Adsorption of Bovine Serum Albumin and γ-Globulin on Chitosan Membrane

Adsorption of proteins on chitosan, which has positively charged proups, was investigated. The amount of adsorption depended on pH values and showed the maximum at the isoelectric point of BSA (pH 4.5-5.0) as was recognized in non-charged polymer membl-anes. Also it depended on an ionic strength, which affected the maximum point as well as the amount itself. It was considered that the positive charge of chitosan may affect the isoelectric point of BSA at which the smallest lateral interaction appeared to make the compactest form of BSA molecule. Whereas, contrary to the general tendency observed at much lower concentration of BSA, the amount of maximum adsorption decreased as the ionic st.rength decreased. This suggests that at relatively high concentration, the reduction of shielding effect of ions may give the increase of repulsion between BSA molecules rather than that of interaction between BSA and chitosan molecules. The adsorption of γ-globulin was studied, too. Futhermore, the adsorption of chitosan onto a silk fiber as substitute for human hair was studied to result in the usefulness as the rinsing agent

Chitosan Derivatives / Calcium Carbonate Composite Capsules Prepared by the Layer - by - Layer Deposition Method II Stabilization of the Shell by Crosslinking

The layer-by-layer deposition method is utilized to prepare rodlike core / shell capsules. Chitosan (polycation)and chitosansulfate (polyanion)were alternatively deposited on the surface of calcium carbonate whisker(rodlikeparticle). The thickness of the obtained shells ranged from 26 to 42 nm. After the deposition, the shell was treated with diisocyanate to form crosslink between the chitosan or chitosansulfate chains in order to stabilize the deposited shell. The obtained shell crosslinked rodlike capsules were successfully converted to hollow particles by immersing them into hydrochloric acid due to the enhanced shell stability, whereas from noncrosslinked shells, no hollow capsules were yielded : the shell was removed by dissolution in hydrochloric acid. It is revealed that the crosslinking reactivity is higher for 1,6-diisocyanatehexane than for tolylene 2,4-diisocyanate, suggesting that the reactivity depends on the size and flxibility of the crosslinking molecule

Morphology and release kinetics of protein-loaded porous poly(L-lactic acid) spheres prepared by freeze-drying technique

Freeze-drying a biodegradable polymer, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) from 1,4-dioxane solutions provided very porous spherical particles of ca. 3 mm in radius with specific surface area of 8 − 13 m2 g−1. The surface of the particle was found to be less porous compared with its interior. To apply the freeze-dried PLLA (FDPLLA) to drug delivery system, its morphology and drug releasing kinetics were investigated, bovine serum albumin (BSA) being used as a model drug compound. Immersion of FDPLLA into a BSA aqueous solution gave BSA-loaded FDPLLA, where mass fraction of the adsorbed BSA reached up to 79%. Time-dependent release profile of BSA in water suggested a two-step mechanism: (1) very rapid release of BSA deposited on and near the particle surface, which results in an initial burst, and (2) leaching of BSA from the interior of the particle by the diffusion process. It was suggested that the latter process is largely governed by the surface porosity. The porosity of both the interior and surface was found to decrease remarkably as the concentration of the original PLLA / 1,4-dioxane solution increases, C0. Thus, C0 is a key parameter that controls the loading and releasing of BSA

Chitosan Derivatives/Calcium Carbonate Composite Capsules Prepared by the Layer-by-Layer Deposition Method II Stabilization of the Shell by Crosslinking

The layer-by-layer deposition method is utilized to prepare rodlike core/shell capsules. Chitosan (polycation) and chitosansulfate (polyanion) were alternatively deposited on the surface of calcium carbonate whisker (rodlike particle). The thickness of the obtained shells ranged from 26 to 42 nm. After the deposition, the shell was treated with diisocyanate to form crosslink between the chitosan or chitosansulfate chains in order to stabilize the deposited shell. The obtained shell crosslinked rodlike capsules were successfully converted to hollow particles by immersing them into hydrochloric acid due to the enhanced shell stability, whereas from noncrosslinked shells, no hollow capsules were yielded: the shell was removed by dissolution in hydrochloric acid. It is revealed that the crosslinking reactivity is higher for 1,6-diisocyanatehexane than for tolylene 2,4-diisocyanate, suggesting that the reactivity depends on the size and flexibility of the crosslinking molecule

The Novel Eryngii Method of Nipple Reduction for Female-to-Male Transsexuals

Nosaka, NobuyukiMastectomy is usually the first and most important surgical procedure in female-to-male (FTM) individuals with gender identity disorder. Nipple reduction is also important in the process of reconstructing the chest wall for a more male appearance. If the nipples remain large after a mastectomy, the results may be disappointing to many FTM transsexuals. Nipple reduction enables these individuals to go to the beach or Japanese public baths, where they may go topless in public. We therefore consider that nipple reduction is indicated for all FTM transsexuals who desire it. There are a variety of methods for the reduction of enlarged nipples for women or non-FTM patients, but only a few reports have described the process used to create masculine-appearing nipples for FTM transsexuals. We developed a novel technique called the Eryngii method for creating male-like nipples using a 4-mm diameter dermal punch knife. The name of the method refers to the Eryngii king trumpet mushroom, which the nipple resembles after the surgical process. The main strength of this method is that it permits the creation of ideal nipples without difficulty. Here we introduce the technique and discuss our history of surgical methods for nipple reduction, including improvements and elaborations

Estimation of the refractive index of volcanic ash from satellite infrared sounder data

AbstractWe investigated the spectral refractive indices (RIs) of volcanic ash materials in the wavenumber range of 700–1100cm−1 using satellite infrared sounder measurements and radiative transfer calculations. The ash RIs of 10 ash clouds from eight volcanoes were evaluated (Bezymianny on 2 September 2012, Chaitén on 3 May 2008, Kelut on 14 February 2014, Kirishimayama on 27 January 2011, Kliuchevskoi on 30 June 2007 and 18 October 2013, Puyehue–Cordon Caulle on 5 June 2011, Sangeang-Api on 31 May 2014, and Sheveluch on 28 October 2010 and 18 September 2012). We elaborated on a dataset of volcanic ash measurements made by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the Aqua satellite. The measured brightness temperatures in the ash cloud data revealed silicate absorption features at around 10μm. By applying atmospheric profiles from results of a global data assimilation system and using ash cloud properties (ash optical depth, effective radius, and ash cloud height) as parameters for radiative transfer calculations, least squares analyses for the observed and calculated brightness temperatures were conducted using AIRS channels in the wavenumber range of 700–1100cm−1, except for the O3 absorption channels in the range of 980–1070cm−1. Using the RIs for typical volcanic rocks in the ascending order of SiO2 content, basalt, andesite, and rhyolite, a mixture of basalt and rhyolite and a mixture of andesite and rhyolite for the ash material were considered. The volume fraction of the mixture was used as a retrieval parameter and as the ash cloud parameter. Using the estimated ash cloud parameters as fixed values, and under the assumption that the RI from the estimated volume fraction had some accuracy in the wavenumber ranges of 850–980cm−1 and 1070–1100cm−1, the RI imaginary part of each eruptive ash cloud captured by AIRS was then determined from iterative calculations at wavenumbers between 750cm−1 and 980cm−1. In the wavenumber range of 850–980cm−1, the observed brightness temperatures could be approximately simulated using the reported RIs from Pollack, Toon, and Khare (1973) for andesite, basalt, and rhyolite, and their combinations. Furthermore, some estimated RIs were consistent with the reported rock types of the volcanoes, which had been previously classified by compositional analyses in the literature. Our analysis also identified weak absorptions around 750–850cm−1, which could not be reproduced by the reported RIs. These weak absorptions were likely due to Si–O and/or Al–O vibrations, which have been proposed in reports from previous laboratory experiments for some silicate glass samples. Our results suggest that the detailed RI of volcanic ash can be determined from an analysis of satellite infrared sounder data. The RI of the ash material estimated from satellite infrared sounder data can be used to improve the ash retrieval algorithms of other satellite measurements. Furthermore, an RI retrieved by sounder measurements may provide diagnostic information regarding volcanic activity from comparisons with the ash RIs from past eruptions

Prognosis factors in the treatment of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw - Prognostic factors in the treatment of BRONJ -

Objectives: Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a relatively rare but serious side effect of bisphosphonate (BP)-based treatments. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the risk factors and predictive markers in cases where patients were refractory to a recommended conservative treatment offered in our hospital. Patients and Methods: This single-center study collated the medical records of all patients treated for BRONJ between 2004 and 2011. A complete medical history, including detailed questionnaires, was collected for all patients, focusing on identifying underlying risk factors, clinical features, location and bone marker levels of BRONJ. Results: The mean BRONJ remission rate was 57.6%, and the median duration of remission was seven months. Eighteen patients (34.6%) had persistent or progressive disease with a recommended conservative treatment for BRONJ. Notably, urinary cross-linked N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTX) levels in those resistant to conservative treatment tended to be lower than in patients that healed well. Conclusions: We confirm that a significant proportion of BRONJ sufferers are refractory to a recommended conservative treatment and find that anticancer drugs, periodontal disease, the level of bone exposure and the dosage of intravenous BPs (e.g. zoledronate) represent specific risk factors in BRONJ that may determine the success of a recommended conservative treatment. Additionally, the NTX levels might be able to be a prognostic factor for the conservative treatment of BRONJ; additional research is necessary

Preparation of Porous Chitosan Beads as Supports for Imm.obilizationof β-Galactosidase

Chi tosan has been not iced as "the f inal biomass" I which is one of polysaccharides and is wealthy in the reactivity because of the amino groups in the molecule. Here I we prepared four kinds of chitosan beads using the different chitosan dopes and coagulants. The porous beads gave the network structure on the surface and the porous sponge structure inside. The immobilized β-galactosidase was prepared by incubating a mixture of 340 uni t s of enzyme and 19 (wet) of porous chi tosan beads wi th 1% glutaraldehyde at pH5 and 250C for 1 hr. It showed the maximum activity at pH4.6 and 55t and the thermostability was slightly improved from 55t to 60t・When the immobilized enzyme was used repeatedly over 8 times under the condition of pH4.6， 40t and 10 min， the activity was kept in the constant value without the reduction. These facts show that the porous chi tosan beads are useful as suports for the immobilization of enzyme

Identification of 45 New Neutron-Rich Isotopes Produced by In-Flight Fission of a 238U Beam at 345 MeV/nucleon

A search for new isotopes using in-flight fission of a 345 MeV/nucleon 238U beam has been carried out at the RI Beam Factory at the RIKEN Nishina Center. Fission fragments were analyzed and identified by using the superconducting in-flight separator BigRIPS. We observed 45 new neutron-rich isotopes: 71Mn, 73,74Fe, 76Co, 79Ni, 81,82Cu, 84,85Zn, 87Ga, 90Ge, 95Se, 98Br, 101Kr, 103Rb, 106,107Sr, 108,109Y, 111,112Zr, 114,115Nb, 115,116,117Mo, 119,120Tc, 121,122,123,124Ru, 123,124,125,126Rh, 127,128Pd, 133Cd, 138Sn, 140Sb, 143Te, 145I, 148Xe, and 152Ba

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection