Induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis) by influenza virus infection in tissue culture cells

The process of cell death caused by influenza virus infection in cultured MDCK and HeLa cells was analysed. This infection gave rise to nuclear fragmentation and chromatin condensation accompanied by chromosomal DNA fragmentation into oligonucleosomes. Chromosomal DNA fragmentation progressed concomitantly with cell lysis of MDCK cells and HeLa cells, producing high and low yields of virus particles, respectively, indicating that the extent of cell lysis was not proportional to the virus production. The endonuclease inhibitor zinc blocked DNA fragmentation in MDCK cells. Cycloheximide inhibited DNA fragmentation as well as cell lysis. Inhibition occurred when the drug was added to the medium within 2 h after infection but not efficiently at 4 h or later. Infection induced the Fas Ag gene, which encodes a possible apoptosis-mediating molecule, in the early infectious stage followed by the expression of Fas Ag on the cell surface. These results suggested that influenza virus infection causes apoptotic death of cultured cells, and their fate might be determined at an early stage of the infection by induction of an apoptotic gene

Bilayer Indium Tin Oxide Electrodes for Deformation-Free Ultrathin Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells

The superior electrical conductivity and optical transparency of indium tin oxide (ITO) make it an ideal electrode material for use in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells. When ITO electrodes are fabricated on very thin plastic substrates, however, the internal stress of the ITO layer causes the substrate to deform, severely limiting the device's performance. Herein, it is shown that ITO bilayers composed of an amorphous base layer and a crystalline overlayer lead to deformation-free ITO electrodes. It is shown that an optimized bilayer structure is achieved when the internal stresses of the amorphous and crystalline layers approximately cancel. With this approach, mixed composition metal halide perovskite solar cells with ITO electrodes are successfully fabricated on 4 μm polyethylene naphthalate films. A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.2% is obtained for the reference cell design, corresponding to a power-to-weight ratio of 24 W g−1 before encapsulation. The devices retain 95% of the original PCE after 1000 bend cycles, while under simulated indoor lighting (white LED, 200 lux, 5000 K) the PCE reaches 28.3%. A 3-cell module with a designated area of 2.3 cm² is realized with a power output of 28.1 mW and an open-circuit voltage of 3.17 V

Rapid-onset dystonia-Parkinsonism phenotype consistency for a novel variant of ATP1A3 in patients across 3 global populations

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Three-dimensional Structure of Nylon Hydrolase and Mechanism of Nylon-6 Hydrolysis

This research was originally published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Seiji Negoro, Naoki Shibata, Yusuke Tanaka, Kengo Yasuhira, Hiroshi Shibata, Haruka Hashimoto, Young-Ho Lee, Shohei Oshima, Ryuji Santa, Shohei Oshima, Kozo Mochiji, Yuji Goto, Takahisa Ikegami, Keisuke Nagai, Dai-ichiro Kato, Masahiro Takeo and Yoshiki Higuchi. Three-dimensional Structure of Nylon Hydrolase and Mechanism of Nylon-6 Hydrolysis. J. Biol. Chem. 2012; 287, 5079-5090. © the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biolog

Multicenter questionnaire survey for sporadic inclusion body myositis in Japan

Background: Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is the most prevalent acquired muscle disease in the elderly. sIBM is an intractable and progressive disease of unknown cause and without effective treatment. The etiology of sIBM is still unknown; however, genetic factors, aging, lifestyles, and environmental factors may be involved. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the cross-sectional profile of patients affected by sIBM in Japan. Methods: We surveyed patient data for 146 cases diagnosed at a number of centers across Japan. We also issued a questionnaire for 67 patients and direct caregivers to further elucidate the natural history of the disease. Results: The mean age at the onset was 63.4 ± 9.2 years. The mean length of time from the onset to diagnosis was 55.52 ± 49.72 months, suggesting that there is a difficulty in diagnosing this disease with long-term consequences because of late treatment. 73 % described the psychological/mental aspect of the disease. The most popular primary caregiver was the patient’s spouse and 57 % patients mentioned that they were having problems managing the finances. Conclusions: Through these surveys, we described the cross-sectional profiles of sIBM in Japan. Many patients described psychological/mental and financial anxiety because of the aged profile of sIBM patients. The profiles of sIBM patients are similar to those in Western countries

The updated retrospective questionnaire study of sporadic inclusion body myositis in Japan

Background: Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is the most prevalent muscle disease in elderly people, affecting the daily activities. sIBM is progressive with unknown cause and without effective treatment. In 2015, sIBM was classified as an intractable disease by the Japanese government, and the treatment cost was partly covered by the government. This study aimed to examine the changes in the number of patients with sIBM over the last 10 years and to elucidate the cross-sectional profile of Japanese patients with sIBM. Methods: The number of sIBM patients was estimated through a reply-paid postcard questionnaire for attending physicians. Only patients diagnosed as “definite” or “probable” sIBM by clinical and biopsy sIBM criteria were included in this study (Lancet Neurol 6:620-631, 2007, Neuromuscul Disord 23:1044-1055, 2013). Additionally, a registered selfadministered questionnaire was also sent to 106 patients who agreed to reply via their attending physician, between November 2016 and March 2017. Results: The number of patients diagnosed with sIBM for each 5-year period was 286 and 384 in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Inability to stand-up, cane-dependent gait, inability to open a plastic bottle, choking on food ingestion, and being wheelchair-bound should be included as sIBM milestones. Eight patients were positive for anti-hepatitis C virus antibody; three of them were administered interferon before sIBM onset. Steroids were administered to 33 patients (31.1%) and intravenous immunoglobulin to 46 patients (43.4%). From 2016 to 2017, total of 70 patients applied for the designated incurable disease medical expenses subsidy program. Although the treatment cost was partly covered by the government, many patients expressed psychological/mental and financial anxieties. Conclusions: We determined the cross-sectional profile of Japanese patients with sIBM. Continuous support and prospective surveys are warranted

Left-right axis formation in the dorsalized or ventralized Xenopus laevis embryos : Does dorsal-midline development affect the left-right orientation of visceral organs?

Yostら(1995)は、ツメガエル受精卵の表層回転を阻害することで頭部組織を欠損させた胚や、卵割期の背側割球にXwnt-8 mRNAを微量注射することで頭部組織を欠損させた胚において、心臓逆位が高率に生じることを発見した。彼らはその理由について「頭部中軸組織は内臓の左右軸の決定に関与する因子を放出するので、頭部が欠けると内臓が左右軸の手がかりを失い内臓逆位が生じる」とした。筆者らは、彼らとは異なる以下の3つの処理方法を用いて頭部欠損症状を持った胚を人工的に作出し、それらの心臓や腸管の左右非対称性の正位/逆位を調べた。頭部欠損の程度と内臓逆位の出現率とが相関するか否かを解析することで、Yostらの仮説の検証を試みた。胚の頭部形成を阻害することが知られるレチノイン酸で短時間暴露処理(パルス処理)したツメガエル胞胚∿神経胚の内臓逆位の出現率について調べた。1-10μMレチノイン酸処理胚は著しい頭部欠損症状を示したにもかかわらず、それらの内臓逆位出現率は1%(3/263)と、無処理胚における逆位の自然発生率と同レベルであった。カルシウムイオノフォアA23187のパルス処理によって、発生段階依存的に頭部欠損胚または尾部欠損胚が得られる(後藤ら, 1994)が、その場合の内臓逆位出現率について調べた。後藤らの報告では、初期卵割期の処理では胴尾部欠損胚が得られ、卵割後期∿胞胚期の処理では頭部欠損胚が得られるとあるが、我々の実験結果はそれと正反対のものであった。初期卵割期の処理では頭部欠損が見られ、後期胞胚∿原腸胚期の処理では胴尾部欠損(特に尾部欠損)が観察された。原腸胚期にA23187処理を行った胚の63%(15/24)が内臓逆位を示した。処理によって尾部を欠損した胚の多くは内臓逆位胚であった。塩化リチウム処理で内臓逆位が生じることが、高谷(1949)によって明らかにされており、一方、品川ら(1989)により胞胚期∿原腸胚期のリチウム処理で頭部欠損胚が得られることが報告されている。そこで、リチウム処理による頭部欠損の程度と内臓逆位の出現との相関について調べた。原腸胚期のリチウム処理で、11%(8/72)の個体に内臓逆位が生じた。同じ処理群の中に頭部が欠損した胚も多数得られ、頭尾軸欠損指標Dorso-Anterior Index (Kao & Elinson, 1988)の平均は4.35であった(n=72)。しかしながら、個々の胚について頭部欠損の程度と逆位発生との相関を調べると、逆位胚の75%はDAI 5の頭尾軸は正常な胚であり、頭部欠損の度合いと内臓逆位出現率とは相関がなかった。以上の結果から、「胞胚期以降の胚においては、内臓の左右性に関連する位置情報はすでに心臓や腸管の予定細胞群自身が獲得していて、それらの左右軸は、頭部組織の有無に影響を受けない程度には決定されている。」と考えられる

Hypothalamic 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Regulates Multistage Process of High-Fat Diet Preferences

In this study, we examined alterations in the hypothalamic reward system related to high-fat diet (HFD) preferences. We previously reported that hypothalamic 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) were increased after conditioning to the rewarding properties of a HFD. Here, we hypothesized that increased 2-AG influences the hypothalamic reward system.The conditioned place preference test (CPP test) was used to evaluate HFD preferences. Hypothalamic 2-AG was quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The expression of GFAP was examined by immunostaining and western blotting.Consumption of a HFD over either 3 or 7 days increased HFD preferences and transiently increased hypothalamic 2-AG levels. HFD consumption over 14 days similarly increased HFD preferences but elicited a long-lasting increase in hypothalamic 2-AG and GFAP levels. The cannabinoid 1 receptor antagonist O-2050 reduced preferences for HFDs after 3, 7, or 14 days of HFD consumption and reduced expression of GFAP after 14 days of HFD consumption. The astrocyte metabolic inhibitor Fluorocitrate blocked HFD preferences after 14 days of HFD consumption.High levels of 2-AG appear to induce HFD preferences, and activate hypothalamic astrocytes via the cannabinoid system. We propose that there may be two distinct stages in the development of HFD preferences. The induction stage involves a transient increase in 2-AG, whereas the maintenance stage involves a long lasting increase in 2-AG levels and activation of astrocytes. Accordingly, hypothalamic 2-AG may influence the development of HFD preferences