Influence of denture treatment on brain function activity

SummaryThe objective of the present study was to clarify whether the treatment of complete dentures and the use of partial dentures influence brain function activity as determined by electroencephalograms (EEG). Eighteen complete and twenty partial denture wearers participated in the study. In order to evaluate denture function, the occlusal contact area and occlusal force were measured using a Dental Prescale Occluzer®. To evaluate brain function activity, EEG data obtained employing ESA-pro were analyzed using DIMENSION.The occlusal contact area significantly increased after complete denture treatment in all 18 subjects and significantly increased with wearing partial dentures in all 20 subjects. The occlusal force of complete and partial denture subjects significantly increased. An increase in brain function activity was noted in 14 of the 18 complete denture wearers, and after gum chewing with dentures in the 20 partial denture wearers.In this study, it was revealed that brain function activity was enhanced by the improvement of complete dentures, and by wearing partial dentures. Not only denture function improvement but also brain functional activation was achieved in elderly denture wearers at risk of brain activity deterioration

Effect of fish density on biological production in aquaponics combining lettuce hydroponics and loach aquaculture for controlled ecological life support systems in space

There is a need to develop production technology that effectively uses limited water and other resources to create a stable food supply in space. Aquaponics, which combine hydroponics and aquaculture, is expected to be an efficient system for producing crops and animal proteins. This system sustains the reuse of water and balances nutrient elements between both cultures using dissolved elements in fish excrement for plant growth. To evaluate the effect of fish density on biological production and nitrogen usage efficiency in aquaponics combining lettuce hydroponics and loach aquaculture, we investigated the growth performance of lettuce plants and loach fish. We focused on the balance of nutrient elements, especially nitrogen flow in the system. As a result, we found that lettuce grew in aquaponics with a half-strength standard solution with an optimal combination of the number of plants and fish as well as hydroponics with a standard solution. Increasing the density of loach fish and lettuce plants can increase the total biological production of fish and plants. However, it will be important to control both fish and plant densities to increase nitrogen recovery in aquaponics with a high fish density

Flt1/VEGFR1 heterozygosity causes transient embryonic edema

Vascular endothelial growth factor-A is a major player in vascular development and a potent vascular permeability factor under physiological and pathological conditions by binding to a decoy receptor Flt1 and its primary receptor Flk1. In this study, we show that Flt1 heterozygous (Flt1+/−) mouse embryos grow up to adult without life-threatening abnormalities but exhibit a transient embryonic edema around the nuchal and back regions, which is reminiscent of increased nuchal translucency in human fetuses. Vascular permeability is enhanced and an intricate infolding of the plasma membrane and huge vesicle-like structures are seen in Flt1+/− capillary endothelial cells. Flk1 tyrosine phosphorylation is elevated in Flt1+/− embryos, but Flk1 heterozygosity does not suppress embryonic edema caused by Flt1 heterozygosity. When Flt1 mutants are crossed with Aspp1−/− mice which exhibit a transient embryonic edema with delayed formation and dysfunction of lymphatic vessels, only 5.7% of Flt1+/−; Aspp1−/− mice survive, compared to expected ratio (25%). Our results demonstrate that Flt1 heterozygosity causes a transient embryonic edema and can be a risk factor for embryonic lethality in combination with other mutations causing non-lethal vascular phenotype

Reassociation of annelid giant hemoglobin from the polychaete Perinereis aibuhitensis

Annelid extracellular hemoglobin (Hb) is a supramolecule with molecular mass of ～3,500kDa. The giant Hb consists of 12 subassemblies (globin dodecamers, D) and 18 homodimeric linkers (L) of non-globin chain. The globin dodecamer and linker were isolated from the polychaete Perinereis aibuhittensis Hb separately. Subsequently, these two components were mixed in the presence of 1M urea at a neutral pH to reform a whole molecule of Hb. At first L was refined by reverse phase chromatography in organic solvent. On the other hand, Perinereis Hb was incubated in 4M urea solution at 4°C for 5 min, and applied to two amphoteric ion-exchange resin column to remove L stick to the resin, and to isolate only D. The eluate was condensed and subjected to gel filtration. As a result, an ingredient of molecule mass ～210 kDa, that is D, was provided in high yield. When D and L were mixed in the molar ratio of approximately 1:1 in 50mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) in the presence of 1 M urea at room temperature, most of the proteins met to natural Hb size again within about 20 hours. Furthermore, similar experiments were performed in 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.2) containing 1 M urea in the presence of 1 mM CaCl2 or 1mM EDTA. It was observed that the reassociation was affected substantially by the presence of Ca2+. In conclusion, the homodimeric linkers have the key role to form the gigantic Hb

Eukaryotic ribosomal protein RPS25 interacts with the conserved loop region in a dicistroviral intergenic internal ribosome entry site

The intergenic region-internal ribosome entry site (IGR-IRES) of dicistroviruses binds to 40S ribosomal subunits in the absence of eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs). Although the conserved loop sequences in dicistroviral IGR-IRES elements are protected from chemical modifications in the presence of the 40S subunit, molecular components in the 40S subunit, which interacts with the loop sequences in the IRES, have not been identified. Here, a chemical crosslinking study using 4-thiouridine-labeled IGR-IRES revealed interactions of the IGR-IRES with several 40S proteins but not with the 18S rRNA. The strongest crosslinking signal was identified for ribosomal protein S25 (rpS25). rpS25 is known to be a neighbor of rpS5, which has been shown to interact with a related IGR-IRES by cryo-electron microscopy. Crosslinking analysis with site-directed mutants showed that nucleotides UU(6089–6090), which are located in the loop region in conserved domain 2b in the IRES, appear to interact with rpS25. rpS25 is specific to eukaryotes, which explains why there is no recognition of the IGR-IRES by prokaryotic ribosomes. Although the idea that the IGR-IRES element may be a relict of a primitive translation system has been postulated, our experimental data suggest that the IRES has adapted to eukaryotic ribosomal proteins

M-CSF inhibition selectively targets pathological angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis

Antiangiogenic therapy for the treatment of cancer and other neovascular diseases is desired to be selective for pathological angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), a cytokine required for the differentiation of monocyte lineage cells, promotes the formation of high-density vessel networks in tumors and therefore possesses therapeutic potential as an M-CSF inhibitor. However, the physiological role of M-CSF in vascular and lymphatic development, as well as the precise mechanisms underlying the antiangiogenic effects of M-CSF inhibition, remains unclear. Moreover, therapeutic potential of M-CSF inhibition in other neovascular diseases has not yet been evaluated. We used osteopetrotic (op/op) mice to demonstrate that M-CSF deficiency reduces the abundance of LYVE-1+ and LYVE1− macrophages, resulting in defects in vascular and lymphatic development. In ischemic retinopathy, M-CSF was required for pathological neovascularization but was not required for the recovery of normal vasculature. In mouse osteosarcoma, M-CSF inhibition effectively suppressed tumor angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, and it disorganized extracellular matrices. In contrast to VEGF blockade, interruption of M-CSF inhibition did not promote rapid vascular regrowth. Continuous M-CSF inhibition did not affect healthy vascular and lymphatic systems outside tumors. These results suggest that M-CSF–targeted therapy is an ideal strategy for treating ocular neovascular diseases and cancer

The efficacy of polyglycolic acid felt reinforcement in preventing postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreaticojejunostomy in patients with main pancreatic duct less than 3 mm in diameter and soft pancreas undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy (PLANET-PJ trial): study protocol for a multicentre randomized phase III trial in Japan and Korea

Background Partial pancreatoduodenectomy is performed for malignant and benign diseases of the pancreatic head region. The procedure is considered highly difficult and highly invasive. Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is an important complication because of several consequent complications, including intraabdominal haemorrhage, often increasing hospital stays and surgical mortality. Although many kinds of pancreaticojejunostomy aimed at reducing POPF have been examined to date, the technique has not yet been standardized. We devised a new method using double-coated polyglycolic acid felt after pancreaticojejunostomy. The aim of the PLANET-PJ trial is to evaluate the superiority of polyglycolic acid felt reinforcement in preventing POPF after pancreaticojejunostomy in patients undergoing partial pancreatoduodenectomy to previous anastomosis methods. Methods Patients diagnosed with pancreatic or periampullary lesions in whom it is judged that the main pancreatic duct diameter was 3 mm or less on the left side of the portal vein without pancreatic parenchymal atrophy due to obstructive pancreatitis are considered eligible for inclusion. This study is designed as a multicentre randomized phase III trial in Japan and the Republic of Korea. Eligible patients will be centrally randomized to either group A (polyglycolic acid felt reinforcement) or group B (control). In total, 514 patients will be randomized in 31 high-volume centres in Japan and Republic of Korea. The primary endpoint is the incidence of POPF (International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery grade B/C). Discussion The PLANET-PJ trial evaluates the efficacy of a new method using double-coated polyglycolic acid felt reinforcement for preventing POPF after pancreaticojejunostomy. This new method may reduce POPF. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03331718 . University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry, UMIN000029647. Registered on 30 November 2017. https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000033874This study is funded by GUNZE LIMITED, based on the contract. The status of conflicts of interest of the principle investigator is examined by the Conflicts of Interest Management Committee of University of Toyama, prior to the ethical review by the IRB