Apoptosis in the repair process of experimental proliferative glomerulonephritis

Apoptosis in the repair process of experimental proliferative glomerulonephritis. The recovery from the proliferative glomerulonephritis (GN) with reduction of hypercellularity is known in various experimental and human GN. To elucidate the participation of apoptosis in GN, we studied the experimental Thy-1.1 GN for six weeks. Apoptosis was recognized by both light and electron microscopy, and the biochemical expression of apoptosis was morphologically confirmed by in situ end-labeling method of fragmented DNA, using terminal deoxy-transferase. Mesangioproliferative GN was induced by a single administration of anti-Thy-1.1 monoclonal antibody in a rat. Mesangial cell proliferation started early in the process and the number of glomerular cells peaked from day 7 to day 10. Subsequently, the degree of proliferative lesion diminished with obvious reconstruction of the capillary structure, as well as decrease in the number of glomerular cells. During this period, proliferated mesangial cells returned to their original level of cellularity and apoptosis apparently increased in number among the glomeruli. Apoptosis was significantly noted from day 7 to week 4 and was in its maximum at day 10 to week 2. Following this period, by week 6 most of the glomeruli reverted to their original structure. The number of infiltrated neutrophils and macrophages in the glomeruli slowly decreased during the course of the disease, and a few apoptosis were also observed. It is concluded that proliferated glomerular cells regress by apoptosis in the repairing process of GN. Apoptosis plays an essential role in the recovery to the original glomerular structure in GN

Striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) exploit food sources across anaerobic decomposition- and primary photosynthetic production-based food chains

Dietary information from aquatic organisms is instrumental in predicting biological interactions and understanding ecosystem functionality. In freshwater habitats, generalist fish species can access a diverse array of food sources from multiple food chains. These may include primary photosynthetic production and detritus derived from both oxic and anoxic decomposition. However, the exploitation of anoxic decomposition products by fish remains insufficiently explored. This study examines feeding habits of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) at both adult and juvenile stages within a tropical reservoir, using stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope ratios (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, and δ³⁴S, respectively) and fatty acid (FA) analyses. The adult catfish exhibited higher δ¹⁵N values compared to primary consumers that feed on primary photosynthetic producers, which suggests ingestion of food sources originating from primary photosynthetic production-based food chains. On the other hand, juvenile catfish demonstrated lower δ¹⁵N values than primary consumers, correlating with low δ³⁴S value and large proportions of bacterial FA but contained small proportions of polyunsaturated FA. This implies that juveniles utilize food sources from both anoxic decomposition and primary photosynthetic production-based food chains. Our results indicate that food chains based on anoxic decomposition can indeed contribute to the dietary sources of tropical fish species

各地の深海底に存在する褐色変色域での微生物調査

BE11-P72ポスター要旨 / ブルーアース2011（2011年3月7日～8日, 東京海洋大学品川キャンパス）http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/natsushima/nt05-18/ehttp://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/natsushima/nt10-06_leg2/ehttp://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/natsushima/nt10-13_leg2/ehttp://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/yokosuka/yk10-10/

ループス膀胱炎の1例

42歳女。SLEで経過を観察中に食思不振となり当院内科を受診。精査中に水腎症を発見され泌尿器科紹介となった。IVPで両側水腎水尿管を認めた。CTでは腹水貯留と粘膜と漿膜に造影効果を有する腸管壁および膀胱壁の肥厚を認めた。ラッシクス負荷レノグラムは両側腎とも正常であった。膀胱生検では間質の浮腫, 繊維化と炎症細胞浸潤を認めた。膀胱内圧測定でほぼ正常であった。ループス膀胱炎の診断でプレドニソロン40mgを開始した。CT上, 膀胱壁, 腸管壁の肥厚も消失し貧血も改善した。左水腎症は改善したが右尿管狭窄が悪化したため尿管ステントを挿入しステロイド療法を継続しながら経過を観察しているA 42-year-old female with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) visited the Department of Internal Medicine at our hospital complaining of anorexia. Hydronephrosis was diagnosed, and she was referred to our department for further evaluation. Intravenous pyelography (IVP) revealed bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureters. Computerized tomography (CT) showed retention of ascitic fluid and thickening of the intestinal and bladder walls with contrast effects in the serosa and mucosa. Lasix-loaded renography showed that both kidneys were normal. Examination of a biopsy specimen revealed interstitial edema, fibrosis, and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Cystometry showed normal intravesical pressure. A diagnosis of lupus cystitis was made and administration of 40mg of prednisolone was started. The anemia was ameliorated, and thickening of the bladder and intestinal walls was no longer seen on CT. Hydronephrosis of the left kidney was less prominent. However, aggravation of the right ureteral stenosis was noted, and a stent was inserted in the stenosed ureter. Stenosis was successfully relieved by the stent, and internal drainage was established. The patient is still receiving steroids and is being followed at our department. Twenty-two reported cases of lupus cystitis in Japan are reviewed

Direct Renin Inhibitor is Better than Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker for Intrarenal Arterioles

Background/Aims: We have reported that the long-term administration of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) induced unusual proliferative changes of renal afferent arteriolar smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in rats, associated with the overproduction of renin. In this study, we examined that a direct renin inhibitor (DRI: Aliskilen; Novartis Pharma Co, USA) might induce different changes on afferent arteriolar walls compared to ARBs. Method: Twenty one 6-weeks-old male spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHRs) were divided into the following three groups: high-dose DRI group (n=7), low-dose DRI group (n=5) and control group (n=9). The rats were fed a standard diet (0.4%NaCl) containing high-dose (150mg/kg/day), low-dose (30mg/kg/day) DRI and without DRI for 12 weeks. The kidneys were examined by histological and immunohistochemical studies. Systolic blood pressure, 24-h urine samples and blood samples were also examined. Results: The afferent arteriolar SMC walls in the two DRI groups showed no proliferative changes. The positive renin expression area was the largest in the high-dose DRI group among the three groups (14.3±4.0µm2, 6.7±2.0µm2, 2.6±0.9µm2/glomerlus, p=0.020, p=0.008, p=0.017, respectively). Conclusion: The long-term DRI administration increases tissue and circulatory renin; however, afferent arteriolar proliferative changes as shown in ARBs were not induced

Glomerular Damage in Experimental Proliferative Glomerulonephritis Under Glomerular Capillary Hypertension

Background/Aims: Immunologically and hemodynamically mediated the destruction of glomerular architecture is thought to be the major causes of end-stage renal failure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of glomerular hypertension on glomerular injury and the progression of glomerular sclerosis after Thy-1 nephritis was induced. Method: Thy-1 nephritis was induced in the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat strain (SHR-SP) (group SP) and in age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) (group WKY) rats, following unilateral nephrectomy (UNX), and a vehicle was injected alone in UNX SHR-SP as control (group SC). Result: The degree of glomerular damage in response to a single dose of anti-thy-1 antibody, and its functional consequences (eg. proteinuria, diminished GFR) are more pronounced in group SP than normotensive group WKY and hypertensive group SC without mesangial cell injury. While normotensive group WKY rats recovered completely from mesangial cell injury on day 28-42, glomeruli in group SP kept on persistent macrophage infiltration, α-SMA expression on day 42-56. In addition, glomerular capillary repair with the GECs was rarely seen in pronouncedly proliferative and sclerostic areas. The incidence of glomerular sclerosis and the level of proteinuria were markedly increased by day 56 in the group SP. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that glomerular hypertension aggravate glomerular damage and glomerulosclerosis in this model of Thy 1 nephritis

Reduction of Yb(III) to Yb(II) by Two-Color Two-Photon Excitation

Ytterbium 3+ ions in alcohol were found to be reduced to the corresponding 2+ ions upon laser irradiation with a stepwise two-color two-photon excitation. The infrared (975-nm) pulse with a duration of 4 ns pumps the ground state to the 4f excited state with the transition of ²F_5/2 ← ²F_7/2, and the second photon (355-nm) generates the charge transfer (CT) state of Cl 3p to Yb 4f; the reduction then occurs. Laser energy and excitation wavelength dependencies well-explain the above mechanism. The product Yb²⁺ was detected by its absorption spectrum peak at 367 nm. The absorption spectrum of the intermediate in the two-photon chemistry was measured from the 4f excited state (²F_5/2) to the CT state by nanosecond laser photolysis. The intermediate spectrum appears in the wavelengths shorter than 400 nm with the molar extinction coefficient on the order of (10² M^–1 cm^–1) at 340 nm and can be explained in terms of the CT absorption shifted by IR photon energy. A UV nanosecond laser pulse (266 nm from a YAG laser with a duration of 6 ns) can generate the reactive CT state by one-photon absorption and leads to Yb²⁺ formation. The reaction yields for single-photon UV excitation and the second photon in the two-photon excitation are on the order of 0.1, suggesting that the reactive states are a common CT state