CREB-AP1 Protein Complexes Regulate Transcription of the Collagen XXIV Gene (Col24a1) in Osteoblasts

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Tibial Tunnel Positioning Using the Posterolateral (PL) Divergence Guide in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

The aim of this study was to evaluate tunnel coalition and inter-tunnel distance by comparing the tibial tunnel position in double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction performed with a conventional guide versus a posterolateral (PL) divergence (PLD) guide. Subjects were 43 patients (ACL tip aimer: 20 knees; PLD guide: 23 knees) who underwent double-bundle ACL reconstruction between September 2014 and December 2017. In all cases, the tibial tunnel position, tunnel edge distance and tunnel angles were evaluated based on CT images. Clinical outcome was evaluated using the Lachman test, pivot-shift test, and Lysholm score. Tibial tunnel positions were similar between the conventional and PLD guide groups, while tibial tunnel edge distance was significantly less in the conventional group. Tunnel coalition was observed in 5 knees in the conventional and no knees in the PLD guide group. Distance between two tibial tunnel centers was 9.1 mm for the tip aimer, and 10.5 mm for the PLD guide. Creation of the PL tunnel tended to involve insertion from a more medial aspect for the PLD guide group than the conventional guide group. No differences in clinical outcomes were noted. The PLD guide can be used to create anatomically-positioned PL tunnels, and reduce the probability of occurrence of tunnel coalition

Combining pullout suture and retrograde screw fixation for anterior cruciate ligament tibial eminence avulsion fractures: A case report

This report describes a novel arthroscopic technique for the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tibial eminence avulsion fractures. A 16-year-old boy who was diagnosed with a left ACL tibial eminence avulsion fracture was treated by arthroscopic fixation. Two bone tunnels were created from the anterior tibial cortex into the fracture bed, and a strong suture passed through the ACL just above its insertion was pulled out through them for reduction and fixation. A retrograde cannulated screw fixation was added for stronger fixation. Weight-bearing and range of motion exercises were started immediately after surgery. Radiographically, bone union was obtained 6 months postoperatively. During second-look arthroscopy (24 months postoperatively), there was no loss of reduction and no subsequent meniscal or cartilage injuries. At that point, the Lysholm score was 95, and the International Knee Documentation Committee score was 96

Postoperative clinical outcomes of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in patients with isolated medial compartmental osteoarthritis following medial meniscus posterior root tear

Background: Cartilage degradation progresses rapidly following medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT). Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has been performed for medial compartmental osteoarthritis following MMPRT. We evaluated the clinical and radiographic outcomes of UKA for medial compartmental osteoarthritis after an untreated MMPRT. Methods: Twenty-one patients who underwent UKA for isolated medial compartment osteoarthritis following MMPRT were retrospectively investigated. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and knee range of motion. The posterior tibial slope and tibial component inclination were evaluated using plain radiographs. Results: The mean follow-up periods were 25.5 +/- 13.8 months. Clinical outcomes improved significantly postoperatively. The mean postoperative knee extension angle was-1.1 degrees +/- 2.1 degrees, and the knee flexion angle was 134.3 degrees +/- 4.9 degrees. The posterior tibial slope angle decreased from 9.0 degrees +/- 2.0 degrees preoperatively to 5.4 degrees +/- 1.8 degrees postoperatively, and postoperative tibial component inclination at the final follow-up was 2.9 degrees +/- 1.1 degrees varus. No aseptic loosening or deep infections were observed. Conclusion: UKA significantly improved clinical outcomes and could be a viable surgical option for treating isolated medial compartmental osteoarthritis accompanied by untreated MMPRT

Efficiency of Peptide Nucleic Acid-Directed PCR Clamping and Its Application in the Investigation of Natural Diets of the Japanese Eel Leptocephali

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-clamping using blocking primer and DNA-analogs, such as peptide nucleotide acid (PNA), may be used to selectively amplify target DNA for molecular diet analysis. We investigated PCR-clamping efficiency by studying PNA position and mismatch with complementary DNA by designing PNAs at five different positions on the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica in association with intra-specific nucleotide substitutions. All five PNAs were observed to efficiently inhibit amplification of a fully complementary DNA template. One mismatch between PNA and template DNA inhibited amplification of the template DNA, while two or more mismatches did not. DNA samples extracted from dorsal muscle and intestine of eight wild-caught leptochephalus larvae were subjected to this analysis, followed by cloning, nucleotide sequence analysis, and database homology search. Among 12 sequence types obtained from the intestine sample, six were identified as fungi. No sequence similarities were found in the database for the remaining six types, which were not related to one another. These results, in conjunction with our laboratory observations on larval feeding, suggest that eel leptocephali may not be dependent upon living plankton for their food source

ケイチョクガタ ノウセイ マヒ ニヨル ケイド シタイ フジユウシャ ノ チョウキ トレーニング ニカンスル ケンキュウ : ソノ ユウコウセイ ト モンダイテン

国立情報学研究所『研究紀要公開支援事業』により電子化

Transgenic Monkey Model of the Polyglutamine Diseases Recapitulating Progressive Neurological Symptoms

Age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and the polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, are becoming prevalent as a consequence of elongation of the human lifespan. Although various rodent models have been developed to study and overcome these diseases, they have limitations in their translational research utility owing to differences from humans in brain structure and function and in drug metabolism. Here, we generated a transgenic marmoset model of the polyQ diseases, showing progressive neurological symptoms including motor impairment. Seven transgenic marmosets were produced by lentiviral introduction of the human ataxin 3 gene with 120 CAG repeats encoding an expanded polyQ stretch. Although all offspring showed no neurological symptoms at birth, three marmosets with higher transgene expression developed neurological symptoms of varying degrees at 3–4 months after birth, followed by gradual decreases in body weight gain, spontaneous activity, and grip strength, indicating time-dependent disease progression. Pathological examinations revealed neurodegeneration and intranuclear polyQ protein inclusions accompanied by gliosis, which recapitulate the neuropathological features of polyQ disease patients. Consistent with neuronal loss in the cerebellum, brain MRI analyses in one living symptomatic marmoset detected enlargement of the fourth ventricle, which suggests cerebellar atrophy. Notably, successful germline transgene transmission was confirmed in the second-generation offspring derived from the symptomatic transgenic marmoset gamete. Because the accumulation of abnormal proteins is a shared pathomechanism among various neurodegenerative diseases, we suggest that this new marmoset model will contribute toward elucidating the pathomechanisms of and developing clinically applicable therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.ArticleeNeuro.4(2):e0250(2017)journal articl

Cortical Connections to Area TE in Monkey: Hybrid Modular and Distributed Organization

To investigate the fine anatomical organization of cortical inputs to visual association area TE, 2–3 small injections of retrograde tracers were made in macaque monkeys. Injections were made as a terminal procedure, after optical imaging and electrophysiological recording, and targeted to patches physiologically identified as object-selective. Retrogradely labeled neurons occurred in several unimodal visual areas, the superior temporal sulcus, intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and prefrontal cortex (PFC), consistent with previous studies. Despite the small injection size (<0.5 mm wide), the projection foci in visual areas, but not in IPS or PFC, were spatially widespread (4–6 mm in extent), and predominantly consisted of neurons labeled by only one of the injections. This can be seen as a quasi-modular organization. In addition, within each projection focus, there were scattered neurons projecting to one of the other injections, together with some double-labeled (DL) neurons, in a more distributed pattern. Finally, projection foci included smaller “hotspots,” consisting of intermixed neurons, single-labeled by the different injections, and DL neurons. DL neurons are likely the result of axons having extended, spatially separated terminal arbors, as demonstrated by anterograde experiments. These results suggest a complex, hybrid connectivity architecture, with both modular and distributed components

保育所幼児の栄養摂取状況と腸内細菌叢との関連

【目的】我が国では、幼児期の栄養素等摂取量を定量的に示した研究が少なく、日本人の食事摂取基準(2015年版)では小児の十分な資料が存在しない場合は、成人の値から外挿して栄養素等の基準値が求められている。本研究では、保育所幼児の栄養素等の摂取状況を明らかにし、食生活、生活習慣と関わりのある腸内細菌叢を評価指標として検討した。【方法】調査期間は平成26年12月から平成27年3月である。調査対象者は福岡県上毛町の同意が得られた保育所幼児83名である。調査内容は1)食事の実態調査は秤量記録法で食品名を食事記録ノートに記入および同日の食前食後の料理写真撮影、2)排便調査、3)採便後の腸内細菌叢の分析である。分析は(株)テクノスルガ・ラボに依頼し、Nagashima法によりT-RFLPで解析した。解析はすべて統計解析ソフトSPSS Statistics ver.22を用いた。この研究は中村学園大学の倫理委員会から承諾を得ている。【結果】1日あたりの栄養摂取状況で、男女ともに推定エネルギー必要量、たんぱく質の推奨量、脂質と食塩相当量の目標量は基準値よりも高い数値を示した。食物繊維、炭水化物の目標量、カルシウムと鉄、ビタミンAの推奨量は基準値に対して低い数値を示した。栄養素と腸内細菌叢の関連をみるとカルシウムのBifidobacteriumの割合は低摂取群に比べ高摂取群が有意に高い数値を示した。特に、食物繊維の摂取量では基準値に対して不足している人が38.3%を占め、食物繊維摂取量と腸内細菌叢の関連をみると基準値である中摂取群が低摂取群に比べ、推定される群菌のLactobacillales目の割合が高い数値であった。【考察】幼児の健康増進や生活習慣病予防には腸内環境改善が重要であり、栄養的にバランスのよい食事の摂取が不可欠であると考えられる

Mint3 as a Potential Target for Cooling Down HIF-1α-Mediated Inflammation and Cancer Aggressiveness

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a transcription factor that plays a crucial role in cells adapting to a low-oxygen environment by facilitating a switch from oxygen-dependent ATP production to glycolysis. Mediated by membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) expression, Munc-18-1 interacting protein 3 (Mint3) binds to the factor inhibiting HIF-1 (FIH-1) and inhibits its suppressive effect, leading to HIF-1α activation. Defects in Mint3 generally lead to improved acute inflammation, which is regulated by HIF-1α and subsequent glycolysis, as well as the suppression of the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells directly through its expression in cancer cells and indirectly through its expression in macrophages or fibroblasts associated with cancer. Mint3 in inflammatory monocytes enhances the chemotaxis into metastatic sites and the production of vascular endothelial growth factors, which leads to the expression of E-selectin at the metastatic sites and the extravasation of cancer cells. Fibroblasts express L1 cell adhesion molecules in a Mint3-dependent manner and enhance integrin-mediated cancer progression. In pancreatic cancer cells, Mint3 directly promotes cancer progression. Naphthofluorescein, a Mint3 inhibitor, can disrupt the interaction between FIH-1 and Mint3 and potently suppress Mint3-mediated inflammation, cancer progression, and metastasis without causing marked adverse effects. In this review, we will introduce the potential of Mint3 as a therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases and cancers