 0, cytoplasmic 1). The tumor cells show no immunoreactivity for MUC2 and focal immunoreactivity for MUC5AC. Hematoxylin and eosin, d-PAS/AB and the immunostaining for MUC2 and MUC5AC and hematoxylin. x200. C) Semiquantitative evaluation of the degree of mucin production in perihilar IPNBs with and without invasion and distal IPNBs (all with invasion). White column, score 1; half-tone column, score 2; black column, score 3. *, p<0.05. Non-I, without invasion; inv, with invasion.</p

Main clinical and pathological features in the patients examined.

<p>IPNB, intraductal papillary biliary neoplasm; SD, standard deviation; M, male; F, female; L, left; R, right; CBD, common bile duct;</p><p>I, intestinal; G, gastric; PB, pancreatobiliary; O, oncocytic; micro-I, microinvasive; inv, invasive; Ca, carcinoma.</p

Primary antibodies used in this study.

<p>mono, monoclonal antibody; poly, polyclonal antibody; MW, microwave treatment; CB, 0.05 M citrate buffer (pH 6);</p